Peace Corps, Paraguay and a Purpose. : So many things!!!

Dearest readers of mine, I apologize for the extreme delay and lapse in posting. I was too busy saying good bye to many dear friends as they depart Paraguay and close their services, also I spent a whole month in the states and was too busy having fun with so many loved ones and then this last month has been an even bigger adjustment then I had imagined. New house, new neighborhood, new work, new almost everything. Oh any I saw the pope!

So here I am, its July our winter and i'm in shorts and a tank top. But I'm not getting to excited because knowing Paraguay it will be freezing tomorrow and I will be bundled.

I spent a few weeks before my home leave training for my new job and saying bye to the last few of the group that I came down here with. I surprised my mom and went home a week early and she was shocked! Oh and it was Mothers day so she like super shocked! If you don't know my mother I'll let you in on a little secret, she is never surprised. She does the surprising. Well this time we pulled it off! My sister, brother, brother-in-law and father oh and little summer met me at the airport on Mothers day and we headed to my aunts for the big surprise. Lots of hugs, tears and smiles- everything we were planning for!

That month home almost feels like a dream. I did so much and ate so much. I spent lots of time with family and saw some dear old friends, celebrated a friends engagement, went to the beach, went downtown.. and so much more. One month was a long time but it could have been longer. It was the longest time I had spent at home in over 2. 5 years so I was pretty content! So much has changed but so much has also stayed the same. It's funny how life works out that way.

I flew back to Paraguay about a month ago and moved into my new house in the capitol city of Asuncion. It was a bit of an adjustment. The white walls drove me crazy the first week and I hated the smell of the place and everything felt wrong and terrible cold. Buttttt like everything I needed time. Time to unpack and reflect and start over again. And so far so good. My new house is a major upgrade compared to my old house. I feel much more civilized and I even have a couch! I have a gate and bars on all the windows and doors, I feel very secure. I am only 4 blocks from my office a total of a 7min walk each morning. There is a super market and a WaWa type gas station/ restaurant within walking distance. Also almost all my favorite restaurants deliver to my house, its a simple pleasure I did not have before.

I am in the office by 9 each morning and am off by 5. Each day I do something different in the office and I am still learning just what this job will be for the next 10 months. Right now I am helping with a lot of volunteer and staff support. I have gone a few day trips to visit volunteers and to the training center. I am enjoying learning a new side to Peace Corps and seeing how this organization works and runs internally. I hope to finish this job strongly with a better understanding of the carrier path I would like to choose.

Paraguay has been buzzing this past weekend, literally. Pope Francis arrived on Friday and has been traveling all around visiting people groups, hospitals and giving masses. I was lucky enough to be a part of the thousands of people that welcomed him on Friday. We lined the streets for 8 miles and cheered and waved as he paraded along in his pope mobile. It was truly an incredible experience. It even bought me to tears. Seeing the pride and joy in all the people was something so special, I don't know if I have ever seen something quiet like it.

That is all I have for now. I will try and be better at posting when I have things to post about. Sometimes it feels like I don't have much to say because I'm in the office all day but I promise to keep things interesting!!