Radio Show, House Visits, SVAC and Sopa Paraguaya

A lot has been happening this week and I am tired. So I am taking this morning to enjoy a hand brewed cup of coffee my sweet sister sent me and its a black cup of coffee kind of morning. Also I am enjoying what's left of the crisp air down here as we welcome spring this Saturday...hello primavera. Also it is a very special birthday on Saturday my lovely mothers 35th Birthday! More on that later! So here's what I've been up to in Paraguay-

Monday I had my first radio show...and it was a success. I struggled with a few words because who isn't a little nervous speaking a whole new language while it is broadcasted to hundreds of people? I was lucky to have a nurse with me that enjoyed my effort and we were able to laugh and joke about my mishaps. Also you know you have accomplished something when you can joke in your second language or third! We discussed how to have a safe and healthy pregnancy and what mothers can do for their babies during those 9 months. There is little education here for future mothers and this is a topic I plan do teach a lot on in the next 2 years. The show was about an hour long and we played music between takes. It was no Teen Talk, haha it was a bit more mature. But I do have to say there is less pressure with the radio, you can almost pretend its not real...but then when you get home and your neighbors comment on your program and your voice you jump back into the reality of it all!

Tuesday I went on house visits with the same nurses. I have a very active Health Post and because of that there is always something to do. We serve a very large community and there are constantly things to be done. On Tuesday we set out to take a census of a new part of the community and give a few vaccines. We walked all around -house to house. We took a census of the people living in each house, their health conditions, living conditions, martial status and job status. Then we gave vaccines to babies, well I didn't actually give the vaccine just helped. It was special. I enjoy the house visits, I meet new families and get to meet them where they are at. They don't feel threatened and I am not as intimidated. I am going to try and continue these house visits and helping out with my Health post as much as I can. Bright things for the future here!

Wednesday I made a famous Paraguayan food known as Sopa Paraguaya it's basically a corn bread but with cheese and onions and surprisingly delicious. Every house wife here claims there sopa is the best and whenever they make it they invite me to indulge. It is easy to eat half a pan of this and not feel bad about it. So I decided it was time to master a Paraguayan dish because I plan on making it when I am home for Christmas, gotta start some where! It was a success and I gotta say it was delicious. I shared it with my neighbors and they agreed we called it the Sopa Paraguaya de la Americana. This dish is a signature for Paraguay and is found at every big event and made almost every Sunday. To make this dish you will need-
Milk
Eggs
Corn flower
Paraguayan Cheese
Onions
Salt
Oil
I didn't put measurements because honestly I don't use them anymore, yes that sounds crazy! But I have learned to just guess and it always works out! If you would like to try this I will be making lots of it when I am home in December!

Finally, I have joined the Serving Volunteer Advisor Committee or SVAC. This is a committee made up of Peace Corps Volunteers from around the world. I am currently the Senior Advisor for Mentoring and will be helping with mentoring projects between different post. Here is a brief description of SVAC found on their website-

"The purpose of the NPCA Serving Volunteer Advisory Council (SVAC) is to create a regular two-way channel of communication between serving Peace Corps Volunteers and the NPCA, the nonprofit organization that connects the Peace Corps community at home and abroad.  SVAC’s job is to informally advise the President of the National Peace Corps Association on issues related to serving Peace Corps Volunteers who are currently in the field"

If you would like to learn more about what I will be doing you can check out the mentoring page here. I am very excited about this opportunity and will keep you updated on the projects I will be doing.  

Thats all for now, thanks for keeping up with me and reading about my endeavors. It means a lot to have people supporting me! This weekend I am going to a garden workshop and taking some time away from my site, it will be nice to change things up a bit and see some different parts of Paraguay! Ya'll take care and be well, thinking of you always. 

I never thought I would...

It seems that a lot of the time I find myself thinking....wow before Paraguay I never thought I would do this...insert weird peace corps habit... Well I decided these things should be written down, I imagine you will be entertained, maybe disappointed and definitely shocked. I know I was with most of these things when they first became a reality to me but like everything it seems so normal now. So before you freak out just put your self in my shoes for a hot minute and know that I am living in a complete different world then you so naturally the things I am doing down here are weird, strange and a bit questionable when compared to our western lifestyle! Enjoy! 

I never thought I would- 

eat so much meat, and love it 

crave more meat on sundays 

take 3 showers a day ( when its hot) and

3 showers a week ( when its cold) 

Master the art of cooking over a fire

become a master at waiting...for everything

Use a table cloth as a napkin ( this I am not proud of ) 

drink so much terere and buy my own thermo 

forget how to talk and write in English ( its a big struggle of mine) 

talk in so much spanish and guarani that when I try to talk in english it hurts my head ( fearful of Christmas vacation) 

make it out of training without getting back on an air plane 

become so okay with awkwardly standing in front of someones house clapping and yelling hola as if i’m just ringing the “door bell” 

live alone in a house all by my self in a foreign country ( not so foreign now) 

spend more time by myself then ever before and enjoy it, like really enjoy it 

drink after every person when offered with out any fear ( including water, wine, beer and terere) 

casual take walks with women while they are walking and breast feeding...talk about a multi- tasker 

cut my grass by hand using my machete 

drink beer by the liter and wine from a carton, always. 

hand wash everything I own 

take a bus everywhere and maneuver my way around a country 

speak a third language 

be able to joke in spanish 

not run for such a long period of time and be so content

be so happy!

There are many more... but these are just a few reflections right now! Have a great weekend everyone! And a big happy birthday to Miss Lauren Hammond! 

Now a few photos from the week! 

My friend Carol and Valentina and I at a confirmation last Sunday 

Me drinking my terere like a boss under the mango tree 

Feeding the little baby!

This little girl Sarah spent every morning with me this week and we colored a lot! 

Kids Club

Hello blog world!

I had my first kids club last Saturday and it was a success in the making...as all things in Paraguay it needs some time. At first only 1 girl showed up. I was bummed and so where the 2 little girls who helped me plan it. But then I realized what I have been told all along...

Paraguayans have no concept of time and most events that have a start time will most likely start an hour later. And sure enough an hour into the club 5 young boys showed up and we began!

I didn't know what to expect so I didn't plan anything too serious....but we played some games with the frisbees and jump ropes my mom sent me ( these kids go crazy for toys) and we got to know each other. Then at the end I taught some English.

 It was fun but I was so tired after 2 hours straight with 7-9 year olds! I am planning on continuing this club every Saturday.





They all really want to learn English but I really want to teach them about health and hygiene
since that is a really big need here. So I am planning on doing a small lesson of English paired with different lessons on health.

I am very excited about this. It is easy to get intimidated here with the language barrier but with kids I am super relaxed and always have a good time. So I can be found every Saturday morning at 9am with the ninos in my community!

Also I have recently started a radio show.....Every Monday at 9:30 I will go to the local radio studio in town with a nurse from my health post. Each week we get to pick our topic. We discuss different health topics and play music... more to come on this next week. As excited as this is... it is equally as terrifying and will force me to practice my pronunciation more and more!  Buneno!!!

Awkward Stories #1

This is titled #1 because changes are there will be more.... 

I should start this post by informing you that there is no word in the spanish language that translates to awkward...this is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it is 100% accurate that when I think a situation is awkward the Paraguayans don’t. You may think this isn’t possible but really it is...they never feel awkward simply because awkwardness doesn’t exist to them....A curse because I feel awkward about 75% of the time and most every encounter with a Paraguayan is an awkward one and when they notice my discomfort I have no way of explaining it to them other then saying Me siento diferente o mal or I feel different or bad. So today reached a whole new level of Paraguayan awkwardness... and I had to share...keep in mind I love these people and have to daily fight for my right to be heard here and taken seriously.

This week I am starting a kids club in my community. There is very little open space in my community and I have to hold it in the yard of one of the community members, great no problem. Last week I asked this sweet family if that would be okay... they assured me no hay problema or No problem... So this week I made invitations to pass out to the community... simple stating the kids club, time, date, place and stick instructions not to bring your animals, because in Paraguay you need to be careful to leave your dogs at home...so I was told. 

Any who, this week was the senors birthday in which who's yard we are using for the kids club. Well his family heard about this “invitation” and thought I invited the whole community to their house for a birthday party this weekend...and to leave your animals at home because they have so many... and they were mad... I mean who wouldn’t be if you thought a norte ( me) self invited her self and 50 of the community kids to there house for a “party”....ahh this could not be farther from the truth. I was mortified and the awkwardness set in. 

I then had to explain that none of that was true and show them the invitation and read it to them... then I came to the conclusion that 1. Either gossip spread like rapid fire and this kids club got completely turned around or 2. They were unable to read the invitation....I am still working on those conclusions. 

But just imagine me.... trying to beg my forgiveness to this couple who thinks I just invited the whole neighborhood to their house.. in my half spanish/ guarani language... Afterwards i felt more awkward then ever... but could never begin to explain that feeling to the Paraguayans because there is no such thing. well bam. 

Doesn’t sound like much but it was and after the whole ordeal I wanted to be in America where the awkward turtle is real and understood. So for all you awkward people out there that feel like you don’t belong...there is a home for you in Paraguay! 

Also how awkward is it that Paraguayans think Ranch dressing is spicy and won’t eat it because so....words could not describe my reaction when my neighbors “tried” by tried I mean put I microscopic dot on their finger and said no me gusta es muy picante...I don’t like it, it’s too spicy......SAY WHAT?? so more for me, and I’m running out quickly so send.more.ranch. 

But whats totally not awkward are these wildflowers that I found on my walk home today! 

A thought

This blog holds many purposes and right now it is simply to savor this quote... so heres to all you storytellers out there!

People

A college professor once told me that "the places we go or the places we live don't matter as much as the people, the people make the experience." At first I was confused but once I figured it out, it made complete sense. It's the people that you make the memories with, the people you spend your time with and the people who's company you enjoy most. Yes I love places and they leave impressions on my heart...but I have no desire to go back to Lynchburg and spend 4 more years going to class and taking exams but I would love nothing more then to be surrounded by those people for another 4 years....its why when I go back to visit something is always missing, the people. Also when I think about home yeah I miss the place but I really miss the people....and I would never consider spending another moment in Wall Drug, South Dakota but if it meant being with Lauren and Gav for a bit, then sure why the hell not, again the people.

So today I was thinking a lot about my people here, how they greet me, how they make me feel and how I want more of them...I can now understand all the pre- cautious and anxiety I had in my first few months here...I didn't have people, almost the exact same feelings I had my first semester of college. I just needed people, but don't we all? We were created for community, and how sweet is it when we find it.

And I've found it. People are all around me and I want you to meet all of them but today I will tell you about one lady who I have been spending lots of time with recently-

Mrs. Julia is 52 years old. She has lived on the same street her whole life. She is married to Mr. Salvador. Together they have 5 kids- Myain who is 36 with a precious 5 year old, Carlos who is 32, Ceasar who is 29, David who is 25 who has a 1 year daughter and Julio who is 15. All but David live in the same house, there is not an open bed. David and his girlfriend Carol live in a house next door along with their daughter Pauli and Carol's 2 nieces. In the other house on the property is an Uncle and his wife, there is also a chapel on the property and we are building another house for Ceasar next month.

On the property Mrs. Julia has 6 dogs, 3 cows, 3 pigs, a parrot, a horse, a goat, ducks and chickens. Mrs. Julia runs the house, everyone calls her Momma and every listens to her. She is almost always in the kitchen cooking... on average 13 people eat lunch there each day and when I would like I am included, usually a big pot of stew, pasta or rice with really delicious pork.

Mrs. Julia and I set on her porch often and talk about cooking, she teaches me how to cook Paraguayan dishes and I teach her about American food. I sometimes help her feed the pigs, dogs, parrot and goat in the evenings. She never stops. She is a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a daughter, a sister, a friend and a rock star! I am very thankful for her. She and her family are the type of people I think about when I think about why I like this place...when I'm not at her house, I'm usually thinking about going. I want to be around them all the time. There is energy, people, laugher and I am included in that always.

So who are your people? Are they giving you energy? Are you living in a community? If your not I would encourage you to seek that out. I can defiantly say my life is enriched by the people I place around me...both in America and in precious Paraguay.

This is Mrs. Julia and her family. From the left-
Mr. Salvador, Carol, Mrs. Julia, David, Ceasar, Carlos, Julio, Myrian, Pauli ( baby)
Missing a few but still a great family picture! 

For the fun of it- A picture of Lauren, Gav and I in Wall Drug, South Dakota...
or the middle of no where of the west, fun times had by all! 

Bebé'e

In Guarani when something is tiny you put an "e" at the end of it... and last week I got to help welcome a little tiny new born or bebe'e in spanish/ guarani or BABY in english into the world! He is precious and so stinking cute... I find myself starring at him often.

Being a health volunteer in rural Paraguay has been such an experience thus far and up until last week I had thankfully not experienced a Paraguayan hospital. Well when my friend went into labor last week I went along with her to the hospital. There are many factors in this story that would blow your mind in the health care world...but I would be writing a book so I will do my best sum up.

We take a taxi to the hospital, barely anyone has cars. We get the the hospital which is also accompanied by a few straw cats, shocking. There is no check in, no beep in, no locked doors, no separate rooms, just open rooms of beds with people and a tiny hallway for labor and delivery. "OK I think to myself, I'm not in America thats for sure." My friend goes back and her mom and I wait, and wait and wait some more. She is told she is not ready and to walk around to induce labor ( mind you this is what I gather, keep in mind that they are speaking a mix of Guarani and Spanish and there is a huge language barrier) So we wait some more...

Then we are informed there is no doctor and no bed for her and we have to transfer hospitals... in an ambulance. So we go... its a nice ambulance...miniature as most things are here. But the new hospital was far from miniature...it was MASSIVE, like biggest building I've ever seen in Paraguay. At this point she is ready, it is 10pm and we are in for the long haul. We hop on an elevator, only the second one I've been on in Paraguay....get to the a labor delivery center...my friend goes back and we wait. The nurse brings out a list of medicine she needs and we go to the closest pharmacy to buy it, then we return and wait some more.

Between the first 5 hours of waiting I am thinking...hmm poor girl she is in labor for so long....I wonder when we will get to go back there for the delivery...because after all...when I go into labor you better believe I will have some family member, husband, sister or mom holding my hands...she must want that too, so I ask.  I am informed that no one is aloud in the room until 4.5 hours after the birth, but why? "THATS CRAZY" I think, am I translating this right in my head? Yes I was. So around 3am a nurse informs us of the birth of a baby boy, 3 kilos...but nothing else, no time...no nothing.

So I try and sleep, along with everyone else camping out, but I can't. It is cold, smelly, dirty and I start to internal freak out. 1. for my friend who just delivered her first baby and cannot have her husband or mother by her side. 2. because I am in a foreign hospital un able to fully understand what all is happening and feel completely alone.

That all passes, since no one else seems to be freaking out I calm down...leave in search of some type of food that might make me feel better. Naturally I find chipa and empanadas, because really what other food can you find at 6am ( which is the time by now...still have not seen baby). We eat, talk...I practice my Guarani....walk up and down the 7 flights of steps to keep my body warm and finally at 10am I am welcomed back to meet the baby, but only for 15 minutes. He is wonderful, my friend is wonderful and there are lots of smiles!

Overall it was a wild 20 hours or so in hospitals, I was shocked. But then humbled. These people work with what they have and yes to us their health care system and structures seem outdated and ineffective but its what they have and they make it work. I will say that I was thankful to be apart of such an experience but wish never to find myself in a hospital in Paraguay. I am enjoying being back at my house and holding little Eder Enrique when ever I please!

my first glimpse!

Fun fact- I gave him that outfit! Now we call him Monkey'e 

Waiting all day for him to come! 

Im an Aunt!!!