How to Escape the Summer Heat... Paraguayan Style

It is HOT in Paraguay, we`re talking over 100 degrees almost every day of the week! Most people have fans, but when its this hot, they just blow around the hot air, yuck! So what do we do to escape the heat?! We sit around all day drinking Terere. What is terere you ask? Its a tea made from yerba maté. In Argentina they drink the hot variety called maté. We do that here too, when its cold out. But in the summer we try to make it as cold as possible. Now it sounds simple, we just brew some tea, ice it and drink it, right? Wrong! Tereré is highly ritualized and if you don´t do it right you usually just get laughed at, but there also might be some old timer who gets mad! In order to drink Tereré you must have the proper equipment. That includes a guampa, the cup which is traditionally made from a cow horn but now comes in the wood and metal varieties as well, a bombilla, a metal straw with a filter attached to the bottom, and a pitcher. The yerba maté comes in many varieties, some are flavored with stuff like mint and lemon others are just plain. The yerba is poured into the guampa and the bombilla is then insertered into the yerba. To prepare the water Paraguayans typically use water and ice and also add some yuyos. Yuyos? Thats Spanish for weeds, they put weeds in their water? Yep? Makes it taste yummy! Different weeds have different uses. Most are said to be some sort of natural remedy. The most common are mint and boldo which are said to reduce acid and aid in digestion. They are also very refreshing. So they ground up the yuyos and put them in the water with some ice. The water is poured into the guampa with the yerba and the first pour is soaked up by the yerba, they say this is Saint Christopher´s turn, I think. Once the water is soaked up the person serving pours some more in and hands it to the person to his or her right. That person drinks the tereré and then hands the guampa back to the person serving. The server is often the host or the youngest person in the group. Traditionally the guampa is only touched by the right hand. Only the server can touch the bombilla with his or her hand and the bombilla should never be touched by teeth while drinking. The order in which the guampa is passed to drink is always the same even as people may enter or leave the circle. The server will continue to serve to each individual until they say Gracias or the water runs out. Drinking tereré is a very ritualized and traditional Paraguayan custom, and is one of the best ways that a Peace Corps Volunteer can integrate into the community. Most Paraguayans have their own equipment and often will get a really nice set as a gift for graduation from college or from collegues. Its amazing the work that goes into drinking this tea, but it is definitely worth it! Its delicious!

Happy Holidays

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and are preparing for a festive New Year! In all of my preparations for Aunt Franceen´s visit I forgot to post a Merry Christmas message. Aunt Fran has already come and gone and it was probably the fastest time has gone since I got here. We did all kinds of fun stuff. Upon her arrival we stayed in Asuncion for a night as she acclimated to being once again in a developing country. Then we made the trip out to my site where she got to participate in my English class, the workout group for women and Book Club. We spent Christmas Eve day making butter cookies and then delivered them on Christmas Day. We went to mass at my local chapel and ate Christmas Eve dinner with my new host family. The families traditionally eat dinner at midnight after a toast and prayers around the nativity scene, but we ate around 11 before the toast. They toast with either fermented apple cider or clerico, which is fruit salad with wine in it.

Although I was very sad because this was my first Christmas away from home, I am glad that I was able to spend it in a place where I learned new customs and traditions. I am also super thankful that Aunt Fran was here because she pushed me to do stuff that I might not have if I were here alone, like go to Mass.

After Christmas we travelled to Iguazu Falls to visit one of the seven natural wonders of the world. They are beautiful and although its a long bus ride out there, it was definitely worth it! The week flew by and now I am relaxing a little bit. I plan to spend New Years Eve with some other volunteers out in the campo. Should be a fun time! Hope everyone gets to party and enjoys their holiday!

Summer Vacation

School is out... finally! And the end of the year brings with it lots of celebrations and graduations. This week I have been to several pools with the kids from the community centers and a few different lunches with teachers. It has been fun, but time to get to work! I have been working very hard to design some summer programs so that the kids don´t just stay home all day watching tv in the heat. The one that I am hoping has the most sucess is Book Club. The kids will come once a week for 2 hours to read, play and have fun! I recruited some of the teenagers to help me so that we can read in small groups. I am really hoping to have sucess. The kids seem really excited, its just the teenagers I have to keep motivated! I have also finally given in to the requests for English Classes. I will be teaching 4 classes a day 3 days a week... that will be exhausting, but I put it off for soooo long! So they will finally get what they´ve been asking for...

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I was able to spend the weekend in a beautiful Hotel near Encarnacion, a city that borders Argentina. There were several beautiful pools and great scenery. We went to visit the Jesuit ruins which were pretty cool and for those who eat meat, there was a great big turkey dinner prepared by some of the other volunteers. Although nothing beats dinner in Grandma´s basement with the fam, Thanksgiving in Paraguay came in a close second!

With Thanksgiving down and school over it is now time to start planning for Aunt Fran´s visit! Can´t wait til I get to show someone around the wonder that is Paraguay! It´ll definitely be interesting!

Liberation

I have finally moved out into my own place, a small two room apartment behind the home of one of my students, and the freedom that I feel to do what I want when I want is exhilarating. My host family was not in any way controlling, but it was their home, not mine. I never felt like I could cook when I wanted, make a mess if I wanted, etc. I always felt like I had to cater to their Schedule and it felt like I was always walking on eggshells afraid if I made a mistake I´d be yelled at like one of the kids. Now I can walk around naked if that’s what I want. I can cook and make a huge mess where and when I want. I can leave the door open or close it. Its soooo liberating to have the freedom to do what you want. I love it! Growing up in that huge family of mine my biggest fear was that I would get extremely lonely and be sad in a place of my own, but because I am behind the home of a family and there are other renters I almost always have someone that I can go talk to if that desire to be around others becomes overwhelming. So far it hasn´t gotten that bad!
I was able to buy a used fridge and stove so they were much cheaper than getting them new and the family loaned me a bed to use. I bought a ropero, to store my clothes, and a table with one chair when I first got to site so I brought them with me to the new place. The principal at one of the schools I work at is loaning me some dishes but there are still some other things I´ll need. It seems so pointless to buy some of the stuff, since I´ll only be using it for a year and a half, but I guess I can donate it when I am done. And one person doesn´t really need that much stuff anyway!
I have been trying to keep busy in the evening so that I don´t get bored. I am leading an exercise group with some of the women in my women´s group three times a week. They are loving it, and I get the added benefit of an extra workout! I hope that in the summer I can keep busy with activities as well, it makes the time go by so much quicker. School is ending within the next couple of weeks and that means all of my classes and youth groups are ending too. I am currently trying to plan an English course for the community center and I am thinking about starting a library Project as well as a group to teach about HIV and AIDS. Hopefully all these activities will keep me moving! Summer has already started… or at least it feels that way. Its already getting up to 90 degrees during the day and stays around 75 or 80 overnight, unless there´s rain!

Please Vote

As I sit here in Paraguay thousands of miles away from home I feel like a passive participant in this year´s election. I wish there were something more I could do as a US citizen to help with the election. But I have done my part. As an American living overseas I sent in my request for an absentee ballot way back in August and just last week I filled out and sent in my vote. I hope that Americans living at home make the effort to go to the polls and elect our next President. I hope that rather than being lazy or failing to register that everyone who is able to vote does so... and if you don´t then there you can say nothing when the inevitable comes, a change made by whichever candidate won that you don´t like. The decisions will be made and the complaints will be heard, but only those who made the effort to vote should be able to complain with validity. Here in Paraguay they ask me about the election with regularity. They all know that Barack Obama is the black candidate and if elected will be the first black president, but most of them don´t even know McCain´s name. They know about Bush and the mistakes he has made and they don´t want that again. They know that whichever candidate is elected President will effect not only Americans but people all around the world. Please make the effort to vote, its our country, its our decision!

Safe and Sound plus a Request

So I have made it back from my amazing adventure to Paraguay. I arrived this morning after two nights on busses with swollen feet and greasy hair, but after a quick shower and a walk I feel like a million bucks! I will return to site later this afternoon and its back to work in the morning.

So for the request...
As a member of the Gender and Development (GAD) Commitee here in Peace Corps Paraguay I participate in many activities to increase awareness about gender, gender roles, discrimination, etc. I am posting a request for those who may be willing to donate any amount to a fund that provides scholarships to Paraguayans. Do not feel obligated to donate, but know that I will be submitting applications with three girls from my community for the scholarship.

Hello,

Each year, the Gender and Development Committee (GAD) of Peace Corps Paraguay, along with two local organizations, work together to provide at least 50 underprivileged youth with both technical training and educational scholarships. The technical training includes workshops on leadership, self-esteem, personal finance management, gender empowerment, and networking. The scholarship program includes four different educational levels available for financial aid:

High school level ($100)
Vocational level ($150)
Trade school level ($250)
University level ($500)

The PATF program aims to help young, female Paraguayans pursue their education in diverse fields of study and increase their ability to achieve financially independent and fulfilling lives. Since 2004, the program has awarded 143 scholarships to female Paraguayan youth throughout the country. This year, in order to promote gender equity, the program has expanded to include 10% of the scholarships for male beneficiaries.

You can help Peace Corps raise funds to enable bright, young Paraguayan youth to further their education. Even the smallest contribution can make the biggest difference in raising the tuition that Paraguayan youth need for his/her education. By clicking on the following link you will find further details on the program and information on how to donate to the project:

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=526-187

Thank you for your generosity!

Marathon, Buenos Aires, and Patagonia

After a long 16 hour bus trip from Asuncion I arrived in Buenos Aires and fell in love! The city is amazing and beautiful and I truly enjoyed it. It reminded me a bit of New Orleans. We stayed in the San Telmo neighborhood where there were tons of cafés and lots of stuff to do. The marathon was Sunday and it was raining the entire day. I finished though and am proud to say that I beat last year´s time running it in 4 hours and 4 minutes. Next year 4 hours flat! Monday I jumped on another bus headed to Bariloche in Patagonia. The view here is beautiful. I will be putting up tons of pictures very soon. So far I´ve been biking through the mountains, hiked up 3 different mountains and now I am headed out to do Paragliding! This is an amazing break from volunteer life in Paraguay! Tomorrow I´ll be on a day trip to El Bolson. Monday it´ll be busses all the way back to Paraguay.