Sunday, July 5, 2009

Another Week In Paraguay

So I forgot to tell you about the charlas at the elementry school that we did while on our trip to Villarica. The school director wanted us to give charlas about deforestation and the importance of trees. So Mary and I worked together, giving charlas to a 1st grade class and a 6th grade class. The kids for the most part know whats up, but getting them motivated to replace the tress they are cutting down for carbon, houses, furniture, and more land for agriculture is going to be difficult. The deforestation in Paraguay is crazy. There is hardly any rainforest left in the eastern side of the country.

Ok now to this week. Last sunday I went to the futbol games and dance as normal. All is well at the chancha. Mike another trainee went to the dance for the first time, and he really enjoyed himself, he danced with Lucy. Hopefully the other trainees parents will let them go this week. Most of their moms are crazy strick and hardley let them leave thier houses. Most of them are having a hard time with it people they are older and arn´t used to having someone tell them they need to be home before dark, and if they are late their moms will call all the other moms. My mom is pretty cool about going places as long as i am with someone she can trust.

Monday we had our second spanish intervie. I am at the level needed, so i won´t be getting kicked out of paraguay any time soon. hopefully. Mary gave her charla during the tech session about small businesses in paraguay, we went to a ladies house who makes ¨dulce de mani¨basically sugar and peanut butter. super rico.

Thrusday was our 3rd dia de practica which has been getting us more ïntegrated¨into the community. Mary and I are working with her grandma who makes and sells fleece pants and sweat shirts. We had her tell us about all the women in the community who either make and item such as clothing, dulces, chipa, sopa paraguaya, or sell items such as milk, yuyos, or lottery. There were about 20 women in our commuinty who do these things. The next dia de practica we need to give a charla, our trainers will watch us, and we are going to do a test run with explaining what a comite de mujeres is and how they work. Mary´s mom has expressed a need for one within the community. There are a lot more women who want to sell their items but they can´t get into town because of their children. so a comite de mujeres would allow the women to work together and pool their resources. There are no organized groups here and all the other towns around have one, so it is possible with motivated women. so we´ll throw the idea out there and hopefully they run with it. but it could take some time, just like everything else.

Thrusday night carlos, mike, mary and i were sitting on my patio having a beer when Brad came over and told us we needed to go to his house ASAP, he was going to kill his first chicken. So we went. Peace Corps asks us not to post videos, or photos of animal killings. After they were dead and plucked brad´s mom gutted it and gave us a lesson on what everything was. they eat basically everything.

Friday we left at 6 am and went to Mercado Abasto the central fruits and vegi market for paraguay. Production coops sell their products to a larger coop and that larger coop sells the food in abasto. Its enormous but dirty. Their sanitation requirements arn´t very strick so you´ll see cats and dogs everywhere and you don´t know what your food has touched where its been. Therefore i try to block that out of my mind and eat the food that is given to me. After we went to the main office for INCOOP which is the organization that any coop has to register with. Its kind of like the SEC in a way. THe visit was pretty long, we got a tour of every floor and every office. After all that we went as a group to the Embassey. They had a 4th of july celebration for all americans living in paraguay on the 3rd of july. there were burgers, baked beans, hot dogs, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and beer. delecious.

Yesterday, saturday, we learned about the history of paraguay and how screwed up the government is. Really shitty. Far too complicated to explain. Right now the for the first time they have a president of a different party, not the colorado who have been in control for the past 40 years. Lugo, the president now, used to be the bishop of a state here in paraguay. Went home hung out with my mom. We were drinking terere on the steps, and my chair broke and i fell down 4 steps. hitting my head againist the steel door. not even asking if i was ok, my mom busted up laughing. i was fine, but i split the yerba everywhere. It was pretty hillarious.

Today its raining, it rained all last nigh too. the electricy went out for a bit. the roads are very mudy but mike and i made our way to the internet today. all is well. rainy and humid.

besos

3 comments:

  1. Your current life is like a spanish soap opera!

    ~Liz

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  2. I was thinking the same thing...:)
    Every week i have to get my fix of the spanish soap opera. Luv ya Liz!

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  3. Your posts are awesome, Liz! You describe the culture so well I can really get the feel of what it is like there. I'm glad you're having so much fun! Don't be afraid to miss home because we all miss having you here. Thursday nights just aren't the same.....

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