Pig love
The town watching the water rise
The only way across ( to get out of town)
Buen Viaje!
Walking down to the enterance of town. Looks like a lake. Usually its all grass
The municipalidad
A house very close to my house.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
San Salvador- Bajo de Agua (under water)
Last night March 22nd I went to bed at 10 o'clock and it was raining. I woke up about every hour because it was raining soo hard. At 6 am it was still raining cats and dogs. Well it rained soo much the town is flooding. Here are a few pics. I am ok. My house is pretty high compaired to others. But it will probably be a few days till I can get out of town.
Pig love
The town watching the water rise
The only way across ( to get out of town)
Buen Viaje!
Walking down to the enterance of town. Looks like a lake. Usually its all grass
The municipalidad
A house very close to my house.
Pig love The town watching the water rise The only way across ( to get out of town) Buen Viaje! Walking down to the enterance of town. Looks like a lake. Usually its all grass The municipalidad A house very close to my house.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Learning to become a Tour Guide
About a month ago Cynthia, the woman whom I work with most closely, told me about a course that was going to be offered here in San Salvador. It is called Informador Touristico, she really had no idea what it was about, the name explains a little, but the government was brining this course in through an organization called SINAFOCAL. If you take the course, 2 days a week, for 3 months you'll receive a certificate from the minestario de trabajo, and everyone LOVES their certificates. So Cynthia worked very hard to get people to go to the class. The first meeting there were 4 people, and to continue on with the course there has to be at least 25. So she went door to door and got 30 people to sign up on the registration sheet. Well the second meeting there was about 20. They did their course for a week, then Cynthia asked me to join the course, to boost numbers.
The first class that I went to we did group work, reading and then explaining to the group what we read. The reading was about tourism, what kind of tourism there is, why people go to the places they do, and how you can be a good tour guide. How you need to present yourself, be fully qualified for the places you are showing, know all the facts, know how to read a group if they are interested or no in what you are saying, so on and so forth. Pretty fun, and interesting. The group was asking me questions about my experience as a tourist and were really into the class.
The second class we did more ice breakers and team work stuff. The teacher of the course said that the most important thing was for us to become a team and work together before we can be good Guias de Touristica. So the teacher, and a few from the group decided to form a formal commission, to become recognized by the municipalidad to be able to ask for assistance easier. Because we are doing this class at the train station. There is a library and museum there, but no one really goes there. I am teaching English there to give the place a little more life. But..there is no bathroom, running water, a few chairs, no chalk board, or fan. So if a tourist were to come visit the station and need to use the bath room they would have to find a bush. Which is fine, but I don't think everyone would like that option. So as a commission we were talking about how we can mejorar the station.
The third class we did the voting and elected our presidente and so on. Cynthia was elected Presidenta, which is good because she has a lot of passion for the train station, being the director of the centro cultural. Then we made a list of activities that we can to do to start raising funds to mejorar the estacion. Volley ball tournaments, lotteries, bingo, different activities where selling food is involved, movie night, and parties ( the first will be held the night before Easter). The teacher throughout all of this is putting in her input and being very insistent about the group making decisions and making them now. So for the next class on Sunday we had planned a day to clean up the estacion, there are lots of spider webs, and cow poop and cook chorizo and sell it. It was planned very last minute and some thought that it should be just for the group and a team building thing, but the teacher insisted that we sell tickets for 5 mil, that includes 3 pieces of chorizo, mandioca and bean salad.
So the fourth class, Sunday, we met up and started cleaning the station. And in the meantime we started cooking. I had sold two tickets the night before to my girls Lola, and Dora. Lola showed up at around 11 and we had just started cooking the chorizo and shortly after Dora showed up, they saw how good the chorizo looked so they each bought another portion. They both brought dishes to take their food to go. So on they went and we stayed to eat the rest. Each of us had put in 5 mil as well. Well 1 kilo of chorizo has 15 pieces of chorizo, and if every person gets 3 pieces then a kilo would cost 15 mil, well a kilo costs 17 mill. So we had 5 kilos and were loosing 10 mil on the deal. In the end, with all the costs and what not we made 10 mil, thanks to me selling the tickets. Oh and I was the only one who sold tickets. After eating and gossiping we had our class.
Class consisted of an ice breaker that the teacher got from Peace Corps, many materials were giving to each group and we had to make a wedding dress. In my group I said, Hey lets do something different, and i had 3 of the 5 on my boat. We started with the black trash bag and came up with a theme that they were clowns getting married and the club. One of the women said, no way, absolutely not, there is no such thing as a wedding dress that isn't white. So she went and sat down, while sitting the teacher showed her the pics of the other group in another city and their final dresses, and immediately the woman says we have to copy this. So of course the rest of the team was down to copy. And franticly we started with another design. In the end when they were judging every teams they brought up our situation how we had an idea and changed it, and how they liked our original idea, it was different and out of the box. The woman started to defend herself saying that a wedding dress has to be white blah blah blah. The teacher called her out and said that it was her problem and that her head was in a box and needs to take it out!!! I thought I was going to die. Exactly what I wanted to say but was not going to the teacher said. About 10 minutes later the woman said she didn't feel weel and left, not sure she'll come back to class.
The first class that I went to we did group work, reading and then explaining to the group what we read. The reading was about tourism, what kind of tourism there is, why people go to the places they do, and how you can be a good tour guide. How you need to present yourself, be fully qualified for the places you are showing, know all the facts, know how to read a group if they are interested or no in what you are saying, so on and so forth. Pretty fun, and interesting. The group was asking me questions about my experience as a tourist and were really into the class.
The second class we did more ice breakers and team work stuff. The teacher of the course said that the most important thing was for us to become a team and work together before we can be good Guias de Touristica. So the teacher, and a few from the group decided to form a formal commission, to become recognized by the municipalidad to be able to ask for assistance easier. Because we are doing this class at the train station. There is a library and museum there, but no one really goes there. I am teaching English there to give the place a little more life. But..there is no bathroom, running water, a few chairs, no chalk board, or fan. So if a tourist were to come visit the station and need to use the bath room they would have to find a bush. Which is fine, but I don't think everyone would like that option. So as a commission we were talking about how we can mejorar the station.
The third class we did the voting and elected our presidente and so on. Cynthia was elected Presidenta, which is good because she has a lot of passion for the train station, being the director of the centro cultural. Then we made a list of activities that we can to do to start raising funds to mejorar the estacion. Volley ball tournaments, lotteries, bingo, different activities where selling food is involved, movie night, and parties ( the first will be held the night before Easter). The teacher throughout all of this is putting in her input and being very insistent about the group making decisions and making them now. So for the next class on Sunday we had planned a day to clean up the estacion, there are lots of spider webs, and cow poop and cook chorizo and sell it. It was planned very last minute and some thought that it should be just for the group and a team building thing, but the teacher insisted that we sell tickets for 5 mil, that includes 3 pieces of chorizo, mandioca and bean salad.
So the fourth class, Sunday, we met up and started cleaning the station. And in the meantime we started cooking. I had sold two tickets the night before to my girls Lola, and Dora. Lola showed up at around 11 and we had just started cooking the chorizo and shortly after Dora showed up, they saw how good the chorizo looked so they each bought another portion. They both brought dishes to take their food to go. So on they went and we stayed to eat the rest. Each of us had put in 5 mil as well. Well 1 kilo of chorizo has 15 pieces of chorizo, and if every person gets 3 pieces then a kilo would cost 15 mil, well a kilo costs 17 mill. So we had 5 kilos and were loosing 10 mil on the deal. In the end, with all the costs and what not we made 10 mil, thanks to me selling the tickets. Oh and I was the only one who sold tickets. After eating and gossiping we had our class.
Class consisted of an ice breaker that the teacher got from Peace Corps, many materials were giving to each group and we had to make a wedding dress. In my group I said, Hey lets do something different, and i had 3 of the 5 on my boat. We started with the black trash bag and came up with a theme that they were clowns getting married and the club. One of the women said, no way, absolutely not, there is no such thing as a wedding dress that isn't white. So she went and sat down, while sitting the teacher showed her the pics of the other group in another city and their final dresses, and immediately the woman says we have to copy this. So of course the rest of the team was down to copy. And franticly we started with another design. In the end when they were judging every teams they brought up our situation how we had an idea and changed it, and how they liked our original idea, it was different and out of the box. The woman started to defend herself saying that a wedding dress has to be white blah blah blah. The teacher called her out and said that it was her problem and that her head was in a box and needs to take it out!!! I thought I was going to die. Exactly what I wanted to say but was not going to the teacher said. About 10 minutes later the woman said she didn't feel weel and left, not sure she'll come back to class.
Me cleaning the roof the the station
The wedding dresses, ours is the dress on the far left. The dress in the middle won.
Playing volley after class at the station.
So we have planned, I made the flyers yesterday, is a Torneo de Volly for sunday in the afternoon. But we don't have a meeting before hand, and havn't planned what we are going to sell or a prize. A little unorganized. I feel that the teacher and a few from the group wanted to form this commission but the rest of the group signed up for the course to learn about tourism and what not, and its turned into a youth group doing activities stuff. Although one of our assignments it to investigate every date, and name about the train statioon. The idea is to get all the info together in one place and make a book thingy to sell at the train station for when visitors come.
Speaking of visitors my parents are going to be the guinea pigs!!! The group is excited to have tourists come and are planning activites for the whole community to be involved. I could tell what we are going to do but that would spoil everything for them!!
Oh and another thing about this class..I said to the group that a tourist wouldn't come if there wasn't any business, the case here in san salvador. So I made a proposal to, after this course, offer the business course that I have from Peace Corps. I pitched the idea to the teacher from SINAFOCAL, a non-profit, that teachers hundreds of courses from knitting, to repairing cell phones. They loved the idea and offered to send me one of their instructors to help teach the course. So probably starting after my parents come I teach a course called Building your dreams. If all goes well, and as planned.
Other things....
The road from villarrica to iturbe is going to be paved, that means no more cobble stone roads, and the trip will be a lot smoother and faster for me to get to Villarrica and Asuncion. Well whenever a big project is about to start someone has to say the first word...Well word on the street is that Lugo, the president, is coming to town on the 17 th of march. I won't believe it till I see it, he is supposed to be in lots of places and typically doesn't show up.
I've become very into cooking lately. I have made hummus, cakes, twice baked potatoes, salsa ( found tortilla chips!!!!!!!!), gizos, pancakes, a delicious curry, Mac and cheese etc. Totally from scratch. I am researching making bagels because there is cream cheese and the grocery store here.
The kitties are doing well, last night Ndikuaii ate a little tree frog, the leg was hanging out of her mouth. They are a great company!!
Ndikuaii climb up the pole becuase dogs were chasing her, well she couldn't get down becuase the dogs were at the bottom barking. David climbed up the pole to get her down!!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Carnaval 2010 Paraguay Style
Villarrica (the closest big town to me) is supposed to be the 2nd biggest hot spot in paraguay for Carnaval, so we thought we'd check it out. Despite being lost and by myself almost the entire time, I had fun, and can say I've see a lot of almost naked girls with beads, and been cover from head to toe in spuma ( foam ). Thanks to Daivd ( the wonderful photographer) some of the beautiful costumes were captured.
stew and his spuma shoes
Angelic and I
stew and his spuma shoes
Angelic and ISaturday, January 30, 2010
New Paraguay Address
So I finally walked my little lazy legs on down to the post office in Villarrica. The lady tried convincing me that there is a correo in San Salvador, but I gently assured here that it is no longer running. (the building is totally destroyed). I went to check it out, because someone told me I could live there.
Elizabeth Tippy ( or la Americanita) no you really shouldn't put that
Correo Central Villarrica
Gral Diaz y Colon
Villarrica 5000
Paraguay
I would like a couch, carpet, a new bed, blender, dvd player, and a radio...oh and if you can air conditioner.
thanks!
Elizabeth Tippy ( or la Americanita) no you really shouldn't put that
Correo Central Villarrica
Gral Diaz y Colon
Villarrica 5000
Paraguay
I would like a couch, carpet, a new bed, blender, dvd player, and a radio...oh and if you can air conditioner.
thanks!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Bug Bites and Yuyos
I can not remember the last time I went a day with out itching. My legs are not pretty too look at, all the Paraguays say " oh no, what has happened to your legs, what kind of bug did that to you?" My legs are still so white that the big red bites, and scabs stand out. Right now my back and stomach are also nicely covered, pretty sure the bed I have has bugs, spiders, and who knows what else. I feel I may be illergic to the termite dust as well. If I am lucky my house will stay standing for the two years I am here. Spiders big and small....soo many in my house. I think it makes for less mosquitos, but then how do I still have all these bites?!...All I can say is not sure what is eating me during the day or night, but I don't want to itch any more. I can't sleep with out benadryl and bug spray.
While David was here, we went into Villarrica one day to get groceries. We ate pasta and sopa paraguaya for lunch. Afterwards I was super fully and didn't feel well, maybe it had something to do with the ice cream that I ate after, not sure....Anways...after about 3 hours my stomach still hurt and we were waiting for the bus in the terminal. In the bus terminals you can rent, yes rent, terere. That means a guampa, yerba, bombilla, and pitcher with water and whatever yuyo you want. All smashed up and ready to serve while you wait for your bus. Don't think I will ever rent this equipo while I am here, especially in a bus terminal where is smells like throw up. So..we were waiting for the bus and I was complaing how my stomach hurt, so David went to the women renting the terere and asked what yuyo was good for an upset stomach, a random man heard david and said "i have the perfect yuyo, wait here". He left for about 5 minutes and came back with a wilted plant. I told david that I was not going to smash up a yuyo from the bus station and drink it without boiling the water. He said of course not. We get home, I am laying in the hammack, forget about the yuyo and David came with the terere. First ha, and I wanted to puke. It was sooo bitter and disgusting...He put the yuyo in without boiling. I wish I could say I got terrible sick and vomited but..my stomach ach went away. But it tasted nasty.
This morning on my way to english class I was wearing a light dress and flip flops sweating, dying in the sun and the heat. Right now 3 hours later it is pooring and I am freezing, wearing my fleece. Crazy paraguaying el nino weather.
While David was here, we went into Villarrica one day to get groceries. We ate pasta and sopa paraguaya for lunch. Afterwards I was super fully and didn't feel well, maybe it had something to do with the ice cream that I ate after, not sure....Anways...after about 3 hours my stomach still hurt and we were waiting for the bus in the terminal. In the bus terminals you can rent, yes rent, terere. That means a guampa, yerba, bombilla, and pitcher with water and whatever yuyo you want. All smashed up and ready to serve while you wait for your bus. Don't think I will ever rent this equipo while I am here, especially in a bus terminal where is smells like throw up. So..we were waiting for the bus and I was complaing how my stomach hurt, so David went to the women renting the terere and asked what yuyo was good for an upset stomach, a random man heard david and said "i have the perfect yuyo, wait here". He left for about 5 minutes and came back with a wilted plant. I told david that I was not going to smash up a yuyo from the bus station and drink it without boiling the water. He said of course not. We get home, I am laying in the hammack, forget about the yuyo and David came with the terere. First ha, and I wanted to puke. It was sooo bitter and disgusting...He put the yuyo in without boiling. I wish I could say I got terrible sick and vomited but..my stomach ach went away. But it tasted nasty.
This morning on my way to english class I was wearing a light dress and flip flops sweating, dying in the sun and the heat. Right now 3 hours later it is pooring and I am freezing, wearing my fleece. Crazy paraguaying el nino weather.
Enero
David being "guapo" and cooking some lunch with the kitties
Tita and her daughter Analia, I finally met her, she is studying in Buenas Aires
Happy Times
Aww cute kittyThursday, January 14, 2010
Finally
So finally after almost 8 months in Paraguay I feel setteled...like I have a routine, work to do, friends, things to do, a kitchen to cook in, and time to myself.
I hate to say it, because I love 25 de Abril and all the people there, but I think the move was a great thing. Being in San Salvador I feel like I have a purpose, and I am going to actually do something...The difference in communities is very large, some for the worse, but most for the better. The one thing that is so amazing is the people actually want to be my friend, work with me, and get to know me. Its not like pulling teeth trying the gain the trust of the people. I don't have to ride my bike 10 km every day to visit families to show that I am trying to integrate into their community. I can walk down the street, people I don't know say "Hi liz" and want to talk. I go to the store to buy 2 eggs and stay till midnight talking and eating with the owner.
I now kind of have a daily routine...ohh and I HAVE MY OWN HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( gracias a dios)
The morings I had free. Now Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9-11 I teach two english classes. For what? Well over 50% of the people here have familiy in the U.S.A. and after high school most of them get private (expensive) tutors for English in Villarrica. So the community had asked me to teach a course to the kids starting at 7 years old up to 18. Its amazing the difference between the level of education in these kids and those in the campo. The kids here understand what is going on in class, pronounce the words almost perfect, and are advancing quickily. In 2 classes I am almost as far as 3 months in 25 de Abril.
I'll come home from lunch ( right now david is here so he'll cook a rico lunch...usually!)
At 12:30 I go to the cooperative. Right now they are inputing all of their information into a data base. All of the savings and loans of the people are in paper form, and now converting onto the computer. So its a lot of numbers, and names. But well worth it. So I am there to answer questions about excell and help teach computers to the employees. All of the employess ( the 4 of them) are really nice, and really want to work with me, egar to learn.
I'll get home around 4 ish. Eat a snack. Then watch my telenovela from 7-8.
At 8 I go to the cancha de volley. There is a group of women, and their daughters that play volley every night from 8-10 that have adopted me. The court is full of toads, and bugs, but super fun. The owner, Maria, super sweet but hates to loose. They yell at me a lot and get really frustrated but I swear I am improving. They tell me if I go every night I'll be amazing in no time. David and I have been going together, and they love him cause he knows how to play. They keep telling him that he needs to teach me. I am really not that bad....I don't think.
Come home take a shower and go to bed. And while I sleep I get eaten by bugs. Not sure what kind but my back isn't very pretty.
In the near future I am hoping to start the business course that I have from the Peace Corps. Also I want to get a group of the kids and start a youth group. And in their winter break in July I want to do a day camp with art & crafts and games. So any good ideas with arts & crafts send me and e-mail. I know I was a girl scout for many years...but I don't remember a lot.
I hope everyone is doing lovely. I am very happy. Miss you all!!
I hate to say it, because I love 25 de Abril and all the people there, but I think the move was a great thing. Being in San Salvador I feel like I have a purpose, and I am going to actually do something...The difference in communities is very large, some for the worse, but most for the better. The one thing that is so amazing is the people actually want to be my friend, work with me, and get to know me. Its not like pulling teeth trying the gain the trust of the people. I don't have to ride my bike 10 km every day to visit families to show that I am trying to integrate into their community. I can walk down the street, people I don't know say "Hi liz" and want to talk. I go to the store to buy 2 eggs and stay till midnight talking and eating with the owner.
I now kind of have a daily routine...ohh and I HAVE MY OWN HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( gracias a dios)
The morings I had free. Now Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9-11 I teach two english classes. For what? Well over 50% of the people here have familiy in the U.S.A. and after high school most of them get private (expensive) tutors for English in Villarrica. So the community had asked me to teach a course to the kids starting at 7 years old up to 18. Its amazing the difference between the level of education in these kids and those in the campo. The kids here understand what is going on in class, pronounce the words almost perfect, and are advancing quickily. In 2 classes I am almost as far as 3 months in 25 de Abril.
I'll come home from lunch ( right now david is here so he'll cook a rico lunch...usually!)
At 12:30 I go to the cooperative. Right now they are inputing all of their information into a data base. All of the savings and loans of the people are in paper form, and now converting onto the computer. So its a lot of numbers, and names. But well worth it. So I am there to answer questions about excell and help teach computers to the employees. All of the employess ( the 4 of them) are really nice, and really want to work with me, egar to learn.
I'll get home around 4 ish. Eat a snack. Then watch my telenovela from 7-8.
At 8 I go to the cancha de volley. There is a group of women, and their daughters that play volley every night from 8-10 that have adopted me. The court is full of toads, and bugs, but super fun. The owner, Maria, super sweet but hates to loose. They yell at me a lot and get really frustrated but I swear I am improving. They tell me if I go every night I'll be amazing in no time. David and I have been going together, and they love him cause he knows how to play. They keep telling him that he needs to teach me. I am really not that bad....I don't think.
Come home take a shower and go to bed. And while I sleep I get eaten by bugs. Not sure what kind but my back isn't very pretty.
In the near future I am hoping to start the business course that I have from the Peace Corps. Also I want to get a group of the kids and start a youth group. And in their winter break in July I want to do a day camp with art & crafts and games. So any good ideas with arts & crafts send me and e-mail. I know I was a girl scout for many years...but I don't remember a lot.
I hope everyone is doing lovely. I am very happy. Miss you all!!
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