First off, a hundred apologies for not writing sooner. Internet time has been sparse, but I finally have a few minutes to type up this novel! Read on if you have the time, if not... the blog´s not going anywhere!
COOP news is kind of complicated. My host dad/treasurer of the cooperative and I sat down a few weeks ago. I had questions involving finances and then it ended up being a conversation about my future work. He basically told me that he and the president, also his best friend, had no idea why they asked for a volunteer. I mean, that´s always good news when I´m hear for two years! It doesn´t frustrate me at all, because I see holes in their business practices, its just a matter of bringing them up slowly and delicately. A few weeks after that, we got some REALLY good news! Some government organization is giving our COOP 3 or 4 computers since I´m living in the community! They are specifically for me to teach technical classes! I´m stoked about that and although I´m not getting too excited until I see that the computers are actually located in my community. PYans don´t do anything quickly!
A few weeks ago I had a real cultural experience. A little something they call rezos. I have been to a TON here, but actually helped with one! Basically, when someone dies you have 9 days of mourning. They don´t sit around crying, but they do get together every afternoon to say the entire rosary. And this is right after someone dies AND every year after that. So the last day is a big production. They usually have a celebration of sorts with music and prayers and of course, the rosary. They also give out cookies, candy, and this special PYan bread called chipa. Chipa consists of flour, animal fat, cheese, corn flour, and anise. Oh, and a TON of manual labor too. I stayed at my host mom´s family´s house and got up at 2:45am to start kneading the dough! I mean... my arms were sore! Basically they have t make hundreds of pieces of this stuff (http://www.webescuela.edu.py/Contenido/Fotos/CocTipica_chipa2.jpg) because every kid within walking distance will show up for free food. Its also cooked in a wood fire outside, known as a tatakua (http://www.cockaigne.demon.co.uk/santamaria/images/tatakuafood.jpg) Its all a lot of work, but def something I was glad to help out with! I didn´t managed to take pictures because I was elbow deep in dough for 12 hours but luckily, we´ll do it again next year!
Can we touch on relationships again please? I´ve become very close with my host mom´s family. They are all close to my age and they´re just down right FUN! In addition to her parents as well, whom have adopted me as one of their own. They live about 15k away, so I don´t get to see them all the time, but they visit a lot. Well the parents have told me they want me to be a part of their family forever, and I know I will be. But they´re looking for something a little more concrete, as in marring a son! They´re only half joking, and I´m sure when I tell them I´m never living here they would change their mind. But there is one son that is 25 (the other two are 20 and 35) and he really does have a massive crush on me. His name is Juan, and I don´t think I could wish for a more typical South American name! He asks me out a lot but since I can´t ride on motorcycles, nothing ever comes of his asking. Most PYan men are really obnoxious with huge egos and uneducated and work in the fields, but Juan graduated high school and has taken a lot of technical courses. I am DEFINITELY not dating this guy, but they are all trying hard to make it happen! There are some serious consequences to dating in site though. A friend of mine about 15k away has a boyfriend, and that´s all anyone talks about. She has trouble working too because the community is always talking about them being together. I want my community to say that I am hard working and trying to speak guarani, not that I´m moving my way through the locals!
Second tarantula murdered. Wasp infestation about once a week in my house and I don´t know where they are coming from. Gotta love NATURE!
My nearest PC neighbor (Gariety and she´s a health volunteer) and I decided to go to a birthday party the other night. There was dancing, and of course I wasn´t going to say no to an opportunity to shake my thing! We danced for a solid two hours and my host mom said the next morning in church, all the girls were talking about how the Americanas really knew how to bust a move! RIGHT ON!
I spent a week farther out in the campo, back to the days of latrines and cold showers. It was a really great opportunity to practice more guarani and get to know more members and families of my coop. I can tell within 2 minutes of the male of the house is interested or not interested in working with a woman, so I made sure to make notes of the ones I can probably forget about in general. Just like West Virginia, the farther back into the hills you go, generally speaking the people are poorer. We´re talking 10 to 12 kids and barely enough food for 2. Its hard to see but makes me proud to be trying to change the lives of the people here!!
Many of you have asked what you can send me. So here is a random list of goodies. I have everything I NEED, so let it be known that these are WANTS and nothing more!
Chai tea (I miss making lattes with Kyle!!)
cookbooks WITHOUT gourmet ingredients
postcards
pictures
magazines (trash or intellectual)
macaroni and cheese (if you want to go all out, Velveeta!)
peanut butter (almost impossible here!)
Nutella
letters!!!
Orbitz gum
Wintergreen mints
any spices especially exotic or Indian or Asian varities
any condiments... GOOD honey mustard, bbq sauce, salsa, etc.
Ralph Lauren perfume in Cool
any clothes in dry weave for outdoors HOT weather (size M or 8)
I´ll update that list as random things pop into my head! Thanks again to all of you that have sent me packages and notes. They are highly appreciated and makes me smile every time! Cathy, naturally, is holding down the record I believe! Love her!!
And now for my current reads and revelations...
Book: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (LOVING it! Thanks CLG!)
Song: Brothers on a Hotel Bed by Death Cab for Cutie (shout out to MING!)
Relevation: Going to India the year of my 28th birthday
Favorite word in guarani: ndoikoi (doy-koy) which basically means a lot of things... it doesn´t work, it doesn´t live, it doesn´t taste good. (this positive of this word, aka it works, it lives, it tastes great! is oiko, pronounced oy-ko)
Again, I think of you all often and keep the emails and updates coming my way!
Monday, November 12, 2007
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