goodbye group, hello 13 more months

As per my Dad’s request, I’m finally updating my blog! I can’t believe I haven’t written since May, but things have been rather busy in these parts of South America.

As of last Friday (Aug 14) I am now the proud mother of 18 new volunteers! My trainees are no officially at site and doing their jobs. We had a nice swearing-in ceremony at the Ambassador’s house just down the street. Here is a picture of them all with myself, my boss Elisa, our Assistant Carola, the Ambassador and our PC Paraguay boss Don right after we ate the most delicious cake in the country!

This day was also a sad day, however. The 13 other people that were my friends and family said goodbye. A few are sticking around, but my two closest friends (Gina and Brennan) left for bigger things somewhere else. I already miss them both a lot, but such is life! Here are 2 pictures. Brennan and I doing what we do best: EAT, and Gina and I with our old boss Fernando and our friend Shawn.





But I still have a group of volunteers under my wing that have another year to go. Just last week they were in the office for a meeting and I continued to win them over with my baked goods. I truly believe that is the key to anyone’s heart! And now that I live in the city and can get better (not great) ingredients for cooking/baking, I’m turning into a regular Julia Childs! I’ve been cooking up all kinds of tasty dishes. I’m going to really test my skills though this Dec when I attempt to make a full Christmas feast. Wish me luck! Last night I made steamed carrots with a complimentary blue cheese sauce and we renamed the apartment. We were referring to it as Hotel Betsy (especially since the waffle maker started to be used!) but now we’ve decided it’s classier than that. Now we’re the Sheraton II.

Speaking of fine hotels, this was maybe the most exciting month of my life! My gym frequently has raffles and this month, I WON! The prize? A weekend for 2 in the nicest hotel in the country! I’m going to make my reservation for right after Christmas when it’s hot as hell and I’ll really want air-conditioning and a fancy pool. Pretty cool right? (It’s the Sheraton, hence why my apartment is now Sheraton II)

Speaking of fine hotels, this was maybe the most exciting month of my life! My gym frequently has raffles and this month, I WON! The prize? A weekend for 2 in the nicest hotel in the country! I’m going to make my reservation for right after Christmas when it’s hot as hell and I’ll really want air-conditioning and a fancy pool. Pretty cool right? (It’s the Sheraton, hence why my apartment is now Sheraton II)

I still really love my job, so it's nice to have training over so we can get back out on the road to do one year visits for some of our volunteers and present our new ones to their communities. I'll be traveling 3-4 days a week until late October.

Its not all work and no play though. In just over a week I'm heading to beautiful Peru with one Ms. K. Meghan Hughes from my days at USC! We're both looking forward to some serious bonding time and over course exploring Lima, Cuzco, Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. Should be fun! And at the end of October I'll stamp my passport yet again and head to Brazil with Cathy and Carmella from home. Cathy's visited me and Argentina last December but you can't keep to best friends away from one another for too long! We'll be celebrating Carmella's last months without the (new) ball and chain. Her May wedding will be fun though!

As I may have mentioned to some of you, I WAS planning on going home for the holidays but I have since changed that plan. With Carmella's wedding in May and maybe Makenna's in June it just makes sense to wait and go home to warm weather, boat trips with Dad, and plenty of time for friends and family all on the PC's dollar. So, if you can't wait until then to see me... come on down! My once abundance of vacation days are now dwindling quickly, but I'll always try to make time if I can! Hopefully Dan the Man Curry will be stepping on Paraguayan soil sometime between now and my May trip home, so that will make my various Paraguayan families very happy and his one female offspring happy too!

Please send me an email and tell me what's going on there. I miss everyone, although I still can't believe I'm about to finish my THIRD winter here in Paraguay. How quickly time flies when you're having fun :)

Blogging more often

I'm all moved in, although I haven't taken pictures yet. The owner just painted the place so the walls are a little naked. I want to TRY to decorate a bit before I show off my new pad to the entire world!

Wrapping up in site was a breeze. I finally finished my world map, which was 2 m x 4m and fun/a lot of work:


I've been traveling a lot with my boss, Elisa, so it's nice to check out some of the scenery across the country. Paraguay is completely flat in some areas and rolling hills in others. I still haven't figured out if there is a pattern or not.

Swine flu hasn't hit Paraguay yet, although they did make all volunteers and office staff get regular flu shots. I didn't want to but they forced it on me, and it gave me the flu just like I feared! I've had horrible body aches for 3 days and I'm hoping it all goes away because I've got a life to live that doesn't involve a lot of ibuprofen consumption!

Also last week we hosted an in-service training session for the co-op volunteers (Rural Economic Development) and their Paraguay contacts. Each sector does a meeting like this once a year, and it's always very helpful to the volunteers and their counterparts!


I hope you're all doing well and celebrating Mother's Day in the proper forms! Send me an email and let me know what I'm missing back at home :)

Moving to the Big Top!

I'm officially the newest member on staff at the Peace Corps Paraguay office! I started last week and will move all of my things down from my site and into a GORGEOUS apartment this coming Friday, May 1. It's so nice to be moving up in location, opportunities within Peace Corps, and pay.

My job title is called Peace Corps Volunteer Coordinator, so basically I need to be ready 24 hours a day to handle any and all questions/problems/issues with volunteers in the Co-opertive/Municipality sector. I've only been on the job less than a week, but its already exciting! We have new volunteers coming at the end of May, so my boss (Elisa) and I are really busting butts to get their sites developed. That means a LOT of travel! I'm finally getting to see all of Paraguay, so that is another advantage. A typical week means that I'll travel 3 days and be in the office for 2.

One of the other deals with this job is that I have to dedicate 20% of my time to a non-gov organization of my choice. I'm stronger in the business/co-op sector so I've been encourage to move towards learning more about municipal services. I've chosen a program called Procicla which focuses on getting local communities/municipalities the resources and infrastructure they need to recycle. Clearly a theme that has interested me since I was a kid, so I hope to be of use to them.

My apartment is the nicest place in Paraguay! It's a little expensive, but it's only 3 blocks from the office and in a VERY safe neighborhood.... and since I'm living on my own, the aforementioned characteristics are more important than price! Once I get moved in I'll take some pics and post them online. Since I'll have over 17 months in Asuncion, I'm going to make sure its well decorated too :) I have an extra bedroom and I'm ready for guests!

My official close of service date is now Sept 2010. But don't worry because I'll be in the US for a month around Christmas and New Years, and then again in May for Carmella's wedding and my cousin Dusty's wedding. I also have 40 days of vacation to burn through, and will be starting in August (hopefully) with a most definitely entertaining trip with Meghan. For the first time in a long time, I feel excited about each day and the coming months!

My email address has changed, so please update it in your address book to betsy.a.curry@gmail.com I have a Peace Corps account as well, but it's only work related emails. My address also hasn't changed, so don't be afraid to send a house warming care package :)

Betsy Curry, PCVC
162 Chaco Boreal c/Mcal Lopez
Asuncion 1580 Paraguay

My cell is also the same: +1 595 971 349 970

Please send me an email and let me know how all of you are doing as well :) Lots of besos (kisses) from Paraguay!

embroidery takes up most of my time

Hello world! Last week I was finally able to upload more pictures of the clothing making. I´m hoping I´ll have a real website built by the end of the month.

Enjoy and place your orders with me whenever!

Men´s samples:

by paraguaysmellslikecurry

Women´s samples:

by paraguaysmellslikecurry

So I´ll be spending this week scanning ALL possible designs into the computer so when we do get our website, customization of the shirts or dresses or table clothes will be much easier!

Hope you´re all doing well!

a much needed update!

It’s hard to believe that I let myself avoid blogging since January! Bad bad Betsy!!

A lot has been going on, which is why my writing time hasn’t taken a priority. Here’s an update…

I just got back from a FABULOUS vacation in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!! It was such a refreshing break from life here, which has been a little tumultuous (another reason I haven’t felt like writing a blog). The reason I went back for such a quick trip (8 days) was to be a sneaky granddaughter ☺ My grandpa Getz turned 90 on March 1st and I had been planning since early last fall to make the trip to surprise him. He was very shocked along with everyone else on the Getz side! The trip wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my grandpa’s wife, Irene, my personal travel agent Kyle Bohman, my best friend and temporary chauffer Cathy Gable, and as usual Mom, Dad and Carolyn. Thanks for everything!!

While in America I hit all the best “hot spots” like McHappy’s donuts, Don Emilio’s, and Taco Bell. I also probably consumed my weight in honey mustard! It was so nice to eat unnecessarily over-processed food for a few days! I even got to visit with my very good friends from high school and even one from college, so that made the trip extra special too! I miss everyone and everything about America, but as I realized when I got back to Paraguay: this is my life now. Its kind of annoying because I’m ready for a change of pace and location, but for now my life and work is in the middle of no where surrounded by banana plants!

As for my work, the co-op is doing well. We’re currently going through the first steps of project with a value somewhere near $300,000. That is a HUGE undertaking and luckily my guys have a lot of outside help. Basically new and stricter international sanitation laws will be in affect starting 2010 and if we don’t majorly up our standards we can’t export to Argentina, which is where my boys make more money. Also, upping sanitation will open other doors for exporting. So we have this project that starts with a tractor for fumigating the fields (yes! It’s a John Deere and my co-op guys wanted to make sure Kyle knows!) and will continue with the purchase of a parcel of land and constructing our own packages/cleaning center. Its all very complicated because the chosen piece of land currently has no access to electricity or water but it has to be at least so many meters away from polluting humans, so we can’t change it. I’m officially done in August and they’ve set that as their finish date so I can aid/see/document the entire process. It’s all very exciting actually!!

My computer center is a hot mess though. We’re down on enrollment but I have no desire to find new kids because they won’t even get the first of the four courses completed in my time here. We fired our lying, cheating secretary, which was necessary but a bummer because at least she spoke Guaraní and helped out with teaching (albeit horribly!). So I recruited another teacher and taught her the course 6 hours at a time only to have her turn her back too. Women are famous for crap like that. She wants to make more money, but we have no way of paying her more. She’s also not technically qualified to make more cash. She also shares transportation with her husband, which is a bigger problem than pay. So now I’m back at square one with no one to teach other than myself and without enough class income to pay for our monthly Internet bill. Grand!

The sewing group had some ups and downs as well, but we’re on an up so I hope it can stay that way for the next couple of months. I just got confirmation that a U.S. org is going to find us a volunteer to build us a website, which is fantastic! That’s the next step for them and the only method to sell more in dollars. Once the site is in development, I can start talking to banks and get that ball rolling. I am always taking orders, however, if you are interested! I’m going to try to upload more pics on my picture site to show off our latest work, but our Internet is painfully slow here. I’ll get to it though! Women shirts are $35 and men’s $40, plus shipping which is determined by weight. PLEASE let me know if you are interested! We do literally all colors and styles; so let me know what you’re looking for! Feel free to send “orders” to betsy.a.curry@gmail.com.

School is back in session as of last week. I’m going to try to pound out the nutrition classes I was planning on doing last year and maybe get the garden going, but I’m not much of a green thumb so I’ll be recruiting parents and other PCVolunteers to help out with that one. I started the 2m x 4m world map painting back in November but then someone stole my supplies from a classroom (even though when I left them there, it was locked). I didn’t get new supplies until Feb. but I had already done the brunt of the work. Now it’s just finishing up the sweet paint job but its going to look pretty amazing. I then want to do mini cultural classes with some of the older kids, so lets hope there is enough time!

As for what happens next? I’ve officially been here 22 of my 27 months, but I’m not exactly ready to leave. Ever heard of the economy in the states? Probably not because its NEVER in the news there or internationally, but basically I’m not interested in fighting that fight. I did my time at Hardee’s, and it sounds like that is the only type of job still hiring. I’ve completed my application for a position here in the capital, Asunción. It’s a volunteer management position and is more leadership based, which I’m much better suited to, than my current work,. I was trained to be a leader, not a bug bite infest, sweating, agricultural goddess! I won’t interview until late March but wish me luck! If I get it, I get to leave my site early (a blessing and a curse) to move to the city (yes please!) and then I would be here for another full year, with an end of service date sometime in August 2010. I will also get one month of MANDATORY leave to the good ‘ol U. S. of A. so I’d take that around Christmas/New Years to not have to be here for another. It truly isn’t my bag. I’d also plan another trip back to the states in May 2010 as my good friend Carmella Wright is getting married (and I’m in the wedding!) and my cousin Dusty Getz as well. I’ve missed out on a lot of holidays and family/friend time and I refuse to miss those big events in May! So we’ll see how things pan out…

I haven’t done this for a while, so here’s your current Betsy info:

GUARANí WORD OF THE DAY: haikue, which is pronounced like its spelled. We say this when something is surprising or unbelievable.
Example…
-Person 1: I just ate 15 hotdogs
-Person 2: haikue!

BOOK: A Time to Kill by John Grisham (but like a 16 year old I loved Twilight and just bought book #2 in the states!)

TUNES: Ben Folds has an album that’s new to me and I still adore him.

SPIDERS IN MY BATHROOM AFTER VACATION: 7, of various sizes

CURRENT SEWING PROJECT IS FOR: Irene (although I’ve already done ones for Cathy, Mom, Dad, Carolyn, and three more that were sold to make extra profit for the co-op) Again, let me know if you want one too!!


Well I think that’s it for now. Please let me know what’s going on with all of you and I’ll try my best to get pics up over the next couple of weeks. I love and miss you all, and thanks again for everyone that made my trip home possible and fun!

Guest Blog Author!

This blog entry has a combination of authors... myself and Cathy Gable, my best friend who is now a nurse in Pittsburgh, PA. Let's start with her view of Paraguay and our vacation...

My arrival to Paraguay was uneventful, a few wrongs turns but I made it to PY about 18 hours after leaving the states WITH my luggage! B met me at the gate, and it was so amazing to see her after 18 LONG months! We explored some of Asunción, which in itself is bustling. I discovered that Paraguayans drive around like maniacs, the buses are insanely crowded, and little kids try to trick you into buying their items. I was introduced to terere, a culture tea-esque drink, at the Peace Corps office. I was worried, it certainly looked similar to pond water and B mentioned that I may think it tastes like grass. Yet, it was delicious! I was able to watch it be prepared when we bought some from a vendor in the street. By vendor I mean 2 young children with a bag of herbs, ice, water from a sketchy bucket and guampas (that's what you drink it out of). Our trip back to B's campo required a 3 hour bus ride on a "luxury bus." I quickly learned that Paraguayans have no regard for personal space. Our next bus was packed like sardines. I did notice that the men of this country are gracious only in regards to giving up their seat on the bus for a woman. That was much appreciated.

We met B's friend Julio (the ONE taxi driver in town) who drove us the remainder of the dusty road to her house. Everyone in PY drives a moto (motorcycle) like they have a death sentence, with no helmets no doubt! I stand out everywhere, being a light skinned girl with light eyes..I guess a boring Caucasian can be exotic somewhere!

B's house..I can describe it as tranquilo. The surroundings are so peaceful; the most beautiful sunsets and starry nights. Imagine no lights and no pollution to block your view! Everyone here lives such a simple life. I met B's host family.. Pablino and Raquel and their children, Romina and Yony (the spoiled man of the house). I always thought B was exaggerating how horrible Yony was..but it's all true. Before I left I wanted to spank him. It is so evident here that men and woman are in no way equal. I took a tour of the bananas and pineapple fields the next day. I tasted the most amazing pineapple- core and all, it was white and delicious! It's nothing like what we eat in America...I don't know what "pineapples" I have been eating, but it's apparent I have been tricked.

I thought the language barrier would be much harder to handle. I have minimal Spanish skills. But I was surprised how much I understood through context, hand gestures and commonalities to Italian and French which I have a much better grasp. When that failed, B was always around to translate. But that doesn't mean I wasn't frustrated! It's so hard when you can't fully communicate and I hated feeling like the arrogant American who only knows English.

Friday night Romina had a celebration for her 4th grade graduation. We helped Raquel cook traditional Paraguayan food, which was entertaining. I learned that I have a special skill for deep frying. Empanadas were my favorite treat. As a nurse and understanding nutrition, the Paraguayans are severely lacking. Everything is deep fried, filled with salt and fat and any veggies are lost of all their nutritional value. I would be 300 pound if I lived there, easily. At Romina's graduation I had my first taste of the jealously of the Paraguayan women. Pablino asked me what I thought of Paraguay and Betsy was translating. We probably had a 30 second conversation, and from that Raquel was convinced that everyone was "staring" and talking about us. I didn't know any of this until after the fact. But Betsy seemed to know. She said that we should sit on the side the same side of the table as Raquel, because we are going to cause problems. Again..the genders are NOT equal. So frustrating!! I had a small taste of the drama that B battles on a daily basis.

On Sunday we left riding in Juan's truck filled with bananas for the market in Asunsion. We probably drove 15 miles an hour..it took us 5 hours to get to the capital (should only take 3). Sunday night we met up with some other Peace Corps volunteers for drinks and food. It was nice to have some English speakers around.

Monday we flew out to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where we stayed in a really awesome hostel in a great location..and it had a rooftop bar, always a plus!

Tuesday we did some exploring of BA, it had the most beautiful architecture. We spent most of the day shopping on Florida St. We boycotted the custom of eating at 11 or midnight and had an amazing meal of pizza and wine.

Wednesday we visited the Recoletta area, and the cemetery where Eva Perone is buried. Don't cry for me Argentina..anyone? The mausoleums are beautifully constructed, but a little morbid to be surrounded by miles of death. We were propositioned to enter a mausoleum by a man who was cleaning, it's ridiculous how large they are inside. But I could see my life flash before me. The last thing I plan to do is die or be trapped in someone else's grave. So we politely declined that offer. That night we had a hostel BBQ which was a great place to meet people. We ended up going out to a pretty ridiculous club with a few fellow travelers. We learned first hand the advances of the Argentinean men.

On Thursday we went shopping again..everything is so cheap in American dollars, it's hard to resist! We ate at this notoriously tourist establishment (can't remember the name) (Betsy comment: Desnivel... GO THERE!) which was famous for their meats and fried provolone. Let me talk about fried provolone for a hot minute..one of my favorite finds from South America! It's delicious; we all know my love for cheese! I ordered a meal that came with a fried banana..also surprisingly amazing. Who knew? We also experience some authentic Tango dancing that night at Cafe Tortoni, a short walk from our hostel on Mayo Avenue.

Friday we left BA for Colonia via Buquebus which is similar to airplane but on water. Traveling on the Buquebus was interesting..no assigned seats? That would never fly in America. We had a few hours to kill in Colonia before we had to leave for Montevideo. Colonia is a quaint little town, had a delightful lunch of wine and pasta. We then ventured to Motevideo to visit Mary Kinsler. In Montevideo we walked around, there are about a million plazas, B treated Mary and I to a nice dinner with amazing fondu!

On Saturday we left Montevideo to Punta Del Diablo (Devil's Point in English) on another bus. Punta Del Diablo is my favorite from our trip, absolutely breathtaking! We spent a few hours on the beach and ended up sunburned. We ate at the local bar/restaurant where B and I ended up sampling almost every dessert available, our favorite was chocolate mousse. We also ventured to that bar later that night for a live band, too much wine, and unwanted advances from a few Uruguayan gentlemen. (Betsy comment: ALL South American men wanted some Cathy in their lives, it's true!)

We spent most of Sunday hanging around the hostel, it was a little overcast and I had a little wine hangover. On Monday we returned to BA with a 5 hour bus ride AND first class on the Boquebus..free champagne and all. We also went back for round two of smoked provolone. Yes, it's that amazing!

Tuesday we did some last minute shopping with some jewelry vendors and hit up Florida Street once again. Then B left for her 18 hour bus ride back to Paraguay in the afternoon. I hung around my hostel with a few guys from London who were also waiting for their flights and I flew out from BA at almost midnight.

My trip in itself was incredible. I was eager to see how Betsy lived, and have the opportunity to experience a small piece of her life. Now that I have lived with her for a few days, I have a much better understanding of her everyday life and frustrations. Our vacation was also amazing. My only issue was returning to American where I missed my connecting flight home due to our tight security. But I eventually made it home, all limbs and organs intact..with some great memories of a wonderful time down South with my best friend.

Thanks again for writing that Cathy and I agree... GREAT VACATION! I had only really traveled with my parents since I've been down here, so it was a change to spend my days with my BFF. We're already planning another trip back to Punta del Diablo, so let us know if you're interested!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to all! I made it through Christmas just fine but got a little sad new years eve day. Here its all about family and I'm so far away from mine! Also, the only family that was coming over to my host family's house belong to my host dad's side and I don't like any of them. They are the WORST about being completely judgmental to everything I do and wear. I'm also completely bored with the food and music and just couldn't get myself excited to pass new years here with them. I got over it eventually, avoided all the people I didn't like, and went to bed early so it wasn't that bad.

Yesterday afternoon we went to a balneario, which is an area by a stream where someone has set up volleyball courts. People just hang out, drink beer if you're of age, "swim" in the water that is only about 5 ft deep and play volleyball. I had been to one other, but where we went yesterday was much more quaint. We went with a few different couples and it was fine until we played volleyball. I've had issues playing with them before, but I knew it was going to be a repeat of those days. Because of cultural differences, in my opinion, the men completely talk down to the women. It happens all day long but I don't really realize it because no one talks down to me... until we play volleyball. Every time I make one little mistake, Juan comments on it. I'm sure in his head, his little comments are positive but to me they are only condescending. He doesn't play perfectly and I don't say a word if it goes out of bounds or he's too slow to get to a pass. But, every 5 seconds he feels the need to correct everything I do. So, after an hour of this I usually explode. And, although I'm embarrassed to admit it, the same thing happened yesterday. I completely cussed him out in English and he knew exactly what I was saying. Its just NOT FUN for me when he does it and its just another thing between our cultures that I can't accept or deny. Shortly after i apologized and we all agreed to do more swimming, but I think I just need to stop playing with him. Its all fun until we start to lose and he points he finger only at me when its his fault 50% of the time too. Stupid boys!!!

It hasn't rained for about 2 months but it start to sprinkle yesterday. It stopped for a few hours and picked up again this morning, but I'm hoping for more. We really need a few good days of rain to bring all the crops back up to speed.

I did post some pictures of vacation and some other ones from around the house, so feel free to check them out with this link:

by paraguaysmellslikecurry

Look for a post about the hand-sewn shirts my ladies are doing too. I'm meeting with the president of a bank this week to figure out how to accept credit card payments online. If you know of anyone that has ideas or can help with website design, please have them email me at betsy.curry@yahoo.com because that's what we need and something I've never really had a hand in.

I love and miss you all and hope all of you enjoyed the holiday season.

Harry Potter style dark arts... friends or foe?

I know I’m a naughty girl because I haven’t written in over a month and a half, but things have been wild around here! I’ll update on the happenings in a minute, but first I want to share the theme of my Tuesday: black magic.

Do people practice it? Are there conventions? I would say “sí” to both of those questions if we were in America, and now I can agree that its prevalent down here in Paraguay too. My host mom’s family thinks people in their house are acting extra weird these days. One brother (who is mentally challenged) was talking “crazy” as he would describe his dreams to leave home and pursue a career as a professional mariachi singer. Another sister (who, pardon my French, is kind of a wench) was being a wench to everyone all the time. Another sister, who is 20 and completely in love with her boyfriend, is thinking about getting hitched this spring and won’t let anything or anyone stand in her way. Clearly, all of these elements only lead to one conclusion: SOMEONE PUT A CURSE ON THE HOUSE AND ITS INHABITANTS!

So they called in what I would call a witch doctor. She only works with natural remedies and her favorite pastime is looking at picturess and saying something creepy/harmful/mean about that person. (p.s. she hasn’t inspected my picture… who knows the combination of adjectives she’d use!!) So this woman came over Saturday and succeeded in freaking out everyone in the family. Between two mattresses she found a skeleton doll with a black sash around it and a little piece of paper that named the husband and wife of the house (yes, their real names were on it apparently) and said that they will die. The woman dug up out of the broken concrete floor in another room a little man and woman hugging (with black sashes of course) and a candle in the middle. She cracked open the base of the candle and found another little piece of paper that said everyone in the house that marries should never be happy with their partners. Then, on top of the giant meat freezer… lots of little papers with bad wishes written on them.

So my host mom’s family doesn’t know what to think. Did someone put a hex on the house and the people that live there? And by putting said hex little weird trophies all of the sudden appeared? In my opinion, hell no but what do you say? I told my host mom… Toti (her mentally retarded brother) had parasites (fact) that were cutting off oxygen to the brain. Nuni is a wench, has been and will continue to be. And Lamia is crazy in love and people do and say silly things when they’re that passionate for someone. No little dolly will change who these people are or how they treat others. On top of that, their mom died just a few months ago. Everyone is trying to figure out how to live his or her lives without that very important person in it.

But it gets better… My host mom claims that her mother-in-law (my extremely evil, rumor spreading neighbor) has a big old book on black magic that she’s studied. This book even convinced her to try to kill her own father and her kids found out and stopped her. Who even knows if that one’s true or just her mother-in-law lying like she always does.

In summary, black magic is a friend to some (i.e. me) because it can give a little humor to sometimes dull/slow life out here.

Other happenings…

CATHERINE LYNN GABLE WILL BE HERE IN 2 DAYS!! She, at this moment in time, hasn’t received her visa to actually enter Paraguay but those of the consulate swear it will get there before her evening flight tomorrow. Let’s hope that’s true! We’ll be spending 4 days here in Paraguay, a couple days in Argentina and then some more beach time in Uruguay. It’s basically the only thing that I’ve been looking forward to for about 3 months, so I’m ready to go!!

Over the weekend (when I sadly missed the black magic scavenger hunt) I want down south to Encarnación, Paraguay for our annual Thanksgiving weekend of mayhem. Its basically the one time of year when the majority of the volunteers (180 in the country and about 150 attended) can get to know one another, share a drink or two, and do what a lot of us don’t get to do enough of: RELAX. Volunteers cook the Friday night Thanksgiving meal so we had turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie and even cranberry sauce. I’m not sure how they get the ingredients down here for some of it, but all that matters is we all love eating it! We have an Olympics among the different groups of volunteers and even a talent show. Needless to say its like I’m back at West Virginia Association of Student Councils conference so I’m happy as a clam.

Around here, projects are numerous and time consuming. I’m currently drawing/painting a 2m x 4m (6.5 ft x 13ft) map of the world at the school, writing a grant for $5,000 for my handmade clothing group so they can build a space to work, teach and grow in, (They’re doing great by the way and look for a website about them soon!) continuing to loathe the women’s committee (but luckily we’re taking a month hiatus for the holidays), and still teaching computer classes 10 hours a week. Some days I can’t sleep because there is so much I still want to do and fitting it in seems nearly impossible at times. But again, I’m happy to busy rather than bored.

In personal news, I finally dropped the lbs that I put on during training. As Juan kindly (he’s really not mean… he claimed later that I say that so he thought he could say that and not offend me. Little does he understand how complicated our statements regarding weight are!) told me yesterday “Realmente estuviste gigante cuando llegaste.” Which roughly translates to “when you got here you were massively overweight like a beached whale.” I had to laugh, and then punch him of course. Also, my hair is really long. You all wouldn’t even recognize me! I must admit that I miss the bob-ish style I’ve always kept but letting the hair grow is like a little experiment. We’ll see how long I can hold out before chopping it all off.

In Peace Corps news I was invited to go on an overnight trip with our Director to check out a project with the American-Paraguayan Chamber of Commerce and figure out how and when PC can be incorporated. The project is teaching groups of men and women to read and I really enjoyed myself, plus I got to see a little more of the country! The ladies we were with are half-European and half-Paraguayan and totally loaded. We spent the night on the 7,700 hectare (19,000+ acre) ranch of one of the ladies and I was so star struck. I just haven’t been in contact with Paraguayans that are filthy rich like that. She even called her brother, and he flew in on their personal plane!! They do mostly cattle and reforestation (which if you have patience, like 15 years, you can make a fortune on) and on top of that, they have 4 other ridiculously impressive ranches in Paraguay. Totally not what I thought I’d ever experience in Peace Corps!

I was also the only volunteer from my sector to participate in interviews for our new boss. We interviewed 6 extremely impressive people on paper, but in the end I only liked 1. We should have a new Director of my sector by January. Then I can start my campaign for another year in the Peace Corps Asunción office. We’ll see how that one works out.

What all is going on there? Congrats to all the democrats out there because now I don’t have to fear returning to the states (whenever that time comes), but I do continue to worry about (one day) getting a job. What is UP with the economy? A happy belated Thanksgiving to all friends and family, and an advanced Merry Christmas as well. I think of you all often and look forward to hearing updates from everyone.

P.S. I FINALLY have Internet at the coop and its wireless so as the queen of all things technology related in these parts, I also have access to it at home. Hopefully that will make blog writing more frequent and it will definitely make email writing more rapid.