Day Dos in the Dos - 7.15.08

Tavapy 2, 7.14.08 - Today was another fun-filled day. I woke up, peed in the latrine, brushed my teeth by the water pump, and then took a nice hot shower. I got dressed, drank mate (remember, MAH-tay), then my host family gave me some sugary-ass, hot milky stuff that I found out was soy milk. Not a fan. A rack of bread for breakfast; I ate one sweetbread and then took the rest to go.

Our "language class" was super chill; we talked a bit about abonos verdes (planting trees whose leaves automaticall replenish the soil) then chopped it up about random stuff, then Pooja's senora brought everyone pireka (think: West Indian bakes) for breakfast. Yum. We then went on a search for a hierbal (hierba orchard) and basically went on a fantastic voyages through two through about 20 hectares of farmland. On the way we may as well have been bushwacking at times; it was a good thing that I had on my heavy duty hiking boots. And then Pooja stepped on a fire ant hill and she had Tim (who had on flip-flops, poor guy) were semi-attacked. We gave up and decided to head back to my host family's house for lunch, and then of course when we were back on the path we ran up on two of the guys harvesting hierba leaves from the trees. We arrived at Feliciano's and immediately gulped down some terere (remember, like mate only cold) and then ate lunch. It occurred to me that I told them how I love tallarines (pasta, pronounced tie-yuh-REE-nes) with beef and that's exactly what we had. We hung out a bit after lunch and then headed back to Andrew's crib for siesta. There is absolutely no stress down here, it's amazing. Who knew life could be so simple.

After siesta we were supposed to translpant some lettuce from the seedbed to the garden, but Dres had to go take care of some coop stuff so we laid around and hung out. Earlier in the day I successfully extracted a pique from Pooja's foot, and she had another one in her other foot but for some reason it refused to allow itself to be extracted. Recalitrant little bastard. So anyway, I broke out my Swiss Army knife and decided to saw a bamboo branch and then Timo was playing baseball with it. After awhile Timo left with his host and Pooj, Dres and I hung out until about 8:30. We dropped Pooj off then Dres and I came back to my host family's, ate dinner and chopped it up with Feliciano. He gave me a huge compliment when he asked Dres, "how does she speak so much Guarani???". I thought to myself, mmmmyes the illustrious plan unfolds...

Day One in the Dos - 7.14.08

Tavapy 2, 7.14.08 - So I'm sitting here in my little room at my host family's house trying to listen to some music on my iPod, but it keeps freezing. It just started playing, I think it may be possessed. At least it gives me an excuse to buy a new one. So anyway, I'm here in the town of Tavapy 2 (pronounced tah-vah-pull dos), visiting Andrew aka Andres. So despite my comments about how filthy his feet, etc. are, he is a cool ass dude. He has definitely gone "native" though, as some other PCV's have said. We got here earlier this afternoon after meeting him in a nearby town. After going around and meeting the different families we'd all be staying with we hung out around his crib, which is part of the cooperative with which he works. We took a tour of the coop's barbacua, which is where the hierba is processed before getting sent to the hierba mate company for packaging. The town has beautiful countryside; Andres has an amazing view of the valley from his huge yard. Pooja and I are staying with families right near the coop, while Tim is about 2 km away. Too bad he couldn't have been closer. We also took a walk to the field near Andres' crib and picked some cilantro for our dinner. That'd be tight if I can have some growing wild near me when I get to my site.


So now to the main thing that's been on my mind since I got here - THE BATHROOM SITUATION. So apparently my host family here has an electric heated shower but they all use a latrine. When I say latrine, I mean I'M BOO-BOOING IN A HOLE! So when I first got here I immediately asked where the bathroom was so I could get it out of the way. So I went in there and the stench was UNREAL. It basically smells like a Paraguayan sewer (or any other 3rd world country you may have been to): stale urine and feces on the rocks. So there I was with a little flashlight my host mom gave me, and I squatted and peed. She said that if I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and didn't want to walk all the way there, I could just go on the side of the house. That at least saved me from having to smell the stench, have mercy. We'll see if I'm brave enough to do some "major biznis" in the latrine tomorrow morning, I'm not sure that I will be...lol


On another note, the family computer (yes, I said computer) is this room, it's REALLY nice. Quite an interesting juxtaposition with the latrine out back. The granddaughters were watching a DVD old cachaca (Paraguayan music, similar to cumbia, look on Wikipedia if you're still not sure) music, and one of the groups had these dudes with sick-ass Mexican mullets. Not just business in the front party in the back, but gel-sculpted Elvis pompadour (sp?) in the front and permed-out, crimped-up, mid-back length mane in the back.

Some Pics and a Video

More pics from live in Aveiro...I don´t know whether I´ve lost weight or not because my host mom (i call her my ¨Maa", like Granty says it) has been feeding me like a pig getting fattened up for the state fair. Nevertheless, that at least means that things are all good :-)

This is a pig from the Permaculture Farm.

Interesting New and Preparing for Long Field Practice 7.12.08

Aveiro, 7.12.08 - So last Sunday I washed my hair, partially blow dried it and later in the evening, my host sister Rita actually flat-ironed it for me! She did a good job - I think I will have her do it from now on, assuming she's willing. In the late morning we went over to my host mom's sister's house, who was having an asado (barbecue PY style) for her birthday. I met a bunch of other family members, ate a lot of meat, some really salty noodles with chicken and some excellent birthday cake. Happy Birthday Auntie!

Not too much has happened this week. I continue to enjoy having the internet next door at my host brother's, and because of that I was able to reformat my iPod after it crashed a week or so ago. Yes, it crashed and I lost everything. But, luckily I also brought my discman and some cd's so at least I have some music to listen to. I also plan on repopulating my iPod with some of his amazing 80's music; PY soundtrack here we come! However, today I tried to load some songs onto it from my friend's laptop but some of them didn't transfer, and then it froze again so it may be gone for good. So it's very likely that I'll use my readjustment allowance to buy a new iPod at the end of my PC service, assuming I don't get a new one before then. It's all good though. When my computer eventually arrives, I'll have all my music then, so it'll be even better. By the way Lil' Mommy - I met a guy today who was born and raised in Boston but his parents are Paraguayan, and he says that Fedex is how he would always send stuff and it would get here in a week. He moved back down here a few years ago. Depending of course on how much you pay - nevertheless, however long it takes is fine, as long as it arrives.

But anyway, I digress as usual. So this past Wednesday we learned that, due to funding cuts from PC headquarters in DC, our training will be cut short by a week, so we will be swearing in as official PC volunteers on August 6th and heading to our sites by the 9th, instead of swearing in on the 14th and arriving in site the following Monday. While folks were pretty shocked, most of us were relieved because we're all pretty anxious to get to our sites. However, it is also sad because I'll be leaving all of my friends and my wonderful Aveiro family. They have really spoiled me - I hope that I have similar luck with the host family I will live with at my site for a few months. My current family I think of as my Paraguayan home base and an important component of my local suppor network. They are praying that I don't get sent too far away so they can easily come visit me and vice versa, but either way I will definitely come back to visit when I can. A true blessing indeed. Later that day I spoke with Daddy and he asked me when I would possibly be coming home to visit; I told him January. However, as I have begun to think about it more, I think there may be a possibility that I come home for Christmas for about two weeks, depending on my schedule at my site. Based on what I have heard from other volunteers, December through February are among the hottest months in the country and a lot of people go out of town because apparently not that much gets done. Also, when I am able to travel and have visitors starting in November, I will start out with 48 vacation days for the two years, which will decrease as I take vacation. Assuming this is the case, I will definitely have enough vacation days. All of this will become more clear in the coming weeks as we prepare to head for our sites and become official volunteers. As the Paraguayans (and many Latinos) say, "si Dios quiere y la Virgen permite" (if God wills it and the Virgin permits it). Indeed we will see...

Long Field Practice Here We Come 7.12.08

Aveiro, 7.12.08 - So tomorrow I will spend most of the day preparing for my week-long visit to a volunteer about 6 or 7 hours away in a town called Tavapy 2. This is known as Long Field Practice, in which we really get to see the ins and outs of volunteer life, and will even be conducting workshops with the community. I will be going with two other folks from my group, one of whom I pray that I don't strangle while I'm there. I'm sure everything will be fine though. The volunteer we're visiting is also an interesting guy to say the least - he has the record for longest days without bathing and the most pique (PEE-kay). I suggest that you all google pique to find out what it is, but just to give you an idea, it's a parasite that is contracted usually in the feet as result of contact with cow or pig poop or otherwise contaminated soil. It looks like a little splinter when you initially get it, but it then matures and lays eggs which can cause major nerve damage and, in extreme cases, death. EXTREME CASES. I thought I had one the other day and had the doctor look at it but apparently I didn't. So anyway, this particular volunteer had 6 IN ONE TOE at one point, as a result of his penchant for walking around barefoot, especially in the dirt. He's a really nice guy, but we also think he is semi-insane; he kinda reminds me of Pigpen from Charlie Brown. All of that notwithstanding, I have every intention of staying as clean as possible. As was the case in Valenzuela, we will be staying with families. I have already been told that, while the family I'm staying with has a latrine, not a modern toilet, they do have a hot shower! So yeah, needless to say I will likely have some stories at the end of my week. Stay tuned and pray for me! :-)

The Organic Farm in the Middle of the City 7.12.08

Aveiro, 7.12.08 - This past Thursday afternoon we went on yet another amazing excursion, which is definitely at the top of the list with the low-income housing cooperative. We went to a family-owned and operated, organic and environmentally-conscious and sustainable farm located in Lambare, just outside of Asuncion. We were greeted by Fernando, one of the sons, who also gave us a tour of the property. He is a forestry engineer who also speaks excellent English as a result of his time in the States when his girlfriend was in grad school at Oregon State. He began by telling us about the family's biodigester, which uses pig excrement and water to create methane gas that they use for cooking. The contraption itself looks like a garden row covered over with plastic, with resealable openings at either end. When they clean out the pigpen they load up the biodigester, which converts it to methane. They have piping that runs from the BD to the house through the ground, allowing it to come through the burners. The BD cost 300,000 guaranies (a little less than $100) to build and paid for itself after only 2 months' gas usage; they even use less than the propane they had been using before. The BD was in the same area as the rabbit hutch, the vermiculture (where worms are grown for composting) bins, the cow shed and the pigpen.

The farm is set up according to what I viewed as a circular, recyclicle pattern - a true model for sustainability. Many of the trees on the property grow quickly and can be used for firewood for cooking. This is especially important for small farmers who cannot afford to wait years for trees to grow because they need to feed their families. The flora truly looks like a tropical oasis; a little island in the middle of the city. It provides more than ample shade for the compost piles, which are made from the cow manure and leaves from the trees, among other ingredients. They have several bins of dirt with worms in them to enrich the soil that results from the compost. Fernando even had an experiment going in which he was seeing how well the compost pile heated water. He had a container of water in the pile with a copper pipe (because of it's ability to conduct heat) through whcih he filled it. I'm not sure how long the water had been in there, but the amount that came out was pretty warm. It will be interesting to see whether it can become a viable option - using the natural chemical reactive processes that take place within the pile to heat water instead of gas or other conventional indoor plumbing methods. They keep rabbits that are fed with greens and other foods from their farm, that they have for autoconsumption or sell. The rabbits were all so cute, especially the baby bunnies. I understand that the meat is also excellent and very lean.

In addition to purchased feed, the cows also eat the leave from the sugar cane and corn that's grown on the farm. The cows also produce milk the family uses to make yogurt and cheese, which they also consume and sell to buyers around Asuncion. All organic. They may also eat the beef from the cow - I would think so, they grow/raise everything else. Just above the cow area is the pigpen that housed about 15 or 16 pigs, including the piglets. The one male pig they had was the biggest I'd ever seen, 170 kilos (340 lbs)! At 3 years old, it was the father of all the little pigs. It was absolutely huge, it looked like the pyscho, monster pig you might see in a nightmare or that would eat people like those pigs in the Silence of the Lambs sequel. Lawd have mercy. Right, so moving right along, in addition to eating the pigs themselves they also sell them.
Next we went to the poultry coop where they kept chickens, guinea hens, ducks and quails. Autoconsumption as well, but they also sell quail eggs as a delicacy. I must say that they are pretty tasty. In there huge garden they grow yuca, hibiscus (for juice and jam, rich in vitamin C), strawberries, green onions, corn, and some other roots vegetables. So at the end of the tour, the mother and sisters had a whle spread of amazing goodies, all homemade, laid out for us - chipa (Paraguayan sweetbread), yogurt, strawberry milk, hibiscus juice and jam, orange pound cake, strawberry and guava jams, cheese, and quail eggs. The food was crazily ridiculous, unreal. We ate until we couldn't eat anymore. So folks also bought some yogurt and jam. So, from our tour we learned about new information we can pass onto our communities to improve the quality of there lives. The only thing that could've been better was if Fernando hadn't had a girlfriend; actually it's probably better that he did because otherwise we would've all been fighting over him (lol).

How to Make Paraguayan Cheese 7.12.08

Aveiro, 7.12.08 - So yesterday was our fourth Dia de Practica (Day of Practice), in which we go out into the community and learn about different people's activities. My friend Paulette and I have been going to the farm of Don Blasido, a local dairy and sugar cane farmer. While he mainly specializes in sugar cane, at one point he kept even more cows and sold milk, but currently keeps them mainly for autoconsumption and the dairy products they still sell. On the farm they also have pigs, chickens, yuca, several types of squash and root veggies, citrus trees, and his sister next door has tomatoes.

The first few times we went over there, we pretty much hung out with the women of the family. The time before this most recent time was our most productive; we helped clean and peel yuca for their lunch, and one of the grandmothers who had just flown in from Argentina taught us how to play quince (pronounced KEEN-say, Spanish for 15), a popular card game. The main folks on the farm a Don Blasido, who kind of reminds me of my grandfather, Na Dora (his wife), Noelia (his neice, age 24 but she looks about 30) and her two sons (Blasito, 4, and the younger one that I refer to as Chiquitito, 16 months), and Angela (the daughter-in-law, maybe late 30's?) and her two sons (the younger one is 4 or 5 and the older one, Matias, is 12). We spend most of our time with Angela and Noelia in the the cooking area, which is the center of their family life. Angela is definitely the sharpest tack in the bunch, while Noelia is, not so much. Nevertheless, they're great folks.

So the last time we were there, Angela said that she would show us how to make cheese the next time, which we definitely able to do yesterday. I learned how to make it in the traditional Paraguayan style, using the cuajo (say it with me, KWAH-ho), which is the stomach lining of the cow. You start with the milk - since it had been in the fridge since the day before, Angela first heated it until is was warm, approximately 90-something degrees. I then put in the cuajo, swirled it around for a bit and then put it back in the bucket in its bath of sour orange jouice and salt to preserve it. She also said that after you take it from the cow you have to stretch it on a stick and dry it in the sun so it lasts longer. She then showed how you kind of press the cheese around in the pot as the curds form, which Paulette and I both did. After you pour the liquid residue, known as the suero (SWEH-ro), out of the pot. The suero is excellent sustenance for both pigs and dogs. You let the remaining curd sit for awhile, then put it in a colander or cheese mold and press out the rest of the water. After the liquid is pressed out it's ready to eat. The finished product was good, but I prefer the drier, more aged cheese. How y'all like my new skill??? I will be impressing the folks in my site in no time...Real country living boy I tell you, I love it.