It has been a while since my last post. I can not express all that has happened since the 21st of Nov. One of the most memorable was walking eleven hours all night to Caacupe for a Catholic Pilgramage, on Dec 8th with all my agroforesters and my host cousin, host brother of Lauren and host sister of Leah. Throughout the night we munched on Tippys, O shaped cookies that taste like an animal cracker, ate chipa and drank guarana soda ( has lots of caffienee). We started off at 6pm and arrived around 6 but took about an hour in breaks. we were extremely exhausted as it is the furthest ive walked. all of us exhausted at sunrise in caacupe, crashed with all of the other pilgrams on the park floor. Dirty waking up at 730, Julia, Brain, Leah and I found a switzerland coffee shop and had amazing german rye bread with german ham and cheese and great capuchinos with sides of chocolate. Overjoyed with our food we overly thanked our host for the best food we have had in paraguay. But this joy wasnt to last as finding a bus home was extremely difficult with thousands others doing the same. luckly after a shot of cana i jumped into the street stopped a bus in which we ran and jumped on finding SEATS!!
The background on the blond curly virgin of Caacupe is that a virgin girl was saved in the forest from some young men by the virgin. Two wooden statues were made, one in which is still at the site of the event and the other at the giant beautiful church in caacupe. every year to commenerate this event, people walk from everywhere to the church every 8th of dec. they bring flowers and jewelery for the virgin in hopes of having their wishes granted. it is a promise to the virgin as one of my teachers explained. interestingly this event has been modernized in which many of the people i saw were young teenagers with their loved ones. in such a conservative society in which men and women are not left alone what a better excuse to go out all night with your boyfriend if it is for the virgin of caacupe ( they say they are going with their friends) hence we lost one of our paraguain sisters to her boyfriend and didnt see her for the rest of the night.
we graduated on the 11th, only a few days later, which i feel like should be about ten days instead of one. First we were picked up in our nice clothes at our sites brought to the bank to get our debit cards, then driven to the PC office to sit around for a long time. then transported to the embassy. now, the embassy is only two blocks away from the office, but since they were so paranoid about???? we were taken on a long caravan ride around the city in case someone followed us. oh we were security checked twice. the embassy is HUGE. to describe: i played on a swing set over looking the pool and walked around the gardens, while we waited for the embassador to show up ( and tv crew). speaches were made, the best chocolate cake was devoured and we were on our own.. literally. we walked back to the office to await, yet still more hours, for our cell phone. then bused to san berandino for a party that i can not describe because it was really just that awesome. spent night in luxourious hotel with seven others in my room :)
we spent another three nights in asuncion, enjoying the roof pool, the bars, each other. took the bus on our own to our sites and went through amazing culture shock... umm where is the beer? the pool? as i stepped in to my host families home with a straw roof, dirt floor ( some cement) i realized that it was going to take some time to come down from our vacation. and it did, literally i think it took three weeks to get over my american ideas and to settle down and realize what was around me.. poverty.. oh ya, that exists...and when i did i didnt like it. and then i did like it. and then i didnt and now i am here in asuncion again, for only two way too short nights, spending most of the time, at the bank and office, at a hotel with no pool and learned some terrible news....
one of our agroforesters has decided to early terminate or quit Peace Corps. this friday she leaves for the states for not liking peace corps. all of us feel betrayed and shocked and disappointed and sad we are now down to 7. yes these are going to be a hard first couple of months. it is interesting that i feel my blogs and others talk about the highs of peace corps, photos are posted, and parties are had. I wonder if others think peace corps is all of that. but the reason we can not describe the hardships is that we dont understand them. we can not describe the new feelings, the newness of everything without a lot of thought. every day in site i try and read a little bit more about the history of paraguay, about women's issues and find myself constantly trying to find out how paraguians see me. but then i realize that i can not see myself yet. it is so amazing to come here in asuncion and talk about peace corps with Lauren. i am finding myself trying to constantly come up with words to describe growth. the curtain has been removed and we can stare at life for the first time. and on stage is a foggy mirror..
The background on the blond curly virgin of Caacupe is that a virgin girl was saved in the forest from some young men by the virgin. Two wooden statues were made, one in which is still at the site of the event and the other at the giant beautiful church in caacupe. every year to commenerate this event, people walk from everywhere to the church every 8th of dec. they bring flowers and jewelery for the virgin in hopes of having their wishes granted. it is a promise to the virgin as one of my teachers explained. interestingly this event has been modernized in which many of the people i saw were young teenagers with their loved ones. in such a conservative society in which men and women are not left alone what a better excuse to go out all night with your boyfriend if it is for the virgin of caacupe ( they say they are going with their friends) hence we lost one of our paraguain sisters to her boyfriend and didnt see her for the rest of the night.
we graduated on the 11th, only a few days later, which i feel like should be about ten days instead of one. First we were picked up in our nice clothes at our sites brought to the bank to get our debit cards, then driven to the PC office to sit around for a long time. then transported to the embassy. now, the embassy is only two blocks away from the office, but since they were so paranoid about???? we were taken on a long caravan ride around the city in case someone followed us. oh we were security checked twice. the embassy is HUGE. to describe: i played on a swing set over looking the pool and walked around the gardens, while we waited for the embassador to show up ( and tv crew). speaches were made, the best chocolate cake was devoured and we were on our own.. literally. we walked back to the office to await, yet still more hours, for our cell phone. then bused to san berandino for a party that i can not describe because it was really just that awesome. spent night in luxourious hotel with seven others in my room :)
we spent another three nights in asuncion, enjoying the roof pool, the bars, each other. took the bus on our own to our sites and went through amazing culture shock... umm where is the beer? the pool? as i stepped in to my host families home with a straw roof, dirt floor ( some cement) i realized that it was going to take some time to come down from our vacation. and it did, literally i think it took three weeks to get over my american ideas and to settle down and realize what was around me.. poverty.. oh ya, that exists...and when i did i didnt like it. and then i did like it. and then i didnt and now i am here in asuncion again, for only two way too short nights, spending most of the time, at the bank and office, at a hotel with no pool and learned some terrible news....
one of our agroforesters has decided to early terminate or quit Peace Corps. this friday she leaves for the states for not liking peace corps. all of us feel betrayed and shocked and disappointed and sad we are now down to 7. yes these are going to be a hard first couple of months. it is interesting that i feel my blogs and others talk about the highs of peace corps, photos are posted, and parties are had. I wonder if others think peace corps is all of that. but the reason we can not describe the hardships is that we dont understand them. we can not describe the new feelings, the newness of everything without a lot of thought. every day in site i try and read a little bit more about the history of paraguay, about women's issues and find myself constantly trying to find out how paraguians see me. but then i realize that i can not see myself yet. it is so amazing to come here in asuncion and talk about peace corps with Lauren. i am finding myself trying to constantly come up with words to describe growth. the curtain has been removed and we can stare at life for the first time. and on stage is a foggy mirror..
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