Machucando al final del Entrenamiento y mi nuevo Sitio ::: Crushing the end of Training and my new Site

Slurping the juices of a Paraguayan mandarin that hints to lemon and orange, which I gathered myself from my family's tree. Looking up at Orion and hundreds of his siblings in the blackened sky during one of my nightly strolls. Riding a horse for the first time. Catching up on the books that I've set aside for the past many years, when I buried myself inside of city life and television instead of enriching my mind with the written word. These have been my respites during these first few weeks at my new site (by the way, I'm now an official PCV! Check out the photos below). Summer has finally begun and it is very hot, the sun is very, very strong, and the campo life is very, very, very slow.

As a new volunteer in a new site (meaning that no volunteer has preceded me here) one of my jobs has been to go about and meet people in my community. Sometimes this means traveling across the either cobblestoned or naked streets just a few houses away, on the heels of my new host mother – I know, this makes Paraguayan mum #4. But most of the time Jason and I wander about our new community and approach anyone lingering outside of their homes, while feeling like lost puppies hoping someone will take us in. We are almost always invited to sit and partake in terere, the cold tea beverage universal to Paraguayan households. I've already fallen in love with many of the families here. Most are warm and excited to have us in their town, and even earnestly honored to have us in their homes.

After talking to some members of my cohort it seems that there is a spectrum of which people have dealt with this assignment. Within one-week one friend had visited twenty-five houses in his community, while another left his house only once to buy cigarettes; we are all coping with our new placements in different ways. I fall somewhere in the middle I guess, probably leaning more towards the not-leaving-the-house side. Personally, it is hard to adjust to the unstructured lifestyle. I've always had a job or been in school, and when I was in school I always had a job. Busyness was my structure and every hour had a task assigned. Now, the tranquilo lifestyle, amplified by the absolutely intense heat, leaves me not so guapo.

However, I have taken this quiet time to think a lot – as my anxious mind regularly does. I've made leaps and bounds where my thesis is concerned, and I'm on my way to getting my proposal completed. I've also identified potential projects within the community and found neighbors who've expressed interest in working with me. Furthermore, I've taken a lot of time to reflect on why I'm here and what I hope to accomplish in Paraguay, under the north sun instead of underneath Chicago's snowy shoulders. The holiday season made Jason pine for home and for our family, but I don't share in his love for cold weather or Christmas trees adorned and lighted. Instead, this heat reminds me of the Chicago summer, a yearning so nostalgic that my stomach knots and tears emerge from my eyes every time the thought flutters across my mind. The warmth also reminds me of great times had in Charleston, spent with friends in backyard barbeques or on the salted beaches, watching Lucy and Mattie growl and tussle on land or watching dolphins play in the sea. Perhaps my time in Paraguay will result in similar memories and I hope that the next time I feel the sun kiss my face in the northern hemisphere I will long for my Paraguayan family.

I know this is not a lot of information at this point, considering Jason and have lived in our permanent site for almost a month now, but know that everything is going well enough here. There are very many lovely and impressive families in my community. Jason and I live with a couple in their 60s and 70s and we have a nice big room. We still have no internet at our site, but once we rent a house we hope to change that. Happy 2014 everyone!

My host sister and I preparing the pasta I made for the Dia de la Virgin de Caacupe (but Jason and I would like to think the say also served as our going away party too.)

One of the last times I'll watch my host family gather around the outdoor table. My pasta was a hit! -- the Peruvian rice not so much. 

My host mom and host brother in front of the alter they made for the Virgin. My mother and three host sisters and I -- I mean, I stood next to them -- prayed to the Virgin in ritualistic fashion, repeating different phrases over and over again for about 15-minutes. 

Mike speaking at our swearing-in ceremony, on behalf of all the G-43ers. 

 Jason and I giving our host parents a certificate and saying goodbye for one of the last times. 

Party time!

My two men .

My new host family's kitchen. My host mom is the short one :)

My host niece and host father, enjoying some terere in the sombra of a mango tree in the back yard. 

The nativity scene set up by my host mother and neighbor. I think it is very impressive. 

 My host brother preparing the bbq for the Christmas. 

   

On Christmas Eve we celebrated the same way as I do with my dad's side of the family -- a late meal and staying up till midnight to celebrate Christmas day with sparking cider. Here you see the components of a typical Paraguayan meal: Meat, chipa guasu (a corn, cheese, milk concoction) and mandio.

At midnight my host family prayed in front of the nativity scene.