The Best and Worst of Peace Corps Paraguay

Hello all!  I'm sorry I have been completely MIA for a while now.  I got caught up in who knows what here in Paraguay and then I went home to the U.S. for a few weeks to spend Christmas and New Years...and now I'm back again.  I am WAY overdue for a real blog update, and I have lots of things to fill everyone in on!  I've been having a rough couple of first days back so I'm going to wait until I'm back on my feet before I write a real update.  Gotta get all the negative out in my journal before I can fill you all in on the positives.  But, I wanted to let you all know, I'm alive and well and chugging away down here...and here's a little Questionnaire I filled out to keep you all entertained in the meantime...Enjoy :)

Moment that made me rethink dairy: Chunky milk.  Stinky cheese. Nuff said.

What reminded me most that I’m in Paraguay: The beautiful red dirt roads, and the fact that I only know what is happening/being said about 5% of the time.

Most surprisingly tasty food: Milanesa de cocodrillo mmmmm mmmm so tasty.  Fried crocodile.

Favorite thing to find being recycled by other volunteers who have recently returned from The States or had a friend come visit: Well I’m bringing some pretty sweet stuff from the states for myself.

Most entertaining adventure: There are so many!  There’s the time when I was going for a stroll and catching up with Stacy when the chiv cramps overtook me and I had to relieve my bowels on the side of the road.  There were the Eco Reserve-hanging bridges, zip lining, and propelling adventure.  There was the time I took the wrong bus and ended up in some weird neighborhood outside of the capital.  It took me approximately 4 hours to get home instead of 1.  There was the time I got woken up at 5am with a message to go watch a cow slaughter.  And there are MANY more that are not blog appropriate J

Moment that made me realize no bug experience could ever get much worse: The day I woke up with 163 bug bites on my legs during training.  The worst part was the walk home…it was so hot and I was sweating so much I was stomping during our walk home in an attempt to relieve the itch without scratching…and I may or may not have started crying. Haha.  Or perhaps when I tried to engage war against the ants, moved everything in my entire house was spraying them to death, powdering them to death and running outside gagging and gasping for breath only for there to still be ants and their eggs falling on my bed.

Favorite thing to do on vacation: Sit in climate controlled areas.  Workout at a gym.  Understand what is going on around me.  Appreciate time with my family and friends.

Moment that made me stop and say, “Where am I?”: During my first week in site where I attended my first horse race…about a 5 minute walk from my house.  So awesome.

Most shocking information I have given to a Paraguayan:  The fact that I think black people are beautiful.   They didn’t understand.  And I don’t understand how you cannot think they are beautiful.

Most entertaining question asked by a Paraguayan: Hmmm…I’m so immune to the strange questions now that I can’t think of a good one!  The geography questions are pretty good… “The United States is right next to Japan, right?” And, one time I was talking to a nursing student about the healthiness of vegetables to which he responded “Who says?”

Something I would never have done if I were not living here: Pooped in a bucket in my living room.  The cement in my bathroom was drying and I didn’t have access to a latrine.  What would you have done?

Favorite new culinary technique: Homemade pizza.

Funniest Guarani word learned: We’ve been over this before…because of its translation Ejapiro…peel your penis.

Most uncomfortable charla moment: Before I gave my breastfeeding charlas...whenever someone asked me what the topic was I would automatically grab my boobs and say breastfeeding!

Favorite American topic that Paraguayans like to talk to me about: How rich we ALL are.  Righttt.

Longest running joke in my host-family: “Casey Crazy”  my nickname.  Or, the fact that I like large mandioca (penises)…hooray for language mishaps during lunchtime.

Moment that almost gave me a heart attack: When I got charged by a bull during my future site visit.  I literally thought I was going to die at that day.

Strangest thing I have seen being sold on a city bus: Oh you can buy anything on the buses.  You need oil, apples, oranges, pineapples, DVD's, weight loss supplements, chains, watches, wallets, belts...you name it and your neighborhood bus will most likely pick up a vendor selling it.

Hottest day: I try not to look at the temperature because I don’t even want to know.

Thing that makes me feel like a lot tougher than I am: Dealing with all of the “creatures” that live with me.

Favorite book read in site: “Shantaram.” Gregory David Roberts

Most unusual injury sustained when considering I am a Peace Corps volunteer: Thankfully, I haven’t had any major injuries…but I did have infected/inflamed hair follicles on my scalp at one point.  How does that happen?

Funniest cultural thing in general: How indirect the people are about most things…but yet ridiculously, rudely (interpreted by someone from the U.S.) direct about other things.  Strange.