Wednesday, January 20, 2010

1 month in site mark

ooooooooooooone month. feels like threeeeee months!

I have been in this house for two weeks now, the house with the internet and a shower I can´t use (i´ve been using the neighbors). unfortunatly, my busy days have slowed down to a whole lotta nothing. The summer camp Kendal (one of my volunteer neighbors) and I helped do at Liz´s site was very tranquilo, only 3 kids showed up, so we just had some arts and crafts time. I did get to spend a few nights in the countryside though, very pretty, very rustic. complete with cows in the yard, hammock on the patio, basin to collect rain water and a latrine. Very diff to my city girl life! (except i´m used to smelly bathrooms since the shower here has poop water in the bottom of it) it was good to hang with some fellow volunteers and do something though. Other than that i´ve been sitting around this house, the house where I share a room with my host bro and mom and can´t get to sleep till 12:30 because that´s when they sleep and wake up at 10 because that´s when they wake up. then my days consist of reading, some studying, talking on the phone and sitting on the computer..i feel like i´m back at home! i need to get out!!!!!!!!! if i were in my soon to be house think of all i could be doing there! fixing it up, getting new sinks put in, getting the fridge fixed, buying new furniture..but here i sit. sigh. ok enough ranting. yesterday it rained so i took advantage of the cooler air and went for a walk to learn what it´s like on the outskirts of the city...

the main square of the city is very pretty with it´s big trees and benches, lots of commerce in this part and the firehouse and church. A couple blocks down by the main ruta is a market where you can get pretty much whatever you need from brooms to terere plants to a bus to the campo. branching out more from the square are houses mostly connected together, a football "stadium" (small and indoors) some schools, branching out more from that the houses are more separate, the road goes from asphalt to cobblestone (well, more just rocks in the road)and it goes on like this for many blocks until the roads turn to dirt and it gets pretty country. all the time in the distance you can see some hills which is nice. all those houses are behind gates with not much of a yard, everyone is very close to one another but it´s ok because everyone likes to hang out together. I went walking up the road from my house and ended up in some woods! I was alone though and figured i should probably be doing this with some company so i quickly turned around.

what do i have to look forward to this month: making brick ovens at kendal´s site (another campo visit!) and another trip to asunciĆ³n at the end of the month!! huzaah!
oh summer vacation. first couple months are the hardest of service i was told, one down! but don´t worry...i´m still smiling

9 comments:

  1. What a disappointment this is! I was so thrilled to find your blog when you first started this; Are you sure you're in the Peace Corps in Paraguay? I was surprised to nothing in your blog about celebrating Christmas in Paraguay. Nothing about spending time on Christmas Eve, drinking Clerico, visiting families to see their Pesebres, or setting off firecrakers at midnight.
    Take some tips from your fellow volunteer Pooja about the kind of Blog we would all love to read about.

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  2. What a disappointment to receive a comment like this. It´s a shame people will hide behind a veil of anonymity to make another person feel bad. Yes I am in Peace Corps Paraguay. I am happy to be here and I love my site. And if you must know I did write about my Christmas and New Years experience, but in a separate email to my family because I decided to keep my experience private. So don´t worry... they know all what happened for the holidays thanks. We are all here for good intentions and good reasons, so instead of personally attacking me for keeping a record of it for my friends and family, keep your comments to yourself. Sorry you feel my blog is not good enough. So here´s a tip for you, dont read it.

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  3. yeah... that is a good tip. her family and friends want to be up to date on what/how she's doing in paraguay... hence, the blog. sure, others can read it and learn things from it, but if they decide they don't like it... they're welcome to stop reading.

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  4. What a disappointment? How rude! and are you sure you're in paraguay? what? like you got lost and went north instead of south? whatever. Some people are just mean. well said, Erin.

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  5. Yeah what kind of loser writes a comment like the first one? Seriously, if you want some sort of cookie cutter blog, just do some keyword searches or read some dumb tourist travel guide. Blogs are meant to be written from an individual perspective, not to be the same experience that everyone else has. And she's doing good, humanitarian work in the Peace Corps and doesn't need that kind of negativity! -Amy, Ireland/NJ

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  6. I find it hard to understand why a person feels the need, or the right to be so judgemental about a person they have never even met. Someone who is sacrificing a few years of her life to service others less fortunate. I hope you learn someday how ridiculous it is to judge others in any capacity, put your ego aside and move on. Lora, you can't fix all the jerks of the world but you can delete!

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  7. dear anonymous, what right have you to judge someone elses thoughts and feelings. you must be some kind of jerk, you dont even have the decency to reveal your name! if you have nothing positive to say, kindly keep your negativity to yourself and simply dont read the blog. Lora, you are doing a great job with the blog, we all love reading it and sharing your experiences through it, keep it up and dont be put off by small minded losers like that.
    sending you all my love from across the pond xx :*:*

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  9. Hey Lora,
    don't let anyone get you down, I think you are an amazing young woman and the work you are doing is very important, too important to be bothered by idiots like anonymous! Hey i didn't get the christmas email and I'm family! LOL love you lots
    Aunt Bonnie & Uncle Mike

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