Hey there, sugar.

Yeah, I pretty much love my site. Although its about a 4km walk in from either direction, it is LOVELY! However, I'm not really looking forward to hauling my groceries that far. If you're trying to find it on a map its about a 20 min bus ride NNE of Villarica, a pretty sizeable city. The site itself is settled in the hills which pretty much ensures a firm rump by the end of my 2 years. The community is filled with really nice people including those firey Paraguayan grandma types that I love so very much. Although there's a good share of political issues that have been going on in the past few months, the community itself seems pretty motivated and hard-working. It is economically sustained by mostly sugar cane, as there is both a sugar processing plant and ethonol plant within a few miles. I get to learn about a new crop.

This week, I saw the COOLEST plant. It was a pitcher plant, but it was a VINE, which is really cool for the nerd within.

Anyway, I need to go pick up groceries for Thanks Giving. Plus its 2:15pm and I havent really eaten anything today. I Love you all

Site assignment

Well folks, I know where I'm going to be living for the next 2 years: the Department of Guairá. I go to visit it this Friday. I'll tell you more about it when I have a better feel for what I'm getting myself into. Chau!

Camila

There aren't many options, living in the campo. It makes people grow up quickly. Camila is in her mid-teens. She dresses nicer than any of her family. Each authoritative broom stoke she leaves on the orange dirt floor of her house counts the days down to her still unforseen wedding. They say here that if you sweep well you'll get a handsome husband. She's well on her way.

I stayed with Camila's family during Long Field Practice and felt a little child-like in her presence. Here was a woman, several years my minor, who looked as if any day now she'd be prepared to run a household and make babies. The maturity train must have skipped the Ptates and gone straight to Paraguay.

The last day I was there, her suiter made a house call. He was just leaving as I emerged from packing my things. Passing the family sleeping area, I caught a glimps of this Paraguayan beauty laying on her bed, sucking her thumb. Sometimes I wonder if the campo makes people grow up too fast.

Well, its been a while. I find updating the blog to be a chore, but not because I don't want to keep you all updated, but rather because I have no clue what to write about. So much happens, and all I have time to write about is the frogs or the moon. Oh well, here goes.

This week we have Long Field Practice. In groups of 4 we go to a current volunteer's site and stay with families, help them with current projects, and generally see what its like to be in the campo (countryside). Side note to parents: remember when I was in 3rd grade and couldn't get the proper spelling of 'countryside' down? I still use the same ditty, you know, the one that goes to 'Camptown Ladies?' And I still remember that Concord is the capital of New Hampshire, thanks to that hampter and his silly fruit preferences.

In a week and a half we find out our site assignments. Throughout the history of Peace Corps training, this has been a major source of anxiety. For me, it's not really because I don't trust that they are going to put me into an appropriate site, but rather just the inability to plan and mentally prepare oneself. Like the states, Paraguay has many distinct regions that have their own way of speaking, traditions, ect. I'll be sure to keep you all posted when I find out.

Where did October go, anyway?