Lots of Pics! Plus some words, too!

Hello Friends and Family!

Tomorrow I swear in as a Peace Corps Volunteer!

Whew, these 11 weeks of training have flown by. Really flown by. It feels like just yesterday I arrived in Villeta and told my family buenas noches and went to bed at 6:30pm because I was so exhausted and confused about what time it was, better yet what day.

There have been some really exciting happenings as of late, including a trip to Asuncion to do touristy things and visit some NGOs, my second language interview, a mini-class on Ao’Po’i (a striking form of stitching done by Paraguayan women…check out this website started by a volunteer and the Cooperative with whom she worked), a volleyball tournament co-coordinated with Nikki, mbeju cooking class, TACO NIGHT and our goodbye send-off!

me in asuncion

That’s lil ole me in front of the President’s house in Asuncion. We also visited the legislative building and received a nice tour thanks to a connection with a trainee’s host dad. Here’s my favorite picture from that tour.

ha.

(Translation: CLOSE THE DOOR PAAAAHHHHLEEEEEAAAASSSEEEEEEE)

It’s a relief to know that passive aggressive inter-office notes are all the rage in Paraguay, too!

On Saturday, we cooked tacos for Nikki’s family. We baked empanada shells to create something like a taco shell (close enough). And then we cooked up some carne de soja (soy meat–which may sound gross, but soy’s one of PY’s leading crops, and it’s quite tasty with cumin, tomatoes, onions and green peppers all sautéed together). We had all the proper toppings, plus rice and beans and margaritas!

la fiesta taco night, get at it!

This past Sunday Nikki and I wrapped up the volleyball tournament. We had about 25 youth participants, gorgeous weather, and a crowd of spectators. The female winners won the game ball, and the male winners won a net that was donated. We provided snacks with the sign-up fee we collected. After the tourney, a mix of the female and male teams played against a Cuerpo de Paz team. The Paraguayans won!

Our referee was Reuben (the dog Ruffo’s dad). He’s a Villeta host dad and expert in all things futbol and volley. Here he is fixing our net pre-game.

reuben to the rescue!

And the final match USA v. PY.

usa v. py

me with pabla making mbeju

Here I am with my favorite (yes I play favorites) teacher Pabla. She was also my first Spanish teacher here in Paraguay, and wow did she coddle her beginner students. It was like being in kindergarten! It was so great! Her enthusiasm was contagious and encourages her students to talk with ease!

She taught me to make mbeju during one of our class recesses this week.

g-33 plus families and profs

And finally, the Villeta crew including trainees, professors/trainers and host families! We had a despedida or goodbye party today to show our gratitude to our host families. Maureen gave an impressive mini-speech to express our thanks for taking us in and making us feel so welcome and a part of our families and the community. Some of our host parents spoke to say how much they have enjoyed having us around, exchanging culture and participating in family life. They wished us the best in our two years of service, and reminded us that we’ll always have a family to come home to in Villeta for 3 months, for 2 years or for as long as we want.

What an excellent send-off! I left thinking, my goodness, I can do this.

P.S. As a parting gift from training, trainer Jonathon gave each of us 2 gifts: a machete and an ink pen. You know the adage…The pen is mightier than the sword. All I can think is I have my very own machete. How cool is that?

A picture of that surely to follow. Until then…

Peace,

Emily