8/23/2004 - Return of the Crazy Bus
Greetings from Paraguay! I have been here 4 days and it has been pretty eventful so far. The temperature is a little cooler this year than last. About 15-17 degrees celsius (in the 60´s for you americanos). But walking around you would think it is around freezing. Everyone is wearing ski caps and freezing there butts off. I am a little underdressed as I didn´t bring a true spring jacket... poor planing. Of course today it was upper 70's and I got sunburned. Maybe the shorts will make a comeback.
I have adjusted well to Amy's outhouse. The shower even has hotwater. Although you have to see how they rig these showers for hot water. Basically, you attach an electric current to the spout. So you must sacrafice water pressure to get the hot water. And I have found new meaning for a utility sink. The sink itself is outside exposed to the road (using the word road in its paraguay definition, cars can drive on the uneven dirt but must share with cows, dogs, sheep, chickens, and horses, and people). So I use the sink to wash my hands and brush my teeth. Everyone just stares at me like I am crazy probably because I am american but might be because I am brushing my teeth as they are walking to the market. The sink is also used for washing dishes and clothes. But of course, there is no hot water at the sink.
Saturday, Amy and I ate fresh chicken. And when I say fresh chicken, I mean the neighbor killed the chicken for us that day. Thankfully, she skinned it and plucked it as well. We cooked the chicken for an hour and they still told us we didn´t cook it long enough. Then a girl stopped by and had no idea what broccoli was. And refused to even try it. I brought cheese whiz down from the states and we put it on the brocoli. The neighbors seemed to enjoy it. I also brought down marshmallows and that was tried with hesitation as well.
Yesterday, I saw the paraguayan juvenile prison system at its best. They throw these kids in "jail" and they are supposed to rehab them. However, these kids are not required to go to class, clothes are not provided for them. They just hang out the entire day. Not too productive. No manual labor, no structure, no lessons, no nothing.
Then we went to Guarambare where I fielded more marriage propositions. Of course the provision is that I must live here. Fat chance of that. Fun place to visit for a few days, maybe a week but I would never be able to live here. Besides, while in Guarambare, we were walking down the "road" and a herd of cows were coming at us with chickens skattering to get out of the way. Nothing like urban living.
Today I went to the school to teach english with my sister. I was the circus animal once again. The kids just wanted to hear how there name translates into English. Amazing the hours of entertainment this can cause. It was folk day so the students performed a show with the traditional Paraguayan dance. Then we stopped by the instituto where I first experienced main veining sugar cane last year. I wouldn´t call myself an addict but I would do it again. However, due to changes, all of the cane was cut down so I had to do without it this year.
Chao!
I have adjusted well to Amy's outhouse. The shower even has hotwater. Although you have to see how they rig these showers for hot water. Basically, you attach an electric current to the spout. So you must sacrafice water pressure to get the hot water. And I have found new meaning for a utility sink. The sink itself is outside exposed to the road (using the word road in its paraguay definition, cars can drive on the uneven dirt but must share with cows, dogs, sheep, chickens, and horses, and people). So I use the sink to wash my hands and brush my teeth. Everyone just stares at me like I am crazy probably because I am american but might be because I am brushing my teeth as they are walking to the market. The sink is also used for washing dishes and clothes. But of course, there is no hot water at the sink.
Saturday, Amy and I ate fresh chicken. And when I say fresh chicken, I mean the neighbor killed the chicken for us that day. Thankfully, she skinned it and plucked it as well. We cooked the chicken for an hour and they still told us we didn´t cook it long enough. Then a girl stopped by and had no idea what broccoli was. And refused to even try it. I brought cheese whiz down from the states and we put it on the brocoli. The neighbors seemed to enjoy it. I also brought down marshmallows and that was tried with hesitation as well.
Yesterday, I saw the paraguayan juvenile prison system at its best. They throw these kids in "jail" and they are supposed to rehab them. However, these kids are not required to go to class, clothes are not provided for them. They just hang out the entire day. Not too productive. No manual labor, no structure, no lessons, no nothing.
Then we went to Guarambare where I fielded more marriage propositions. Of course the provision is that I must live here. Fat chance of that. Fun place to visit for a few days, maybe a week but I would never be able to live here. Besides, while in Guarambare, we were walking down the "road" and a herd of cows were coming at us with chickens skattering to get out of the way. Nothing like urban living.
Today I went to the school to teach english with my sister. I was the circus animal once again. The kids just wanted to hear how there name translates into English. Amazing the hours of entertainment this can cause. It was folk day so the students performed a show with the traditional Paraguayan dance. Then we stopped by the instituto where I first experienced main veining sugar cane last year. I wouldn´t call myself an addict but I would do it again. However, due to changes, all of the cane was cut down so I had to do without it this year.
Chao!
posted by Robert at 4:38 PM
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