Month 10: It's my birthday and EVERYONE is my friend

 HELLO HELLO!!

In case you haven't figured out yet, I totally forgot to post my June blog post. That's why it's late and I'm doing a double feature this month. 

July is a very special month to me. It's not only the month I was born, but it's always the best time of the year. As a New England baby born and raised, there's nothing I look forward to more than the 4th of July, beach days in Connecticut and Rhode Island, getting to see my cousins and my family, and overall just living my best life in my favorite place in the world - Groton Long Point, Connecticut.

That's why in all honesty, this was a very hard few weeks. I found myself more homesick than ever,  missing places and people and my family more than I had even around Christmas time.

Thankfully, I have a wonderfully supportive and loving community and family (in TWO countries nonetheless- how lucky am I?) and I spent the month feeling so loved and supported. Let's get into it.

July 1st marked a very special and bittersweet day for my school - one of my Directora's retired. After putting in more than 20 years of work at the school and being beloved by teacher and student alike, we all came together one last time to say thank you and see her off. After her farewell speech, there wasn't a dry eye in the audience - mine included. While she is still an active member of the community, she is definitely missed at the school.

Felicidades Zulli!

I then went on a very special trip: a weekend away with my Aunties! We spent a couple days exploring the beautiful Panama City. I missed both of them so much, and it was such a great time to relax, spend time with them, and eat some delicious food. It was also nice to escape the winter weather for a bit. I felt a bit like a bird fleeing the cold, but instead of migrating South, I went North. Highlights of this trip include walking around the city, time relaxing by the pool, and of course - The Panama Canal! Aunty Bisa and Aunty Mel when you read this - I'm so so grateful for the time I got to spend with you and I missed you (and continue to miss you) both so much. I love you and thank you for an amazing trip.

I then came back and proceeded to wrap up my English classes for the semester, including playing a competition game between my 7th and 8th graders to see who had learned more English. 8th grade learned more, 7th grade was more passionate, and I learned not to bring in chocolate as prizes if I didn't want to get chased around the school by 40 students on a sugar rush. Even though their favorite phrase to say is "I want to go home" (English is the last class of the day for both, so I can't really blame them), they all agreed that I'm their favorite Profe and I will be riding that high for the rest of my service.

Then vacation started, as did the birthday celebrations. I had the lovely opportunity to celebrate both with a delicious Mexican dinner in Asuncion with some volunteers, and in site with my host family and Paraguayan community.

I'll stop here to include a note about Paraguayan birthday parties. Appearances down here are very important. There's a concept called the "lindo factor" which basically means Paraguayans don't care as much about the functionality or cost or reasons behind certain things, as long as they look pretty. This is most evident when it comes to birthday parties. Whether the person is turning 4 or 40, a backdrop must be erected with a happy birthday sign, a table with cake or presents, and every guest must take a photo with the birthday girl or boy. While my initial plan was just to invite some Paraguayans over to have some food and cake, I was quickly informed that this would not be acceptable. If I were to have the party at my house, I would have needed to rent tables and chairs for everyone, set up the backdrop, and otherwise prepare everything for the guests. As it was, my host family were very generous and offered to let me host the party at their house, and all I needed to do was set up the backdrop.

I also had a few volunteers come to celebrate with me, which was so lovely as I got to show off my beautiful site and community.

After that wonderful birthday celebration, winter vacation was in full swing. I spent much of the time visiting some of my older señora friends in the community, having some impromptu English classes, and attending many a birthday party.

On the few days the temperature peaked above 70, I spent hours sitting outside my house doing my new favorite pastime - crocheting! Below is a picture of a beanie I made myself, some calm afternoons outside, and my very angry puppy when I finally decided he smelled too bad and gave him a bath.

Finally, yesterday July 30 was a very fun holiday in Paraguay. It was "Dia de Amistad", or Friendship Day. As a result, I went to many a celebration, exchanged many secret Santa gifts (down here they call it amigo invisible), and overall felt so much love and friendship from everyone in my community.

Overall, while I am definitely missing home and it's comforts, it's nice to feel like I have a family and a community here to support me. As the temperature climbs slowly back upwards (I say as I write this in a winter coat and a beanie), I'm looking forward to launching new projects, continuing my English classes, and making even more lasting memories and connections in my community.

Ciao for now!

Anita