Month 11: KIDS - New, Old, and Sacred

 HELLO!!

I'm on time for this month's blog post, and for that I am proud of myself. Let's yap about what's been going on.

August was very exciting for one big reason; we have a new cohort! C9 - our newest group of 22 Community Health and Community Economic Development volunteers were sworn into service on August 7th. My area of the country was fortunate enough to receive 2 new volunteers in the city I live directly outside of (Shoutout Alexandria and Ethan), with many more close by. 

It's definitely a little strange to not be the "youngest" group anymore - I'm officially a sophomore by Peace Corps standards. But if talking to the newer volunteers has revealed anything to me, it's how far I've come in the past year. Some days it feels like I just stepped foot off the plane, and other days it feels like I've been living here my whole life. However, when I'm conversing with the volunteers just settling into to their sites, new host families, braving the significant transition from training to service, it's a blast to the past (the past, of course, being only 9 months ago). It's a wholesome feeling to offer advice and support. Things I don't even think about anymore - like which bus to take where, which supermarket is less expensive, or how to start an English class/club - I'm now somehow an expert on and offering suggestions. Even listening to people's anxieties about their Spanish skills triggers a memory of me communicating with Google translate during my first couple weeks. 

It's also a little strange, because these volunteers are coming in at a totally different time of year than when I entered the country. They haven't even experienced their first heat wave yet!

Speaking of weather, we are deeeeep into late spring down here. Everything is in bloom, especially the Lapacho Rosado, the official tree of Paraguay. This beautiful tree with its pink flowers brings a pop of color to almost everywhere you go, and it's such a gorgeous sight. 

We also are at such an inconsistent time for the weather down here. Last Friday it was 90°F, and last night it dropped down to 40°F. Crazy stuff, but we're gearing up for another hottttt summer.

Another fun celebration from this month: Mama Clara's birthday!!!

You all remember my host mom from training, and my adorable little host niece Martina? I had the lovely experience of going back to that house and celebrating her 65th birthday with her and that family. And we had a lovely time. She's also still a pastry chef - she now has a pastry business she runs from the house - so of course all the dessert was beyond delicious. I spent a lovely afternoon with her and her friends celebrating, and then we had another smaller more intimate family dinner afterwards. I also got the chance to spend time with Martina, who is growing much too fast for my liking.

The last notable event that happened this month was the celebration of Dia del Niño. The origins of this holiday are quite sad. 

It begins during the Triple Alliance War, during which the national armies of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay had joined to devastate Paraguay, the first country in South America that had smelting furnaces, railways, modern hospitals for the time and the largest income per capita in the region. At the behest of the British, who were interested in Paraguay for their cotton production, the three countries waged a 6 year long war on Paraguay. August 16, 1869, the Battle of  Acosta Ñu occurred. A division of 20,000 Brazilian soldiers, with Argentine support, fought for eight hours against a group of 3,500 Paraguayan children between 6 and 14 years of age. This war had decimated the male population of Paraguay, and so many of the children had disguised themselves with false beards made with corn, to impress the enemy and make them believe that they were men. Most only wore sticks carved with the shapes of rifles, so that in the distance they seemed to form a well-armed army.

As a result of this horrible massacre, every August there is a holiday in Paraguay to celebrate the children. In our school, this came in the form of a carnival, complete with clowns, bouncy castles, face painting, and musical performances from all the teachers. We then all drank hot chocolate and ate cookies. Although I don't have many photos from this event thanks to my students wanting to sit and talk with me all afternoon, it was a very fun and wholesome celebration.

Today I also gave a Charla on nutrition. The Paraguayan diet is very full of sugar, salt, and fatty foods. It's very uncommon to drink water during or immediately after a meal, and they heavily indulge in drinks such as soda and sugary juices. Due to a combination of these practices, conditions like diabetes or digestion issues are very common here. We talked about the "Olla Paraguaya" (literally "Paraguayan pot" - their version of the food pyramid), eating things in moderation, and exercising regularly. 

Overall, things are still todo tranquilo down here. Hopefully the heat kicks back in soon so I can retire all these winter jackets. Check back in next month for more!