Month 15: Deja Vu?

HI EVERYONE I'M BACK!!

For reasons I probably won't get into until next month, I've had a very chaotic few weeks...so my apologies that this month's post is once again a little late. 

Will I be better next month?

 Honestly, probably not. 

If there's one part of the culture I've fully adopted, it's "Hora Paraguaya", which means absolutely nothing happens at the time it's scheduled to occur. Teehee. Love y'all. Let's get into it!

The title of this month is Deja Vu, and for good reason. This month marked not only 15 months in the country of Paraguay, but officially a year of living in my site! Due to this, I started to relive some of my very first experiences from last December. Forgive me, but this post definitely will not be in chronological order due to many different things happen in a very short amount of time.

First and foremost, we welcomed a new cohort to the country! C10, a new environment cohort. They're about 33 people, another larger cohort to rival our own 40. Getting to meet them and getting flashbacks to exactly how we felt in their shoes a year ago was a crazy experience. It definitely showed me how far I'd come, while also providing me with the opportunity to give advice I wish someone had given me at that point in the Peace Corps experience. Wishing them nothing but the best in the next 2 years!

I severely slacked on pictures this month so here's a picture of me at a restaurant with a Weiner dog puppy that I desperately wanted to steal.

Me with Georgie, a newly sworn in C10 environmental volunteer!

Unfortunately as Peace Corps service goes, new hellos equate to bittersweet goodbyes. As C10 arrived, we said goodbye to C6, the environmental cohort that came to Paraguay exactly a year before my group did. This was a strange feeling. Although we've been in country to see 2 other cohorts cycle out (if you count C4, who was leaving just as we got into country), these people specifically were our sister cohort. I considered myself close friends with a majority of them, and even those who I wasn't besties with I had amazing memories with. They were always there as a resource, a support, and overall just an amazing example as my cohort (C8) started to navigate our life in Paraguay. To any C6ers who may be reading this, thank you all endlessly for all you did for us. You will be missed.

Was crying the whole time at bell ringing so unfortunately also do not have pictures of that but here's one of me with Rhayne that another volunteer kindly took

During the same week of C6's bell ringing (the ceremony to signify the end of service, once you ring the bell you are officially no longer a Peace Corps Volunteer), my cohort had their MST - or Mid Service Training. This week was spent reconnecting - it was our first time all being together since May - reminiscing, and planning for the second year of service. It was amazing to hear stories of what my fellow volunteers have been accomplishing at their site, as well as being able to share some of my own wins. We concluded the week by all stepping over a piece of string to signify stepping into our second year of service. I try my best to be a glass half full person, but it's hard to not think of this next year as a sort of countdown...as of today I officially have less than 11 months left of being a Peace Corps volunteer. That's wild to think about. I have nothing but hope and excitement for the next year of service, however. I can't wait to see what it brings.

Do y'all remember the pilgrimage I did last year for el Dia de la Virgen de Caacupe? When it was my 2nd day in site and I hiked over 10 miles in the pouring rain to see the Basilica with my host fam.

WELL I DID IT AGAIN.

This time with 2 major differences. Firstly - thank god- there was no rain. Secondly, I had the lovely company of Sam and Rhayne from my cohort to make the journey a bit more fun. Again, we amassed a group of Paraguayans including my host family and friends, and hiked all the way from my site to the Basilica, arriving just in time to see the fireworks at midnight. I've done it twice now, and the sheer amount of people and festivities in the street never ceases to amaze me.

During this week where I had the pleasure of hosting Sam and Rhayne (10/10 house guests by the way, love them to pieces), we also did some exploring and home renovating. We fixed up some old rotting wood from a fallen grape trellis in my backyard, we (Sam) dug a fire pit and lined it with clay tiles to have a fire on chillier days, and we even discovered a new arroyo spot right near my house to spend the afternoons reading and sunbathing! Overall, a very productive and fun couple days. It's always a pleasure to spend time with other volunteers, and I was so happy to be able to share such a special experience as the pilgrimage with my friends.

Next we have the holidays!! As I've mentioned in the past, December 24th is the big day of celebration for Christmas in Paraguay, so we got all dressed up and headed over to my host grandparents house for a delicious feast and to spend the night around family, until midnight. When the clock struck 12, we all hugged, said Feliz Navidad, and proceeded to listen to what sounded like every single house in the neighborhood set off a billion fireworks. Setting off fireworks with all my little host cousins in the street might be my favorite holiday tradition of all time.

Finally, on a less festive note, I finally got to try a roadside terere stop!

You've heard me talk about terere on here - the cold water and Yerba mate drink that's popular downhere especially in the heat. One of the things I've always seen around here but never tried are these roadside stops that just say "terere" in seemingly random areas. I've been on buses where the driver will stop the whole bus to jump off and refill his water thermos and refresh his Yerba, but I've never been that close to it. As my dear friend Maria Liz was very kindly driving me to a bus stop a little further away than usual, I got my chance. Think of it as a drive through sidewalk lemonade stand. She just pulled up, asked for more cold water and her yuyos of choice (think mint, ginger, or whatever type of herbs or things you might want added to your water), and paid before driving right on her merry way. We even saw the man working the stop using a mortar and pestle to hand mash the herbs before putting them into the water. I love this country.

Whew! That's all I have for you this month. Hopefully you enjoy my stories and pictures! Lots of love, see you next time!