Why Paraguay?

Sometimes, it can be difficult to explain to people why we would leave our fabulous lives in Seattle and move to a country we knew nothing about and had to look at a map to remember where it was located.  Often, I'm not very articulate about it, but Joel over at Why Paraguay is.  This article reflecting on his family's first year here highlights the great and not so great parts of Paraguay!

Some Photos From Our Recent Trips Into The Campo

 We have taken three consecutive weekend trips out of Asuncion.  Living in the city is convenient, but it would be fairly miserable if we were not able to venture out into the countryside.  

Three weeks ago our friend Fede took us to his family's ranch.  Due to flooding you can not presently drive to their house.  Getting to his property required traveling first by truck, then by boat, and finally by tractor.

Horses on the property

An old church on the property

Two weeks ago I joined my friends Rob and Will for a weekend trip to Villa Florida, a small town south of Asuncion on the Tebicuary River. On the way a local woman directed us down a side road to this bridge to look for capybaras.  None were hanging out when we stopped by.

We spent the rest of the afternoon looking for a hotel, hanging out by the river and having an obligatory meal of fish soup and milenesa.

The next day Will found a local guy to take us fishing in a flooded bay next to town.  We caught  some little catfish called manda-i, piranhas, and another little fish called a mojarrita.

Will had not been fishing in years, but he is a master at throwing a hand line.

Rob unhooking his mojarrita.

We grilled up a few of the fish.  The manda-i was really good.  The piranhas were good also, but hard to eat because the they have many small pointy bones.

 Last weekend a group of teachers took a trip to an area we had been wanting to visit for a while.  Tres Kandu: or Three Humps.

It was our first backpacking trip in Paraguay and we ascended Paraguay's tallest peak, all 842 meters of it.  Although it was a short hike, the trail was fairly steep and most of us were sore for a couple days afterwards.

Above our friend Ali diligently starts a fire with out the use of accelerants and Will prepares to spread some snake repellent around the perimeter of our camp. This Paraguayan outdoor trick is called "Fluido Manchester" and is actually an automotive lubricant that smells awful, apparently snakes hate it.  

Spring time in Paraguay

The summer (and most of the year really) can be brutally hot, but Spring in Paraguay is a lovely time.  The weather is in the 80's, it's sunny, and there are beautiful flowers in bloom.  Here are a few from my walk to school!

Year 2 begins!

We've passed our year milestone in Paraguay and the start of year 2 has been full of big changes.  We have moved into a large house with 4 other teachers from my school.  The house is fantastic-we have a pool, a great backyard with a patio that has a grill and a brick oven, a huge bedroom with our own balcony and bathroom, and possibly the best thing of all is our full time maid, Natalia.  It's nice to live in a place again where we can do one of my favorite things-entertain and cook for people. It is certainly an adjustment to live with other people again, but so far it's been really fun to have friends at home to hang out with after work. 

Another big change is that I've moved to teaching 7th and 8th grade Social Studies.  I have wanted to teach SS for a long time, but since all of my experience is in Language Arts, it's been hard to get a job.  I'm teaching World History and U.S history, two subjects which can be a lot of fun.  I struggled with the adjustment to teaching privileged kids last year, but now that I have some experience to lean on, I'm finding the job a little easier and more rewarding.  I'm having a blast teaching Social Studies, although it's a lot more work, as I'm planning everything from scratch since it's my first time.  Now that I have the hang of teaching at the school, I feel more confident experimenting with new ideas in the classroom and trying things that I would never have been able to do in a struggling school like where I worked in Seattle. 

The school is also undergoing many changes, including 15 new teachers and 3 new administrators.  I have a new principal, who has moved to Paraguay from China, but has also lived in Nicaragua.  He's a fantastic addition to the school and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the school year.   The second semester last year was difficult for me as a professional, but I have a feeling things have really turned around and I am feeling positive and recharged as an educator.  

We are of course plotting several upcoming travel adventures including climbing the tallest mountain in Paraguay (3,000 feet!) and visiting a nature preserve in the South of the country.  We are both looking forward to the many adventures our second year in this beautiful and sometimes baffling country we call home!