Pictures and what not

Im back from long field practice. We went to La Colmena again where Joel, the volunteer, is finishing up his two years. Joel is a funny guy and a great volunteer, it was a fun time. Also, La Colmena is a beautiful, beautiful place. I took some pictures from the house I was staying at, breathtaking. I stayed with Don Maximo, his wife who everyone called De la Paz, and their 14 year old son Jorge. We worked out in Joel´s demo plot where he had planted different types of abonos verdes (green manures) as well as worked on this one guys field. We did curvas de nivel, which is countour planting, we made the curves using A frames and then hoed, and planted Pasto Camaroon which is a great forage plant for cows and also Kumanda Yvyra´i which is a nitrogen fixing legume that forms a small tree. Food was good, lots of fresh vegetables. However, Thursday during lunch I got a big bowl of steaming organs...I couldnt figure out WHAT it was until I asked Joel later. Turned out it was a big bowl of Cow livers.......yum. I couldnt finish it because i KNEW it was something from the depths of the cows insides. Didnt taste terrible though. I bathed in a creek a little ways from the house and man was it cold, but very refreshing! This was my first time using a latrine also...its kind of hard getting the squat just right.

This wednesday I will find out where my site will be, where i will spend the next two years! how exciting.

Every now and then I get homesick...I remember chapel hill and what a great city it is. But, I am having a great time here and couldnt imagine being anywhere else. Ive been reading a lot too, I finished three books in two weeks. Though now I think Im going to focus more on Guarani and less pleasure reading.

Mangoes are starting to get ripe, im very excited about that!
Okay, picture time.

Kankles!!!! Ahhh bees! My feet are fine now. How gross is that?




This is the view from my house in the peublo, I would sit here and read. Jealous?


Che familia. Don Maximo, De la paz, ha Jorge. They arent very good with having their pictures taken but are super awesome people!


This is the Kururu(toad) that stayed in my room. I named him Arlo. He was fat, but very tranquilo. People here are afraid of them and I cant understand why. He was a good roommate.