Gardens

Im in Santani today for a garden workshop at one of the local NGOs. A PC volunteer put on the workshop, I brought a contact from site and it was very beneficial. The whole concept was gardening at schools and how to use the garden as a teaching tool. There was a lot of great information and the Paraguayans got a lot out of it.
Things in site have been....okay. Ive been dealing with a lot of guilt lately, associated with the down time as well as general things like being American. I feel guilty about the things I had growing up, education, loving family etc a lot of things these people dont have or even know about. But I know it is silly to feel guilty about things that I cant control. Either way, the guilt is there. It is funny, all volunteers feel extremely guilty. Everyone I have talked to feels the same guilt: feeling like we arent doing enough, guilt when leaving site for Asuncion or other volunteer sites, etc. In fact, in our last PC Paraguay newspaper there was a big article written by a 3rd year volunteer who now is a coordinator about guilt. It is something that eventually fades...atleast thats what they all say. I know it will lessen, I just need to find a way of coping with it. I think the first thing to do with such guilt is to aknowledge it, which I have. Next comes.....well, I dont know. We will see. Getting out of site, just for today was actually a big help in dealing with it.
Im also taking a little mental health break and going into Asuncion the first week of June. I plan on just relaxing in my hotel bed and watching tv, maybe go see a movie, eat decent food and just relax, be alone and unwind. It may sound silly that I need time to be alone considering I live in the middle of nowhere in my own house, but the only real time I am alone is when Im laying in bed and even then Im not alone because people or kids will come over early in the morning or when Im getting ready to sleep.
Anyway, I have some pictures of my garden I wanted to post but it doesnt seem to work. Ill try to post them later. If it doesnt work you all should know that my garden is rockin! I ate my first beet from the garden, which was the size of my fist, and it was very tasty.

When did it get so cold?

Winter has fallen on Paraguay. I never would have believed a country that gets as hot as this one can also be this cold! This past Thursday it was rather warm and humid. That night as I was about to sleep it started to rain. When I say rain I really mean torrential downpour! The sky really opened up and poured rain down the entire night. My roof is basically that corrugated sheet metal so you can imagine the noise it made all night. I didn´t sleep well.
The next day it was cold...not just chilly cold, but COLD! The past two days have been in the upper 50's and last night it fell to 44F. I know that 44 isn´t that cold for you North Americans, but when you live in a house that has thin 1 inch thick wood for walls and no insulation nor heating system 44 degrees is damn cold! Luckily I brought a good sleeping bag and long underwear. Also I spend a lot of time in front of the fire with my neighbors drinking matè.
Lately I have been dealing with the feeling that I am just not doing anything. It is hard being an American in a Latin American country where the lifestyle is tranquilo. I want to get up and do something! I want to get projects going, I want to work and see some progress. It is hard just hanging out, reading, visiting neighbors etc. The thing is, I knew that I was going to be getting myself into this situation. Especially because I am an agriculture volunteer and in the winter there just isn´t a whole lot going on in an agriculturally based community.
I find ways to entertain myself by reading, practicing my trumpet , cooking and just being with the people in my community. I have come to realize that being with these people IS my work; I AM doing something when I go down the road and drink maté with Don Francisco and just chat about whatever. Being a volunteer is not just about getting work done, it is about being with the people, being a part of the community.

A-town

Im in Asuncion. We are having our quarterly review...already a quarter done! It moves fast!
I found a natural foods store in Asuncion and through down some serious Guaranies! It was expensive but well worth it.
Life in site is good, though I really needed this break. Living in the campo can sometimes make you crazy!
My garden is rocking, lots of veggies, all the community members are curious about how I get so much to grow etc. The garden itself is a great tool for starting up conversations about organic practices, companion planting etc. And the results speak for themselves. My tomatos are growing much faster and healthier than theirs, my swiss chard is already harvestable. They want their gardens to be like mine, which is wonderful! So people are starting compost piles, growing their garlic next to their tomatos and carrots, using homemade pesticides. It's a good thing.

Im reading "The World is Flat", I just started it. So far it is very interesting. Im going to stock up on books here in the PC library. I kind of go overboard and get tons of books, there is just so much I want to read.
Life is good.