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.