the monks know how to throw a party

I´m going to try to write this blog over the awful music blasting so loud that the bass is making the computer shake from the bar across the street. It´s 9:00am on Saturday morning and the bars in Caazapa are still packed with people partying from the night before. I´ve been here since Thursday, and the place is insanity. Apparently, this is the anniversary of when the monks came to caapzapa way back in the day and found water in time of drought. The Paraguayans celebrate for weeks, but this weekend is the big weekend and its pretty nuts. Theres stuff all over the city including an expo, concerts, a carnival, and of course people getting wasted all day and night at bars. I´m an old lady and a wussy and was unable to drink or party during my time here. I spent the last two days with a massive headache and super dehydrated searching for a place to sleep. The first night I was able to stay in a hotel, but last night a group of us were sleeping on another volunteers tile floor because everything was booked for the weekend.
I hope what I´m writing is making sense. I haven´t slept in two days, and trying to type with the techno version of ¨me vuelvo loco tu tatu (your vagina drives me crazy,¨ blasting in the background is making it very difficult to think.
If you ever want a good laugh, bring a paraguayan from deep in the campo on a ferris wheel. The ladies from my community were in Caazapa yesterday morning selling their mandioca, so Lauren and I decided to convince my neighbor and her daughter to come on the ferris wheel with us. I went on with my neighbor Maria, and the whole time she was laughing her ass off while screaming ¨sarita you are crazy! your making my crazy! This is crazy! Im going to throw up! Get me off! This is so fun! Im scared! Im not scared anymore! Sarita loco! We are crazy!¨It was a lot of fun, and something that my neighbors will never forget. They immediatly went over to brag to all their mandioca buddies that they rode the giant wheel. Everyone thought they were crazy. I think paraguayans just like using the word crazy. I find myself calling paraguayans and myself crazy multiple times a day in conversation.
Well off to the market to stock up on veggies to last me until my trip to Villarica to celebrate Carnival (South Americas mardi gras) feb. 2nd. Until then, I´ll be sitting in front of my fan sweating my ass off in the campo. Think of me while you are roasting marshmellows, taking hots showers, using toilets and microwaves, and eating sushi.

back to the campo life

I made it back to site safe and soundly. I was most worried about carrying all my really heavy bags from the bus stop to my house, but my neighbor children were all waiting for me at the bus stop and they carried all my crap for me. I was also worried that my house would be moldy and flooded because when it rains outside, it rains in my house. Lucky for me, it hasn´t rained in over a month so my house was dry. Unlucky for the rest Paraguay, wells are dry, crops are dying, and its hot as hell. I was worried that my power would be out because it goes out every time there is wind, and all my food in the fridge would be ruined, but it didnt and my food was fine. Other than being covered in cobwebs and some giant spiders, my house was just how I left it. My garden looks like a jungle, and the neighbors did not water it like they said they would so my tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, green peppers, and some other stuff died. My beans and watermelon have taken over my garden, and i have about 500 jalapeño peppers. so if you have any recipes with hot peppers, please send them to me.
This morning walking to site I passed a drunk passed out on the side of the road. He looked to comfortable to be dead, so I tip toed by him, praying he wouldn´t wake up suddenly, grab my ankle, and demand more caña. Of course a truck passed by, right as I was walking passed him, but he still didn´t stir. If he is still there this afternoon when I go back to site, Then I will start to worry.

Welcome party

I arrived back in PY on saturday after a really long overnight flight, and I go back to site tomorrow (tuesday). I'm not looking forward to lugging my 3 huge heavy bags 45 minutes from the bus stop, up steep hills, on a dirt road, back to my house. But, what can you do? Maybe I'll request back up from some paraguayans. Anways, I am once again getting used to the unbearable 100 degree weather. Thats not true, I never will get used to this weather. I'm still homesick and want to be home, but the other volunteers who just got back from vacation are feeling the same way as well, which makes me feel a little bit better. I know its not just me that would rather enjoy hot showers, toilets, comfy mattresses, good food, driving, old friends and family, etc., etc., at least for another week or so. I'm sure once I'm back in site and am reunited with my emaciated dogs, flooded house with a leaky straw roof, garden with no veggies because they either died or the neighbors stole them, my ripped, barely usable mosquito net, frog droppings, no food, no air conditioning, etc., etc., I will be overjoyed because I will finally be "home." yeah.

I go back to Paraguay tomorrow, and I'm surprisingly really sad. I don't want to have to say goodbye to all the special people in my life all over again. I know it will be fine once I am back. I had an amazing vacation and don't feel ready to leave again yet. It went by too fast. I'll be fine. I'm just being silly.

A glimpse into my new years eve