Thanks to some help from Papa Flinn in the grand
USA and Ken Knuppel (a fellow volunteer who kindly brought me back a computer)
I once again have a computer! This is a great thing! One thing that is true of
Peace Corps service is that you get pretty lonely. It isn't a constant thought,
or realization but you spend a good bit of your time alone. I try to visit with
families and spend a good bit of time with my host family but eventually I get
tired of thinking in different languages and want to just relax. Since my computer died I have been reading a
lot. I was lucky enough to bring my mom's kindle back with me and in the past
month I read the entire Outlander series and finished Harry Potter (again). I
also managed to knit 5 hats. Another
nice thing about this new computer is that it inspired me to give the bamboo
antenna another shot, which to my great satisfaction, worked! I have a 20+ foot
bamboo pole with a fluorescent light bulb attached to the top with duct tape,
this connects to an internet stick and improves the signal, which (drumroll please)
gives me internet in my house!!!! The only issue with this is that I currently
am not signed up for an internet plan, and I have to wait until April to sign
up for one.
Things in site have been going well. The group
that helped start is meeting regularly and we have received recognition from
the local government, we are now going to the department level. The woman (and one man) are mainly interested
in learning what they can get out of the group so I am trying to encourage them
to continue meeting. My fear is that if
it takes too long for them to see results of their meetings (in the form of
free things) that they will stop meeting and the group will fall apart. I understand that this should not all be up
to me but I can’t help but feel responsible.
I have also decided to make my own bee box. My
contact has a bunch of wood that she has offered to let me use (I still need to
get it cut down) and then I am going to make a batea box so that I can have my
own bees and hopefully honey. Very few people in my site keep bees, so my hope
is that by creating my own box and showing how easy and affordable it can be
that other families will want to get their own as well.
I am also super excited because Sarah Michael is
coming to visit me for a week in April!!! We are going to live in my house and
make bagels and milk cows (which she claims to already know how to do). Basically I am just extremely excited to show
someone how I live down here and have them meet my dog! Speaking of Copper, I
am now trying to convince my parents to bring her back to the States with them
after they visit in October. If you talk to either of them just say how great
Copper looks! I am also teaching her how to heel on a leash, which Paraguayans
think is hilarious. Here are some photos of cuddly copper this morning and my chickens!
