Summing It Up

Photos. Some of these are ridiculously old, but that just goes to show you I've run out of things to do in Asuncion!

1. Chipa, a corn flour and pig fat-based hard-ish roll that people love here. Its sold on the streets, is famously particularly excellent in certain cities, and in made en masse and distributed between families at funerals and Easter week. Corn flour is extremely popular here, its the base of most of the traditional Paraguayan foods, including their versions of tortillas, pancakes, corn casserole, and corn bread.

2. Us during training extracting honey from panels using a centerfuge.

3. Our beekeeping group at the embassy after swearing in with our trainer, Dan, who is next to me.

4. Again, us 10 beekeepers at the embassy. There was only one male out of the group, Jeramias, and it was a constant joke.

5. Us girls with our three language professors and the fans they gave us as going away gifts.

6 and 7. The field beyond my house. Walking through it in the evening makes me feel like I'm in Peace Corps.

8. My best volunteer friend, Abby, and spelunker/swimmer/politician from Detroit who brought exactly one backpack of worldy possessions to paraguay. (what a description, haha!)

9. This is a post in front of my house that houses the electric monitor and also a hive of bees. My brother Mario and I broke out the other side (can't see it in the photo) and tried to capture the hive. We couldn't sweep the bees into the box like one normally would without killing them on the rough brick interiour, so we spent two days kind of picking them out one by one looking for the queen. Evening of day two, Mario had her in his hand...and she flew away! The whole hive followed, and they lighted in a nearby tree. We gave it up.

10. Alex, my nearest neighbor and fellow posh-food fanatic (we can talk about avocado, olive oil, wine, dark chocolate, cheeses, and spice for HOURS...) enjoying some bananas and my fuzzy jacket.

11. Pablito turned 9 in February. He's Gloria (see next photo) and Alfredo (see New Years photo) 's nephew and lives with his grandparents and Alfredo.

12. Me, Gloria, and some kid at the horse show. Gloria is Alfredo (see previous photos)'s older sister. She's a maid in Asuncion for her godmother's daughter. She's been there for 10 years, and is practically family; she has her own room with sofa, double bed, TV...and they love when I stay with them! It's a nice change after a few days of hotel rooms and restaurants, and they take me to the bus terminal in their mercedes when its time to go home. :)

By the way, I just got an email from my dear friend Serena that just sums it all up. She writes:

"...It must be hilarious how you stand out like a Barbie among the short people...."

That's EXACTLY how it is, people, I couldn't have said it better myself!