Photos!!

Well it looks like I can finally get some photos uploaded. First of all, check out my brothers hauling an ox cart full of wood uphill! Apparently the ox's foot went out halfway home, and they pulled it the rest of the way. I couldn't resist snapping some shots as they pulled into our "driveway". The last four shots come as a result of the combination of living in a communal society where the idea of personal space does not exist, having a space which proves to be a pretty good hang-out spot, and having several attractive males about (I prefer the fuzzy white one...)! I discovered all of these hunks cozied into my casa without my knowing it: in photo one we have Kitty squished between the window screen and the shutter; in photo two Mario "getting ready to go out into the field", in photo three Kitty and Enrrique "trying out" my hammock; and in photo four, Enrrique "fixing my bed". Uh-huh...

But what I really wanted to talk about is feet. They are incredibly useful and highly valuable tools here. Nearly everyone works standing up, for one thing, so feet around here tend to be both strong and dirty. People (including myself) wear zapatillas (that is, flip flops) 90% of the time, including around the house, while bathing, while working, and on common errands around town. A good pair of zapatillas is absolutely essential, and the type one wears varies with the climate of the area one lives in--there's rubber ones, plastic ones, foam ones; ones with cloth bands, wide bands, thin bands, rubber bands, round bands, flat bands; thick soles, flat soles, conformed soles...the list goes on. The paraguayan industry may not be anything to speak of on a worldwide level, but they sure do know how to make a good pair of zaps (as they are referred to among American circles).

Zaps may be essentials, but when the time comes to make a public appearence, they disappear and those feet get a good scrub-down (Paraguayans are extremely concious of their physical cleanliness--they would never leave the house or receive a visitor without bathing and changing their clothes to assure they don't smell of smoke or sweat.). When one wants to make a good impression, sneakers and jeans are the way to go (these are dress clothes here, even valid for country weddings!!) The zaps don't make it out in public even to do something like go swimming; I guess it would be like wearing your bedroom slippers out in public in the US....

Feet also get a good beating here. Pique, the infamous sand flea of Paraguay, loves to lay its eggs in feet and has to be carefully picked out to avoid infection; most volunteers get their first pique within weeks of arrival. I, strangely enough, did not contract a single one until this very week, 6 months in! Not bad...my feet do, however (thanks to the wearing of zaps rather than shoes) take a regular beating from all types of mosquitos, ants, and flies (there are multiple species of each kind here, including Bot and Horse flies.). Also, I recently got a strange parasite on top of my toe that no one, not even the doctors, can identify. Had this occurred 5 months ago, I'd be fairly disturbed. After 6 months of removing large insects from my body and my house, however, the presence of squiggly wigglies no longer fazes me. We are treating it, and it doesn't hurt, so tranquilopa! Oh and did I mention I also had an allergic reaction to an uknown citrus plant way back in November? It cropped up as large purple splotches on my knees and ankles (everywhere I'd scratched mosquito bites with the oils on my hands, apparently) that stuck around for a good four months. But that's long over....

In other news, this week in language training has been strenuously structured and brain-stretching. It has also, however, greatly improved my language and given me the tools to keep progressing on my own. IT seems like after listening to the language for 3 months I am able to retain things a lot more readily. Yea! I'm definitely ready to get back to Cerrito, however. I miss my casita, my bed, my friends, my family, and making my own yummy food. Hopefully I'll be able to do it all in Guarani now. (Ha!)