What I will miss

Well my departure from Paraguay is a mere 10 days off, and things are getting eventful! For those of you who manage to trudge through it, below are a couple lists which might give you some idea of the Megan you will soon be encountering, as well as a better idea about PAraguayan lifestyle and culture in general. Enjoy!


What I’ll take home from Paraguay
-freedom to pick my nose, toenails, teeth, and other body parts in public
-a slow walking pace
-a healthy dose of fatalism
-an intolerance of temperatures below 75F
-tendency to measure everything in kilograms and kilometers
-deep-set tendencies to ration out expensive or seasonal products such as strawberries, instant coffee, oatmeal, raisins, walnuts, and chocolate
-inability to speak English without mixing in spanish and guarani
-fear of wearing jeans or polyester in summertime
-greater tolerance of discomfort (heat, cold, hunger, thirst, crowds, need to urinate)
-refined small talk skills
-ability to fell totally comfortable sitting in complete silence, alone or with others
-an operating assumption that processes will take longer than necessary, meeting dates will not be kept, deadlines will not be met, and infastructure will fail (the water will go out, as will the lights and the bus system...)
-the ability to agree with someone while simultaneously letting them know I disagree
-resourcefulness (you mean what CAN’T I do with a dull kitchen knife?)
-aversion to throwing away organic kitchen waste as well as any type of reuseable container
-belief that any unpaved ground is a valid place to urinate, often preferable to the bathromm utilities that may be available
-habit of taking plastic bags, tupperware, and soda bottles to the corner store to bring my groceries home in
-rubber flip flops permanently attached to my feet, and the tan lines to prove it
-feeling of being closed in if the doors and windows are shut
-tendency to treat the front porch as a living room equivalent
-complete comfort with nudity among other women
-indirect communication; not saying anything rather than saying no, or saying yes and then not doing it. Speaking collectively about individual activities or individually owned items (‘let’s wash our clothes’=I’m going to go wash my clothes now)
-desire to buy raw food products: fresh milk, homemade cheese, eggs, whey, milk cream, corn, soybeans, live animals, fresh herbs, etc. from your neighbors to prepare in your own kitchen.
-feeling at liberty to fuss at other people’s kids and pets


What I can’t wait to get my hands on stateside
-snow
-vegetarian food
-ethnic food
-American holiday food
-American desserts
-water available during mealtimes
-non-meat dishes being readily available and considered normal, delicious food, not wussy diet food
-having a completely new set of menu possibilities house to house and holiday to holiday, so much so that no one could EVER predict, “It is Sunday/christmas/new year’s/Joe’s birthday/Easter/Independence Day so we MUST be having meat, noodles, and cornbread. I can hardly wait!”
-reliable infrastructure and services (knowing that the postman won’t throw out your letter and pocket what you paid to send it)
-money-back guarantees
-American clothes!! (who ever realized made-in China cheapies were so awesome?)
-wide music variety
-restaurants and other social centers accessible to the middle class
-restaurants and other social centers being open at night and on weekends
-chocolate
-public transport that runs after 9pm
-affordable public transport
-public transport with a predictable schedule
-the American rituals of sharing and enjoying food: sitting down all together at the table, waiting til everyone has their food to eat, trying new recipes and new versions of old recipes, and talking about the meal while eating
-having more than soda and fried meat pockets available at any given sandwich shop
-tendency to believe that no matter what I’m wearing, how many zits I have, how much I’m sweating, how much I’m scowling, or what’s stuck to my face, I am BLONDE, and thus a gorgeous Hollywood starlet.
- belief that the bus will stop to pick me up whereever I flag it, will accept a few cents short of fare if I don’t have change, and and will stop to let me off whereever I ring the bell.
-illusion that I will get things other people can’t (seats on the bus, rides, free food, free entry to soccer games, changed bus routes to get you closer to your house) just for being a young female
-illusion that I am freed of responsibilities (being solicited to buy raffle tickets, shaking men’s hands, giving up your seat on the bus, lifting heavy things) just for being female.
-assumption that several families in any given neighborhood sell snacks, basic groceries, ice, and fresh milk and eggs out of their home
-assumption that McDonald’s, Burger King, and most restaurants and pastry shops are beyond my budget
-assumption that all supermarkets have a yummy, afforable buffet restaurant attached to them


What I will miss
-dulce de leche
-alfajores, sweet peanut bars
-CHIPA
-cocido, terere, mate, and all other products of yerba mate
-tortillas and beju
-Enrique, AnaPaula, and their family
-living on my own schedule: working, staying home, traveling, etc when I want
-being part of a culture that considers 7am sleeping in
-lunch being the main meal of the day, and the consequent need for long lunch breaks and to have someone at home to prepare this meal.
-perfume and talc being part of every bath, anytime, anyplace; freshly bathed children offering you the opportunity to smell their perfume.
-strong social network of people that I know like siblings and feel comfortable conversing with about bowel movements, being home alone on Friday night, annoying neighbors, and other insignificant instances in life (that’s my other PC volunteers)
-not ever getting junk mail or telemarketing calls
-never having to drive
-the rituals of mate and terere; its like required rest and socialization time
-the times when corruption and infastructure inefficiency runs in my favor(my bedframe and mattress taking a 5 hour bus ride free of charge, my projects getting funding from the municipality, etc)
-being identifiable within large communities by only my first name, my hair color, or my nationality
-getting fabulous care packages and cards from my parents, Annalese, and several others (you know who you are!)
-speaking three different languages on a daily basis
-straddling two cultures: Peace Corps American and Paraguayan
-hanging with other worldly, culturally sensitive, multi-lingual, volunteering Americans
-in summertime, never having to think twice about extra clothes. Whether its two am and pouring rain, or two pm and sunny, you’ll want to wear the least possible.
-living where I work.
-having enough time AND enough money
-the countryside and near constant contact with nature.
-laidback work ethics and an emphasis on socialization and relaxation.
-enough free time to read, study, play guitar, jog, and cook, and pursue other hobbies every single day
-knowing my neighbors, and feeling free to go sit on their porch with them for indefinite periods of time, knowing they have nothing better to do either
-natural hair (any one with a blowdryer is living good, and I haven’t seen a hair iron or spray since I left the USA)
-receiving calls from my peers asking for advice, as if I were a cooking/Spanish/health and nutrition expert extrodinare
-comprehensive medical care, in which you receive unlimited quantities of even over the counter drugs free, no appointments to see the doctor are required, your doctor reimburses you travel and hotel costs to come see him, and makes all the monetary exchanges with specialist he may refer you to. No copayments, deadlines, networks, waitlists, or insurance required. Ahhhh...! This is what medicine should be.
-a universal training system for dogs/pigs/cats/horses/cows, so that you can communicate even with animals you’ve never seen before and don’t know. Almost like English!
-knowing that you can hitchhike, leave your front door open, pay your ticket and not get a receipt, set your bags down in the street, and buy bags of fruit from the bus windows. Barely anyone ever tries to cheat.
-Having a highly efficient network of people willing to help you find a book, get an ID card, buy a lamp, take a bus, learn a new work skill, deal with a personal issue, communicate with Washington, make photocopies, be reimbursed for the money you lost, understand a cultural idiosyncrisy, or anything else in life: the Peace Corps office staff.
-local, family run stores and sandwich shops all over just about every neighborhood in the country. No chain restaurants, no gas stations, no fast food, no need to drive to get there.