Lake Trip!

Labor day weekend was spent at the beautiful smith mountain lake. The new home is coming together slowly and it is starting to feel like a real home!! We spent a lot of time weeding and fixing things, but we did find time for some swimming and lots of good meals!!



on our neighbor's fishing boat!


Kayaking close to the boat docks at the Boardwalk


before weeding...


and after!!


My dad and Lyndon installing the dishwasher


Becky's new puppies fighting over a toy, but looks awful similar to my dad and Lyndon ;)


On the "boardwalk"


After the installation of all the new appliances, so shiny!

The Best of the World Wide Web

In these past 6 months I have had more than my share of free time. Some of it was spent mindlessly searching the internet. Ok, a lot of it. But here are some gems I found in the process. If you are bored, read on.

The song "Kandi" by One Eskimo. I usually don't like animated videos, but this one has a lot of meaning I think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olZoPMv5AQc

Playing for change is a movement that tries to bring peace and understanding through music, here is one of the songs they created by using musicians all over the world.
"stand by me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM&feature=channel

"Where the Hell is Matt" is this kid Matt who dances all over the world with all different kinds of people, I'm not sure why... but it definitely is fun to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWUrj22pRD0&feature=fvst

a guilty pleasure video: "David after the dentist"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txqiwrbYGrs

Waiting on the final step!!

After the loss of my dental x-rays and a quite painful second visit to the dentist, I have sent them off once again and I hope they have already arrived safely, ensuring my medical clearance. Normally the dentist is not a painful experience, but this time they put this sharp piece of plastic in my mouth and told me to "Bite Down" even though my teeth were no where near the plastic piece and what they really meant to say was "jam this plastic thing into your gums to hold it still". Twice the xray machine moved when she stomped out of the room and took a picture of what could only be my brain, probably leading to tumors down the road. But I'm over it and glad that there actually seems to be an end in site to this recovery period!

One lovely silver lining to this whole experience is that I have had a lot of time to spend with my friends and family and I was able to be here for my cousins wedding and our family vacation to Myrtle Beach!!

here are some pictures :)


Counting Crows and Augustana in Concert at the House of Blues (Not pictured: Franti and Spearhead!)


Family at Margaritaville for dinner at Broadway on the Beach!!


Beautiful sunset outside of Greg Norman's restaurant at barefoot landing!


Chantel and I on the beach for the wedding!


The Beautiful wedding ceremony on the beach !!

One More Month??

It's looking like a month from tomorrow I could and SHOULD be in Paraguay!! Sooooo I definitely did not do everything I wanted to, but that is just how it is for me... When I have no obligations and all the free time in the world, I am the least productive. So that is a disappointment, but there is no reason to dwell. I have gotten a lot of research done for my thesis, made a few productive trips down to Blacksburg to really hammer out my thesis ideas, did some substantial work for the organization HELP Africa, reviewed some Guarani, worked out and strengthened my foot on my own and in physical therapy twice a week, but mostly I just hung out with friends and family and bummed around the house...

So I decided to make a list of things that I must do in this last month before I go back!! Things that I will be upset if not done! (I'm sorry if this isn't interesting, but it is actually necessary for me so I figured I would write it here).

- Finish proposals for both organizations willing to donate books to my library!

- Look into other international and national nonprofits that donate books

- Buy Spanish scrabble!!

- Figure out why 2 medical bills never got paid

- Talk to companies/stores that might be willing to donate backpacks for my mobile library project

- Explore PC network as a place to get books donated

- Get something for my host mom from Guarambare, Gudelia

- Get two hooks for my hammock --maybe hooks for others too? it's a good gift, so handy!

- Buy transition to democracy book for my thesis!

- Make a craft box to bring back with me

Maybe I should have a going away get together to make sure I see everyone before leaving!

Ok that's all for now. Even though I really want to go back to Paraguay, now I know how hard it is to be away from everyone and I think it's going to make that much harder to leave AGAIN! But I think I'll be happy having projects and feeling like a useful human being on this Earth.

<3>

Julie

Happy Fourth of July!!

This fourth of July was spent in its corresponding country, the good ol' USA, which I recently realized was the first fourth of July I have spent in the US in four years, which was a streak that began with my first venture outside it's borders sophomore year, my trip to Spain. I spent the 4th in a TGIFriday's in Madrid celebrating with my study abroad friends. The following year I was flying home from the Dominican Republic on the 4th and saw all the fireworks from the plane. The next year I was in Paraguay still in training and making pizza in a traditional tatacua oven. So this is my first real traditional 4th in the US since my freshman year in college, and it was a nice to be at 'home' for once. But by home, I mean Virginia, because I spent the 4th down at Smith Mountain Lake, which is where I'll be spending a lot of time from here on out since my parents will be moving there next year. It is a beautiful place to watch the fireworks over the water, on my friend's family's boat. It was what you would want in a relaxing fun and food-filled weekend. I good balance of sun, swimming, sleeping, boating, eating, and drinking.

Here are some very patriotic pictures to celebrate the occasion.

My Elementary School friend Sara and I at Smith Mountain Lake

Us girls in red, white and blue for the occasion.

The girls and the girly-est of them all, chloe the pup

New Video for Trainees

Sites and Sounds of Paraguay

This is a link to a video on YouTube that was made by one of our trainers to show new volunteers who haven't arrived in Paraguay yet what life is like! A lot of my friends participated in it's production and I was there during a lot of the taping, even though I am not in it, I still feel cool. 

Great Job Ricardo!!

Top ten most unsanitary practices in Paraguay...

But you grow to love!! 

I snagged these from my friend Mark because they are so right on, and I think are applicable in all parts of Paraguay, with MAYBE the exception of some rich people in the capital city. I did add a few personal touches that tend to stretch the boundaries a tad more. 

1) Sharing the same guampa and bombilla (drinking cup/bottle and metal straw when drinking Terere). In other words drinking after multiple people usually sitting in a circle and using the same straw, even random drunks and bus drivers...I may or may not be speaking from personal experience.

2) Being served and huge central trough of food among many people, and all sharing one set of silverware, or not using silverware at all!

3) Being served a plate of food on a plate recently used by someone else, and not yet cleaned. Same goes for glasses.

4) Being expected to use the tablecloth as your napkin, that is, grabbing the table cloth and wiping your mouth and hands on it. Table clothes are usually changed every 3-5 days.

5) Sharing a glass with any acquaintance remotely known, when drinking almost any beverage.

6) Eating meat that was just recently sitting on the counter (hanging in the open air or in a bin unrefrigerated).

7) Watching just about everyone go to the restroom and continue cooking without washing their hands.

8) The absence of soap in almost all public and private restrooms.

9) Nose picking in public (this apparently is not seen as something gross here). However, in my experience most who to do practice this in public, tend to scratch their inner nose, and don't actually uncover any "gold" if you get my drift.

10) Continuing to consume food after finding a bug or insect in it.

Amen.