Whether You Like it or Not...

I'm back in Paraguay!

You know that feeling when you think you are literally going to die before a major event takes place because THAT is how unlikely it seems? This has happened to me a lot... I thought I would die before I got my driver's license or before I went off to college. Paranoid? Maybe. But I think it's mostly that the particular event seems so spectacular that you think, "No, that could never happen to me!" Well it happened, and I'm still alive!

In some ways it seems like I was gone for a week and in other ways it seems like I have missed out on so much. Among Peace Corps volunteers, there has been a lot of fun events that I did not partake in. My friends have been to this amazing site called Villa Florida so many times that most are not going back this week for the Halloween party because they have been there done that. Me, on the other hand, have yet to venture to the amazing lands of Villa Florida and so I'm preparing my Halloween costume for my venture to the south of this little country!

In Altos, things have changed as well, no matter how similar it may appear to the foreign eye. Six months later the grocery store the Santa Maria has been renovated and actually looks like something besides a warehouse, my neighbor (who I didn't even know was pregnant before I left) has popped out a beautiful baby girl, my friend Adriana has left to work in Spain, the fiesta patronal and the san juan festival have come and gone and the location where I was GOING to do my library is now a pedagogical center for teachers from Altos, Loma Grande and Nueva Colombia.

Well, this Thursday I am organizing a meeting among some of the active members of the community to give me their input about the best alternative location for the library, how to raise funds for a librarian, and the kinds of books we should request from a few organizations who have expressed their willingness to send us books among other things. Hopefully we can get this project going here pretty quickly, we've all waited 6 months already!

<3 Julie

Despedida!! aka Going Away Party

One of the cutest things I've ever seen, my cousin Daniel.


the new tallest cousin, Alex.


Family shot!

23rd, yes 23rd!! Birthday

Virginia Tech vs. Nebraska game. We won in the last minute of the game 16-15 and the students rushed the field!!


One of the peaks of Otter on the way home from Smith Mountain Lake!


Yes, the exit I have passed at least a billion times on my way to Blacksburg and back and it was my birthday so we stopped!


the moment I had been waiting for!

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