Christmas does COME! to hot places!

Tons of fruit - to make Clerico [Fruit salad mixed with red wine] the traditional Christmas drink

It wouldn't be christmas dinner without the Roast Beast...or Pig head!

La Familia Ojeda-Gonzales (Christians Family) Christmas Eve dinner, with our champagne cider to toast! (L to R: Alvaro [oldest brother], Na Nidia [mom], Noelia [Alvaro's daughter], Osvaldo [brother #3], Adilson [brother #4], Don Nicanor [dad], Christian [my boyfriend, brother #2] and Me!

Our American Christmas Dinner!

Christmas Socks for Liam, Luke and Christian

Christmas doesn’t come to hot places!

That sounds bitter and scroogie – but its not! I swear! There is a feeling, a belief or a proven fact (up until this point in my life) that Christmas comes but once a year – and its only when its cold and snowy. Last year I defied reality just a little and took a vacation to Montevideo and Buenos Aires to spend the holidays. But this year there is no escaping to a colder climate – and its certainly not going to snow in PY anytime soon. However, Din din don (Jingle Bells in Spanish) has been blaring from every tienda all over town for the last few weeks. Palm trees are covered in pica-pica (Christmas lights), and I have a sneaky suspicion that the Na Rubias (my neighbor ladies) are trying to decide if I am on the Naughty or Nice list.

But it doesn’t matter how many times I hear jingle bells or try to imagine a White Christmas on the top of the world – I am still not convinced that we are just six short days away from Santa’s Arrival! And to top it off, Paraguayans love firecrackers – even for Christmas. What does that mean? I feel even more like we should be celebrating the 4th of July, because its over 100 degrees out!

Despite my denial, I am looking forward to spending Christmas in Horqueta, Paraguay. I have received a few invitations from my neighbors to pass by their houses for a traditional glass of Clerico (Paraguay fruit salad, with grapes and red wine!) Many PCVs decide that their once-in-a-peace-corps-service-trip-home will fall over Christmas. Which has, in addition to practically leaving me friendless – has given me EXTRA points as a Peace Corps volunteer in the eyes of my neighbors. I don’t mean to brag (cause really it probably just comes down to the fact that I am broke!), but I am a pretty guapa volunteer! (Just teasing!)

Santa isn’t a big Paraguayan Christmas. Like many (I think) Spanish speaking countries (Spain, at least), Christmas is just all about Jesus. No presents. No reindeer. No stockings. No gingerbread houses. All Jesus, all day. The presents and the party come on Three Kings Day – pretty smart, huh? Why, you ask? Well…the Kings brought the presents to Jesus…not a fat man in a red suit!
So its not looking like St. Nick will be stopping by – but to hold on strong to my Sac City, IA traditions – I might nail my sock to the top of my well and hope that somebody drops by to leave me a sweet or two!

My denial has been eased a bit thanks to some great decorations that were sent to me last year by the generous Laura Walker. (but thanks to the unreliable mail…got here at the end of Jan…not really Xmas tree time!) I have been saving them for just the right season. And it has definitely spiced up my kitchen!


While you are sitting around carving the Roast Beast on the 25th, please know that I am raising my Clerico glass to you, wishing you well and being thankful for all that I have, know and have been lucky enough to experience. Probably never again will I be able to eat Chipa Guazu out of a Tatakua made by Na Rubia on Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas to All – enjoy the moment!

Heading SouthEast

Now...isn't this a good lookin' group of peace corps volunteers?

Me, Danita Camper, Jill Anderson, Danielle Murry, Luke Keeler, Mila Wilmoth and Lisa Chimelli

About every two months we have a monthly VAC meeting (Volunteer Area Coordination - or something like that! Its when all of the volunteers that live in my department meet). We get together and discuss the latest happenings, what people are doing in their sites, announcements from the director and other general business. There is always good food eaten, alcohol consumed and a dance party had! Our last meeting was at the beginning of November (I have been slacking on updating....sorry). We headed to Tacuati, San Pedro, which lies about 35km east of Horqueta, but unfortuantley it happens to be on the ugliest road in all of Paraguay.

Like much of latin America, paraguay runs on Hora Paraguaya - meaning things never happen on time or when people tell you they will happen. This holds true for most events, meetings, bus schedules and almost anything else you can imagine. Church is the only event I have ever been to that starts on-time. Our adventure to Tacuati started about 15 minutes before the bus was supposed to arrive - we headed to the bus stop and started to wait. And waited and waited and waited, until we found out that the bus had actually left a 1/2 hour before it was scheduled to leave! But with lots of ganas for group bonding, Mary Kennon's cooking and official peace corps business-we couldnt give up on our trip to Tacuati so easily! We were able to hire a truck that took us out, over bumpy and flooded roads!

Enjoying the ride: Crossing the Ypane River
Danielle, me and Jill

Rio Ypane
Beautiful and fast - the Ypane is home to some exotic wildlife! On a river trip down in October, we were able to see tocans, monkeys, carpinchos and many great birds

If you ask Mary Kennon and Liam Winters will both attest to the general lack of excitment that goes on in Tacuati! However, one spring night that all changed! There have always been rumors floating around that they are out there - or that there used to be anacondas - but no one has seen one in over 25 years. Two Tacuatenos out for an afternoon fish happen to come upon one of the great wonders of the Ypane river; a 20+ food anaconda. Needless to say it created quite the stir in town, and is still be talked about!

21+ foot Anaconda - dead, after being bashed on the head by some lucky fishermen. The large bulge in the mid-section (arent snakes...all mid-section?) is a full grown Carpincho. The only reason it wasnt able to escape = cant swim on a full stomache!

Anaconda skin - to be taxidermied and mounted on the inside of the lucky finders house - will probably cover all four walls of his living room.

Being the Anaconda!