I promise I won’t talk about the weather in every post but I find it simply wonderful and fascinating here. Yesterday was over 100 degrees in the fields where we worked….a real ‘scorchah’ as we’d say in Maine. Today, slightly more tolerable. And it’s only Spring. Both days left me looking like I’d showered in my clothes. haha. Actually, today I did hit the shower in my clothes because I was grungier than I remember being in a long time. The red soil on my feet and calves looked as though I’d waded through rusty-water. The shower is also a great place to do laundry, though I have recently determined the water heater’s maximum to be exactly 1 shower and 2 pieces of laundry. And the weekend laundry ritual will likely continue in tandem. So it is. Tomorrow I will buy myself a wide-brimmed sombero because we still have more planting to do on Saturday. Today’s technical training session had us planting mandioca (yucca root, which is served with nearly every meal as a starch), beans, corn, soybeans, watermelon, jety (pronounced jay-TU, guarani for sweet potato), and more. We came home for lunch the past two days (normally during regular class we eat at the training center). Despite the heat, my family made hot stew both days (fight fire with fire?) Yesterday was a traditional paraguayan favorite and my first experience: vori vori, a stew of small hand-rolled cornmeal balls. Today’s lunch was a beef stew of sorts and the best meal I’ve had since getting off the plane. Yummo! My family is seriously overfeeding me but I’m down with that.
Tonight Papa showed me how to prepare and cook mandioca. Peel, wash, cook for an hour, “mas o menos” (more or less). “Mas o menos” has become the preferred phrase of my training group this week. When in doubt, mas o menos, or ‘Close enough.’ From the title of tonight’s post you may be wondering “Is she really going to talk about a pig on a moto?” Yep. It’s true. In my last post I mentioned that paraguayans carry everything and everyone on their motos: babies, groceries, picnic coolers, and today ….we spotted a live pig, hog-tied and lying (comfortably?) on his back. I’m glad I’m not the one trying to hold that critter on a moto! (And no, it was not the driver holding the pig.)The past several days have involved many hours of language training (4-6 hours per day). Initially, this was exhausting. However, with increasing vocabulary and comprehension I now look forward to it and am taking this as a good sign! This week I feel so much more relaxed and settled and it’s showing in every aspect of my days. Tranquilo.From me to you: Tapeapovo (tahp-A-o-PO-vo), guarani for “Make your path as you go”.
Somewhere in Paraguay 