Passatempo

I start most of my mornings to the sound of a few hundred farm animals around 5-6am. Depending on whose house I'm staying at, there's usually Guaraní being shouted as host-family members get up and begin their chores. I manage to force myself up by 6:30 and a cloud of feathers coming from a hole in my sleeping bag follow me to the kitchen. Someone hands me a very stale piece of bread (called "palito" or little sticks) and a cup of warm milk or coffee and I sip while sitting on a wooden chair around a fire. My favorite time of day is the morning; most of my volunteers wake up a little after me and I take advantage of my alone time with the families. Despite initial frustration, I'm able to understand the context of most conversations in the morning that are spoken in Guaraní with some random Spanish added to the mix. I enjoy putting in the effort to understand and respond in Guaraní and can see that my families are pleased with what I've learned so far.

However, this morning I woke up in Staff House in Santaní, as I do every Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I usually don't sleep past 7:30 since I'm on Paraguay campo time, so I try to sneak to the kitchen without waking my three roommates. We recently got wifi in the house, so I start my days with a cup of instant coffee and a bowl of yogurt covered cereal and my twitter newsfeed. My housemates and fellow staff members join me at the table and together we start battling the boredom. Santaní is a pretty dead city, but we've gotten really good at making the most of it by making the best meals with our limited ingredients and watching all of the Bourne Identity trilogy. We all get along and it's so pleasant to come home to our random family, but I find myself wanting to go on route come Monday. I love my volunteers, host-families and communities. Who knew Paraguay would ever win me over.