Stories from the Paraguayan Campo

It occurs to me that my last two blog posts have been lists, as is this one. I guess I am trying to capture the typical things we commonly see and hear, as we near the end of our Peace Corps service. This blog has been our picture journal, chronicling our service, cultural experiences, interactions, and adventures here in Paraguay. How could I not include a story about stories we've heard? Plus, it was a good opportunity to post some of the awesome photos Mark has taken!

In our small community, the people tell stories deeply rooted in nature. Some stories explain good omens, while others warn and caution the listener. This is a short list of some of the stories that have been shared with us:

*  If a butterfly enters your house, someone living there will receive money, (50 mil guaranies, to be exact- about $12.00 US)
 

* If a woodpecker enters your patio, it brings good news with it
 

*  If a humming bird enters your house, it brings good news about your family.
 

* When a new baby is born, place a burning hummingbird nest under her/his bed. The smoke produced will protect the baby from people who might enter the house, (I wasn’t sure if it was from germs or bad omens the people might bring with them).

* The sound produced by jui vacara’y (calf frog), sounds like a young calf and forecasts rain

*  One must be careful not to let a banana frog come into contact with the skin. If this happens, it can hold on so tightly, that it requires another person to pry it off.

* The tail of an opossum should never be touched as it is poisonous

* Toads should be handled carefully, as urine from a toad can cause blindness.

* One should monitor with ceilings and exposed rafters in their homes for “Ura”, a large black moth. If this moth urinates on your on your head, eggs are deposited at the same time. When the eggs hatch, the larvae burrow into the scalp, and grow into a grub under the skin.

So, you may be wondering, which of the above are actually true? After all, we have had a hummingbird enter our house and have received wonderful news from our family at home. We also know that there have been several visits to the health post by people in our village who need grubs removed from beneath their scalps. 

I’m not sure, but I do scan the ceiling for “Ura” from time to time. And when I do have to toss a toad from its hiding place in our house, I carry it “butt down” ensuring it’s urine is nowhere near my eyes….just to be sure…..I guess the “truth” is in the minds of people who choose to believe or not to believe.

On a Typical Day in the Paraguayan Campo...

On a typical day in the Paraguayan campo, you might find yourself buying a few supplies at a corner tienda. We stopped in to buy a bottle of sugar cane alcohol, to prepare for Primer de Agosto. On the first of August it is tradition to drink a cup of cane alcohol mixed with stinging nettle, or ruda, to purify the blood. It’s actually a pretty nasty tasting concoction, but we will continue the tradition with our friends and neighbors.

On a typical day in the Paraguayan campo, you will probably find toads in your house. When I got up at 2:00am to use the restroom, this one was doing a handstand in our shower.

On a typical day in the Paraguayan campo, you will see cows, horses, chickens, and dogs on the roads. This cow, still in her pasture, is wearing a yoke to prevent her from slipping her head between the wires and pushing herself through. She watches wistfully as her pasture mate strolls down the road.

On a typical day in the Paraguayan campo, you may see kids playing in water. This year, the river near Puerto Garata flooded the surrounding areas. Daisy and Guido were playing in a boat that was tethered to fence post located a good 50 meters inland from the original shore line.

On a typical day in the Paraguayan campo, on the way to Arazape from the ruta, you will pass only two street signs, one reads, “It is unlawful to throw trash”; the other, “To destroy signs is illegal.”

On a typical day in the Paraguayan campo, you will hear people greeting each other…. Every person you meet on the road. Whether the customary, “Adios!”  “Que Tal?” Hearing your name yelled from a farmed field or wooded forest, or a quick, “OOOP!”

On a typical day in the Paraguayan campo, you will see people sitting, sharing time and terrere. This sitting can last for hours with extended periods of silence. In the beginning, it was difficult for me, to say the least, it still is at times… Andres Fuglesang has this to say about the Psychology of Sitting: …. people in Western civilization no longer have time for each other, they have no time together, they do not share the experience of time. This explains why Westerners are incapable of understanding the psychology of sitting. In villages all over the world, sitting is an important social activity. Sitting is not a ‘waste of time’ nor is it a manifestation of laziness. Sitting is having time together, time to cultivate relationships.     

What do you think?

Schools in Paraguay- Observations of Two Schools in the Campo

The school in Jhugua has about 75 students, Pre-escolar- sixth grade, only. Photo taken at our book celebration, with special visitors from the States- our kids!

Below, are some random observations, based on time spent volunteering in two different elementary schools, (Escuela Basicas, here in Paraguay), just some snippets about things that have jumped out at us. Sorry in advance for the stream of conscience ramblings…

• Bilingual Instruction is mandated and is presented in Spanish and Guarani.
• Most instruction consists of copying what is written by the teacher on the blackboard.
• Teachers frequently leave the classroom to talk, drink terrere, make phone calls, etc,
• No books, paper, or supplies in classrooms, each student has one notebook in which to write all assignments.
• Students are provided with a small bag of cookies and milk every day, for snack. They provide their own cup and rinse it out after use.
• In one classroom, a bucket of water is kept in the back of the room. Kids dip their cups into it to get a drink.
• Kids use box cutter knives to sharpen pencils.
• When a teacher is sick or needs to take a day off, she/he must find and pay a substitute.
• Kids get immunization shots, fluoride treatments, and anti-parasitic medications at school.
• Teachers and kids do all cleaning of classrooms and grounds, use machetes to cut weeds, and burn all trash in a pit on school grounds.
• Kids are boosted up with a broom, when the roof needs to be cleaned.

Students and teachers are responsible for cleaning the schools

• The school grounds where kids play has rubble from previous bathroom, a hole in the ground leading to an old well, and tangles of barbed wire. 
• There is no systematic maintenance, with broken windows, fans, and non functional lighting in many rooms.
• Frequently there are cows, dogs and chickens on school grounds. Less frequently, horses and pigs.
• If it rains, school is cancelled. Once a month, on teacher payday, school is cancelled. When teachers strike, (at least nine, one day strikes since we’ve been here), school is cancelled. This year, the first day of school was delayed one week to give teachers more time to clean classrooms and bathrooms and prepare the buildings.
• The school buildings are utilized from 7:00am until 9:00pm. 7-11:00am: Pre-escolar-6^th grade; 1-5:00pm: 7^th-9^th grade; 5-9:00pm: 10-12^th grades.
• Teachers and Parent group are responsible for paying electricity and water bills.
• Most schools have big grassy area- during the 20 minute recess each day, kids kick off their shoes and start up a big game of soccer.
• Each morning begins with an assembly for the raising of the Paraguayan flag, singing of the national anthem, and classes take turns leading morning announcements, and prayers.
• Holidays such as Mother’s Day, Day of the Child, and National Holidays are celebrated with assemblies, music, traditional dance performances, and games.
• I have never seen a fight or even a heated disagreement on school grounds, though students are minimally supervised.
• Many kids, especially girls, do not attend school past 6^th grade.

So, there you go- a little information about the elementary schools in Paraguay. We could write an entire blog post on each one of the topics listed above, but would rather talk about it more when we return to the states.

Trees for Paraguay

Teodocio completes a mass planting of Tajy and Peterevy

2000 trees, delivered right to our patio! That’s how phase two of our tree project began. To recap Phase One: We went to agriculture comite meetings and talked to the farmers  about how planting native trees near cultivated land could serve as wind breaks, living posts, and introduce nitrogen and organic matter into the soil. Seeing there was interest in this project, we worked with comite presidents to write grants to a Paraguayan non-profit organization, “ A Todo Pulmon Paraguay Respira”, which has interests in the reforestation of Paraguay. The grants were approved, the farmers signed up for specific numbers and varieties of trees native to Paraguay, we made contact with a tree nursery in Villa Florida, and about two months later, the trees arrived!

Comite Yvy Pyta poses for a picture

A group was on hand to help unload the trees, placing them in designated areas, to separate them by variety. Next, we labeled the trees, counted them and prepared each farmer’s order. The following Saturday, 30 farmers came to our house for the tree distribution. Felix, President of the Yvy Pyta comite, gave a demonstration on how to correctly plant the trees, including how to care for and protect them.  

Comite President, Felix, teaches his members about trees

 Mark and I thanked the farmers for doing their part in re-foresting Paraguay, and the NGO for providing the trees. We also explained that we would be available to help with planting, and would be sending GPS coordinates of the planting sites to the NGO, as required.

Leyla "heads" home with her trees!

And then, the little trees began making their way to new homes, some by wheel barrow, some by horse and cart, some even on the tops of people’s heads!

Jesu Maria takes his 178 native trees home with a little help from a friend

Since then, we have helped  a few farmers plant trees, worked with a 7^th grade class to plant trees at the police station, taken GPS coordinates of completed plantings, taken pictures of proud farmers with their completed tree projects, and are waiting out some cold rainy weather before we set out again.

Juan completed a fence line planting

This has been a rewarding project for us. We worked to: raise awareness about Paraguayan agencies and the grant writing process to access services; empower the farmers to teach each other; and were able to plant a few trees at the same time!

Processing Raw Wool into Works of Art

The women in Arazape are masters in the process of turning a big, brown heap of wool, straight from the sheep, into beautiful, functional works of art, using only their hands and a few simple tools. I have had the privilege of working with these women and learning their craft, well, at least parts of it. We spend lots of time laughing at my clumsy attempts at the time-honored wool work that has been passed down from mother to daughter for generations.

 The wool is purchased from a local cooperative located about 13 kilometers from Arazape, in San Miguel. The women bring their feedsacks stuffed with raw wool, (5-7 kilos, the equivalent of fleece from 2-3 sheep), back to Arazape, where the transformation begins.

Magdi and Rafaela separate the wool

1. First, the wool is separated, into two piles. The coarse, more heavily soiled wool is set aside to make “hergas”, (Guarani word for saddle blankets). The remaining wool is used for the specialties for which this area is famous, ponchos and “vishus”, (Guarani word for shawls).

Pounding the wool releases dirt and debris from the wool fibers

2. The wool is cleaned by soaking it in a bucket of cold water to which a tiny bit of laundry soap has been added. Next, a small clump of the wet wool is placed on a flat board, and is beaten with a paddle. This part of the process splashes dirty brown water in all direction. The “paddler” is advised to work with her mouth closed, which I learned the hard way. More laughing ensued. After a thorough paddling, the clump of wool is wrung out and rinsed in a bucket of clean water. This process continues until all of the soaked wool has been cleaned.

3. The wool is hung on a line or barbed wire fence, until dry.

4. After it has dried, the wool is carded to remove any remaining debris, comb through and fluff the fibers.

Dominga shows fellow volunteer Lydia how to "finger spin" the wool

5. Next, the carded wool is pulled into the shape of a snake, then spun using fingers or a drop spindle.

Julia proudly displays her newly completed vishu

6. Finally, the hand- spun wool is crocheted by these skilled artisans, creating beautiful wool products. These finished products, are then taken back to San Miguel, where they are marketed in small tiendas, located near the main ruta. Many products were also on display at the recent Ovecha Rogue Festival, celebrating the tradition of crafting with wool.

Spending time with and learning from my friends and neighbors has been an amazing experience. In learning about this part of their culture, they shared their craft, but more importantly, we shared stories about our families, a little gossip about the goings on in the community, hopes and dreams, and just time together.