Last Week in Site

11-18-10

"I thought that poor people were somehow better, more honest, and more alive than people with money, not realizing that the absence of money in a society built around it could be as corrupting as money itself." -Moritz Thomsen, Living Poor: A Peace Corps Chronicle, 1969

Maybe I should have read this book about one of the early Volunteer's experience in Ecuador in the 1960's before I signed up, although it probably wouldn't have made me think much different about my service at the time.  There is a big difference between knowing something because you read it in a book, or hear it from someone else, and finding things out for yourself.  I have learned that (much too slowly) working with my neighbors in Paraguay over the past 2 years.  I just wrote out one of my long, convoluted reflections on life and Peace Corps service and all of that nonsense and then realized, it was all pretty boring.  So I erased it and figured I wouldn't try to mash out any insightful epiphanies today on this little keyboard.  It's too hot outside anyways.

Today my follow-up will be arriving in site for about a week visit.  That officially means I am the old Volunteer from Ybartoy, La Colmena and Ivan, starting in December, will move in to take my place.  I have met him a couple of times already and I think he will be a good fit here.  We have the weekend to get him familiar with people, find housing with families, and also put together a big cookout for Sunday afternoon.  It will be a despedida/bienvenida (goodbye/welcome) party for us and the community.  This past weekend I went to a despedida for a guy in my group.  We killed a pig, duck, chicken, and even ate a 3-feet-long lizard that his neighbor's dog caught.  It tasted just like lobster!  Seriously!  All that meat, along with sopa (corn bread), mandioca, greasy noodles, and cake fed about 40 people with plenty of leftovers.  The plan for the party here this weekend is to buy a half of a cow to butcher, and roast that up with sopa, mandioca, rice salad, and a cabbage salad.  If it doesn't rain, I imagine about 40 people between my neighbors and some of the nearby Volunteers might show up.  We need the rain, but hopefully the party will still happen.
Time to finish cleaning up the house and take the laundry off the line.  In just about 5 weeks, I will be headed home!  I will try to send another email before I head off to Argentina.  Peace!