Stupid (and not so stupid) shit Paraguay has made me do lately

1. For some reason my bathroom is plagued by zillions of mosquitos (maybe it’s the toilet water that attracts them since it’s practically stagnant and since I can only flush it once a day if I’m lucky). So I used up a massive amount of mosquito repellent in the bathroom that I think I must have poisoned myself while inhaling, and was still so bad after half an hour I had to take the pee bowl outside so I could breathe while I peed (I use the bowl most of the time now since said toilet is not functional most of the day and I don't have a latrine on my property…but at least it’s a great nitrogen source for my compost).

2. Cows are strictly forbidden in my half acre-ish yard because they have been known to mess up the water motor (currently broken thanks to an evil cow). During the two days they had free admittance to my yard after they tore down the makeshift part of my fence they not only broke the water motor leaving three families and I without running water, but they broke part of my garden fence (it was already in really bad shape and I had it coming for procrastinating in getting bamboo to rebuild it), and tore through my garden eating my cilantro, basil, and most of my lettuce and carrots!!!!!!!

3. A couple of nights ago, at almost 11pm I heard a cow just outside my window. I ran outside with the dim light of my phone to hunt about 15 pairs of large luminescent eyes (Including one in my garden again!!!!) and chase them around my large yard, screaming gibberish (you’d understand how this is used against almost all animals if you lived in Paraguay) until they found the gate they tore down and got the hell out. That night I had a nightmare where evil cows with giant horns like guampas were chasing after me while I was on a jog around the community, and eventually there was a stampede of cows as all the cows around the neighborhood got together to take their revenge on me. Ok maybe that is not exactly how I dreamt it, but I did have an unpleasant dream involving cows that I don’t remember to exact detail.

4. Recently, I got a lovely large bunny, who resembles an English spot breed, and my 4 year old neighbor and I named “pelusita” (Spanish for little “lint” or “fuzz”). Other than having her as a pet and dreaming of one day having a side project in nutrition and breeding rabbits for their meat, I was pretty stoked about having a composter’s dream manure: rabbit poop. So I started a separate, small compost pile just for my rabbit’s poop, but I quickly learned that if I’m not around to sweep up her poop almost immediately, the chickens will eat it all!!!! After almost a week with a bunny, I have a pathetic pile of rabbit compost that is probably 98% kitchen scraps and leaves, and 2% rabbit pebbles (and it’s probably four handfuls big total).

I guess the only awesome thing is that I am probably able to count the average number of liters of water I use per day with my two hands. I have become much better at using the water I haul from my neighbor’s well to do dishes, laundry or bucket bathe, then recycle it to water my tree saplings and currently crappy garden or flush the toilet.

All in all though, I end on a good note! I’m becoming busier and thus happier! Working a whole schedule this upcoming month with the elementary school to start composting and starting a mini tree nursery, apart from random basic environmental/biology learning activities in between; continuing to figure out ways with the high school principal to get books for a library; the women’s committee is getting official paperwork done so we can figure out what we can hopefully produce for market (still a little of an obstacle in having everyone agree on something); starting a biodigester at home (to put evil cow poop to good use) and starting to pitch bunnies and biodigesters to two agricultural committees. Also maybe starting an English class…and this all I hope to at least start somehow before I go on vacation to Bolivia and Peru in about a month! These are great goals!!! So here’s to hoping I am not about to jinx any of it with the hesitant and adamant minds that tend to prevail around heres!!!

I am writing about this with the aim that by publishing it I will actually stick to it, and if you are reading this, can support me! Through a great but brief friendship with a girl who trained for Peace Corps with me, but left, I found out about this awesome fitness website that I’ve recently become enthralled with. It’s an online fitness blog called bodyrock where some crazy fit and scantily clad woman (who I heard was in the porn industry) does these crazy intense short interval training exercises that make you feel utterly elated at just being able to complete. I started these fitness routines almost three weeks ago and have only done about three a week, but I want to up it and commit to doing these on average of every other day, alternating with at least 1.5 hours every other day of biking or running (increasing it from my average of 1 hour every other day). So I write this not to try to show off, but just to let others know and that way feel like I have given my word to them, but most importantly to myself to commit to a healthier lifestyle and because endorphins are the only legal drug I'm allowed to do while in Peace Corps and I allow myself while in site (I don't do alcohol in my community, but mostly because it is completely crap beer you couldn't pay me to drink and too few people invest in wine)….Diet is hard to regulate when I eat with local families or out a few times each week, but I am successful at when at home. For example today I had an amazing salad made from homegrown lettuce and carrots with onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, grilled eggplant, black beans, some spices and balsamic dressing. DELICIOUS…but I ruined it by the three pieces of cake I bought to support the women’s group and ‘somehow managed’ to eat all today.