Friday, June 25, 2010

Dia del Arbol, Birthdays #2 and 3

On my actual 30th birthday, I had 2 newbies staying with me for the weekend from the group in training now. Elisa, my boss, and Liz, from my group came early that day to help plant trees. It threatened to rain, but I said we were doing it si o so (yes or yes) and it held off till the next day. I'd arranged with Mario from the Environmental Office in the Muni to help us out. He had the trees, the tools, and the hole-digging labor. His workers went out the day before and dug 100 holes in a plaza near the Colegio Nacional (where my jovenes went to school). We met at 1pm (La hora paraguay, so 2pm) with my jovenes (youth) from the leadership camp and a 7th grade biology class that I'd invited to help. It was fitting that it was Paraguayan Arbor day, because we planted 100 trees.

Liz as tree
Planting




Tree planting group

Then we went back to my house to clean up and prepare for the party. Here are some pics. It was super fun.

Liz and Kristin
Pauli and me
Mauri, Daniela, Carlos, and me
Meli and me
Oscar and Pauli
Liz and me
Ashley, me and Taylor (the newbies)




The following week, I headed into Asuncion because I'd talked to Doug and Lisa, other volunteer geminis and we decided to combine resources and have a(nother) party.

Martin and Juany - birthday serenade
Courtney, me and Hannah
Jesse as Merman


Adam and Nathan
Betsy and Adam
Pauli and me
Caleb, me and Laura (slightly under the influence)
Sasha, me, and Jenna
Natalia, Giselle, and Adam
Lyn, Elmer, and Lauren
Jenna, her tits, and me

Whew - a party for every decade so far. Nowhere else I rather be.
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LINGO DICTIONARY

Chuchi - this is probably my new most popular word. It means snobby or fancy, but is used in the Peace Corps as anything nicer than dirt roads and shacks, or for a person, anyone who showers with hot water. Living in the city, I am super chuchi for here.

Fuerte - literally means strong, but because the culture is based on talking around everything, it´s when a person says anything they want in a direct way - it means asshole

Puede ser and otro dia - literally means "could be" or "another day", but because noone will directly blow someone off, both of them mean "never" and are the answer to a question of when something will happen

Deseas, en tus sueños, Que Arriba Perra/o and Es lo qué es - these are the terrible translations of American sayings that are not used here and don´t really translate, but we say them anyway. Literally they mean "you wish", "in your dreams", "What´s up bitch/dog?" and "it is what it is"

Qué guapa - this means "what a hard worker" and is used by Paraguayans every time I do ANYTHING manual, including carrying a dish to the sink or sweeping out my room. I don´t think they have high expectations for Americans and work.

Saludos - sending saludos by way of a mutual friend is how people tell each other they have a crush on them. The most serious kinds are given with a pinch on the arm and they mean business.

Thumbs up - this is done everywhere here and is a simple answer to pretty much any question. I will probably have carpal tunel in my thumbs when I leave here because I do this so much.

No se como comer esta - this is how one refuses food in Paraguay. Literally, it´s "I don´t know how to eat this" which creates an internal struggle for me each time it´s said because I want to be a smartass and explain that, just like any other food, you put in in your mouth and chew, but I don´t think that´s acceptable here.

No Más and Un poco - this is said after almost every phrase for no real reason other than to make everything sound like it´s not a big deal, even when it really is. Literally, it´s "No More" and "A Little", so the translations are something like "Sit down no more", "Come here a little", and "Do you want dinner no more?"

Cocido - this is a hot drink mixed by carmellizing sugar with a little yerba, adding just enough water to wet it, and then adding more sugar. It´s served by the thermos-full just before bed.

Mosto - this is to sugar what crack is to cocaine. It´s a "tradional" drink capable of putting even the sweetest tooth into a diabetic coma, and is served continuously at fun gatherings like funerals.

Ch-ch-ch-ch - this is the sound Paraguayans make to get each others´attention - like "Psst" . It´s especially used for catcalling, and they have nothing to follow it with - they just want you to look.