Lesson learned.

I find it somewhat ironic that the first time in my life I have lived on my own, is in Paraguay. I've lived away from home before but always with roommates.Never have I had a whole place to myself, and anyone who is in the Peace Corps knows that it is like living in a fishbowl 24/7. Everyone in my community knows everything I do and/or say in a given day, so having that space all the myself really keeps me sane. 

My house! (More pictures coming soon)

My new house is right next door to one of my favorite families in town. It is a big family with 7 kids under the age of 20, a mother and set of grandparents. They are an extremely nice and caring family. But, lately they have been getting on my last nerve. The grandmother comes over all the time, whenever she wants and since neither of us have a language in common she ends up just staring at me while I do stuff around my house. The two youngest kids (2 and 5) come over and will knock on the door when I'm sleeping, play with my stuff without asking and generally just make a mess of my house. They all are always taking my things, sometimes without asking, like my rake, my shovel and once even my bike. It had been a long day today and around 2ish I was trying to rest and relax and just read a book when 4 of the kids came over like a tornado, picking up and moving around my stuff and asking me a million incessant questions, it took every ounce of control in my body to not scream at them (probably in English) to get out of my house.

After they finally left I started thinking, I feel so frustrated about this because of they way I was raised. Here in Paraguay privacy is not an idea that they are accustomed too. All of them sleep in one room, that has 7 beds. They think its strange that I am living over here by myself. They use my stuff, sometimes with out asking, because they would do the same for me at anytime. I also realized that they think of me as one of the family, that is why it is no problem with them that the two youngest kids come over here whenever they want to play, because they trust me, the youngest one Alex (2) even calls me Tia Kelley. (Aunt Kelley) They do all these things that annoy and frustrate me because they care about me. That really put it into a new perspective for me and made me realize even though its hard I wouldn't want things any other way, its nice to know I have people I can call my family here.

And thus ends life lesson #1 I've learned in Paraguay. (I'm sure there will be many more to come)