30 Things That Make Me Happy!

Today is a rainy day in Paraguay and on rainy days nothing really gets done, and that's ok. Kids don't go to school, some adults don't go to work and its perfectly acceptable to sleep in a couple extra hours in the morning. So, in honor of getting to sleep in more, here is a list of 29 other things that make me happy. Thirty in all to celebrate the 30th and last day of April.

2. Finding legitimate Oreos at the local despensa 

3. The weather cooling down so I can wear scarves again.

4. Cool weather also means drinking hot tea with out breaking into a sweat

5. A nicely made bed in the morning

6. Babies laughing -- when I'm in a bad mood I look up videos on YouTube, here is my favorite

7. Whatsapp -- a phone app that lets me text message friends and family around the world for free with an internet connection

8. On that note I also love skyping with friends and family. Sometimes it just helps to see their faces.

9. Guacamole

10. How inexpensive fruit is in Paraguay

11. A new pedicure

12. Reading a book that is so good you can't put it down

13. Dr. Pepper

14.  Elephants

15. Iced Coffee

16. Acquiring every season of Friends on my hard drive

17. Headbands

18. Soccer -- watching and playing

19. Trying out a new recipe and it being successful a la my Chicken Curry recipe 

20. The view from my "office"

21. Traveling to new exciting places

22. The number 22 (Hint: that's when my birthday is)

23. Making lists

24. Airports -- It means I'm probably traveling somewhere and its great for people watching

25. That I can get a good bottle of Argentine Malbec for the equivalent of 4 American dollars

26. Taking pictures of strangers (not in a creepy way, I promise.)

27. Puppy friends (Penelope -- as I named her -- visits everyday)

28. Dancing

29. Blowing Bubbles

30. This guy

Super Easy Chicken Curry Recipe!

If you have ever lived abroad before you know that feeling when you crave a special dish or food and then you realize that getting it or making it will be a difficult task. I've come to realize too, that for me, missing food from the USA or the easiness of getting food is one of the hardest parts of living in another country. However, it has also been an eye-opener too.

The other night I was craving Curry some kind of bad. So I decided to give it a try and make some myself, which I'd never actually done before. I went on a search for coconut milk (which you can occasionally find in Paraguay) but, with no luck. I also thought I had curry powder before I started ... which I didn't. But, that is one thing I've learned from cooking here is that it no need to worry it will usually all work out. So if you ever want to make Chicken Curry and don't have all the ingredients here is the recipe for you!

Ingredients:

- Chicken ( I used 2 thigh/breasts, but if you have access to boneless chicken breasts 3 or 4)

- 1 or 2 diced onions

- 1 potato cubed

- 4 cloves of garlic

- 2 tablespoons of butter

- 1 cup coconut flavored yogurt

- 3 tablespoons of peanut butter

- Cumin, red pepper flakes, ground ginger, ground coriander (if you have tumeric or mustard seed add that)

-  I included "condimento de pollo" because it had some curry in it

First cube potato (and chicken), dice onion and garlic.

Next, melt the butter and add curry (or other spices)

Then add the coconut yogurt and peanut butter.

Set aside the sauce and cook onions and garlic on a low heat until onions are transparent.

Then add the chicken and once it is cooked lightly add mixture to the sauce along with the potatoes on high heat until it simmers, then turn heat on low and cover. Let sit for 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Finally, when finished serve over rice. (And add a little Argentine wine to your taste!)

Hope you all enjoy! I sure did!

Best Gift to Myself Ever!

One of the many perks of being a Peace Corps volunteer is that at the end of your service the government gives you a check, something they call a “readjustment allowance.” Basically this money is supposed to help you settle back into regular life. For someone who has been living on a salary of roughly $250 dollars a month for the last two years, this allowance is a big step in the right direction, but definitely not something to live off of.

However, I decided I want to treat myself to something, and one things I have been wanting for a few years now is a nice camera. I had taken a couple semesters of photography classes in high school and really enjoyed it. I had wanted to pursue it but, other things had always seemed to be getting in the way. I had always been a little jealous of my sister, who had followed through with this hobby and continued classes through the years, and her Nikon. So I decided to follow in her footsteps and get the newer version of the same camera she has, the Nikon D3200

I have only had it for a about a week now and am still going through the User’s Manual but, I definitely think I have made the right decision. This also means lots of fun photography posts to come. But, I have realized that those photography classes I took have gotten lost somewhere in my brain and I definitely need a refresher course, luckily there are things like Pinterest to help me with that, without spending a lot of money.

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Tañarandy Festival

Not being a very religious person, I don't usually observe Good Friday. But, this year I made an exception.

Tañarandy is a small community just outside the city of San Ignacio, Missiones, and very close to where I am now living. It is known as La Tierra de los Irreductibles (Land of the Irreducibles.) The story goes that when San Ignacio was founded as a Jesuit Mission in 1610 a group of indigenous Paraguayans resisted the evangelical teachings and formed a community in Tañarandy.

San Ignacio and specifically Tañarandy are known for having the largest Semana Santa celebration in Paraguay. The festival was started in the early 1990's and is organized every year by artist Koki Ruiz.

I was very excited about going to the festival this year, now that it was practically in my backyard. I'd heard

about it in the years past but I never got the chance to go. But, on Thursday, the day before, it started raining so intensely it looked like it would never end. Even Friday when I woke up it was gloomy and drizzling all morning. But luckily, Ruiz had commented in a news interview that the show would go on in whatever way possible.

The festival starts as La Procesión de La Dolorosa (Procession of our Lady of Sorrows) leaves the church and heads along the yvaga rapé (emphasis is put on the last syllable) or camino al cielo (path to heaven) which ends at "La Barraca" the property of Ruiz. As the procession makes their journey there are representations of the stations of the cross, where members of the procession, called estacioneros, sing hymns. The path is lit by torches and thousands candles, that are made from orange peels filled with wax, giving the air a faint citrus smell.

As the procession arrives at "La Barraca" more hymns are sung at the last stations of the cross, the crucifixion of Jesus. When Jesus is taken down from the cross the cuadros vivientes (live paintings) of famous religious works of art are revealed. 

The live paintings are incredible to see, they transcend any religious connotation and are incredibly beautiful for their sheer artistic value. There is always imitation of The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci, and this year they also added a modern portrayal of the painting. In all there were 10 live paintings. (But, sadly I couldn't get close enough to get a picture of the original Last Supper)

My favorite was also a more modern representation. I'm pretty sure it was of Mary Magdalene holding Jesus after he was crucified, I could be wrong, either way it was beautiful.

Ruiz has stated that this was the last year of the cuadros vivientes and next year he will be focusing on baroque art creations. He added an example to the show this year to give everyone a sneak peek. It was a massive altar that was decorated with corn, pumpkins and other gourds.

 The dreary weather may have kept the festival from reaching its expected attendance of over 40,000 people, but, there were still thousands of visitors, Paraguayan and foreigners alike. The silver lining of the bad weather and the smaller crowds is I got a really good view of the whole performance, even if it did make my shoes a little dirty.

The End ... or The Beginning?

The time has come … I am no longer a Peace Corps volunteer. I am now what they call a Returned Peace Corps volunteer. It is called RPCV instead of using words like ex or former because they say you are a Peace Corps volunteer for life.

About half of my group (G-38) had left Paraguay already, but, 15 of us were left for our swearing-out ceremony which included words from our bosses, receiving our completion certificates and ringing the bell that signifies the end of service … oh and who can forget, the cake!

It is a bittersweet moment ending my service. I was feeling a mixture of emotions, excited for the future, sad to be leaving so many new people in my life and just a feeling of uncertainty. End of service is one of those things that always seemed off in the distance and now that it’s here, I can’t help but thinking …. What  is next?

Well I do have a plan for the next few months at least and that is …. To stay in Paraguay! I have moved to a town called San Ignacio in the department of Missiones. I will be living with my boyfriend Jose and exploring some possible working/volunteering opportunities.

I have also decided to continue blogging! Keeping you up-to-date on my daily adventures.

Cooking in Paraguay.

One of my favorite things to do is cook for other people. I'm not really a big fan of cooking for just myself, that is boring. So two years in my campo house have seen some pretty interesting meals that have stemmed from the lack of desire to cook.

But, when I have the chance to cook for other people I love it. However, cooking in Paraguay comes with its own set of challenges. Basically everything has to be made form scratch. You don't realize how easy it is in the States to be able to buy most of the ingredients for meals. In this country I've learned how to make so many things that I would have just bought from the store back home; things like bagels, pizza, pie crust, yogurt, buttermilk, and the list goes on and on. So my adventures in Paraguay have led to some pretty interesting concoctions.

      

                                      

Home-made pizza crust, brownie, banana icecream, bagles, and a perfect example of working with what you have, a giant quiche!