Itaugua's youth dancing to Rock and Roll in the yearly closing ceremonies for their "culture workshops"












This is what brought me my air conditioning....after dying 3 times and repeated adventures having to push the car down some "hills" that were really anything inclined near the road...or the flat road too. The guy that was going to install it for me is a member of the Church and so they recommended him to me to do the work for less but I had no idea that his "transport" would be special. He thought it was hilarious to have a blond push his car, so he wanted to take a picture. I think I taught him good lesson that being a princess doesn't mean I don't know how to work!!
















This is me with the Rodriguez bunch at the birthday party of their now 1-year-old neice. I had to get a picture of little Enriquito sucking on his chupa-chup. They liked the idea and took a shot of me! Then, we all decided to make funny face :) They are a really great bunch. Typical Paraguayans though...the men are lazy and absent.











Well, I am going to keep things short and sweet considering the internet place is going to close in 5 minutes! This week has been fun so far. After the trip to Caazapa I went to a birthday for a little one year old girl. They make a HUGE party for the little tikes and give away prizes to every kid in the audience, food to all the adults, and candy by the handful. They rented decorations to make everything princess-themed and there were about 100 people there! It was crazy. I then went to the clausura for the local elementary school kids and it was fun to see the mix of traditional folklore and Paraguayan polka alonside rock and roll and modern jazz dance.

In other news, I hit a real wall when it got so hot that even taking an ice cold shower didn't stop me from sweating and melting away in my house. I sincerely decided that either I had to invest in an air conditioner or I would have to leave this country. Telling the natives that I was starting to hate this place and it's climate didn't exactly go over very well, but hey I'm an honest person. So, on Tuesday after my final Guarani lesson, I went with a "professional" to get an air conditioner. We shopped around and the cheapest new one was over $300. I didn't trust getting anything without a guarantee, so I bought the bullet, and had to pay for the delivery and installation on top...more than $400 thanks to the ever-falling exchange rate that is eating away at my bank account. But, as they keep telling me that it hasn't gotten to the maximum heat level yet, I have to be able to survive and while I don't think I'll adapt well having AC in my room, I just won't be able to survive without it. While the US sources are putting things at 99 and 100 degrees, with the humidity, it definitely feels a lot hotter. Today it rained...HARD...and made me start to calm down and get back into a normal emotional state. But, even with the cloud cover and the rain to cool things off, the humidity in the air kept things feeling very warm. I sincerely don't understand why God would create such a climate. Call it a lack of faith, but I'm starting to wonder if we really should get working on that whole global warning thing because you don't want this to spread!!

I had a huge adventure to get the air conditioner to my apartment. I could have bought one right across the street from my apartment, and there definitely are nicer vehicles that people use to deliver goods, but the contact I was given for a professional in installation and maintenance volunteered his services which happened to include a front-seat ride in his 1980 VW combi. Every time we came to a stop, it stalled out and we had to jump out and PUSH!! Luckily things like that happen even in urban Paraguay and people weren't too angry at us scurrying across the four-lane traffic during rush hour and thousands of cars whirring behind us...comforting I know. But, at last we got it to get going up the main route just as it started to rain. The guys stayed until almost 11 o'clock to get everything installed and working and so I slept icy cold last night and completely CONTENT with my purchase. Despite the investment, the guy promised me he would want to buy it when I leave the country and would give me $250. It's a good bargain I think...hopefully he follows through!

I have been using my kitchen a lot and getting some baked goods out to my friends, as well as getting to finish some of my ao poi and ñanduti projects. My friend Cristina that first got me going is currently in the hospital with her newborn baby...something. I don't know yet what it is, but I am hoping to visit her tomorrow and see how things went.

I am getting ready for my jaunt to Argentina on the 14th and super-excited to get a break from the weather and get to visit some old friends and make some new ones. I hope all is going well in the States. Sincerely, Christmas preparation without final exams and falling snow just isn't the same. I don't know how jolly I'm going to be all by myself on Christmas Day, but the most important thing is to remember the birth of our Savior...probably the most lonely job ever created. BE grateful for the snow and the mountains, not everybody has the luxury! Lots of love to everyone!