concerts and giant bugs.

A rare sight that I had to get on camera...an oxcart passing through downtown Itaugua












This is my new mascot...a gigantic worm that had fallen from a ficus tree on the corner a block from my house... literally the largest worm I've ever seen in my life!! Alba took a water bottle and with my help captured the little creature that is now preserved in rubbing alcohol on top of my fridge... I figured instead of freaking out about more bugs, my sanity would be better off accepting it and giving it a spot (though dead) in my home...































Alba, me, and Alba's mom Teresa at the Sin Bandera concert
















Well gang, lots of fun developments in the life of Paraguayan Kristine….
This past week I worked hard with Chiquita as we have finally decided to go forward with an instruction manual all about ñandutí. Working with a literary professor to help with the grammar, Chiquita to help supplies for the photos, and me for the rest of the everything, we hope to get $1000 from the municipality to print the books and have them in print by the end of April in anticipation of the national Nandutí Festival in June. It’s really exciting to have something more solid under my belt and a direct outlet for all that I’ve been learning these past 4 months. At first the literature professor had thought of just writing a pamphlet and wanted to write a poetic introduction and leave it at that but I as the dutiful anthropologist successfully convinced them of the value of including more material on the history of the artform, its role in the modern day economy and the identity of Itaugua. Hopefully with our forces combined (like Captain Planet) we can really put out something worthwhile.
In other news, I got to see Sin Bandera (one of my very most favorite Pop Latino band) play in Asuncion. Normally I wouldn’t want to go to concerts because they’re undoubtedly full of drunk smokers and lots of unsavory company…but with the romantic music and incredible harmony of the band and the fact that they are breaking up forever and doing their last tour, and the tickets were only $14…I caved. They held it in the most ritzy neighborhood of all of Paraguay…it’s called Lambare and the “new” money of the country lives with their multimillion dollar homes, imported Mercedes benzes, and private guards to make sure nothing walks away. It was awesome to see the beautiful architecture and the fact that most of the houses don’t have street-side walls and huge gates like most other houses. Typically Latin American houses are completely walled-in from the street with high gates (even if they leave them unlocked, everyone is scared to death at the idea of having an open front lawn) and then bars on all the windows. Even in really nice, completely safe neighborhoods or poor neighborhoods were you wouldn’t expect such expense, the fence is one of the priorities and it was a breath of fresh air to see nice homes with wide front lawns unobstructed by sterile fences and gates.
The concert was great…lots of songs that I knew all the words to, surrounded by others singing at the top of their lungs and thousands of teenage Paraguayan girls screaming at the beginning of every song…really energetic. I invited my dear friend Alba and her mother to accompany us (which was a huge logistical mess and almost didn’t end up happening because I only had space for Alba to spend the night with me at a friend’s house but her mother refused to let her go alone to the concert and would only go if she personally accompanied us…so we planned to stick around until dawn and grab the first bus that passed by but luckily got saved by another friend heading back to Itaugua…) and met up with Emily another Fulbrighter living in Asuncion. Despite the fact that it was to be for Valentine’s Day and all the couples were nauseatingly affectionate throughout the show, I enjoyed it and it’s nice to say that I saw them in person before they split up.
Here in Itaugua, they are celebrating the end of summer with an annual tradition of Cultural Fridays. Local bands, musicians, and dancers take the stage to present Paraguayan polkas, guaranias, and other traditional music as well as some more modern stuff. I didn’t get to go to the closing night last night because I was exhausted but I went last Friday for about an hour before it started to rain and the whole audience dispersed. Of the 3 groups I got to see, 2 sang traditional polkas in guarani and the third was a girls’ dance studio performing Arabic “dance.” In reality, I was shocked at how sexual their dance was and watching 10 7-year olds in belly-dancer costumes doing pelvic thrusts was not exactly the kind of “culture” I had had in mind. I made a comment to my friend that I would NEVER let my 7-year old learn let alone perform such nastiness and with nothing more than a bra and underwear on…she said that it was part of the conservatory and the expectation was to learn how to do all different types of dance.
Today is another busy day and I am just catching a few minutes of down time before heading out to get a translation of a Portuguese article that talks about ñandutí and then travel to Asuncion for a baby’s 1st birthday party.

I hope all is going well and that everyone had a great Valentine’s Day… Talk later…

AH and last minute hooray-for-Kristine moment!! I got in to Syracuse University's GRAD school pursuing a double-master's in International Relations and Public Administration!! WAHOO!! Now if anybody wants to help me raise $43000 to pay for it, let me know!!

Cristina