Today I learned the importance of wearing beekeeping equipment the proper way. We were inspecting the hives (both langstroth and batay style) and I kept finding bees in my suit. My friends helped me smash them before they stung me. Our hives are in good shape and we even were able to spot the queen in one hive. The egg laying patterns were good indicating a healthy queen (it’s a circular pattern) and plenty of new queen’s had just chewed their way out of a split hive ( a portion of a strong hive was moved to a second box). I even got to cut old wax from a Langstroth hive.
While walking back from the apiary we stopped to pick some giant blackberries (see picture)
We were supposed to do a wild swarm capture, but unfortunately someone discovered the tree with the bees and stole all the honey thus destroying the hive. You can imagine our sadness because not only were we not able to expand our number of hives, but all those bees would die.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
(Top tp bottom)
Hibiscus flower near my training facility.
Mi Casa—my room is the window on the right. Our dinner table is on the porch. Our dog is on the right. His name is Cookie. My sister, brother, and sister-in-law are all in the background.
So delicious. I helped Mirian (sister-in-law) chop up the potatoes, onion, garlic, and tomatoes to lay on top of the chicken.
We’re going to cook some chicken over the charcoal.
This is my room complete with mosquito netting on top. Those are my pictures from Julie hanging near my bed. And of course I brought a few frisbee’s with me too.
Hibiscus flower near my training facility.
Mi Casa—my room is the window on the right. Our dinner table is on the porch. Our dog is on the right. His name is Cookie. My sister, brother, and sister-in-law are all in the background.
So delicious. I helped Mirian (sister-in-law) chop up the potatoes, onion, garlic, and tomatoes to lay on top of the chicken.
We’re going to cook some chicken over the charcoal.
This is my room complete with mosquito netting on top. Those are my pictures from Julie hanging near my bed. And of course I brought a few frisbee’s with me too.
(top to bottom)
Peace Corps HQ
Eating lunch at the mall in Asuncion. Yes, those are McDonald’s French fries. You’d think we wouldn’t want fried food much less McDonald’s given the organic slant on our agriculture approach. False wanting something familiar wins out. I ate food from a make your own pasta place—so delicious!
Hanging trains are popular in Paraguay too! Just for you Grandpa. This is at the mall in Asuncion
Queso Paraguaya…not my favorite cheese, but it’s good if it’s mixed with food.
Kendall and I eat homemade ice cream at the farm
Peace Corps HQ
Eating lunch at the mall in Asuncion. Yes, those are McDonald’s French fries. You’d think we wouldn’t want fried food much less McDonald’s given the organic slant on our agriculture approach. False wanting something familiar wins out. I ate food from a make your own pasta place—so delicious!
Hanging trains are popular in Paraguay too! Just for you Grandpa. This is at the mall in Asuncion
Queso Paraguaya…not my favorite cheese, but it’s good if it’s mixed with food.
Kendall and I eat homemade ice cream at the farm
(Top to bottom)
A few more photo’s to sum up my Paraguayan life
Puppies!! They would be sold for 500 mil guarani’s each. That’s about $100. They’re purebred.
Permaculture farm. This is a biodigestor. Basically pig poop and water are put into it. The gas is used to cook with and other byproduct is used to feed the worms which break down the input into organic matter (this is a separate location not in the biodigestor). It’s a very sustainable and economical system.
Our tour guide holds up the bag that is full of poop. This is set on top of the organic matter when it’s decomposed enough to be used. The fresh poop draws the worms out of the soil and into the poop and thus they can be removed because the poop is kept on the bag.
Kendall and I eat homemade ice cream at the farm
My cousin Raquel (waving) and her friend.
A few more photo’s to sum up my Paraguayan life
Puppies!! They would be sold for 500 mil guarani’s each. That’s about $100. They’re purebred.
Permaculture farm. This is a biodigestor. Basically pig poop and water are put into it. The gas is used to cook with and other byproduct is used to feed the worms which break down the input into organic matter (this is a separate location not in the biodigestor). It’s a very sustainable and economical system.
Our tour guide holds up the bag that is full of poop. This is set on top of the organic matter when it’s decomposed enough to be used. The fresh poop draws the worms out of the soil and into the poop and thus they can be removed because the poop is kept on the bag.
Kendall and I eat homemade ice cream at the farm
My cousin Raquel (waving) and her friend.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
I’m sure you are curious what has been happening recently since all I posted the other day were pictures that should have been posted a long time ago. I’m sorry they’re all out of order. When I get a chance I will try to remedy that.
Let me give you an update about why I haven’t been writing (besides that fact that I’ve been Skyping Jeremy). Last week they gave us a vacation of sorts. Each of us trainees was assigned to visit another PCV. It was a 4 day trip just to get away from the daily grind of language and tech training. It was also to give us a better perspective of our future life as a volunteer. I visited Lara, a beekeeping volunteer. She’s been here about 9 months. Her situations has been pretty difficult, but through it all she’s managed to stay positive.
The first day I met up with her she took me to lunch at a Japanese restaurant. (there’s a Japanese colony about an 1 hour from her site). The sushi, won-tons, fried fish, and salad were a delicious break from the normal Paraguayan fare. We didn’t go right to her site. We spent the night with another PCV, Megan and her PCT Amy (both are beekeepers, Amy is a fellow trainee). Megan cooked for us and we had Polenta and carrot cake and some Pomelo wine and Ginger beer to wash it down. She’s quite the cook and I got several recipes from her. That evening we went to a dance party. It was not what I was expecting. It was in a large gym. There were all ages and everyone who was dancing, danced in long lines facing each other. It was kind of like an awkward high school dance. We joined in the dancing, but kept to our own group. We trainees hadn’t had the Paraguayan culture norms lecture yet and I nearly got roped into dancing with some random guy. Megan got me out of that awkward scenario. At another point some boys were trying to take a picture with me in it. We quickly dodged out of that. Overall, we had a great time.
The next day we did a little beekeeping. Lara and I caught a bus to her site. We had a great time cooking together. We even cooked with Kumanda yvyra’i. You’re probably wondering what that is and how to pronounce it. (coo-mawn-dah oo-voo-rah-e) is also known as pigeon pea and the name literally translates to little tree. It’s a great abono verde or green manure. Not only does it provide nutrients to the soil and break up hard pan, but the beans can be used for human or animal consumption. They’re picked green for human consumption and the taste and texture remind me of Edimame. It takes a long time to shell every little bean, but when cooked in a wine sauce with cabbage and other veggies, it sure was a nice change. For dinner Lara made bean hamburgers with queso Paraguayan. Paraguayan cheese doesn’t have a lot of flavor. It’s more a texture thing. The other day our professor brought us French cheese for a snack. We devoured it. There is a widow who lives in our main training town. She was married to a Frenchman and he taught her how to make cheese. Random, but I thought I would share.
A nice lawn is clean swept dirt. I used a machete and helped Lara clean her patio of weeds.
My time away was over all too quickly.
Let me give you an update about why I haven’t been writing (besides that fact that I’ve been Skyping Jeremy). Last week they gave us a vacation of sorts. Each of us trainees was assigned to visit another PCV. It was a 4 day trip just to get away from the daily grind of language and tech training. It was also to give us a better perspective of our future life as a volunteer. I visited Lara, a beekeeping volunteer. She’s been here about 9 months. Her situations has been pretty difficult, but through it all she’s managed to stay positive.
The first day I met up with her she took me to lunch at a Japanese restaurant. (there’s a Japanese colony about an 1 hour from her site). The sushi, won-tons, fried fish, and salad were a delicious break from the normal Paraguayan fare. We didn’t go right to her site. We spent the night with another PCV, Megan and her PCT Amy (both are beekeepers, Amy is a fellow trainee). Megan cooked for us and we had Polenta and carrot cake and some Pomelo wine and Ginger beer to wash it down. She’s quite the cook and I got several recipes from her. That evening we went to a dance party. It was not what I was expecting. It was in a large gym. There were all ages and everyone who was dancing, danced in long lines facing each other. It was kind of like an awkward high school dance. We joined in the dancing, but kept to our own group. We trainees hadn’t had the Paraguayan culture norms lecture yet and I nearly got roped into dancing with some random guy. Megan got me out of that awkward scenario. At another point some boys were trying to take a picture with me in it. We quickly dodged out of that. Overall, we had a great time.
The next day we did a little beekeeping. Lara and I caught a bus to her site. We had a great time cooking together. We even cooked with Kumanda yvyra’i. You’re probably wondering what that is and how to pronounce it. (coo-mawn-dah oo-voo-rah-e) is also known as pigeon pea and the name literally translates to little tree. It’s a great abono verde or green manure. Not only does it provide nutrients to the soil and break up hard pan, but the beans can be used for human or animal consumption. They’re picked green for human consumption and the taste and texture remind me of Edimame. It takes a long time to shell every little bean, but when cooked in a wine sauce with cabbage and other veggies, it sure was a nice change. For dinner Lara made bean hamburgers with queso Paraguayan. Paraguayan cheese doesn’t have a lot of flavor. It’s more a texture thing. The other day our professor brought us French cheese for a snack. We devoured it. There is a widow who lives in our main training town. She was married to a Frenchman and he taught her how to make cheese. Random, but I thought I would share.
A nice lawn is clean swept dirt. I used a machete and helped Lara clean her patio of weeds.
My time away was over all too quickly.
Top to bottom
My sister shows off her dance clothes
Making empanadas! They’re better when filled with Carne de Soja (literally soy meat)
My host mom and sister observe my work
Hiking up the mountain. Lara’s water source. Water tasted really good actually. Her trusty canine companion Lady Bug.
Cooking over an open flame. The next day Lara finally got her gas hooked up to her stove
My sister shows off her dance clothes
Making empanadas! They’re better when filled with Carne de Soja (literally soy meat)
My host mom and sister observe my work
Hiking up the mountain. Lara’s water source. Water tasted really good actually. Her trusty canine companion Lady Bug.
Cooking over an open flame. The next day Lara finally got her gas hooked up to her stove
Top to bottom:
My assignment for my first trip to Asuncion. Everyone worked in pairs. The objective: find your own way to Asuncion (without a map) and stop at the places designated on your sheet. You must accomplish this by the time you must be at the Peace Corps headquarters at 12:30. My partner and I were successful except for the first stop which we decided to skip altogether since we missed the main bus terminal. We explored around Mercado 4 instead and spent time looking for where to purchase a cell phone (after awhile the novelty of running through the street at night with my little cousin to my aunt’s house because I got a phone call wears off; especially when I have to sit in a room with sleeping triplets and three other people. Half the time one party would hang up on the other and then I was left to guess who had actually called. I was always told my Mom had called, but this wasn’t always the case). Here’s some pictures to fill in the gaps.
Bucket bath! Sometimes the water pressure isn’t strong enough for a shower or there is no water
Walking home from the beekeepers training center. The sunsets are beautiful.
Demonstrating the proper way to look at both sides of a honeycomb
I’m holding one of my host cousins. She’s a triplet
My assignment for my first trip to Asuncion. Everyone worked in pairs. The objective: find your own way to Asuncion (without a map) and stop at the places designated on your sheet. You must accomplish this by the time you must be at the Peace Corps headquarters at 12:30. My partner and I were successful except for the first stop which we decided to skip altogether since we missed the main bus terminal. We explored around Mercado 4 instead and spent time looking for where to purchase a cell phone (after awhile the novelty of running through the street at night with my little cousin to my aunt’s house because I got a phone call wears off; especially when I have to sit in a room with sleeping triplets and three other people. Half the time one party would hang up on the other and then I was left to guess who had actually called. I was always told my Mom had called, but this wasn’t always the case). Here’s some pictures to fill in the gaps.
Bucket bath! Sometimes the water pressure isn’t strong enough for a shower or there is no water
Walking home from the beekeepers training center. The sunsets are beautiful.
Demonstrating the proper way to look at both sides of a honeycomb
I’m holding one of my host cousins. She’s a triplet
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
My post this time will be in pictures. Since pictures say a thousand words it will save me a lot of time in writing—especially since I always seem to be running out of time.
Postal service—this lady comes to the CHP (main training center) about once a week. The postal service is in her house and she uses this scale to weigh each letter. A normal letter to the states cost 7,000 Gaurani’s (Gr) or about $1.25. There’s no telling how long it will take to get to the
CHP’i—The Crop Extensionist (CE) training site. We’re taking a break or Jaha recesope (to have recess in Guarani)
Canavalia—or jack bean in English. One of the many crops here
Buey—plowing the fields with the buey.
La vedurakuer’a—We cleared an entire table full of fresh vegetables in a matter of minutes. Haha…we don’t get enough fresh vegetables and you can tell we all love the food we’re going to be growing.
La tablόn—learning how to build raised beds while having the lesson completely in Guarani.
Rova—to transplant. Arova—I transplant. Arova cebolitape—I transplant green onions.
Tukuára (bamboo)—I’m cutting bamboo with a machete to build a bamboo fence. I’m not sure how to write a whole sentence like that, but I can say I cut with a machete (che akopi).
La cercado—the fence
Abono foliar Casero or “Compost Tea”—we simply put cow poop in a bag and submerged it in water and put a rock on top. You can add other elements like leaves, ashes, egg shell, and other organic material depending on the desired nutrients. We’re going to stir it for 5 minutes every day for 15 days. Then we’ll apply it to our garden or it could be applied with a backpack sprayer to tropical plants that absorb nutrients through the leaves.
Field trip—visiting gardens around our neighborhood. This farmer had really nice tomate plants supported by bamboo rods. He clipped the middle suckers to encourage vertical growth.
Che aquata—I walk. Walking home with my fellow CEer’s after a morning of gardening. My family is always laughing at how fast I walk. I enjoy walking and that’s basically my only option for exercise right now.
Chipa and the vaca—I was going to get my posts written on my laptop last time, but I got roped into making chipa. This is a picture of me and my host mom kneading the dough. It’s kind of like corn bread (main ingredient is aveticui or chopped up corn). It’s only really good when it’s hot out of the oven, but of course it’s fed to me all the time. It was enjoyable and I was told many times that I’m very guapa (in this context they mean hardworking). The home we made the chipa at was very interesting. In the next picture you will see the cow hanging from the tree. My host sister is standing next to it.
Tukuára leaves—the chip is placed on the bamboo leaves and then shoveled into the oven. During the whole process I was of course the source of amusement. It doesn’t matter what I say it’s hilarious. They asked me if I had a novio again. Since I had my camera on my camera on me my sister showed them a picture of him. I was told I was a “professional” at making the chipa and they laughed when I turned the ring into a heart.
Azado or BBQ not to be confused with an azada which is a hoe. It was Jen’s host sister’s birthday and everyone was invited. Kyle brought his guitar and we enjoyed some good meat, mandio (cassava), salad with tomatoes (legucha ha tomate), and rice.
(Left to right: Taylor, Kevin, y Michael)
Front: (L to R) Kevin and Charles. Back (L to R):me, Amelia,
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