Rained out

Being rained OUT of site was a new one for me. In the midst of the unexpected extra time, I realized just how much of a blessing in disguise it was to be stuck in O’Leary. It also helped that my PCV neighbor Mike’s host family has plenty of room. Through the course of the extra day, I stumbled upon a lady who is active in reforestation work. Less than a week ago my contact/host dad, Javier, approached me with the idea of replanting trees in the well pilfered remnants of forest. I said I would check into it, but had not put a whole lot of thought into it because I was not sure I could keep up with another project. But lately, I had been obsessed with the Chivato tree that grows here. Its vivid red-orange blossoms stand out against the rich green leaves. While biking with Mike to his English class, I noticed (it’s hard not to notice this tree) a Chivato tree with fallen seed pods. While picking up seeds, the lady at the store across the street approached me. She informed me of a woman down the street that often sells plantitas. And that’s how I met Ña Chichi, an energetic grandmother who travels to Itapu (about 1 ½ hrs east) to request free trees and thus far has reforested some 7 hectares. I returned to my site the next day with a beautiful little Chivato plantita and the promise of an invite the next time she makes the trip.