Che Roga

After weeks and months of searching, I've finally located and moved into my own house!!! The additional freedom and privacy are very much appreciated. I find I even sleep better knowing that nobody can watch me behind my closed doors. I know... sounds a bit odd that people might ever be watching me, but you'd be surprised. People here know what time I get up, what I ate for breakfast, and even the exact moment/where I get wobbly on my bike going around town. Yup, they say Peace Corps is a 24 hour job, and it is sooo true. I get daily reports on my actions from my neighbors and friends- "Who was that guy you were with (that one time when someone said hello)?" "I saw you wearing your helmet in front of the grocery store today (yes, I do need to eat and I do wear a helmet)." "Your pants looked a bit dirty the other day (after painting my table in the sun all day)." You get the idea, having a place to call my own and more importantly a place to hide from time to time is really really nice.

So- the details then! My PC crib has 4 primary rooms which I have turned into- bedroom, living room, kitchen, and dining room. It also has an semi-enclosed patio in back and a modern bathroom! Whoa- que chuchi, no? The whole place has been recently remodeled, so it's super lindo. For example, my walls have all been re-cemented (we don't really have plaster here, so cement is used to cover up the brick building materials, kinda like adobe but grey), I have a brand new concrete patio for a front yard, I've got a really nice locking front gate, new bars on my window, even a new roof. I'm pretty much living in new house! All the amenities are here too- running water from a well in my yard with motor, electricity, and a corner shop with NAFTA (natural gas) for my stove. Even my furniture situation is pretty stellar- I've got a stove, fridge, bed, and kitchen table all borrowed from neighbors and friends :-) All the basics taken care of in my simple life. The only thing that I lack is a tile floor- but concrete suits me just fine. In my backyard it gets even better- I have an enclosed veggie garden, a chicken coop, and fruit trees/plants ranging from papaya, orange, and lime, to avocado and grape. I'm definitely planting in my garden as well, to have a fresh range of veggies and spices. Yippee! I am very very please and super lucky to have found such a great deal- oh yes and all for around 75 USD/month. Gosh... wouldn't it be great if life was like this everywhere? Haha!

My spare time as of late has been all about getting settled in. I've got my dog and cat here now, still waiting on the chickens until they get a big bigger. So all's well- I've even got a new theme song: el Perro, el Gato, y Yo. Please enjoy a little soundbite from my South American life! (If you translate, it's actually not my life at all, but I like that at least the title is kinda my life here in Paraguay).