I realize that a lot of my posts have been just about, well, myself. Which is fine, right? I mean this blog is about ME and MY service and what I am doing. But I’m realizing that I’m not really doing any justice to my host country, Paraguay. So yeah, I’m assuming a lot of my friends and family are reading this trying to figure out what I’m up to and what my day is like, but I’m hoping that some of you are reading this to learn more about another culture and specifically what it means to be Paraguayan. I think I owe it to my host county to attempt to give some more insight into what THEIR lives are like instead of MINE.
I realize this is a BIG topic, and it will not by any means be covered in one blog post, BUT I want to start out with a couple little anecdotes and a few examples to set the mood.
ANYWAY, back to Paraguay. I know that was just a silly little high school story (that may only be specific to Eastlake High School (shoutout, Go Wolves!)) buy ANYWAY (again) if you asked any single Paraguayan for a piece of gum, they would give it to you without even questioning it, even if they barely even knew you and even if it actually was their last piece of gum. That is how Paraguayans are.
Paraguayans are givers. They love to give, even when they have little. Whatever they have to give, they will give.
For example, my neighbor Ña Julia had a giant cinnamon tree in front of her house, but it was overhanging the power lines, so they had to trim it down. She was very upset because the workers ended up doing a pretty horrid hack job on the tree and pretty much destroyed it all. When I came by the following day, she told me how upset she was, yet she insisted I take two GIANT branches with the leaves back to my house with me so I could have some cinnamon leaves for my tea.
They give everything they have, and they give even when they don’t have.
Another example, a woman in my community was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. We were at a Mother’s Association Meeting when the news was shared with everyone and it was instantly decided they would go visit her. Everyone immediately started pulling out their coin purses, wallets, money from their bras, socks, etc. and it was collected to help the woman with her transportation and treatment fees. Literally, whatever money these women happened to have on them at the time was pulled out and given, no questions asks. Whatever they had was given without hesitation to help out their friend.
When I go to the schools, the kids love to give me candies, notes, gum and mints. Neighbors give me eggs from their chickens. I see this selfless giving all the time, and I just really wanted to share it with everyone to let you all know they do it down here in the southern hemisphere.
This post was inspired by two men riding in an ox cart, who recently gave me the biggest bag of tomatoes :)