Back from the other side
Well, as you can see, my website is back up and running thanks to adept tech support from wordpress.org and install4free.wordpress.net, the same heroes who got me started here. I should point out that the problem had nothing to do with wordpress. I tried to use my hosting company’s photo gallery tool for some friends, but all it really did was wipe out the settings for my domain name.
Meanwhile, out in the real world, I’ve been busy. Life in our training community continues as normal (and isn’t it funny how quickly the strangest things become normal?) while we push our borders out a little further out into Paraguay. This past weekend included a trip to the fabled Chaco region and another to the equally fabled Hotel Chaco in Asuncion.
The Chaco trip was a field trip to the Escuela de San Francisco Asis. It’s a really nice technical high school, offering degrees in agriculture to its students. They learn very progressive farming and animal husbandry techniques, as well as a bit of business management. It was a cool tour and a nice introduction to the western half of Paraguay, where few volunteers ever spend much time.
The Asuncion trip coincided with the American Embassy’s annual Fourth of July party, of necessity celebrated on the first of the month. We all got very long, very hot showers; we saw the sights; some of us took in the nightlife; and after that most of us were well enough to take in a little dietary variety. The Hotel Chaco has a good breakfast - fruit, yogurt, and other gourmet comestibles.
The Guaraní word of the day is Paraguay. No, really. That’s what Asuncion goes by in its mother tongue. It’s pronounced a little differently (Pah-rah-gwah-oo) in this context, which makes it possible to distinguish the country’s name from the city’s.