so ive been thinking about what ill be taking away with me when I complete my spendid time here in paraguay. I know it´s still a ways off, but with things starting to feel more settled in site ive begun to wonder a bit about how my life here will transfer to over there. I do know in paraguay that Ive become a more health conscious, both in terms of my own personal well-being and that of other people. I mean its hard no to want to brush and floss everyday when you see people with cavities on the fronts of their teeth and little kids with just black mush in their mouthes. I dont really understand the teeth problem here actually, seeing as these people have been given many dental hyegine presentations and get tooth brushes free through the school. As I see it, the problem really comes down to lifestyle choices, and the fact that a thought process such as "Should i really give my three year old soda every day, and then suckers or hard candy on the side?" does not really exist. So anyway, im now bushing my teeth regularly. Great.

But what else? So i´m getting better at learning new languages. This is a good thing, especially if id like to work in california where i believe the minority population has been the majority for a good while now. Granted, the design buisness usually follows the money trail, but that doesnt mean there´s now work to be had serving multiple populations. I really feel like now more than ever that the way to being the most succesful a person can be is to learn new languages. I mean, here its essential and not really an option. But it makes me see how much one might miss out on back home in the states without that knowlege. On the flip side, my english is degrading. Typically, i forget the correct wors in english and have to supliment it with a spanish or guarani word. I spend 30 seconds today tring to remember the word for remolacha (beets) in the supermarket.

I also feel like this specific type of work has made me more acountable to myself and to my goals and rationalizations about the future. To be sure, I see many paraguayans wasting their time away being drunk, taking no interest in their education, or just assuming that whatever will happen is just going to happen. Its almost a fatalistic aditude, but they are so tranquilo about the buisness that I often forget that things could be better. I do sometimes sit at my house doing nothing and don´t feel guilty about it. Ive learned to relax. yes. But at the same time, ive realized very clearly that if i dont gett off my ass and put myself out there and push people to change or to listen or to think nothing is going to happen. Im not going to learn anything, and they arnt going to get anything out of the deal either. There´s no one looking over my shoulder here telling me what to do, or if im doing my job right, or even to give me an idea of what i should do. Its all on in my head, and all on my shoulders. This is not to say that i feel stressed all the time, certainly not. But i will for sure that away from this experience the keen understanding of how one gets something done: you go make it happen.

ADDED NEW PHOTOS! So ive put up some photos of my house, images of a pig slaughtering i attended and some shots of a tree plating project i recently completed at one of the local escuela basicas. Just follow the link on the right to flickR. Im presently hanging out in asuncion and enjoying the pleasures of a relativly cool afternoon. Received one shirt and landscape architecture magazines in the mail, which was pretty sweet. Enjoy the photos!