crzysmiles

Arriving to Asuncion from Horqueta Friday morning brought me into my last week in Paraguay. I worked from home on the list of confirmed participants for the Conference during the day after getting some rest, and met with Martin that night to say goodbye and thank him for all he had done for me. That night I ate at a crepe restaurant with the interns. It was really cute! On Saturday, I decided to wake up early and hop on a bus to El Centro (downtown) to buy some last souvenirs and gifts, and to see downtown one last time before I leave. I walked around all morning until the early afternoon and walked down the Paseo Artesanal (artisan walk). Also, there happened to be a parade with people dressed in “typical dress” outfits who were ... read more

I cannot believe that it is August already! There is still so much I want to do before I return home. This week at work, I wrote more about the water boards, and I am just about complete with that project. I also worked more on the budget for the Water Conference by adding columns for each sponsor, adding how much money we have raised, and adding how much we have yet to raise. I looked up business contacts to send letters to for supporting/donating to the Conference. Friday was another day of working late, but well worth it, as we made much progress for the Conference. I went salsa dancing again this week. It was really fun to have a place that I am familiar with to go to, and I always have a good ... read more

I passed my halfway mark this Sunday! Unbelievable! The weather is still switching from warm and sunny to mild and raining to clear and chilly. It can’t make up its mind, but I enjoy it. It is a change from the heat I am sure you are all receiving in the U.S. (specifically Sacramento and Stockton). At work we are still working on planning the Water Conference. Friday, I worked on the invitation to send out to government organizations (authorities), sponsors, and the Federation of Water Boards. I also worked on the executive summary (to ask for more support). Saturday I went to Conmebol (the South American Soccer Confederation). We had a tour of the museum, where we heard a lot about soccer’s past in South America, watched a video, and saw many trophies from different ... read more

Week 3: July 6 - July 13 Three weeks in. I cannot BELIEVE how fast time is going, but at the same time, I feel more comfortable here and as if I have been here for over a month! The professor leaves this Saturday, so as a final night out we walked around Las Carmelitas and went to dinner at Un Toro y Siete Vacas (One Bull and Seven Cows). This was by far the most DELICIOUS meal and BEST service I have had so far in Paraguay. It is a fancy restaurant with an atmosphere between western (like being on a ranch) and classy (strange, I know!). It is in a chuchy (upscale) area; the neighborhood is called Villa Morra. The waiters treated us like king and queen, and we had wine, bread, yucca, soup, ... read more

Week 1: June 22-June 29 Hola! I received an Ambassador Corps scholarship from the University of the Pacific's Global Center for Social Entrepreneurship to travel to Asuncion, Paraguay, where I am working with AVINA. As a requirement for receiving the scholarship, I must keep a blog entry at least once a week. That blog is located at another site, but I wanted to keep a more personal, less formal blog, too! Some entries might sound a bit "clean and formal", but that may very well be that I just used my same entry from my "formal" blog. Haha! Enjoy! AVINA is a Latin American organization, whose mission is to contribute to sustainable development, encouraging the building of ties of trust and fruitful partnerships between business and social leaders, and articulating agendas for action. (Refer to their ... read more