On Assignment

Christmas Eve in Paraguay is a night filled with smoke and flames. Every kid on the block has a stockpile of firecrackers, roman candles, and sparklers to set off at midnight, and the whole show repeats a week later on New Years Eve..

And during these festivities the entire population of Paraguay (slightly joking) vacations at my community to cool off at our local balnearios.

Christmas Day in Balneario Chololo

A January weekend in Balneario Pinamar..

Its been crowded, and so I’ve been escaping into unnamed valleys to find some peace. But even in the most remote places I can find, I encounter others who have the same idea..

Anyways being summer break, my community is filled with youth, and I’m finding that a large part of my time is spent teaching, and learning, from them.

Paraguayan checkers

The makings of a compost heap

Harvesting peanuts

Making drinking glasses from wine bottles

On our way to climb Mount Naranjo, the tallest cerro in the area

This is what happens when you let a 14 year old borrow your bicycle

When you live under the same roof as a carpenter you start wanting to build and fix things on your own, and start to see how a pile of wood can be transformed into something else..

Making the cuts

Choosing the colors

Quality control

Two months on assignment, and I’ve suddenly realized that a big part of the experience is relearning how to live. New language, new culture, new home. In some ways it feels like you’re growing up all over again.