AFter a few days in site...

It´s been a great few days in site and I don´t want to leave. Although I am excited because we are going to see the Batman movie in Asuncion tomorrow.

I´m in the cyber cafe, and outside a guy just trotted by on horseback with sugarcane loaded sideways.

My host took me to the local big city in their car yesterday. On either side of the country road there was the typical open spaces, with cows and horses, whose legs disappeared into the dry grass. In the distance, the hills looked like a piece of blue construction paper ripped in half and glued to the horizon. There lives a colony of Germans who have a beer festival every November. There´s also hiking trails.

Once in the city we nearly hit a herd of about two dozen dogs outside a school. The school´s long brick wall had been painted with public service messages, I assumed by the students. One had Bart Simpson saying that smoking was bad. Another had a huge condom with a face and a knowing finger pointed up. The speech bubble said ´´Don´t forget me!´´

We stopped at the supermarket, which they have in the cities. Ah, it´s all the same. Neutrogena with a spanish label, frozen chicken nuggets, plastic bowls with bright flower pints. Blenders, food processors, sandwich-makers (yesss!) My life will be as simple as I choose here. Which is good, I think. Simplicity isn´t a place.

I got to walk around the city by myself, a nice breath of independence. I made a map at every corner, and managed to make a loop without getting lost. I walked with hung clothes brushing over my head on the covered sidewalks and calls coming at me ´´adelante.´´ I almost bought a shirt that depicted Homer as Che.

Last night the women who works at the cooperativa showed me a house she has that I could rent. It´s two rooms with a grass roof, a brick enclosure in the back with a toilet, and the water coming from a spicket in the back. It has a yard with avocado trees, palms and room for a garden. I said Puede ser, or could be, because I want to see what else is around. It´s right across from the church in the plaza, so it might be a little busy for me.

That same woman invited me over and for the second night I watch the telenovelas with her and her five daughters. I´m addicted, despite my best efforts to the contrary. The telenovelas are on every evening, like soaps in the states but in the evening. Last night they taught me to crochet while we watched Paulina have an affair with Ricardo. And on his wedding night!

Today I went to a craft show to help at their booth. It was just like my jewelry days. I think I´m going to like it here.