Last Minute Preparation

I leave the country in exactly one week!! The excitement hasn't fully sunk in because my mind won't shut off and keeps running through the mental checklist. My suitcase and backpack have been living in the corner of my room, with items being tossed haphazardly in that direction as they cross my mind. I did a bunch of errands to grab last minute items like a first aid kit, probiotics, and Emergen-C and now all I should really have left is to arrange it nicely.

I do still need to treat my clothing with Permethrin to keep the mosquitos at bay. It is supposed to last for up to 6 weeks, through up to 6 washings. Seeing as how we're going to a very rural community in the middle of the rainforest, I'll take all the protection I can get.

Today one of my goals is to collect some postcards with photos of my town, which I'll give to the kids as a little souvenir to share where I'm from. It shouldn't be too difficult as I live in a touristy region. I'm also packing a Colorado wildflowers guidebook, a frisbee, and a card game.

It's pretty awesome that I have the opportunity to engage with a culture in a special way because of the relationships that others have built over many years. This week I'm going to be doing some more research about Paraguayan history in order to better understand what they've been through, and come up with questions I want to explore further.

Trip Update

Recently the group I'll be travelling with had a conference call to chat with two of the main people we'll be interacting with during our travels through Paraguay.

We were introduced to Katie, who has worked with the Guayaki company for 10 out of their 20 years. She told us about how the Montessori curriculum/technique is being used within the indigenous Ache community. Three Ache women have been training to be teachers to the 30 grade-school children. In addition, the school (which was built last year) will be getting its own kitchen and bathroom facilities. A big part of the curriculum is personal care, which includes both wellness and self-sufficiency. While the children are in school, the mothers will be able to use that uninterrupted time to work on handicrafts to sell at markets. The community garden will also continue to expand. Since it is currently their winter, I imagine not much will be growing, but I'm curious to learn more about the strategy to alleviate food scarcity. I'm looking forward to learning about how they practice agroforestry, and about the specifics of the partnership between the Ache people and the Guayaki company to grow and harvest Yerba Mate.

Maria, who will be our tour guide. Maria was born and raised in Paraguay, and went to college in the United States. She really enjoys unique food and is especially looking forward to showing us special restaurants in Asuncion. She traveled with the Whole Foods group last year as well, and was able to offer insight and helpful tips about what to bring and what to leave at home. She noted that the kids love seeing pictures of where we are from, and that postcards and maps would be perfect to bring as gifts.


I've raised 1/3 the cost of my airplane ticket! $1000 more to go (the GoFundMe account is still active if you'd like to donate in exchange for some photography prints). I was able to use my Health Savings Account to pay for vaccines. I'm going to try to order some currency from my bank ahead of time just to have on hand. Oh my goodness, I can't believe I'm leaving in only three weeks!