Hola Paraguay!

Yay...I finally got here! And so far so good. Oh yeah except my luggage got lost again! Never lost my luggage my whole life and then it gets lost two trips in a row...and in less than 4 months! Luckily though after losing my luggage for 3 days in Portugal I am now a much better carry-on packer. I used to carry on the least amount possible...I didn't like to carry everything around the airport, but now I am the one you see pushing the limits in the carry-on allowance department. It is still annoying not to have my luggage though. For example I'm using a t-shirt as a towel, I have no sheets, and wore a dress last night as a nightgown. Next trip I'll pack even better in my carry-on. But where do you draw the line on what to pack in the carry-on? Basically I need most everything or I wouldn't be bringing it! I'm going to always plan on having my luggage lost from now on though. Aim low and achieve!

I got in late last night. I already really like it. I don't know why sometimes I feel most at home and comfortable when I am most out of my comfort zone. To be honest I think I just really needed to get away from Utah and from my job for awhile. I was really hating it. I guess when I get back we'll see if that hate is permanent or if it was just temporary. I really can't believe how happy I am here though. I don't know anyone, I don't know what I'm doing, and I'm sleeping on a foam mattress on top of wooden slats...and I love it! I am staying at the intern house for the NGO. It is an interesting but fun situation. There are I think 10 people that live here...both guys and girls. Don't worry MOM, the rooms for the girls and guys are separated and so are the bathrooms. It is actually a pretty big and nice house. I just share a room and a bathroom with one girl. Having gone to only Church schools and then the University of Utah but living alone at that time it is interesting living in this situation. It is pretty fun though. I think that only 4 of us are from the States, 1 is from Spain, 2 from Germany, one from Bulgaria, one from England, and I can't remember where the other one is from. Then there are some interns that are working in other parts of Paraguay but come here on weekends or just a day here and there...so there is always something going on in this party house. Just kidding MOM...it's not a party house. Everyone is really nice and normal and are not druggies or drunks or anything like that. If anything I am the white trash here because I go to the University of Utah. So far of those I've asked the other people are going to or have graduated from: Oxford, Yale, Duke, and 2 from Johns Hopkins. And then there is another girl who is a Fullbright Scholar. I don't know how I mangaged to get an internship here among all these geniuses...it must be my awesome personality and passion for my work I guess.

Anyway, I think that soon I'll be leaving all these smarty pants people behind because I think that they are going to move me to some housing closer to where I'll actually be working...out at the NGO's Agricultural School in the country. I hope that they don't move me until the first part of next week though as everybody here is planning on going to Iguassu Falls this weekend and I really want to go. I mean it is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world! Luckily my lost luggage is providing a nice reason for me to stay in the capital city for now. Oh and you'll all be relieved to know that tonight I found a Radio Shack (I love America) and they had flat irons for sale that run on their voltage here. It wasn't much more than buying a new voltage adaptor would have been so I just figured I'd buy the new flat iron and then I can use it on other trips. So now tomorrow I will not have barrell roll bangs...actually it was barrell roll hair. It kind of looked like how my mom did my hair for me when I was around 3 years old...all rolled towards my face. I am excited to face tomorrow with a higher self-esteem due to my new flat iron!

These are my sweet living quarters the little luggage I have with me.

A close-up of the bed situation. I'm not worried though because I slept on a bed like this for one and a half years as a missionary, so any damage to my spine has already been done! Ooh...I hear a mouse squeeking in the closet...or maybe it is a bird chirping...I'm not sure but I AM SERIOUS so I've got to go check out the situation. Later.

Oh yeah and P.S. I can't get the spell check on the blog to work in this country for some reason...maybe it is the slow internet connection...I don't know, but please excuse any misspellings.