Shopping List

Things to buy this weekend in Asuncion:

• mosquito repellant


• frog killer (do they make that?)...or maybe frog traps or some really strong bug spray that I can spray on the frogs and kill them
  
• candy


• fruit


• bug spray for room


• dog poison

So I know I need to post my pictures of Iguassu, and I will soon even though the Internet out here is super slow and it will be a huge sacrifice to do it...I'll do it for blog fans and leeches alike but first of all I'll just give a quick update of where I'm at now.

Today I moved out to the Agricultural School that the NGO I'm interning for has. It is about an hour outside of Asuncion. Normally someone would have driven me out there but all the people that could are at a conference in Nicaragua or something. So I had to take a local bus. I needed to get all my stuff out there too since I will be living here for a month but I couldn't really manage it all on the bus. So I left half of it at the intern house in Asuncion...I guess I'm used to not having all of my stuff anyway. The bus was interesting. It was a typical South or Central American bus (although there were no chickens tied to the top of this one as I have seen before) with people packed in tight and as if it weren't tight enough tons of people are getting on the bus trying to sell things to those riding the bus. This includes everything from mandarin oranges to radios to cleaning products. Sometimes if you're lucky you'll get an infomercial type presentation. Those always suck me in.

Anyway I made it to the school but the lane to the school is about a half a mile or maybe a little more of dirt and rocks. And of course I have one of my big red suitcases with me and wasn't about to lug that thing for a half a mile...I was already sweaty and dirty enough from the bus ride. So I just dragged it, through dirt and rocks and leaves and even a little cow manure (dry luckily). Man those suitcases are awesome...I didn't even break a wheel!

It is so beautiful out here. The air is clean and fresh and there are fields and gardens everywhere. It is nice to get away from the diesel smell of the streets of Asuncion. I'll take some pictures later because it really is gorgeous and instantly I felt at home as the country is much more my style than the big city...I like cities but just for a day or two...then I want to go back where the air is clear and there aren't people and cars and motorcycles everywhere. I even went for a run tonight on a little path through the fields. It was beautiful. Anyway, I love it here except for just a few things...

First of all probably my biggest concern right now is that there are frogs in our bathroom. And some in the kitchen too, but mostly in the bathroom. I live in a little house with two other interns. The house is nice and clean and I have my own room and everything, but the frogs are freaking me out big time. I'm a really jumpy person already and I don't need something jumping on me while I'm brushing my teeth. Tonight I went to use the bathroom and there were eight...that's right EIGHT frogs just on the wall and ceiling above the toilet and one of them was huge and disgusting. I'm getting chills just writing about it. So I couldn't use the bathroom. Instead I waited like two hours and then walked like a quarter of a mile to where there was another bathroom.

So what do I do? Do any of you guys know a good and not too disgusting of a way to kill frogs? I don't want to smash them as that would leave guts everywhere and I'm just not the kind of person that could do that anyway. It has to be a more passive way of killing. I'm thinking poison or traps. I've got to do something and fast.

Also there are a lot of mosquitos here and I must taste delicious becasue I am getting eaten alive. I would rather be stuck in a room with 5000 mosquitos though than have a frog jump on me in the bathroom. I can't believe that I'm saying this but I wish we had mice in the house instead of frogs...or even big spiders...I just can't handle slimy creatures that jump.

Also there are about five farm dogs here at the school. They are probably just strays that found a home here. They are gross and are always fighting with each other and for some reason they hang out right by the intern house all the time. They bug me big time too, but are the least of my concern (at least while I have the frog problem). I wish that I would have brought some of that dog poison that you can mix in with meat. That stuff works like a charm. I just didn't think to pack any. Plus I probably would have had to wait a week or two to use it so that my arrival and the death of all the dogs here wouldn't coincide too closely.

If you don't know me you are probably thinking, "wow, this girl is a psycho." And I kind of am when it comes to dogs and frogs. I really don't like killing things and won't (at least not the dogs) but I have got to get my situation under control here.

Anyway, I think that frogs are considered to be an indicator species. That is, if they want to see how good an environment is they look at the amphibians since they are so sensitive. So, this must be a good environment here becasue there are so many frogs...so hopefully it will be a good environment for me for the next month! Also, I'm glad that frogs are so sensitive to their environment...that means they should be easier to poison, right?

I'll keep you posted on the frog situation and will try to get some pictures up of my trip to Iguassu when I have the patience to upload them. The end for now.

Sick. There was even a frog in the fridge tonight. Maybe this could be a new weight loss strategy...starving myself because of my fear of entering the kitchen...nah, I'd probably just eat candy in my room anyway.

I only caught six frogs in this picture but I swear there were eight within view at one time. I just couldn't get them all in the shot.

This little creep was even in the drain of the bathroom sink. I wanted to drown it but I'm pretty sure you can't drown an amphibian. I don't know for sure though so maybe I'll have to Google it and find out. Drowning them would be a pretty easy way. Hum...

Home sweet home. I moved the bed away from all the walls. I know it doesn't look the greatest organized that way but having the bed away from all the walls makes me feel less vulnerable to frogs and spiders.