Climate Change

It is blog action day again, the one day a year that bloggers unite to write about a topic of concern. This year I've been asked to write about climate change. With all of the recent news stories about tsunamis, hurricanes, floods and such it is hard to ignore the disastrous affects that climate change is having on lives around the world. This is truly a topic which concerns us all. The deeper question for me is always to try to figure out how does this really affect me - and what steps does that mean I can and should take to help do my part? Here in Paraguay I'm not sure that climate change is a big concern. There don't seem to be any emissions control on vehicles, liter is clearly a big problem, recycling has just begun to be talked about and spread (our students are trying to reach out to other schools to get them interested in recycling programs, although there are the horse cart men who dig through the trash for recyclables - more on that at a later date), clean water is still not available for everyone even in Asuncion leading to greater use of bottled water...I couldn't even tell you if any changes in climate have affected crop growing in Paraguay at all. I just don't see the immediate results here. So what are the affects? Personally, I think it is in the idea of places that I want to travel to having a limited shelf life - will I get to the Galapagos Islands before they are to far destroyed to admit visitors? Will weather patterns make it difficult to enjoy the time off to travel I do get? Those are the thoughts which lead me to consider what I can do personally that might make a difference. My lifestyle doesn't lend itself to saying I'll try not to take gas guzzling flights, but that doesn't mean that I can't do some small things. I can continue to walk the 20-40 minutes it takes to get to almost any of my destinations in Asuncion, instead of calling a taxi, or explore the bus system. I can continue to "Agroshop" on Tuesdays - local farmers with products (possible organic) available 6 blocks from house. I can make sure all that paper I'm throwing away at school goes into the recycle box instead of into the trash can. I can embrace reusable plastic containers over plastic bags for packing lunch and snacks. I am sure there are many other things I can be doing in the belief that the only thing that makes any big change is all of the little people making small changes. I encourage you to think about what steps you could take to help combat the problems brought about by the climate changes in our world.

Crossing the border

“Pardon me, can you tell me how to get a bus to Posadas?” I can’t believe I’m asking how to take a bus to another country for the day. “Just cross the street and get on any bus labeled Posadas-Encarnation.” Really, it’s that easy? Turns out, yes. You can take what amounts to a city bus from Encarnation, Paraguay to Posadas, Argentina. Just make sure you get off twice – once at the Paraguayan border and once at the Argentinean border (don’t ask me why all those people didn’t get off the bus, trust me its better to get your passport stamped). Oh – and take all your stuff because you might not be getting on the same bus you got off if it has driven on before you get done. They don’t wait for you. But the good news is even if it is a different bus you won’t need to buy a new ticket (after all there isn’t exactly anywhere else you could have come from). Did I mention the Argentina immigration officials will have difficulty believing this is your first entry into Argentina? They’re probably wondering why start with Posadas? It is not that it is an unpleasant town, it is just that it is a border river town. The highlight is a bricked walkway running beside the river and the good food you can find across the street (personally I recommend the pumpkin ravioli). Still you can tell you’re in a different country (a 20 minute bus ride away). People seem a little better off, the buses are newer…Be warned though that the town takes a 3 hour siesta around 2 pm. You might want to wait to eat until then otherwise you won’t be able to find anything to do except wander around town looking at the closed shop doors. But it is true – you can take the city bus to another country, and it will only cost you $1.

Small Pond

I might teach some of the big fish in this town, but in the grand scheme of things I have to say that Asuncion is a small pond. I feel that I can say that with some authority. The reason? Anywhere that teachers are matter of factly included in events which also include multiple of ambassadors, government officials and even Miss Paraguay, the pool of individuals cannot be that large. This is exactly the kind of event I found myself at last Thursday. The first of October the South Korean embassy celebrated Foundation Day for South Korea (actually on the third, it commemorates the founding of the first state of the Korean nation). I went for the food, to be perfectly honest, but found myself intrigued by the people watching and the entertainment. In some ways I wish I had had a guide to point out who people were as I wandered about the back yard, past the pool and tennis court to the food tents which were by the waterwheel. The one person who was easily identified was Miss Paraguay, thanks to her crown and sash. After a bite to eat we were informed that the young girls would be performing a fan dance for us. These girls, who attend a Korean School on Saturday to ensure that they do not lose the Korean culture, were actually quite good. In their green and pink national costumes they turned, circled and waved through the dance. All in all an enjoyable evening for me which was nothing like I had ever expected to experience in Asuncion.