The One With The Tattoos

This week’s big event was me getting tattooed. Originally my host sisters convinced me to get my eyebrows tattooed to make them appear fuller/darker. After much resistance, I finally agreed because they assured me that it would look natural and that it wasn’t actually a tattoo so it would only last about 3 years. A family friend is a professional tattoo artist, so he came to our house with all of the equipment. I was in the ready position and the needle and everything were set up, but at the last second I chickened out. 

  

 

However, he didn’t leave without doing anything. I wound up getting 2 tattoos. First, I got a tiny dot on my arm. It looks like a birthmark if you don’t know better. In the words of Phoebe Buffay, it’s “the Earth as seen from a great, great distance.” In reality, it is just a way for me to joke about having a tattoo.

 

But it turns out that was a gateway tattoo and I instantly wanted another. Not really true, but I did end up getting an additional tattoo. This one is on the inside of my lip and reads “why not?” It is my general philosophy on seizing life’s opportunities and trying new things. Want to go live in Paraguay? Why not? Want to get a lip tattoo? Why not? It can’t be seen unless I show people and will rub off in a few years.

      

   
     

   

In other news, a contagion has spread through the cows of Paraguay. It is temporarily unsafe to eat meat. Schucks-darn for me who has been eating around most of the meat here anyway. My host family is full of carnivores and meat is a daily staple. I’m not a vegetarian, but I don’t love meat enough to eat it as much as we do here. We have now been eating more rice, chicken, and gnocchi – foods much more up my alley, so I am actually grateful for the hiatus. After meat, pizza is the family’s second favorite and is also a regular meal here.

 

I no longer go to work at 6:30am. Our neighborhood is apparently very unsafe at that hour so my family has stopped me. By leaving at 8, there are more people in the streets so it is much safer. The police are apparently very corrupt here and people don’t have much trust in them. There are stabbings, kidnappings, and theft if you are not careful. Because of that, I don’t go anywhere (except to the bus for work) on my own. I am not free to adventure and that independence is what I miss the most about the US.

 

It is weird for me to live in a family again. Having been independent for 5 years now, it is strange to be back in a house, let alone one with 4 siblings. In Paraguay it is rare for a child to move away from their parents before they are married. Even once they are married it is not uncommon that the child will live with their spouse in one of the parents’ homes. Mostly this is due to the fact that the cost of living is high and the incomes are low. Most people make minimum wage which is about $400/month for Mon-Fri, 8+hr/day (in reality, minimum wage is not strongly enforced and many places actually pay less). I can no longer complain about not being paid enough in the US!

 

It has reached a blistering 100°F here. It’s humid and sweaty and luckily mostly air-conditioned in the places I spend my time. Hard to believe that just 5 days ago it was hailing.

 

 

We used to go to the gym more often (don’t have to be a member, just a $1.25 entrance fee) but lately we haven’t been. I recently discovered that there is a park just 2 blocks away from our house where I can run safely on my own. It’s not much but I can do laps if it’s not too unbearably hot.

We went and watched my host sister’s boyfriend play pick up soccer. They explained to me that there aren’t many things to do in Paraguay. There are not many outdoor activities and they don’t have a lot of money to do all kinds of adventures. For boys there is soccer and for girls there is makeup/fashion.