Two Lists

Things I Will Miss From Paraguay
(In no significant order)

* Karen, Oscar, Brandon, Gaby and Edson (ok, that one is first on the list in significant order!!)
* The beautiful plants
* Sitting in the back seat of a car with a ton of people, holding my kids on my lap as a result
* Empanadas (especially con carne)
* The hugs of rumpled first graders and sweaty sixth graders (and all the other kids in between)
* The stretching of my brain as I try to speak with someone in an intelligible manner
* Sharing family stories with my nephews
* My surprised reaction each time I see free-roaming dogs, horses, cows and chickens on the streets
* The beautiful red dirt (except on the laundry or my children)
* Having help with the care of my kids, making meals, doing laundry, cleaning, etc. (There's something good to be said about communal living!)
* Chipa
* Being in the classroom again
* Hearing "Dios te bendiga"
* The beautiful weather and sunshine
* Watching my sister use Godly wisdom when raising her teenage boys
* The interesting architecture of buildings and the fascinating (and mostly make-shift) signs
* The way everyone shares things so freely with each other
* The many times people stop to pray, especially the teachers in school
* Getting excited when I can actually understand and participate in a conversation spoken in another language
* Reminiscing with Karen (and Oscar and the boys)
* Hearing Gaby burst into song

(This is an incomplete list of things I will miss.)

Things I Will NOT Miss
* Mosquitoes
* Lack of soap and towels in public bathrooms (and sometimes some homes)
* Red dirt in my kids' clothes and under their fingernails
* The trash that is just thrown on the ground in public places, even when there is a trash can a few feet away
* The traffic rules - which really means 'the lack of'
* Getting up early and staying up late (even after a month my body is not used to this schedule)
* Wanting to speak to people, but not having a CLUE what to say (so that they can understand me, that is)
* The smell of smoke every day from people burning their rubbish all the time, even in the middle of streets
* The stuffy classrooms, especially in the afternoon