Dia del Amigo

All are crazy about the Friendship Day here in Paraguay. I haven’t heard of it being an American, though it is supposedly the International Day of Friendship. Some colleagues were telling me that it was like Valentine’s Day, although for everyone in your social circle—not just your enamorado. I am not sure what I’m up to, but I have a few friends here so am going to arrange something certainly. I think that its a great holiday and a time to celebrate the fact our friends, no matter how far away the best ones may be. Entonces, salud a los amigos!

There are several different days that people celebrate the holiday (I think that it’s August 5th in the States), as well as several different stories about how it came about. The most common origin that I can find and applies directly to South America is that a doctor named Enrique Febbraro was impressed by the combined effort that lead to a successful lunar landing 1968 and proposed a law to the Argentinean Congress to establish Día del Amigo. Our effort to reach the moon, he believed, was symobolic of the struggle for equality between men and races throughout the world. A few suggestions for the modern amigo: Lose the earbuds for a day, stop by and chat instead of email, get coffee with a friend, say hi to people on the street (Adios works best here in Paraguay), and try to make a new friend during one of your activities during the day (something boring is preferable, since it will make it more exciting and memorable if you talk to someone new).

And so, without realizing that I was acting with these exhortations, I tried to talk to someone on the bus this morning. I had missed the ride which most often takes me to the office in the morning since I have been irregular lately, and so had to wait in the rain for the bus to pass by. This can take quite a while, but it came pretty quickly and I had an umbrella that I borrowed from Stael. Yes, the person was female. My Spanish came out badly and I said “put” instead of “able” although the message went across. I was happy to at least have said something.

It seems to double the apprehension everyone has in approaching the opposite sex—you have to say something appealing as well as express yourself in the foreign language. Or you can just screw it up and hope that they are forgiving and appreciative that you said anything at all. In the States there are of course more iPods, which people use to elude the advances of random people who have solely public transportation in common. It can be a pretty good place to start! Anyway, it was not much of a success—I didn’t expect to have any in the first place—but I am glad that I said something to at least bait the line.

Which is what we all have to in life—keep baiting the line and making people come around for more. I'm lucky to have so many good opportunities and am happy to say that they keep coming along. I have always been a bit unnerved that I leave my closest
friends to live in strange places like Mexico, Washington, and Paraguay, but I do always find hospitable parties. My brother asked me once while I was down here whether I was getting homesick about the States—for material things like peanut butter and baseball games or for the people. Today it is for the people. But, while the nomad must desist from certain pastures for a time, he most often finds ample fields after migrating. Most, likely including myself, will return to the old pasture eventually, but in the meantime can send only good vibes across the ocean.

Candlelight

A fabulous thunderstorm, or tormenta, passed over Asunción last night, one reminiscent of the one that welcomed me in April. The instant it approached the lights went out; the winds seemed to threaten the very structure in which I sat. The thunder in the April storm was unlike anything I had ever heard, resembling an earthquake in the way it shook my body while I was lying in bed. The lightning strikes must have been less than one mile away to carry powerful thunder. At least since México I’ve enjoyed thunder and rainstorms; I remember how the rain would flood the planta baja, covering the tile floors without causing alarm.

Writing by candlelight invoked a feeling of communion with those who had no option for so many decades. It made me realize how we can be so abusive of proper sleep habits in the modern age, and stay awake working or watching television with appliances that run on fossil fuels. There was not much to do without electricity, and I had even booted up the computer just as the lights went out. Apparently someone had other plans for my late evening, and certainly I am fine with a bit of writing and an hour of yoga listening to the sounds of nature blasting the windows and roof of the casita.

I have an espresso cup that I drink wine from in my room; it makes the bottle last longer and the sips more sincere. After the storm passes all is much calmer. Sounds begin outside—people are talking about downed branches in the courtyard next door, cars are passing in the street and the motos have restarted their unmufflered migrations. The thunder is now heard far off, and rain drips outside the windows; candlelight continues to flicker throughout my comfortable space.

Biblioteca Nacional

The Institution that I am most interested in here in Paraguay is the Biblioteca Nacional, since they should in theory be the strongest library in the country. Unfortunately, they have been terrifically neglected over the years and have no real budget in the Ministry of Culture. We are hoping that this changes with the appointment of a new Minister on the 15th of August.

American funds did recently support a project to microfilm some 90,000 pages of daily newspapers, and there are some signs that they will get some help from the "Binational," the organization which administers Itaupu Dam. This organization was providing the Internet, but now the bill is unpaid. So the library doesn't have Internet, which doesn't make sense to most people but is not all that crazy. I have heard several times that less than 5% of Paraguayans have reliable access to the Internet (and so I consider myself very lucky to have it, and for that matter keep a blog!)

There are actually readers at the Biblioteca Nacional, and when I went last week there were a greater number because the chicos were on winter break and getting caught up on research. Some 1000 books--reference, books on Paraguay, and many newspapers--are available to them. A large portion of the books that they own, though, are not cataloged and have been both collecting dust and sunlight for years.

Sunlight is one of the most damaging things to paper, not to mention humidity and dust, so most of these books (called the United Nations collection since they were donated by the organization over the years) have sustained irreparable damage. This photo is classic--one that a professor could show to his Library Preservation course to show the bleaching effect of sunlight. More important than bleaching, though, light causes a chemical reaction in the paper that makes it more attractive to acidic elements in the air, leading to more rapid deterioration.

There are a few sources of support for the library, and I am still asking around. They do have many employees who are willing and able to do good work with the place, and the Director is doing and has done good work with other institutions. A man named Martin Romano who owns an computer company is going ahead with the creation of a webpage for free. Also, the United Nations Information Center here is planning to donate new bookshelves and pay for cleaning the dust from the inaccessible collections, but that is still in the works. I was thinking this morning as a waited for a coffee: if such a simple undertaking can take some 20 minutes (I'm serious -- I don't know how it physically took so long), getting support for a huge project like the Biblioteca Nacional will of course take years. With the support of many, though, and in small steps, the place may be proceeding toward order en seguida.

Tilting at windmills

Since it is still the month Independence, so I'll post some photos from the flag raising at the Embassy, which I patriotically attended. I was unsurprised to hear a prayer near the beginning, and took it is a sign that indeed religion is becoming more powerful in the world. It was quite cliché to see a man there with his cowboy hat and Wranglers--he looked more American than I could believe. And what do you know, all I could think of, with a touch of nostalgia, was Nebraska...

This is my lunch afterward, which I enjoyed with a beer and coffee for the grand sum of $4-5.
After all that talk of corn in my dad's post, I must mention that here in Paraguay they also eat loads of corn flour, though I am not too sure where they grow it. The most traditional Paraguayan food--chipa--is made from it, as are many other traditional foods. The yellowish stuff on the further plate in the image is mandioca, which a root that more or less resembles a potato but more fibrous. Although very bland, I eat it when I can get it, since for the most part the food is carbs, carbs, carbs. And from the other night, I post an image of a small meal that is also fairly typically Paraguayan--a burger and a Brahma.

Still looking into the Fulbright grant, which has a deadline of August 1st. Although of course it never hurts to apply, there are some things that make me think that I wouldn't be able to go through with it. I have said for long enough that I would have to think about professional prospects in the second half of my trip, and here we are. I would rather have a job, though, for a government organization that does work in developing countries, and in that way benefit from the funding and infrastructure that they would be able to provide. In any case, I've got to get some sort of applications out there, and start looking around for what I'd like to do next. Any ideas from the reading crowd? Certainly, though, I will be back in DC, bound by what they call the "golden handcuffs" of the Library of Congress. There is plenty of time to see what options end up on the table.

I still have this crazy idea about raising some money down here. The horrendous distribution of wealth means that there is a community of Asuncenos who have money to support public project such as libraries, but they have not yet been provoked. Several
worthwhile projects need attention, and I think that people somehow intuitively realize that libraries are good for cultural and social health. If we can show that donations and investments complete projects--since in a thoroughly corrupt country the people have seen so much money wasted--we may find success. I say we, of course more in a poetic sense, but there are several allies I hope to enlist. Well, I did run into Cervantes down here, so in the quixotic spirit of his valiant Don...

Happy 4th!

The Fourth of July understandably went by without much notice from the Paraguayan community, but the Americans had a few memorable get-togethers. Instead of the usual fare of mini-empanadas and cocido (a type of sweet tea made through a process of burning and then straining tea leaves) they had coffee and donuts and the Embassy on the day before the 3rd.

We celebrated like we were in Louisiana to celebrate America's 232nd birthday and the party was pretty phenomenal--great food, great music, and much dancing. The pictures should do some justice. It was one of those occasions where I feel like a tourist shooting pictures of everything instead of just enjoying it (I should author a post just about that, remind me!), but I'm always glad to have them. Thanks Tim, for pressuring me to take as many as possible!

Terrence Simien, one of the most innovative and successful performers of Zydeco--folk music that originated in the South--played a concert for the Ambassador Cason (that's him in the Ben Franklin costume) and the rest those lucky enough to get an invite. Though Mr. Cason's handling of the Guaraní language is impressive, perhaps his own singing talent not so much. Saludos to Mr. Cason and what he has done for el Paraguay--for the music, the libraries, and for the people. We hear that the upcoming Ambassador is far more stern, and likely doesn't speak a lick of Guaraní. No matter what criticism anyone has about him, he always has a good time.Check him out in that Ben Franklin outfit! And the party was more or less his last here in Paraguay, since his three years has passed, and word is that he will retire after returning to the States. Saludos, señor!

How about that Wimbledon final? I started watching at 10:00 in the morning after too long a night on Saturday, and had to endure until 4:30. I figured that if Nadal and Federer persevered through the rain delays and nearly 20 games without a broken serve, I could make the finish. What a match! Always when watching tennis I think of my grandma Donna, who I am sure was behind Federer all the way. He was graceful in his loss, and I think that it's always good to see the underdog get one.



My parents hit the road again over the weekend, and will be giving us creative and enthusiastic reports of their travels through the midwest. Shout out to the Ahrens, who will be hosting them as when they pass through Blair, NE, in a week or so. My dad will also be having a retirement party on the shores of Lake Ogollala in the same state, which he much deserves. He'll have to find something else to do after his bike ride -- hopefully he will get to do some more writing! The blog of the Tour de Homerpearl, which I reckon the Denver Post should have mentioned, is accessible at homerpearl.blogspot.com.

Charles Dickens Library

A professional entry and some photos of birthdays and a funky concert. Gotta love this incredibly cheesy photo of my friend Dino and I! Umm, yeah, and you know that I've been putting off that haircut...

I have started working with the Institute Library and am trying to get my head around what we'll be able to do with the place. The library has mostly books in English, and at all different reading levels so that the students can use them no matter how much English they know. Stael recently hired a librarian named Maru, and we are working together to get the place in shape. They have a database, which was designed and is maintained by an analyst, but it is discouraging that we have not had much luck getting a hold of him to come and make the changes we see that the system needs.

The main improvement we're hoping to provide is subject access, which Stael is very enthusiastic to have and will be useful for the teachers. They do not have a controlled vocabulary (a system that controls what words can be used to describe books or other documents) but I believe we'll be able to use the ERIC thesaurus, which is a well-known vocabulary maintained by the US Dept. of Education.

There are 42 categories that the books fall into, though many of them overlap. Because most books fall into two subjects but cannot be placed in each spot on the shelf, librarians describe in the catalog both subjects that the book is about. Then we classify it (give it a call number) based on the more prominent of the two categories. When books should be in two different places--for example, Spanish fiction--we describe the book both with "Fiction" and with "Spanish language" so that a reader can find it regardless of how they enter the catalog.

All of the books have on their spine the corresponding letters to indicate a category and the first three letters of the author’s last name. Surnames which begin with the first three letters are described further with a 1, 2, 3, and so on. This system is not the worst, and does allow the reader to find the book that they are looking for. There is the problem of Reader’s Digest books, other anthologies, and reference books which only have the editor rather than an actual author. I'll have to look in the cataloguing rules to see what we are supposed to do in this case. Al final, the labeling system that the library has, is not all that bad. In non-fiction sections, though, it is critical that we have better access for the shelf reader than just by the author’s last name, which is often not what the reader knows about the book they are looking for.

The actual catalog entries are fairly bad shape: there are many missing words, letters, and fields that should otherwise be there. This will take some updating and manual catalog work, but that is
what we have a librarian for, and those are problems that we can actually see a result from and begin to have better searches. I think that this is the least of our problems: they are there because the system has been underused for several years.


All said and done, there are many good things that can be done to make access to the library better, and I am excited that we will be able to see a difference in a small amount of time. I need to come up with some concrete things for Maru and I to do so that we start noticing the changes, rather than just come in here and poke around and be kinda useless. Today is the first day that I have spent entirely at at the Charles Dickens Library.