Spreading Wings
Meeting daily with members of this community is very enlightening and enjoyable. They are intelligent, strong, determined, and welcoming. I’ve walked along the cobblestone streets, stopping in stores, the cooperativa, and the new restaurants to meet with the owners and staff, discuss their work, and to listen, listen, listen. I stop by groups of men sitting on front porches drinking [tooltip text=”tereré” gravity=”nw”]an infusion of yerba maté. Tereré was invented by the Guaraní natives and the tradition has spread through centuries. It is served in a guampa, sometimes made of horn, and sipped through a bombilla, a silver strawlike piece with a sieve on the end.[/tooltip] and women sitting out in the sun, embroidery hoops in hand, thread weaving in and out as they chat, with lovely Ao Po’i flowing down their laps and the finished product – intricately embroidered yardage –puddling ’round them, metro after metro (metre) of gorgeous stitchery in every color combination. I learn about their stitch patterns, their work, their design, and I tell them that I feel fortunate to be living in such a creative environment.
I write down their names so I can understand how to pronounce them – Serafina, Liduvenia, Reina, and their names go on my invitation list for my upcoming site presentation on October 17th. I learn the names of the women’s groups they’ve formed over the years to work together to create beautiful hand-embroidered products — the comités and comisiónes with these names: Yataity poty, Virgen de Fatima, Virgin del Rosario, Kunakatupyry, Koe’ phahu, and Rosa Mística, and more. This is one of my favorite parts of the project — learning more about them and about the community.
Recently, I made one of many trips to Asuncion, the capitol, to discuss artesania sales and marketing issues of Yataity. I have several initiatives/projects in mind as I consider ways to aid this community, and assisting and working with the artesans is imperative, as well as the development of other types of businesses, personal development, and working with our youth. Today, my focus was on artesania. Got up at 4:00 am, put on two layers of long sleeved tshirts then a navy pullover sweater, leggings with a navy long skirt, thick socks, then ankle boots, then my down jacket and red cashmere scarf. It’s cold waiting for the bus and riding on the bus.
I caught the big Guaireña that leaves from the interior of Yataity and travelled three and a half hours to meet with my partner volunteer, whose site is similar in nature, with similar issues. We are working on an exciting and involved undertaking regarding the sales operations of our artisans. Our meeting that day was enlightening and provided much information as we forge ahead. Recently, we Skyped with some folks in Europe and the US, to learn more of what is working and not working for them in these areas. All this information is pulling together a very encouraging picture of what our project can accomplish. There will be more details to share as we go along!
I feel that it is a great and fortunate thing for me that I’m part of an organization that sends a volunteer to site with the freedom to glean from that community what its needs are, forge a self-designed path using best judgment, allowing for out-of-the-box thinking, and providing the tools and resources that will undergird his or her projects and initiatives. That method of work is what lifts my wings.
The artisans here have had so many people come in to try to find ways to increase sales, and there are many roadblocks to getting products out the door to other areas of Paraguay and to other countries. We are researching all methods and opportunities so we don’t give them empty promises.
This life in Paraguay is enlightening, stimulating, curious, joyful, sometimes sad, sometimes frustrating, always rich, colorful, at times confounding, and funny. With all that said, it is a place that allows you to spread your wings and fly if you want, and I agree with Coco Chanel: “If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing.”
