The day before I saw carpinchos again, which obviously made me incredibly happy. Here are some pics of both carpinchos and the fiesta.
Yesterday it stormed all day, which meant I did absolutely nothing. It was extremely pleasant. Today I ran some errands and then went down to the comedor to see the kids and talk to some of the ladies in charge. One kid invited me to his house to see the 5 week old puppies they have. The kid, Eduardo (13), is quite nice and very shy. His mother is not very shy, and is actually quite pushy. They'd been trying to talk me into taking a puppy home for quite some time. The more I thought about it, the worse of an idea it seemed. I'm going on a vacation next month for a week, my parents come in December, and I leave in just 8 months. I'm not at home very frequently--I spend a lot of time around the community--and don't really have the time or patience to train a dog. My friend got 2 puppies 2 months ago and is now super annoyed at them all the time. All signs pointed to "Don't Get a Puppy", yet as I write this, there is one laying in my lap, fast asleep. Why did I cave? I don't know. I might as well blame that damned birthday party for making me revisit my 12-year-old self who would absolutely never have turned down a puppy.
On that note, this cute little thang is looking for a name. I'm thinking something in Guarani...not sure but will keep you updated, but am definitely open to suggestions.
Uh oh on the puppy!!!! But, he is a tiny little doll, and had to come home with you, I think! Some friends name their dogs after their siblings- a nice trend, I think- so how is Fred for a name? How will you get him home?
ReplyDeleteWhat are the carpinchos? Those gigantic hamster/guinea pig things? Do these jumbo hamsters just randomly walk around the city being friendly? How interesting!
The kids look really happy at what was purported to be your birthday party :)! Happy 26th!!
Take care and much love, Aunt V.
Hey Aunt VA,
ReplyDeleteYeah, the puppy is doing much better now after her vaccinations and all that and a bunch of flea powder. I ended up naming her La Baronesa (The Baroness) but am calling her Nessie. The process to bring a pup home is a bit long, so we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I guess.
Carpincho is Spanish for Capybara and its claim to fame is being the world's largest rodent. They make sounds very close to those of guinea pigs (speaking of pets named Fred...) and are happy enough when you feed them carrots. I wouldn't say they're particularly friendly. After we ran out of carrots one tried to attack us, which was slightly odd. There is just this one city in Paraguay where a handful live in a park, but otherwise they live in the wild and are frequently eaten, mostly inside empanadas. I haven't tried them yet but definitely plan to.
Much love,
NDF
Ha!!! Excellent name! What a little sweetie. I think you also need to bring home a Carpincho. The world's largest rodent? That is just really gross. And, I have been bitten by my fair share of guinea pigs- and hamsters. Haven't tried them meaning eaten them? Kind of snorty noises? Too gross. They looked sweet in the pic, so it is funny to learn that they are not so sweet!!
ReplyDeleteI have lots of books- children's, professional, and novels, but all in English. That won't work for your project, right? Has to be Spanish?
Take care, hope all is well, can't wait to see the pup. She looks like a tiny thing. Probably follows you everywhere? Aunt V.