FEISA Graduates

FEISA's vision is to train early years teachers to the highest standard in order to develop in children their full potential and so generate a transformation of society.  Our graduates are working in many different contexts.  Some of them are at the frontline of the struggle to transform Paraguay by giving children from disadvantaged backgrounds access to high quality education.  Here are some of their stories:

Anabel graduated in 2003 and now works for a government project aiming to tackle the huge numbers of children working on the streets in Asunción and surrounding towns.  The project works with the families to eliminate the need for the children to work by helping the parents generate sufficient income.  It also provides health, nutrition and educational support.  Of the 1,340 children being supported by the project, 96% are no longer working on the streets.  Annabel is completely fulfilled in her work. “I always knew I wanted to reach more than the children in one class. These children are vulnerable and isolated. Nothing was being done for them. To see the success of the project and know that this is possible for more and more children in Paraguay thrills me.”

Lili graduated in 2004 and now works with the indigenous Aché community.  Educational provision amongst indigenous communities is the worst in Paraguay and it is difficult to find teachers for these communities due to the harsh living conditions.  Lili’s dynamic, interactive teaching methods in pre-school made even the youngest children want to attend so she decided to start a nursery class as well! The community is delighted that their children are learning so much. Her teaching about basic hygiene is also ensuring better health for them and their families. Had Lili not received a full scholarship from FEISA, she would not be teaching today.

Silvia graduated in 2004 and now teaches in a day nursery run by a Mennonite charity.  As well as having a class of 25 four-year-olds, she co-ordinates the volunteers who work with all the children, aged from 6 months to 5 years.  The charity’s vision is to offer economic, social and spiritual help to disadvantaged families, most of whom come from shanty towns.  They wash, feed, educate and provide basic medical care for the children and they provide talks and workshops for the parents on parenting and life skills.  Silvia is now studying for the degree at FEISA and she says she’s learning an enormous amount.  She says, “My whole life I have wanted to be a teacher.  FEISA gave me very good training, which prepared me well for the job.  Now my desire is to become the director of a Christian school.  Doing the degree is the first step.  This is my vocation.”

Elisa graduated in 2006 and is now teaching in a charity-run school for children at risk.  She has a class of 23 five-year-olds, all of whom come from families where the parents are either in prison, working on the street or ill, often with AIDS.  She acts as nurse and mother as well as teacher to these very needy children.  Before she came to FEISA she felt called by God to work with young children, but did not have the economic means to pay for teacher training.  By offering her a scholarship, FEISA gave her the opportunity to qualify as a teacher and she says it was a dream come true for her to be able to study, a real gift from God.  She now feels fulfilled in her work; “I feel useful and I’ve got so much to give.  I try to make a difference to the children’s lives, giving them the love and attention they need.”

© Fiona L Cooper/FEISA 2009

Celibacy, the Priesthood and Paraguay

I've been pondering the subject of celibacy since Lugo's admission on Monday of fathering a child while he was a Catholic bishop (see previous post). Priests in the Catholic church are committed to celibacy. Yet there are so very many stories of priests who have affairs, and others who abuse boys, that I wonder just what proportion of the priesthood do actually make it to the end of their life without breaking their vow of celibacy. Is it the majority or the minority who do manage it? How helpful is it really to require such a vow, when it is broken so frequently? If it is assumed that a priest is above the normal human urge for sex, then that may free parishioners to be honest with their confessor in a way they might not otherwise. However, it is clear that priests are just as human as the rest of us, and in no way are they above such urges, so perhaps parishioners are unwittingly putting their clergy in positions of unbearable temptation... if indeed they do believe priests are super human in this regard. If, however, it is not assumed that a priest is above the human urge for sex, then surely the priest himself as well as the laity in a parish should be more than conscientious about not placing him in situations where temptation could become unbearable.

Lugo started his affair with the mother of his child when he used to stay in the house where she was living, as a 16-year-old girl. Obviously I have no idea how the affair started, but surely somebody should have thought of the possible danger it might pose to have a priest (a single man with all the normal sexual desires of any man) staying in the same house as a girl of that age? Should there not have been some kind of chaperone at the very least, to ensure they were never alone together? The adults around ought to have taken responsibility for the girl and protected her from being in a position where the then bishop could take advantage. Not that I'm assuming the seduction was all Lugo's. I can quite see it possible that she might have been the initiator - we just don't know, but at the age of 16, she should have had someone looking out for her best interests. And those best interests could never have included becoming a bishop's mistress. Surely?

However, Paraguay has a very relaxed attitude towards sex. It is so common to sleep around or to have a wife/husband as well as a bit on the side, that everyone sees it as more or less de rigueur. Perhaps I'm exaggerating, but I'm constantly surprised by the stories I hear of unmarried pregnancies and affairs. Unfortunately, the Christian community in Paraguay is also full of this sort of behaviour. There is a theory that after the Triple Alliance War in the 1800s, the male population of the country was so badly decimated that there weren't enough men to go round. Therefore, it became common to have more than one "wife," each in a different town. The theory is that this promiscuity has become embedded in the culture in a way that makes it extraordinarily difficult for Paraguayans to stand firm in the face of temptation.

The "scandal" of Lugo fathering a child while a bishop seems not to bother the average Paraguayan. On the contrary, the men would seem to be somewhat supportive of this proof of his manhood, while the women seem to be glad enough that here is a father who will actually acknowledge his illegitimate child.

It makes me wonder whether, given this prevailing attitude, those who were looking after this young 16 year old, perhaps didn't focus on the questionable morality of her affair with Lugo as much as the possible prestige and access to power that might come with her having a relationship with the bishop. Or maybe I've been reading too much Philippa Gregory (see The Other Boleyn Girl, where the court of Henry VIII was intent on gaining favour with the king by having young female relatives sleep with him...)!

© Fiona L Cooper 2009

Lugo - Just A Man After All

I am dismayed to discover that the new President of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo, has admitted to fathering a child while he was a (Catholic) bishop.

The accusation was made last week by the child's mother and when I saw the headlines, I imagined it to be a plot by the opposition to attack the government. You know, find a girl who's got a child and pay her to go to the papers with her "story." The President will deny it so demand a DNA test, which he will also deny because he will not "dignify" the allegations. Meanwhile, the rumours fly around... Cause maximum disruption with the result of destabilizing the government.

However, the child's mother didn't go to the papers but to the police, with a seven-page written demand that the President formally recognise his son.

And today, Lugo held a press conference where he admitted to having a relationship with this girl and fathering her child. The child is now two years old and his mother 26. She says the relationship started when she was 16 and living in the house where Lugo sometimes stayed while carrying out his duties as Bishop.

I am deeply saddened by this news. I have lost a good deal of my admiration for him - he clearly does not have the integrity I thought he did.

However, he is neither the first president to have fathered a child out of wedlock before coming to power, nor is he the first priest to have done so.

I do admire his honesty at coming clean. The papers over the weekend were full of quotes by his spokespeople about how ridiculous an accusation it was and how they were going to fight it tooth and nail. I think it says an awful lot about him that he denied nothing and spoke with absolute candour at the press conference.

I imagine this honest admission will defuse a situation which could have become a destabilising factor for the government.

It is undoubtedly refreshing to see a politician admit so openly to wrongdoing. So my sadness is tempered by admiration... The public seems to be generally supportive of the fact he has come clean, which in Paraguay is somewhat refreshing (see this video).

For me, this subject raises the question of whether it really is good for Catholic clergy to take a vow of celibacy. It is clearly a vow extremely difficult to keep in practice. Would it not be better to allow them to marry, like Paul says in 1 Cor 7:8-9; "Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion."




© Fiona L Cooper 2009

Transition Blues

I went home for Christmas. I only told a very few people because I knew I wouldn't have time to see anyone else. I was in the UK for a month. I spent Christmas with my family in Newcastle, had a couple of wonderful days in the Lakes with a friend for Hogmanay and briefly saw other friends on my way down south to Heathrow and the journey back to Paraguay.

Now I'm back in Paraguay, where I belong for this time in my life and I'm feeling rather emotionally vulnerable. Which is unusual for me, being more of a logical than emotional personality type. And because of its unusualness, it's a rather uncomfortable place to be.

It's called Transition, this time between cultures, when you don't quite feel as though you fit anywhere. And it's what I'm going through. And I hate it. I've gone through it so many times in my life and recently, it's been every year. Yet it doesn't get any easier.

I think there are a number of factors which can make it easier or harder to cope with, such as how much I've enjoyed my time in the first culture, how much I miss friends and family, how settled I feel in the second culture, how much rest I've had recently, etc.

This time at home, I spent very good times with friends and family and I'm finding it quite hard that I can't spend more time with them, or see them more regularly. My friends have growing families - let me tell you about the 12 people I know who are pregnant at the moment!! - and I would love to be more a part of their lives, I particularly miss getting to know the children while they are young.

I've come back to what is very likely (though not definitely) my last year here in Paraguay. That means I'm inevitably thinking about the future beyond 2009 - where will I go? What will I do? This in turn makes me feel a bit restless about being here at all. I'm trying hard to focus on the here and now, but part of me is constantly evaluating what's going on, in an effort to discern which direction I should go in next.

I've returned to a job which, to all intents and purposes, is likely to be very similar in roles and responsibilities as it was last year. Last year was very hard and I'm expecting it to be a similar challenge this year. That doesn't exactly fill me with joy! Although the fact that I am convinced I'm in the right place for this time in my life does give me a certain functional contentment. However, being a details person means I often find it hard to notice the big picture and remember the reason I came when my mind is occupied with the nitty gritty of getting through the problem in front of me at the time.

So I'm generally a bit fed up and unmotivated at the moment. I'm also tired and the heat is affecting me more than usual because of that. I need to remember that this is a phase that will pass. I need to focus on the positives about being here and take time to enjoy them. I need to make sure I get enough rest, while being aware that sleeping too much is also a sign of stress. And I need to be able to talk about how I'm feeling. So thank you, because that's what this post has really been about - being able to articulate how I'm feeling in an effort to manage this horrid Transition process a bit better.

See more photos from my time in the UK:

Christmas break 08-09

© Fiona L Cooper 2009

warm the cockles of your heart

with a story about... ice!

You know how on a hot summer's day there's nothing better than an iced drink? Well here in Paraguay, there are lots of hot days. One of the ways Paraguayans keep cool is by drinking an ice-cold "tea" made with a native herb. The drink is called terere (pronounced teyreyrey, sort of!) and is drunk by first filling a wooden beaker with the herb, pouring iced water from a thermos flask onto the herb and then drinking through a metal straw. It's extremely refreshing, it's usually shared with friends and it contains some kind of stimulant so keeps you awake during the drowsy heat.

It's important to have access to ice so that there's a ready supply of ice-cold water for the terere. Today on the news was a short item about a 10 year old girl who has been selling the ice to go in the thermos flasks. In Paraguay, the biggest sector of the economy is driven by informal trade, most of which happens on the street. So this girl has her cool-box full of cylinders of ice for sale, under a tree.

However, there's a huge difference between her and most street-sellers in that she doesn't actually stay there to take the money and hand out the ice. There's a little notice stuck on the tree, saying that each cylinder of ice is 500 Guaranies (about 6p) and there's a padlocked tin with a hole in the lid to put your money in. She started this as an experiment because she felt that people were more honest than they are often given credit for. So she decided to see how honest her fellow Paraguayans really are. How many people would take the ice without paying?

Well, it turns out that, much to the amazement of the reporter, everyone has been extremely honest in paying for what they take. In a world of cynicism and distrust, it's really wonderful to hear that there really are plenty of honest people out there.



© Fiona L Cooper 2008

Crazy Weather!

As you know, Paraguay's winter months are June through to August, more or less. The temperatures have been known to go as low as 0ºC during the night, though I'm pretty sure it's never snowed! This year, we had a cold-ish June but then July, which is usually the coldest month, was beautiful, with temperatures around 25º during the day. August was pretty variable, but generally cool to warm, no extremes either way. Then this week. Monday was warm. Tuesday was pretty hot. Wednesday was extremely hot, at 40º in the afternoon, then Thursday was cold all of a sudden (15-18º) and today (Friday) has been very cold, with an icy breeze - I don't think the temperature has risen above 10º all day! So on Wednesday, we were all walking around in our summer clothes and sandals, complaining about the heat and today we've been wrapped up in layers of woollies because it's sooo cold! Today was the first day all winter when I've been able to see my breath. Crazy! But I love the feeling of the cool air on my face when I'm wrapped up warm. So I've been smiling all day, though I don't think many others have been!



I'm going to have a cup of hot chocolate now and tuck myself up in bed with a book. Mmmm. Perfect!

© Fiona L Cooper 2008

A Historic Day

"Today marks the end of an elitist Paraguay, a secretive Paraguay, a Paraguay famous for corruption. Today marks the beginning of a Paraguay in which the authorities will be relentless against thieves."*

Fernando Lugo, the former bishop who won the presidential elections on 20th April, was sworn in today as the first non-Colorado Party president for 61 years. In a break from protocol, he wore a Paraguayan hand-embroidered shirt, without tie or jacket, and wore his trademark sandals rather than shoes. His image identifies him with his people; with the marginalised and half-forgotten communities of indigenous and disadvantaged Paraguayans, rather than the political and social elite.

He was elected on a platform of bringing change after so many years of Colorado rule. His manifesto focused on tackling poverty, corruption and the lack of jobs, which are seen by Paraguayans as being the reasons the country has not experienced the economic growth of its neighbours.

He is radical in more than just his dress: Last night he stated in an interview that he would not be taking a salary for his work as president. He said he didn't enter politics to make money or become rich. THIS IS HUGE in a country where politicians who are given positions of more power are usually soon seen to be buying bigger houses and better cars.

I get the impression that here is a man who really believes what he says he stands for. His work as a priest and bishop was among the poor and marginalised, and it is apparent his policies are more than just election pledges, but actually come from his heart. His voice breaks and he actually sheds tears when talking about justice for the poor.

After being sworn in, he started his speech in Guaraní, the native language spoken by the majority of Paraguayans. He addressed the indigenous communities first, and asked their permission to give the rest of his speech in Spanish. As well as talking about the need to tackle corruption and for land reform, he made it clear that the change people are so hopeful about is not just a matter of policies, but is everyone's responsibility:

"The building of this new Paraguay has a brick in your hands."

"Change is not an electoral issue, it's a cultural gamble, perhaps the most important one in Paraguay's history."

The challenge, he said, "will not be easy, but it will not be impossible."

Let's pray for him.

Here are two good recent articles from the BBC about Lugo:
Paraguay's President Faces Huge Task
Ex-Bishop Takes Paraguay's Helm

Oh, I know it's officially supposed to be "An historic day" but I never say that, so I didn't write it!
*All the quotes here are my own poor translations of what Lugo said. If there's a lack of grace about them, it's my fault, not Lugo's!

© Fiona L Cooper 2008

Photo credit: www.flickr.com/photos/fernandolugoapc/2765112403/in/photostream/

Dawn of a New Era

There's a new hope in the air after last weekend's elections. Many could hardly believe that the reign of the Colorado Party was finally over. The atmosphere at work on Monday was reminiscent of the 1997 defeat of the Conservative Party by Labour in the general elections. Everyone was smiling and no-one talked about anything else. Newspapers are calling the 20th April 2008 the second most important date in recent history (after the 3rd of February 1989, when the dictator Stroessner died). It is the first time ever that power has passed from one party to another without bloodshed. According to one commentator, Lugo's win has brought back the desire to live in this country where so many have known nothing but disappointment, broken promises and corruption for so long. Many Paraguayans who have gone abroad in search of work are now considering returning because of this change. No-one knows just what Lugo will do once he takes control of the country, but people obviously have faith in him; he inspires confidence in a way the Colorados had not done for a long time.



On Friday, the vice-president elect, Federico Franco (on left in photo with Fernando Lugo), told the newspapers that he had been offered US$1,000,000 by an organisation if he would sign a document for them. He refused to say who it was or what it was for. He made it quite clear in his statement to the press that he never accepted any kind of bribe from anyone in his previous roles of mayor and governor and would continue to reject any offers made to him in the future. This is truly hope-inspiring news! Corruption is one of the three biggest problems in the country, according to Paraguayans (the other two being poverty and lack of jobs) and if the new administration has started out being this transparent, it bodes well for the future. I'm feeling quite excited for Paraguay!

New President for Paraguay

Fernando Lugo en Trinidad, originally uploaded by Fernando Lugo APC.

This is Fernando Lugo, Paraguay's newly-elected president. He was a priest and then bishop for many years in a very poor part of Paraguay. He has gained a lot of support because of increasing disenchantment with the corruption and continued poverty exacerbated by the ruling Colorado party, which has held power for 61 years. He declares himself to be on the centre-left of the political spectrum and leads a coalition of a large number of parties of varying ideologies. He is influenced by liberation theology (which emphasises God's preferential option for the poor) and has caught the hearts and minds of a Paraguayan people ready for change.

Among his fellow candidates were the ruling party's candidate, Blanca Ovelar (the first woman presidential candidate) and a former army general, Lino Oviedo, who has spent time in prison for organising a coup and is suspected of being behind the assassination of a former vice-president. There was a fourth candidate, Pedro Fadul, who, in debates, demonstrated confidence, experience and passion, but failed to win widespread support.

It seems to me that Paraguayans vote with their hearts rather than their heads, to a degree much greater than that in the UK. The campaigns of all three of the leading candidates were very strong on emotion and very weak on actual policies and ideas.


I worry a little about Lugo's presidency. His heart is definitely in the right place, but he has no political experience. Will he be able to effect the changes he proposes? Will he hold together the broad coalition in parliament well enough to put his policies into practice? Will he be able to hold out against the corruption that is so endemic in this country?

Lugo won with about 41% of the vote, ahead of Blanca with about 31% and Oviedo with 22%. Fadul trailed behind with about 3%. It was interesting to note that there was a general assumption that there would be electoral fraud to some degree. The attitude of the commentators to this was to consider how best to manage it rather than how to eradicate it. This gives an indication of the level of corruption that exists here. Fortunately, there was a high voter turn-out (65%), which meant the effects of any fraud were minimal.

Today has been a historic day for Paraguay. Let's pray for the hope that is inspired by this new beginning to be fulfilled in an honest, transparent and competent leadership for the country.

Hillsong Disappointment

I arrived at the stadium hot and sweaty after the 15 minute walk from work with my friend and colleague, Noemí. We had made our excuses and left work early for the concert that was due to start in 2 hours' time and I had misjudged the weather yet again in this Paraguayan winter, wearing warm clothes on an afternoon that turned out to be warm and muggy. Hillsong, the Australian worship team, were due to perform for the Paraguayan youth (and assorted taggers-on, like myself! Although I was there as part of the leadership of the youth group at church, so perhaps my presence was justified!). At youth group, I'd become familiar with two of the songs from the latest Hillsong album "United" (recorded in Spanish) and was looking forward to singing them with the 20,000 others in the stadium that night.

We met Noemí's husband at the gate where he was waiting for the youth who were yet to arrive and we bought "chipa," the ubiquitous bread-like snack made with corn flour and cheese, baked into rings. Noemí and I headed into the stadium to find the rest of the youth, laden with chipa and Coke. We had bought our tickets at the last minute because the youth were late in handing over the money they had raised through the sale of Bibles, which had been donated for the purpose. This meant the tickets had gone up from 30,000 to 35,000 Guaraníes (£3.50), a significant amount of money in a country where the official minimum wage is £100 a month but most live on £50 or less. Noemí had given me our tickets to look after earlier in the day and I enthusiastically held onto them, handing them over as we entered the stadium. I was most disappointed when my beautifully designed ticket was thrown mercilessly into the bin on entering our assigned section of the stands! There went the souvenir!

We found the youth group sitting in a great spot, with a good view of the stage and the screens either side. Noemí saw friends of hers in the crowd who came and talked to her, I saw a student from the college and went to say hello... we chatted about this and that and the atmosphere was very expectant. The group had been in Brazil for a few dates of their tour and then had come to Paraguay for one night only. We were looking forward to the blessing of worshipping with this international group and all these thousands of Paraguayans. As we waited, the sun went down (the stadium lights took a while to catch up and we were left in the murk for a little longer than was comfortable!) and the temperature started to drop; I was glad of my jumper after all! The stadium gradually filled and finally (half an hour late!) the music started. Hooray! Oh, what? They were singing in English! Well, I'm sure you'll be thinking; of course they were; they are Australian, after all! But, with them having brought out a cd in Spanish, then coming to a Spanish-speaking country where few people speak English, I had expected them to sing in Spanish. As had everyone else I talked to about it.

What a disappointment! They were singing the English versions of songs from the United album. The words were on the screens in Engish and Spanish and every now and then, the singer would do the chorus in Spanish, but mainly the songs were sung in English. What a shame. They proclamed that it wasn't a concert, it wasn't a show, but that they wanted it first and foremost to be an act of praise to God. How can God's people praise him if they don't understand the language being used? Some of the Paraguayans were singing along in Spanish to the songs they knew but there was a definite change in atmosphere whenever the folk on stage sang in Spanish; the volume of singing from the crowd rose noticeably. At one point late on, a Paraguayan worship leader took over in Spanish the leading of one of the well-known songs from the Australians and the crowd's reaction was electric; suddenly the stadium was alive with praises to God. At another moment, the crowd was encouraged to sing a repeated phrase in English from one of the songs, in praise to God; "Let's praise him together!" said the leader. The people may have sung along willingly, and it was clear that the folk on stage were worshipping but whether the crowd were is debatable.

Many, many people were mightily blessed by the concert and I don't want to belittle their experience but for me, the team from Hillsong came to Paraguay with far too little knowledge of the realities of the country. At one point before the show started, they showed a film (in English, without subtitles) about a project they support in Africa, working with children. The film was about our responsibility, as people who "have" to give to those who have nothing and ended with a plea for money. I was offended by their showing the film here, where there are far too many needy children right in front of our eyes without having to look abroad for them. Late on in the concert, they talked about the Bible school Hillsong runs in Australia and said, "we want you to come!" WHAT? Did they have NO idea of the impossibility of a Paraguayan getting together the funds for a flight to Australia, never mind the cost of studying and living there? It showed a complete lack of interest on their part in knowing something about the people they were ministering to.

There was a message, half way through the show, by a youth pastor who was part of the Australian team. It was translated, phrase by phrase, into Spanish and was about Peter and John healing the cripple; nothing is impossible for God. A fine message, but it smelt to me as though it was the same message they had been giving at all their concerts. Why didn't they ask a Paraguayan pastor to speak? It could have been so much more meaningful to the Paraguayan youth. It's as though Hillsong have discovered that they have a gift in their own country (and, probably around the English-speaking world) and now have this wonderful idea about dropping it like an aid package from an aeroplane in all these different countries to bless the unfortunate people there... It has no long-term benefits and it smacks of colonialism in the worst way when they don't take any account of the unique circumstances of each country they visit.

If you're coming to minister to people in a different country, you have a responsibility to find out something about the country and try to make your minsitry relevant. I think their purpose could have been served much better if they had taken the time to discover what Paraguay was like and what needs the youth in this country have. At the very least, they should have had singers who could perform in Spanish. In my opinion, it was an opportunity lost and I hope they have learnt from the experience. However, I wonder whether they stayed long enough to realise their faults or did they rush onto the next date in Argentina or wherever, without giving it a second thought?

corruption deep and widespread

One evening as I was watching the news, three stories caught my attention:

The first was about a project the government set up to provide a glass of milk a day for the poorest children in Paraguay. It was discovered that some of the milk the children were being given was practically devoid of any nutrients, having been made up from milk derivatives instead of being pure milk.

The second story was about an investigation into academic certificates that have been given out to people who have not gained the qualification stated on their certificate. The people found with false certificates include government ministers and doctors.

The third story related the discovery of many tonnes of cotton seeds stored away. The government subsidised the seeds last year to help farmers earn a living. The companies that should have distributed them took the cash from the government but the seeds never reached the farmers.

These kinds of stories are all too common here. Corruption is absolutely endemic. A taxi driver the other day was explaining how, when he goes to the car mechanic, he buys the part he needs himself, takes it to the workshop and then watches as the mechanic replaces it. He uses up half a day in order to be sure that he’s not being swindled. He said everyone knows that otherwise, the mechanic would either tell him he’d fixed it when he hadn’t or he’d replace the part with one from an old car, which would last only a very short time. “That’s what Paraguayans do,” he said.

In a report published last week by Transparency International, Paraguay came joint bottom in a table of the countries with the most corrupt judicial systems.

Drenched (doesn't come close to describing it)!

On Saturday 31st March I went to a concert by an Argentinian group, with the youth from church. The concert was organised to promote a "Paraguay without drugs or violence", in remembrance of some youth who had lost their lives when they were fired upon at a peaceful demonstration against the government in 1999. The event was held at a football stadium. It rained the morning of the concert, which was great because it cleared the air and the temperature dropped to a bearable level. The sun came out in the afternoon and we all trotted off to the concert without a care in the world!

I felt a few drops of rain during the second song of the headline act, but didn't worry too much. However, by the beginning of the third song, we were in the middle of a full-blown tropical storm!! The rain came down at an incredible rate, accompanied by thunderclaps and lightning. The band kept playing but the audience scattered as fast as we could to escape the downpour. As we were leaving the stands, the electricity got cut so the sound and lights went out. Suddenly we were in darkness, with just the sounds of rain hitting every surface with a thud and of people calling to each other to make sure no-one was lost. Within a minute of the downpour starting, I was drenched to the skin. I couldn't see properly because the rain was coming into my eyes and stinging.

The thousands of people at the stadium were all leaving in order to make their way home. We were squeezed through the tunnel under the stands because lots of people had chosen to stand there to avoid the rain and there was a hairy moment or two as I found myself in the middle of an immense crush of people, half of them wanting to stay where they were and the other half wanting desperately to get out. Once outside the stadium gates we had to cross the road to find the car that had brought us. By this stage, the road was becoming a river and I was very grateful I was wearing flip-flops rather than trainers! It took us another 5 minutes of walking through the deepening waters to find the car. The rain just soaked right through my clothes and by the time I sat in the car, there wasn't a square millimetre of my skin that was dry. I would not have been wetter if I'd gone swimming fully dressed!!!

The water kept rising. Fortunately, we were in a pick-up truck, so the river that the road had become wasn't such a problem as for other vehicles. However, there were 16 of us altogether and, while 5 of us fitted inside the cab, the other 11 had to brave the storm on the back of the truck. And it kept raining. Some roads were impassable so we had to take the long way round to take some folks home. Asunción is a town with lots of little hills, so the roads become the drains taking the water to the river and, within an hour of the rain stopping, the roads are practically dry again! By the next morning, the only evidence of the storm were gatherings of mud at dips in the roads, where it had been carried by the water.

I do enjoy a storm but I definitely prefer to watch it from the shelter of my own home! It was a shame about the concert, a lot of people had been looking forward to it for ages. Still, not much you can do about the weather!