As I headed out to Paraguay to join the English school in the countryside outside Piribebuy I knew the living quarters would not be plush custom built dormitories. One of the requested pieces of equipment was a tent. So I was neither surprised or concerned to find that it would be my home for the foreseeable future.
I arrived in Paraguay in September as the temperatures start to rise with the arrival of spring. With me I had my tent. A small bright red dome tent designed for weekends away in England, not for months under the tropical sun.
Everyone though was in the same position and it all added to the fun and the sense of adventure. A little tented encampment arose on a ridge of high ground at the far end of the field which we had been lent to use as our school.
It was fortunate that I was camped on the top of the ridge as there was a small river nearby which flooded much of the surrounding area a couple of times after particularly large storms.
Inside my tent there was room to sit up, but not for much else. A backpack took up half the floor space and a mosquito net restricted the space still further. The net kept away the mosquitoes, which may or may not have found their way through a closed tent door but was of little use against the ants. They always find a way in and are soon on the attack.
I had re waterproofed my tent before I left England so rain could not find its way in. However the burning heat of the sun travels with ease through tent fabric. As a result of this as little time as possible during the day was spent sweating inside my tent. With the heat building towards summer there were also some nights when it was far to hot for anything like sleeping. After three months my once red tent had faded to pink.
After the Christmas break the number of volunteers had reduced and sleeping arrangements were reorganized. Those of us who remained with the school were at last able to depart our tents. Numbers reduced from nearly 20 down to half a dozen.
I was glad to put away the tent and take up residence in a newly built hut. It was no bigger than a shed, just a couple of metres along each side. There was though room inside for a bed, a chair, a small table and shelves. For the first time in months I was not lying on the ground and was able to unpack clothes from my back pack.
The walls were built from split palm logs sealed with mud. The roof was tin sheets, on top of which I lay palm fronds as shade against the sun. There was a proper door and a small window covered with mosquito net to let in some light. It was quite dark at night and hot on a summer light as it was a while before a wire was strung across the field bringing electricity.
All in all it was quite a comfortable little place to live. After the school closed my hut was used for several years as a chicken coop before finally being taken down.
A second larger two man hut was built not far from where the tents had once stood. This was more spacious inside but being further away never received electricity. It was in a better looking position than my hut but being nearer the river would end up surrounded by marsh after a heavy storm.
Further to these two newly build buildings the second smaller classroom in the school house was converted into a bed room. This had proper wall and a thick thatch roof. And as part of the school was centrally located near the school and kitchen. No distance at all to head home at night.
Finally we were using land belonging to someones farm there were already several buildings standing as part of the farm house. One of these contained an old bedroom which had for a long time been used only as a store room. The various harvested crops that were stored in there were rearranged so that it could once more be used for sleeping.
These then remained the accommodation for the school teachers for the next year. Each one became quite homely and cared for by their occupants.
By the time I left the school I was really rather attached to my hut and it was almost sad to leave it for the last time. I was soon missing it even though by then I was sleeping in proper beds inside proper rooms.
Recent Comments