Mama Shayna’s Musings

It’s a balmy day here in Asuncion, and Gustavo and I are sitting in his outdoor kitchen overlooking a verdant garden filled with lemongrass, guava trees, and other tropical delights.  We’re hooked up with wireless and getting ready for our presentations this week.  We’ll meet with representatives from Paraguay’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, as well as a number of small farming groups in Itapua who are members of the Yvy Marane’y project.  We’ve agreed to buy 15 kilos of honey and 10 of yerba mate, at fair trade prices, to bring back with us to the US as we test out that market for the many exciting products we’re finding here. 

This is a part of our Karu Pyahu project.  Karu Pyahu means ‘new food’ in Guarani, one of Paraguay’s two official languages.  Why new food? Well, we have a vision for how to freshly approach the food and agriculture sector in Paraguay.

More on that in a bit – but in the meantime, we found the following description of our project on the Legatum Center website, which is a pretty good synopsis of what we’re up to:

Team: Karu Pyahu    Team Members: Shayna Harris, Gustavo Setrini    Geographic Focus: Paraguay

Project: Karu Pyahu aims to tackle poverty and inequality in Peru through private enterprise by addressing the gulf between modern agro-industry, the traditional small-holder sector, and sustainable agriculture. The team will seek out partnerships for a ‘mission-driven’ trading company that meets growing consumer demand for diversified, high-quality Fair Trade organic goods. During IAP, the team will consult with Paraguay’s successful small farmer associations, which work with 4,000 out of half a million Paraguayan campesino farmers, as well as NGOs, companies, and public-sector institutions that support their development.

The MIT Public Service Center also posted this:

Gustavo Setrini (G, Course 17), Shayna Harris (G, Course 15)
Paraguay — Gustavo and Shayna will travel to Paraguay to work with the local farming market on Fair Trade to help combat severe deforestation, biodiversity loss and small farmer dislocation. As part of this exchange, they will conduct a market visioning workshop with three producer organizations and they want to alert officials in Paraguay’s public sector to the development opportunities available through Fair Trade and organic production and trade.

On our first trip together in Paraguay in 2008, at the Mbaracaju forest reserve, one of the last remaining fragments of Paraguay’s pristine Atlantic Forest

Reporting once again from South America – this time, Paraguay.  I’m here with my friend and colleague Gustavo, on a fair trade mission of sorts.  We recieved grants from the Public Service Center and Legatum Centers of MIT to seek out interest, collaborators and explore social entrepraneurship and sustainable agriculture in this burgeoning democracy.  Over the next 10 days we’ll meet with representatives from various farmer organizations, Paraguay’s Ministry of Agriculture, NGOs and social justice organizations, the Slow Food  movement,  and fair trade folks.  We’re hoping to play some humble role in unlocking Paraguay’s potential to create a more just, vibrant, and sustainable food system – and develop some pretty cool products along the way. 

an aside: My journey here from the states was an interesting one, to say the least.  After spending a week in New Mexico and 2 weeks in Egypt, I had 24 hours in Boston to unpack, wash clothes, and pack again.  As a landlocked and pretty remote country, there are very little direct flights from anywhere to Paraguay.  I flew from Boston to NYC, to San Salvador, to Lima Peru… arriving at the Asuncion airport around 24 hours later.  I don’t know if the jetlag from Egypt, general lack of sleep and water, airplane food, or a combination of all contributed to my deliriousness, but I had one of the most startling airline adventures. 

It began on the flight from San Salvador to Lima… I felt lucky to have an exit row with extra leg room all to myself, until a giggly couple slid past me to occupy the two seats to my left after the plane had taken off.  Fair enough, I thought.  But after dozing off, I awoke to find that the Mexican woman was sitting on the Argentinian guy’s lap, on the airplane!  Coddling, affectionate, and way too much PDA for my mood.  Afterwards, at the airport in Lima,  was in the waiting area when two men started moaning and collapsed to the floor… a crowd gathered, thinking that they were having simeltanous seizures.  After sometime the airport police dragged the two men away, and a sober officer announced that they had been undocumented in the country and were being deported – “Damas y caballeros, tenemos dos personas indocumentadas….”.  Among the crowd of observers was “Miss Peru,” white and red sash hanging over a skimpy dress and her 4″ stiletto heals.  We finally climbed onto this last and final  flight of my voyage, during which I passed out, and to the astonishment of the two older women next to me, missed the safety instructions, turbeulance, dinner, and the landing. 

But, I made it!  Woke up to fresh mango juice and cozido, a paraguayan tea made with yerba mate, burnt sugar, and milk.  Looking forward to a recharge and some inspiration on this journey!

A year ago I was in Brazil, reveling in post-Carnaval, attempting to enjoy the chill summer vibes but worrying about my fulbright project & getting myself together.  I had funding, I was anxious, the future was a blank slate.

A month and a day ago I landed in the US, greeted by a perky customs official who barked “welcome back to the US! now go get a cheeseburger or something.”

A month ago my parents celebrated 30 years of wedded bliss, hardships, and triumphs.   Obama was inaugurated, ushering in a wave of hope in this weary country. I felt as if a red carpet of warmth was spread out for my arrival.

Three weeks ago my best friend and I jumped in a car and drove two days south, through lots of plains, wonderful flat nothingness, laughter and music, sonic burgers on a saturday night and neon crosses at dusk.

One week ago I drove down to El Paso with Noe, via intrastates, cotton fields, preanut processors, oil riggs and fancy irrigation equiptment, the stunning southwest texas desert, guadalupe national park, and into the beckoning twinkle of the el paso friday evening lights, unclear where the states begins and mexico ends and the states ends and mexico begins, oh except for the big mesh iron wall, but then juarez and el paso and sunland park a sea of jellyfish from hundreds of feet into the sky, says the outlook at the mirador.

Tomorrow I travel to Boston and DC, formally for interviews but mostly for old friends.

The nomadic wanderings continue, and I feel ironically more rooted then ever. Knowing my place, content with my place.  I feel significant, an aura of love sprouting from the circular motions of my hands and closed eyes during kundalini yoga last evening.

Unrooted in place but rooted in love.