July 2011--first International Friendship Day

The highlight of this month took place towards its end. For over 50 years in Paraguay its citizens have embraced the celebration of Friendship Day, El Dia de la Amistad. In the past year a group of determined Paraguayans advocated for the designation of an international friendship day, and their efforts were not in vain. On April 27th of this year the General Assembly of the United Nations declared July 30th as official International Friendship Day.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39199&Cr=Secretary-General&Cr1

In the words of the UN's Secretary-General, may our "old friendships flourish and new ones [be] made."

So, the highlight of my Paraguayan experience this month was that on July 30, the first official International Friendship Day, I was able to share in an international wedding made possible by international friendship. Paraguayan señorita Amada married Mr. James Durmisov from Australia in Villarrica's cathedral, with the ceremony presided by the Archbishop. The couple met last October when Amada and I went to lunch at a German restaurant here in Villarrica. James was dining with another Peace Corps volunteer who also lives in Guaira. We proceeded to introduce our friends to one another, and the rest, as it's said, is history. James had moved from Australia to Paraguay just two months earlier, and was exploring the capital of Guaira on his first trip to the city. Now Villarrica is home for these newlyweds, brought together by Peace Corps volunteers serving here. They will soon be building a house, and plan to include a rental apartment on the grounds--first priority for possible tenants given to volunteers, be they North American, Korean, or Japanese!





Viva la amistad, viva! One of my favorite quotations ever is from Shakespeare, (Richard II to be exact),

I count myself in nothing else so happy
As in a soul remembering my good friends.


And that is never more true than when one finds oneself physically distant from many friends. Facebook may connect you with friends around the world digitally, but in my book there is nothing like the one-on-one, face-to-face sharing with other people. Such encounters create richer, more contextual memories which your soul can resurrect again and again. How often do we recall the intricacies of online exchanges? So, my dear friends I close by invoking the good ol' Girl Scout song, ""Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold."
May we all continue to be blessed with friendship, both in person and online, especially cherishing the meaningful connections we make with other human beings every day eye-to-eye.