RiSo goes to Ahendu, Mediocrity Ensues

"We are all gunna go hard tomorrow night after Ahendu. Every one is going to Hollywood. It's gunna be crazy." It was the common word being passed around between the 100 or so volunteers that had come in for Ahendu and various other required Peace Corps tasks.

To understand this message you need to know several things:

First, Ahendu means "to listen" in Guarani, the indigenous language that is far more common than Spanish here. It is also a music event organized by Peace Corps to raise funding for various Peace Corps causes. Ahendu is like THE event to go to as a Peace Corps Paraguay volunteer. Produced once every 3 months, the concert is a mish mash of musical performances put on by Peace Corps volunteers, Paraguayans and KOICA volunteers (Korean Peace Corps). Performers sign up and practice their pieces in the months upcoming to the concert. A venue is chosen and Peace Corps volunteers from all around the country come into the capital to do bits of Peace Corps office work, hang out, drink and be merry.

Second, Ahendu night is notorious for being Legendary (There are about 200 volunteers constantly serving in Paraguay. Ahendu often draws about half of them. That means an influx of 100 city deprived, lonely, energetic and mischievous Nortes meeting together in one place at one time. Thus, the best stories come out of Ahendu nights.)

Third, Hollywood. For the past couple Ahendu's Hollywood has been the primary location for the after party/ dance party. Hollywood is a large, well known dance club in Asuncion. It is particularly suited to volunteers because of its: large space (Ware-housish with lights and smoke), music (Plays a mix of house, pop and hip hop which few other clubs do), and because it is primarily gay clientele (female volunteers are harassed far less).

So when Saturday came I was understandably excited.

Ahendu was pretty fun but I was really looking forward to the high energy fun that would follow. Yet for whatever the reason, Hollywood was never reached. Instead, most of the volunteers dispersed, heading to other venues and chiller places. I was disappointed. sigh.

No great stories.