Jump to Content or Main Navigation  Scenic images from the field
Pombero, Creature of the Paraguayan Night  Jane Troxell  Pombero
is a mischievous imp of the night who roams the Paraguayan
countryside. His presence explains all the inexplicable things
that happen here. The strange noises, the disappearance of
things. If the wind makes a woman's skirt blow up or a child
trips and falls, someone invariably blames Pombero. We learned
about all of Paraguay's many mythical creatures during training,
but Pombero is probably the funniest. One Volunteer even went as
this nasty little man to last year's Halloween party.  I live
alone here, but for all kinds of reasons (community integration,
safety, wanting to share time with a Paraguayan family), my
house is a few feet away from that of my best friend here,
Señora Zunilda. It is unusual for anyone in Paraguay to live
alone; campesino (country folk) families consist of 5 to 15
children. Zuni herself has 60 nieces and nephews and she is only
34, two years younger than