We spent Monday exploring Asuncion, walking through the plazas, enjoying the rico restaurants, and me running my typical errands - business at the Peace Corps office and buying American food at the supermarkets. To me, Asuncion is a ragged yet charming enough city with its old architecture and location along the bright blue Rio Paraguay. From above, it appears to be covered in trees, yet in the midst of the city, you feel yourself surrounded by bus exhaust and no-name buildings. The people of Asuncion are from all walks of life, in a crowd you find skinny girls in business skirts, older business men, barefoot children in their barefoot mother's arms, fat fast-talking men selling fruit and sodas and socks and flashlights, you name it. My favorite place in Asuncion is the Plaza de los Heroes, where there are tents selling artisan goods and women renting out terere equipment. With my mom and the boys, we browsed the blankets, jewelry, and keychains, and Mom walked away with some beautiful ñanduti table runners. As we ran around Asuncion, it was hard to explain how different the capital is than the rest of the country. While I enjoy the coffee shops and movie theaters, the city rush and professionalism, I also love the open air and tranquilo life outside of the city, and I was excited to show my family the other face of Paraguay.
Tuesday they got to see it during the 9 hour bus that we took during the day to my site. Brian didn't want to sleep; he stared out the window the entire time. I removed myself from the familiarity of the trip to see Paraguay with fresh eyes for the first time again with them. Along the ruta, you see people sitting out in front of their houses, drinking terere and chatting, a snapshot of Paraguayan family life. The estancias in Misiones are magical, the open pastures with cows and horses roaming, the gate and driveway appearing endless. At one point when Will woke up from a snooze, Mom exclaimed: "Wait til you see the graveyards!!" and then spent the rest of the trip waiting with her camera, ready to capture blurry pictures of the cemeteries as we passed. It is a fascinating ride, and it was even more enjoyable in the company of my visitors.
We arrived in Natalio a little bit after the sun had set. As we were walking 2 blocks with our luggage to my house, the motos flying by, when we heard "OH MY GOD!!" This being one of the famous English phrases that many Paraguayans have learned, I was not surprised at all to see an ostentatious, gregarious teacher from my school roll up to greet my family, and after sharing some words of welcome, he and his moto rolled off. I think my family came to understand how hospitable my community is, since in the short 2 blocks to my house, 2 more people rolled up just as the Profe had to saludar us. Of course, I'm sure my family also realized that what I like to deem hospitality also is a reflection of how much we stick out like a sore thumb in a rural Paraguayan pueblo :)
After a good night of sleep (EVERYBODY IN ONE BEDroom), we awoke ready for Chipa Wednesday! It is tradition that each Semana Santa (Holy Week, the week before Easter) on Wednesday, everyone prepares a traditional Paraguayan food called chipa. A mixture of corn flour, mandioca flour, cheese, eggs, and pig fat, chipa is a delicious snack, breakfast, supper, somewhat similar to...?? A breadstick? A pretzel? Cornbread? It's hard to describe its taste and its function, but it is nonetheless a Paraguayan favorite. Every Holy Wednesday, the Paraguayan women prepare an overwhelmingly large quantity of chipa in their tatakuaa (brick oven) to be consumed while fasting on Holy Friday. We went to Ceferina's house where she and my 1st host mom, Celmira, were making 500 chipas to give out to the "poor kids." Since we slept in (until 8:00), we got there late and didn't get to actually make the chipa, but we arrived in time to taste it. (Very rico by the way!)
It was pretty hilarious watching the Paraguayans see my family for the first time. They inspected them, looking at their clothes, their hair, their bodies. They asked all the same stupid questions ("Do they like Paraguay? Have they ever tried terere? Have they ever tried mandioca?" etc etc), and I had the pleasure of translating everything anyone from either party said. We had a yummy lunch of avilla hu - black beans, which we strangely ate at the table by ourselves. We spent the afternoon in typical Paraguayan fashion, sitting in the shade in a circle talking and drinking terere. As I looked at my brothers and my mom, I realized how much I had adjusted to such a slower pace of life and time. I didn't even really feel the afternoon pass, but when we made it back to my house, I realized how boring the day probably was for them. I have gotten so used to visiting people as being the highlight of my activities and entertainment for the day; for us down here, sitting and talking is as good as it gets!
Luckily the next day was more exciting when we went back to Ceferina's house for the Last Supper (which we ate for lunch). We spent the day drinking terere, cooking, eating, chatting, and best of all, playing with the neighborhood kids. As they always say, children see no boundaries when it comes to a friend, and it was completely obvious as Will and Brian instantly connected with them and spent the afternoon playing game after game of soccer. Late in the afternoon, the boys finally escaped, sweaty, dirty, and exhausted, and we headed home after what was truly a really special day.
Friday was chipa day, and we spent the day going from house to house trying different chipas. Sprawling out of my town of Natalio are multiple dirt roads that I go running on, and they carry you to the most beautiful views of green crop fields and rolling blue hills. Each day we explored a different road, and on chipa Friday, we went down the road that let us to the cemetery. I think Mom enjoyed that one!!
The heat and humidity was very strong, and I wasn't surprised at all to amanecer to an intense storm Saturday morning. With the rain pelleting down, lightning and thunder every 5 seconds, and unbelievable winds breaking tree branches, we remained captive in my casita all day. Needless to say, I was once again reminded of how boring my life is... That night we prepared homemade pizza (which Will later told me was the worst meal he had eaten here... thanks haha) and enjoyed the visit of another important Paraguayan in my life, Benito. For some reason, I have not yet written about Benito. To be honest, he deserves about 10 posts of his own (which I will make a note to add at some point). To sum it up, he is a character. A 13 year old giant who speaks English. Any experience with him is funny. I know he was excited about meeting my family so I'm glad we got to enjoy the evening altogether.
The next day was a beautiful warm Easter Sunday. We went to church and after a minor breakdown on my part of Paraguayans' canceling plans, we ended up cooking Easter lunch at my house and sharing a nice family meal. Later in the afternoon, we went back to Ceferina's and put on an Easter party for all the kiddos. The kids loved everything: making Easter bunnies, having an egg hunt, playing numerous relay games and eating a yummy carrot cake. As silly as these things seem sometimes, I like to think that it stays as a really special memory for them. A magical moment that had we not created they would not have experienced. Even for me, it remains a warm memory. I love the bright colors in the pictures!
Monday and Tuesday we roamed around Natalio, stopping by the school and visiting different students in their homes. The Easter bunnies Mom brought were a big hit, and it was fun doing a little craft with the kids. On Tuesday night, we went back to Ceferina's house for a little despedida. Hot dogs, empanadas, quiche and no-bake oaties (can you guess which foods the Americana made??), we shared a nice little going away dinner. Delay it as we could, the goodbye moment finally arrived. Ceferina surprised my mom with a gift, a matera and yerba to always remember Paraguay. We started down the line of hugs and kisses, and when Ceferina locked my mom in, tears starting pouring down her cheeks. Soon enough she was sobbing, and I could not hold back the tears either. (Nor when I write this.) When we finally pulled away, we left Ceferina to be comforted by Fredy and Marcos, and we started our walk back to my house. Slightly stunned by the experience, we talked about it the entire way home. Yet easy to forget, it really is incredible the impact the smallest visit could have. My mom and Ceferina will probably never see each other again, but I think the memory of their visit together and the daughter they share will always preserve the cariño they have for each other.
Wednesday morning, we were up early packing bags, calling the taxista to take us to the Argentine border. Unfortunately I was also up early with food poisoning; thank you hot dogs and empanadas. The first time I have vomited in Paraguay, and it just so happened to be when my mom was here to hold my hair. Que coincidencia! We had a delightful travel day with a broken down bus and 2 more pukes, but finally we arrived in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina. First thing Thursday morning, we went to Iguazu Falls National Park, where we spent the morning literally in awe. Visiting Iguazu Falls was an unbelievable experience. It is so enormous and beautiful; you find yourself stopping in your tracks every few steps. You take a picture every 5 minutes because the falls look different from each angle, but the truth is you will never capture the wonder of something so awesome on your Kodak. The park is very clean, organized, and well-maintained, which added to the pleasant experience. It was truly humbling witnessing the power of Mother Nature!
We returned to Asuncion that afternoon and spent one last night in our hotel. The 2 weeks had passed so quickly, and grudgingly around 5 am, we headed to the airport to send off Mom and Brian. As I gave them one last hug and they moved through the gates, I burst into tears for literally about 5 seconds. Then Will wrapped me in a hug and carried me off, my sadness passing as quick as it came.
I absolutely loved having my family visit. It was wonderful showing them my house, my town, my people, and most of all, me. The person I have become here. And as much as I miss my family on a daily basis, there is something beautiful about the fact that they can walk away and I can stay. It says more about our trust and support for each other than always staying together, none of us ever taking risks or pursuing different dreams. I am and will always be thankful for the love that my family has always shown me, in choosing, in surviving, and I'm sure later on, in recovering from this experience. I wouldn't be able to do it without them. I love you guys!!! Thank you for visiting; it meant so much to me!
