Happy 4th birthday from Mommy and Daddy! We can't wait to see you tomorrow. Give yourself a big hug from us. We love you.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Happy Birthday Ava Sweet!!!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Part 2 A day full of emotion
Day 2- the 26th of July.
After finding out that my brother, Juan, had to leave early in the morning to go back to work, we decided we would get there as early as we could so we could say our goodbyes to him. When we met him the night before it was pitch dark and we couldn't see each other, but we took a picture and he his very handsome. We also talked to Zach (the peace corp volunteer from Miami) about coming with us and translating. He spoke Spanish and some Guarani. He said yes! We woke up at 6am, met Zach and Louis (the hotel manager) drove us to Lomas. Unfortunately, Juan had already left. Upon arrival I was greeted at the truck by Jessica, my youngest sister. See, yesterday she had know idea I even existed. Can you imagine going about your normal day and then having some lady come up to you, saying hello, I'm you sister!!! She was very quiet as she listened to Aldo translate my story for her. All this was done at my mother's grave site. But her reaction didn't bother me, of course. I felt bad for her,she is so young and her mother is gone.Now, as I got out of the truck, Jessica immediatly flashed me this beautfiul smile and put her arms around me.She kept those arms around me and rested her head on my shoulder as we walked to her home. We walked around the house and they announced that I was there. Three more sisters, Felicita the eldest, Maria, and Amancia all approached me wearing the most beautiful smiles. Amancia threw her arms around me and hugged me very tightly and began to cry tears of joy with a hint of sadness that our Mother was unable to witness my return. She basically told me as we hugged that "they never thought this day would happen, they all thought I disappeared forever, and that our Mom would be very pleased that I came back and found them." I hugged my other sisters and continued the rest of the hour communicating with them thanks to Zack's help. After an hour, Zach had to leave so that meant we were on our own. James whipped out our little translation books but we soon realizied they were no help. But, all this was ok, because we enjoyed just being with them. Later that afternoon I met, Perla and Madrena, two more sisters! We headed over to my grandmothers house and sipped cocido and looked at pictures of her son. I also met my great Uncle Mariceo. He lives with them and is blind. Uncle Mariceo has been blind since his was 26 when he got in a accident at his job. I loved sitting there, listening to him sing in Guarani. My grandfather, Angel (pronounced Ahn-hel) works hard ever day. He has 16 acres and cows, pig, and chickens. He sells cotton. My grandmother, Mercedes, tends to the house and also works very hard. My grandfather really liked James and was excited to show him his plow. James told him he was ready to work! At my fathers home, they have avocado, orange, coconut, banana and mango trees. They have a small garden with onions and herbs. A pig lives in his own mud hole and the chickens roam freely. There is also a cow that seems to like my Dad but no one else. The Parana river is right down the road and they go fishing often. Everything they need to survive is right there. They have a small house, with no walls, just three beds and a small refrigerator.They have dirt floors and a straw roofs. My sister in law that lives with them has her own little house (only big enough for a bed) made out of the same materials. There is a hammock for the new born baby above her bed. Next to that is another building that is their kitchen. Here they keep a fire and have 4 different sized kettles for cooking stews and such. On the side of the kitchen is a few boxes for the nesting chickens to lay their eggs. I found this out when I walked back there to film Pa-Pa killing a chicken but then realized he was just looking at her eggs! Yes, both my grandmother and Manuel snatched up a 2 chickens and were ready to kill 'em for dinner!! For lunch, they brought out a huge chunk of meat and joked about it being dog! They made this amazing stew with rice and this root from a mandioaka tree that when they cook it it taste like bread with the texture of a potatoes. They loved our camera's and thought it was funny we wanted to take pictures of everything. Around 2pm, Aldo showed up with his family!! Yes! Now we can really communicate again!. So I told them about where I grew up, a few of my talents and about our daughter. We told them that this has always been my dream and I always knew about them and wanted to see them. My sisters are very loving. Combing each others hair, always hugging each other and showing some kind of affection. My brothers ( the two that were there) liked James. Manuel.. he is a protective brother. At first I think he kept an eye on James, but then he was calling him the Micheal Jackson of Paraguay! I love this dude, he's so straigthtface like my Pa-Pa and serious, but then you catch him goofing off in the background. Marcelo, my younger brother, was very sweet and camera shy! I chased him around trying to film him but he was to sneaky and fast! None of the men had problems hugging. James was hugged by all of them, as was I. These people are so affectionate and they aren't scared to show it. I love that about them and it makes me happy since the majority of my family back at home wouldn't even talk to me or hug me at my Daddy's funeral. I knew our plan was to leave that night and head back toward Honeau. There is only one way out and one way in, and this means not very many buses come to Lomas or San Cosme. Which meant the hardest part of this journey... saying goodbye. My sister, Maria had something to tell James and I so Aldo (did I say he was our good friend, for life?) translated. She told us to tell Avanee Happy Birthday and that James was a really good man and she was happy for me and my life. She said she was happy I came back and to never forget them. Maria said my mother always dreamed of this day but didn't think it would happen. Of course, me being a big ball bag, was crying and she ran to me and hugged me and was saying alot in Guarani. All of a sudden she just drops. Maria passed out and then had what looked like a seizure. James, myself and Aldo got her in a chair and the sisters grabbed wet towels and mint herbs to put under her nose. I think this has happened before and its triggered by too much emotion. Maria came to and apologized, which there was no need for. We were just a little shocked and scared. Amancia told us that she was also happy and that she was sorry that they didn't have money for nice things for us. This broke my heart. Of course, we didn't care that they didnt have fancy this or expensive that, but we know what we have and what they don't. It makes me feel so lucky and so selfish. I walked around that day, dreading to have to leave them. I wanted to give them all of my clothes, James wanted to buy them a pig and leave his shoes. We both wished we could take Jessica back with us and teach her English and let her go to school ( she only went to 4th grade, and none of my other siblings finished). I wished I had known there was a baby, because I would have brought her all of Avanee's baby clothes and blankets. But I think it hit us both what our job or our mission in life is... to help these beautiful people. Next time, we will bring clothes and blankets. The next time we will build them a nice house that has a real floor and a real roof. They wont have to worry about leaks or the winds or the heat. My father, Candido, is very sick, he has emphysema and he cannot work. My sisters said he wont take money. Manuel stays and helps him. My father also cannot read or write. Wouldn't that be great if we could give him a home that he can count on being there for his children and grandchildren even after he's gone? Just so many ideas we have. These Guarani Indians that are my family are so kind and happy and content with their life. This is why they deserve more. They dont expect help, hell, they probably wont even want help, but its what were going to do. We said our goodbyes, which was so hard. Tears were falling down, all around. We also said goodbye to our other, infectiously happy friend, Edgar and Zach. Before we said bye, they took us to the school library where my parents had donated boxes of books. Books in Paraguay are rare and very expensive, so for this school to have this as a donation was a big deal. And they still had them!!! Edgar said it was his job to take care of them. I got to see books by Mark Twain and Jules Verne with my mom and dad's signature! I'm so proud of my parents and all that they did. Three of my sisters live in a town on the way to Aldo's hometown. So we offered to take them there instead of them having to ride a bus in the middle of the night with all their kids. This meant there was 18 people piled in one small minivan (mystery machine)!! It was a sight to see. We also had all our luggage with us so it was a very tight fit. Trust me, it was funny but not that funny when some anonymous person keeps farting or as they say in Guarani ( and I'm probably not spelling this right but it's pronounced like this) "poono." We fed everyone Coke's and empanada's and took them home. The past two days have been amazing. James and I kept smiling all day long, but at the end, I couldn't smile anymore. I was sad to leave them. My heart was already aching for them. I spent the evening crying in James' arms. Crying for joy and happiness,and because I was going to a nice warm home while they had so little. I cried for my mother, Lucida. I found myself missing my Dad more and more after discovering bits and peices he had left behind in San Cosme. I thought it was sad that my mother had left this earth just two months before my dad died. Then James told me he had seen a beautiful blue bird flying near us as we walked to my Pa-Pa's home from grandmothers. Today as I typed this blog and thought of my mom and dad that have passed, a beautiful blue bird (there shouldn't be any Blue Jays in Paraguay, but the wings were so vividly blue I gave it a double look) flew by our hotel window and landed across the street where I could see it perfectly... then it just disappeared. I know this for sure...they are both still with me. Enjoy all our pics.
Many hugs to everyone and lots of kisses to my sweet Avanee.
Love, Cristina
After finding out that my brother, Juan, had to leave early in the morning to go back to work, we decided we would get there as early as we could so we could say our goodbyes to him. When we met him the night before it was pitch dark and we couldn't see each other, but we took a picture and he his very handsome. We also talked to Zach (the peace corp volunteer from Miami) about coming with us and translating. He spoke Spanish and some Guarani. He said yes! We woke up at 6am, met Zach and Louis (the hotel manager) drove us to Lomas. Unfortunately, Juan had already left. Upon arrival I was greeted at the truck by Jessica, my youngest sister. See, yesterday she had know idea I even existed. Can you imagine going about your normal day and then having some lady come up to you, saying hello, I'm you sister!!! She was very quiet as she listened to Aldo translate my story for her. All this was done at my mother's grave site. But her reaction didn't bother me, of course. I felt bad for her,she is so young and her mother is gone.Now, as I got out of the truck, Jessica immediatly flashed me this beautfiul smile and put her arms around me.She kept those arms around me and rested her head on my shoulder as we walked to her home. We walked around the house and they announced that I was there. Three more sisters, Felicita the eldest, Maria, and Amancia all approached me wearing the most beautiful smiles. Amancia threw her arms around me and hugged me very tightly and began to cry tears of joy with a hint of sadness that our Mother was unable to witness my return. She basically told me as we hugged that "they never thought this day would happen, they all thought I disappeared forever, and that our Mom would be very pleased that I came back and found them." I hugged my other sisters and continued the rest of the hour communicating with them thanks to Zack's help. After an hour, Zach had to leave so that meant we were on our own. James whipped out our little translation books but we soon realizied they were no help. But, all this was ok, because we enjoyed just being with them. Later that afternoon I met, Perla and Madrena, two more sisters! We headed over to my grandmothers house and sipped cocido and looked at pictures of her son. I also met my great Uncle Mariceo. He lives with them and is blind. Uncle Mariceo has been blind since his was 26 when he got in a accident at his job. I loved sitting there, listening to him sing in Guarani. My grandfather, Angel (pronounced Ahn-hel) works hard ever day. He has 16 acres and cows, pig, and chickens. He sells cotton. My grandmother, Mercedes, tends to the house and also works very hard. My grandfather really liked James and was excited to show him his plow. James told him he was ready to work! At my fathers home, they have avocado, orange, coconut, banana and mango trees. They have a small garden with onions and herbs. A pig lives in his own mud hole and the chickens roam freely. There is also a cow that seems to like my Dad but no one else. The Parana river is right down the road and they go fishing often. Everything they need to survive is right there. They have a small house, with no walls, just three beds and a small refrigerator.They have dirt floors and a straw roofs. My sister in law that lives with them has her own little house (only big enough for a bed) made out of the same materials. There is a hammock for the new born baby above her bed. Next to that is another building that is their kitchen. Here they keep a fire and have 4 different sized kettles for cooking stews and such. On the side of the kitchen is a few boxes for the nesting chickens to lay their eggs. I found this out when I walked back there to film Pa-Pa killing a chicken but then realized he was just looking at her eggs! Yes, both my grandmother and Manuel snatched up a 2 chickens and were ready to kill 'em for dinner!! For lunch, they brought out a huge chunk of meat and joked about it being dog! They made this amazing stew with rice and this root from a mandioaka tree that when they cook it it taste like bread with the texture of a potatoes. They loved our camera's and thought it was funny we wanted to take pictures of everything. Around 2pm, Aldo showed up with his family!! Yes! Now we can really communicate again!. So I told them about where I grew up, a few of my talents and about our daughter. We told them that this has always been my dream and I always knew about them and wanted to see them. My sisters are very loving. Combing each others hair, always hugging each other and showing some kind of affection. My brothers ( the two that were there) liked James. Manuel.. he is a protective brother. At first I think he kept an eye on James, but then he was calling him the Micheal Jackson of Paraguay! I love this dude, he's so straigthtface like my Pa-Pa and serious, but then you catch him goofing off in the background. Marcelo, my younger brother, was very sweet and camera shy! I chased him around trying to film him but he was to sneaky and fast! None of the men had problems hugging. James was hugged by all of them, as was I. These people are so affectionate and they aren't scared to show it. I love that about them and it makes me happy since the majority of my family back at home wouldn't even talk to me or hug me at my Daddy's funeral. I knew our plan was to leave that night and head back toward Honeau. There is only one way out and one way in, and this means not very many buses come to Lomas or San Cosme. Which meant the hardest part of this journey... saying goodbye. My sister, Maria had something to tell James and I so Aldo (did I say he was our good friend, for life?) translated. She told us to tell Avanee Happy Birthday and that James was a really good man and she was happy for me and my life. She said she was happy I came back and to never forget them. Maria said my mother always dreamed of this day but didn't think it would happen. Of course, me being a big ball bag, was crying and she ran to me and hugged me and was saying alot in Guarani. All of a sudden she just drops. Maria passed out and then had what looked like a seizure. James, myself and Aldo got her in a chair and the sisters grabbed wet towels and mint herbs to put under her nose. I think this has happened before and its triggered by too much emotion. Maria came to and apologized, which there was no need for. We were just a little shocked and scared. Amancia told us that she was also happy and that she was sorry that they didn't have money for nice things for us. This broke my heart. Of course, we didn't care that they didnt have fancy this or expensive that, but we know what we have and what they don't. It makes me feel so lucky and so selfish. I walked around that day, dreading to have to leave them. I wanted to give them all of my clothes, James wanted to buy them a pig and leave his shoes. We both wished we could take Jessica back with us and teach her English and let her go to school ( she only went to 4th grade, and none of my other siblings finished). I wished I had known there was a baby, because I would have brought her all of Avanee's baby clothes and blankets. But I think it hit us both what our job or our mission in life is... to help these beautiful people. Next time, we will bring clothes and blankets. The next time we will build them a nice house that has a real floor and a real roof. They wont have to worry about leaks or the winds or the heat. My father, Candido, is very sick, he has emphysema and he cannot work. My sisters said he wont take money. Manuel stays and helps him. My father also cannot read or write. Wouldn't that be great if we could give him a home that he can count on being there for his children and grandchildren even after he's gone? Just so many ideas we have. These Guarani Indians that are my family are so kind and happy and content with their life. This is why they deserve more. They dont expect help, hell, they probably wont even want help, but its what were going to do. We said our goodbyes, which was so hard. Tears were falling down, all around. We also said goodbye to our other, infectiously happy friend, Edgar and Zach. Before we said bye, they took us to the school library where my parents had donated boxes of books. Books in Paraguay are rare and very expensive, so for this school to have this as a donation was a big deal. And they still had them!!! Edgar said it was his job to take care of them. I got to see books by Mark Twain and Jules Verne with my mom and dad's signature! I'm so proud of my parents and all that they did. Three of my sisters live in a town on the way to Aldo's hometown. So we offered to take them there instead of them having to ride a bus in the middle of the night with all their kids. This meant there was 18 people piled in one small minivan (mystery machine)!! It was a sight to see. We also had all our luggage with us so it was a very tight fit. Trust me, it was funny but not that funny when some anonymous person keeps farting or as they say in Guarani ( and I'm probably not spelling this right but it's pronounced like this) "poono." We fed everyone Coke's and empanada's and took them home. The past two days have been amazing. James and I kept smiling all day long, but at the end, I couldn't smile anymore. I was sad to leave them. My heart was already aching for them. I spent the evening crying in James' arms. Crying for joy and happiness,and because I was going to a nice warm home while they had so little. I cried for my mother, Lucida. I found myself missing my Dad more and more after discovering bits and peices he had left behind in San Cosme. I thought it was sad that my mother had left this earth just two months before my dad died. Then James told me he had seen a beautiful blue bird flying near us as we walked to my Pa-Pa's home from grandmothers. Today as I typed this blog and thought of my mom and dad that have passed, a beautiful blue bird (there shouldn't be any Blue Jays in Paraguay, but the wings were so vividly blue I gave it a double look) flew by our hotel window and landed across the street where I could see it perfectly... then it just disappeared. I know this for sure...they are both still with me. Enjoy all our pics.
Many hugs to everyone and lots of kisses to my sweet Avanee.
Love, Cristina
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
WE DID IT! WE DID IT! (part 1)
We did it! We did it! Today was a very good day in our lives. Our friend Aldo (to whom we owe a great deal) brought us to San Cosme y Damian and within 20 minutes of being here we located our family! As we turned off Ruta 1 to make the 30 km drive to San Cosme a new excitement grew within. We were so close to Crissy’s birthplace, something we thought we would not see until we were much older. We drove into San Cosme and Aldo talked to a friend of his. We learned that there were no Zarzas in San Cosme but that they lived in Lomas Valentinas (a 5 km drive). This distance translates to about a one hour hike that Crissy’s mother took, while pregnant, to get her the help she needed. We took a left when the road forked and there were two women waiting on a bus. Aldo asked them if they knew Crissy’s mother, and they did not. We drove about ¼ mile to a house and he asked an older lady if she knew them. She told him how to get to their house. We followed the red clay road for about ½ a mile and came to a house with a man in the front yard. Aldo asked the man if he knew Candido Almoa (Crissy’s Father) and the man said yes he is in the house. We got out of the van and as we approached the house a man in sandals, pants rolled up below the knee, and a shirt buttoned only half way comes toward us with a very straight face. Aldo tells him who we are and what we are doing there. The straightness on his face turned into a huge smile and he immediately grabbed Crissy and said “Norma, Norma, she came back!” Crissy finally met her Dad after 27 years! The two exchanged a long awaited hug and everyone there was wearing a smile. We quickly learned that the man in the yard when we first drove up was Crissy’s brother Manuel, who is only 1 year older than her. Manuel started calling the rest of his family right away. There was happiness in his voice when he talked to his siblings and all I could understand was Norma. Spanish is difficult for me but they all speak Guarani which is impossible. Also, there at this time was Crissy’s sister in law and two of her children, a little boy the same age as Avanee and a one month old baby that is very cute. After a few minutes of conversation we learned that Crissy’s mother had passed away in January of 2010. This was something that we dreaded but had no control over. Her mother had been sick for the past 4 years and could not walk the last three of those years. Apparently she had arthritis and that she also suffered from diabetes the last two years. This news was very sad, but shortly after we learned that her Grandparents on her mother’s side of the family were still alive and lived across the street. As I looked across the yard to the street an elderly woman with glasses, a skirt, and a very big smile was walking toward us. She began saying “She came back, she came back, I can’t believe it.” She gave Crissy the best hug I have ever seen one person give another. At this point there was no chance of holding back the tears and I don’t know if there was a dry eye in the place. Crissy’s grandfather came up and did the same, he kept telling her “ I am your Grandfather” (I like her Grandpa a lot, he likes to talk and he seems to really like me) We learned that Crissy has a total of 13 brothers and sisters and a 14th child passed away shortly after it was born in 2006. We wrote down all of their names and ages and also how many children they have. In total she has 22 nieces and nephews. We meet another brother, Marisio who is younger than Crissy. We also met a couple of cousins while we were there.
With Manuel in tow, we drove into San Cosme to the Cemetery to see her mother’s grave. It was under a huge shade tree and the plot where her mother was buried was encased in cement with box shaped compartment and a glass door which opened to store candles, pictures, flowers, etc. While we were at the cemetery we met Crissy’s youngest sister, 17 year old Jessica. We all went to a restaurant and ate a traditional Paraguayan meal of carne y huevos. Next, we went to the Jesuit ruins for a nice tour. It was the first time that Crissy’s siblings had seen the inside of the ruins, and they had lived near them their entire lives. While on the tour we learned that there was presently a Peace Corp volunteer living there. We thought this was great because we had tried to make contact via Peace Corp and could not locate anyone in that area. His name is Zack and he met us at the ruins. He was very friendly and told us that he was the first Peace Corp volunteer in San Cosme in 27 years. The last members were an elderly couple that adopted a baby from there. We told him that Crissy was the baby and we had returned to find her family. He was surprised that we had come during his time of service, and stated that Crissy’s parents were somewhat of a legend. According to Zack people there still talk about them and they were very influential in the Peace Corp. During their time in San Cosme the mortality rate of children decrease by 40% in part because of the things her parents taught them about hygiene and first aid.
San Cosme has a planetarium and observatory which is the only one in the country. At the observatory we got the chance to see Saturn rings and all. We took Manuel and Jessica back to their house and upon arrival learned her eldest brother Juan Alberto was there. He told us that he remembered Crissy and her parents from when he was younger. He works a good distance away, but he was able to come to see his little sister again, unfortunately he could not stay he had to return to work very early in the morning. We were told that more of Crissy’s siblings would be showing later that night and that we should come early the next morning to visit them. We agreed and said goodnight feeling very relieved that we had made contact with our family.
When we returned to San Cosme we met up with Zach and he wanted us to meet someone who knew her Parents. Edgar Villanueva is a very charming and fun loving fellow. He welcomed us into his home and showed us certificates that he received when he was 13 years old. The certificates were signed Norman and Jewel Reynolds (Crissy’s parents). We visited with Edgar and his family for a while and he introduced us to Norma Gonzalez. Edgar and Norma watched Crissy when Norman and Jewel were busy; I guess you could say they were her babysitters. Babysitters that worked for sweets that Mrs. Reynolds made. Edgar also showed us the house where her parents stayed when they lived there. We said our goodbyes and grabbed some empanadas on the way back to the hotel. We got back and crashed with smiles on our faces. We finally got to do what Crissy has wanted her entire life. I couldn’t stop smiling and all I could say is “TODAY IS A VERY GOOD DAY!”
Picture summary: The man in the red shirt is Aldo he helped us translate. One picture is when Crissy first met her dad.
Crissy and her brother Manuel
Crissy first meets her Grandmother
Crissy with Grandma and Grandpa
Crissy and her Papa
The house that Crissy was born in
With Manuel in tow, we drove into San Cosme to the Cemetery to see her mother’s grave. It was under a huge shade tree and the plot where her mother was buried was encased in cement with box shaped compartment and a glass door which opened to store candles, pictures, flowers, etc. While we were at the cemetery we met Crissy’s youngest sister, 17 year old Jessica. We all went to a restaurant and ate a traditional Paraguayan meal of carne y huevos. Next, we went to the Jesuit ruins for a nice tour. It was the first time that Crissy’s siblings had seen the inside of the ruins, and they had lived near them their entire lives. While on the tour we learned that there was presently a Peace Corp volunteer living there. We thought this was great because we had tried to make contact via Peace Corp and could not locate anyone in that area. His name is Zack and he met us at the ruins. He was very friendly and told us that he was the first Peace Corp volunteer in San Cosme in 27 years. The last members were an elderly couple that adopted a baby from there. We told him that Crissy was the baby and we had returned to find her family. He was surprised that we had come during his time of service, and stated that Crissy’s parents were somewhat of a legend. According to Zack people there still talk about them and they were very influential in the Peace Corp. During their time in San Cosme the mortality rate of children decrease by 40% in part because of the things her parents taught them about hygiene and first aid.
San Cosme has a planetarium and observatory which is the only one in the country. At the observatory we got the chance to see Saturn rings and all. We took Manuel and Jessica back to their house and upon arrival learned her eldest brother Juan Alberto was there. He told us that he remembered Crissy and her parents from when he was younger. He works a good distance away, but he was able to come to see his little sister again, unfortunately he could not stay he had to return to work very early in the morning. We were told that more of Crissy’s siblings would be showing later that night and that we should come early the next morning to visit them. We agreed and said goodnight feeling very relieved that we had made contact with our family.
When we returned to San Cosme we met up with Zach and he wanted us to meet someone who knew her Parents. Edgar Villanueva is a very charming and fun loving fellow. He welcomed us into his home and showed us certificates that he received when he was 13 years old. The certificates were signed Norman and Jewel Reynolds (Crissy’s parents). We visited with Edgar and his family for a while and he introduced us to Norma Gonzalez. Edgar and Norma watched Crissy when Norman and Jewel were busy; I guess you could say they were her babysitters. Babysitters that worked for sweets that Mrs. Reynolds made. Edgar also showed us the house where her parents stayed when they lived there. We said our goodbyes and grabbed some empanadas on the way back to the hotel. We got back and crashed with smiles on our faces. We finally got to do what Crissy has wanted her entire life. I couldn’t stop smiling and all I could say is “TODAY IS A VERY GOOD DAY!”
Picture summary: The man in the red shirt is Aldo he helped us translate. One picture is when Crissy first met her dad.
Crissy and her brother Manuel
Crissy first meets her Grandmother
Crissy with Grandma and Grandpa
Crissy and her Papa
The house that Crissy was born in
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Tomorrow is Just the Beginning.... (hopefully)
Hello again. We have been in Paraguay for one week and today holds somewhat of the same excitement as our first day here. Tomorrow we will actually be in San Cosme y Damian, Crissy's birthplace. We spent more time in Asuncion than we intended but it was for the best. We were going to take a bus on Friday but Mr. Leatherwood arranged for us to ride with his friend Aldo. It was worth the wait. It was a very long ride (5 hours) with Aldo, his wife, mother-in-law, and 3 year old son, but he took time to tell us about the towns along the way and even made a 10 km detour to take us to a town of a woman that wrote a guide book for Paraguay which we have been using to learn about the country. He also stopped to let us video and take pictures along the way. It was very refreshing to breath in fresh air instead of the polluted air in Asuncion. The countryside of Paraguay is very different than that of the city. The roadside is lined with Eucalyptus trees and there are several places that have fields of wheat. Cows and other animals roam freely on the side of the road. It seemed like each little town we passed was known for a specific thing, and the people of that town have booths set up to sale these products. One town we passed was known for it's sheep and wool. Much of the roadside was covered with wool products. One town was having a parade. The picture of the horses was from the parade, however, they had several hundred horses in the parade. In fact, we had to take a detour through the ditches just to avoid the parade. During our travels today we also witnessed a Paraguayan funeral. There were many people walking behind the hearse. Aldo said that that person must have been important because of all the people.The pictures of the stone head carving is from the small town that was having the parade. The picture of Crissy and I was taken at a plaza near a church that is 400 years old. The picture of the water was take and a rest-stop/ restaurant as we crossed into the region of Misiones. The other picture is of Aldo and his son Pablo playing soccer during a break.
The last picture is of the sign to San Cosme. We did not go there today, we drove about 1 hour past it to stay the night in Belle Vista, which is Aldo's hometown. We are going to go the San Cosme in the morning and Aldo is going to help us look for Crissy's mother. We are excited, hopefully tomorrow's post will have some wonderful news that Crissy has been waiting her entire life to find. Thanks for keep track of us. We look for ward to seeing you all soon.
Love, James and Crissy
The last picture is of the sign to San Cosme. We did not go there today, we drove about 1 hour past it to stay the night in Belle Vista, which is Aldo's hometown. We are going to go the San Cosme in the morning and Aldo is going to help us look for Crissy's mother. We are excited, hopefully tomorrow's post will have some wonderful news that Crissy has been waiting her entire life to find. Thanks for keep track of us. We look for ward to seeing you all soon.
Love, James and Crissy
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Plenty of plastic but no cash.
Hola from South America! Today was quite the roller coaster. It started off slowly went into a bit of a frenzy of nerves and aggravation but ended okay thanks to the help of others. This morning instead of the usual breakfast we just had cake, fruit, and tea. Mr. Leatherwood was busy and we needed to go to the ATM so our morning was spent lounging around the hotel watching some episodes of Ancient Aliens I had saved to the laptop. Laying around was just making us more sleepy so we decided to get up and go out for lunch. We had used the last of our Paraguay dough on the taxi ride home from the resturant last night. So we packed up the ole backpack and set off walking to the bus terminal which is only a few blocks from the hotel. I exchanged the last $33 dollars I had and got 125,000 guarani. We caught a taxi to Shopping del sol in hopes of getting some lunch at their food court. We were told that the mall had an ATM and we could get some more cash. The taxi ride was around 30,000 guarani (30 mil) so we are under 100 mil total (100,000= 100 mil and so on). No problem right, I will just use the ATM. I put the card in the machine to get out the equivelent of $400 dollars and the card was denied. No big deal, I will use the other ATM that gives you the option to get dollars instead of guarani. The most it would allow was $100, so I tried that. Denied again, at this point I am angry and frustrated. I went to the bank the week before we left to make sure this would not happen. I was told they made a note on the card and everything would be fine. I guess they were wrong! We went to Burger King to get some much needed food, set down, and figure out our next move. Before this little bump in the road, we had plans to get some cash, eat, and stop by the supermercado to get some much needed supplies before we leave for the countryside tomorrow morning. Lunch was about 45 mil, which leaves us 50 mil to get back to the hotel. We ate our burgers caught a taxi and returned to the hotel. When we got back, I called Mr. Leatherwood and told him of our situation. He said that he was stopping by the hotel a little later to introduce us to his friend that will be taking us to San Cosme. In the mean time I looked for a number to call about my card since there was not one on the card. I emailed customer service and let them know I was not happy. Then we got online and Crissy's friend Brieann was online. We got her to call my parents to tell them we needed them to skype us ( thank goodness for technology). We told them the situation and they immediately began to work on getting us some cash via Western Union. Mr. Leatherwood and Aldo (his friend) showed up and we talked about our upcoming venture to the interior. He was very very kind and gave us 400 mil until we can get to Western Union. ( We are so grateful that we have met Mr. & Mrs. Leatherwood, they have been so helpful and kind) They left and we went to eat dinner. Things are crazy at the hotel they are having a huge quinceneria (don't know how to spell it) so they have been preparing all day, and boy do they go all out. We had the laptop with us at dinner, so I got online and went to google translate to tell our favorite waitress something. We should have done that the entire week. We weren't sure if she would be able to read it, however she happily read our message and asked if she could type a message to us. We agreed and our converstation was basically us saying "we appreciate your kindness and understanding of our poor Spanish" She replied by saying "do not worry, good luck and happiness to you both, I hope to see you soon"
PS. Summary of the pics.
Us on our balcony, us with Melissa (our favorite waitress), the quinceneria downstairs (it's 9:30 and they have not started partying yet) and the other pic is the Paraguayan version of barbed wire. They break bottles and mortar them into the top of the fence. We thought that was pretty clever.
Signing out,
James and Crissy
PS. Summary of the pics.
Us on our balcony, us with Melissa (our favorite waitress), the quinceneria downstairs (it's 9:30 and they have not started partying yet) and the other pic is the Paraguayan version of barbed wire. They break bottles and mortar them into the top of the fence. We thought that was pretty clever.
Signing out,
James and Crissy
Friday, July 22, 2011
The Real Asuncion!
Were in another room!! Hello to all in the USA! We woke up this morning and Senor Moreno was here to save the day. We called hotel’s last night and had no luck , then Senor Moreno called a few this morning. In the end, he talked to the lady here at the hotel and we moved into another room…again. Our room is nice, no pee on the walls! We have a small balcony and lots of natural light. James and I conquered the city by ourselves again ,today. We took a taxi to another shopping area. We didn’t spend much time there because it was a typical mall like shopping experience. Although, in a small shop that had some lace and leather, was a very nice lady that spoke English! She had learned English from being an exchange student in Ohio. She told us that if we really wanted to experience Paraguay, the real Paraguay, to go to a part of town called Petirossi y Gral Aguino. She told us we would be fine , but don’t take out our camera’s or phone’s. When we got there we saw many, many vendors. All lined up along the street. These vendors were made out of makeshift walls and tarps. Sometimes you’re literally walking through a tunnel . This was definitely a crowed, run down, not safe area we had ventured off into. But we headed into the vendors and bought a few things and had no problems. We also didn’t take any pictures although I really wish we could have so you could see how this country is. Safety first! Everywhere you go here, there is a military man holding a machine gun or a shotgun! Just a little intimidating. After seeing enough and getting tired of feeling… nervous of our surroundings we took a taxi back to the area where the Guarani Indian ladies were. Today was a beautiful day and there were several vendors out so we bought some lace and leather and a few Guarani Indian figures. We like dealing with the Indian ladies. They are very kind and think were silly. James accidently gave the lady not enough money and we started walking off, not realizing this. She said something to us (not in a angry way) and we immediately turned around to fix the problem. What was funny was the young men behind them doing construction work. They looked like they were about to kick our butts! James apologized and we made it right. Guess they didn’t want us to screw the ladies over. Back to the hotel we went and we took a short nap. Tonight we went to a restaurant called Paulisita Churrasqueria. This is a Brazilian steakhouse. At this joint they literally keep bringing meat out to you, all you can eat, straight off the grill. So muy bien! There is two that I know of in Dallas, and James took us out to one when Brieann was down here a year ago for my birthday. That particular steakhouse cost $60 each!! Here it cost $48 for two!! The servers were very nice and the food was awesome. They all loved my little Spanish translation book that James was using to ask where the meat was coming from. I guess my biggest thoughts of the day are that no matter how run down this city is and how poor or scary the area is, people here are just genuinely nice. They are patient with us and take time to help us around. Now ,if we could help them somehow… Good night, loved ones
Cristaneta
Cristaneta
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Ready to see the country life of Paraguay
Good Evening from Paraguay! Where to begin… today has been very interesting. Let’s start off with futbol. Paraguay won the semi-finals last night against Venezuela. Which is pretty cool considering this futbol is all Paraguayans have. They get in to it here: fireworks, drunks, horns honking, and hootin’ and hollerin’ till the wee hours of the morning. All that is on the news here is futbol and the bus strike. Mr. Leatherwood felt a lot better today and offered to take us out and about and so we did! But before that went down, we find out were homeless. Yes…HOMELESS!!! See, the boss lady here has been trying since day one to get us into a more expensive room. We are paying about $60 for our small room and that includes breakfast. Nothing fancy and that’s fine. She kept throwing this suite at us saying it’s $90 and she would give it to us for $80. Everyday it was “You check out today,Yes?” or “You move into another room, No?” Today she tells us we have to get out of our room, because someone has asked for 4 rooms together and our is one of them. Makes no sense, right? So, luckily Mr. Leatherwood was there to talk to her in Spanish and try to figure out where the heck were suppose to go. Long story short, we ended up packing our bags in a hurry and locking them in a closet near the lobby till they figured out where exactly we were staying. After that mess we went back to the fancy mall and tried to cash a check and they wouldn’t let us, and then went to a Shoppe called “Sugar’s” and tried some Paraguayan ice cream. Very yummy. Then off to visit his church that he and the Mrs. are currently living in. We met Captain Jack Sparrow their dog and Rocky their cat. They were surprised that no one has offered us terere (pronounced tey-reh-deh, roll your tongue to on the r) so they whipped out the thermos and wamba and bombilla. The tradition here is to drink out of the same wamba and bombilla. You just fill her up and pass it around, finishing each wamba full before passing to the next person. Mr. Leatherwood didn’t partake since he has a cold so we shared it with Caroline. Before I forget, I finally was greeted the Paraguayan way today. Caroline introduced me to this sweet girl … 15 years old I think, that they have come over and do little jobs like wash dishes and sweep. They pay her about $2.50 everyday that she comes. This helps her to afford school,which here, you have to pay for after the 6th grade. She ( I cant remember her name, shame on me) came up to me smiling and I stuck my hand out to shake hers and said Hola, and she grabbed me and kissed me on both cheeks, right to left. Men here shake hands with other men, or hug if they know each other well. Women kiss on the cheek, and of course, men can kiss women on the cheeks too. So we sat and sipped our terere and chatted. It was very nice to hear a few of their stories ( they’ve lived here for a good 30 years). Next was the expo. The expo is like a big state fair. A lot of people come to show their livestock and then there is rides and some booths to buy leather and other things of that nature. Let me tell you, James had to carry around a back pack so it has become my job to watch his back! So I worked hard today! It was so crowded and I kept eyeballing anyone that came up too close to James. Don’t ask me what I would of done if they had tried to steal, but I made sure people knew I was keeping the old eagle eye on them. We learned that on the buses if you have long hair, sometimes they take a razor and slice it all off, so they can sell pretty long black hair. We also learned that average Paraguayan makes $100-250 a month, and that’s to raise an entire family on. $400 a month for a person that has several skills and is very good at each of them. It cost’s $20 for a trip to the ER. They drive so crazy here! There is no such thing as lanes, but people seem to get the fact that you will be cut off, so deal with it. They honk the horn if another car or motorcycle is too close. Today we have seen homeless children begging on the streets, some coming up to our vehicle and asking for money. When we said no, they cussed us out in Guaraní. The buses are so crowded that the people would probably be safe if they got in a wreck because there’s no room for anyone to go anywhere!! Different world here definitely! So at the end of our day, Mr. Leatherwood brought us back to the hotel and came in to make sure we had a room. We did… and our first reaction wasn’t bad, but as we started to look around… (oh, and by this time Mr. Leatherwood has said goodnight) we start to notice a few things. First, there is no refrigerator, then the bathroom is tiny and leaking around the bidet. I leaned on the sink and that popped off!! Then we realize in this room there is no wi-fi. Now, we were thinking that this lovely room is costing us $60 just like the room before, but we don’t have all the amenities that the other room had!!! So we were a bit aggravated. THEN, I start looking around and notice what appears to be urine on the walls by the bed and in a corner near the door. After some investigation I’m thinking it’s human considering the height of the pee marks. Well, we found out were not paying $60, it is cheaper…but still, there is pee-pee on the walls!!! We wanted to call Mr. Leatherwood for some advice but our phone didn’t work. So were getting another hotel tomorrow. Poor Mr. Leatherwood, I hope were not driving him crazy, but were so happy to know them. They are great people and have been helping us out. Well, in closing, our plans for our main purpose, has made a slight change. We will be leaving Asuncion Sunday morning. See, at first we were taking a bus there, (a 5 hour drive). This is a big no-no and had the Leatherwoods worried. Now we will be riding with a young man named Aldo. Aldo has known the James and Caroline since he was 10. He speaks English and will stay with us and help us search for my family. I think this is great! We will have a translator! Life is awesome how it works out. So far, we have met James and Caroline that adopted a daughter they named Cristine ( they also call her Crissy) and we met another missionary on the plane here named Joey. His wife’s name is Cristina and his 4 year old daughter is named Adora. He’s lived in Paraguay most his life but is from Texas as well. He was very kind and we hope to see him before we leave. Already, we’ve made great connections with people here, but I cant wait to get out of the city and into the country and find my …people. That will make my heart super happy.
Love , Crissy
Love , Crissy
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Short video of Plaza de Los Heroes
ps. my wife isn't making a face, it is just stopped in the middle of her talking but we sure got a laugh when we previewed this post.
Flying solo today in Paraguay!
Hola everyone!! Today we flew solo!!! Muy Muy exciting! Last night we slept with the air conditioner on and we are probably the only people in this whole country doing that, but it felt good to us and it blocked out all the talking and banging around early in the morning. We had breakfast again in our little restuarante downstairs. I had a nice, hot cup of cosido ( yerba mate with sugar and milk) and James asked for orange juice and they brought us fresh squeezed orange juice,muy bien. We ate omelet and almond pound cake. Mr. Leatherwood is sick with a nasty cold so his wife told us a shopping area we could go check out. Oh boy, this means were all alone with are non-existent spanish! First we walked to the bus terminal to exchange some more money. You know, we don't want to look obviously clueless so we walked like we knew what we were doing. James carried the backpack with our camera's and had on his hidden pouch, but I kept a lookout for people getting suspiciously close. Luckily that didn't happen. I think it helps that I am brown and his whiteness is just considered German here. We get double looks all the time but everyone has been very friendly and very patient with our poor spanish. After getting our money into guarani we caught a cab. Carlos is the man when it comes to taxi drivers. He was so kind and honest. we will be using him again. He took us to Shopping Del Sol. Okay, we thought this joint would be like an authentic shopping experience.. nope. This place was basically an americanized, upper class, way too expensive for our asses mall. It was very nice and clean and pricey! We exchanged more money and went to the food court. We ate Pizza Hut, yup, Pizza Hut. Now the fanta was not orange america fanta...I dont know what the heck i ordered but me no likey paraguay fanta. The pizza was pizza! Most malls here have a super market inside them so we bought some hand sanitizer and baby wipes and headed out for the cab. Next stop was the Plaza de los Heroes. This is a old, rather beautiful building full of important dead people. It was under construction so we couldn't go in. Outside was three armed military police. These dudes were carrying M16 machine guns!!! James asked politely if he could take a picture. After looking around there was alot of the armed guys. But hey, it's for our safety. We walked around some authentic street vendors and bought several handmade bracelets and some dresses for our Avanee. ( speaking of Avanee, I cant wait to ask a Guarani Indian how to say her name since it is Guarani.) I love the handmade lace and leather purses and satchels they have...but I haven't picked up any of those yet. We walked around the park and noticed a young man pissing in the park by a tree, just out in the open for all to see! Here in several places, you have to pay to use a public bathroom, so some Paraguayans rebel by whipping it out and peeing in broad daylight! Last but not least, we stopped by four Indian women sitting on the sidewalk selling jewelry and handbags. We ended up buying from all but one. She kept showing us her different things and we felt bad so we found Avanee some cute handmade bracelets for her tiny wrists. This made them very happy that we bought from each of them and they gave us a free bracelet, which we thought was very kind. Here, Ive noticed how happy people are to be tipped. and when I say tipped were talking 1,000 to 2,000 guarani which is .25 - .50 cents. They are so grateful, and at first it was surprising, then I realize what a different world this is here. After all the sightseeing we came back to our hotel.It gets dark here around 6pm and you don't want to walk around in the dark in most area's. But that okay with us, because it came-a pouring down!! It has been raining almost all day long. Now its really raining. Well, that's all for now. I love you, my Avabear. Mama and Daddy miss you whole bunches. Tomorrow we should be headed to Argentina!! We will post several pictures of the waterfalls. Then Friday... were off to see the Zarza's!! Hopefully!
Love to all, Miss Crissy
Love to all, Miss Crissy
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