Details of our new life.

Ok, we keep hearing, "details, details" so we'll try.  It feels hard to explain what we are experiencing, partially because it just feels normal now, but also, it's just hard to put into words what we're seeing.

Our neighborhood is a bit rural, dirt (red dirt/clay) roads, with a "park" (~field) not used very much in the middle, which has swings, see-saws, slide.  We found a tree in the park that the roots of one tree, grow up around the other tree.  We have explored our neighborhood, and found many different short cuts to town and to the fruteria.  Our neighborhood is just houses, park, volleyball court, cow pasteur.  One house sells a few things out of their house. 

The town, Paraguari, is about a 15-20 minute walk away from our little purple casita.  I am surprised everyone can st ay in business, because there are many of the same stores in town.  Empanada and soda stands everywhere.  At least there are more parks than home.  They have another park in the town central.  The central is very busy; lots of people, stores, markets, internet/phone stores; we even found a place to buy a new webcam for only $16.  Many buses, cars, motos (people not wearing helmets; 2-3 people on every moto, including babies); but it is very dangerous and Blanca said 2-3 people die everyday on motos.

And here there's no law about jaywalking.  You get about a foot away from a moto and you act like it's nothing.  When we get back to America, I imagine there will be lots of honking, because we will be use to getting too close to the cars.

Hard to describe the terrain; it's not like tropical jungles.  It's mostly flat, then out of nowhere outjuts a hill; steep and flat at the top.  It's pretty lush and green (except the red/orange roads).  They have some fruit trees, but also palm/coco trees.  We haven't seen any exotic animals.  Lots of cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, cats, birds.  We saw one iguana.  Not even any weird bugs or spiders.  Some mosquitos, but not too bad.

We are treating this time like summer vacation, staying up late, and sleeping in.  We've gotten use to doing different chores here.  We wash dishes, sweep, mop, cook everyday.  We met a couple of Americans today.  Molly & Carly, 2 Peace Corps Volunteers.  They are very friendly and we think we will be hanging out more with them.  We enjoyed being able to speak English instead of Spanish for a bit.

We met a Paraguayan woman, who invited us to go with her and her daughters to a zip line/rope course in a nearby town.  Cool, huh?!?  Everyone says it's safe; mom even checked it out on the web.

The weather has been variable.  The last 2 days have been extremely hot and humid, been that's been leading up to the big rain we had today, and now it's cooling off again.  So, hot being, got up to 88, and the coolest so far is mid 60's.  They say it will get colder, but still crazy that this is their winter.  So glad mom didn't bring us here in the summer!

Our favorite restaurant in town, the Tropicana.

Hope that helps your mental image.  Jacey and Maya signing out.

Hola, Maya here.
It's been quite hard cooking here, but we've had very delicious meals.  The only things we have to cook with is one pot, one pan, 2 burner stove, 3 forks, 4 spoons, 4 knives, 4 plates, 4 bowls, 4 cups, a cooler, and food we buy from the market.  We walk almost everyday to La Fruteria and the market that we buy what we need.  It's about a 15 minute walk there, but we get use to it.   One of our first home cooked meals was pasta, with cooked vegetables and tomato sauce.  It was delicioso.  We have a grapefruit tree in our front yard, and Jacey and I have made juice many times.  My mom's friend gave us a juicer, which is a lot easier.  The first time, we had to hand make it, and strain it. 

We bought a soccer ball in one of Paraguay's team colors (cerro porteno).  Me and that soccer ball made good friends!  My mom drinks mate almost every morning; she loves that stuff.  Me and Jacey like terere and mate, but we can only drink it sometimes because it has something like caffiene in it.

Hasta luego,
Maya

Hello/Goodbye Friends!

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Jacey, Maya and Teresa Edit

Jacey, Maya and Teresa are in final stages before leaving for Paraguay. We head to Charlotte Wednesday, May 2, and start our 18 hour journey, arriving in Asuncion, Paraguay, 5/4. We will stay with friends in Asuncion for a few days; resting, getting acclimated, and site seeing. Then, we’ll head to our future home, small town of Paraguari. We’ll stay with friends at first, then find our own place to rent.
We will work on getting internet and phone, but not sure how soon we will be connected.
Please follow our adventures through our blog. We’ll try to post pics and tales of our journey along the way. We are excited, nervous, and lots of other emotions, but looking forward to an amazing trip.
We’ll miss everyone but will be back before a blink of an eye. Flight back to Asheville 8/1.

I know I'm dramatic and process emotionally, but I feel my soul filling up...I had this dream, and it's happening, just as I'd hoped.  I was prepared to be flexible and ok if it wasn't so great, but it's better than I had hoped.  Doesn't mean there aren't challenging, annoying, pain in the butt times, but all that is a part of it, making the whole experience whole.

It feels so good to be settled in our casita.  We've been in our house almost a week.  Small, but new and cute (purple, Maya's favorite color); has tile floors, electricity, one room that we have our 2 beds and suitcases in, and another room for the kitchen.  We have a table, chairs and a 2 burner electric stove.  You have to go outside to get to bathroom, but it's attached, small (door hits toilet when you try and go in), but has toilet, sink, shower w/hot water.  There's a sink outside to wash dishes, no hot water and no roof, but it's only rained one day so far.  We have a nice porch and yard, that has a wall around it, with a purple gate that we can lock.  Our doors and windows lock too.   Our neighborhood is quiet and safe; we're about a 15' walk from the center of Paraguari, the town central.  We could take a quick bus ride, but so far, we choose to walk.  We are about 2 hour bus ride from Asuncion, and 1 hour bus ride to the campo where I lived 20 years ago.

One of my neighbors from the campo now lives here and he found us the house; he wanted us near to help protect us and take care of us ("my north american daughter").  He lent us 2 beds, table and chairs, and a cooler.  We're using that instead of a fridge for now.  My other friend, Yeni, is going to lend us a fridge, but who knows when.  She said she'd have some guys deliver it Tuesday at 11 (it's now Thursday, 4pm, and no fridge).  "paraguayan time"

We are getting our routine down.  I drink my mate (tea), fix the girls cocido (sweet, hot milk type thing), then we eat breakfast, sweep, mop, wash dishes; we usually visit, run an errand, go to grocery/market, play in park, then fix lunch, wash dishes; then rest, computer/DS time; then journal, read, draw, shower, then visit, then cook dinner, dishes, computer, read, etc, bed.

The girls will start tomorrow with their Spanish classes.  Profesora Lily teaches English at the technical school for teachers.  She's Paraguayan and has 3 kids.  She wants to practice her English as well.  Once I get them going with a schedule, I will hopefully volunteer at the regional hospital.  My former counterpart, Barbara, a nurses aide works there, and I have the cell number of a Peace Corps nurse volunteer that's  been working there.  In general, the girls are still only speaking the basics, but I can tell how they are understanding a lot of what is being said.  Maya is working at it very hard, and Jacey doesn't seem to want to much, but she's so darn smart, she is getting it too.  They even learned some Guarani, which just thrills the paraguayans.

There's been moments of complete surrealness dream like, then settles in to regular ole daily living.  The girls continue to do well; helping me with the cleaning, patient with the visiting, which is important part of Paraguayan culture, but boring for them.  Not only because they don't speak the language, but just sitting around talking.  They've been playing with some kids.  Every time they meet new kids, it takes them a little bit to get comfortable, then it's no big deal.  They haven't met the neighbor kids and started playing with them yet, but we have been busy getting set up, so hopefully soon. 

We spent a weekend in the campo.  The girls loved it, and I couldn't get over how they weren't even phased by it.  I mean, they could verbalize how it's different, but Maya even said, "What's the big deal; it's just humans, living."  They got to do all the fun country living stuff:  milk cows, make cheese, grind corn and make cornbread, ride in a horse drawn cart, pick mandarines, oranges, grapefruit, mangos, avocados from the trees, make grapefruit juice.  Man, how fresh is fruit and vegies when you eat them right away!  There were 5 week old puppies, that the girls wouldn't put down the whole time, as well as the plethora of cow, chickens, dogs, pigs...

We've been skyping with my mom and dad, and the girls with Scott.  We skyped with his parents last night. We will skype with Maya's class on Wednesday.  This skype thing is so dang cool.  I really haven't been homesick at all yet, and the girls say they aren't either.

I'm learning lots about myself and growing.  So easy to "see" yourself when you're stripped of your routine, culture.  Really working on living in the moment, accepting/appreciating what is, removing the judgment, and taking care of myself.  I have to tell the girls several times a day, "no more questions for 10 minutes", or I am going to sit outside by myself for 15 minutes.  They are so curious, but it is so draining explaining everything, translating everything, and trying to be responsible and deal with everything.

So, that's it for now.  We'll post again soon.  We hope all are well.

Safe arrival.

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Jacey, Maya and Teresa Edit

We have arrived safe and happy to Asuncion, Paraguay. The culture, looks, sounds, and smells are all different. We had 3 flights to arrive; 2 weren’t so bad, but one was long, overnight, but difficult to sleep.
I feel where we’re staying, inside is luxurious and beautiful. It even has a pool. The food is different but delicious. We have to be cautious of different things, like roaming dogs. Another trouble is trying to communicate with the people around us. But, it’s better than I thought, and I think we get through it just fine.
Besos y abrazos (hugs and kisses),

Jacey