Change of Pace: Time for reflection, personal growth and relaxation

Last Saturday (March 16), Chelsey and I spent the day walking around the Costanera (beach), central city and plaza.  While sitting in the park (eating a 1/2 pound tub of ice cream), I found myself blown away when thinking about where we were and what we are doing.  Only two months earlier I had been going to work everyday at 7:00AM on the peoplemover, sitting in a chair for 10 hours and then returning home only to eat dinner and sleep.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Life was monotonous and I wasn't finding happiness through work.... fast-forward two months.... I am in a park with no worries or stresses in the world, sitting in the sun, reading a book and eating ice cream in a different hemisphere.  For a moment, I had this overwhelming sense of pride about where we were, what we are doing and about our Leap of Faith.    

This feeling of pride has, however, been tempered with difficulties in transition.  For me, one of the most difficult elements of the transition to missionary life is the change of pace.  A couple examples:

1. When it rains here, they do not have school and stores close.  Nobody gets worked up about it.  There is no making up "rain days" in the summer.  People just relax and enjoy the day.
2. People take a siesta after lunch.  I am not good at this.  I feel like a two year old who refuses a nap.  I don't like sleeping in the day.

I know that it is no surprise to all that know me that I like to be busy all the time.  For the last month I have been having an ongoing argument with myself about whether we should be busier at the mission.  One part of me (the efficient, Western-thinking half of me) feels like I am not doing a good job unless I am putting in 8+ hours of labor a day.  I want to finish work for the day and see all that I have accomplished.  The other part of me says this craving for efficiency is not the way of life for a missionary and, in an ideal world, should not be the way of life for anyone.  When most think about being a missionary I believe they primarily think about providing services to others who need help.  This is definitely important but, perhaps equally important, is the personal reflection and development that is supposed to take place.  Introspection and reflection are necessary elements of any successful mission work.  If you do this correctly, your mission work does not end when you leave the community in which you are embedded but, rather, continues to live with you wherever you might be. 

This internal acknowledgment (that efficiency and productivity are not the primary goals of our trip) has, however, not made this transition easy.  Provide anybody a few extra hours in the day and I will almost guarantee that those hours will be spent on the computer, in front of the TV or on our cellphones.  In order to remedy this, I have been locking my cellphone and computer in the closet during the day.  I know this is a bit extreme but if my I-Phone is sitting around then I am tempted to play with it.

A similarly difficult component of the transition is ceding all control over your daily lives to people you don't really know.  At home, we have so much independence.  We have a car and we eat when we want to eat.  Here, up until recently, we have never really known where we were going or what we were doing.  Often we would find ourselves getting in the car and asking "Donde vamos?"  So, despite all the aforementioned efforts at being more "tranquillo", we sat down with the Sisters and drew out a schedule of our normal week.  This has provided us a little peace of mind although we are still clueless about what is happening 50% of the time.  As we learn more of the language, I hope this will resolve itself.

The last two weeks have been filled with downtime.  We have had two rain-days where we have had absolutely nothing to do (because the city shuts down).  As of right now, when we have school, Jardin (pre-school) is only two hours long (8-10 AM).  We go to three hours long after Easter (8-11 AM).  In the afternoon we typically have a few hours work with either tutoring, or the centre de salud (Health Center).   

Next week is an absolute vacation because it is Holy Week.  No School for 5 days straight!!!  On Monday we will be in Asuncion (6 hour bus ride away) all day so that I can go to the embassy to get a new passport.  Tuesday we have a Paraguayan history class and then businesses are all closed Wednesday through Easter.

!Feliz Cumpleanos!

It has been pointed out (several times), that since my birthday falls on the day of St. Joseph, my parents made a grave mistake by not naming me Josephina.   (Thanks guys.)

In other news, this is how my birthday got started (at 8:00 am).

It soon improved.  Virginia and Gladys brought me postre and presents.  And yes, I ate the whole torta for breakfast.  

 y     

To top it off, a surprise party with the Sisters and friends for lunch!

Whew!  Now it is time for siesta.

Under Construction

As you can tell, we're making some improvements to the blog. B thinks my designs are too girly and I think his are too busy. Marital problems...

Friday's Five:

5.  Nuns can't drive.  We're talking blinker on for miles, eight to ten attempts at the parallel parking spot before giving up, nearly hitting a family, and being flipped the dedo medio.

4.  No one shows up for school when it rains.  Really, not one student.  We could have had the day to do something fun if it weren't for the fact that no one does anything when it rains...

3.  Stores don't sell chocolate chips.  I was planning on making cookies, but I'll have to cut up some some chocolate bars first.  Also, no brown sugar.

2.  However, they DO sell ice cream by the kilo.  This makes up for #3.

1.  When your hair dryer explodes in the outlet and your hair is a mile wide in the humidity, people will call you a lion.  More than once.  

Week 1... happiness and contentment amidst financial poverty:

We have been in Paraguay for just shy of two weeks now and we are starting to learn the community and meet many of the people.  One of the most apparent (and significant) personality traits we have witnessed in the people of Paraguay is an overwhelming sense of personal contentment and happiness despite living amidst harsh conditions and extreme poverty.  I hope that I can convey some of this sentiment in the following summary of week 1.


Each morning we start the day by co-teaching "Jardin" (Pre-School).  As the school year just began last week (picture of first day on right), we are still in the first phase of classes where the kids only stay for 1 hour.  As time passes, the school day gradually gets longer until it is 4-hours long.  I help in the 4 and 5 year old class and Chelsey is the 3 and 4 year old class.  Right now we are still getting the kids comfortable and, for the most part, playing games.

In the afternoon on Monday (March 4) a lady showed up at our house around lunchtime.  She was poor and did not have enough money for medicine for her son.  All we understood from her story was that he had not eaten for months.  The Sisters  have access to some medicines as they run the centro de salud (explained below) and so they we went in search of the medicine at the centro.  We packed in the car with this woman, her granddaughter and one of the sisters.  While in the car we discovered it was the little girl's 4th birthday.  We found the medicine and drove the 3-4 miles to the hospital in the center of town.  While at the hospital, the little girl kept asking for water... only later did we find out that the grandmother and the granddaughter (remember, just turned 4 years old) had walked the 4 miles that morning to visit the Sisters.  What a reality check... kids in the US have cake and presents.  This 4 year old walked 4 miles was thirsty, utterly without presents and still happy and fun as we played for an hour at the hospital.  Anyhow, the sick gentleman was worse off than we expected.  He had cancer and was emaciated.  He had not eaten for months.

Later in the day we went across the river with Sister Susanah to Posadas.  We really did not know the purpose of the trip but were anxious to visit Argentina.  There is only one way to get to Posadas and it is across a very long 2 lane bridge.  There is always a significant line so I expected it might take a little while but I was not prepared for 3 miles in 3.5 hours!!  It was crazy.  I have pledged not to return unless we go early because it just is not worth it going across the bridge.  We have since learned that the exchange rate is so favorable, people go there and shop.  Our friend, Gladys, went on Sunday and waited for over 6 hours on the bridge.

On Tuesday (March 4) we visited the centro de salud in the afternoon.  The Centro is one of the Sister's primary missions here and I am sure that we will post much more about it once we start working there more often.  It is located in the neighborhood under the bridge ("barrio debajo del puente") and provides medical care to very very poor families.  We will be assisting in staffing the Centro on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  The real medical professionals are nurses employed by the Centro and doctors from Encarnacion that volunteer to spend a few hours assisting.  On Tuesday, our time at the Centro was cut short, however, because we agreed to accompany Sister Marianna to visit a poor woman and her 7 boys (I am not great at math but I think the chances of that happening are slim).  We did not really understand the visit...we thought it was just to develop a relationship with this woman and her family but we were gravely mistaken.

Now that we know the backstory, we can provide you with a little background information that we have since learned.  The family speaks very little spanish.  They communicate primarily in Guaraní, which is the tribal language here.  It is an official language of Paraguay (the only country in South America with two official languages).  The Sister that we went with does not speak Guaraní so Delma, a nurse at the Centre and a member of youth group, translate.  The youth group has been assisting this family for sometime now.  The original house on the site was probably 80 square feet for a family of 8.  There was a fire in the middle of the house (to cook on) and the nearest water is a very dirty stream a  hundred yards away.  The bathroom is outside and only identifiable because a sheet hangs in the tree to provide privacy.  Chickens, dogs and children are everywhere.  The kids wear nothing but shorts and the ground is covered with rotting food, waste, homemade contraceptives and trash.  Approximately 4 months ago the youth group raised money and built an addition on to the house so that the total square footage approached 200 square feet.  I have never seen such deplorable living conditions.  There were three beds in the house (for 8 people) and a pillow outside which a little boy was laying on when we arrived.

The purpose of our trip was not to visit but, rather, to deconstruct the house that had been built a few months earlier and load it in a truck so that the materials could move with the family.  The woman had lived on the land for 15 years but was being kicked off (we believe the owner of the land decided he was going to use it).  This is very surprising to me as the house is miles down a dirt road, in the middle of nowhere/jungle.  Anyhow, we spent the afternoon deconstructing the home.  At one point, I found a tarantula within feet of where the bed had been in the house.  The others assisting us said they are not uncommon and that they will kill a person within 2 hours if not treated.  All I could think about was that these kids were walking around without shoes and were sleeping within feet of this spider.

On Wednesday (March 5) we visited the "gentes debajo del puente" (people under the bridge).  This was my favorite thing we have done so far.  Again, we learned the backstory after we visited (this is proving to always be the case).  There were 4 sets of railroad tracks next to the river, running under the bridge to Argentina (discussed above and pictured to the right).  Each tracks was on a different tier of ground.  The tracks were abandoned and people built shanties on each tier.  What has resulted is a neighborhood consisting of 4 tiers of shanties/homes.  By my estimate, 4-10 homes share a water tap.  Bathrooms exist in each house but there is no plumbing (I leave that to your imagination).  Chickens and dogs roam everywhere.  Despite these conditions, people are happy.  I honestly do not think they believe themselves to be poor.  The value system just seems different.  They might know that they lack material goods but they do not see themselves as poor.  They are content and welcoming.


We walked with the Sisters for a couple hours and just visited with the families.  Chelsey and I made a little friend (above left).  I also made friends with a kid named Victor (below).  He was pushing around a broken bike which I was able to fix for him.  It took a little while and Chelsey and the Sisters visited with his mom while I tinkered.  He was SO, SO excited when we got it working.  His mom disappeared into the house and came outside with a tub of water, a bar of soap and a nicely folded towel so that I could wash the grease off my hands.  I could not get over how welcoming and gracious everyone was despite the living conditions.


On Thursday (March 6) we had a two hour Paraguayan History session with a local professor.  I will not try to reteach the course but I will say that Paraguay has had a very unique history which has led to a totally diverse population.  There is a huge Eastern European contingent here which has led to some interesting looking Guarani children with bright blonde hair.  :-)

Friday (March 7) afternoon we had our first religious formation session with the Sisters.  This will be a weekly event so that we can be sure we are taking the time to reflect on our
experiences.  In the evening we went to have dinner and spend the night at the house of our newest Paraguayan friend, Virginia.  She is the teacher of the 4 to 5 year old class at the school and was nice enough to invite Chelsey and I into her home for the evening.  First, she has two awesome kids (Facundo and Alejandra).  Second, she is an awesome cook.  On Friday night she made us empanadas, pizza and paella for dinner.  Third, she took us to do fun things in Encarnacion.  After the amazing meal we went and bought ice cream and then went to the Coastanera (a really nice boardwalk and beach each on the river - photo above) to hang out and enjoy the evening.  Ice cream shops are a bit different here.  You go to a place like Baskin Robbins and literally buy an empty 1 Kilogram bucket and then you can choose whatever flavors you like to fill the bucket...awesome.  The plan was to stay the night with Virginia and her kids and then go to the zoo early on Saturday (February 8) but bad storms hit the area and it poured all day on Saturday so instead of the zoo we chilled at Virginia's house, ate couple home-cooked meals and played with her kids (below).  We are going to take a rain check on the zoo.


Sundays with the sisters are totally relaxing.  Mass is at 8:00 AM and then all that is on the schedule for the whole day are meals.  Chelsey and I hung out at the house, went on a nice walk around the barrio and started working on the "Moto" (scooter) in the garage.  The sisters want us to use it to get around the barrio.  No complaints from us... we just have to find a mechanic to get the thing in working condition again.

Anyhow, it has been a wild ride and we are only two weeks deep.

Friday's Five:

1. “What is on this pizza? Carne?”  “No.  Pescado…tuna.” 
2. Flushed Frogs.  Little frogs live under the rim of the toilet.  You don’t realize they’re under there until you flush them.  “Adios, Renas!”  Total Flushed to date – 3.
3. Asking for a refill for our “Mineral Water” cooler then listening intently while they explain how to refill the tank from the shower. 
4. Running errands with Sr. Susanna.  She took us to the cell phone store, the grocery store, then, surprise, to the hair salon to get Brammell’s hair cut.  I guess she thought he was due for a trim.  
5. Fighting a Rattlesnake.  The dogs found a rattlesnake in the yard.  Brammell, el hermano de casa, came to the rescue with a conspicuously long-handled broom to kill our unwelcome guest.  The sisters say this only happens once or twice per year.  We should be safe until August. 

Sad Sunday::

Fighting rattlesnakes is only fun until it kills one of your dogs.  RIP Iche.

On Saturday we realized he was sick and went in search of a Vet - an impossible venture at 6:00 on a Saturday evening.  We went to 5 different places and finally Sister Susie convinced the neighbor of a Vet to give us his home phone number.  The vet looked at the dog and diagnosed him (we think incorrectly).  When we woke up on Sunday morning he had passed on.  :-(

Goodbye USA, Hello Paraguay

We have arrived in Paraguay and are settling into our new home:

The first week has been CRAZY.  I thought I would try to summarize the first few days.  I hope that I will get a little more punctual with the posts but we have just not had time between recovering from jet lag and going to church (a lot of church).

On Saturday (Feb 23) we threw our KY-themed going away bash for the sisters at our house in Albuquerque.  As mentioned in the previous post, the entire dinner was KY-themed (Benedictine, Pimento Cheese, Hot Browns and Derby Pie).  It was a hit!!!  The Sisters loved it and we had a great time.  We were also lucky enough to be joined by Hiliary, the past volunteer from Paraguay.  She brought pictures and answers to many of our questions.  West stayed up until 4 AM talking with her. 

Sunday (Feb 24) was a day of final errands around town and then we had our final mass and going away celebration in the evening.  An older Priest in the area said the mass and he wrote a very nice homily that I thought I would share:

Bill & Chelsey, it is good to be here.  This is a special moment...a top of the mountain experience.  On behalf of the Sisters, I offer our congratulations on your openness to the call to serve as volunteers for the next five months in Encarnacion, Paraguay.  In the spirit of the Latin word "trans" meaning a bridge to cross over, you are leaving the familiar to go and work among the poor and carry the light of Christ in your hearts and in all you do.  It is like Abraham in the first reading, who accepted the call of God and he was prepared to leave home, prepared to leave behind the familiar and go even though God didn't tell him where.  Abraham placed his trust in God.  Well, you know your designation but you  don't know how this upcoming experience will unfold...it remains a mystery..and so like Abraham, you place your trust in God.  Perhaps you already know intuitively but you will have an eye opening experience that will change you, will transform your hearts in ways you could never have imagined.  No doubt there will be some hard times, you will feel helpless at times and will wonder how people endure, how do they persevere.  On the other hand, you will be overwhelmed by the spirit of hospitality and generosity, the dancing eyes and smiles of children will disarm you in wonderful ways.  All that and more, you will see the reality of the Cross and you will get a glimpse of the other side of the Cross where hope and promise endure with much faith and love.  May you find much satisfaction and joy being messengers of God's love and compassion.

Following the Homily he blessed our missionary crosses and then there was a presentation ceremony (right).  There were 30-40 people at the Ceremony including the Sisters, Mary (the VOICA Coordinato), Stephen (Mary’s BF) and many of our friends from San Jose. Following mass we had a very nice meal in the Spirituality Center,

Monday (Feb. 25) was crazy.  This was our final day of running errands and packing.  We also went to San Jose for a final time because we wanted to say goodbye to our Monday night Catecismo class.  We took rice krispie treats and said our goodbyes (right).

Tuesday (Feb. 26) was the day of departure.  We packed all morning and were at the airport by 1:00 (MST) which is 5:00 PM (Paraguay Time).  We flew from Albuquerque to Dallas to Miami to Asuncion and landed at about 9:00 AM (Paraguay Time).  This was rough because it the flight was all night but could have been okay if we were at the end of our journey but we were not.  

We got off the plane Wednesday (Feb. 27) morning in Asuncion and the first thing we had to do was get our visa.  At the airport you can only get a 90-day visa.  We need a visa for 6 months.  Not normally a big deal because you can just but another visa at the end of 90 days….EXCEPT I cannot because my passport expires in October and they will not sell you a visa unless your passport is good for an additional 6 months following the issuance of a visa.  Bottom Line – I needed to buy a 6-month visa OR I will have to get a new passport. 

Anyhow, we got our 90-day visas, found our baggage and all we knew was we were looking for a nun.  We left customs and the first person we say was Sister Noemi (Pronounced: No! Amy) greeting us with a homemade sign.  Somehow, miraculously, I explained the above Visa situation to Sister Noemi.  She then made it her mission to solve this issue on that very day.  Just to provide a brief description, Sister Noemi is probably in her 60’s, a bit short and is very jovial.  We went from the airport to some place you can get visas (looks like the DMV) to the Department of Foreign Affairs (similar to the State Department?) and then to the Bureau of Emigration.  At the Bureau of Immigration we dropped off Passports and were told to return in 3 hours.  In the meantime we went and got lunch and chatted (in very broken Spanish) over empanadas in the bus terminal.  At 1:30 we went and jumped on a public bus with Sr. and went back downtown.  The buses deserve some explanation.  First, they are not concerned about complete stops.  Jump on and jump off while it is still rolling.  Second, street peddlers and kids just duck under the turnstile and come on for free.  They are all selling prayers cards, homemade drinks, food, etc.

When we got back to the Bureau of Emigration all they provided was a letter saying that our Visa was valid (no joke…right?…you just issued it at the airport).  Anyhow, they told us to call the US Embassy, which I plan on doing this week.  Following this failure in Visa department, we got back on the public bus and went back the bus station.  It was 5:00 PM and we were only a short 6 hour bus ride away from our home, Encarnacion. 

The bus was very nice, complete with two stories and a bathroom.  Chelsey and I could, at this point, barely keep our eyes open.  We slept on and off until our arrival at 11:30 or 12:00.  At the Bus Station we were picked up by Sister Marianna and taken to our new home.  More pictures will follow but here are a couple of the house, our room and our barrio (neighborhood) just to give you an idea...

Chelsey was chilling while I took photos.  The room is not that big but we have lots of closets.

  

The bathroom is across the hallway.  We basically have an entire wing to ourselves on the second flood of the convent.  The kindergarten where we will be teaching is in the downstairs.