Rise up this mornin', smiled at the risin' sun,
three little birds pitch by my doorstep,
singin' sweet songs of melodies pure and true,

sayin' "This is my message to you-ou-ou-ou-"
~Bob Marley

Thursday, January 31, 2013

La Princesa Sofia


Hello everyone! This is a guest blog entry written by my sixteen year old neighbor, Naty. She did a great job writing about her new baby niece and we decided she should become a published author!

Me volví tía a los 16 años de edad y soy una tía muy feliz como no serlo si mi sobrina es una bebe hermosa ella nació el 19 de enero del 2013 a las dos de la tarde se llama Sofía Silva ese día en mi vida por primera vez comprendí lo que significa Ciclo de Vida porque apenas la mañana del 19 de enero era una mañana triste para mí porque perdí a un amigo muy querido por todos en un trágico accidente a Víctor Sebastián Ortiz Zorrilla y apenas empezaba la tarde sonreí porque llego a mí la noticia de que mi sobrina había nacido comprendí que el Ciclo de Vida es cuando acaba una vida y empieza otra vida Sofía lleno todo el vacío que había dejado en mi la perdida de aquel amigo que nunca olvidare sus abuelos Félix y Julia y su querida mama Fátima están felices y como no mencionar a sus tíos Joel y Perla Dios es generoso y quiere que todos sus hijos estén felices y a nosotros nos dio un angelito con brillo de paz que reboza con su sonrisa amor en nuestros corazones en esta casa humilde creciste lloraste por primera vez y en esta casa oirás historias de tu más tierna infancia cada momento cada cosa aunque parezca insignificante es algo maravilloso para nosotros hay estas doncella durmiendo entre rasos y sonando cosas maravillosas en príncipes en hadas o en unicornios quizás Sofía mi Ángel mi princesa el amor de nuestras vidas...nunca te alejes de nosotros porque eres nuestro sol y cuando el sol entra llega la noche y nuestras vidas sin tu presencia sería una vida oscura sin iluminación eres una pequeña luciérnaga en nuestras vidas con tu luz no habrá oscuridad que nos haga tropezar en la inmensidad porque eres y serás siempre nuestra lucecita de Amor!!!


Sunday, January 20, 2013

Holiday Traditions


As you can imagine there are many differences when it comes to celebrating the holidays in Paraguay, but there are many similarities as well! Here are a few examples that come to mind….
Food- lots of Food! At the top of the menu- carne asada, or bar-b-qued beef and pork. Clarico, or finely chopped fruit placed in a 5-gallon bucket retrieved from the barnyard, which is then filled with wine, champagne and orange soda. Finally, the tatakuaa, or earthen oven, is fired up and readied for the chipa guazu. Chipa guazu, (sounds like something from a Dr. Seuss book, doesn’t it?), is a special bread made from freshly ground corn, eggs, oil, and lots of homemade cheese- delicious! Paraguayans actually plant their corn so the harvest coincides with the holiday season in order to prepare this specialty.

Cutting fruit for Clarico
Visiting neighbors with Holiday Greetings. It is a tradition with my family, in the states, to bake Christmas cookies, then share with friends and neighbors. I decided to continue this tradition in Paraguay, and some neighbor kids joined me in baking.

 Because I didn’t have plates, we cut plastic soda bottles and placed our goodies inside. After tying tiny homemade cards to the bottles, we were off to visit and wish our friends and neighbors a Feliz Navidad!
 
At many homes large outdoor crèches were assembled complete with all the key players, decorated with greenery and flowers from the yard, candles and offerings of fruit and candies.
 
On Christmas Day, gifts are not exchanged. Instead, Dia de Los Tres Magos,(Day of the The Three Wise Men), is celebrated on January 6th.  On this day all good children place a shoe near an open window in the evening, hoping it will be filled with treats and small toys. As you can see, Los Tres Magos have an interesting sense of humor, as this is what Mark found in his shoe!
 
Here’s to hoping you had a wonderful holiday season, whether in the States or in Paraguay celebrating both old and new traditions!