Festival de Virgen del Carmen

Paraguayans know how to celebrate, and the festival of the Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of Arazape, was no exception. The festivities lasted for a week, then culminated in the grand finale that started at 7:00am and ended at around 11:00pm that evening. This is an event that the entire community looks forward to every year.

Mark and the kids wait for their turn

Tents were put up near the plaza, by a group of carnies, housing a hand operated Merry Go Round, games of chance, two shops selling trinkets and toys, three food booths, and three cantinas. If the tents didn’t catch your eye, the blaring music was certainly the advertisement that would ensure everyone would visit, at least once!

 During the week, The Virgen del Carmen, who is also the Virgin Mary, (long story), was carried from the church in a procession to each of the 11 barrios of Arazape, to bless the people and renew their faith.

Virgen del Carmen

On the last day of the festival, the final procession was made around the main square of Arazape, with everyone meeting at the church for a mass.  The fire for the “estaca” was reduced to coals and ready for the skewered meat, the beer and soda iced, with plenty of cana, (sugar cane alcohol), on hand for the day’s festivities. A traveling band provided music for the event, as well as groups with guitars and accordions.

The horse events, held in front of the church, took most of the morning. 

Grabbing the ring from the corncob

 The events included: pulling a ring from a corn cob suspended from a cross above the rider’s heads; horse jumping; and swooping to pick up a cana bottle, (an impromptu challenge by a member of the audience).

Taking a break between events

Lots of meat eating, alcohol drinking, and visiting followed near the church, including numbers and letters being announce for a Bingo fundraiser.

A make shift bullring, complete with bleachers was set up overnight in the soccer field, and the evening culminated in a “Torin” or bullfight of sorts. The bull was let into the ring, with a rider on his back. Three matadors with capes harassed the bull until it was tired and finally gave up. The best part was the clowns who entertained the kids and had everyone laughing. The next morning the entire set-up was dismantled and gone before the sun came up!

Diana and I at the bullfight

The event was a great time to connect with neighbors, whether during mass, over a bottle of cana, or snuggling to stay warm during the “Torin.” There was something for everyone, which brought with it a sense of community, all in honor of the Virgen del Carmen!

Wedding- Paraguayan Style

It was exciting to be among “only family” invited to Anibal and Claudia’s wedding, last night. It was a beautiful ceremony in the only church in Arazape, followed by a reception at their home. The wedding began at 7:30pm and the reception went well beyond 12:00am, (when we went home).

Felicidades Claudia y Anibal!

The vows were amazingly similar to traditional wedding vows in the states, other than they were in Guarani in addition to Spanish. Claudia wore a white dress with a fuzzy white jacket, a gorgeous bride, who skipped the long johns despite the freezing weather, (it’s winter here!). I know this, because at the reception, instead of the groom tossing the garter, he “transferred it.” Claudia wore ten garters, and one at a time, a single woman sat across from her, placed the sole of her foot against Claudia’s and Anibal transferred the garter from Claudia’s thigh to the other woman’s. The significance? I’m not sure- I still need to ask about this one.

Claudia- the beautiful bride!

There was a variety of genre of music blasting from 2 columns of 8-foot tall speakers! We all danced to a variety of music from traditional Guarani, to polka, to more modern Spanish selections. Imagine our surprise when Credence made their entrance with “Rollin” and “Stuck in Lodi, Again”!

“What about the food?” you ask. In a word, MEAT! Cooking meat for large groups is an art form here in Paraguay. A week ago, Mark and Teodocio went into the forest in search of “palitos,” long thin branches, carefully selected so as not to transfer flavoring to the meat, but also hard enough to withstand the heat from the cooking fire. Large chunks of meat are skewered onto the stakes, which are then hammered into the dirt in a circle around the fire. The meat is carefully turned and roasted in this manner for about 7 hours. Simmering along side the meat was a large pot of batiburillo, a specialty in Misiones. Batiburillo consists of all the internal organs of the recently killed cow, cut into small pieces, cooked in brown gravy, with a stick of mandioca on the side. Actually- quite delicious!

The MEAT!

The wedding cake looked much like a traditional wedding cake in the states, with one exception- it had 20 ribbons sticking out of the cake from the various layers. As the bride and groom began to cut the cake, the single women each pulled a ribbon out. The woman with the ribbon that had a ring tied to the other end will be the next to be married, as the tradition goes.

Teodocio and Mark Take a Break

Of course, the element that transcends the cultures was joy and happiness. Claudia’s voice wavered as she tried to hold back the tears during her vows, Moms and God Mothers cried, Anibal got lots hearty slaps on the back from his brothers, and the dancing and celebrating went well into the night!

Felicitaciones Anibal y Claudia!

Festival of San Juan!

Last weekend was the festival of San Juan, the patron saint of San
Juan Bautista. The festival revolves around playing with fire- and the
school in Jhugua was no exception! Imagine our surprise when the
principal took a ball of rags, soaked it in kerosene, lit it on fire
and kicked toward the kids, who ran screaming, and continued to kick
the flaming ball at each other!

Just a little fun playing with fire!

A pole, about 20 feet tall was placed on the playground, with a bag of treats attached to the top. Next, the pole was drenched in grease, left over from several fried traditional foods being sold as fund-raisers. All of the boys scrambled to reach the top of the pole, stepping on each other, climbing over each other, falling on each other. Finally, one boy, with the help of his friends, made it to the top of the pole and retrieved the bag of goodies!

Fund raiser- Cooking chipa, (corn bread), on sticks. You can imagine the jokes being told around this fire!

Next, two coins were attached to the back of a frying pan with a thick sugar cane syrup. The pan was hung from an extension cord nailed between two trees. The kids took turns licking the back of the frying pan until one lucky student ended up with the coins in his mouth!

How many licks does it take?

Of course, how could I forget the sack races; “Draw the Tail on the Pig” while blindfolded; musical chairs, and the dance by grade-level competition?

Does the tail go here?

But that's not all... Mark was talked into being the “Toro Candil”. He
wore a black cape and held a stick with a torch lit on both ends against
his head and chased the kids like a flaming bull! In the process he
burned the hair off his fingers and got a blister from one burn- but
boy was he the hit of the festival!

Mark as the "Toro Candil"

The finale included three more kerosene- soaked flaming balls being kicked toward and between the students, with more wild shrieking and tearing around the playground.

The Festival of San Juan was quite the experience. I can’t wait to introduce this cultural gem to the school where I am placed when I return to the states. You think I’ll get my Superintendent’s blessing?

A Visit From Home

Our friends Mary Jo and Charlie came to visit us from the states. After their 6000 miles of cramped legs, meals on board, and two layovers, we met them at the at 2:30am. It was so exciting to see our neighbors, from home, in the Paraguayan airport- a little surreal, actually.

Our visit and vacation was a whirlwind of activity. We spent a few days in Asuncion, catching up on sleep, eating good food, and sharing stories. Charlie rented a car, and we were off to Arazape. While in town we visited our two schools, delivered books, saw  Porto Garata, then made it back to the house to start dinner. Emily stayed with us that evening as well.

500 Books for the school in Arazape!

The following morning we attended the Ovecha Rague- an event our community has been preparing for all year. The beautiful wool items, created by local artisans, were on display, including a parade, and lots of typical foods.

Ovecha Rague

Onward to Encarnacion, and the Jesuit Ruins of Jesus and Trinidad. The sound and light show at Trinidad was fantastic! Mary Jo and Charlie were troopers through the rain and even used some Spanish along the way! 

Jesuit Reductions

Smile!

Next we headed to Ciudad de Este, where the real adventure began. We were pulled over twice, as expected, by the police. We were told to expect to be asked for money, (bribes), but with Charlie’s international driver’s license our Peace Corps ID’s , we were sent on our way without being asked for a dime, (or quiniento)! We nearly went over the bridge to Brazil, (for which we had no visas), but Charlie’s keen eye and expert driving skills, maneuvered us through a space in the cement partition, and got us headed in the right direction. Good thing, too, as if we did end up in Brazil without visas, we would have been detained and fined heavily, (we joked about handcuffs, pero probablamente no).

Finding the ferry to cross the boarder to Argentina took four stops and four kind Paraguayans patiently directing our way, some correct, some not. Again, thanks to Charlie’s quick U turns, Mark’s skills as navigator, and Mary Jo and my determination to keep our backseat driving to a minimum, we made it to the ferry.

Crossing the river on the ferry, we made it to Argentina. A pretty special crossing, actually, as the river touched the three boarders of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina- 3 South American countries in 15 minutes!

After spending the night in Porto Iguazu and eating more wonderful food, we headed to Iguazu Falls. In two words, Absolutely Amazing! The shear force of the falls created strong wind and left everyone drenched! Rainbows were created by the lower falls, as butterflies, coatis, turtles and fish were spotted along the way. We hiked and again, ate more wonderful food!

Just two of the many falls at Iguazu

Finally, we started our trek back to Asuncion. We were stopped by another police officer who we thought asked us if we had any “contraband.” After assuring her we had no contraband, we realized she was saying “contramano”, (the wrong way), looked up and saw the one-way sign. We had a big laugh about that one- while the officer kept a straight face- Loco Nortes!

What a wonderful adventure we had with our buddies from the states! When I announced that I had made the decision that they “were not allowed to leave Paraguay”, Mary Jo and Charlie continued on their way to Costa Rica to celebrate their anniversary, anyway. Were they not listening?

Thanks again, Mary Jo and Charlie!

Yesterday, a fellow volunteer asked me about my favorite part of our trip, as she was planning a trip to the same locations. The decision was an easy one for me, but unavailable to her. My favorite part was the sharing of time, opinions, laughs, and conversations, with two special friends who came all the way to Paraguay to visit us!

Garden Growing

One of the goals of our Peace Corps service is to grow a demonstration garden designed to introduce Paraguayans to new gardening techniques, introduce a variety of new vegetables, and encourage healthy food choices. An added personal goal- to grow fresh veggies for our table! Currently we have to take a one-hour bus ride to access a market that sells anything more than the “trinity”, onions, peppers and tomatoes.

And so the process began…… first, we removed the sod from the area where our new garden was to be located. Then we, well mostly Mark, used the “double dig” method to prepare six tablones, measuring 1 x 3 meters each, with an additional tablon measuring 1 x 8 meters.

Double digging beds- two feet deep

During this process, we incorporated the rich, dark compost produced by the three compost piles started as soon as we moved into our house. After raking and smoothing our seedbeds, we began planting, using seeds and some transplants started in egg cartons.

Covering seeds with sand to reduce "damping off" of seedlings

Having experienced a shortage of veggies, we splurged when it came to purchasing seeds! Our garden boasts healthy crops of : peas; lettuce; tomatoes; carrots; chard; beets; garlic; onions; potatoes; peppers, radishes; broccoli; cauliflower; sage; rosemary; mint; basil; some medicinal herbs; and kumanda yvyra’i, (a nitrogen-fixing bean). For some reason, our spinach and cabbage didn’t fair too well, despite two plantings.

Battling leaf cutter ants

We do our best to combat the weeds and leaf cutter ants, although the later really took a toll on my feet! (another story for another day).

Weeding- a never ending process!

The results of our work have been delicious! So far, we have been eating the lettuce, peas, radishes, and broccoli. Today, a neighbor watched me, wide eyed, pluck a snow pea from the vine and chew it up. It took some coaxing, but she tried one, too. Before we knew it, both she and her brother were picking and crunching on that snow pea goodness!

Tomato plants nearly as tall as I am!

It has been so much fun sharing our garden, vegetables and transplants, with our neighbors and encouraging them to start their own gardens!

Ce-le-brate Good Times, Come On!

Celebrations in the heart of South America are BIG, just like the continent in which they take place- whether birthday parties, local events, or national holidays.

Getting ready to dance during the Mother's Day Celebration at our school in Jhugua!

Taking a break before his performance during the Independence Day celebration- note the painted on bigote, (mustache)! Too cute!

 It is a time for people to get together, cook outside, laugh, dance, maybe pass around a green bottle with pomelo juice and a secret added ingredient! Cerveza is popular as well, even among pregnant women. It is believed that if a pregnant mom drinks beer, she will give birth to a baby with blue eyes.

Donato's 90th Birthday celebration included a cow killed in his honor, two bands, and lasted until 4:00AM!

 In Arazape, we just celebrated Independence Day, with Mother’s Day just one day behind. Unlike Independence Day, Mother’s Day was filled with the sounds of bombas, loud music, family gatherings and again, what would a party be without it- MEAT, (pork, beef and fish!), with a little mandioca and lots of Sopa Paraguaya, (special cornbread with cheese and onion). I brought a big salad with lettuce from our garden, with a mild homemade dressing. At first, people asked about the types of veggies in the salad, if they were cooked or not, and tasted a leaf or two. Mark and I took big scoops, and before we knew it the salad was being passed around the table and not a single veggie was left in the bowl!!! Yeah- we may be making some headway in our healthy eating campaign!!

And just like the big celebrations, our host country nationals have big hearts to match! We have been invited to share in these celebrations, not just as guests, but, as part of the family.

Johanna's Seventh Birthday Party!

When I offered to take a picture of the women in the family for Mother’s Day, it was out of the question. After all, Tia Susana, you are a Mother, too! So I too, posed for the picture with the other women in my Paraguayan family.

The only thing that could have made this day more complete would be if my own Mom and kids could have joined in the festivities. Now that would be a whole other celebration in itself!

New "Club de Libros" group celebrate earning a book!

We’ve Got Worms!

Lombriculture, or raising earthworms, (California Red worms to be exact), is a project we are experimenting with to help Paraguayans with soil recuperation, and adding high quality organic fertilizer at the same time. Before teaching others, we thought we’d better experiment with these critters and see what this project involved….

Worms seemed like they would be so easy to take care of. They were brought to us by another volunteer, in a nice, neat little plastic bag. Just put them in a box with bedding, (I made it out of a fruit crate, with plastic bags woven through the slats), throw some kitchen scraps in once in a while- we loved our new pets…. And so did the ants…..

So, Mark sifted through the worms/ dirt, removed the ants and brought our worms into the kitchen. The ants also invited themselves inside. We were able to resolve the problem by creating a mini moat, filling a bowl with water, placing a jar inside the bowl, then balancing the box of worms on top of the jar, Ta-dah! No more ants!

Our worms are miniature food processing machines. They eat their body weight in veggie peels and food scraps every day, leaving behind castings rich in nitrogen. To take advantage of this plant “manna from heaven”, I went about the chore of worm picking, or separating the worms from their poo. I followed the directions, made piles from the contents of the box, waited for the worms to migrate to the bottom of the piles, and carefully scraped the castings from the top of the piles, (so as not to collect worms or their cocoons- worms eggs, pretty trippy!).

 

Two hours later, worms safely bedded in their box, on top of the jar, in the kitchen, I held my rich, dark, crumbly, garden-ready 10 pound bag of organic worm castings! I fed it to our veggies- an interesting concept, being fed a digested version of yourself….. hmmm, don’t know how long I want to consider that thought, (does “Soilent Green” ring a bell?)

 

Bottom line, raising worms is an interesting process, definitely not time efficient, but we do have some healthy, vigorous veggies to show for it! I don’t know if we’ll be able to sell this idea to Paraguayans- they seem pretty squeamish about the worms. Even though I made it clear that these are not the same as intestinal worms, the association remains. After all, this is a country that routinely administers an anti-parasitic, (fenbendazol), to kids in the schools every year.

Will we be working with Paraguayans to include lombriculture as a method for soil recuperation? Not quite sure. Until we can come up with a better way to raise ant-free worms outside, the jury’s still out on this method.

Teaching and Learning- at the Same Time

Teaching using a new language, is like a kid running through sprinklers. You remember, ripping your clothes off with abandon, and racing full speed through the icy jets of water on a hot summer day. Now, don’t worry, I didn’t present my lessons in my chonies, but they could still see what I had or didn’t, what I could convey or couldn’t.

What is Compost?

Never the less, instead of waiting until we had a better command of Spanish, we decided to begin teaching short lessons in the schools, four times per week, (after all, one Principal asked me to teach second grade this year, as they were one teacher short. This did not fit within our goals for service, nor would it have been sustainable, so I declined).

Is there really cow manure in that stuff?

Reviewing what we learned

As it goes, I create my lesson plans in Spanish, practice what I will say, and it turns out to be a great way to study language in addition to the one hour+ every day. Mark creates visuals on chart paper to reinforce content, and off we go! So far, we have taught lessons about the water cycle in honor of “Dia de Agua”, and on creating compost boxes for our future school gardens. Next week, we will be teaching lessons about protecting our environment, in conjunction with “World Earth Day”.

Putting our new learning into action!

It has been so much fun to teach again! The kids are so excited about learning- their enthusiasm is contagious! Which makes it easier to tear forward, with our shaky Spanish, hitting the sprinklers, head on!

Chicken Coop- Ryguazu Renda!

Keeping in mind: sustainable practice, access to very few and simple tools, and not using wood, (not adding to the deforestation problems in Paraguay), can present a challenge when considering even a small construction project. Be that as it may, we were "gifted" 5 chickens and needed a coop to protect them from the weather, and our garden from them. In addition, a chicken coop would be a nice addition to our demonstration garden, giving Paraguayans another option for "housing" their chickens and protecting their gardens at the same time.

A picture of an A-frame chicken coop and a survey of available materials in our community put the wheels in motion. After receiving permission from a neighbor, with machete in hand, Mark cut/hacked 10, 15 foot long pieces of bamboo, which we carried on our shoulders the half mile back to our house. Along the way, we got lots of smiles, nods, and "Guapas/ Guapos", (hardworking), and as you can imagine, my shoulders complained about that chore for the next couple of days!

First, Mark worked his magic measuring, cutting angles, considering lashing techniques using wire, and building in support systems. His gate was a bamboo masterpiece, resembling a subtropical xylophone, sin the little sticks with the balls on the ends! :)







 

 

Many of the houses in our town have roofs made of kapi' i, (water reed or thatched roof), so we thought it would be a good option for our project, as well.

 

So next, we headed off to another house to purchase kapi' i for the chicken coop roof. Again, carrying it home was an experience- a friend along the way helped me tie three bunches together and taught me to carry it, balanced, (well, kind of), on top of my head! Once we got the kapi' i home, we created a thatched roof and attached it to the structure.

 

The addition of a fruit crate filled with left over kapi' i for a nesting box, a waterer made from a plastic bottle, and a bamboo perch, made our project complete!

Today, as we watched the rain come down, it was a satisfying feeling to see our chickens, safe, secure, and dry in their new "Ryguazu Renda", (chicken place, in Guarani)!

Random Parts

Before we left the states for our Peace Corps service in Paraguay, a friend gave me some good advice. She told me to really look, take note, and jot down some of the random, everyday things we noticed in our new surroundings, because as we began to acculturate, they would become commonplace. So, taking her advice, here are a few random notes from the field, (please excuse my weird “stream of consciousness” ramblings…): 

We have seen up to 5 people riding on a moto at a time, including a baby and the family dog.

Events in our town are advertised by a truck, with a three foot tall speaker, driving through neighborhoods with the repeated announcement blaring.

Whether door to door or on buses, vendors on foot sell a variety of wares for your convenience. These items might include, but aren’t limited to: pineapples; bedding; car antennas; kitchen utensils; cup of coke or water from a bottle that’s been reused; fans; lottery tickets; cell phone chargers and covers; chipa, (delicious Paraguayan bread); toys; windshield wipers; pots and pans; CDs “pirata”, (yes, they even admit they are pirated!); Jehovah Witnesses and LDS selling their faith; candy and gum; clothes; sunglasses; towels; beer, served through the window of the bus at the bus stop, (they advertise it as “kamby” or milk, in Guarani); cow heads, stomachs, and assorted organs.

Gas is called “Nafta” and is sold in recycled soda bottles at a small despensa in our town. The different grades of gas are color coded, and make for a visually attractive roadside stand.

The manes of horses are roached or cut straight off, including forelocks.

When it rains in this subtropical climate, it is a mystery as to whether the liquid dripping down your back is rain or your own sweat.

A serrated knife is a tool for all purposes, from sawing small branches, to making holes in leather, to cutting through plastic bottles, and yes, even slicing a tomato. ”With the same knife?” you ask. Of course!

Many items in Paraguay are “re-purposed” when they can no longer be used for their original purpose. A burned out florescent light bulb is no exception. It gets wired to a long piece of bamboo, positioned near the house and becomes a TV antennae.

If you dip a recently killed chicken into boiling water, the feathers come off much more easily.

I learned how to ride a bike, no, really. Riding a bike in Arazape is a completely different experience. I have honed my skills in: dodging cows, pigs, dogs, horses, chickens, and motos; dodging cow, pig, dog, horse and chicken manure; shifting gears to go up and down hills on dirt trails while navigating rocks, ruts, and pot holes; and riding on cobblestone roads while balancing ever so slightly above the seat- you get the picture…..

We have a new pet- He is silent during the day, (invisible too, as we have yet to discover where he sleeps), and exits our front door every night to fill up on unsuspecting bugs in the night. We just happened to notice this huge kururu, (toad), one night. He just minds his own business and we mind ours. Please submit your suggestions, as he is yet to be named

Sugar is a highly prized commodity here in Paraguay. It is added generously to juice, sliced fruit, and the morning cocido. They start young with this habit- at least 3 heaping teaspoons of the prized granular white stuff is added to the milk in a baby’s bottle.

The wood used to build fences and gates is so hard and durable that it is also used to make the hinges for the gates.

 

When an ant bites you, (and it will- seems like they have an affinity for Norte meat), you will experience four phases: First- it hurts! For such a tiny insect, it sure carries a mean punch; Second- the bitten area becomes a tiny pustule of infection; Third- it itches and you will scratch like crazy until; Fourth- you create a little sore that takes about a week to heal.

The Paraguayan kids are similar to kids in the states- same big smiles, same sense of curiosity and wonder, same desire to learn, same dirty feet. 

Whether handing a bowl of soup over the fence; inviting us over for dinner, terere, or to celebrate a 90^th birthday; waving and yelling saludos in the streets; or listening patiently and laughing with us at our slowly progressing language skills, the people in this community have been welcoming and wonderful.

Enough randomness for one night- Hey, I just realized absolutely nothing itches today! Now that was random!