Rachel and Jessica in Paraguay

Whirlwind.  That is the best work that I can use to describe last week. It was jam packed with adventure, heat, taxi rides, bus rides, spanish, children, volunteers and much much more. I want to blog about it all because it was all so incredible. A lot of planning went into this trip. They were only going to be here for 1 week and I wanted to do as much in that 1 week as possible, and we did! I was a little nervous how it would go and how much they could handle, and they did great! I am so proud of them. Paraguay is a difficult place to just jump into for a week. There wasn't really anytime for adjustment or questions, you just had to go with it. I am thankful that Rachel and Jessica were ready to do whatever I threw at them.. even if it included a very long 5 hour bus with no air condition ( disclaimer, I didn't think it would be that long) It was an adventurous week and I here is my attempt to share it with you all, its a little long..but I think you'll enjoy it! Also this is just a post about our time in Paraguay- I will be writing another post about Argentina!

Sunday- They arrived a little later then planned, special thanks to American Airlines for being famous for flight delays and frustrated customers. None the less they arrived with 4 giant suitcases and 2 backpacks. Wait I thought you were only here for 7 days? Leave it up to the best mom in the world to pack snacks, presents, squeeze cheese and about anything else I could ever imagine. Those 2 extra suitcases were worth it. We arrived at my casita (little house ) just in time for a quick tour, some showers and celebratory wine! My host family had cooked a huge barbecue and we headed over there promptly at 8:30 for dinner. It was great, not to awkward with the language barrier, the kids warmed up quickly and we were laughing in joking in spanish and english in no time! Dinner was complete with chicken, sausage, chipa guazu (cornbread), 2 different salads and of course some cold beers! My family was so happy to finally meet these people I'd been talking about for months, they all had on their best clothes to welcome them into their home. We gave a little tour of the animals of the house and the little chapel on their property. All in all  I think it was a great first impression of Paraguay, complete with the hospitality of a saint!

Monday- Started with farm fresh brown eggs that I picked from my neighbors chicken coup. I scrambled them with ham and cheese and made fresh squeezed orange juice. I love having people to cook for so I was up before the sun with joy! Also I had a few presents to short through (thanks again mom!) Then we were off, I wanted Rachel and Jess to have the full experience so my host dad took them on ride around town... on this horse cart! It was a bit bumpy but there were lots of laughs. It doesn't get more Paraguayan then that. Then we were off to my original host families a little over an hour away for lunch. Despite the stares and catcalls Rach and Jess survived their first public city bus ride. They were lucky it was midmorning and were able to get a seat. We enjoyed the views while sipping on some ice cold terere like true paraguayans! We had a delicious lunch with my host family and share conversations, questions and laughs. I was amazed at how easy it was to communicate between the 2 languages. It was a really amazing feeling to be able to bridge that gap, that was once impossible. We took some family pictures, exchange gifts and then my host dad was kind enough to drive us to the highway.

Thant evening I had planned a end of the year party/ celebration with the kids in my english class. I wanted them to practice their english with Rach and Jess, play some games and I had certificates for each of them. My mom sent down a bunch of candy, I bought a watermelon, some donuts and made some juice. The kids arrived and were very timid... I knew they only need some sugar and a half hour and they were be ready to play and the complete opposite of timid. I was right. They were crazy! We hula hooped, played frisbee tag, played twister ( which they absolutely loved, thanks Betsy) then Rachel led a mini yoga class... I think in hopes to calm them down. It was a very fun and high energy hour and a half. Then I handed out their certificates and passed out all the left over candy and they were gone! We survived. The rest of the night we made a spicy chorizo ( sausage)  pizza, homemade ranch dressing  and sat outside talking and catching up on the last 6 months.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon - We were in Argentina exploring one of the natural wonders of the world. That deserves its own post...be looking out for that next.

Thursday ( Thanksgiving) - We got back into Paraguay around noon. We had 5 minutes before our bus left the terminal. Just enough time to grab empanadas, ice water and use the bathroom. Unfortunately there were no air conditioned busses and we had a long, hot 5 hour journey across the southern part of Paraguay. It was a very breezy ride to say the least, lots of wind in our hair. We made it to our beautiful hotel filled with 70 Peace Corps volunteers just in time for thanksgiving dinner. The cooking crew had been cooking for 2 days and it was the most delicious meal ever, also there was turkey! I have not had turkey in 2 years! It was a bit wild, you can never get 70 volunteers together at destination hotel and ask them to behave... but Jess and Rach embraced the craziness and got to meet all of my friends! It was so special. These are the people I am most thankful for in Paraguay, I could never do this without them. We are each others family. It was so appropriate to spend thanksgiving with them and then to have my sister and Jessica there, my heart was so full. After dinner we had a full night of trivia and dancing!

Friday- We had a nice and very paraguayan breakfast at the hotel, packed up our things, said bye to my friends and headed to a city called Encarnaction to explore before another long bus ride. This is the most Southern city in Paraguay. It is right next to Argentina, there is a river that separates the 2 countries and it has one of the only beaches in Paraguay. We walked around, went into a few shops, stopped by the beach and then headed to the bus terminal. This bus had air condition, it wasn't the strongest but it was about 100 degrees outside so I imagine it would be hard to cool off a double decker bus.

We got back to my house ready to go back to my host families for my birthday party. I had been planing this party for awhile now and it was finally here. It sure didn't feel like my birthday, but I was ready for Rachel and Jessica to see how Paraguayans celebrate birthdays! My host family set everything up and when we arrived I almost cried. They blew up balloons and made little flags to decorate... I was so surprised! They knew I loved that stuff and went ahead and made it for me. It was the sweetest feeling. There were so much food- pork, ribs, chicken, sausage, sopa paraguaya               (cornbread) salad, bread and I am probably forgetting something. We ate a lot and of course there was beer and cake! We sang happy birthday in 3 languages, but the best part was my family surprised me with fireworks after we sang!!!! Like come on, really? I felt so special! Everyone loved it! The kids kept wanting to sing more! It was a long day, the girls went back to my house to get some sleep and I hung out with my family for a little longer.. once it turned midnight they sung happy birthday again! It was a great start to a full birthday weekend!

Saturday (My Birthday!! )-  I woke up on my birthday before everyone to spend some time reading some birthday cards my sister had bought from the states. As I laid in my hammock to read them I cried a little. Tears for overwhelming happiness to have such a supportive and loving family, it was a great way to start the day. We tried to pack up and get out of my house a little early, I had a full day planned for us in the capitol city. We went and visited the Peace Corps office and they got to see where I spend a lot of time when I'm in the city. Then we had a nice lunch at a vegan restaurant I go to often. After we did a little shopping and then we were able to check into our hotel. This hotel is amazing. It is my favorite hotel ever. Its a boutique style hotel and pretty fancy, but worth ever penny. We were welcomed by the reception with a "Happy Birthday we are giving you an upgrade!" Hello best birthday ever! We checked into our executive suite complete with a full kitchen, washer and dryer and living room. I WAS IN HEAVEN. We freshened up a bit then it was time for our massages. It was the best 80 minutes of our lives. After a long week of traveling in the heat it was the perfect way to relax and wind down. It was the first massage I have had in a very long time and was much deserved.

The rest of the evening was spent with some peace corps and paraguayan friends. We enjoyed a delicious meal, popped champagne and shared some drinks. I had a great birthday! Rachel and Jessica were able to see all different parts of the city and meet my friends. As much as I wanted to go all out and dance the night away... the bed in our hotel room was calling my name and I needed a good nights rest. We were home by 2:30am which believe it our not is pretty early for me!


Sunday- We relaxed all morning by the hotel pool and it was the perfect way to end the trip! We did some shopping in the afternoon to get some souvenirs then had a late lunch. Their flight was on time and as we headed to the airport I started to feel sad... and once we got to the airport the tears started! Happy happy tears because I was so thankful they got to come and spend the week with me. We had a wonderful time and I am so thankful for our trip.. its a week I will never forget! Rachel and Jessica thank you so much for coming to Paraguay, it was a pleasure showing you around for the week, thank you for being so flexible and ready for adventure!!! xoxo

In front of my house!