Kaitlyn's Paraguay Adventures!: Lifetime Memories in Paraguay

This is a guest blog by Kaitlyn’s American Mom after nearly 3 weeks in South America living the life of a remote Peace Corps Volunteer. The following are some highlights and observations of my time here. It is so different from what we can read from her blog or from the conversations we have cherished since her time here! To say I am proud and honored to be Kaitlyn’s Mom is so insignificant compared to the feelings I have for her as a Christian woman giving of her time and expertise to folks she now considers family!

Tranquil, laughter, rain, roosters crowing, calves mooing for their momma’s, dogs & cats scrambling for attention, baby pigs rooting out the seeds we just planted; Rain; Catholic services with primarily youth attendees; Kate’(what everyone calls her at site) being called out at all hours for her to come play with the children or let them in to color, sweep her porch, water the garden; Rain; baking bread, carrot cake, apple crisp & chocolate, chocolate chip cookies; teaching the ladies group to bake these as well & using whole wheat flour for their family as opposed to feeding the hogs; RAIN; cancelled trips; walking in mud 1/2 way up my calves to attend a remembrance of a deceased community member; being hugged furiously because I was Kate’s Mom; being told I was beautiful & happy because I was fat and meaning that as great a compliment as any words spoken!! Direct TV dishes on homes that we would call shacks where electricity comes and goes by its own whim. Cellphones- many have cell phones and they text just like in the U.S.

I sit here at the Peace Corps’ Office my last morning in Paraguay and it does not seem possible the 3 wks. has gone and I am to catch a plane tonight! I have shed tears of: joy at seeing my daughter’s shining face for the 1^st time in a year, sharing a small portion of her real life at site, seeing that perpetual smile that stays on her face constantly and seeing her develop laugh lines; awe in the beauty at The Divine’s creation in waterfalls, green pastures, baby goats, sheep, calves, chicks, human babies, lightning storms, children saying colors of markers they want in English or catching an American football and at scoring a goal in soccer; frustration in washing dishes in cold water or having no water at all, mud and grit no matter how often you sweep it’s still there; the loss of electricity for 48 hrs at a time and knowing Kaitlyn is losing precious meat she just bought 2 hrs from Caaguazu; honor in watching the daughter I gave birth to and had the privilege to call my daughter become a confident, respected, patient, cherished member of a community who just met her a little over 9 months ago. She has more Moms than she can keep track of and the men love her and look after her as well-they are impressed by her willingness to work alongside them no matter the activity.

I drank the water; ate the food-have some favorites and others I can live without trying again (mandioca the staple starch eaten at every meal) even sharing the same bowl of food; drank Terere & Mate communally; picked veggies from her garden and enjoyed roasted fresh veggies, made salads that they sprinkle with oil, vinegar and fresh lemon; shared meals with others in the community as well as Peace Corps volunteers we crashed upon when the bus did not run because of rain.

Did I mention RAIN?! We had lots and I worried as they were flooding the seeds we just planted but everyone takes it in stride especially Kaitlyn. People drink Mate or Terere and just relax. Walking we did lots of when we could walk. We explored the countryside and Kaitlyn shared some of her favorite spots to hang out by when life throws challenges which it has and will in the future. I understand now what she means by feeling at home in Paraguay, she has found her heart’s desire and the work she feels is so important! The Peace Corps bosses/staff all love her, the guards at the office get so excited seeing her and sharing stories of what has happened since they last saw her.

Enroute to Argentina we stopped at the Itaipu dam which provides over 80% of the power used in Paraguay as well as provides power to Brazil. It was pretty incredible to see and the grounds are amazing and very well kept. The border crossing into Argentina puts one thru Brazil as well. What a cluster!! We were stuck on a bus over an hour just trying to cross. We had to leave the bus and walk about 5 blocks to the deportation post and then back to the bus. An experience! There are no limits as to how many folks ride a bus and it was comical the ones sitting and the number of those trying to stand holding onto their belongings from shopping Paraguay! Men do not give up seats for anyone including older women. I was able to get a seat and Kaitlyn found a step on the floor of the bus to ride once we passed thru Argentina customs. The bus does not stop in Brazil and if it had we would have had to have a VISA each for $300.00. I was not impressed by what we saw from the bus and there were lots of casinos everywhere. Shopping in Argentina was an experience and we certainly saw many Brazilians and they put fashion to shame. Bizarre!!

We enjoyed Argentina and Iguazu falls which were breathe taking! We could have stayed there all day! We were lucky to have found a beautiful hotel with full running water and water pressure with the hot water! I could tell it was a bit overwhelming for Kaitlyn from what she is accustomed to! And food- my goodness the Argentinean beef is amazing and we had steak 2 nights while there and enjoyed the Argentinian wines! I can only bring 1 back to the states and decided against the hassle and chance of getting it broken. We shopped for Kaitlyn instead! By the time she reaches site she will most likely be sick of carrying the 3 bottles plus the bottle of olive oil that was so much cheaper there!

We just got back from lunch, gelato for dessert and my last bus ride in Paraguay. I will be catching a taxi to the airport with another Peace Corps volunteer who is headed back to California to see family. Somehow it is harder leaving her behind as I know she has found her space and purpose in life at least for now and is as relaxed and happy as anyone dare be at 24. I thank God for the gift loaned me and am slowly releasing that gift back to the Divine and it is so hard! If it doesn’t hurt it’s not love and I’ve certainly experienced more than I care to in the past 5 years! The next blog will be Kaitlyn’s and the excitement she has planned for the next month +!! Chao, chao!

Evidence of some rain.

Kaitlyn, Maribel & Alexis planting flowers in her homeade bed with glass bottles.

Planting more seedlings in old juice/milk/wine cartons!

Guadalupe, Carlos and Julio double digging her last patch of soil in her garden.

Mode of travel in Caaguazu.

Typical market scene in Cagguazu.

Back of the bus scene. Sacks of corn, cement, lumbar, dozens of cans of gas, huge bags of bread, barbed wire, furniture, even boxes of chickens, pigs, etc!

Painting the bathroom- drab brown to light blue!

Picking oranges close to home.

Typical lunch prepared by Kaitlyn's Mom-noodles, broth, bits of meat and mandicoa.

Multiplication lessons on a rainy morning.

Kaitlyn's favorite meal prepared by her Mom-beef sliced very thin, soaked in lemon juice, floured, dipped in egg, then in bread crumbs and fried. On the side is yummy rice salad and more mandioca.

Typical Momma cow anorexic. She is brought from the fields at night, separated from her calf and then milked the next a.m. before the calf feeds again. Pitiful cries from both mom & baby at all hours.

Kaitlyn and Jr getting 'futbol' tips from Alcides.

Sam hanging out with me before bedtime. He slept between my legs every night. The only cat in the community which gets cat food. Pretty privileged and slightly spoilled!

Sister Rosa and niece Rocio planting melon seeds between the trees.

Drying some socks by the oven while baking apple crisp.

What happens to the laundry when it rains. I carried those clothes to & from the laundry, hand rinsed then rinsed with fabric softener, wrung them out 3 times each and then carried then to the outside line the next day when the rain stopped. Exhausting! I will never complain about laundry again. Kaitlyn was working on Peace Corps reports at the time!