It was Daddy's first time back in 32 years after having lived there for 6 years before he was married. Many things were different from how he remembered them. Some things were even different from how I remembered them after having been gone for less than a year and a half.
After the LONG trip we were happy to be met at the airport by Mark, Gina, Josue, and Natalia.
We had asado the first night we got there. After catching up on some sleep overnight we were ready to get outside and have some fun in the warm PY sun. Gina and the children and I started planting the garden. By the time we left the beans were up several inches already.
We did lots of this - visiting people and drinking the national beverage - terere! It is a very good way to stay hydrated in the heat of Paraguay. You can tell this is one of the first days because Daddy is still as white as a sheet - we all changed colors pretty quickly! :)
Many of the colony people invited us to their houses for suppers. This was at Mario and Linda's where they served us fish from their ponds.
One day we started off at 2:30 to go on a great exploring trip to a Lava Lake etc... but then it poured down rain and we couldn't take the dirt road back in. We did some other sight-seeing then at the grave site of a famous Paraguayan soldier. We were a bit miserable all day from lack of sleep and lack of planned activity but had lots of fun anyway. On the way home some people played Scum and others drank terere. The two didn't mix the best - you kind of had to do one or the other...
There was no good place to stop for lunch so once everyone was famished we just stopped beside the road and set up in the back of the van.
Jay, E.J., Keith, and Karl
We stopped for ice cream on the way home. That helped break the trip up and bit. We felt like tourists because we kept trying to take pix of the Mexican Mennonite couple behind us.
Nemecia and Arlis - we did LOTS of visiting when were were down there! Some together and some apart.
Daddy eating his coveted "chipa caliente"!
Lynford and Amelia Bontrager - they live on the piece of land that adjoins the one Daddy used to own.
Where Daddy used to live. You would never know it now. They don't let old houses standing because of all the campesinos that would love to move in.
Like Esther said, "A man with a belly ache!"
One night we went out to eat at Don David. Did you ever hear of corn on pizza? Well we had it here!
This might not be a very nice picture but the other one was a lot worse! Poor Mary Jo was jealous that I got to see her brother.
We made quite the show for all the quiet Mennonite couples that were in there. It didn't take beer to get us to talk and laugh. We are always amused at the way they act and they with us...
Arlis, Gina, and I - great friends! I love these girls and really appreciate their friendship.
Lactolanda came out with waffle cones since I left. The only bad thing about them is that with so much ice cream you can barely eat it fast enough before it starts to drip.
I had some wonderful talks with this lovely lady. Friends are so valuable! Chipa with the Garcete ladies and Elsie and Arlis at Lactolanda.
