One of the highlights of our visit to Paraguay was visiting Angelina and her family. During our time as Peace Corps volunteer, we became very close with Angelina’s family. My communication with Elisea (Angelina’s mom) is very limited since she only speaks Guaraní but we still communicate and think fondly of each other. My main connection to Angelina’s family was through Melchor (her dad). Together with some other farmers from Santa Rosa Cué, he invited me to work with them. We did a project for advancing their Almacen de Consumo (cooperative store) for which we received a $10,000 grant from USAID. Not only was it an amazing and meaningful project, both John and I always felt welcomed into the community and people’s homes. We knew that we had a place to spend the night and food to eat whenever we visited. Everyone would do whatever they could to feed us meat rather than beans – they most frequently killed a chicken or duck. Although we had not kept in good contact with most everyone in Paraguay, our connection remained strong because A lived with us for 4 years in the United States. When F was born, we sponsored her for a student visa to the United States so she could continue her education and be a part of our family. Although we moved to Phoenix in 2009 and Angelina stayed with her husband in California, we remain very close. They had their first baby (Leah) a year ago and were visiting Paraguay so we decided that it was the perfect time for us to visit too.
Cell phones are one of the positive changes in Paraguay since when we were Peace Corps in 1998-2000. It seems like everyone in Paraguay now has a cell phone. This allowed us to call Melchor and Angelina while we were en route in Paraguay and arrange for Melchor to meet us in Cnol. Oviedo in the morning. While waiting, I went to the grocery store to buy as many vegetables as I could since there aren’t many vegetables available in the campo (countryside). I found that not much had changed at the grocery store; the only vegetables were tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, green peppers, potatoes, and onions.
Melchor met us at our hotel. He looked the same after 12 years! We traveled in relative luxury to his home. I had expected that we would take a bus and then maybe a taxi to his house. Instead, he met us with a taxi. As Peace Corps volunteers, we rarely ever traveled by taxi but now we have more money and less time. So for the rest of our time in Paraguay, we traveled by taxi. Taking a taxi to Melchor & Elisea’s house was probably the best option. To get to their home in San Blas, Caaguazú, you have to travel for about 50 kilometers from Cnol. Oviedo on a paved road. Then, at Puerton Yobai (a dirt road where there used to be a gate), you must travel about 5 kilometers on a dirt road. The buses only go along the paved road. You have to walk or arrange other transportation for the remaining 5 kilometers.
Melchor met us at our hotel. He looked the same after 12 years! We traveled in relative luxury to his home. I had expected that we would take a bus and then maybe a taxi to his house. Instead, he met us with a taxi. As Peace Corps volunteers, we rarely ever traveled by taxi but now we have more money and less time. So for the rest of our time in Paraguay, we traveled by taxi. Taking a taxi to Melchor & Elisea’s house was probably the best option. To get to their home in San Blas, Caaguazú, you have to travel for about 50 kilometers from Cnol. Oviedo on a paved road. Then, at Puerton Yobai (a dirt road where there used to be a gate), you must travel about 5 kilometers on a dirt road. The buses only go along the paved road. You have to walk or arrange other transportation for the remaining 5 kilometers.
Melchor & Elisea had moved to San Blas from Santa Rosa Cué soon after we finished Peace Corps (about 15 years ago). We had visited their new home when we returned to Paraguay in 2002. At that time, their house was very basic and the community was new. They had just planted some trees and were digging the well while we were there! Things had definitely changed over the years. Trees had matured and the house had various additions and now had running water and a modern bathroom (toilet and shower heated by electricity).
We truly enjoyed our time in San Blas. It was wonderful to see and reconnect with Melchor and Elisea again after so many years. We also enjoyed experiencing rural campo life and sharing it with our children.
Of course yerba mate plays an important role in the Paraguayan countryside. Every morning, people get out of bed and head to the kitchen to gather for hot yerba mate.
Of course yerba mate plays an important role in the Paraguayan countryside. Every morning, people get out of bed and head to the kitchen to gather for hot yerba mate.
Drinking yerba mate is a social activity. It’s something that you do with other people. Thus, yerba mate and conversation go together.
Paraguayans almost always add a yuyo (herb) to both hot yerba mate and cold terere. Sometimes the yuyo is only to add flavor (refrescante), often it has specific medicinal properties. This morning, Elisea added llanten kokuere (a root) to help the stomach and amba’y ru’a to the mate. All of these (and other) yuyos are found in the yard, chacra, or elsewhere. In the towns and cities, people sell yuyos for mate and terere.
Angelina’s sister (Dolores) had a cough. So Elisea added yvra piru to the mate.
Everyone in Melchor and Elisea’s household were worried that our boys would not like and would not eat the food. It was true that the food was not the same as what we are accustomed to. Even the milk had a different taste!
Breakfast at Melchor & Elisea’s house consisted of mate cocido (yerba mate toasted with a piece of charcoal and boiled with water) combined with milk, a generous amount of sugar and ground peanuts. Melchor grew and harvested the peanuts from his land. The women took off the shells and toasted the peanuts before grinding them. The kids didn’t like the ground peanuts but we all loved the toasted peanuts that we took with us on the rest of our trip. They were delicious! We were also given for breakfast a cross between crackers and bread that Angelina knew the boys would probably eat. The next morning, she made scrambled eggs with tomatoes just for them in the way that they like.
Breakfast at Melchor & Elisea’s house consisted of mate cocido (yerba mate toasted with a piece of charcoal and boiled with water) combined with milk, a generous amount of sugar and ground peanuts. Melchor grew and harvested the peanuts from his land. The women took off the shells and toasted the peanuts before grinding them. The kids didn’t like the ground peanuts but we all loved the toasted peanuts that we took with us on the rest of our trip. They were delicious! We were also given for breakfast a cross between crackers and bread that Angelina knew the boys would probably eat. The next morning, she made scrambled eggs with tomatoes just for them in the way that they like.
The boys’ favorite meal in San Blas was grilled pork from a pig that Melchor & Elisea killed just hours earlier. It was delicious – not to mention, probably the freshest meat that we’ve eaten in a long time. John grilled the meat on an impromptu grill in Melchor & Elisea’s backyard.
As F wrote in his journal, “At Tia’s (he calls Angelina, “Tia”) Dad made delicious ribs. They were very fresh because Don Melchor killed it in the same morning. I didn’t think pig could be so good. I also ate everything on my plate for the first time at Tia’s house. Tia and a 15 year old kid who is really nice called Matias (Angelina’s nephew from Buenos Aires) helped cook the pig. We ate it after it was freshly killed and cooked. Overall that was the best chancho (pig) I have ever eaten.”
As F wrote in his journal, “At Tia’s (he calls Angelina, “Tia”) Dad made delicious ribs. They were very fresh because Don Melchor killed it in the same morning. I didn’t think pig could be so good. I also ate everything on my plate for the first time at Tia’s house. Tia and a 15 year old kid who is really nice called Matias (Angelina’s nephew from Buenos Aires) helped cook the pig. We ate it after it was freshly killed and cooked. Overall that was the best chancho (pig) I have ever eaten.”
One of the things that I really enjoyed about my time in Paraguay was the opportunity to learn about where the food we eat comes from. Melchor and Elisea wanted to kill a pig to celebrate our visit. They were going to kill it beforehand and have it ready to cook when we arrived since killing it is a lot of work and takes a lot of time. Fortunately, Angelina convinced them to kill it when we were visiting so that we could see the process. In front of our eyes, the squealing/screaming pig was tied down and quickly killed with a knife to the throat. Félix wouldn’t watch. The process was pretty gruesome. We were afraid the boys wouldn’t eat the meat, after hearing the noise and seeing the dead animal. Fortunately, they had no problem eating the meat.
Slaughtering the pig and preparing the meat was a labor intensive-project. Melchor & Elisea were professionals. They were very precise and worked together throughout the process. I don’t think any of the pig was wasted. The only thing that I saw thrown to the dogs were the fetuses (the pig was pregnant but the fetuses weren’t very developed at all). Fortunately, Angelina knew what we would eat so we weren’t served any of the parts that we aren’t accustomed to eating.
Morcilla (blood sausage) is a delicacy in Paraguay and Argentina. Angelina’s sister set out all of the ingredients – blood, fresh herbs, pig fat, and intestine. The ingredients look so fresh and clean. I made the boys see the ingredients. They were disgusted and refused to try the morcilla. When I told them that sausages and hot dogs also use innards, they didn’t seem to mind. As long as they didn’t see these ingredients when eating the hot dogs they would be okay.
Melchor took us to his chacra (farm land) to see a variety of things. It is winter so not too much was growing other than mandioca (yucca). Mandioca is a major staple in Paraguay. It is boiled and served with every meal. One of the neat things is how it grows and how it is stored. Mandioca is stored in the ground. Whenever you want to eat mandioca, you go to the field to dig it up; you don’t harvest and store mandioca. To plant mandioca, you cut a piece of the stem and stick it in the ground. A new plant will sprout.
Melchor showed us his row of sugar cane plants. He taught the boys how to cut the sugar cane with a machete and then he peeled the sugar cane so that they could suck the juice.
Melchor is 70 years old. He still does a lot of farm work. Last year, his son helped him buy and install shading and a water system for planting a very large plot of tomato and pepper plants. This was a huge investment. Unfortunately, a huge storm came and tore up the shading and the plants. They lost a lot of money on the project. There is nothing like crop insurance for small farmers in Paraguay!
Farmers in San Blas are exploring new crops and new ways to make money. The old staples of cotton, tobacco, corn, and beans no longer yield enough profit. Large-scale farmers have taken over a lot of the production of corn and the price has fallen a lot. Farmers in San Blas have turned to sesame and chia for foreign markets.
There were a lot of new and different things to do and explore. Everyday tasks in the countryside entertained the boys. The boys were kept busy for most of the time. F sometimes resorted to reading while B almost always found something to do outside.
We also brought paracord and clasps so that the boys could make paracord bracelets – a good Cub Scout activity! It kept them entertained for a while.
On our last afternoon, we walked along the only road in the community to the soccer field where the boys played a pick-up soccer game with 2 local boys. The Paraguayans won – they play soccer all the time and are really good.
We spent 3 nights in San Blas at Melchor & Elisea’s house. I got up early on our last morning, even though it was quite chilly compared to Phoenix weather, in order to take a walk down the one-street settlement of San Blas. It was foggy and the sun was just beginning to peek out. Most people were still indoors. It was a nice walk.
On my walk, the things that most struck me as different from when we lived in Paraguay was the evangelical church (before, I only remember seeing Catholic chapels in they countryside) and the water tower that provides running water to the community (before, rarely did such a rural community have running water).