I was really looking forward to visiting Santa Rosa Cué and our friends who live there. This was where I felt the deepest connection, built especially close friendships, and learned the most. As Peace Corps volunteers, both John and I were assigned to work with the small farmers’ cooperative in Curuguaty. John continued to do so for our two-years as Peace Corps volunteers. In contrast, I worked with a small group of subsistence farmers in Santa Rosa Cué. It all started when Melchor, who was a member of the Curuguaty coop, invited us to his house and farm. For a variety of reasons, we felt a strong connection with his family. We spent more time in Santa Rosa Cué and eventually, he and about 9 other men who had formed an Almacen de Consumo (a small store that sold basic necessities) invited me to meet with them, and possibly help them with a project. This group of men had come together many years earlier to form an Almacen de Consumo after a priest had spoken about street kids and how everyone has an obligation to help them. The men discussed this topic. They lived in the countryside and didn’t have any street kids but they did have kids in their community who were malnourished. They talked about some of the root causes of this problem and what they could do about it. One point that they agreed upon was that the small stores in their community charged higher prices than stores in town because people in the small community had no other choice than to buy at the high prices, and as a result, they sometimes had difficulty providing for the basic necessities of their families. The men decided that if they pooled together a small amount of money from each person, they could buy goods from town at a low price and then sell them at a smaller mark-up than the community stores. They decided to do so with each person taking a turn working at the community store in the evenings after they had spent the day farming. This had worked well for many years but when I was a Peace Corps volunteer, they wanted to expand. They wanted to build a larger building to house small silos for storing corn and beans produced by the farmers. Storage in silos protected the grains from mold and insects and would allow the farmers to wait for a higher price. With a lot of work, we planned the project and received a $10,000 USAID grant. At the time, I knew that there wasn’t much money to be made by selling corn and beans but it seemed like a good idea because the farmers could also eat the corn and beans themselves.
After leaving Paraguay, I learned (through Angelina) that the Almacen de Consumo had stopped functioning. It was a lot of work for 9 men who were in their sixties and almost all of their children had left farming, and often the community, for economic opportunities elsewhere. Moreover, Melchor (a key member of the group) had left the community and moved to San Blas. There simply weren’t enough people to make the Almacen de Consumo work.
While I was sad that the Almacen de Consumo was no longer operational, I still looked forward to going to Santa Rosa Cué. I did not feel like the project or our work had been a waste. I had built many special relationships and together we had a wonderful experience. We had all grown through this process and everyone remains friends. I looked forward to reconnecting with these people who had been an important part of my life.
Our taxi dropped us off at Kiko’s house where we were immediately welcomed and given terere (cold yerba mate). Kiko updated us on his life and his children. He’d had heart problems so he no longer works as much as before. He used to have a small sawmill at the front of his yard. It is now gone. He also doesn’t work in the chacra anymore but he keeps himself busy around the house with animals (pigs, chickens, and ducks), gardening, etc. Kiko also updated us on how he had asked for and received compensation from the Paraguayan government for the unjust torture that he had experienced during the Stroessner dictatorship (Alfredo Stroessner ruled Paraguay from 1954 until 1989). Kiko told me that he had been incorrectly labeled as an armed insurgent after working on an income generation project for small farmers. Kiko was imprisoned and was tortured. Upon his release, he fled his home in Cecilio Baez and moved to the middle of nowhere (what later became Santa Rosa Cúe) to farm. After this experience, Kiko intentionally stayed away from community organizing until some of his neighbors and friends pressured him to become involved in the Almacen de Consumo, and he subsequently became a key leader in the group. Kiko also told me that his sister had been imprisoned and tortured after being accused of being a subversive, and that she and her husband had also fled with Kiko to Santa Rosa Cué. I do not remember Kiko telling me when I was a Peace Corps volunteer about how he had been tortured. I do though vividly remember Kiko’s brother Vicente telling me about how he had been imprisoned and tortured during the Stroessner regime. Unlike Kiko, Vicente explained that this was due to him incorrectly being identified as a bicycle thief (not because of anything political). All of this conversation transpired over terere on Kiko’s front porch. In the meantime, the kids kept busy by whittling sticks with their Boy Scout knives and exploring Kiko’s yard.
After leaving Paraguay, I learned (through Angelina) that the Almacen de Consumo had stopped functioning. It was a lot of work for 9 men who were in their sixties and almost all of their children had left farming, and often the community, for economic opportunities elsewhere. Moreover, Melchor (a key member of the group) had left the community and moved to San Blas. There simply weren’t enough people to make the Almacen de Consumo work.
While I was sad that the Almacen de Consumo was no longer operational, I still looked forward to going to Santa Rosa Cué. I did not feel like the project or our work had been a waste. I had built many special relationships and together we had a wonderful experience. We had all grown through this process and everyone remains friends. I looked forward to reconnecting with these people who had been an important part of my life.
Our taxi dropped us off at Kiko’s house where we were immediately welcomed and given terere (cold yerba mate). Kiko updated us on his life and his children. He’d had heart problems so he no longer works as much as before. He used to have a small sawmill at the front of his yard. It is now gone. He also doesn’t work in the chacra anymore but he keeps himself busy around the house with animals (pigs, chickens, and ducks), gardening, etc. Kiko also updated us on how he had asked for and received compensation from the Paraguayan government for the unjust torture that he had experienced during the Stroessner dictatorship (Alfredo Stroessner ruled Paraguay from 1954 until 1989). Kiko told me that he had been incorrectly labeled as an armed insurgent after working on an income generation project for small farmers. Kiko was imprisoned and was tortured. Upon his release, he fled his home in Cecilio Baez and moved to the middle of nowhere (what later became Santa Rosa Cúe) to farm. After this experience, Kiko intentionally stayed away from community organizing until some of his neighbors and friends pressured him to become involved in the Almacen de Consumo, and he subsequently became a key leader in the group. Kiko also told me that his sister had been imprisoned and tortured after being accused of being a subversive, and that she and her husband had also fled with Kiko to Santa Rosa Cué. I do not remember Kiko telling me when I was a Peace Corps volunteer about how he had been tortured. I do though vividly remember Kiko’s brother Vicente telling me about how he had been imprisoned and tortured during the Stroessner regime. Unlike Kiko, Vicente explained that this was due to him incorrectly being identified as a bicycle thief (not because of anything political). All of this conversation transpired over terere on Kiko’s front porch. In the meantime, the kids kept busy by whittling sticks with their Boy Scout knives and exploring Kiko’s yard.
After some conversation and terere, Kiko’s wife welcomed us to have lunch. A staple in the Paraguayan countryside is beans. Of course, nobody ever offered (as Peace Corps volunteers) or offered (now) us beans. If they could, they always gave us a meal with beef or killed a chicken or a duck for us. Kiko’s wife served us tallarin with beef with mandioca and bread. The boys liked the bread best. Before our trip we had repeatedly told them not to complain about the food because doing so would really offend our hosts who had put a lot of effort into welcoming us. The boys did not complain about the food; they just didn’t eat much.
Before leaving Kiko’s house, his son Javier invited us to spend the night at his house. Javier lives in Asunción where he is an administrator at a Catholic elementary school. He returns to Santa Rosa Cué, where he has built a 2-bedroom house for himself, every couple of weeks. Javier generously let us take over the two bedrooms while he slept on a sofa in the front room. Kiko also welcomed us back to his house for dinner that evening.
After lunch, Kiko and Melchor escorted us to La Cu’s house. La Cu was another former member of the Almacen de Consumo. La Cu was a hard worker and shy. He spoke almost no Spanish (only Guaraní) so I had more difficulty communicating with him than with the other farmers when I was a Peace Corps volunteer. John and I learned some Guaraní as Peace Corps volunteers but we never advanced past the beginning level. We were surprised that during our current visit, a lot of Guaraní words came back to us so we were able to speak a little and understand some.
La Cu and his wife were thrilled to see us. We spent a while visiting with them. Everywhere that we visited, we talked about Santa Rosa Cué and I showed postcards of Phoenix. Everywhere that we visited, we sat outside in the shade and talked just like old times (people rarely go inside the house to visit). La Cu also told us a little bit about his daughter Hilda, who had been one of our students in Curuguaty when we had taught English classes at UniNorte. Now she is a teacher in another rural community and has a daughter.
After lunch, Kiko and Melchor escorted us to La Cu’s house. La Cu was another former member of the Almacen de Consumo. La Cu was a hard worker and shy. He spoke almost no Spanish (only Guaraní) so I had more difficulty communicating with him than with the other farmers when I was a Peace Corps volunteer. John and I learned some Guaraní as Peace Corps volunteers but we never advanced past the beginning level. We were surprised that during our current visit, a lot of Guaraní words came back to us so we were able to speak a little and understand some.
La Cu and his wife were thrilled to see us. We spent a while visiting with them. Everywhere that we visited, we talked about Santa Rosa Cué and I showed postcards of Phoenix. Everywhere that we visited, we sat outside in the shade and talked just like old times (people rarely go inside the house to visit). La Cu also told us a little bit about his daughter Hilda, who had been one of our students in Curuguaty when we had taught English classes at UniNorte. Now she is a teacher in another rural community and has a daughter.
Along our walk, we passed the house of a retired teacher. He entertained the boys with a rides on his horse and motorcycle. I was a bit worried about the safety of the motorcycle but fortunately the boys went really slowly.
After La Cu’s house, we visited with Mele (another former Almacen de Consumo member) and his wife. Soon after we arrived at his house, Mele generously gave the boys some marbles and taught them how to play with them. Mele was always friendly but when I was a Peace Corps volunteer, he had a well-known drinking problem. Since then, he has stopped drinking. During our visit, Mele took us to see his field where he had planted a ton of mandioca. In his yard, we enjoyed seeing a wooden cart. He and others still use such carts today but probably in another 15-20 years they will be a thing of the past so when I saw it, I made sure to point it out to the kids.
After Mele’s house, we passed the Almacen de Consumo building that we constructed during my time as a Peace Corps volunteer. It is very sad that the building is no longer used. Although the few aging members understandingly are no longer able to man the store, it’s too bad that the building hasn’t found another use for the community.
Pili (another former Almacen de Consumo member) used to live across the street from the Almacen de Consumo. Unfortunately, we were told, he was in Curuguaty dying of cancer. He was the only former Almacen de Consumo member who we did not see. I was quite surprised that all of the men and their wives, who were in their 60s, were still in good health. Life in the campo is very not easy and people there do not receive good medical treatment. Moreover, we (North Americans) would consider their diets appalling; they rarely eat vegetables and everything they eat has a ton of oil. I think that their good health can be attributed to lots of physical exercise and eating unprocessed foods.
Our next stop was Terecio’s house. Terecio was like a big teddy bear. He has a great smile, is really friendly, and loves to talk. At his house, we visited with his daughter and granddaughter. Interestingly, his daughter Nancy immediately recognized me and was thrilled to see me. I remember the kids at Terecio’s house when I was a Peace Corps volunteer but I never realized the big impression that I had made. We were also pleasantly surprised to see that Terecio’s family still uses the 2 wooden chairs that they had inherited from us when we left Paraguay. While visiting, we had terere and the boys had chipa (a corn and mandioca bread). Everywhere we went, people offered us terere and food! We enjoyed sharing memories and updating each other about our lives. Unfortunately, Terecio’s wife was at someone else’s house with a prior commitment. I was sad that I wasn’t able to see her because I have found memories of visiting with her and of making banana bread with her in her brick oven (tatakua).
Our next stop was Terecio’s house. Terecio was like a big teddy bear. He has a great smile, is really friendly, and loves to talk. At his house, we visited with his daughter and granddaughter. Interestingly, his daughter Nancy immediately recognized me and was thrilled to see me. I remember the kids at Terecio’s house when I was a Peace Corps volunteer but I never realized the big impression that I had made. We were also pleasantly surprised to see that Terecio’s family still uses the 2 wooden chairs that they had inherited from us when we left Paraguay. While visiting, we had terere and the boys had chipa (a corn and mandioca bread). Everywhere we went, people offered us terere and food! We enjoyed sharing memories and updating each other about our lives. Unfortunately, Terecio’s wife was at someone else’s house with a prior commitment. I was sad that I wasn’t able to see her because I have found memories of visiting with her and of making banana bread with her in her brick oven (tatakua).
From Terecio’s house, we visited with Vicente, Filipina, their sons, and grandson. We had been concerned that we might not see them because they had spent the day in Cnol. Oviedo shopping for clothing to wear for their second youngest son’s upcoming wedding. The wedding was a big deal. After finishing high school in Santa Rosa Cué, their son had applied for a national scholarship to study medicine in Cuba and he had been selected to do so. For 7 years, he had lived and studied in Cuba. During that time, his family had gathered money to help pay for extra expenses – it was a sacrifice. Recently, he had returned to Santa Rosa Cué (where he had a house built for himself) and was working as a doctor in Curuguaty. At the hospital in Curuguaty, he met another doctor who he was marrying in a big and fancy wedding at a hotel in Ciudad del Este. This was a big deal for the family, and so they had traveled to Cnol. Oviedo to buy nice clothing. Fortunately, they returned from their shopping trip in time to visit with us.
Several of Vicente and Filipina’s sons were visiting. Osmar, who had also studied English with us at UniNorte and who was also now a teacher, had a young son (Maxi) so B & F played soccer with him while Vicente took us to see yerba trees in his chacra. The walk was absolutely lovely. The sun was starting to go down and the countryside looked beautiful! Along the way, we passed a large fenced area where Vicente keeps his many cattle. He also showed us a tacuru-pucú (termite hill) that he was somewhat successfully trying to destroy. These termites build red hills throughout the countryside in many parts of Paraguay. The hills look like mounds of dirt but they are really, really hard. It is very difficult to destroy them.
Several of Vicente and Filipina’s sons were visiting. Osmar, who had also studied English with us at UniNorte and who was also now a teacher, had a young son (Maxi) so B & F played soccer with him while Vicente took us to see yerba trees in his chacra. The walk was absolutely lovely. The sun was starting to go down and the countryside looked beautiful! Along the way, we passed a large fenced area where Vicente keeps his many cattle. He also showed us a tacuru-pucú (termite hill) that he was somewhat successfully trying to destroy. These termites build red hills throughout the countryside in many parts of Paraguay. The hills look like mounds of dirt but they are really, really hard. It is very difficult to destroy them.
Vicente showed us two different kinds of yerba mate trees. You can tell the difference in the leaves.
Vicente had recently started planting yerba mate trees on his land. He said that yerba mate prices have been going up and it is an easy way to earn some money because once planted, yerba mate trees don’t require much work.
After seeing the Vicente’s yerba mate plants, Filipina gave me a tour of her house. I called the boys over to see her feed the animals.
Filipina showed us their dog and one of its puppies. The dog had given birth to several puppies. Vicente and Filipina couldn’t keep all of the puppies and nobody else wanted them so they resorted to having Vicente take the puppies far away in the forest in a bag and leave them there. What else could they do? After Vicente had returned home, the mama dog went into the forest and somehow found the puppies and carried one home. Filipina and Vicente decided to keep the puppy. For the next day, the mama dog cried about her puppies.
After Vicente and Filipina’s house, we walked past the Almacen de Consumo again. Along the way, Filipina said that it was sad that the Almacen de Consumo no longer functioned and that she would like for the building to function as a health post. It’s a great idea but the community has to organize and find financial backing. The community did successfully come together for a running water project. Every family contributed some money and labor for the project. They now have a community water tower, running water, and good amount of reserve money in a bank account.
The last person who we visited was Doña Matilde. She is the 90-year-old mother of Kiko and Vicente. I was so surprised to see her still alive, well, and still living in her own house. As a Peace Corps volunteer, I often spent the night at her house. We had wonderful conversations and delicious dinners. I was thrilled to see her again after 15 years.
When we arrived back at Kiko’s house for dinner, we were in for a surprise. We had expected an early dinner, like is usual in the campo. Instead, Kiko was hosting a party for his birthday, which was the previous day. A good number of people had already gathered and lots of meat was on the grill.
Everyone had gathered outside, where it was cold, for the party. The boys were hungry. Fortunately, Kiko’s wife brought food for them. B gobbled down the sausage. F wouldn’t touch the sausage after having seen the ingredients for the morcilla in San Blas.
Kiko’s party was a true celebration. A band consisting of a harp, guitars, accordion, and singers played traditional Paraguayan music in both Spanish and Guaraní. The entertainment was great. Check out the guy playing the guitar and smoking at the same time.
Food is generally served only at the end of a Paraguayan party. F fell asleep waiting. When we finally ate, everyone was called into the dining room where a ton of plates were set out with food. Everyone stood around eating from their plates. Unfortunately, I chose 3 plates close together without considering what cut of meat was on the plate so I got mostly pig skin and only a little meat. Right after eating, we went to Javier’s house to sleep.
The next morning, we had breakfast at Kiko’s house and another nice conversation. Then we took a taxi to Curuguaty. We had a good visit in Santa Rosa Cué.