Visitors!! (Parte 3: Encarnación y mi vida normal)

Saturday morning we had a party at the health center to celebrate the 5^th year anniversary of it being open with games and snacks for the kids. It was great to be able to show Mom some of the things that I do and for her to get to meet some of my students. In the afternoon, I gave Mom and Grandma a little tour of Encarnación and what I do on my Saturdays (lots of walking and usually hitting up the grocery store).

Sunday we headed to the ruins of the Santísima Trinidad. I broke out the guidebook and acted as our tour guide. It was a little hot, but after being bundled up and relying on my space heater for the past month or so I’ll take the heat any day.

Monday was back to work in jardín. It was SO great to see the kids again after nearly two weeks,  and it was neat to be able to show Mom and Grandma my favorite part of what I actually do here. And, just as I did, they fell in love with the kids instantly.

Monday afternoon, we headed to the neighborhood under the bridge to do our visits and to give away some clothes. I know it was an eye opening experience for Mom, like I’ve said before nothing can prepare you for how you feel when you see it firsthand. It was fun to introduce her to some of the people that we often visit, too since I’d been telling them that my mom was going to come. In addition to being able to get a glimpse of what life is like there for the people, she was also able to experience a glimpse of some of the difficulties I faced in the beginning (and still face sometimes even now) of wanting to talk and communicate with the people, but not being able to because of the language barrier.

 It was a pretty laid back week in the afternoons, especially because we had some rain, so unfortunately Mom and Grandma didn’t really get to see much of the health center. We were supposed to have a Mass outside in the barrio under the bridge on Wednesday night, but right when we got there the people decided it was too cold and that no one was really going to come so it was cancelled. Guess that’s just another Paraguayan cultural thing for Mom to experience.

Mom and Grandma cooked an American meal for the sisters (rosemary chicken with raspberry jalapeño jam, my favorite tomato, garlic and basil pasta, a fresh salad with ranch and Italian dressings mom brought from the States, apple crisp and homemade ice cream. It was delicious!! I’ve learned to really like some of the foods here, but I had to agree with Grandma when she said, “It sure is nice to have some American food.”

By Thursday it was time to say goodbye. The sisters arranged for Mom and Grandma to see the shrine and sanctuary of the Virgen de Itacua. The loved it, and it was a perfect ending to our trip. I’m so grateful for their visit, and the memories of this trip will stay with me forever. Mom and Grandma, I can’t say thank you enough for coming to see me, and I hope that you guys enjoyed being here as much as I enjoyed having you. It wasn’t the most restful, relaxing, luxurious or even comfortable vacation, but it was definitely one of my favorites.

Click here or visit my Photos page to see my photos of our trip on Facebook