Semana Santa (Chipa Week)

4/19/2011

Maybe it’s me but it seems like Mondays have a tendency to come with bad news. I dread the day myself and I suppose Paraguayans do as well since the day is often referred to as “Lune ro“ (Jopara for “bitter Monday”)... I couldn’t agree more.  So, on the afternoon of Monday April 18^th, 2011 G-35 Education sector received some crushing news. Our APCD (Assistant Peace Corps Director) Josefina was unexpectedly terminated from her employment with Peace Corps. We were informed via text message and later email, but neither provided little explanation. To make things odder, Rose and I had just visited the office that same morning and spoke with her. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and from what we understand she was totally blind-sided. Timing couldn’t have been poorer as we had all grown to know and care for Josefina throughout training (she aided greatly in our site selection process); not to mention the majority of us were looking forward to the comfort of her company during our upcoming site presentations. And who was to replace her? There was no one prepared to step forward and take over her significant position. I personally thought the mass text was a horrible prank of some sort, but it turned out to be accurate. Through word of mouth I was told she was devastated, naturally and obviously confused as well. Clearly she and Peace Corps butted heads on a few ideas, but I suppose a mutual agreement was never reached. Yet since there are two sides to every story, I am interested in Peace Corps’ version being voiced one day, but neither I nor my colleagues will get our hopes up for such an occurrence. Nevertheless, Josefina shall be greatly missed and we appreciate everything she has done for us. To demonstrate as such, a farewell luncheon was organized in her honor on Tuesday April 19^th, 2011. The entire Education sector and each “G” were invited to attend and wish Josefina the best. Despite our hectic schedules to be in site on the very same day, some of my fellow group members (myself included) managed to stop by. I only stayed for about 30 minutes or so as it was raining and I was to meet Jamie (a Health volunteer who lives in the next town cover) at the terminal to travel to our sites together. It was just enough time to write a quick note to Josefina in the journal that circulated the table, get an earful of more details, and order a gelato to-go. “Suerte” echoed behind me as I pushed open the glass door to exit. With my pesado (heavy) bags at hand, I walked to the nearest bus stop and caught a ride. Within half an hour or so, I was pushing the timbre (bell) to cue the chofer (driver) I wanted to depart. I got off and crossed the street where I wandered aimlessly on the phone for 10 minutes trying to find my travel buddy. I finally found her with relief on the 2^nd floor of the three-story building. We exchanged a quick, friendly greeting then took turns making a run to the bathroom before our long expedition. Afterwards, we gathered up our *dead-giveaway belongings and headed down to the bottom level designated for boarding to wait for our bus, “Caraguatay”. *FACT: According to 9 out of 10 Paraguayans, enormous backpack=North American. This being our first terminal experience, Jamie and I were not expectant of numerous waiting spots (literally). We ended up having to ask exactly which number lot our bus would be pulling into. Once we were pointed in the right direction, our bags were kindly taken over by a nice gentleman who stuffed them haphazardly in the storage compartment on the side of the bus. We then proceeded to board the bus and sat in the back, presuming it would be less cramped. Although not many passengers entered alongside Jamie and I, we chose wisely with our seating arrangement as at each stop more and more people jumped on. I definitely felt more at ease with the extra space, and Jamie as well since she nodded off soon after.      As for me on the other hand, paranoia prevented me from joining in on naptime, despite my exhaustion. FACT: Theft is the most common crime in PY (especially on the buses), hence my extreme attentiveness.  I also decided it was a good idea to pay close attention to neighboring town names and landmarks for future trips to and from the city. Surprisingly, I recognized more than I thought because after passing through Caacupe then Eusebio Ayala, I knew the town of my future home was next. Soon enough, a towering “Bienvenidos” (welcome) sign was visible as we approached the threshold of Isla Pucu. I collected my possessions once more, bid adieu to Jamie, and reminded the chauffer’s assistant (job consisting of: collecting bus fare as needed, but usually just fetching and drinking teree with the driver) I needed access to the side cabin in order to retrieve the rest of my gear. Once we rolled to a stop, I stepped off and my stuff was handed to me almost simultaneously. I was still strapping my bag securely onto my back while the bus hauled away to its next destination. I took in both my surroundings and a deep breath at the same time, squinting for something familiar. Haziness combined with my poor sense of direction resulted in me becoming somewhat lost, and the plentiful pairs of eyes that scrutinized my every move certainly did not aid in the matter. Embarrassed, I took out my cell and anxiously dialed Lida´s number for help. No answer.  I glanced down at my watch and hesitated at the possibility of him being in class, but sent a text to David anyway. No response neither, thus resulting in slight panic on my behalf. I quickly regained composure and made up my mind to walk towards the only residence memory would allow me to recall, Paola´s. Fortunately, she was present as I explained my weariness and confusion of which she was instantly kind and sympathetic. Apparently my ability to recollect wasn´t so poor after all, as I was informed my new host family lives within a 2 block radius north of Paola and her family. We were preparing to walk towards this direction when David´s lanky profile came into view. He met us at the end of the block, grinning from ear to ear as always. Not long after greeting one another it seemed, we parted ways once again. I made sure to thank Paola for her gracious support then turned to follow David´s lead. Along the way, David clarified he knew where to find me because one of his classmates recognized me and sent him a message. I described for the second time my bewilderment upon arrival in Isla, as well as, my fatigue. David too was nonchalant about the topic and promptly reminded me I already had friends here, thus no need to fret. As we rounded the corner I couldn´t help but smile with him while verbalizing my gratitude as well. When we finally reached the gate of my new home, we were welcomed by Lida´s sister, Irma, Irma´s two young daughters and Lida herself along with her 8 month old daughter.  I was unaware my previous visit, but I soon learned that Irma also happens to be David´s madrina (Godmother). David stayed for a little while longer to both visit with his Godmother and to make sure I was somewhat settled in. Afterwards he left, suggesting we get together the next day. I instantly agreed and thanked David again as well. Next I was told for some unknown reason, the room I was to inhabit wasn´t prepared for me yet. I only nodded, no questions asked but I was also promised to be helped in setting it up the next day. So, I ended up crashing in the room temporarily shared by Lida´s two nieces. I went to bed that night with the thought that living with this family was going to be interesting and possibly a little challenging, but unbearable? I naively shook the idea off completely….

Here are a few events that came to pass directly and indirectly during my short-lived stay with Lida and her family:

My bedroom window has a hole about the size of a pill bottle cap or voting sticker. Index fingers (attached to Lida´s nieces) being poked through it became a daily happening…no matter the obstruction I attempted to conceal it. I actually think they genuinely enjoyed seeing and later destroying whatever I could come up with next. There was also a caravan of ants constantly flowing to and from this hole.

-I believe my lovely partial abode was added on after the rest of the house was built, as there was only one door to enter and exit. This became both a blessing and a curse: a blessing as I had a secluded sanctuary (for the most part) and a curse for the very same reason. On more than one occasion I found myself unable to gain access to the interior of the house (aka the bathroom, 3am) or to the house itself (front gate locked, 8pm bedtime.. apparently I was both misinformed and forgotten). And each time I attempted to contact someone on the inside they failed me, yet Lida´s brother, Bernardo, residing next door always came to my aid. He was the one who answered my calls to Lida´s cellular which was purposely or accidentally (I´ll never know) left there. Bernardo was also the one whom let me use his bathroom and attempted (unsuccessfully) to wake Josefina up for me by whispering, then yelling at her to wake up through her bedroom window.

-Speaking of the baño (bathroom) and I, we had a love/ hate relationship. I loved it because the ducha (shower) provided the first few hot showers I had yet to have in Paraguay. I also hated it because it these hot showers lasted about 2 minutes as I had to fight off mosquitoes in between scrubs. Not to the mention, it usually reeked of used adult diapers….may be a little harsh but it´s true:/

-These diapers belonged to Lida´s 92 year old father. This Señor may have been wheel-chair bound and on a soft-foods diet, but he was still very humorous and attentive. After eating he liked to feed the dog in his own special way…swishing around the leftovers in his mouth and then discarding them on the floor. He also never ceased to attempt cleaning his mouth with the kitchen tablecloth, even though we all knew (and him as well I suspect) that a slap on the hand from his wife to stop him would follow. 

-Josefina, wife to this Señor and mother to Lida, Irma and Bernardo, was a character herself. My most cherished memories of this family involve her. I believe she can be summed up in three words sly, resourceful, and blunt. During my first attempt to cook soja (soy), Josefina slipped a spoonful of salt in the water when she thought I wasn´t looking and after I had already stated I would add it later. She also cunningly insulted my intelligence a little by communicating with me in baby talk for the first 3 days. Nonetheless, I found her to be resourceful as well because during the tidying up of my new room, she also rearranged 4 mil from off my bed to her right pocket. In addition she creatively re-named her chewable cigar and her wine as her ¨chocolate stick & water¨. Lastly, Josefina wasn´t afraid to say what she was thinking or express her true feelings. One time I was invited to eat lunch with another family, after notifying my host grandmother, she put her hands up to her face and fake cried. This action signified her feelings were hurt and even though she said ¨esta bien¨ (it´s ok), she really wasn´t pleased. Another time we were standing in the kitchen and she began patting me on the back. Her hand continued moving further downward until she reached my love handle. She then pinched it while exclaiming with a grin of astonishment ¨Ooooh, so that´s why you don´t eat meat. You carry yours with you!¨ As for the chipa that just so happened to be in my hand at that very moment, it found it´s way to the trash and I lost my appetite for the rest of the night. Oh Josefina!

-Did I fail to mention the petting zoo?, whoops! You all know how much I love me some animals, allergy or no allergy! Lol. My new family also included 2 dogs one of which I felt pretty certain was sick, because one night I swore I saw one of it´s eyeballs dangling from the socket through the chain link fence. I shared this observation with one Zena (one of Lida´s nieces) and she laughed at me. A couple days later, I witnessed the dog being wrapped up in an old tarp, stiff as a board. Apparently, he was infected with a Bot fly, go figure. Also present on the property were: a calf, a bunny, a talking bird named chancho (hotdog) who could creepily utter ¨Mama¨, and about 30 or so chickens, but hey who´s counting, right? However, my personal favorite was Bernardo´s horse who technically lived next door, but was often tied up in Josefina´s yard. One morning I witnessed Bernardo attaching at least 20 pounds of decorations to this horse. I asked him for what purpose was he dressing up the stallion and he replied it was for a rodeo and I could attend if too if I so desired. Shortly after David talked me out of going saying it wouldn´t be much to see since it simply entails people dressed up like cow folk and riding around in circles. Lol.  

Yes. All of this excitement took place within one week and not just any week either, Semana Santa (Saint Week). Traditionally, it´s told Semana Santa is special time allotted for family (no school or work), extra good behavior, and chipa being made and shared inside and out of every home. I learned chipa is not only a food unique to Paraguay; it can also last many days without refrigeration. Thus, explaining why the practice of making it is still carried on today just as it was in the olden days. It was also during this week that I discovered even more change was stolen deliberately from my room, while I made a quick run to the kitchen. And despite all of this, I decided to stay but was later asked subtly to looking into relocating since it was simply too much trouble for me to be there…so much for that momentary ¨saintly¨ conduct, eh?

Bernardo's elaborately decorated horse & a hungry chicken