Update 14

Paraguay

This morning Rog said he thought getting to Encarnacion, Paraguay was going to be easy. It's just across the river. Take Uber to train station & then Uber to hotel. Wrong. Our Uber driver took us to the train station but there was no train to Paraguay. He refused to take us to Paraguay. But because we just lucky, our Uber driver found us a taxi driver who agreed to take us to our hotel in Encarnacion! There we dropped out luggage & the hotel clerk exchanged $50 US for $300,000 Paraguay Guarani (PYG). We're rich! Enchiladas at a local restaurant lured us in. Rog got a sausage hot dog too. We headed to a large park that had a Japanese garden. Always fun to watch kids playing. Went back to our hotel for a swim & rest. Around 4 we found the #2 attraction in Paraguay….the beach. I have NEVER seen so many people enjoying a beach! Thousands! Standing in the center of the beach, you could barely see the ends. Tents, umbrellas, lawn chairs, coolers & solid people. Kids shrieking with happiness & building sand castles, adults sipping mate or beer. The sand was fine & a rusty brown color. The water fairly clean especially considering it was the Parana River bank. We found a shady spot kind of far from the crowd, rented chairs & just soaked it all in. There was continuous activity on the nearby volleyball court. A couple of kinda drunks sat by us & even though we told them several time we couldn't understand them…they kept talking to us. They were having so much fun whistling & eyeing the girls walking by whose butts were in full view. When the sun got lower & less intense, we moved closer to the beach in time to see the sunset. Just at sunset, there was a mass exit from the water. A life guard walked the beach assuring everyone was out. No need for parents to try getting their kids out of the water! For the next hour or so, girls posed for photos. Seriously how many pictures do you need! We went back to our room ready for a shower, swim & bed.
Next morning we went down to breakfast the hotel provided. It looked like quite a spread but besides the scrambled eggs & fruit…it was over 10 types of bread! Guess they like to fill up on bread much like in Argentina. Our hotel called a taxi for us to get us to the bus station where we thought a bus to Trinidad left every 1/2 hour. Wrong. After 2 hours, the guy who'd sold us tickets pointed to a dilapidated mini bus that would take us to the #1 attraction in Paraguay—the UNESCO site of a Jesuit mission. We noticed the Paraguay was had more hills & smaller farm fields and also lots of tractors. Housing and small towns looked about the same as Argentina. The bus dropped us off at a bus stop in the middle of no where. Luckily a young girl got off there too & she knew how to get a taxi…well it did have 4 wheels but wasn't as good as most demolition cars. We rattled down a dirt road then dropped the girl off first where she was greeted by hugs. Soon after…tada…well arrived at Jesus de Tavarangüé. This massive structure took some imagination to visualize what it had been. Actually it was never completed as the Spaniards killed or ran the priests off. The Spaniards didn't like the Jesuits because they were educating & protecting the natives who the Spaniards wanted as slaves. As we walked out, we read on the information board that there was a restaurant just 10 min walk. We found it with an open sign lit & food displayed in the barred window…but no one around. So we walked on and found another one. Same scenario. Walked on & bingo…found one! Since there were only cookies & cakes displayed, we asked if the clerk would make us a sandwich. She happily did & we bought a large, cold bottle of water. Perfect. Then we tried to get an Uber ride. Nope. Few cars around & no taxi cars going by. Now what ? The clerk who'd made us sandwiches, didn't know how to get a taxi. We'd noticed some people sitting in their front yard earlier so we went up to their gate & held up our translator asking if they could call us a taxi. They opened their gate, moved a bench to the shade & invited us in. A young girl left with her phone and so we spent the next 15-20 minutes visiting via translator. They were an older couple who sipped their mate (which they offered to us too) and seemed very pleased to have us there. After a bit, the young girl came back smiling & told us she'd called a taxi. So though we seemed stranded in the middle of nowhere…we actually were getting a free authentic experience with some friendly & helpful Paraguayans! Priceless! A much older car with a taxi sign magnetically stuck on top (which later he took off) picked us up & took us to our hotel in Argentina. Our Paraguay experience reminded us of others we've had where we are reminded to "See the journey" which is as rich as our destination!



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Update 13

So we cleaned up our villa, got in the van with Juan at 9 am. We pulled out after many waves, more good byes & some honking. Juan took us to the bus station & though we were there an hour early because we wanted to make sure we didn't miss the bus, Juan insisted on staying til we loaded. Rog & he ended up having a great time conversing via translator. Juan eventually downloaded the app so he could practice using it himself. He's anxious to learn to speak English more fluently. Turns out his wife (whom I helped in the kitchen on Sunday) has a 3X black belt & has won many competitions. A nice bus arrived on time. Rog had us in (clean) window seats on the shady side of the bus. Always a good planner. So with our trusty collapsable cooler (that we got for our Hawaiian breakfast on the beach long ago) stocked with cheese, ham, bread, water & Coke Zero we were off for a pleasant 6 hour bus trip. I love window views: huge fields of corn & soybeans, pastures with cattle, road work, small vendors, jugglers 2 intersections, kids playing in small pools, too much trash, lots of bars on windows & barb wire, police stops, poor & nice housing and mass plantings of both rubber & eucalyptus trees…but no kookaburras!
We got off the bus in Concordia & caught an Uber to our hotel & soon were in a pool…not the clearest but it felt great. we found a hamburger spot later &since we could, watched an English speaking movie in our air conditioned room with no mosquitoes. Next morning, our host brought us a basket of fresh breakfast rolls & we had coffee & hot chocolate mix. Our first place to check out was the Museum of Anthropology & Nat'l Science. Huge skeleton display of a deodicurus (picture of huge turtle) and a giant sloth. We found a pizza for lunch & picked up some food to replenish our supply for our trip tomorrow. The afternoon heat made jumping in the pool very inviting. Around 3 we headed to see Castillo San Carlos. A bit overrated. Supposedly the man who wrote The Little Prince got many of his ideas here after he had made an emergency landing on the immense castle grounds & befriended the family. It was extremely hot! The park thermometer read 45C (that's 113F)11. Quite amazingly, there was a small stand nearby where we got cold drinks & miracle of miracles…a chocolate crepe! MMMMmmm. Also almost as good as the crepe…there was a hose with dripping water hanging over the pergola. We both soaked ourselves …several times. Felt soo good. We slowly walked back to the road where we called for an Uber. One more swim & then early to bed cause we had to be up at 2:30am to catch a bus. It was a nice bus so we easily fell to sleep & woke up to see the gorgeous sunrise & got off in Paso de Los Libres. Brazil is right across the river. A taxi took us to our hotel which we'd rented for 2 days (only $30 ea) so we could check in right away. Basic but clean & cool. Rested a while & then went to check out this town. Lots of nice stores, some rough areas but mostly okay. We couldn't find any restaurants open so we had to settle for a hamburger at a gas station. We were hot & tired when we got back to our room and took a as cold as possible shower. Since there is not much happening in this town, we watched a The Starling…in English! Later we headed out looking for a nice dinner but struck out again & only found bread, beer & a Coke Zero.
Moving on, we were on a bus at noon headed for Posadas…7 hours away. Window views are similar to what we've been seeing with some nice housing in town centers & mostly not good outside.
Posada is a large town & quite modern looking with much more traffic & large stores. You can see Paraguay across the river. Our booked room was out a town a bit and in a very quaint & artsy house. The owner is a chef & has filled this place with interesting decorations and plants. He has a waterfall in the living room & an inviting pool in the back area. About 8:30 we headed for dinner but it seemed we were in the wrong part of town for restaurants so ended up getting cheese & corn stuffed rolls & a burger at fast food places. Then we went into an ice cream shop & I asked if we could eat there & then order ice cream. Three young girl clerks giggled & nodded yes. The ice cream & girls were the best part of that meal. We were both tired, hot & ready for bed. Breakfast was at 8 & elaborately displayed: 3 types of bread, cheese, ham, omelet, coffee & passion fruit juice…enjoyed! Then off we went to find the few sites in town…a giant statue that looked very much like the tin man in Wizard of Oz & a few hero statues and the walkway by the river. We play shade hopping as we walk. It's sooo hot! Luckily, we found a nice, cool restaurant open and shared a lasagna meal. They seem to have a ham addiction here cause even though it was mostly beef filling, it included ham! Uber took us back to the room & the cool pool was calling our names. I am sitting by it now under a gazebo area covered with a trumpet vine…much like the one we had at the farm! Tonight we hope to go to a museum & neighborhood Carnival…but we never know what we really end up doing.
Tomorrow we're off again…headed for Paraguay!
(Update: Museum closed but carnival pretty cool and got popcorn !!)






Update 12


This morning we left Hogar Paz Y Algeria. On the last night just before dinner, all the men, Sisters & some staff gathered & sang a TY song. They gave us a beautiful mate cup with the metal straw & a bag of mix. Many had tears in their eyes…as I did. Each gave Rog a hand shake & me a kiss on the cheek. I wanted to say so much but was way too choked up. Rog usually can but he too couldn't. 18 days-29 men- 6 Sister & several staff now crowd my heart. Though I don't even know each of their names, I know their smile and feel their love. Sister Jane (NOT ME but MofC) assured me she would continue to set up an activity table & encourage the men to stay active. She told me it made her so happy to see us become one of them…no inhibitions inspire of the drilling, poor coordination & slow response…we connected. Though I could write pages about each one, I will try to safe just a few not already mentioned in my updates:
Beto: the longest resident, grumbled as he walk about but soft inside
Carlito: always willing to help nuns & other less able
Benjamin: suffered several strokes so very had no facial expression, tiny unsteady steps, only one hand yet very interested in tried so hard to do whatever we put in front of him
Herman; former boxer who loved talking with my translator & mourned his lack of contact with his brother
Lujan: former jockey who laughed that the others were doing useless stuff but then did them too. He loved proving he was the strongest
The careful colored: would wait till I offered to walk him to the table & then spent hours staying in the line using one color
The swollen feet man: could not make a decision & struggled which piece of the 4 piece puzzle was next
The one foot man who grinned & drooled constantly & always wanted to kiss my hand
The almost blind man who loved to just squeeze my hand
The man with the crutch who used it lots playing with the floating disc
The man I called Danny DeVito who always looked glum but loved to play with the Zip line
The oldest little old man at 81 who was willing to do anything
The young kid with jerky motions & no expression who tried hard to get a rhythm going for the Zipline & had such a short attention span
Nicoli- good looking young staff who joked with the men while picking them up & cleaning them
Truly volunteering is the best part of our travel. Rewarding. Meaningful. Priceless
Memories flood me but it's time to move on…

Here's Roger's thoughts on Zarate:

I recently heard a life coach talking about the choices we make and his advice was to make the most of the situation where you are right now. Then he said something that we all know and usually avoid saying. We will all soon be dead. True. The ball gets passed on and we become a memory for some. How will I be remembered? That is a question we all should consider.
The men at the home in Zarate have come there to die. The nuns work nonstop to care for them and provide them a clean place to live. They work with seldom a word of thanks from anyone. When I thanked a nun for mopping the floor she said the men deserve a clean place so they can die "like a human being". I will remember her for her service to others.
They also smile and laugh with the men, tease them, play music, sing, and hug them. They show them love. I will remember their love for those who are sometimes difficult to care for.

We have new appreciation for our lives after visiting with the dying men for three weeks. Many of the men were not as old as we are, but they have suffered severe health issues that prevent them from adequately providing for themselves. It is clear that they would soon die if not for the nuns. It is not hard for us to imagine ourselves in their position and we feel fortunate that we have so far been able to enjoy our lives by spending time with our families and friends, pursue travel experiences, and manage our home. Life is Good!







Empty Update 14??

FYI. If you're wondering why you got an empty update… Roger opened my emails prepared with addresses and ready to write my updates. Need I say anymore??

Update 14







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Update 11

I haven't written much about our evenings out when we get on bikes & head outside the locked gate. There's a nice bike path that threads through a large park area next to the Parana River where large cargo ships pass by regularly. They have to go under a large bridge so they blow their loud, deep, low horn each time. Several sailboats, fishing boats & a few scull boats too. Many fishermen line the walkways but we've only seen a couple fish caught. As we ride along the bike trail, we pass lots of couples sitting in webbed lawn chairs often with folding tables or on a blanket or just the grass and almost all are sipping mate. Small kids have riding toys and kick balls. We meet many other bikers, skateboarders & roller skaters. After about a 30 min ride, we stop at one of the several restaurants that overlook the river. We've enjoyed all our meals…especially the crispy French fries. Only one meal made us laugh. We'd looked at pictures of the menu item & thought we were ordering onion rings on top of a piece of fish. Wrong. The rings were squid. Tasty! We usually sit there quite awhile enjoying the evening breeze off the river just people watching. It's most certainly a pleasant way to end the day!







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Update 10







I've mentioned Atilio often & in Update 4 I gave some of his background information.  But I want to dwell on him a bit as I often think He's the main reason I'm here.  Because he speaks English which he learned as a computer specialist, we have had some pretty deep conversations about death, religion…and even politics.  He has accepted he's dying and is disturbed by his lack of closeness to God.  He says he was a good man but religion was never part of his life.  He thinks maybe that's why he's here…surrounded by nuns.  This is his opportunity to grow in faith and feel close to God.  I have read him many bible verses with the message that God loves him now & always will.  He especially related to Job.  He chuckled when I read him the story of Dismas & told him he was Sister Liz's (my mom's cousin) patron saint.  He was the good thief that was hanging next to Jesus on the cross.  Here's the verse:  "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."Jesus replied  "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise". Luke 23:42-43 

So Sister Liz said she'd pray to St. Joseph first but if he didn't get her what she wanted, she'd ask St. Dismas to steal it for her!

Atilio has no family and he doesn't want his friends to see him like he is, so Rog & I are his only visitors.  His eyes always light up when I come into his room…probably because I usually bring him food & cold water.  The chocolate bread I bring him he says will be his favorite til the day he dies. (Kinda hard to hear). Last night he asked me to use my influence to get him an extra meatball!  His strength & appetite have increased just in the 2 weeks we've been here so maybe the extra calories are helping!  Atilio says even though he's over 5000 mi from DC, he can see our administration is wrong & immigrants only come because they are desperate.  As we chat, I swat the flies & mosquitoes which are few thanks to the fans & deep daily cleaning.  As I sit by his bed I'm facing a large picture of MofC nun caring for a dying man and on the wall behind her is a picture of Jesus' body being cared for by 3 women.  It's like Jesus speaking clearly & directly to me:  "Whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do unto me."  He tells me he knows he is very fortunate to be here.  And I know truly I'm blessed beyond measure to be here.  











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Update 9



It's truly incredible that this home with 29 men, most in diapers & many whose bed is wet each morning…smells so clean!  The thorough daily cleaning and mounds of laundry handing to dry each morning is the reason.  Men shower probably daily and those who can't are lowered into a bathtub.  Today 2 young guys came to give haircuts and fresh shaves.  The nuns do most of the cleaning.  They will often stop doing whatever they're dong to visit, tease or just pat the men.  Often they have joined them in the activities we are providing adding laughs & smiles.  Today we had some men kicking a round an air powered disc (think air hockey puck).  Several nuns did some kicking too.  Coloring is still the activity of choice.  Rog & I often sit next to individuals who can't or choice not to sit at the table.  Using a tray as a table, we encourage them to do puzzles (even the 4 piece is a challenge), stack of circles toy, shape sorting ball, magnetic shapes & duplos.  But the one that wear us out the most is Zip Ball because we have to stand opposite the man and make the ball go back & forth…until usually we quit.  All the nuns have taken turns too.  Great exercise for all!  On Wednesday, a local man came & had several men paint on wood that had a picture traced on it.  He also had some sawing to make legs for small tables they plan to construct.  Sister Anita brought over a broken guitar for him to fix and then got a few lessons.  So now she's a singing nun who can strum!  

Our slowest day is Thursday as it's the nuns "day in" and as one of the local helpers says as he plays his transistor radio loudly…when the cats away, the rats will play!  I was able to have a nice conversation with a couple men who could talk to me using Google translator.  It was good to learn something about their story.  One was boxer & the other a jockey.  Both felt they had successful lives.  When I said I thought they must feel bad about losing that life, one said " 

You certainly can't call these men lucky…but at least they are living in a clean environment, wearing clean cloths, sleeping in clean beds, eating nutritional meals and getting excellent care with much love added!  We are impressed!









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