My First Few Days....

My first few days here have been amazing and overwhelming, all at the same time. I arrived in Paraguay on the 7th. When I checked in at the first airport, I was told my luggage was checked all the way to Paraguay. For some reason, it only made it to Argentina. The airline took care of it and got it to me the next day. Ken, Christie, Camille, and Caroline were waiting at the airport when I got here. They took me to the mall in Asuncion for lunch. My first Paraguayan meal was a four-cheese empanada and an orange soda. It was very good.

It was a two hour drive from Asuncion to Carapegua. I saw many interesting things. Cows walking along the side of the road with no fence. People at every traffic light with something to sell, bread, kites, you name it. Or little kids wanting to wash your windshield.

I was so exhausted from the trip when we got to Carapegua. They gave me a tour of the house. Then I took a cool shower and laid down for a few hours. I woke up just in time for supper - rice, beans, sliced cucumbers, and cantaloupe. So far, I am really enjoying the food here. The girls wanted me to watch Nacho Libre with them. I had never seen it before.

On Friday, Ken and Christie went to Asuncion to pick up my luggage. They didn’t make it back until around 10:30. It started raining on them and the roads here flood when it rains. It took them a long time to drive through all the rain. When they got to the next town over, the car broke down. So it was a very long day for them. But they made it home safely and had stories to tell. They also saw where a bus hit a cow in the road. She said that was pretty gross.

Friday was a long day for me too. Lots of walking and meeting new people. Thank God for Camille, who enjoys translating for me. The people here are so nice and I can’t wait until I can communicate with them on my own. The youth pastor of the church makes and sells ice cream. When we walked to her house, she gave us a cup of ice cream. I believe it was the best I’ve ever had.

At one point during the day, I was sitting on the porch with Camille and a group of others drinking terere. I thought, "Wow! How on earth did I get here?" I can't even begin to express how thankful I am to get to live this adventure!

Saturday was pancake day. Ken makes homemade pancakes and syrup every Saturday. Very yummy! We walked to the grocery store and then stopped to get ice cream. Everyone at home is freezing and I'm eating ice cream. Seems a little strange. Saturday night I sat out on the porch with everyone. There were kids coming up playing and talking. I had another one of those "WOW moments." I helped Camille & Caroline make cool-aid and popcorn. We showed Narnia in the youth center. It was my first time seeing it and I had to read the subtitles the whole time. But I still really enjoyed it. There were a lot of guys that came but no girls. Apparently that's how it normally is.

I was trying to post a picture but so far I haven't been able to load one on here, Facebook, or by email.

Tonight I went to my first church service here in Paraguay. I will try to post more on that later.