Paraguay is…
For me Paraguay is:
Terere (yerba mate cold drink)- Heavy rains
- Chipa and cocido (specially when its cold)
- Sun- summer-(endless) hot
- The “farras” (Parties). Every excuse is a good reason to get together.
- Cerro/Olimpia (main rival soccer teams)
- Empanadas (yummy)
- Asado (barbecues) on sundays
- Yopara (a mix of spanish and guarani)
- Ypacarai Lake
- Bollos (San Bernardino)
- Shopping in Ciudad del Este
- Flor de Coco for Christmas
- Britannia Pub
- Hola and chau (hello and bye)
- Friends hanging out
- The train station
- The hippie fair
- Lido Bar
- Asuncion downtown streets
- Heladeria Sugar
- Friends/ Family
- Cachaca
- Movies on Wednesdays (half price off)
- Chinese food at the Mercado 4
- The “coreano” of the corner (Refering to the mini mart always open and you can find them everywhere, in every neighborhood)
- Text messaging
- Floods when it rains
- 311080 Taxi number
- Pharmacy and Internet cafes in every corner
- Asuncion Super Centro.
- Aregua’s church
- The “baches” (holes in the asphalt)
Paraguay is a moment, a reflection, a way to be, a state of mind…Paraguay is the smile of barefoot kids, the green of the orange trees, the hope for better winds, Paraguay is the poetry, the vision, the emotion, the experience, the soul, the rough hands and the endless day.
There are 2 kind of people: the ones that love Paraguay, the ones that hate it…but there is a third category: the ones with no expectations, the ones that are open to live the experience beyond the good and the bad, the ugly and the beautiful, the ones that can see beyond the sight and feel beyond the perception.
But one thing is sure Paraguay will not be indifferent to anyone. Paraguay is all about the experience. Enjoy! =)
December 13th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
What is the background story on the flor de coco? I have bought some, because they smell so good, and I can’t resist the women who come to my door to sell them. I always try to reward their hardwork and effort! We sang a song about flor de coco yesteday at our Christmas party, but I don’t know the significance. When you get some time to explain, I would appreciate your help. My spanish is not good enough to understand my empleada yet…I’m still learning. I love chipa and texting, I think the flood on Avenida España is really cool, and my kids and I think that the best ice cream in the world is in Paraguay!
December 13th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
I’ll be moving to Paraguay next year and this list (your blog in general) is so helpful in knowing what to expect!
December 13th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
[…] Blog provides a list of things that complete the sentence, “Paraguay is…” and “there are 2 kind of people: the ones that love Paraguay, the ones that hate […]
December 13th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
When I was in Paraguay I loved the empanadas *and* was caught in the heavy rain. For me, I would add to the list: geckoes inside my hotel room.
December 14th, 2007 at 12:13 am
i actually understood what you were talking about this time!!! Progress!
December 21st, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Paraguay is a neat place with great fun people. From the hot and humid east to the hot and arid north-Its worth a visit.
December 22nd, 2007 at 5:40 am
Thanks Orlando, It is very true, from north to south Paraguay is worth a visit…Unfortunately I haven’t been to many cities even though Paraguay is a small country…when you live in a country you assume you can go at anytime but end up never traveling around much…now that I’m far away I regret that I haven’t take the time to travel…so it happens in many aspects of life, we keep postponing things, dont you think?