Muna@Asuncion
After a longggggg 32 hour trip with 3 connections and 1 endless one in Sao Paulo, I can finally say that I’m here…yes, here in Paraguay! where time seems to has stopped, where people look the same, a bit older perhaps and where buildings, streets and sights looks exactly the same as the did a year ago and the year before.
Asuncion is a place that wherever you walk to, you can still feel the air of a neighborhood and find an old pawn house with very old forgotten stuff for sale, and around 3 beauty salons on the same street
It is also a place where you certainly fear for your life every time you cross the streets but that fear fades away shortly when you become more confident calculating what that guy in that small motorcycle is about to do and what the other crazy guy in that little white rudimentary truck is planning to do (if he has a plan at all). Crossing a street in Asuncion is like playing a guessing game, or you get good at it, or you don’t live to tell…fortunately most get good at it and are careful or skillful (or both) to cross the streets. So be careful while crossing streets here.
Today was my first walk around my neighborhood (Barrio Herrera) it was a nice and sunny day (sadly it gets dark very early this time of year), I had the impression that I never left Asuncion,…I was home, it was a fun stroll, I just observed the places, the broken asphalt of the streets, the trees on the side walks, it felt like a town inside a city, a place where you can do your nails around the corner, still talk and know your neighbors and even know the name of the woman of the convenience store.
Asuncion is not perfect and perhaps not beautiful but its charming on its own way and now that I’m here I remember what draws me so much to Asuncion…
It is not what you see…its what you feel
Paraguay….tenes que sentirlo!
June 20th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Sounds like you had a very similar trip down - the plane from Sao Paolo was delayed THREE hours!! Maggie & I took a shower and had a nap in the Rest Hotel in the airport - worth every penny!!!
It is great being here again, feeling right back into everything, but how do you cope with missing hubby? It hit me pretty badly today (the heat doesn’t help) - I’m not homesick for USA, I just want Pat & Ian to get here soon!! Three more Saturdays … that’s how I’ll count.
We’re going to CEPPE with Maggie & Hanna to help out and volunteer - that’s what I want to do, that will help the time pass. But I don´t want it to go by too fast - because I know it will be at least 2 years before we’re able to come back to Asunción.
Let´s get together … okay? ttyl
June 22nd, 2009 at 3:37 am
Que calidad, quisiera volver yo! Yo vivi unos cuatro meses en Barrio Herrera, sobre cuatro de julio y no me acuerdo de la otra calle, y tambien vivi sobre calle del maestro y calle caballero, a tres cuadras del superseis. Que lo pases bien en asuncion! Suerte!
June 26th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Hi Muna,
Surfing the web I discovered your blog today; it’s fantastic! I wish I’d found it years ago.
I met my Paraguayan wife about 4 years ago and we celebrated our 2nd anniversary this June 2! Last Sunday she and our 6 year old son flew back to Asuncion. She lives in Capiata next to her mother in a small house we built a few years ago. It’s around Km 23 on Ruta 2. I had to stay in the States to work this time but we thought it best if our son returned for the summer to brush up on his Guarani; he just completed the 1st grade in a dual immersion Spanish/English school here in Vacaville, about 60 miles north of San Francsico, California.
I’m a high school English and Theatre teacher in Calif., and am thinking about taking an early retirement and moving to Paraguay. My mother-in-law’s boyfriend has driven a delivery truck for Pechugon for over 10 years and they want me to buy some trucks and a distributorship from Pechugon. I’ve always been hesitant because of the corruption in Paraguay, but I’m also told the business is very lucrative. It’s a tough decision because I’m playing with retirement funds.
I’ve also thought about a small cattle ranch but I don’t know anything about catlle ranching. Every time I go to Paraguay I study Spanish at a private school called IDIPAR in Asuncion. Last year my teacher tried to sell me her aunt’s cattle ranch in Concepcion for $50,000. It was tempting, but I chickened out….
I’m curious Muna what you think about buying a distributorship from Pechugon. Do you think it would be too risky? Maybe I should go into the rental business like your family. It sounds like you get a lot of tourist renters. I didn’t think there were many tourists in Paraguay.
Sorry to blather on so much. I’m sure you’re very busy! Thanks for writing such a great blog!! -Tom, near San Francisco, CA
June 28th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Tom,
One thing you might consider is getting a job at the American School of Asuncion. This would give you time to check things out really good over a year or more’s time and decide if you really want to go for it. I have a friend who owns a auto repair service and he does ok. H e is not a Paraguayan. Bribes and corruption are part of doing business.
As far as my own personal experiences go I would have to say that not too many people visit Paraguay as tourists. More (Americans I should say) go as Peace Corps, Mormon missionaries, and embassy workers.
Good luck.
June 29th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Hi Barry,
Thanks for the suggestion; I have actually thought about the American School many times over the years.
It will be interesting to see if Lugo can improve his country, particularly with the help and advice of politicians like Chavez. I like Lugo, and hope the public doesn’t make a big deal out of his personal, private, life. I was in Asuncion during the election and had some vigorous debates with my Spanish teacher who did not support Lugo because he had been a priest; she thought that he could not be trusted since he gave up the priesthood. I begged to differ; I think he loves his country and the people. Vamos a ver.
Has anyone had experience opening a dollar account with Banco Fomento? I wonder if the funds would be secure. I know some private banks have closed and absconded with funds in Paraguay’s recent past, but I don’t know much about the history of the state banks. Anyone?
Thanks,
Tom