Paraguay Phase 3

Day 12

The thread of unpredictability continued into the next morning, but of a distinctly positive note. We were given until 9:30 to start the day and then got a special breakfast. Up to this point breakfast has consistently been bread and food, I expected more of the same but when I walked into the dining area there was a platter of pancakes, with more on the way. I’d been wondering when my appetite would return to form and that was all it took. I inhaled an exorbitant number of cakes and was full for the first time since leaving Minneapolis. That’s not to say that I haven’t liked the food, there have been many meals that I’ve enjoyed, just not breakfasts - which is my favorite of the three meals.

But peaking at 10 am isn’t exactly desirable so I was left wondering whether the rest of the day would be as good as the first of it. It would take all day to get my answer but it was a definite yes.

The next part of the day was a mini tour of Asuncion. We were driven to a beach near the capital from whence we walked. We walked by & around several government buildings and saw a tragic monument to one of Paraguay’s former rulers. As we walked I & we prayed for the nations leadership, past & future.

After that was concluded we went to a “nice” quick eat restaurant. Nice was the word spoken to us about it but it was like a poor man’s chipotle, for Empanadas. I ate a little of the offering but several others felt sick later in the day so I was glad that I didn’t eat much and disappointed that it was worse then I initially thought.

Once back behind the compound walls we had some down time before sitting in with the host churches youth group. The attendance was sparse, in part because an unspecified number of them had gone to Antequera for the weekend. What we do, the skits and such, have gotten routine so we used this chance to switch them up some. Unfortunately the Americans were the ones who enjoyed the changes more then the locals.

After that was through we went back into the city to see another important monument. A war memorial that’s as sad as many that I’ve seen over the years. It ties back into the history of the nation and also into some of the current issues in the nation. I have it in pictures but to put it simply, a mother is sending her son of to war while a dead man lies behind them. It’s a tribute to that 3 nations war where so many of the men died, at which point they sent boys in to fight and die as well, leaving the woman in charge. Yet another sad part of the past that they celebrate, I wonder how long it will be before America is this backwards? After hearing the story we spent 10 minutes walking the area and praying about it.

A short distance away there was a congregation of food trucks. It was determined that some middle Eastern trucks were the most safe to eat from so we put in our orders, talked & ate. For the second time that day I had a food in front of me that I couldn’t help but eat and eat again. The closest description I can make to it is as a super taco but with a flat bread wrap instead of a tortilla. I knew I’d experience some new foods on this trip but Middle Eastern food wasn’t what I expected. Hopefully Fargo gets something that good in the near future!

Day 13

Sunday started earlier then I would have chosen but it was a case of a matter being beyond my control. The church service was at 8 so in accordance the start of the day was moved up. It was a soft start time and nothing much happened for the first 15 minutes or so. When it did start the first quarter of the time was spent in praying for different needs. After the prayers had been offered, the praise time began. Singing in a mix of Spanish and English made for a uniquely special cacophony. Then came the most unexpected part of it, the pastor asked all visitors to stand and introduce themselves. The final hour of it was “normal,” we did a skit and then a message was proclaimed.

From after church til the early afternoon we were given the latitude to choose what we did, within the confines of the compound. The free time was a direct result of the fact that we were being fed a special meal which required extra preparation time. Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a fan of cooked meats (to put it lightly). I’d never had the pleasure of sampling meats made in Brazilian grill fashion, until now. Ribs, Chicken & Steak cooked so impeccably that I dare say I’ve never had anything like it before.

After taking a time for my stomach to adjust to the contents there appeared two more over sized tubs of ice cream. It was at that moment that I knew that any weight I’d lost was coming back in ferocious fashion but the food was too good to refuse!

Not long after we had all gotten our fill of food came time for us to do the last outreach. It was a 10 minute drive and we didn’t even have to go out to invite people. We simply rolled up and did our shtick. I tried to stay as locked in as usual but it seemed like there was a lessened focus with everyone just being ready to be done with the skits and stuff. We also only committed a few minutes to playing with the kids. During some of the other outreaches both the soccer & football had been given to locals so our options were that much more limited but we did what we could for the length of time we had.

When we went back to the compound we all spent time getting ready for the last bus ride of the trip. We were going across the country to where Paraguay, Brazil & Argentina basically all meet. It was another overnight ride but word had it that the stuff we were going to be doing would be worth the repeat experience. I can now say that those who made those remarks were 100% right.

So about 10 pm we headed to the bus station for a midnight ride. After finding my seat I initially thought I may luck out and get my own area, at least for a while but before too long my optimism was squelched. An extremely portly guy got on, sat down and took my optimism & flipped it as far the other way as he could. Thus I spent the night battling just to have enough space to sleep. So much for the bus ride back to Asuncion being my last short night.

Day 14

So sometime just past dawn we arrived at the town bordering Brazil on the Paraguay side. Ciudad del Este in Paraguay and Foz de Iguacu in Brazil. We made haste to a hotel for breakfast, as much haste as we could manage with bus exchanges and having to walk while figuring out where we were. With consideration of the Pancakes from a couple days earlier I was really hoping for waffles but knew it was a long shot.

There wasn’t that but there was an extensive number of other options. A small bowl of cereal made up for it more then I ever would have guessed and being as we were in Coffee Bean country I self compelled to taste some of the fair. In addition to the fare, we used the facilities to clean up a little bit before departing for the waterfalls.

I’d been to Niagara about 10 years ago and these put it to shame. Just check my photos & videos if you don’t believe me. I can’t do the slightest bit of justice to how magnificent they were so I’ll just leave it to the capturings that I was able to manage.

After returning from the park we went to a second Brazilian grille in as many days. Not personally prepared as the first had been but also of a much broader, deeper and denser variety. In addition to the constant rotation of meat on screwers there were also very diverse salad and dessert bars. I got my fill and then some but walked away with two items as my favorites grilled Pineapple & the Spaghetti. For very different reasons but each were fantastic, but everything that I bite into was so hopefully the Twin Cities grilles could stand in a similar fashion!

Once each & everyone had gotten their fill and then some we departed for a shop from which different Brazilian specific items could be acquired, by any on the team who wanted such things. Having drank the coffee earlier in the day I was tempted to snatch some up but I wasn’t there to be in Brazil so opted to look on while others did business. After that was complete we made our way back to the bus station and started the journey back to the capital. It didn’t take long once on board to fall asleep nor to sleep through at least 90% of it. I didn’t know it at the time but getting those extra hours of Z’s was extremely valuable!

Day 15

Now as quickly as it had all come together and has taken place, it’s coming to an end. Not just the trip but my involvement with Bethany. It’s been such a drawn out process that I wasn’t sure it would ever be concluded but now it is.

I woke on closing day and sauntered over to the dining area for a last breakfast. We spent the whole morning talking through some procedural items and different things that were still pertinent. There were some helpful nuggets but it was mostly a formality.

From there we made a last fun run into the city, which started out with a tour of a hospital that I would never describe as fun. It was an education on the problems that can arise from public healthcare. For example, procedures happen at the rate of government which as you can imagine isn’t conducive for taking care of medical issues. One of the people we were working with had spent 8 years living and working in Para. During that time she had to go through the medical system to discover if she had had a brain aneurysm. It took 2 months for her to get a scan to figure it out. So who knows how many people have died unnecessarily because of the speed. 

They did have an ER for rapid needs, it resembled what I would imagine a field hospital would look like in a war zone. People getting treated all over the place. I would not want to be there during a large scale emergency event.

As we walked the facility we were told that patients were required to provide many procedure necessary parts. Stuff like saline, bedding, gauze, etc. would need to be self provided. Along the same lines, non medical practices (such as sponge bathes or use of a bed pan) had to be provided by family or friends.

It all made the physical conditions of the building pale in comparison, kind of. Windows through out the facility were broken. Full garbage bags were used to prop open doors. And last but not least by any measure, Black Mold was clearly growing in the ceiling and on the walls. It was disgusting. So while I would never use it as a way to excuse the way that America’s healthcare system is broken, it provided a look into the polar opposite way for things to be crippled.

We then took a short drive to a super market with a dining area for lunch after which we did the last of our tourist activities. We went to a market in the heart of the city. It was made up of a few dozen small shoppes with their various wares. The visit gave me another chance to flex my bartering skills. I recognized that as an American, bringing a half years worth of money along with me didn’t even make me flinch so I wasn’t looking to low ball them but just to reduce some of the American tax that gets added to private sales abroad. After everyone had spent their Guarani’s on the items that caught their eyes we walked back to the vehicles for the last return drive to the compound.

The next few hours were spent packing and cleaning before the long day of flying would commence.

We arrived at the airport well ahead of our red eye to Panama City. During the wait I began the task of catching up on emails and social media. Simultaneously, a couple of the ladies finally braided all my hairs. From almost the first day of the trip & several times during it, I had been asked whether I wanted it to happen. But willingness & opportunity don’t always run parallel so it took til the end of the trip to make it happen. So the time at the airport went quickly & before I knew it, time came to board for the north. Thus came to an end our time in Paraguay & South America.

Day 16 - Going Home

A long day of traveling is putting it lightly. We arrived at the airport at 10 pm and the flight took off at close to 1 am. Flying in the deepest of dark night, I thought I may be able to sleep for most of it. I may have cracked 50% of the flight which would technically be most of it but awake time goes a lot slower so 49% wouldn’t be much of a consolation. Anything over 25% wouldn’t be much of a consolation. I awoke for breakfast. The most low quality pancakes I can imagine ever being made and worse then I would ever normally consume yet I tried to use them as first fuel for the day, it didn’t work.

Once in Panama we went to the gate printed on our second tickets, whether that was the right one or not. After piling the baggage in a consolidated area everyone laid out to try and sleep for as much of the 6 hr layover as they could. I opted to first continue my work of purging my inboxes and accounts. By the time I put a bigger dent in it everyone else was asleep so I became responsible for watching the area until the others were rested enough. Caged again. Can’t wait to be able to walk around again without an escort!

After an hour or more the area started to fill so I consolidated the baggage further. A brief distraction but it also made it easier to watch everyone and everything.

As the others got up and began to move about I took every opportunity to walk. Whether it was to the bathroom, to get coffee or snacks, or all the way across the airport, I was in. Thus the 6 hours crawled by.

Before we would be allowed to start the boarding process we had to exit the area and got through a watered down version of TSA screening.

After the failed attempt to eat on the first flight I decided to take a different approach on the flight to Miami. Of the six planes that I was on during this trip, the fifth was the nicest. That was instrumental in getting through the flight. I first decided not to eat and then had the luxury to choose my in flight entertainment. It was technically successful but I was still ready to be done with planes for a while!

After de-boarding we went through another flawed set of security check points. The first security check didn’t even look at my paperwork before letting me go through because he combined us into a group to extradite the process. Then while walking to the baggage claim I was “randomly” stopped by another TSA employee. He grilled me pretty good but must been satisfied with my answers cause he let me walk. I made no secret of the fact that I enjoyed both parts of the questioning.

We made our way to the ticketing areas before saying some goodbyes and heading to our various gates. That’s when things got real frustrating.

After getting through the security check point I found my way to the gate from where I was supposed to depart. The options for dining were scarce in that part of the airport and I had a few hours to occupy so I decided to go for a walk. I ended up going about a mile before returning to the gate to eat the first food off my to do list. Something like a half hour later I was called to the desk and told that I might not be able to fly out due to a “weight restriction.”

That was after the flight delays had begun because of a lightning storm. Not long after that it was announced that our plane had been diverted to a different gate, back by where I had walked to for dinner. The fact that I could have cut a lot of walking out of my evening with a better information system only turned my crank further then the delays had to that point. It wasn’t as though I was the only one scuffling through it so I swallowed my frustration and made my way to the new gate. Shortly after getting there we were told that the delay would be indefinite because of the continued lightning but not to go too far away.

I took that into account but had been cooped up for 2 weeks and change so I decided to get my walking in. I did four full circles of the wing of the concourse that the gate was at the end of before settling into a chair. It didn’t take long for me to nod off in the chair. Some time later I became aware of a pertinent announcement that the Minneapolis flight was boarding. So I went to the desk, got my seat assignment(!) and went through the boarding dock. I had the far back seat.

Sitting behind a bunch of kids on their way to a soccer tournament and the wings of the plane had me thinking that sleep may once again be tough to come by but I was full wrong. My next memory after take off is of the lights from Minneapolis - St. Paul.

Everyone got off quickly and I followed them all. The airport was deserted but as I walked to the baggage claim I saw the point from which I had departed some 17 days earlier. I traveled something like 12,000 miles over that time. Saw things that I’ll likely never see again. Made a full circle from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern and back again. Was able to make some small measure of impact in the lives of people of Paraguay. Put one brick into the wall of the rebuild. Finished the Bethany College chapter. At the moment of the circle being completed all those thoughts and even more flooded my mind. How this trip will reverberate through the next 5, 10 or 20 years of my life will be great to figure out. For now though, I’m left with thankfulness for what I was able to see and do.

Thankfulness to God for bringing me through so many things that I never thought would happen. Thankfulness for the family and friends that I have who helped get me to this point.

Thankfulness for so many other things that I don’t even know how to express.