After 3 full days here, even though our heads are still spinning, we are finding that we are slowly settling in. We have an amazing community of new friends in our apartments and have unexpected and delightful times together. For example, we made a fire and told our neighbors that if they had anything to put on it, they were welcome. It ended up with us sharing our sides, and them sharing theirs, and a dinner with warm conversation and laughs as our children entertained us around the table.
Yesterday was a huge eye opener for me. Where we are, we do not have transport. However, the bus system is very regular. There are many things we still need and one of the young ladies in our apartments very kindly offered to take us "newbies" on the bus to a store to get what we needed. We walked up to the gate and went outside to wait for the bus. You have to look for buses with certain numbers, because these take you to different places. As the bus approaches, you have to put out your arm so they will stop. You climb on, pay your 2mil (the equivalent of 40c - U.S.) and walk through a turnstile to find a seat. When you are about to arrive at your destination, you push a button or pull a cord (whichever is on the bus), and he will stop. Then you walk out the back through another turnstile. This was a 15ish minute ride, and not bad at all.
We went into the store which had bits of everything. The first thing we had to do was hand in our backpacks, or get our purses put into a material bag that was zipped and sealed and given back. Prices vary from "not bad" to "hmmm...do I really need a toaster in my apartment or can I just continue to walk upstairs and use that one?" I even saw some items with clearance $3.79 stickers on them (I assume imported from Target!).
When we were done, we walked a couple of block to find the bus that would take us back. This is where the fun began. It looked full. There were people standing. However, we paid our 2.3mil and squeezed on. Not easy when you are carrying 2 huge packets of items! You either hold onto the rails overhead, or the back of someone's seat. As we went on, the people kept coming. It was a loooong ride!! Eventually, we had to squeeze through people to get off the back and then you need to hustle because the driver doesn't wait long.
I realized that I had not bought the groceries that we desperately needed so my poor neighbor (who had just taken us out) graciously offered to walk with me to the shop a little later in the day. With my backpack on my back, we left and did the 15 minute walk to the store. It's interesting to see everything around you. There are cars, buses, and motorcycles all over the road. It's a little crazy. The roads are not in very good condition and the pavements tend to be cracked and broken.
We went in the store, which looks very similar to most stores, with a few differences - practically all the products are different with different brands. Sweet Katie took me on a tour of the store and showed me the different products and what they were. She then took me to the meat counter and told me it was very important for me to learn my numbers in Spanish because you have to take a number and then they will call you when it's your turn. Needless to say, she ordered my meat for me :)
THEN....we had to walk home. That was the walk that reminded me that you shouldn't buy so much if you have to walk. I had boxes of milk and all my meat in my backpack (which weighed a ton) and we each carried 2 packets. All I can say is....my lifestyle is going to be a lot more active, which is a GOOD thing. I may not like it, but it is what it is, and it can only be good for me.
We have found many unexpected things here. Some have thrown us off balance, some have been delightful, some have been daunting. These are some of the examples - and you can decide which fit into the above categories :
* a community of neighbors that are very supportive
* a school within walking distance
* apartments on the school property that are all surrounded by walls and fencing, and a guard by the gate, making this entire property a huge playground for our children
* the fact that Paraguayans don't put toilet paper into their toilets because of small pipes....... *nuff said there
* communal microwaves and toasters
* knowing that you now need to be super-organized when wanting to go to the stores
* water that is delivered to your front door in huge containers for 11.5mil (about $2.30)
* inability to print what I need at home....and the need to be super-organized at school as you put your request for printing in, and received it up to 48 hours later!)
* a language barrier that needs to be addressed by me asap
* a winter that is comparable to the US summer (for now...I believe it does get cold after the rains)
* being able to watch parrots breed in the roof of the playground
* knowing that you are in the place God wants you to be
We were told in our orientation that we need to ask people / our church back home for support, both in prayer and financially, as salaries here are not good. We do pay for rent, utilities, health insurance, etc. but at this stage, we just want to ask for prayer because we feel that if we have needs, God will provide. He has already shown us that He will. We are content. We are excited. We are ready to sew into His Kingdom.
Today, Marlowe and I will walk up to our classrooms and ready them for tomorrow. Tomorrow, I meet my new "babies" and begin a year of unexpected blessings.
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