Nate and Cassie

Baseball, Life, Paraguay and Loose Connections Between the Three

2011-10-05T20:53:00.002-05:00

Joe Poznanski, a former sports writer for the KC Star and current Sports Illustrated writer, recently wrote a piece about the historic and unprecedented last day of the baseball 2011 season.

Joe wrote:

Baseball, like life, revolves around anticlimax. That in many ways is the beauty of it. I realize that's a hard thing to explain to someone who doesn't love baseball, no, more than hard, it's an impossible thing to explain because many people want sports to be more than life, they follow sports to jolt them out of the steady rhythms of the shriek of alarm clocks, the monotony of morning meetings, the rush to get our kids to soccer practice by 4 p.m. They want sports to be bigger than life. What's the point, otherwise? There is nothing in baseball as jarring as a blind-side hit, as jaw-dropping as a perfect alley-oop, as tense and heart-pounding as a breakaway.
And the hard thing to explain, the impossible thing, is that many of us love baseball not in spite of these failings but because of them...

Later in the same article he wrote:

Baseball, like life, revolves around anticlimax. That's what you get most of the time. You stand in driver's license lines, and watch Alfredo Aceves shake off signals, and sit through your children's swim meets, and see bases loaded rallies die, and fill up your car's tires with air and endure an inning with three pitching changes, a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk.But then, every now and again, something happens. Something memorable. Something magnificent. Something staggering. Your child wins the race. Your team wins in the ninth. You get pulled over for speeding. And in that moment -- awesome or lousy -- you are living something you will never forget, something that jumps out of the toneless roar of day-to-day life. (full text)

Joe Posnanski often reveals a deeper truth than the sports he writes about. I've written on this blog about our trips to Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, and cities in Paraguay, but those do not represent our life here. Those are the moments between the monotony of life.

I haven't written in this blog in months, not because nothing happen, but because life has happened and life here is still just life. That is not to say our life here is boring, but rather, many times it is comfortably routine. We are blessed with friends, employment, and a great place to live. Our life in Paraguay has become well...life. Cassie and I drag ourselves out of bed five times a week (six times if you count church) and go to work. Most weeks we plan, teach lessons, grade, make copies, have casual conversations with friends and coworkers, take Spanish and Guarani lessons, take a 20 minute bus home, go out to eat, attend a Spanish speaking church, go to the movies (with subtitles) and hang out with our friends, and repeat the next week. Some things might jump out when reading the list (especially because many of them have to be done in Spanish), but all have become mostly normal.

Other things jump out of the routine of daily life. We have frustrations: the cultural and language can be pronounced at times, I get yelled at for something I didn't know I did, Cassie gets frustrated at not understanding a sermon, we are unintentionally rude by not greeting everyone, people on the bus stand uncomfortably close, Cassie's debate team took last place in a tournament.

Incredible things stick out: I saw 3 geckos eating bugs under a light, bright green parrots lined a fence at our school, and Cassie's debate took first place in a tournament, we understood someone speaking another language. Those moments are memorable.

The baseball season lasts 162 wonderful-terrible-boring-fun days. Wasn't that last day of the season awesome?

Short Trip through Uruguay

2011-04-02T13:59:00.000-05:00

I realized our blog posts have been telling about our trip backwards, starting with Iguazu. In reality our travels went like this:

Dec. 4 took the bus to Florianopolis, Brazil
Dec. 18 took the bus to Montevideo, Uruguay
Dec. 22 took a bus to Sacremento Del Colonia, Uruguay
Dec. 23 took a bus to Punta Del Este, Uruguay
Dec. 24 took a bus back to Montevideo, Uruguay
Dec. 25 took a bus to Asuncion, Paraguay
Dec. 28 took a bus to Foz do Iguazu, Brazil

It was great month of traveling. Our passports have stamps from three new countries (we went through Argentina at night on our way back to Asuncion)

Florianololis was a great way to start our travels. Uruguay was a great way to learn how to travel on our own.

When we were traveling on the bus, I noticed Uruguay was relatively flat and there were a lot of corn fields, farm houses, cattle. It reminded me of...KANSAS! The main differences in the countryside was the occasional palm tree. However, upon entering Montevideo there were few remaining similarities.

Montevideo

Montevideo is a beautiful city. It looked similar to what I think a European city would look like. The architecture blew my mind and it was so beautiful. There were beaches that were a short bike or bis ride away. We had a great 3-4 days in the city.

Highlights:
falling asleep on the beach while we waited for check in at our hostel.
eating one of the best pizzas I have ever had
happening upon a Carnival-like parade
hearing and seeing fireworks from the roof of our hostel at midnight on Christmas morning
meeting interesting people at the hostel
biking around the city
eating a giant chunk of meat at Marcado Del Puerto
swimming in the ocean
walking around Ciudad Vieja

One of the beaches in Montevideo

A carnival parade

Biking around Montevideo

Eating some great food at Mercado Del Puerto

Beautiful architecture at Palacio Salvo

Teatro Solis

Mercado

Sacrimento del Colonia

Highlights

Museums
Swimming in Rio Plata
Biking around town
Visiting an old bullfighting ring
Seeing historic buildings and fortifications

old city walls to protect from pirates

Chivito sandwhich - steak, egg, tomato, lettuce and delicious

the oldest house in Uruguay

lighthouse and ruins of a monastary

old bullfighting ring

Rio Plata

Punta Del Este

highlights

fun hostel

brava beach

sleeping on the beach

quiet Christmas Eve together on the beach

Cassie and I had a great time in Uruguay. We loved the beautiful buildings, beaches, delicious food, and the freedom of backpacking in South America.

Small Falls

2011-03-20T09:02:00.152-05:00

After visiting the falls in Brazil, we planned to visit the Argentine side the following morning. We woke up early, had breakfast at the hotel, and hopped in the cab. Our cab driver took us through Ciudad Del Este and down a few country roads to a ferry that would cross the river into Argentina.

It seemed surreal to go from Paraguay to Brazil to Paraguay to Argentina in two days. The driver took us down a road towards the ferry. We had our passports exit stamped and then went to watch the ferry cross the river until it was our turn.

Our driver returned with bad news. We would not be able to cross because there was a New Years Eve parade and we would not be able to get back to Paraguay before the ferry closed. We were all disappointed. I think Mom was the most disappointed of all because she would miss the opportunity of visiting another Spanish speaking country and might not have the chance to visit Argentina again. We also had been told the Argentine side was a completely different experience from the Brazilian side of the falls. I was told, in Brazil you see the falls and in Argentina you experience the falls.

Though we were disappointed, our driver suggested we visit the Itapu Dam, so we went. Itapu is the world's biggest, or second biggest dam depending on who you ask. The Dam allows Paraguay to be the world's largest exporter of hydro electric power. At Itaipu they had a nice movie explaining how it was built, a bus tour that took us along the dam, English and Spanish speaking tour guides. While it was interesting, it was not what we were hoping for.

When we were debating where we would go next, I saw a pamphlet with a waterfall and picked it up. Our driver said something in Spanish. Mom said, "he says we could go there." Salto Monday (pronounced mon-da-oo not like the weekday) is a 130foot waterfall in a city park a few kilometers outside of Ciudad Del Este. I think it cost about 2,500G(about $0.50) a person to get in. The park was quaint and there were few others there.

We did not see Iguazu from Argentina, instead we saw a smaller waterfall that was exactly what we hoped for. We stayed for a little longer, and experienced the small falls.

Iguazu Falls

2011-03-13T10:17:00.001-05:00

Last year my brother, Levi, went to see the Grand Canyon. I asked him about the experience and he said that he could show me pictures, but it would not show the full grander. He could tell me about it, but his words would be inadequate to describe what he saw. After visiting the falls at Iguazu, Brazil, I understand. Iguazu Falls is over two kilometers of waterfalls on the border of Argentina and Brazil and only a short drive from Paraguay.

* Both the Grand Canyon and Iguazu Falls are on some seven natural wonders of the world lists.

Cassie and I planned our trip to Iguazu Falls when my parents visited after Christmas. Our friend, Victor Gonzalez, gave us the name of a cab driver in Brazil, Daniel, who drove us for nearly two days in Paraguay and Brazil. He picked us up from the bus terminal and booked our hotel (maybe not the best idea). Having a taxi driver saved us money because he drove us around immigration in Brazil (it would have cost $140 each for Brazilian visas for my parents).

We stayed in a Hotel in Foz do Iguazu that had the worst hotel room I have ever stayed in. The building, pool, and breakfast were decent but the room was horrible. There was mold in the corner of the room (where my head was), the towels were so thin they had holes in them, my pillow was lumpy (as in only lumps of cotton no actual pillow, one of the windows was broken, and it cost $150. Oh well.

We got to the park and purchased tickets to take a bus through the park to a paved walking trail. The park is well developed and a very popular tourist destination. We walked a short ways down the trail and the trees opened up to a panoramic view of the falls. I had never seen anything so beautiful. My throat choked up and my eyes blurred for a few seconds. I cannot fully describe what I saw. It was overwhelming.

More to Come

2011-03-02T12:44:00.000-06:00

Much has gone on since Thanksgiving. I hope to update the blog with a few of the things that happened in the last three months with topics including:

Traveling to Florianopolis
The Paiva Family
Uruguay and Backpacking
Christmas in a Bus
Seeing one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World
Small Falls
Family Camp Con Luque Iglesia De Nazareno

The First Thanksgiving

2010-12-01T19:28:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving, otherwise known as "Food Christmas" is by far my favorite holiday of the year. I love everything about it (except washing dishes). I love the large family gatherings, card playing, and laughter. I love the feast of turkey, cranberry sauce, dressing, giblets and gravy, and all kinds of pie. I love watching the Detroit Loins and Dallas Cowboys. I even love the idea and history behind the holiday. The first Thanksgiving involved people groups from different continents and cultures who ate and drank together and thanked God for the blessing of food and life after a difficult year.

This past weekend we chose to travel by bus to Encarnacion, about 5 1/2 hours away, instead of celebrating a traditional Thanksgiving. We made the trip with our friends and neighbors Nick and Maraliz.

Nick and Mara looking through Lonely Planet on the bus to Trinidad.

Encarnacion is a small city across the Rio Paraná from Posadas, Argentina. Encarnacion is known for being a gateway to the ruins of several large Jesuit missions in Trinidad and Jesús.

Part of the Encarnacion bus terminal.

Our second day in the city we took a short bus ride to see the ruins for ourselves . It was quite breathtaking. To me it felt like a holy place. Standing in the remains of the cathedral, I was struck by the beauty of the remains and the enormity of the history.

After seeing the ruins in Trinidad, we walked to the crossroads and took a cab to the town on Jesús to see ruins there.

After our day of visits to the ruins, we took the day to see the city of Encarnacion.

The view of Encarnacion from our hotel room. Argentina is on the other side of the river.

We took a cab to the border between Argentina and Paraguay and walked along the bridge for some pictures.

We then took the same cab to the Plaza de Armas to see the town park and walk to the parade grounds of the Carnival. At the plaza we purchased gifts for family members. Mara got into conversation with the lady making the gifts. She continued to work on the items we purchased while we ate lunch. When we returned, she had made a small gift for Mara and Cassie and invited us to return in a few hours to share some tereré.

We did not have a turkey feast, we ate Chinese food. Instead of being surrounded by family, we shared a hotel room with new friends. We did not go to a church, we walked through the ruins of a cathedral. Though Thanksgiving was completely different from any in my past, it was also more like the one the Wampanoags and Pilgrims experienced. We also found it difficult to adjust to new people places, surroundings, and new languages thousands of miles from family and the comfort of the familiar. Instead of sharing a feast, we shared terere with a family from a different culture and on a completely new continent after a difficult year.

Attending Church in Paraguay

2010-11-04T20:19:00.002-05:00

The first year teaching is difficult. As a former first year teacher I remember the stress and internal conflict through that whole school year. One of the best things about my first year teaching is that I do not have to repeat it. Cassandra is going through that right now. Her weekdays are consumed by grading and planning and on the weekends it is difficult to relax when she needs to plan all the lessons for the next week, prepare the science lab and more grading and planning. It is a difficult job and adjusting to a new culture makes it that much more of a difficult transition. Attending a Spanish speaking church adds to the anxiety of the week in some ways.

We have been attending an evening English church service started by the teacher and chaplain, Kevin Van Rensburg. We visited a Paraguayan baptist church with a couple friends one of our first weekends here. Once school started it was difficult to give the extra exertion to find and attend a service in Spanish. However the last two weeks we have attended a morning church service in Luque at Iglesea de Nasareno and we believe we will continue to attend church there.

A few weeks ago, Jim and Zeida Lynch, Nazarene missionaries from Peru and the United States, invited us to attend a church in Luque**. Cassie was getting slightly more adjusted to living here and we agreed that it was time to stretch ourselves and attend a Spanish speaking church. I called Jim to get directions. I got confused and had to called him again. I looked up the directions and found I was still totally confused. I spent serious time on google maps tracing the route and called another friend to find out the bus numbers. We would need to walk five or six blocks (cuadras) to Avenida España, get on the bus 30 yellow, travel down Avenida España which turns into Au. Silvio Pettirossi, then to Avenidas Aviadores Del Chaco, then in Luque turns into Avenida General Aquino. We need to exit the bus and find the street called General Diaz, which we found by taking the bus into Luque and getting directions from someone waiting for another bus. With our limited Spanish we were able to understand how many blocks we needed to walk back(cinco o seis). General Diaz is not marked until much farther down the road. Once we found the street, we walked five or six cuadras to Boqueron where we found the Nazarene church.

**Luque its own town but close enough to be a suburb of Asuncion. Luqueños are extremely proud of the city and their futbol team(but their team is in last place right now).

It was exhausting just to get to church. We left plenty early because we did not know how long it would take. We made it to the church an hour early, which is really early in this part of Latin America. We were welcomed to church with big smiles and kisses on the cheek.** We loved the church and attended the last two Sundays.

**Ladies press their cheek against both sides of you cheek and make a kiss sound. Ladies greet each other with the kiss on both cheeks. Guys DO NOT greet other guys with a kiss on both cheeks: only handshakes or hugs. I learned this lesson in cultural literacy the embarrassing way. Also, DO NOT go for the left cheek. It is awkward when you both go for the same side. At church I almost actually kissed a lady on the lips doing that. Sometimes when I get tired of kisses on the cheek, because I am North American and like my personal space, I stick out my arm to shake hands in greeting and avoid getting close enough for kisses.

Some Thoughts on the Church

It is strenuous to listen intently to a service in Spanish. Right now I can pick up very few words. The music seems to transcend the difficult communication for the most part. The music at Iglesia de Nasareno en Luque is beautiful. The musicians are well rehearsed and the instrumentation is tasteful in every way. Congregants sing along and clap** with joy and passion. The words to the music are displayed and it is not difficult to pronounce most Spanish words and sing along with the music.

**Is it normal for Paraguayans to clap on beat one and three? I have no idea. It seems to be this way most places we have gone where people clap.

Last Sunday the lyrics to many of the songs were about God's love. As I tried to sing and clap along with the music I found I could not stop crying. I didn't have any tears roll down my face, but my eyes welled up and my throat choked so that I could no longer sing along. In reflection, I think the emotion came from realizing I am a part of the Church with a capitol C. I previously had only a knowledge level understanding of the international Church. Attending Iglesia de Nasarena, I experiencing a part of the overwhelming enormity of God's love and what it means to be a part of Christ's body, the Church. I am in communion with believers in parts of the world and we are singing in praise to God together. Even in writing about it I get close to tears. Seeing a new part of what it means to love and praise God is difficult to even describe. I am part of something much grander than myself, my knowledge, and my experience. God's love is bigger than I can know.

Ybycui and the Great Campo

2010-10-18T20:56:00.004-05:00

Asuncion is a great city to live in. We have access to almost anything we need or want. There are some very large malls, interesting museums (we have not visited many yet), and all kinds of shopping.

At times city life wears on me. The traffic in parts of Asuncion is hectic and loud. Horns blare, tires screech, and many motorcycles are in serious need of a muffler. Many of the vehicles produce thick exhaust that make it hard to breath when walking along the streets.

Our neighbors from across the wall hold the distinction of being the loudest neighbors we have had and this includes screaming and yelling domestic disturbances from our lovely neighbors in Troy, IL and 12:00 AM hip hop from our St. Louis, MO neighbors. Our neighbors love to celebrate by playing extremely loud mariachi music for the duration of the weekend. They have blasted music from early afternoon until five in the morning on more than one occasion.

Sometimes it is nice to get out of the city.

Kevin and Belinda Van Rensburg, a missionary couple that live downstairs in our on-campus apartment building, invited us on a trip get away from the city to see the countryside (campo) and the waterfalls (cataratas) at Ybycui National Park (Parque National).

On the journey through the campo we saw beautiful town parks, spectacular mountains/hills that jut right out of the earth, and cattle tethered on a short rope just off the highway or just walking down the road.

It was striking how green and cool it was out side of the tarmac of Asuncion. We stopped at the famous Paraguari Fruteria and restaurant along with many other hungry tourists and locals. The food was fantastic although I did not care for cocido**. Kevin purchased carbon (charcoal for cooking), chorizo (sausage), pan (bread) and ketchup (ketchup) for a picnic at our destination.

**Cocido is somehow made from burned sugar and yerba mate mixed with milk and more sugar. I do not understand how it is made. I told a student I did not like cocido and our conversation went like this:

Me: I don't like cocido.
Student: What? Why? It is so good.
Me: It made my stomach hurt.
Student: Ahh... Sometimes it does that.

On our way to the park we accidentally took a short detour through an old battlefield and past a towering statue of a general who died in battle. I loved it, but I think I was the only one. The others were anxious to get back on track and reach our destination.

Kevin maneuvered us back on course and expertly dodged vast potholes without bottoming out the car. The national park is about three or more hours out of Asuncion. At the Parque National there are ruins of an old iron smelter and an iron museum with displays in both Spanish and English and a spectacular camping area near the waterfalls.

We paid the 5,000 G. for admission (about $1.00). We found beauty, peace, and quiet. I stopped walking for a moment and closed my eyes. I only heard birds singing and the the near white noise of small waterfalls. Cassie and I walked down to the stream and waded in the falls with our shoes off.

Kevin started the carbon to cook the chorizo.

Nearly every day I see the hot tarred streets, pollution, urban decay, and cars zip past in seeming indifference. I forget the sound of birds singing and a stream's water over rocks. On this trip, without the buffer of the city, I felt like I was in Paraguay for one of the first times. The realization was both wonderful and overwhelming. I pulled Cassie close as we looked at the beauty all around and realized how far we have come.

Aregua Paraguay

2010-10-17T17:08:00.002-05:00

This is Aregua, Paraguay, which is about 20 miles outside the capital. It is home to many skilled artisans who showcase and sell their work in shops, expos, and along the streets. It is especially known for vast amounts of pottery. Nate and I went to visit Aregua with two friends from school.

Aregua has a main street with pottery shops lining both sides.

This is a small art gallery that Nate and I loved, even though we couldn't agree on a piece to purchase! This was our first time leaving Asuncion and we enjoyed seeing countryside.

Nothing Like the Real Thing

2010-08-28T20:23:00.001-05:00

2003(or so): The Kansas City Royals v. New York Yankees. Former star pitcher, Kevin Appier is back from near retirement to pitch for the Royals. Krispy Kream promises a dozen free doughnuts to every ticket holder if the Royals reach 12 hits. The Royals win in a land slide and set the AL record for doubles hit in a game. At each crack of the bat by the boys in blue, we stood-cheering for another ball hit to the gap or off the base of the wall. The loudspeaker announced the Royals tied the regular season record for doubles hit in a game. We stand in unison at the next well hit ball and our screams erupt into a euphoric climax player slides safely into second and for hit number 12. I hugged my friends I
high-fived strangers, celebrating the doubles, doughnuts and the last curtain call for Kevin Appier.

2009: St. Louis Blues vs Vancouver Canucks. It is a regular season rematch from the previous year when the Canucks swept the Blues in the playoffs. The Blues are out for blood and knowledgable fans in the arena anticipate the first fight. They only wait a few seconds before gloves are off and there is blood on the ice. We cheer in unison, counting each fist that connects. This is the first of three or four fights. The Blues score first. The crowd counts with "Towel Man" as the Blues score each goal. A player scores two goals and fans begin talking about the possibility of a hat trick and he quickly complies by scoring another goal. Strangers high-five and hug as they grab their cap and hurl it over the plexiglass.

2010: Cerro Porteño v. Olimpia: My previous experiences do not compare. I have never seen such fanaticism, elation, and distain. Voctor, a teacher at ACA, offered to take me to a soccer game. His favorite team, Cerro Porteño was playing their rival Olimpia. Victor ofered me some advice, "Make sure you wear the right colors. Don't wear red or blue or white...or black." Victor warned me that if I was not wearing the right colors in the right section, fans might get mad. On the day of the game I wore my best grey shirt. Victor drove us to the national stadium. As we wend we saw riot police, busses full of fans wearing their teams colors, more riot police, and large groups of fans wearing the same colors.

We parked close to the stadium and walked to the entrance. Vendors were selling their wears, scalpers were offering "preferencia" tickets, and Cerro drum line hammered out a beat while girls in tight jerseys advertising a bank danced and took pictures with fans.

The stadium was strictly divided into Cerro and Olimpia. To enter the wrong side is an extremely bad idea. Victor and I walked through throngs of sining and dancing Cerro fans to "our" entrance. We were frisked by the police and then entered the stadium. Amazing. Simply breathtaking. The stadium was divided 50/50 strait down the middle. Enforcing that barrier were rows of riot police in full gear: helmets shields and everything. ten thousand fans of each team danced, sang, and gestured in unison. Then the other side answered with an opposing song and dance accompanied by rude words and gestures. The main game had yet to begin. Vendors carried agua and Coca-Cola on a basket with a sling or vast baskets of chipa and chipitita balanced on their head.

When the main game began, fans danced and sang in response to plays on the field or flipped the middle finger and shouted words I do not understand to opposing fans. In response to really bad plays, empty water bottles cascaded over the barrier. Some even reach the playing field or were thrown over the police to the opposing side. Olimpia scored two goals early. Their side went bonkers. Their songs were twice as loud. They jumped in unison making it appear as if the entire side of the stadium was rising and falling. Cerro fans were crushed but only until the second half when they scored two improbable goals. Fans hugged and cheered when Cerro's second goal hit the back of the net. A man behind me grabbed my shoulders and shook me in celebration. A young boy was overcome by the emotion of the moment and tried unsuccessfully to hold back his tears.

Whan time ran out it was a 2-2 tie. Fans cleared out of the bleachers quickly. Many of them taking off their colors before leaving for safety. We walked through the crowd and waited at Victor's car for his friend Fernando that sat on the Olimpia side. When he showed up, he had removed his team shirt too. Fernando's brother and wife were not so lucky. They wore their team colors in their car and a few Cerro fans saw their shirt and busted a window out of their car.

The Kansas City Royals game, even with doubles, doughnuts, and emotional Appier's final win could not compare. The St. Louis Blues with the fights and hat trick did not measure up to the atmosphere and enthusiasm of Cerro Porteño v. Olimpia. Hello South American Futbol!

First impressions of Paraguay

2010-08-09T18:31:00.002-05:00

Food:

I am going to keep gaining weight if I keep eating like this. We've been to some amazing places, Lido Bar, La Miga, I had amazing ribs.

Chipa:

It is a cheesy kind of bread. Tally (HS math teacher) graciously shared warm chipa with me this morning.

Asado:

I have heard so much about Paraguayan asado. Some of the school employees cooked asado for the new teachers and staff. They marinated the meat in soy sauce and salt and then slowly cooked it over some charcoal. It was very good.

Church:

We've gone to three different churches on three different Sundays. First Jenn Murray (4th/5th grade teacher) took us to a Spanish speaking Baptist church. It was a neat first experience. I met a student before school started. Next week we went to an English speaking Anglican Church. I enjoy traditional church liturgy (but I hate clapping on beat one and three). Third, we went to the very first service of an English speaking church in the ACA chapel.

People:

People have been very warm and kind. I feel frustrated that communication is so difficult because I haven't learned Spanish. Luiciana (a school employee) told me (in Spanish) that I need to learn to speak Spanish. In another teacher's room Luciana complained that none of the new teachers understand anything she is saying.

We've had a good experience so far. We are now incredibly busy now that school has started. Please pray for us and for our students as we get accustomed to a new school and new culture.

-Nate

Learning to Learn

2010-07-24T11:45:00.000-05:00

We have been in Paraguay for over a week now. In thinking about our experiences I want to record what it feels like to be in a new culture now so I won't forget what it felt like later.

We took a bus downtown to get supplies at a few stores and we walked to Stock (a grocery store a few blocks away). These activities sound simple and easy, they are. however I find them exhausting. EVERYTHING that I see is a new experience. The simple act of riding a bus (which I did for a few weeks in St. Louis) is exhausting. There are thousands of new things to see in every block. There are so many things to learn and I have no filter to sort some of the important information from the trivial. I wish I could have someone every second to tell me what is important for me to learn.

In teaching first and second grade, I wonder how many of my students feel the same way. They are learning new information every day; they may not know what is going to be important for them to learn later either.

One of the stages of culture shock is the honeymoon stage, where everything is fascinating.

I think that is what I am feeling when we go out.

1. The Honeymoon Stage (me now)

2. The Crisis or Cultural Shock Stage (Ahhh! I hope Cassie and I hit this at different times.)

3. The Adjustment or Recovery Stage

4. The Adaptation Stage

Cassie and I want to learn to live in Paraguay and learn to love it. Knowing culture shock is on the way we are trying to:

- learn Spanish (I'm trying Spanish almost every where we go).

- learn how to get around (We're taking the bus to the mall today).

- find and develop a loving community of believers to support us when we struggle to adapt (tonight we are playing games with new friends from our apartment).

Goodbye Family!

2010-07-19T22:31:00.007-05:00

This is at the KCI Airport where our family saw us off. It meant a lot that all of them were there for us!

Earthquake and Tres Leche

2010-07-15T21:57:00.004-05:00

“Where’s Cassie?”

Not an hour from Lima, Peru and six hours from the end of her trip to Paraguay with Nate.

I am in El Salvador, laying in a hotel bed listening while Nate calls the airline looking for our lost luggage.

Now, I have 15 more hours in an airplane and will reach Paraguay 27.5 hours later than the original itinerary. We’ve been up way over 24 hours and without food and water for 7 consecutive.

The airline apologized and put us up in a hotel for the night. Actually, they walked us towards a taxi, speaking lots of Spanish to a short, teary-eyed woman who missed her flight too. She can’t keep up and carry her bags so Nate wheels them down the sidewalk for her saying, “¡Ay de mi!”

We get the jest of the conversation, the airline attendent wants Nate and I to get in the taxi with the sad woman, hoping that the strange combination of our English and her Spanish will get us safely checked in at the hotel. It becomes a lot of gestures; Nate points to the taxi and says, “How do we pay.” The woman looks at taxi driver who looks at airline attendent who says something that relieves the woman and makes the taxi driver say, “No problema, he pay.” I say, “How do we get back?” Nate says, “Tomorrow...mañana?” Attendent says, “No pay mañana,” and points, which the taxi driver translates to, “Take shuttle, Sí?” Sad woman says, “No se,” while Nate and I nod and wait for the attendent to explain in Spanish.

The whole thing with the sad woman/airline attendant/taxi driver worked and so did the similar story with woman/hotel clerk/other clerk and waiter/Nate/me on the electronic Spanish-Englsih dictionary.

Today, Nate and I have learned a lot about people and the feeling you get when the taxi is moving and so are you. We got an unexpected stamp on our Passport and 3 free meals. The hotel has a pool and an awesome buffet. At dinner, we ate tres leche during a small earthquake where the sad woman turned into a sweet woman. She shook her hands in the air and smiled, eyes bulging. We all know it meant, “Did you feel the earthquake!”

Here is the pool at the hotel in San Salvador:

Away We Go

2010-06-08T12:53:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

The Monday after my teaching year ended I headed out the door to get the Uhaul trailer and Cassie put the last few items in boxes. It was 6:00am and strange to see everything we owned in boxes. It made us think about the stuff we own and what we need. Most of what we packed we won't see again for two years. I returned from the Uhaul place an hour later with a new towing ball, a new towing adapter, and a 6 x 12 trailer. When I pulled up to our St. Louis apartment with the trailer, there were many people already there to help us load. It meant a great deal to have friends get up early on Memorial Day to help. With the help of some friends from our church and friends from Greenville College the trailer and truck were completely loaded by 9:00AM. It was bitter-sweet leaving St. Louis. It was hard to leave friends and the tearful students I taught for two years. However, it was a relief to leave an apartment that has been robbed three time, neighbors that shoot guns, and a dead job market.

Things Cassie and I will miss in St. Louis:

Webster Groves Church of the Nazarene

Crown Candy

Pizza (Especially Pi Pizzeria)

Pho Grand

Sweet Art

Botanical Gardens

Goodbye St. Louis

Why Paraguay? -- Part 2

2010-03-24T16:22:00.006-05:00

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

This post is more of my thoughts in response to the question, “Why Paraguay?” My first post was in response to this question. It is a narrative and follows an analytical, more rational process than this post, which is highly abstract and overly theoretical. This post is about change…

We humans make huge decisions in an instant. We make decisions with life-altering implications at specific times and specific places. We choose to live with one person for the rest of our lifes. We choose to have children. To uproot ourselves and move. Out of all the possibilities, all the mates, all the houses, we make one huge choice.

Even more mind-blowing is the idea of change on top of change. Change is cumulative. Choosing that summer job changed me; it led to me choose Greenville College, which eliminated many, many futures and led to my choice of marriage. Change adds up and multiplies, forcing you to traverse a unique path, a path seemingly impossible without the previous changes.

Change is difficult. I think of how difficult change is in a relationship. It’s hard for Nate and I to change the way we eat, the way we compost and recycle, the way we worship, the way we purchase, the way we save, what we drive, the way we think and behave in conflict, the stories we tell about ourselves.

I can think of endless ways to change (I could be more compassionate, more patient, learn sign language). I can also think of endless ways to make us better, but the meaningful things Nate and I agree about are few. Even fewer are the ones we can change in our relationship.

So here we go again, making one of those huge changes. Nothing has changed me more than experiencing the friction, the refining, the rub-till-it-shines, delve-down-deep, relationship of marriage. And here I stand, willingly making another of those life altering changes so early in life. It is one future out of a million, yet I exercise my tendency as a human, using my faulty reasoning and finite mind, to replace infinite futures with one choice. To change even though it’s difficult. To change when leaving so much behind.

Itinerary Update…getting our planes in a row

2010-03-23T11:56:00.005-05:00

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

We have finalized our date of departure to (drum roll) Thursday, July 15, 2010. I read and reread the itinerary, pondering questions like, “What is the difference between an Airbus and an Embraer ?”

Answer: One is fat and one is skinny (complements of http://www.airfrance.us/).

And another questian (I apologize in advance), “Where is Peru?”
Answer: I made a pictorial itinerary.

This is our trip, from Kansas City, to Houston, to San Salvador, to Peru, to Paraguay. We will spend about 12 hours in the air and travel from 5am Thursday to 3am Friday.

Airplane!

2010-03-23T11:19:00.002-05:00

Monday, March 22, 2010

Over Spring Break, Nate and I purchased our PLANE TICKETS to Paraguay! Yay!

In the past, I have arranged travel to and from Wisconsin for a job; Nate purchased our honeymoon tickets to the Florida Keys (note the pic of us at the Keys on the homepage). However, we both found that experience zero helpful for international travel.

What happened first?

A few friends recommended Priceline saying,
“You should ‘Name Your Own Price’ cause I heard you can save a lot of money that way.”
From an acquaintance I heard,
“Travel Agents provide you with security that online vendors can’t supply.”
A frequent traveler warned,
“Don’t use Expedia because they kill you with the shipping costs. The rates aren’t even on the site, you have to call and ask. Make sure you call, Cassie.”

Some kids from church reminisced:
“On a mission trip, I think it was the one two summers ago…um, to Brazil, our whole group got yelled at in security. Hopefully you don’t have to go through there.”
“Yeah, remember when they looked through all our stuff! The guy behind us said it he had never seen it that bad ever.”

The director at the school in Paraguay said,
“It is easier to fly through Sao Paolo, Brazil than any other South American country.”

Another bit of advice,
“If you fly through Brazil, the baggage limit is 70lb per bag. Any other South American country only allows 50lb.”

I don’t know if you realize:
“American Airlines is one of the nicest to fly to South America.”
“I heard that Advanced Imaging Technology used at TSA checkpoints is not safe. I wouldn’t walk through them if they paid me. Have you checked out the radiation risks?” (http://www.tsa.gov/blog/2010/03/advanced-imaging-technology-radiation.html)

Oh yeah, and,
“AA and Continental allow two FREE bags per person. Baggage charges can make a cheap ticket expensive in the long run.”

Advice from Man:
“If you plan the trip just right, you can get brunch and dinner instead of one…that comes in handy for the pocketbook, if you know what I mean.”

Advice from Woman:
“Oh, just make sure you fly the biggest leg of the trip overnight, so more people are sleeping.”

More to consider:
“Did you hear about the airline strikes? You better check USA Today; that’s where I read it.” (http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=84636.blog)

“Is it possible to flight through Santiago, Chili since the earthquake?”

“Check multiple days cause the rates vary a lot in as short as hours.”

Then what happened?

After a week of that, I stopped mentioning the flight altogether. I didn’t mention how daunting it seemed, shyed away from more conversation on the subject, and simply omitted a small portion of my live. And you know what? I did this automatically, like an axiom stating, Avoid what you don’t want to hear.

Next step?

Research of course! I tried to parse through every conversation, adding something to my neat pile of facts, another to my mounting apprehensions. On the laptop, I opened another tab, trying to compare every flight at every airline at multiple airports over a week’s time. I closed another window flashing “YOU WIN”. I became skeptical of Nate’s research, automatically judging that I’d already eliminated anything he saw. I opened up Excel and began compulsively mapping every variable out, just knowing it was the only way. This was still happening automatically, You should, You must.

Our decision?!??

We called good ol’ Uncle David, who works for Nazarene Global Missions in Kansas. After days of research, what I ended up with is…trust. This did not occur automatically, I need some better axioms.

Conclusion?

I can’t tell you how you should travel. I can’t even tell you how I should travel. I can tell you about people. People are who come alongside you when South America seems too big.

Guess what?

Her flight suggestions cost $600 less than the best deal I found.

Cute Couple

2010-03-09T11:39:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Our first purchase for the Paraguay trip arrived today! Aren’t they just great…

We wore them to visit my parents over the weekend and, even full to the brim, they feel light (Thank you hip belt!).

A note on Finances...

2010-03-02T14:30:00.017-06:00

The question Nate and I get most is, "How do you feel about being a missionary?" We don't particularly like this question. This opportunity in Paraguay is mission-oriented; however, we will be working full time jobs as educators in a Christian Academy and we will be paid. By paid, I mean, we will be able to afford basic living expenses though a living stipend provided by the school. It is important to me that you understand: We do not need to raise support to live in the same way full-time missionaries do. Nate and I will be stable, if not secure, financially.

What Nate and I could use is help getting to Paraguay. The administrative start-up costs are substantial and there are many things we need before we go. The flight down there is also costly. This is where Nate and I are asking for help. We hope that our family, friends, and church community can donate a little to get us on that plane, and we hope you can riffle through your closets for some of the random items we don’t have.

I have been working on a list of start-up costs. Below are some of the administrative costs we will be paying over the next couple of months. Also, we will need quite a few things once we get to Paraguay. These Paraguayan essential are also listed below:

Start-up Costs

• ~~Paraguayan visa (tourist visa) to enter Paraguay ($65)~~ Thanks Brenda!
• Bus fare when we get down there ($30)
• Postage costs necessary for processing initial paperwork with the Paraguayan Consulate (via express mail or courier) ($60)
• Immigration fees (approx. $200)
• Paperwork processing fee (with the Paraguayan Consulate) ($300)
• Residency Permit (Carnet) (approx. $100)
• FBI Report ($40)
• Air travel (approx. $2600)
• Blood test for health insurance ($25)
• Spanish tutor in Paraguay for first couple months (charge $5-$10 per hour)

This totals about $3,500.

Things to get before we go:

• Quality leather sandals (for teaching in—prices much better here than in Paraguay)
• 2 1 USB Flash Drive (for easy data transfer to and from school desktop) Thanks Jerry!
• Light, cotton skirts/dresses for Cassie (S/M 6/8)
• 2 strong aluminum-type water bottles
• Sunscreen (check expiration date, high SPF)
• Bugspray (lots!)
• Flea powder (yuk!)
• ~~2 decent sleeping bags (for traveling though hostels)~~ Thanks Jerry!
• 3 transformers (The voltage in Paraguay is 220 volts/50 cycles, we will purchase these in Paraguay)
• Good tennis shoes for Nate (His size is difficult to find in Paraguay.)
• Spanish-English Bible
• 2 quality, compact umbrellas (for heat and the rainy season)
• 2 quality rain ponchos for the rainy season
• Spanish-English dictionary (smaller)
• Digital camera (for lots of pictures!)
• Industrial-strength can opener (cans in Paraguay are thinker than here!)
• Construction paper or other teacher supplies (not available in Paraguay)
• Various Zip-lock bags (not available in Paraguay) Thanks Judy and Ken!

This is a lot, but what we don’t receive though gifts and monetary donations, or find cheap, we can live without.

We welcome any donations, new or used, from this list. Your gifts will greatly reduce the initial cost of our move. For detail on how to donate money, see the 'Contact Us' link to the right. To get bigger items to us, you will probably have to call, since our physical location will be changing soon (see why). I will post these lists off to the right for easy access.

morning commute

2010-03-01T15:56:00.002-06:00

Sunday, February 28th

Nate and I have temporarily moved out of our apartment until a security system is put in on Tuesday. We are staying with a generous family from church for awhile. The bed is unfamiliar and the shower water makes my skin itch. But, the neighbors don’t seem to notice when I drive to work, I don’t feel like anyone is casing the place, and I won’t be home alone.

Currently, I am working a temp job, I don’t know if I have mentioned that before. It is a huge building in Creve Coeur, MO. I work on the 9th floor and there is something about the morning commute that I enjoy. I feel at ease when I park in the parking garage and use my security badge to enter one of the six elevators. This job has the cubical, the fax machine—it is where I feel most productive and at ease. It is a very different experience than my job in Paraguay will be.
Each weekday, I am on the road at 6:20am in a Chevrolet S10. I am 23.
My supervisor at the Creve Coeur job has a 23 year old daughter who also drives an S10 in the morning…

ST. CHARLES: Wentzville woman is killed in crash
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
03/01/2010

A woman from Wentzville was killed Sunday morning when the vehicle she was driving flipped over along Highway A.
Corral J. Tighe, 23, was driving eastbound near Josephville Road at 6:20 a.m. when her Chevrolet S10 crossed the centerline. Police said she attempted to correct the mistake, but the vehicle started swerving, eventually flipping over on the left side of the road, throwing Tighe from the car.
She was pronounced dead at the scene by St. Charles County ambulance workers.

When I am feeling down, I need only remember…Having a brick thrown through my window is nothing compared to what can happen on the morning commute.

What happens between dearly wanting help and asking for it…

2010-03-01T15:54:00.001-06:00

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

What happens between dearly wanting help and asking for it…

I want to move. Similar to baseball, “Three break-ins and I’m out”.
Amongst me, within me, there is a lacking, an apathy, a deep sadness.

These opposing feelings manifest themselves in the food I don’t pack in the morning (when all I need to do is make a sandwich). They take hold of my laundry, fighting between the floor and the wash. I eat less and the laundry piles higher because;

Its the same laundry I picked up off the floor when some stranger riffled through it,
the same laundry I think about washing because it makes me feel dirty,
the same laundry when I remember “I don’t care”.

And then re-remember that I do care. And it gets one step closer to the wash. It’s the same with the move:

I don’t care.
I see a glimmer of sanity through the sadness, enough to re-remember that this is my life and my husband and my cat and I do care.
I bring pictures to church and say the best I can, “I am hurting and need help.”

And, Almighty Lord, I have people around me who see my pain, buy me a pizza (Thanks Pete), fold my laundry (Anna and Travis), ask for pictures (Pastor Brad), and offer me a place to stay (Sandy B). I’m sorry I didn’t tell the rest of you. There is a lot that happens between dearly wanting help and asking for it.

It's official :( :)

2010-03-01T15:25:00.004-06:00

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
It’s official:
My husband and I are using our sixth laptop—four have now been stolen.
We are employed at ACA, Asuncion Christian Academy in Asunción, Paraguay, South America
Since May, people have forced themselves into our apartment three times. I feel like the music from old birthday parties is playing, soon it will stop again, and I will rush to my musical chair. Since the break-in yesterday, I feel mostly dirty and tired. I am not sleeping, which is to be expected, and no matter what I wear, I imagine what it was like when someone I don’t know picked it up and threw it across the room. We received the contracts from Paraguay and I spent a few hours working with our salaries and expenses, an income statement if you will. With a little help, I think we can live safely within our means. Actually, if we can scrounge up the plane tickets and start-up costs (blood tests/immunization money, Paraguayan tourist visa/ residency permit (Carnet)/immigration paperwork/Brazilian Visa/FBI Reports/and others) we will be self-sustaining. I will update ya’ll with a list of start-up costs later. And, I assure you, after this last St. Louis experience, I had no hesitations (besides the aforementioned financials) when my pin hit that contract.

Bam…. a brick crashes in…

2010-03-01T15:22:00.005-06:00

Monday, February 22, 2010

Yay, we received word and the board of director approved us (unanimously yeah!). I feel relieved and happy. There is a, first-day-of-school, prepare-for-battle, energy abuzz. I am at work reading the email over and over. Unanimously is a wonderfully weird word. Little did I know what was happening back in my apartment…

Bam…a brick crashes in…

…right through our window.

My bedroom transformed from this…

…to this.

These are my things…

…it’s quite representative of how I feel.
Narrative:

I am tired, sweaty, and going home; the drive from aerobics class is faster on the weekdays—my right quad trembles when I hit the brake. I am thinking about Cindy, my spin instructor…four months pregnant, how does she bike that hard? It is dark and I can see the flashing blue and red as soon as I hit Botanical, the street where I live. There is a women parked in her suburban; she is speaking to a City officer with her window down and I think, Glad I’m not her. When I turn down the ally, I see the open parking spot between my landlord’s Jetta and the communal dumpster. There is no assigned parking, but it’s right behind my apartment and I’ve established an unspoken precedence. When I pull in, I notice another officer in my back yard. Is something wrong? He is facing toward my place; his big Maglite illuminates ground and he steps closer to my back porch with each methodological sweep. Is someone missing?
The car window is hard to roll down so I crack open the car door to say, “Is everything OK.” Oh man, it’s cold.
“Yes, ma’am, I got a call about a possible burglary.”
“Here?”
“Um,” the officer retrieves a 3” x 5” notebook from his jacket breast pocket, “3666 Bota..”
I don’t hear the rest–I had to stop my car door from denting the Jetta. I feel a familiar pang and urgency. I get out of the car and can smell the dumpster. Quickly, like always, I double check that the car is locked and think about my essentials…I have my purse and keys, no electronics in the car, no money. This time I add, I wish there were electronics in the car. This has happened before and I already morn my iPod. The sidewalk is cracked and I watch each step.
I approach the officer, “I can let you in,” and silently note, The kitchen light has been tuned on.
“Are you,” the officer flips the page in his notebook, turns down the volume of his belt radio, shines the flashlight in my eyes, glances for his partner around the corner and says with uncertainty, “Nathan Eubanks?” Then I see the glass.

Why oversees, Why Paraguay?

2008-11-19T15:04:00.002-06:00

November, 2009

This is how this blog, our trip, all of our future experiences came about:

Nate has always wanted to teach oversees. He planned to do so after he graduated college, but changed his plans in order to see where our relationship was going :) Almost four years later, Nate still has a heart for Latin and Central America and talks about short-term mission trips or travel opportunities all the time. I have a deep desire for cross-cultural understanding, especially when it comes to the Church (with a capital C). After our first year of marriage, we started a long-standing dialogue about all our possible futures. In 2008 our dialogue turned to inquiry. We spoke to Nate’s Uncle David who works for Global Mission in the Church of the Nazarene. We filled out applications, we attended a cross-cultural orientation. We got excited about Kiev (Ukraine) Christian Academy for the 2009-2010 school year, but hit a road block with Nate’s current teaching job. We looked into volunteer missionary teaching positions for the 2010-2011 year and had a potential lead at Alliance Academy in Quito, Equator. However, Alliance didn’t have any opportunities for me, and I am not keen on being unemployed, especially in another country. We narrowed our search, because I prefer the heat over the cold and wanted a job with a living stipend, and Nate prefers to learn Spanish as a second language (over Russian). Enter Paraguay…it is a hot, Spanish speaking, opportunity with jobs for both of us as volunteer-teachers-with-a-living-stipend where we can minister to students and experience some cross-cultural living. It is one of our possible futures that makes both of us smile :)

We applied and will hear back soon.