This week started out with a handful of unknowns, a lot of waiting, and a multitude of prayers for the safe arrival of Grandma and Papa. Now, we're just plain busy. Busy, that is, in comparison to the "normal" stay-at-home-mom schedule I've grown accustomed to these past six weeks (the four weeks prior to that, when I was subbing in third grade . . . we're not going to talk about THAT chaos anymore). But it has been nice to show my parents around the school and the neighborhood around us, giving them glimpses into our everyday life. We've traveled by foot, by car, and by bus as well as spent quality time at home, playing card games and enjoying one another's company.
Arriving on Tuesday evening, Grandma and Papa dropped their bags, snatched Bailey and caught up on snuggles and hugs from the past three months. We enjoyed a homemade pizza dinner, heard the story of their Mexico City adventure, and got them settled in for the night.
Wednesday morning we headed up to school in the late afternoon for a quick tour of the campus and a few introductions to the faculty. We then headed to Stock, the grocery store that's within walking distance to the school, thus making it my grocery store of choice. Since I usually travel "alone" with Bailey strapped in the Baby Bjorn, it was a welcome relief to have some help carrying groceries back home. In fact, Mom and Dad carried ALL the bags, leaving me empty handed!
After unloading groceries, we did more unpacking, sorting through all the goodies that people brought by the house for us. It was like Christmas come early as we pulled out books and toys, clothes and spices, curtains and toiletries, and - of course - Kool-Aid. We were overwhelmed with the amount of "stuff" that many of you sent with my parents; merely saying THANK YOU is inadequate, but for now, it'll have to do. I'll tackle you with a bear hug when we get home in December! :)
For dinner I wanted to make a traditional Paraguayan meal, so we had milanesa de pollo, puree de papas, y (and) salsa de carne (a.k.a. fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy). With the exception of the country gravy, the chicken recipe IS a classic Paraguayan dish - it just sounds more authentic if you call it milanesa de pollo instead of fried chicken.
Thursday found us up at school again, this time helping out with Day Camp for the Pre-K through 2nd grade students. Mom felt right at home with the primary students, reminiscing about her days in the classroom and of VBS crafts back home. The evening ended with a walk to our favorite ice cream shop - Dona Angela - and Friday passed rather uneventfully; just a quick bus ride to the mall for lunch in the food court and yet ANOTHER trip to the grocery store (man, those Fulbright's can really eat!!!).
Saturday was by far the most hectic day so far. We left mid-morning for Colon, a street in downtown Paraguay with shops selling traditional Paraguayan trinkets and souvenir type doodads. Trouble was, we went without a seasoned bus traveler and - since I'd only been there once before - I had us exit the bus several blocks from our real destination. But, after a few blocks of unexpected walking and only one U-turn, we made it to the shops and enjoyed perusing the shops, bartering with the shopkeepers in broken Spanish.
For lunch, we went to the Lido Bar, a corner cafe well-known in Paraguay for their empanadas and juices. YUM!
And, as if the delicious lunch wasn't enough, we headed to Paulistas (a Brazilian churrasqueria) for dinner, enjoying the all-you-can-eat salad bar, endless skewers of various meats, and a divine spread of desserts.
To sum it all up, I suppose you could say that we've eaten our way through the week - and enjoyed every minute of it! Paraguayan meals are mostly meat and bread which has been an adjustment for my parents, but they can get back to their South Beach no/low-carb diet when they get back to the states. For now, they're living it up!
