It always amuses me how important things like McDonald's are to some North Americans when they live in other countries. We don't go to McDonald's in the US unless we're traveling, so we don't often think about going when we're staying put like we are here. However, last night we were out past dinner time and didn't really have a plan for dinner (we went to a multi-church celebration that we ended up leaving before they served the food because it was getting late). So, we discussed options for dinner and when McDonald's was mentioned, the girls jumped on it.
We told them to be careful about what to expect (the last time we were served hamburgers at an event they came with ham on them - and you never know what to expect in McDonald's in another country). We pulled in around 8 pm on Sunday evening and the place was packed. There was a separate room for ordering and eating at the McCafe. The line wasn't too long, but boy was it noisy!! The girls picked out what looked to be the only empty table in the dining room and it was right next to the line. Fortunately, John scouted around and found a nice outside eating area. The temperature was perfect for eating outside and it was much more peaceful - despite the fact that it was close to a fairly busy road.
The food was pretty standard McDonald's and we were all much happier after getting something in our stomachs two hours after our normal dinner time. And the bill was about $10 (2 meal combos, 2 small burgers and 2 more drinks). All in all I'd say it was a better experience than our meal at Friday's. I won't mind if we don't go back there again for the rest of time here. One last fun fact about "American" and fast food - Burger King and McDonald's deliver here!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Life without a car
As you may recall me saying earlier, I was very excited when our car arrived with our household goods on Sept. 8th. It was great to feel like we could get places without walking or taking a taxi. Unfortunately, not too long after our car arrived, we started to notice that the transmission was slipping. Without going into the whole long story, it turned out that the problem was actually a computer that runs the transmission and not the transmission itself.
One of the reasons that we decided to bring a Toyota here instead of a Honda was that there was a big Toyota dealer. Well, the Toyotas that they sell here are different, and we had to order the part from the US. There are about 3 other long stories I could tell here, but I started thinking about something else during all of this, as I was feeling sorry for myself about not having a car to drive. (We might damage the transmission if we drive it with the computer that doesn't work, so we're trying not to use it). As we were pulling up to church in a taxi, I realized that there's no parking lot at church. Because the only people at church who have a car are the American missionaries and us. I started wondering how many people in the world go through all of life without the luxury of a car (or of being able to afford a taxi). So, it helped me to be thankful for the many times in life that I can just hop in my car and go where I want to.
Our part arrived from the US yesterday and the gentleman from the shop just came to pick up our car (how's that for service?). So, I'm hoping that very soon our car will be functioning again and we can get back to where we were in the process of adjusting to life in Paraguay. One good thing that came out of all of this was that I did finally use the bus a few times. I used it all the time in Costa Rica, but hadn't gotten around to it here. It's not bad during the day - but they get pretty crowded at rush hour. And I can't imagine what they're like when it's 100-120 out (no air conditioning!).
One of the reasons that we decided to bring a Toyota here instead of a Honda was that there was a big Toyota dealer. Well, the Toyotas that they sell here are different, and we had to order the part from the US. There are about 3 other long stories I could tell here, but I started thinking about something else during all of this, as I was feeling sorry for myself about not having a car to drive. (We might damage the transmission if we drive it with the computer that doesn't work, so we're trying not to use it). As we were pulling up to church in a taxi, I realized that there's no parking lot at church. Because the only people at church who have a car are the American missionaries and us. I started wondering how many people in the world go through all of life without the luxury of a car (or of being able to afford a taxi). So, it helped me to be thankful for the many times in life that I can just hop in my car and go where I want to.
Our part arrived from the US yesterday and the gentleman from the shop just came to pick up our car (how's that for service?). So, I'm hoping that very soon our car will be functioning again and we can get back to where we were in the process of adjusting to life in Paraguay. One good thing that came out of all of this was that I did finally use the bus a few times. I used it all the time in Costa Rica, but hadn't gotten around to it here. It's not bad during the day - but they get pretty crowded at rush hour. And I can't imagine what they're like when it's 100-120 out (no air conditioning!).
What time is it?
Have you ever wondered what time it is in Paraguay compared to where you live? Well, the answer is - it's complicated. Or, it depends - on what the date is. Our time zone is UTC (formerly GMT) plus 5. Compared to the East Coast of the US which is UTC plus 4. So, right now, we are an hour ahead of the East Coast.
When we arrived in July, however, Paraguay was in Daylight Savings Time. Because it was winter. So we were actually the same time as the East Coast. At the beginning of October our DST ended, so we are an hour ahead. But on Sunday the US moves to Daylight Savings Time (as it goes into winter), at which point we will be two hours ahead. And it will remain that way until either 1. Paraguay goes into DST or 2. The US leaves DST (I'm not sure which happens first). (Did I mention it was complicated?)
Is anyone surprised that we are ahead of the US? I know that I just couldn't get my arms around that fact the first time I traveled to South America, some 20+ years ago. I really thought that South America was south of the US and it wasn't until I took a good look at the map that I saw how far east it is! Nothing helps bad geography skills as much as traveling...
When we arrived in July, however, Paraguay was in Daylight Savings Time. Because it was winter. So we were actually the same time as the East Coast. At the beginning of October our DST ended, so we are an hour ahead. But on Sunday the US moves to Daylight Savings Time (as it goes into winter), at which point we will be two hours ahead. And it will remain that way until either 1. Paraguay goes into DST or 2. The US leaves DST (I'm not sure which happens first). (Did I mention it was complicated?)
Is anyone surprised that we are ahead of the US? I know that I just couldn't get my arms around that fact the first time I traveled to South America, some 20+ years ago. I really thought that South America was south of the US and it wasn't until I took a good look at the map that I saw how far east it is! Nothing helps bad geography skills as much as traveling...
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Orthodontia
We knew before we arrived in Paraguay that both of our girls were going to need more orthodontic work (Arianna had braces a few years ago). Since we were only in Virginia for a limited time, we decided to wait and get to work on it here in Paraguay (we also thought that the cost would be significantly lower here). We had talked to our friends the Sappias back when we were still in the US and they had a dentist that they highly recommended, so we started with him.
Well, he is a Paraguayan German (or maybe German Paraguayan???) and he spends a lot of time out in the German communities and other traveling, so it took a while to actually get the appointments set up. Once we did, we felt pretty confident about his recommendations for Arianna, but not as convinced about Abigail (removing 8 teeth and then just waiting for the rest of her teeth to come in). So, I got a second opinion for both girls.
To make a very long story shorter, I ended up taking Abigail to 4 different "dentists" (they are usually general practitioners here). The last one I went to did three consultations before giving us her recommendation. For the second and third I ended up asking a friend here who is from Guatemala to go and translate - it was just too difficult to process the Spanish and the recommendations at the same time!
In the end, she thought that all the same teeth needed to come out that the first dentist did, plus two more (the two additional are wisdom teeth that are erupting prematurely). While at first I was really concerned about removing that many teeth, I felt better that this dentist is going to go through the process more slowly (removing 4 teeth on top, but only removing the baby teeth on the bottom for now). So, Abigail had her first oral surgery last Thursday and she handled it fantastically! She has one more scheduled in two weeks, then the baby teeth extractions. We'll take a break before doing the wisdom teeth.
Arianna also got her braces on last week - at the first office that we had visited. I think that she's had more pain from them than from her extractions (the week before) or Abigail's. And now, I'll be going to 2 different dental offices for the rest of our time in Paraguay:). It will be better when our car is working again, but that is another whole saga which will have to wait for another day....
Well, he is a Paraguayan German (or maybe German Paraguayan???) and he spends a lot of time out in the German communities and other traveling, so it took a while to actually get the appointments set up. Once we did, we felt pretty confident about his recommendations for Arianna, but not as convinced about Abigail (removing 8 teeth and then just waiting for the rest of her teeth to come in). So, I got a second opinion for both girls.
To make a very long story shorter, I ended up taking Abigail to 4 different "dentists" (they are usually general practitioners here). The last one I went to did three consultations before giving us her recommendation. For the second and third I ended up asking a friend here who is from Guatemala to go and translate - it was just too difficult to process the Spanish and the recommendations at the same time!
In the end, she thought that all the same teeth needed to come out that the first dentist did, plus two more (the two additional are wisdom teeth that are erupting prematurely). While at first I was really concerned about removing that many teeth, I felt better that this dentist is going to go through the process more slowly (removing 4 teeth on top, but only removing the baby teeth on the bottom for now). So, Abigail had her first oral surgery last Thursday and she handled it fantastically! She has one more scheduled in two weeks, then the baby teeth extractions. We'll take a break before doing the wisdom teeth.
Arianna also got her braces on last week - at the first office that we had visited. I think that she's had more pain from them than from her extractions (the week before) or Abigail's. And now, I'll be going to 2 different dental offices for the rest of our time in Paraguay:). It will be better when our car is working again, but that is another whole saga which will have to wait for another day....
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Food shopping, cooking and eating
When we lived in Costa Rica, one of the big shocks was how much groceries cost, and how hard it was to figure out what to cook. That experience certainly made this transition easier, because our few "favorite" recipes that worked in Costa Rica also work here (Chuck Wagon Buns, "Chewy, Spicy Chicken", Chicken Fajitas, Spagetti and Hamburger Stroganoff - although I can't bring myself to spend the amount of money it would take to add fresh mushrooms). We were also able to revive one of our Costa Rican favorites - sausage and peppers on a roll. Ever since we lived in CR, the girls have longed for salchichon, which is CR's version of sausage. They don't quite have the same thing here, but since chorizo's are so common and popular, I decided to revive the dish, Paraguayan style.
One thing that makes cooking and eating easier (and more dangerous) here is the AMPLE supply of bakeries with inexpensive, fresh baked bread. Chuck wagon buns are definitely better on fresh hamburger buns that are sometimes hot when I get them! Everyone in the family seems to enjoy open faced grilled cheese (mozarella), with fresh tomatoe and basil (Arianna skips that part) on yummy ciabatta bread - it's a great lunch.
On Tuesdays there is a great "outdoor" market (which is actually in the underground parking area at the mall), where there is an abundance of great produce at very reasonable prices. I love being able to buy cherry tomatoes every week. We are thrilled to have "real" corn on the cob (not the kind used only in soup which is what we had in Costa Rica) and local peaches are just becoming available (there were imported ones before, but they were very expensive). Strawberries were just starting to be in season when we arrived in early July, but I think they are about finished now. I've been told that we won't see them again until next year when they are gone, so I did freeze some (but probably not enough to last very long!).
Here's a photo of some very strange fresh raspberries that I bought here. We didn't really like them so we used them up in smoothies:
Fortunately, you can buy frozen "normal" raspberries for a reasonable price.
Here are the yummier strawberries:
Later on I'll fill you in on eating out (including ice cream)!
One thing that makes cooking and eating easier (and more dangerous) here is the AMPLE supply of bakeries with inexpensive, fresh baked bread. Chuck wagon buns are definitely better on fresh hamburger buns that are sometimes hot when I get them! Everyone in the family seems to enjoy open faced grilled cheese (mozarella), with fresh tomatoe and basil (Arianna skips that part) on yummy ciabatta bread - it's a great lunch.
On Tuesdays there is a great "outdoor" market (which is actually in the underground parking area at the mall), where there is an abundance of great produce at very reasonable prices. I love being able to buy cherry tomatoes every week. We are thrilled to have "real" corn on the cob (not the kind used only in soup which is what we had in Costa Rica) and local peaches are just becoming available (there were imported ones before, but they were very expensive). Strawberries were just starting to be in season when we arrived in early July, but I think they are about finished now. I've been told that we won't see them again until next year when they are gone, so I did freeze some (but probably not enough to last very long!).
Here's a photo of some very strange fresh raspberries that I bought here. We didn't really like them so we used them up in smoothies:
Here are the yummier strawberries:
Later on I'll fill you in on eating out (including ice cream)!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Spring!
Spring arrived on September 21st and it is actually a day that is noticed here. People talk about it on the radio, and guys are out on the street selling flowers. My friend Lisa said she saw people selling balloons too. I thought the city looked green when we arrived, but it is even more green now. And the flowering trees have been beautiful:
There were some purple ones that were in bloom a little earlier, but I didn't get a shot of them. Maybe next year! But I did take a few more pictures of some flowers that we see all over:
This has been a very nice time of year - when we don't need heat or air conditioning! I am trying to enjoy each beautiful day and bracing myself for summer.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Status Update
Well it's been a while since I've written so I thought I ought to at least get a little update out. The big news today is that our shipment arrived!! We are now surrounded by piles of stuff, but I think we will definitely feel more settled with a car and some things that make our house feel like home.
Our other big news is that Arianna changed schools to an online international academy. There were several reasons we let her leave the "brick and mortar" school to do this cyber school, but one of the main reasons was that although there were several different nationalities at the school, there were problems with the students not wanting to speak in English. Since we had really thought that this school she is attending might be a better solution, we decided to switch now before it was too late for this school year. So, in the midst of getting our shipment, she is starting 8th grade again! It's pretty cool - we've had a couple of live sessions with her teacher and some of the other students. They even have clubs and field trips (we haven't figured out how that works yet!).
Anyway, I'd better unpack some more so there's room to sleep, but I just thought I ought to put something on the blog since it had been so long!
Our other big news is that Arianna changed schools to an online international academy. There were several reasons we let her leave the "brick and mortar" school to do this cyber school, but one of the main reasons was that although there were several different nationalities at the school, there were problems with the students not wanting to speak in English. Since we had really thought that this school she is attending might be a better solution, we decided to switch now before it was too late for this school year. So, in the midst of getting our shipment, she is starting 8th grade again! It's pretty cool - we've had a couple of live sessions with her teacher and some of the other students. They even have clubs and field trips (we haven't figured out how that works yet!).
Anyway, I'd better unpack some more so there's room to sleep, but I just thought I ought to put something on the blog since it had been so long!
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