On our first day, Quyquyho seems much less poor than I expected. We've only been exposed to a small part of it so far though, so perhaps that will change. Some people have satellite TV, and those who don't can go to a local market to watch the futbol game or whatever is showing. Street lamps are not ubiquitous, but electricity is. Food seems to be plentiful so far, though again that may just be in the sections we've seen.
We woke around 7:00 and began the drive to Quyquyho around 9:00, with Osvaldo, who runs the home, and Carlos, Guillermo's father, driving us and our cargo. The main Paraguayan freeways are well-kept and look similar to small two-lane highways that one might find in some rural place. Once we turned off the road, toward Quyquyho, it was mostly dirt or cobblestone. This provided a bumpy ride but we all arrived safely.
When we pulled up to the home, the kids were ecstatically waving which prompted a frenzied round of introductions between the 25 or so of them and the 11 of us. There were hugs all around. The kids seem very happy despite their difficult lives. I'm not sure how much of that is because we're here and how much is just in general. I would guess it's partly that their lives are much better in the home than they would be otherwise, and partly that peace and joy, in spite of adversity, that only God can provide.
Shortly after unloading the trucks, we had lunch, which again was amazing. Guillermo told us that standard Paraguayan meals generally a main dish with meat and some simple side dishes, and this basically was true to his description. But it was also delicious. The pork, tender and covered in delicious spices, rated quite high on the list of best meats I've ever had, and many echoed that sentiment. They overloaded us with food, which also included barbecued beef, various sausages, salad, rice, and bread called sopas, which is something like a corn meal bread infused with cheese. I was also glad to see that the girls' had plenty of food.
As an icebreaker activity, we did a scavenger hunt that took us throughout town today. Most of the younger kids seem to enjoy their lives and, on the surface, are much like kids one would see anywhere else despite their painful backgrounds. The older girls (~12) seem very driven and often took the initiative to take us throughout the town to find certain buildings and answer questions. I suppose that's a necessity when there's nobody else to look out for you. Some of them are more reserved, and from what I've been told there are some very sad stories behind some of their lives.
We went to the burger shop, the town's only restaurant, for dinner, and most of us had lomitas de arabe, which is basically a wrap with diced beef, lettuce, and tomato. Simple, but again the spices on the beef were perfect, not like anything I've had in the US. The burger shop was founded by a missionary group and now is run by Osvaldo's wife, Maria Luisa, who uses it as a way to provide jobs to people in the community.
Quyquyho is a quiet town overall with around 1,600 people. There is very little crime here, and many people don't even lock their doors at night. The biggest problem is alcoholism; Leah will be giving presentations about substance abuse in high schools during our trip, which we hope will make some difference in the upcoming generation here.
As I write this, it's the morning of Monday, June 25, and my view is a beautiful sunrise over the Paraguyan countryside. Time for our first real day...
Thanks for the update and photos!
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