Semana Santa - Holy Week

Last Sunday was a rather exciting one. My host mom got back from Taiwan! Being that she is the first in her family to have ever traveled by plane, it was quite an event. My grandparents live with two of their four daughters 16 kilometers from us on their farm. The security on their land isn’t that tight, so at least one of them always has to stay behind to take care of the farm when everyone else leaves. They decided my Aunt Vicki would keep guard while both grandparents and Tia Lida came to our house to surprise my mom. With 3 cars full of people (friends, family and coworkers) we headed across the border with Brazil to wait for my mom at the airport. My mom was thrilled to see her dad, who hardly ever leaves the farm. Back at the house a feast was awaiting us, which my mom took no time digging into. Turns out the Taiwanese are big fans of raw food. My mom, not so much…

We had a good time listening to my mom’s stories from abroad, but by 7 PM she was good and worn out and decided to call it a day. The next morning marked the beginning of my weeklong Spring Break (in Paraguay it is due to the Catholic observation of the Holy Week leading up to Easter). I ended up spending my first night out on the farm, which proved to be an experience. As the sun set we sat around beneath the trees drinking tereré while my aunts caught up on their favorite soaps (every Paraguayan has their preference). By 9 o’clock we were all in bed and with reason, because by 4 AM that rooster was crowing. I couldn’t believe it when I awoke to an honest to goodness rooster. Luckily I managed to drift back asleep until 6:30 when Aunt Vicki lovingly woke me up to help make the “chipa”. Chipa is very typical Paraguayan food generally eaten for breakfast that I happen to love! Ingredients include: corn flour, mandioca flour, Paraguayan cheese, eggs, butter, milk, salt, and anise (a spice). There are various “chiperias” were you can buy some pretty tasty chipa, but the Wednesday before Easter each home traditionally makes their own. I was up and ready and game for busting out some serious chipa! The process is relatively simple…put the ingredients in a large bowl and mix them until a dough is made. What made it a little more work for us was the quantity we were making (as Tia Vicki referred to it, “Tamaño Pais” or “Country Size”). We’re talking at least 4 wheels of cheese, 2 dozen eggs, and ­­­8 kilos of corn flour…enough to make 160 chipa, each a little larger than your typical biscuit. Needless to say, we’re still working on eating it all…but I don’t mind. It’s delicious!

Friday, instead of visiting the farm, my mom, Shirley (the maid that’s more like family), her son Gabi and I set off for a little road trip. Every year the town of San Ignacio is host to a large gathering of people for a candlelit walk and Easter reenactment. For years my mom has watched it on the news, always wanting to go. This year, with me here, she had an “excuse” to go so we packed up some chipa for the road and set out. We made a pit stop on the way to check out the last major ruins site I still hadn’t seen. Just like the other ruins, it was quite impressive. This particular site was significantly bigger than the others. An hour or so exploring the ruins and we were back on the road. After arriving in San Ignacio, we parked near a public park and got out to stretch our legs a bit and figure out where exactly our nighttime activity would take place. A few girls on bikes directed us towards the local church (there’s always one main one in every town, despite how many denominations there might be) and from there we followed the large masses congregating in a clearing a few blocks down. We were all pretty surprised how many people were there…and they just kept coming! Today’s newspaper listed 15,000 being in attendance. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a crowd that big before. It was evident the town had put a lot of work into the event. There were thousands of homemade candles (orange/lemon peels filled with cow fat and wicks) lighting the pathway. The main event, following the Virgin Mary brought in by procession, was full of dancers, lights and music. Being stuck in a mob of people, getting a good view of what was going on was a little tough. We did manage to prop Gabi up on our shoulders, alternating between us, so that he could catch a glimpse. By 8 o’clock we had started the drive back home and pulled in the gate at midnight. I had a good time seeing some good sights, but more than anything I loved watching Shirley the whole time. She really just had a ball. It was the first time she had ever had the chance to get out of the neighborhood and travel a little. She loved being able to show everything to her son. With her economic situation, it wouldn’t have been possible to do it on her own. The fact that I live in a family where my mom took it upon herself to invite Shirley and her son along, makes me truly grateful because there are a lot of people here that wouldn’t feel the least bit compelled to make an offer like that.

Yesterday was another day spent at the farm, eating Abuela’s delicious concoctions and hanging around in my hammock letting all the food digest while I finished off the 6^th Harry Potter; read completely in Spanish I might add…;) This morning I had my mom wake me up early to go to the morning Easter mass with her. The rest of the day I’ve been hanging around the house, eating Easter chocolate and chipa, and watching Fahrenheit 9/11 with my mom. The effect Michael Moore had on her worries me a little bit, but hopefully she won’t believe everything he says and think my country is completely hopeless.