JUNE 19TH, 2010

6/19/2010

Asunción, Paraguay

Yesterday, we arrived at Roque Alonso around 10:30 or so. Driving into the village was a bit of a challenge. How in the world does anyone expect a tour bus to get in there? Ruts, waste water draining into the road, mud, garbage and more garbage create a massive turn-off, not to mention health hazard. Finally a Maka man helped us find the best way in and we were able to drive right up to Tsemheyi and Tsiweyenki’s house. They were expecting us. Tsiweyenki was so happy to see us, as were the other women who always seem to be there at her house. As we walked down the walkway there past their store, Tsiweyenki and the ladies were taking yerba out of a large 50-kilo bag and bagging it up in smaller, I think, ¼ kilo bags for resale. They were all apologetic about the yerba dust being all over their hands. I told them I loved the smell.

Quite quickly it was decided that only Tsemheyi would take us out to Quemkuket. After paying at the tollbooth 5,000 guaranies, about $1, you go across Puente Remanso [bridge] over the Paraguayan River [which is somewhere around 1 kilometer wide at this point], after going another mile or so, you turn southwest off the Transchaco Highway and head towards Argentina. These highways are two-way paved roads. Along the way you see the usual brick houses, some finished, some being done in stages, men working along the road and out in the fields cutting weeds with machetes and “foises” or hoeing, small garden plots with “mandioca”, brick kilns, some small factories, even a new women’s prison apparently is going in.

It took us about 15-20 minutes to get to the village. The entrance was a bit rugged, the road “gastado”, worn, but someone had made an effort to fill the ruts in a bit. Along the side of the road the ditches, we had dug for drainage years ago, were full of the dark brown water due to all the winter rains. On the right in the place where we had prepared for gardening, a “sonto” [Paraguayan man] had brought in a tractor and had worked the soil and had planted sweet potato, corn, beans and, I think, some squash too. I understand this is for the Maka’s use. I don’t know how this was arranged, cost etc. It was nice to see something going on there.

We were going to park at Eva’s place [Tsemheyi’s adopted daughter’s], but there was this large truck trying to get in behind us; being that the ditches were impassable at that point, we went ahead and drove down the road and parked off to the side of the now dilapidated clinic. The truck was bringing water to fill two of the cisterns [one towards Aso’s place, a relatively new one, and another back close to the clinic]. Apparently, the water from the well has become too salty. The water is brought in about twice a month. I’m not sure who pays for it.

As soon as we got out of the car, folks gathered around us all, shaking our hands and greeting us in Maka. Hopefully the photos will show their faces, unique, aged by time and the effects of a difficult lifestyle. Koko has lost most of his front teeth and, when he laughs [and he does a lot] or talks, he frequently covers his mouth or tries to keep his mouth closed. What a joker he is! Salinas’ kids are there still. The tall [other] Tsemheyi was not there. I guess he was out working somewhere. Escobar was in teaching school. We didn’t interrupt classes. We will have to greet him later. The man, who has a son in medical school in Cuba, told us his son would be taking a final exam in July. If he passes he has one more year there. Guess he is doing better now, not so homesick. He tells his dad that he is different now. He left a boy and will come back old(er). Wait ‘til he deals with the cultural changes! Hopefully, he will stay close by to help his own people and to give them hope that they too could become a doctor, lawyer, dentist…The other son who was in nursing is now studying education. He is planning on becoming a teacher. Another guy who was at the school said that he had been there now for 14 years as a teacher. He is studying computers, how to fix them and will soon be starting computer programming…Wow! Times have indeed changed! From the “campo” to programming computers, how amazing!

We were given a tour from the last houses toward the back up to Aso’s old place. Aso still has not returned from Ciudad del Este. I think we were told at some point that it has to do with issues between his wife and someone else at the village. I guess Tsemheyi called Ciudad del Este and told them we might be by sometime [when we go see Bjarne]. The old houses were, well, old. One guy in great humor asked if I was going to help him fix his house up. I commented on how horrible his carpenter was [me]. Just for the fun of it, Leanne took a picture of me trying to open one my old sliding wood windows. I think it needed some grease or something, because it didn’t slide too well. Of course, as we walked about there were kids everywhere and folks continued to come out of their houses to greet us. As at the other village, at first they thought we were “turistas” [tourists] until they recognized us or heard who we were.

Then we gathered around under the shade of a tree, Tsemheyi, Leanne and I sitting on chairs, the others just standing or sitting on the ground. And we went into story-telling mode. The story of my first phone call to Tsemheyi was brought up again, but this time he added something new. He said I asked in Spanish if his son-in-law still had a “carro” [car] and if he could come pick us up. Well, I discovered that in his dictionary that means wheelbarrow. [Apparently some Spanish words used commonly by Mexicans do not mean the same to Paraguayans. I mean I did know this, but not specifically in this case.] That got lots of laughs, as you can imagine! Then the hunting stories were brought out, with more gusto than ever. How they love to laugh and tease. Koko was constantly joking. Like saying that he was going to invite himself over for “pollo” [chicken] at our place. [A little history here. Koko used to work a bit for us when we lived here and would eat with us at meal time. Leanne would bake a chicken and put the whole thing on the table. Well, in a Maka’s book, if there is food, you eat it. So Koko always made sure the chicken was completely deboned by the time he had left the table.]

Then there were again the serious conversations. One topic was the changing of the Maka language; how the youth did not speak Maka quite the same anymore. Tsemheyi brought up the issue of the translation of the N.T. and the frustrations of the new language being used. I knew this was a touchy subject. I listened as they retold the stories. I asked them if Aso and Tsemheyi [when they came to the U.S. back in the ‘80’s] had visited the Indians in Yakima. They said they had. Someone then asked if the Indians there still spoke their language. I said very few did. At one point I whispered to Leanne how I wished that Dad was there to hear this. I mentioned at some point how that a person’s language is so important in preserving one’s culture, one’s identity and gave examples of students in my school. How confusion comes from not identifying with any culture, not speaking any language well. But I listened mostly…This was certainly a rehash of a topic long discussed starting back even before the trip Stateside when decisions were made on where to live if the Indians would move from the original island across from Jardin Botanico. Choices have been made which have complicated life for the Maka, to live at a convenient distance from town so as to more easily go sell their “artesanía” [weavings, bows & arrows, etc.] and to have electricity and running water. Town has come closer and closer to the Roque Alonso village. They have Paraguayan neighbors on all sides. Drugs, alcohol, prostitution and other vices are a temptation away. Far too many are being sucked into their grip. How will the leaders guide their people? How will the Gospel give the people hope, courage to go beyond the expectations of past generations and of mainstream society?

The Maka need our prayers. The Ulriches need our prayers as they continue the translation of the N.T. and the Maka church leaders need our prayers as they seek to teach and guide their people in these troubled times.

I’m not sure exactly what time it was but Tsemheyi finally suggested we return to Roque Alonso. There we joined Tsiweyenki in the patio of their place. We showed her and the other ladies and children who joined us there the photo album of our families. Leanne then gave her the album she made of our last trip here. They all really liked the pictures. And we gave her the package and card from Mom and the money we had gathered from donations given towards the church, the sports [soccer] program for the youth and the school. We explained how folks had given towards these programs [when they had “bought” the woven bracelets]. Leanne made sure that how the money was spent was really up to Tsiweyenki as she had done the weaving and could be trusted. Tsiweyenki was very appreciative.

We left there around 5 p.m. We had a dinner engagement with Penny and JuanJo DaSilva [old friends from our time here] at 7:00 p.m. in town.

This would be my first driving experience downtown in many years. I called for directions, but…It was dark and the street signs were, well hidden. And so Leanne and I took the “scenic route” around and around the general area, but lost, feeling all the while that the next set of headlights in the rearview mirror was going to become imbedded in our small car. Well, the proverbial male-asks-for-directions-and-finds-place more quickly worked again. We were only ½ hour late. JuanJo and Penny served a wonderful collection of their great food from their restaurant [Cherry’s] and we got caught up on our families. It was such a blessing to reconnect. Again, we are reminded of the amazing role that people play in our lives and, so often, we are unaware, just enjoying each other’s company. Thanks for the great time Juanjo and Penny! The trip home was uneventful and much “shorter” J

Thanks again for following our footsteps and for praying for us. We REALLY appreciate it!

Jerry and Leanne

For some crazy reason I am having trouble wrapping the text around photos, so I am going to ask that you go to our Facebook where I will put photos. I will try to put some text to correlate the text with the photos. Sorry.