Under the Mango Tree
a new title for a new life
What’s up, y’all!
Thought I would start off with a couple of pictures of the property that we are buying. Now that I’ve actually seen the title, it turns out it’s bigger than I thought it was - only a tiny bit under a full acre! Here’s another picture from the “street” of the well and the mango trees. You can’t see all the way to the back of the property from here, but if all goes according to plan, we’ll be building our house back there this year. I’ll update you on that when there’s something to share.
It's autumn here now, and it is amazing how quickly it has cooled off from the hot, hot summer. Don't get me wrong. It's still hitting around 85 degrees Fahrenheit some afternoons, but that is still cooler than it has been. It's been raining quite a bit more, too.
Because of the change in weather, when we went back to Asunción to turn in our cédula applications, we didn't even need the air conditioning in the truck! Either way, it was nice to go to the city and not be hot, sticky and miserable by 2pm, let me tell you.
I did some research after our last attempt at the Palace of Justice to get the alimony report that was needed to transfer the truck title, and discovered that every department (the US equivalent of a state is called a department here) has its own Palace of Justice. That meant we didn't need to go to the big main one in downtown Asunción that was going to take three hours because it was so busy.
We decided to try our luck at the local Palace in Caacupé. We were directed to the wrong window at first, but when we explained what we needed, one nice man got up from his lunch and escorted us to the right window, then explained to the guy there exactly what we needed. Five minutes later, we had the report and were on our way. gnob remembered to wear pants this time.
With that in mind, on our way to Asunción to finish the cédula paperwork, I asked him if he had remembered to throw his pants in the truck, in case they were needed somewhere. He said that he had thought about it, but figured he wouldn't need them.
Of course, the first place we stopped to get the stamps on our documents had a big sign on the front door that said,
"You must wear pants to enter this building."
So gnob waited outside while I went inside and got the stamps for both of us. Quick and painless.
Our next stop, for the second set of stamps, was at the National Police Headquarters, and it's right in the middle of busy downtown. There was no parking available, but we'd had such good luck at the last place, we decided I would go in alone again and see if I could get them for both of us. gnob dropped me off outside the building and circled the block. It worked! I got the stamps in a matter of minutes and caught up with him on his first pass around the block.
Now on to the cédula office to turn in our applications. We knew where this office was located because I had mistakenly taken us there once during the temporary residency application. That day, we walked in and grabbed a number, but there was no one in line so we immediately sat down with the officer.
Only to be told that you can't apply for your cédula until the TR is complete, and that we were in the wrong place, and to go away and come back when we had that. (loosely translated!)
This office was located on the third floor of the Department of Identifications, and we confidently entered the building, climbed the stairs, and turned the corner to find that today, unlike the last time, there were a LOT of people there.
The number we pulled was number 80, and they were calling for number 62.
I told gnob it's because we were bragging about how smoothly everything had been going that morning. The numbers actually went surprisingly fast, though, and we only had to make one detour across the street to get an extra document "notarized" before we could turn our apps in. I keep thinking that we're applying as a couple, but they actually only accept applications individually, so I needed an extra copy of our marriage license, one for each of us. Once we had that document, both of our applications were accepted.
We then had to take a picture for the ID card. The officer made me take out all of my piercings for the picture, which was weird. You would think a picture for identification would show you the way you normally looked but, okay, whatever. After two hours, we were finally free. We'll go back in a couple of months to pick up that ID card, but basically, we're done with paperwork for the next two years, huzzah!
I had one other mission to complete in the city. I signed up for a 15k trail race! It's been quite a while since I ran in a race, due to all of the traveling, and the various injuries I've had over the last year. But joining the gym a couple of months ago has made a huge difference, and I feel more fit than I have in a long time. So I decided it was time to test myself. For this, though, I needed a new pair of trail shoes, and a hydration vest. The race directors here actually make wearing a hydration vest, or belt, mandatory here. They are serious about you not running out of water while you race. Makes sense, it does get hot here. It's also mandatory to carry a first aid kit with you.
Of course, the store where I could obtain these things was in a mall, so we headed to a mall. After months of the simple life in the countryside, it was surreal to enter one of those gigantic temples dedicated to consumerism. There were a lot of foreigners there, as well, so I had a feeling everything was going to cost a lot. We found a steak house to have some lunch, and to no one's surprise, it was the most expensive meal we've had so far. $88. Gringo prices, and the food wasn't even that spectacular, well, except for the platter of fried cheese.
Afterwards, we found my hydration vest and a new pair of shoes, and got the hell out of there.
Now we're back to simple living, under the mango tree. You may have noticed I changed the name of the newsletter this week. We're not really on a slow travel adventure anymore, we're settling into a new life here in the historic city of Piribebuy, department of Cordillera, country of Paraguay. There's no more paperwork to go through - well, I do need to get a drivers license, so I guess there is still one more hoop to figure out.
But I walk everywhere, not really in an hurry for that one. In fact, I've only driven once since we've been here, and that's because we were returning the rental van. I'm quite happy being the navigator when we do have to drive somewhere. With the crazy traffic here, it really does take both of us to navigate it safely sometimes!
Going forward, I want to share with you what it's like living in a culture that's a bit different from the one we grew up in. Though we didn't experience extreme culture shock, there was definitely a learning curve that we weren't quite prepared for. We packed a lot of things in our storage container that we should have brought with us, but when we left, we were under the assumption that we'd arrive, get settled immediately, and have our stuff within three months. Well, we're just about to hit the six month mark, and it has not played out at all like we imagined.
So let me know what you're curious about! Whether it's the grocery stores or the cost of living, the animals or the people, I'm happy to share. Most people in the rest of the world don't know anything about Paraguay, I know I sure didn't! If you'd asked me two years ago what I knew about Paraguay, I'd have told you it was in South America, and the capital was Asunción. (I had to learn the capitals of South America in school once, that's the only reason I knew that much!) But now I know that it's one of the hidden gems of the world, and I'm so glad we stumbled upon it.
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Have a great week!
Parting Thoughts
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Are you guys getting jobs there or are you independently wealthy
Sounds like you are getting there at mango plus speed. That roof looks perfect to set up my tent! And that fences should help keep the local girls from taking advantage of an old gringo! I am really glad you two's dreams are progressing. Godspeed!