The Things I See...

Skype 

Talking with Jewel

 

on Christmas Eve!

For photos of our Christmas Eve and Morning,

HERE

A Paraguayan Christmas

A Paraguayan Christmas 

In Paraguay at Christmas time
There's not a sign of snow.Folks spend their Christmas holidaysWith sweating faces all aglow!    

The scorching weather fits right in
With the happy Christmas mood,
Around the pool and barbecue,
There's  terere, too.   

So don't feel bad for your Paraguayan friends.We may not have the cold
But we have fireworks to spare and that, just never gets old!

"THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS" ~ (International Versions)

 Venezuelan Version ~ By Jayde Vernoy

T'was the night before Christmas

And all through Caracas

Every house was buzzing

Everyone making hallacas

No stockings were hung

But there were presents under the tree

Pan de jamon in the oven

Children singing happily

Papa turned on the television

And Chavez began a speech

For this was the fastest way

To put the children to sleep

And later, 'round midnight,

Papa flipped off the remote

For a very odd sound

Had caused him to take note

He looked out the window,

And ran for his gun

For the man climbing over his glass-shard covered wall,

Was a big one

He was all dressed in red,

Carrying a big sack

He looked like a Chavista

And Papa didn't need that

He ran for his gun,

Scared half to death

This man looked like a ladron

But with white hair on his head

Ho Ho, se rio

As he climbed back over the newly painted gate

Papa stood and stared at the window

As the hour was late

Then this man disappeared

But his voice boomed out loud,

Merry Christmas to all,

and Feliz Navidad!

Paraguayan Version 

Written by Bob Boston

  ~ Brendas Blog from Paraguay

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the barrio

Not a person was calm, not even old Mario.

The stockings were hung by the kitchen with care,

In hopes that Papa Noel soon would be there.



The children were running around through the house,

Fireworks exploding, scaring even the mouse.

And Doña in her tank top, and I in my cap ,

Gave up on the idea of a long summers nap



When out on the cobblestone, there arose with a clatter,

I sprang from the hammock to see whats the matter.

Away to my rejas I flew like a flash,

With my windows open, smelly gunpowder made me gasp



The moon on the breast of the new-fallen dust

Gave the luster of grey to the objects at dusk.

When, what to my watering eyes should appear,

Through the dust, the gun smoke, and the sparklers veneer,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight exhausted reindeer.



With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.

More rapid than car window washers they came,

He whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!



As fireworks lit with a candle they fly

when they met an obstacle, go to the sky.

So up to the flat top houses they flew,

the sleigh with few toys, as everyone knew



Cracking the tiles, I heard on my roof

the landing of rockets, and thrown sparklers too.

As I ducked flying objects, and was turning around,

down the kitchen extractor came St. Nick with a bound.



His eyes-how they twinkled! His nose red like a beet!

Fireworks and explosions, he´d braved to my street.

His droll little mouth was smiling at me,

At midnight, with a heat of one hundred and three.



He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a shout,

Having used up the fireworks, it was safe to go out.

But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,

“Feliz Navidad, and to all a good night”

Spanglish Version

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the casa,

Not a creature was stirring -- Caramba! Que pasa?

Los niños were tucked away in their camas,

Some in long underwear, some in pijamas,

While hanging the stockings with mucho cuidado

In hopes that old Santa would feel obligado

To bring all children, both buenos and malos,

A nice batch of dulces and other regalos.

Outside in the yard there arose such a grito

That I jumped to my feet like a fightened cabrito.

I ran to the window and looked out afuera,

And who in the world do you think that it era?

Saint Nick in a sleigh and a big red sombrero

Came dashing along like a crazy bombero.

And pulling his sleigh instead of venados

Were eight little burros approaching volados.

I watched as they came and this quaint little hombre

Was shouting and whistling and calling by nombre:

"Ay Pancho, ay Pepe, ay Cuco, ay Beto,

Ay Chato, ay Chopo, Macuco, y Nieto!"

Then standing erect with his hands on his pecho

He flew to the top of our very own techo.

With his round little belly like a bowl of jalea,

He struggled to squeeze down our old chiminea,

Then huffing and puffing at last in our sala,

With soot smeared all over his red suit de gala,

He filled all the stockings with lovely regalos --

For none of the niños had been very malos.

Then chuckling aloud, seeming very contento,

He turned like a flash and was gone like the viento.

And I heard him exclaim, and this is verdad,

Merry Christmas to all, and Feliz Navidad!

Jim and Nita Lee (Dec. 1972)

The things I see...

My tree.

This year Jayde and two of her friends did all the decorating as I was unable to help.

As I recall

I just had my first hospital stay in the country of Paraguay. I was operated on at the Adventist Sanatorium and was happy with the care and attention I received.  I am going to share a few of the things I remember of my surgery and hospital stay.

The first surprise was that I was not fully under for the surgery as I had expected to be. I have a few memories of clarity during the procedure but most are a blur, except I DO remember the doctor showing me my uterus in a jar, something I had never expected to see!  My first thought was,"How did my son ever fit in there?"  and then I was wishing I had my camera in the OR so that I could take a picture of it and post it here on the blog! Luckily for you all, I did not have one with me!


When I was returned to my room, I kept badgering my husband about the fact that my legs were paralyzed. I  could not understand why this did not concern him as it did me!


I had a friendly nurse from an island off the coast of Argentina in Tierra del Fuego! Imagine how hot she was finding our high 90's weather!  I also met an Ecuadorean/ Canadian who is here serving a short term mission and working in the hospital.

A long time blog reader dropped in to visit with goodies in hand. Kathy comments here frequently and lives in Curacao. She brought me very good medicine in the form of Hersheys!

The food in the hospital was vegetarian. I didn't eat solids until the last day and so the food was mostly tasty. I still don't know what they served me for dinner though. It was orange mush, wrapped in a green rubbery substance, but you know me, I will eat anything! Upon arriving home, Friday at mid day, my husband served me chicken and rice and it was DELISH!

I recall being accompanied by a talking llama in the elevator as I was transported from the OR back to my room. I swear! He was on the elevator with me. I am still unsure as to how a llama came to have a British accent though...

The Vernoy children, Christmas Eve, 2007 ~ Beaufort, SC

 A re-post, just for fun!

Don't mess with me and my chocolate!

My daughter, Jewel, takes on her brother and cousins in defense of her chocolate.

Update ~ I'm home!

I just got home and am doing very well. I appreciate the prayers  and support of you all so much. The procedures all went as expected and I am glad to say that I have had much less pain than I had anticipated, so far I have not required any narcotics. Still  tire easily and am weak.

Thanks for all the lovely comments they BRIGHTENED MY DAY!

Peace

This picture was taken from the porch of the hotel we stayed in one night during our recent trip. It was a great spot to enjoy the morning and spend time in prayer and meditation. You can even see my coffee! It was very peaceful and refreshing.


I will be in the hospital for at least three days and do not know if my husband will be able to update here  but know that 'no news is good news'.

I covet your prayers in these upcoming days for myself and also for my husband.

I'll see you later!

Sleepless in Asuncion

A question for the ladies...

I will be having  a hysterectomy and pelvic floor repair surgery tomorrow morning. (wondering if I should go with hardwood or ceramic???)I have received many emails from some of my regular readers telling me they have already had this surgery. I am wondering if you could share any information or tips with me as to how best to recover quickly and painlessly. Also, what pain medication were you given? How long did you need it? Did you have any unexpected symptoms or pain?

  Any information at all would be appreciated!

 A lot on my mind...

Surgery on Tuesday

This REBEL will be taking a PAUSE from the blog next week....

 Minniepauz.com ENJOYING not USING...I think...

I will be having surgery on Tuesday. Not the best time for it, but that is how it happens some times. I will be in the hospital for 3 or 4 days and will be absent from the blog during that time. I am sure I will come back with interesting tales from my first Paraguayan  hospital experience!

My surgeon is Russian, and as I mentioned, we sort of understand each others Spanish. He says I am getting  every 'ectomy' possible!  Or , I think that is what he said...maybe it was a lobotomy? It would seem equally appropriate right now...

Please keep me in your prayers ~ and my husband too! This will be another Christmas for the family lore, like The Gallbladder Christmas of 2004.

And I'm off...

Just a quick observation:

This is such an interesting country to live in!

I am an American living here and yesterday I went to three doctor's offices. One is Canadian so we speak to each other in English. 

The next one was Russian, so we communicated with each other in highly accented Spanish... well, at least we knew what each other was trying to say!!! 

The third doctor was Korean, we spoke to one another in Spanish... anyway, I think it was Spanish...

 I was reminded of this post I wrote a few months ago.

Every country and culture has its own style and personality. I find that I mentally classify the different countries I have lived in by attaching a human face to that personality.

The United States of America

It's all about success and prosperity. Some folks love us while others detest us. We can be a bit ruthless as we strive for achievement, and yet, people keep coming, hoping to partake of our wealth. Even those who do not like us, often admire our tenacity. Some people find us to be arrogant because we know were are #1 and don't really care what people think of us, bad hair and all!

If the USA were a person, it would be Donald Trump.
Rich, driven, controlling and somehow entertaining at the same time.

Mexico

I only lived in Mexico for a year but the thing that stood out the most to me was their love of family and food. Very comforting.

If Mexico were a person, it would be Paula Dean.

Warm, friendly and good cooks!

Venezuela

In Venezuela personal beauty is very important, especially among the women. It is said that Venezuelan women are born wearing high heels.  There is a great love for children but sometimes, the Venezuelans can be a tad bit arrogant, .like we Americans. They can be violent at times, but it is mostly just for show. We forgive them this because they really are beautiful people for the most part.

If Venezuela were a person, it would be Angelina Jolie!
Beautiful, but can be over the top sometimes!

Paraguay

What can I say? Paraguayans are so friendly and yet, you just never quite know what to expect in this country. Something new and strange seems to be lurking around each corner. Whatever it turns out to be will be interesting and never boring! Its all good!

If Paraguay were a person, it would be the character
Willy Wonka!

Eccentric

Canada

I never lived in Canad but   its seems to be nearly invisible to us although it is our next door neighbor. We often forget about Canada but do enjoy knowing it is so nearby when needed. You know it is there and in a pinch will help you out, but for some reason Canada never is in the spotlight.

If Canada were a person, it would be the character
Wilson of  the TV show "Home Improvement'.
Our hidden neighbor next door!

Where do you live?
What person would describe your region?

The Things I see...

This was the bathroom in our hotel room on our trip.

Something is missing!

Where could it be???

OH! There it is!

 In the shower, of course!

If you have never traveled to Europe or South America,

I'll just let you wonder about the strange looking apparatus visible in the toilet bowl.

Jesuit Mission Ruins in Paraguay

Here are a few photos I took of our visit at LaTrinidad, a ruin of the once magnificent Jesuit mission. This mission is one of over 30 which were peopled by the Guarani indians under the supervision and education of the Jesuit priests. The level of civilization they acquired in a matter of decades makes one contemplate what they might have accomplished had the Spanish Crown allowed them to continue in their path of progress rather than expel the priests which led to the decline and abandonment of the cities due to the raids of the Brazilians and Spaniards looking for treasure and slaves. These abuses led the Guarani to return to their nomadic lifestyle and return to a primitive life in the jungle.

The church at La Trinidad

Some of the beautiful stone work

When I look at the tool marks left on the stone by the Guarani  man who shaped it,

I feel a great  sense of pride at what these indians managed to accomplish here

 and sadness that they were not allowed to contiue to do so.

The Bell Tower

Looking down  from the Bell Tower towards the remains

 of one of the indian housing complexes and the church yard.

Over 5000 Guarani lived and worked here at The Trinidad with several thousand more spread out caring for the cattle and crops. At Trinidad they also manufactured  iron weapons on their own.

Internet Woes

I am experiencing internet problems and have not been able to upload the pictures for you as of yet. I can only connect for short spurts and can not get a long post to publish.  

But I am still here! Don't leave me!

Home

Home at last! 

We spent yesterday walking all over the Jesuit ruins of Trinidad and Jesus de Tavarangue. Absolutely  amazing. 

Photos to come.

On the road again

 We will be driving all day. We are packing up the car to leave Uruguay, drive across Argentina, and on into Paraguay. We hope to be able to stop and visit some of the Jesuit Mission ruins along the way.

Our dinner

This is chivito, a Uruguayan dish. 

 French fries, covered with steak, ham and eggs.

Can't go wrong with that!

The things I see...

 A tour of Salto, Uruguay on a motorcycle.