South America

Alive in Asuncion

We made it safely to Asuncion, Paraguay last Tuesday.  Our initial impression is a positive one, although Paraguay is obviously different than the United States and will require some acclimation.  I have been offline for the past few days and have intermittent Internet access since I arrived.  I may not have access at home for about a week.  As it is, the Internet here is relatively slow with top speeds of 256-512 kbps (no, not megabytes, kilobytes).  I wanted to post a short entry to let you know that we’re alive and doing OK here in Paraguay.  I will try to write again soon.

Paraguayan Independence Day celebration

Happy Paraguayan Independence Day!  On this day in 1811, Paraguay became an independent nation, the first in the New World after the United States (even earlier than Haiti).  The Spanish actually withdrew on May 14th, but Paraguay celebrates its independence on May 15th.  Last night my wife and I went to the Organization of American States (OAS) building near the White House and attended the independence day celebration in the grand ballroom.  It’s a gorgeous building with an ornate interior.  Guitarrist Dani Cortaza gave a wonderful performance, and the reception immediately following featured a Paraguayan buffet.  The evening was balmy, and we enjoyed the opportunity to break away from home for a change.  My mother is in town now, and she watched our son for the evening.  Although life has been hectic lately (hence, I haven’t been blogging), last night was a nice diversion from the frenetic pace of life that seems to have sped up in the last week.

U.S. news on Paraguay

Dear Reader, I haven’t had much time lately to write, so I’ll have to post a short entry today.  News from Paraguay is rarely picked up by the U.S. media, so it is with great interest that MSNBC reports on Hezbollah’s purported operations in Paraguay.  A big 10-gallon Texas cowboy hat tip to my good friend Tortmaster for sending me this story.  Here’s the link for your reading pleasure:
 
It’s not exactly the kind of news that positively portrays Paraguay in the American media, but at least it gives the country a bit more visibility–perhaps more than it would like.