La Estancia, Paraguay

In the country side of eastern Paraguay sits a tranquil ranch-farm, or estancia, where cattle graze, soy beans grow, and time moves a little bit slower. The family estancia is home to a few hundred cattle and livestock, a handful of farm workers, and a different way of life. I spent 4 days there, and left wanting to stay behind.

I have to say one of the biggest privileges of this trip is the friends I have been able to make along the way. Not only am I getting to see some cool places, but I also am able to become a part of these people's lives, learning about their culture firsthand. This certain family who owns the ranch has been an awesome blessing in my life, and has shared with me, among other things, the estancia way of life.

There were a lot of firsts on the trip. I rode, galloped, and herded cattle on a horse for the first time. I saw the pursuit/capture of a pig (about a half hour excursion involving a lot of running and lasso tossing), the killing of the pig (intense!), the skinning/gutting/cutting of the pig (a really smelly biology class), and finally the hanging of the final pieces of meat of the pig (the process is definitely not for the faint of heart). The next day we ate the pig. It was delicious. And if you think that is gross, try watching the castration of bulls. That is a...painfully (for you and the bull) disgusting process. (And no, I am not kidding. I really saw this. It is a normal part of the cattle raising process. It allows the cows to gain more weight and make better meat. Most of the meat we eat is from a castrated male cow. Bon appétit.) I was able to see the ranch's land and country side, how work was done, and how people lived their daily lives. There was also a reserve for the Guarani indigenous people right next to the ranch, and some business interactions go on between the people and the surrounding ranches. I can't accurately convey the simplicity of these lifestyles, ranch or indigenous, and how different they are from everything I know. The ranchers live without many of the items I would consider basic for living, and in houses much, much simpler than any I would think of living in. You can easily imagine how the indigenous peoples live based on school and movies. What is interesting though is the cross of cultures. They still live in basic huts, but are clothed in modern clothing, and some have motorcycles parked outside their huts. It is a very interesting phenomenon.

One thing though that permeates even into the ranching lifestyle is the love of soccer, and we had a game with everybody one night out behind one of the houses. I love the soccer field. It is where an American with tennis shoes and 1 month old REI pants can come together with a Paraguayan rancher, playing barefoot and with ratty pants he has probably worn for over a year. Setting aside all the differences in culture, language, and wealth, everything revolves around the round ball in the middle of the pitch. And whether you are in a World Cup stadium with netted goals and thousands of fans, or on a little field in nowhere Paraguay with nailed wooden boards for goal posts, quick feet, an arcing cross, and a header goal is a beautiful thing.