note of gratitude appreciate the medical information and those pictures were great. thank you, i can now calculate the monetary exchange rate. hope you enjoy the rest of you time in paraguay.
glad to hear you had good weather for el volcan--looks like the same view i had from the top--gorgeous!! had to laugh at your sledding story...i was scared but it was one of the coolest feelings ever
It's so wonderful to hear about you trip through Chile, Matt! If ever there is a moment when I'm missing Chile the most, it's right now as I look at your wonderful pictures and read about your adventures! Espero que lo pasaras increibleen la tierra de mi querido Chilito! Un beso y chau!
and so this concludes my marathon of reading your blog in which you have reminded me that....
(a) people always seem to appear in all the right places when you need them
(b) I must visit mendoza
(C) I haven't eaten meat in over six months
I'm still going to have to argue that you should have made it over to the brasilian side....rainbows rainbows rainbows!!
good to see you made it down there. did you drink skol beer?
very humbling indeed just wanted to say that it has taken me a while to catch up with your blogs but I really enjoyed reading this one. Some of the stuff, like the fake socks and pan dulce (pao doce), brought back fond memories. I remember spending probably 2 hours in that huge super store in ciudad del este staring at all the american candy i hadn't seen in months. But then there are things like the utter destitution you witnessed that makes me feel like we're really not as far apart as geography says we are. here in india we have terms for differentiating the houses when we go out to survey the villages..."pacca" (houses made out of cement, brick or any other standard building materials),and "kutcha" (houses made of anything people can get their hands on including forest produces, random waste findings and anything else they can get their hands on. And think about how many houses like that we could construct with the crap that comes out of one garage cleaning. eesh. Anyway it was great reading your blog...i'm doing my best to keep up!
please stay in touch
~rija
raaaanch I'm sure Ashley really appreciates the graphic detail about her legs ;) Nonetheless, I hope both of your sunburns are coming along nicely. P.S. New Zealand doesn't have ranch either...
showering? I've noticed that although you claim to be showering four times a day (four more than you often did in college), you seem to be wearing those blue shorts in every picture on here. Maybe a little less showering and a little more laundry is in order.
random things... -I'm glad that via wikipedia's help you were able to make this post more statistically accurate.
-Way to go on finally pretending to be a doctor - I've been asking you medical advice for years.
-Did the singing involve I Want It That Way?
-Carnies? Was Tequila Dan there?
TEARS!!!! Well, Matthew, your blog was very moving on a number of levels and it had me in tears - especially your encounter and description of the extreme povery you saw. Thank you for the details, and the challenge to always be appreciative of what we have, especially realizing that we live in such a wealthy society.
Your dad also shed a tear - usually it is only Dickens that does that!
We love you
Mom
God bless you Mateo Caldis! I finished reading your blog with joy and tears in my eyes. What a wonderful experience. It brought back memories when I uses to
walk to Caacupe from Ypacarai. Yes, I'm Paraguayan living in Virginia USA and " estoy asombrada y feliz" for what you did. Who said miracles does not happen? Miracles do happen , You, coming all the way from the USA to Caacupe and tending your helping hands
to completely strangers in a very difficult time , all in the name of our faith. Priceless! Keep up the good work! Gracias en nombre de Paraguay y que Viva la Virgen de los Milagros de Caacupe!!
:-) Hi Caldis!
Wow, what a beautiful post! It's so cool to read about this happening far far away... I love that our Church is universal like that! The Solmenity of the Immaculate Conception (a wonderful feast that celebrates Mary and her special role as Jesus' Mother) was on Monday and it's beautiful to hear about how other cultures celebrate the Blessed Mother. Yay!
I'll continue to pray for you and your work in South America.... you are a rock star!
The Herpes Shuffle Hope you feel lots better in the next week, Matt. It sounds like you've got a lot to accomplish.
A little immaturity to add to Matt's comments about The Real Shing. Just so you know, this is not to be confused with the Cupied Shuffle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aPGV9CaySk
I am glad you tried to bring the amish beard to Paraguay Hey matt, nice to see that things are going well for you. That ratitioulle image is stuck in my head. good story i guess. i am in my fourth week of my new job at johnson controls. i dont know when i talked to you last. i got the job at johnson controls doing hybrid vehicle battery designs. my job thus far has been good overall. i still need to learn alot before i can take much over myself. I mostly have been doing side projects for my boss thus far. on the bright side, he seems very interested that i learn a lot, so i doubt i am going to be doing what I have done thus far all the time. It snowed last night for the first time in miwaukee. minnesotans always talk about the weather.
Its good to see things are going well for you.
take care.
mark
Men!!! You will love that!!! Hi Matthew,
I'm Fr. Antonio Medeiros. We don't know each other but I know very well this family who are hosting you and this people where you are living now. They are great. I'm from Brasil and I had the happiness of living and working in Villeta for almost 4 years. Now I'm in Sacramento - CA. I liked the photos of your blog because I could see some of them and also how some of them grew up.
Sugestion: If you liked the empanadas, You need to try the delicious sandwich de milanesa in Tia Yiya's bar, certainly you'll love that. I couldn't find nothing like that here in USA.
I think we'll met soon because in January, after 4 years, I'll be visiting Paraguay. God bless you. Fr. Antonio Medeiros
just a little correction... Casi = almost.
crazy driver... drives like an animal I just read your novel. Four things came to mind...
1. Is driving the ambulance anything like driving a short bus (without the traffic laws)? If so, it sounds like a blast.
2. If they refer to your shingles as herpes, what do they use to refer to your real herpes? Anyways, sorry about The Shing.
3. If you're having trouble gaining weight, I would recommed trying this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EYZCZvV7WM It seems to work pretty well.
4. A serious note: impressive outlook in the last paragraph. I'm sure your helping the community in many ways.
I am happy for you.
I am very happy for you, you project happiness and excitement in your blog, seems that you are having a blast, I am glad that your espanol es mejor, y que sigues escribiendo en tu blog.
Que Dios te bendiga.
News from Cape Town Hola Hoesit? Muchos Grassy-Ass for your letter, Elaine, Tara, Terence, Bradford and Theiler are here in Cape Town for Jordan's 7th ..you guessed it..., BIRTHDAY PARTY...You were here in spirit, and we have just enjoyed reading about all your performances at EXPOS and Birthday Parties. Yes you did look pretty
"happy" as you put it. I remember one such night when you were really happy with me too!!!!! Anyways Cape Town is getting hot too and we are enjoying hanging out together as a family. Keep on plugging at the Spanish and working hard. You will undoubtedly have spanish under your belt soon being so immersed in the culture and then you'll be styling! When you start dreaming or thinking in the language then you're proficient. Love from Oumi and Bruce!
Matt the Entertainer You know, many American artists struggle for years to leave the US and play for international audiences. It seems they could learn a thing or two from Matt "Lenny" Caldis. If you ever need a tour bus, you know who to call.
I am a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I will be spending the next 9 months doing volunteer health care/ health education work in Villeta, Paraguay through the VIDES+USA organization.... full info
jack hatten
non-member comment
note of gratitude
appreciate the medical information and those pictures were great. thank you, i can now calculate the monetary exchange rate. hope you enjoy the rest of you time in paraguay.