Saturday, November 16, 1996

Good Bye Macosur


15th November 1996 Macosur Company officially closed down. Today, the office paid all the outstanding salary to all the staff and workers but without a farewell party.
The sawmill already stopped for half year without new log coming in. Followed by the S4S line shortly after all the remaining raw wood are used up.

17th November 1996 Senior Ramirez came to our house to paid up G65,000 (US$33) he owed us and gave us a warm good bye. After that he carried his 2 bags of all belonging and waited for a public bus by the highway. Moment later he board a bus and with it he left forever.

Senior Ramirez aged 60+ is the oldest office staff of Macosur sawmill who worked for the company almost for the whole life. Now at his retirement age he saw also the company closing down. How much he keep for his remaining life from the company he work for I do not know, but I understanding the intense of his financial difficulty that for the mere US$33 took him half a year to pay up.

And for my whole family, 2 weeks later on 1 December 1996 we started living in a condominium in Ciudad del Este City just 22 Km away. My job continue as usual under the Taiwanese company.

The Paraguay sawmill was later dismantled after the land changed ownership, with only its formal address remain in history record:

MACOSUR S.A.
RUTA 7, KM22,
ALTO PARANA, MINGA GUAZU.
TEL: (595) 064-510


MACOSUR S.A. -
MAderas del COno SUr S.A.
(Timber of Southern Cone)
International and Multinational Private company .. Asuncion .. Manufacturing:


November 15, 1996 (Friday)
Macosur closed. On this day they already paid all the workers.

Sunday, November 10, 1996

November 09, 1996 (Saturday)
Went to birthday of Noemi. The celebration was held on their
Evangelican church. Yee and I are the godmother and godfather of
her 15th birthday.


November 15, 1996 (Friday)
Macosur closed. On this day they already paid all the workers.

Normi's quinceañeras



Normi's dresses for quinceañeras (galas for girls' 15th birthdays)
Normi's 15th Birthday

November 09, 1996 (Saturday)
Noemi's 15th Birthday celebration at their Evangelican church. Shirley and I are the godmother and godfather of her 15th birthday.

Quinceañera Celebration - Celebration of 15th Birthday

The Quinceañera is a celebration of a young girl's coming of age (her 15th birthday). In Paraguay, like else where in Latin America, a girl's 15th birthday is considered an important milestone.


This Hispanic tradition dates back to the ancient native cultures of South America.

This rite of initiation, that is rooted in the customs of the Toltec & Aztec, the Maya, the Quechua and other indigenous civilizations, continues today in the traditions of the present-day Hispanic cultures.

In Latin America's Latino cultures, a girl's 15th birthday, (a quinceañera) , marks her passage into adulthood. This celebration often includes a religious ceremony at church, in which the young lady recognizes her heritage and her spiritual journey.