Peluquera Class

February 24, 1997 Monday



Shirley started her Peluquera Class. (Saloon Class).

Her classmates include the daughters of the owner of LaFamilia and the Empleada.

Each student much come to class with 4 notebooks, a black ballpen and a towel.

Class scheduled every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.


February 26, 1997 (Wednesday)

Today she started learning how to bath the customers hair (banado).

While bathing the hair need to massage the head too.

Shirley has not partner to practice this hair bathing (hair washing), so the teacher asked her to practice on her hair.

After returning home she practice on Felicia. But she never bath my hair. Never. I do not have much hair anyway.



In the weeks that follow they learned how to lavado de crema (wash with  creme).

And they need to buy plastic cap, electronic cap, tapa, bowl and brush.

They also learn sterilization.  

They have nice uniform.


April 23, 1997 (Wednesday)

Shirley brought Sussana and the mother with her to beautician school.

As students in a saloon school need many “heads” for their practice.

But Sussana and her mother are happy to be “Gunnies Pigs” because for the first time in their live they have their hair applied with banado al aceite. Even more excited for the first time having someone to “cleansed their faces”

The beauty school use points system as insensitive.  Shirley got 7 points in school today.

April 29,1997 (Tuesday) Teacher Day

Shirley went to km 7 with Sussana to greet her teacher Virginia for Teachers day.

Its Summer Fun Carnival again

February 23,1997 (Sunday)

It Summer time.  Fun Carnival is in town again. And today is Sunday for outing.


But first we went to church in the morning.

Only after lunch tn the afternoon we went to carnival and spend the whole afternoon there.

Xing and Shirley tried almost all the ridings for children
.

Those who paid have an blue ink stamped on the lower arm. With the stamp mark, the visitor can try all the ride they want. Those without a stamp on the arm would just stand aside to watch.

Its mora a fun park for children. Xing has a stamp mark on his hand after we paid for him. But as a small kid the mother

Went to Brazil but return from USA

February 17, 1997 (Monday)

My colleague Fernando came back from "Miami" today. But he was suppose to return from a Brazil not from USA.

He gave Shirley a trip souvenir : a cup with fishes style inside and a bottle opener.

I did not he went to USA but I am aware he might be going to. Just month ago he requests me to write an English letter to USA Embassy to apply for a Visa. His English is not good enought to write. Did he obtained the USA Visa? He never told me about this.

But what he tole me weeks later was that he would make a QC inspection trip to North of Brazil for 2 weeks.  QC is my job responsibility not his. I should be the one going not him.  I was the one responsible for QC problems whenever happen not him. But this particular time, without any consultation with me, he took over my responsibility for the first time. This is curious to me.

A wood supplier in a small city in the North of Brazil earlier send a fax that they has some wood ready and enquire whether our company interested to import to Taiwan.  Our head office in Taiwan has not reply of showing any interest or asking either one of us to make a QC trip.

Soon later, without prior consultation with me,  he made up his own decision to go to see the wood for himself. That far away and for that long period. I am quite suspicion adding that months earlier he wanted a US Visa with no reason or fixed date of going to USA.

Today, he came back from the intended "QC inspection" trip. He should be coming back from "Brazil", no from "Miami" of USA as he said. Interestingly, perhaps he is in such happy and excited mood from the trip away that he forgotten to tell a second lie to cover up the first lie.

-------------------------------------------

Several months later.....................

I was quick to forget about such patty mater. Not until several months later to realize that this is not a petty matter but a big issue. I by chance discovered a secret of him. A Romeo and Juliet type of romantic secret. He has been careless in hiding his personal faxes with his girlfriend in Taiwan.

I was clearing and tidy up all the office files and documents because my whole family was preparing for a "long" holiday back to Malaysia. I want to have a peace of mind trip without worry unfinished routine in the office.

On the very top high up cupboard (All the rooms in Panorama Building are fixed with build in wall closet and cupboard from floor to cyline.) Up there I found a forgotten arch file, the standard type of black hard cover arch file that almost ever office used for filing.  This file never seen before, still new with nor label  and with only several faxes in his Chinese handwriting.  Curious to classify whether his personal and official document, I gone through these faxes.

These were faxes communication between him and girlfriend. Now,  my mind was cleared of the mystery of why my colleague went to "Brazil" but return from "USA"


The faxes told the romantic story:  ...........

Catholic Church Korean Mass

February 16, 1997 (Sunday)



Today is Sunday. Some how I got the idea of paying the church a visit.  The church is just 50 meters from our building Panorama and we can see the church everyday from our veranda.

We entered the Church at 11:00 A.M.  Inside the church are all Koreans people. Only saw a Paraguayan family of 3 members. I thought it was Paraguayan service and did not know that at this time is the Korean mass. No one find this unusual visit of us. We understand nothing the Korean language during the mass. But we blended into the group as if we are also Korean.

Ciudad del Este in English is "City at the East".  Population wise, almost one third of the faces you see in the commercial center are Eastern faces such as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.  And now we moved in to live in the city adding new faces from the East; one from Malaysia and one from Philippine.  At this time perhaps I am the only Malaysia and my wife the only Philippina.

The Bicycle and Mower

February 09, 1997 (Sunday)


It Sunday again.  Almost every Sunday we will return to our factory quarter in Macosur for overnight and as part of my job duty.

Thought we have rented a flat in the city at our own expenses, the staff quarter at Macosur factory is still our official accommodation provided by the employer. The reason we do not stay in the factory is Macosur factory has been closed down for business and now the Spanish owner is looking for buyer to the property. Sooner or later we will have to move out off the factory compound. So we secured a flat in the city before we are forced out by the new owner and became homeless.


However inside the factory are a few machineries that in "Accounting” still belong to Taiwan partner. And that I am paid by the Taiwan Company to be base in Paraguay to supervise the business operation. With the responsibility of keeping an eye on employer's property, I come back to the old factory each Sunday.

Today, something not a good sign inside my factory quarter. We return to discover that the gas stove in the kitchen has been taken away by the factory management. The management has the master key and the right to our quarter. The management staff do not stay in the factory, they are all living in the capital city Asunsion. They sent order and instruction through phone.

Several months ago, the Macosul factory already talked directly to me to move out of the quarter. But I persisted to stay with the reason of company property ownership of machines still belong to my employer and that I have the responsibility to stay in the factory compound until Taiwan official inform me to move out.

However with the gas stove and almost all other kitchen utensils such as rice cooker being taken away, the factory obviously is impatient any longer.

Most of my family belonging has been moved to our new flat in the city, except a few big items such as the bicycle and the mower.

I made immediate decision to take our own bicycle and mower out today before they claimed as their. If not, next week when we return we might find them taken away and might never able to claim back from them.

So, without making too much hesitation I push the two items one by one across the high way to Nilsa's house half a kilometer away.

Nilsa is the pretty young girl who often walks across the highway to our quarter to spend a whole afternoon to play with our baby son in the back yard and return home after dinner. Her family live in one of the wooden houses in the settlement opposite our factory across the highway.  Months before, Shirley already got agreement from her mother to help to sales the bicycle and mower for us.

And now it is the time for me to bring these two items over to their house.

Without stove to cook, we had lunch at Nilsa's house. Her mother cooks asado for every one.

We return to the city late afternoon by bus as usual.

Chinese New Year

February 07, 1997 (Friday)

Chinese New Year.

Shirley given Lai-See to Aida and Felicia 10,000 guaranies each.

Caaguazu - where I wanted to be a farmer

February 05, 1997 (Wednesday)

My outstation work trip to Caaguazu. But, this trip is special, as I brought the whole family to the town. I like this quiet town and having the idea of  in the future coming to settle down here as a farmer. So, this trip I bring my wife and the boy to come have a look.

We have lunch in Brasileiro restaurant near the hotel acrocess the highway.

Evening we cooked quick noodle in the hotel for dinner.  A Korean Supermarket is at the front of the block where we bought sundry from. This is perphep the largest supermarket in the town.

I cam to Caaguazu almost monthly for the last half year because my Taiwan company is buying wood from a wood factory near by in the town.  Every time I stay in the same small hotel and buy foods and drinks from this same supermarket.

The shop attendants are familiar with my face because I came several times. But not the young adult son of the Korean Supermarket whom I never seen in the shop. One day as I walked into supermarket this young son was right behind the front counter at the entrance and almost as soon as he saw me, he started to complain to me in Spanish or perhaps mixed with Korean. My understanding of Spanish is still very limited but I listen careful trying to catch some keywords to know what his trouble is. He repeats point to the cash machine on the counter and I figured out what was wrong.

What he was complaining was that the cash machine "supplied by my company" has been out of order for too long and has been waiting for the supplier to send some one to fix it. And that I came late only now.


While I was trying to say with broken Spanish something like "No No Mi No personel...." (No, no I am not the representative from the company), his shop attendant quickly approached him and tell softly to him that I am not the repair man.  The young shop owner looked at me a while with puzzled and I proceed into his shop with embarrass smile.


This is something I like about my apparent, that I can be "localized" easily in many countries I went.  I have been assumed by some local people as one of them in India, Burma, Thailand, and Brazil.

In India I was look alike a Tibetan or Ceylonese.  In Brazil I was look alike an Amazon tribe.

Except in Hong Kong where they do not consider I am one of them. The Police like to stop me to check whether I have a passport to be there.



February 06, 1997(Thursday)

I finished my QC inspection works in the morning.  We checked out the hotel after lunch to return to Ciudad del Este. We have some time to see more of the town.

As we stroll around Caaguazu town,  I saw a horse-drawn wagon by the street.  Its a farmer's horse carriage. A mother and son were unloading some packages to the shop.  Shirley, my wife, talked to the lady whether their horse cart could take us for a tour round the town for a small fee. The mother gladly accepted. Her young son became our horseman for our half an hour interesting experience sight seeing of mercado of Caaguazu.

They call the horse Calesa.

6 February 1997 - sightseeing on a horse cart in the town of Caaguazu, Paraguay

LIBRERIA COSMOS

COTILLON MERCERIA

BOOKSTORE

ATALAYA DE INMUEBLES

VENTA DE LOTES

BUILDING ATALAYA

SALE OF LOTS



Back to Ciuded del Este, we have dinner in Korean restaurant.

1st birthday of Noemi's baby sister

February 04, 1997 (Tuesday)


Yesterday, the father of Noemi came to panorama to invite us to attend the birthday of their baby daughter tomorrow.

So today I prospone the family trip to Caaguazu for the birthday party in the late afternoon.

This is the 1st birthday of Noemi's baby sister.

Noemi's house is in the city outskirt and beside a small river.  I went to have a look at the mudy river. Its a short walk down the slop from their house.