The Paraguayan Circus: An Ode To Paraguay

This country is a Circus, to put it simply.

The tent was designed by none other than Dr. Seuss himself - the plant life is utterly whimsical: There are bushes with fluffy pink "monkey tails" protruding from them, pompom trees, and the scale of everything is cartoon.

The acts in this circus are as exciting as any:

• a herd of horses chasing a stray dog around the neighborhood
• an albino ostrich hanging out, blinking up at you with its beady eyes

The personalities are just as spectacular:

• "El Loco" who wanders the streets barefoot, walking his imaginary pet
• or the gym-class teacher transvestite, which in itself not necessarily noteworthy other than the interesting fact of being genderless in a culture which every single word has a gender
• or how about the dare devil moto drivers and their death defying stunts - zipping through traffic of buses 50x their size?

In this place it's hard to believe in any other reality than that which is Paraguay. Its timing - comic or not; its paradoxes and sheer randomness keep the mind thoroughly occupied.

I am slowly beginning to realize that, though I may sometimes be under the illusion that I finally may be getting what is going on, I don't.

This country, though, is not interested in being understood necessarily, so much as just being itself, which it achieves beautifully. Full marks for originality and uniqueness.

To the country who for all the abundance of the Garden of Eden doesn't like its fruits or vegetables; who insists on drinking boiling hot beverages in body heat temperatures, so hot the rabbits give up breeding.

To the country where construction workers work barefoot, but you always have to wear flip flops inside because the floors are too filthy.

I am slowly adjusting to dogs with testicles and monkeys in trees...

Question marks are a must in Paraguay. Perhaps that is even why the Spanish language includes two: ¿? One just wasn't enough.

It is a fantastic place, and the more comfortable I become here, the more idiosyncrasies I come to treasure. There is nothing quite like this. Not even Barnum and Bailey could boast Paraguay's oddities.