Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Meet me on Monday, the 12 th
Meet me on Monday, 12th edition
Time to get to know each other better, one Monday at a time. Link up to Java here to meet more bloggers and to answer her questions of the week.
We had an awesome answer to prayer last night. The spring rain came before spring even started. Whoever has been reading my blog for a while knows that we were in a drought for the last 2 years, so we are hoping that this will be the start of a wetter (do you say it that way?) spring and summer. Then maybe we can harvest a crop around Easter next year. The best sound to a Chaqueño's (person living in the dry Chaco) ears is the sound of rain on the tin roofs and the distant thunder coming closer. The second best sound to my ears is to hear the tractors in the village starting up this morning to plow the orchards. Thank you Lord!
Questions:
1. What is your favorite kind of potato chip?
I never met a potato chip I didn’t like, but because we can’t get Salt & Vinegar chips here, I’m craving those the most.
2. Do you make your bed every day?
Um, do you really have to ask this? My kids or my mom might be reading… I make our bed almost every day!
3. How often do you go to the hair salon?
That reminds me to make an appointment for this week; I usually get my hair cut every 2 – 3 months.
4. What do you dip your French fries in?
Catsup!
5. Do you shop with coupons?
No, our stores don’t have coupons here. But I won an iron (as to iron clothes with) in a contest in our supermarket the other day!
I hope you have all read my post from yesterday, explaining my heritage. I'm working on part 2, so check in again soon. Love, Brenda, aka the Chacogirl!
Time to get to know each other better, one Monday at a time. Link up to Java here to meet more bloggers and to answer her questions of the week.
We had an awesome answer to prayer last night. The spring rain came before spring even started. Whoever has been reading my blog for a while knows that we were in a drought for the last 2 years, so we are hoping that this will be the start of a wetter (do you say it that way?) spring and summer. Then maybe we can harvest a crop around Easter next year. The best sound to a Chaqueño's (person living in the dry Chaco) ears is the sound of rain on the tin roofs and the distant thunder coming closer. The second best sound to my ears is to hear the tractors in the village starting up this morning to plow the orchards. Thank you Lord!
Questions:
1. What is your favorite kind of potato chip?
I never met a potato chip I didn’t like, but because we can’t get Salt & Vinegar chips here, I’m craving those the most.
 |
| My sis J brought these chips in her suitcase all the way from Canada! |
2. Do you make your bed every day?
Um, do you really have to ask this? My kids or my mom might be reading… I make our bed almost every day!
3. How often do you go to the hair salon?
That reminds me to make an appointment for this week; I usually get my hair cut every 2 – 3 months.
4. What do you dip your French fries in?
Catsup!
No, our stores don’t have coupons here. But I won an iron (as to iron clothes with) in a contest in our supermarket the other day!
I hope you have all read my post from yesterday, explaining my heritage. I'm working on part 2, so check in again soon. Love, Brenda, aka the Chacogirl!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
From Prussia to Paraguay, part 1
Some of my readers have asked me about my heritage. It's such a long story, that I decided to make a little series of how a german/english speaking girl like me is living in Paraguayan Chaco in South America.
It all started in Prussia. Whoever is looking for Prussia on a current world map won't find it anywhere.
It was part of today's Germany and Poland.
My ancestors were dutch-german Anabaptists (following the teachings of Menno Simons) living in Prussia as early as 1530.
Catherine the Great from Russia invited farmers in 1763 to settle in the Ukraine. Many Mennonites were attracted to this offer, because they were encountering restrictions in living their faith. They also wanted to be excused from military service. In the years from 1787-1870 about 1907 families (8000 people) migrated to various parts of Russia, such as Chortitza, Molotschna, Samara and Vilna.
Map of the Russian Mennonite colonies in 1875. Source: http://home.ica.net/~walterunger/S-Russia.htm
Most Mennonites from this group are traditionally multilingual, with Plautdietsch (low-German) and German as their first languages.
The colonists formed villages of 15 – 30 families, and this concept is still used in our colony in Paraguay. Each farm had about 70 ha (175 acres) of land to it, and some villages had a communal plot of land for funding large projects or for use by the poor in lean years. (This is also done in one of the villages in our area.) In the beginning the Mennonites raised cattle, sheep and general crops to provide for their household. But as they got to know the land better, they diversified into growing mulberries for the silk industry, they produced honey, flax and tobacco and marketed fruits and vegetables for city markets. By 1830, wheat was their main crop.
Quote by wiki:
“Expanding population and the associated pressure for more farmland became a problem by 1860. The terms of the settlement agreement prevented farms from being divided; they were required to pass intact from one generation to the next. Since agriculture was the main economic activity, an expanding class of discontented, landless poor arose. Their problems tended to be ignored by the village assembly, which consisted of voting landowners. By the early 1860s the problem became so acute that the landless organized a party that petitioned the Russian government for relief. A combination of factors relieved their plight. The Russian government permitted farms to be divided in half or quarters and ordered release of the village's communal land. The colonies themselves purchased land and formed daughter colonies on the eastern frontier extending into Siberia and Turkestan. These new colonies included Bergtal, Neu Samara Colony and the Mennonite settlements of Altai.
As wheat farming expanded, the demand for mills and farm equipment grew. The first large foundry was established in Chortitza in 1860 and other firms followed. By 1911 the eight largest Mennonite-owned factories produced 6% of the total Russian output (over 3 million rubles), shipped machinery to all parts of the empire and employed 1744 workers. The annual output of Lepp and Wallman of Schönwiese was 50,000 mowers, 3000 threshing machines, thousands of gangplows in addition to other farm equipment. Flour and feed mills were originally wind-powered, a skill transplanted from Prussia. These were eventually replaced with motor and steam driven mills. Milling and its supporting industries grew to dominate the industrial economy of the colonies and nearby communities.”
To be continued...
It all started in Prussia. Whoever is looking for Prussia on a current world map won't find it anywhere.
It was part of today's Germany and Poland.
So, here goes my story:
From Prussia to Paraguay, my heritage
My ancestors were dutch-german Anabaptists (following the teachings of Menno Simons) living in Prussia as early as 1530.
Catherine the Great from Russia invited farmers in 1763 to settle in the Ukraine. Many Mennonites were attracted to this offer, because they were encountering restrictions in living their faith. They also wanted to be excused from military service. In the years from 1787-1870 about 1907 families (8000 people) migrated to various parts of Russia, such as Chortitza, Molotschna, Samara and Vilna.
Map of the Russian Mennonite colonies in 1875. Source: http://home.ica.net/~walterunger/S-Russia.htm
Most Mennonites from this group are traditionally multilingual, with Plautdietsch (low-German) and German as their first languages.
The colonists formed villages of 15 – 30 families, and this concept is still used in our colony in Paraguay. Each farm had about 70 ha (175 acres) of land to it, and some villages had a communal plot of land for funding large projects or for use by the poor in lean years. (This is also done in one of the villages in our area.) In the beginning the Mennonites raised cattle, sheep and general crops to provide for their household. But as they got to know the land better, they diversified into growing mulberries for the silk industry, they produced honey, flax and tobacco and marketed fruits and vegetables for city markets. By 1830, wheat was their main crop.
Quote by wiki:
“Expanding population and the associated pressure for more farmland became a problem by 1860. The terms of the settlement agreement prevented farms from being divided; they were required to pass intact from one generation to the next. Since agriculture was the main economic activity, an expanding class of discontented, landless poor arose. Their problems tended to be ignored by the village assembly, which consisted of voting landowners. By the early 1860s the problem became so acute that the landless organized a party that petitioned the Russian government for relief. A combination of factors relieved their plight. The Russian government permitted farms to be divided in half or quarters and ordered release of the village's communal land. The colonies themselves purchased land and formed daughter colonies on the eastern frontier extending into Siberia and Turkestan. These new colonies included Bergtal, Neu Samara Colony and the Mennonite settlements of Altai.
As wheat farming expanded, the demand for mills and farm equipment grew. The first large foundry was established in Chortitza in 1860 and other firms followed. By 1911 the eight largest Mennonite-owned factories produced 6% of the total Russian output (over 3 million rubles), shipped machinery to all parts of the empire and employed 1744 workers. The annual output of Lepp and Wallman of Schönwiese was 50,000 mowers, 3000 threshing machines, thousands of gangplows in addition to other farm equipment. Flour and feed mills were originally wind-powered, a skill transplanted from Prussia. These were eventually replaced with motor and steam driven mills. Milling and its supporting industries grew to dominate the industrial economy of the colonies and nearby communities.”
To be continued...
Friday, August 27, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Random Dozen
1. What is your favorite Mexican dish?
Are empanadas Mexican? I love them. Or else tacos, but no cumin spice in them, please.
2. When you were a kid, did you get started on your homework right away after school, or did you procrastinate?
We came back from school at noon, ate lunch, had a nap (or were supposed to anyway) then we did our homework.
3. What is your favorite store for home furnishings?
I’ll agree with Betty on this one, Feria Asuncion is amazing!
4. When you were young, did you like school lunches?
I always ate lunch at home, but I loved to eat a sandwich out of my dad’s lunch box.
5. Is religion a crutch?
No, my faith frees me from my crutches. Phil. 4:10-14
6. In your region, what is the "big" (most popular in the community or state) high school sport?
Volleyball and soccer.
7. Do you consider yourself rich?
Not in financial terms. But I have family, friends, health, home, pets, etc. So I guess I’m pretty rich, eh?
8. Which of these would you have the best chance for success in administering:
A) CPR
B) Heimlich Maneuver
C) Changing a flat tire, I’ve done this before
9. Which dance would you prefer to learn & why:
A) Salsa
B) Hip Hop
C) Waltz
D) Swing
I have no dance coordination, but when I see Hip Hop, I kinda want to jump up and dance along.
10. What's the worst news you've ever delivered to someone?
I was visiting with a friend at my house, and her mother called and said her dad had died. I didn’t deliver the news, but was there when she got it.
11. Name something you learned in college that had nothing to do with classes or academics.
I didn’t go to college.
12. New variation on an old question: If there's a song in your head that just won't get out, what is your favorite (or most repeated) line in that song?
I’m kind of embarrassed to admit this, but this song really sticks in your head.
Shawty’s like a melody in my head
That I can’t keep out, got me singin’ like
Na, na, na, na everyday
It’s like my iPod’s stuck on replay, replay
Replay by Iyaz
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