Our new home

Welcome to our new home!

We have been slowly settling into our house. It’s modern, walking distance to the US Embassy, and has a great amount of space for us. We really like it despite the fact that, almost daily, we have somebody coming over to work on something (faulty pool filter, water penetrating through the exterior brick, getting an electric shock every time we used the stove…). I have to be home when the contractors or Embassy staff come over, so it’s a good thing I am not working and I don’t mind being in the house!

On the first floor, there is an office with an en suite bathroom (we are going to use this as a playroom for Olivia), a “social bathroom”, the kitchen, dining room, and a living room with fireplace.

There is also a laundry room, another small bathroom, and a housekeeper’s quarters (which actually houses a second freezer, a metal locker, our vacuum and mop, and lots of boxes) on the first floor, as well as an atrium to allow some light in, since technically our walls are shared with both our neighbors, which would mean no windows on either side of the house without the atrium. 

On the second floor are 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a living room with a fireplace. The master has a huge closet area separating the bedroom and the bathroom. There is a jetted tub that I had the horror of trying to clean (see photo below…it was so gross but I’m hoping it was mostly the orangey brown Paraguayan dirt).

Still trying to figure out the best way to conceal all the open toiletries- more baskets?

Questionable filth coming through the jets as I throw in bleach in hopes of disinfecting

Olivia’s bedroom has an en suite bathroom, and the other two bedrooms (which we will use as guestrooms for all our visitors…hint hint, family & friends!) have a shared bathroom. In one guest room, there is a queen bed, and the other has two twin beds. I don't have any photos of Olivia's room, but it's about the size of the guest rooms.

(before we put in a queen bed and moved the twin)

Guest bathroom 

Even has a bidet! And a reminder not to flush paper down the toilet!

We decided to set up our t.v. in the upstairs living room. We are still waiting on our actual t.v., and until then we are using the small t.v. that the Embassy is lending to us. Unlike in Jamaica, this room actually has an air conditioner in it, so we will still be able to sit in the room when it gets really hot.

In our backyard, we have a small covered area where we have a table and chairs and our quincho. My understanding is that in Paraguay, it is common to have a quincho (aka outdoor barbecue area) and we have already used it several times. Bags of charcoal are very inexpensive here, as is meat!

We also have a grassy area and a small pool that is gated off. It was perfect when we first arrived because it was so hot outside. Now that we are going into winter and it is actually relatively chilly, Olivia still wants to stick her feet in the pool and I have to remind her that it is too cold. It goes from about 1 foot deep to 4.5 feet deep.

In the back of the yard is another room (which we are essentially using as a toolshed for the lawnmower, pool chemicals and camping supplies, but which I would guess could serve as another household help living quarters) and a bathroom that I should probably check on and clean. 

Once we get our final shipment of stuff and actually get our things unpacked, I’ll try and post some updated photos of the rooms...if we actually hang anything on the walls!