New Website

Though I still have a lot of work to do, I think I have the basic framework for our new website. Now I just have to get busy and post all of our inventory. There is a lot. Photos on the site were taken by myself, Jorge Galeano, Paula Braun and Mr. Ken. Thank you for your help.

Overdue Update

A lot has happened in the last month. Jorge visited St. Catherines and showed our jewellery and nanduti to shopowners. Paula Braun and Fransisco Guppy were very hospitable and opened up their home and hearts to Jorge. He will be contacting people he met and updating them about our new website.

Another Endeavor

As you all know, Jorge and I have our Ebay store. I've been busy posting this past week and I have added some books to our array of products. Today Jorge and I did some major shopping. We bought a pile of brand new clothing which we will be selling on our Ebay store. We will be able to charge very affordable prices which is awesome. It will be a couple of days until they appear as I have ordered some shipping boxes and they haven't arrived yet. Just to give you an idea of the quantity here are a couple of pics.

Jorge's mom is fantastic. She has a store in Asuncion and she has a lot of experience in retail sales. She gives us so much encouragement and wisdom. Jorge's son, Ivan, in Paraguay has been talking to him alot too and helping us with shipping arrangements for merchandise coming from there. He has also given us good advice on how to improve our Ebay store. Many thanks to the people in Paraguay. But this time we bought the clothes here though probably they were made in China. Like most things.

Post Folklorama

Well, it is the week following the end of Folklorama. I am busy posting merchandise on my Ebay store. We have a lot of stuff and we only live in a teeny tiny house so it has been a challenge to find a place to store it all. And at the same time, we are accumulating more. Here is a picture on one shelf of Ebay items. Note the lucky chickens from Paraguay. No, they are not for sale. Their purpose is to bring luck to our business.

The Paraguayan Ambassador to Canada, Manuel Schaerer, visited the Paraguayan ambassador. Here is a picture of him with Jorge in our booth.

Now that Folklorama is over, Jorge have been tossing ideas into the air. We have no definite plans for the next little while, some things we are considering but nothing to announce at this point. The only definite activity is post, post, post on Ebay and work on the website. And brainstorm some more.

Pictures from the Paraguay Pavillion

Here are a few snapshots from last night's performance:

Folklorama - Paraguay, the Heart of South America

Well, we are almost halfway through the Folklorama Festival. The Paraguay, Heart of South America, Pavillion is our last venue we have scheduled for the summer. I am a little sad it is almost over. Then it will be time to look for more opportunities.

As usual, the performers are doing an upstanding job. It is the bicentennial year for Paraguay as an independent nation and the show artistically represents in dance the history of the last 200 years. It is an entertaining show with vibrant costumes and beautiful music. Dancers from Paraguay are here performing with the young local dancers. And of course, what would be the Paraguay Pavillion without the infamous bottle dance? I will bring my camera tonight to see if I can get an exceptional shot for the blog. The crowd ooh's and ah's during the final number when the dancers come out in their carnival costumes. If you haven't come yet, please be sure to come and visit.

Since Folklorama will be our last major festival of the season, keep checking our Ebay store because next week I plan on posting lots of items to the Ebay store. This week at the Pavillion I am proud to be offering some fair trade coffee from Mexico and Guatemala and some fair trade herbal teas from Ecuador. By purchasing fair trade items you will be helping the producers from these countries support their families, send their children to school, upgrade their production facilities and improve their communities. You can even order cane sugar from Paraguay. If you are interested, drop me a line at bbcoimports@gmail.com.

Tomorrow I will post some more pictures from the pavillion. I almost forgot to give a nod to Ben Peters for designing the stage backdrop. It is a replica of the presidential palace in Asuncion, Paraguay. He did an awesome job. I hope you can come to the pavillion and check out the fruits of all the labour that went into making this pavillion the special pavillion it is .

A Legend of Nanduti Lace

The term Nanduti refers to the traditional Paraguayan lace that has its origin in Spain. Nanduti means “spiderweb” in the Guarani language, one of the two official languages of Paraguay. There are numerous legends about how Nanduti came to be.

In one legend, two young men, one rich and one poor, were interested in marrying the chief’s daughter. The chief told them that he would base his decision on what gifts each would choose to bring. The rich man could afford to buy anything and brought animals and beads and many other gifts. The poor man didn’t know what to do so he went for a walk in the forest. He came upon a beautiful spiderweb but when he attempted to grab it, it dissolved in his hands. Forlorn, he went home to his mother who listened sympathetically to his woes. She went back into the forest with needle and thread to look for a new spider web. She found one and captured the web design in the thread. The young man brought the result of his mother’s labour, the original Nanduti, to the chief who was impressed. The young man married the chief’s daughter and they lived happily ever after.