The weather is turning cooler with the high in the 50s and the low tonight somewhere around 34°.
The building that I live in has guards 24/7/365. The day guard lives 2-1/2 hours away from here by bus. He works seven days a week. Occasionally, a replacement guard replaces him so that he can go home.
Construction companies operate differently here than in the States. Professionals and management are not true employees of the company for which they work. The companies do not like to pay for health insurance and benefits required by the government for regular employees. The companies pay the supervisory and engineering professionals monthly by contract.
These professionals pay the government 10% of their salaries for income tax and benefits. They have to pay this 10% at their bank and they do not have the option to have it withheld from their pay.
The construction companies do not have a regular labor force. They will hire a foreman (independent contractor) to do a job and pay him by the job. The workers are paid by the foreman. Normally, the workers pay is unregulated because the independent contractors do not usually declare their income. (You have to have assets for the tax collectors to come after their money.) Most people do not have many assets. US companies are not used to working this way, especially in projects where background checks are required for project access.
The Paraguayan Government is getting ready to change hands. The Colorado Party is coming back into power after being out. They held the reigns of power from WWII until five years ago. All of the government agencies and bureaucracies will change leadership. That could affect our project because we will receive some materials from the States. We do not know how long it will take to get materials through Customs.
There is a limited time for shipping materials through the river. The river gets too low for shipping during the hot months. There are no railroads that come into Paraguay from the outside. I do not know why things cannot be trucked in (that is a question that I need to ask).
The country does not have a system of payments such as we have in the USA. You cannot pay online. You can pay your phone bill, your electric bill and water bill at banks and at payment houses. You can pay by check or credit card. Most merchants charge an extra fee for credit card usage.
I get around town by taxi or I walk. The buses are not recommended for us to use because of pickpockets. I talked with a fellow that was born in the States and raised here because his parents are missionaries. He rides the buses regularly and speaks both languages like a native. He has a "geek" job, but, refuses to take an expensive smart phone on the buses.
I went to a new shopping center yesterday hoping to find a big box store or something like that. There is no such thing here. It's mostly mom and pop stores. If you want something from the hardware stores, you go to the front desk and ask for it. The clerk goes to the back and brings you what he thinks you asked for. You can't see what you want and get that.
The walking is fun and healthy. I walked five kilometers (three miles) yesterday and enjoyed it. The weather was pleasant and I saw things that I hadn't noticed when I was passing by in a cab.
The movie theaters are either dubbed with Castilian Spanish or subtitled. All of the animated films are dubbed for the children. I'll have to wait until I get back to the States to see Despicable Me II. I've been told that the evening shows are in English with subtitles and the earlier shows are in Spanish.
I haven't been taking many photos and hope to have some by the next post.....More to come......
The building that I live in has guards 24/7/365. The day guard lives 2-1/2 hours away from here by bus. He works seven days a week. Occasionally, a replacement guard replaces him so that he can go home.
Construction companies operate differently here than in the States. Professionals and management are not true employees of the company for which they work. The companies do not like to pay for health insurance and benefits required by the government for regular employees. The companies pay the supervisory and engineering professionals monthly by contract.
These professionals pay the government 10% of their salaries for income tax and benefits. They have to pay this 10% at their bank and they do not have the option to have it withheld from their pay.
The construction companies do not have a regular labor force. They will hire a foreman (independent contractor) to do a job and pay him by the job. The workers are paid by the foreman. Normally, the workers pay is unregulated because the independent contractors do not usually declare their income. (You have to have assets for the tax collectors to come after their money.) Most people do not have many assets. US companies are not used to working this way, especially in projects where background checks are required for project access.
The Paraguayan Government is getting ready to change hands. The Colorado Party is coming back into power after being out. They held the reigns of power from WWII until five years ago. All of the government agencies and bureaucracies will change leadership. That could affect our project because we will receive some materials from the States. We do not know how long it will take to get materials through Customs.
There is a limited time for shipping materials through the river. The river gets too low for shipping during the hot months. There are no railroads that come into Paraguay from the outside. I do not know why things cannot be trucked in (that is a question that I need to ask).
The country does not have a system of payments such as we have in the USA. You cannot pay online. You can pay your phone bill, your electric bill and water bill at banks and at payment houses. You can pay by check or credit card. Most merchants charge an extra fee for credit card usage.
I get around town by taxi or I walk. The buses are not recommended for us to use because of pickpockets. I talked with a fellow that was born in the States and raised here because his parents are missionaries. He rides the buses regularly and speaks both languages like a native. He has a "geek" job, but, refuses to take an expensive smart phone on the buses.
I went to a new shopping center yesterday hoping to find a big box store or something like that. There is no such thing here. It's mostly mom and pop stores. If you want something from the hardware stores, you go to the front desk and ask for it. The clerk goes to the back and brings you what he thinks you asked for. You can't see what you want and get that.
The walking is fun and healthy. I walked five kilometers (three miles) yesterday and enjoyed it. The weather was pleasant and I saw things that I hadn't noticed when I was passing by in a cab.
The movie theaters are either dubbed with Castilian Spanish or subtitled. All of the animated films are dubbed for the children. I'll have to wait until I get back to the States to see Despicable Me II. I've been told that the evening shows are in English with subtitles and the earlier shows are in Spanish.
I haven't been taking many photos and hope to have some by the next post.....More to come......
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