Hello all! Christmas was a difficult time being away from home and family, but it was an experience I will never forget and am glad I got to be a part of in a different country with my second family.
To start off, last week we did a lot of little things but one main thing was my sister's graduation and her party/prom for it. In Paraguay, you have your high school graduation at night time, at the school, and the students wear their school uniforms and the parents walk up on the stage with them for them to receive their award. It was very different from in the States but interesting to see. Following that, on Saturday was the party/prom for her school. It was our family and 7 others, who rented out a big hall and had a party. Saturday day time, my mom, me, and my sister all went to the salon to get our hair, nails, and makeup done for the night. It was crazy!! I got more done for her party than I even did for prom!! It was very fun though. The salon was packed with about 35 people all getting ready for the night. Most proms are on the same night from different schools, so all the salons in Encarnacion are full and booked up, so my sister had to make an appointment last June for the day of her prom. Beauty is a big deal in Paraguay, for every event. Anyways, the party was beautiful, with decorations, photographers, dancing, and dinner. They have a little ceremony in the beginning where if your a girl, your dad walks with you down the aisle and if your a boy your mom does. Then they dance with you to a song you choose and your brother or siblings dance with you too! The part started at around 11:00 and ended at 5:00 in the morning, which is early for Paraguay.
This past week was Christmas, Christmas Eve, and my aunts birthday. For my aunts birthday we all went to dinner on the beach for her, and the next night was Christmas Eve. My dad's family has all passed, but my mom has seven sisters and they all live here in Encarnacion. So the family is big and a lot of fun! We do a lot together and it is so nice, I love it! Christmas Eve is the big day here instead of Christmas day. So we all prepared food to bring to one of my aunts house, and we went over at around 9:00 and ate, drank, and talked. Then at midnight we celebrated with champagne and cider and ate more. We stayed there unit around 4:00, then everyone went home, slept for 7 hours, and went back to her house the next day, Christmas day, at around 12:00 for lunch time (all the leftovers). It was still delicious with a lot of meat, corn, rice, and typical Paraguayan dishes. They are all so welcoming and make me feel right at home.
I missed my family a lot these past couple of days, but I know they're having a great time in Canada at the moment with my Dad's family and I will see them in 6 months. Wow, time flies. Sorry if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes, I typed this on my phone which has a spanish keyboard so everything is red underlined. I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and Happy Holidays!!
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Monday, December 15, 2014
Change can be a good thing!
I am so sorry for not writing in a long time, a lot has been
going on here and now I’m finally settled and have some time to write. All the
schools are on holidays at the moment until mid February or early August, so I
haven’t been working and instead relaxing and enjoying summer as much as I can
with it being between 100 and 120 degrees everyday. I almost die when I have to
go outside.
So as of right now, I am sitting on my new bed in my new
house writing to you. I had to change houses, families, and work due to some
personal reasons, but I am very happy with my new situation. It’s like I am
starting all over again from the beginning, which is nice in a way. Sometimes change can be good, for many
reasons. I moved out of my house about three weeks ago and moved in with my
friend, who is also on AFS from Belgaim, and lived with her and her family for
about three weeks. It was a lovely time and we did a lot of girl things since
the whole house was girls!
This past week however I travelled to the north of Paraguay
to a region called San Pedro. I first took the bus to the capital, Ascunion,
met my friend there and after we travelled to San Pedro with her mom. We stayed
on a farm for three nights and four days and it was amazing and a memory/trip I
will never forget! We woke up every morning quite early, ate a delicious
homemade breakfast as we watched the sunrise, then got on horses and went horse
back riding around the property for about 2-3 hours. The property is 1,000
hectares which is about 2,470 acres. It was all farm land and consisted of
cows, animals, and fruit trees they keep to keep the farm running. We got to
help herd the cows in every day on our horses and the land was beautiful. There
were wild horses, monkeys, cows, owls, bats, fireflies, lizards, sheep, goats,
chickens, peacocks, and dogs. It was so
much fun and my friend and I had a blast playing with all the animals and
eating real fruit and good food after not having any for a while in Paraguay.
There was also a pond which we could swim in and it was so fun to do when the
sun was setting. It was all in all a wonderful trip and I will definitely go
back if I have the chance too.
I got home from the trip on Thursday night, and Friday I
moved into my new home. It is in
downtown Encarnacion, about two streets away from the beach. I have a 17 year
old sister, a 19 year old brother, a mama, a papa, and three big dogs. I share a room with my sister and we get
along great! The family is so nice and welcoming and they really make me feel
at home. They are very family oriented
and we do many things together; shopping, eating, drinking terere, relaxing.
The first night I got here they took me out to a nice restaurant for my arrival
and then we went to the square to listen to live music. Yesterday, on Sunday,
was also a great day for me as my whole family cooked a huge nice lunch and
they taught me how to make a lot of typical Paraguyan foods. It was lovely and
I am having a blast so far!
I will try to write again every Sunday since I am settled
now.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Highs and Lows
I'm sorry I didn't post anything last week, don't worry I am still alive! There has been many highs and lows these past few weeks. I've definitely had my lowest points and gotten through them okay, but I have also had some of my highest. I am not going to rant about the lows because there's no reason for negativity, but the highs, yes I will rant about!
This past week I spent in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay. It is an amazing city and there is nothing else like it in Paraguay. I originally went there to pick up my passport and try to get a visa in order to travel with my friend to the Iguazu falls on the border of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. It is an amazing place and is one of the seven wonders of the world. I wanted to go so badly but unfortunately my visa didn't work out with a limited amount of time, however I will try to go again within the next year. My friend did end up going however and he said it was amazing!
My week turned out amazing too in the end though. I stayed with another girl from America on AFS, her name is Emily and she is one of my best friends here in Paraguay. Her family is so sweet and welcoming and we had a blast together. We visited the president's work place, walked around the city, partied a little bit, went out to eat, and shopped shopped shopped (my favorite). It was truly amazing and so different than my home here. It is so strange how different places can be in the same country. I was telling her about my experience with dirt roads and a lot of poverty and she couldn't believe it. I think she is coming to visit me though this month which I can't wait for!
The week before my journey to Asuncion was also fun with hanging out with some friends and I went away for the weekend. I went with one of my friends from my home and we met our other friend in a town about 30 minutes away called Honueau. We went for a mini October Fest Festival. It was really the funniest thing in the world. We are in the middle of nowhere in Paraguay, in a small town, and there's an October Fest. They had dancing and drinking and traditional costumes. It was so fun and bizarre! We stayed at her house and hung out and then took the bus back home the next day. I have been making little trips and traveling a lot which I love!
This past week I spent in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay. It is an amazing city and there is nothing else like it in Paraguay. I originally went there to pick up my passport and try to get a visa in order to travel with my friend to the Iguazu falls on the border of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. It is an amazing place and is one of the seven wonders of the world. I wanted to go so badly but unfortunately my visa didn't work out with a limited amount of time, however I will try to go again within the next year. My friend did end up going however and he said it was amazing!
My week turned out amazing too in the end though. I stayed with another girl from America on AFS, her name is Emily and she is one of my best friends here in Paraguay. Her family is so sweet and welcoming and we had a blast together. We visited the president's work place, walked around the city, partied a little bit, went out to eat, and shopped shopped shopped (my favorite). It was truly amazing and so different than my home here. It is so strange how different places can be in the same country. I was telling her about my experience with dirt roads and a lot of poverty and she couldn't believe it. I think she is coming to visit me though this month which I can't wait for!
The week before my journey to Asuncion was also fun with hanging out with some friends and I went away for the weekend. I went with one of my friends from my home and we met our other friend in a town about 30 minutes away called Honueau. We went for a mini October Fest Festival. It was really the funniest thing in the world. We are in the middle of nowhere in Paraguay, in a small town, and there's an October Fest. They had dancing and drinking and traditional costumes. It was so fun and bizarre! We stayed at her house and hung out and then took the bus back home the next day. I have been making little trips and traveling a lot which I love!
Monday, November 3, 2014
Money, Plata, Dinero
Money money money! In Paraguay, the currency is Guarani. It's the same name as the local native language. Guarani is only for Paraguay, but in Argentina you can pay with it because they are so close together and vice versa. It is very cheap compared to the US dollar and it's interesting how the entire culture can adapt to having such a cheap currency, it lowers the whole countries wealth.
So if you go to school here, which isn't mandatory, then after you finish high school you can go to University if you want too. If you don't go, you can still make enough money with a job to live on. However, if you do choose to go, it's typically two or four years and it is a much lower educational level than in other countries but here it is considered high education. If you want to be a policeman you only have to go for two years and only have to be 19 years old. Guns and weapons aren't allowed in Paraguay except for the policeman. It was really funny actually, last weekend I went to a Halloween party with my friends and he was a soldier so he went to the costume shop to buy a fake gun. When we were walking to the party, a police stopped us and asked if it was real because they don't have orange caps or anything, it looked very real. He said no and the police man asked where he can buy it so when he is somewhere where his real gun isn't allowed, it looks like he still has one! haha
Most typical jobs here are working at a store, a teacher, or a house cleaner. If you work at a store for an example, your salary is enough to pay for a car, a house, and to support a small family. The average amount people get paid per week is 250000 guarani which is 58.07 dollars. If the dad and mom work in the family, you can live quite well with just this amount of money here. Here is some costs of popular items: 4.000 Guaranies is $1
Bus ticket- 3000 G = .75 $
Three loafs of bread- 2000 G = .50 $
To fill up a van with Gasoline- 80000 G = 20.00 $
A basket of groceries- 40000 G = 10.00 $
A sandwich at a restaurant- 15000 G = ~ 4.00 $
Shampoo- 9000 G = 2.25 $
T-shirt or tank top- 10000 G = 2.50 $
Also, almost everyone is paid in cash. Cards are used rarely and only a few people have bank accounts. Bills are paid in person and it is rare for families to save money. It's normally the money you get paid with that week is the money you use for the next week. It's so different than in other countries but it's what they're used too.
So if you go to school here, which isn't mandatory, then after you finish high school you can go to University if you want too. If you don't go, you can still make enough money with a job to live on. However, if you do choose to go, it's typically two or four years and it is a much lower educational level than in other countries but here it is considered high education. If you want to be a policeman you only have to go for two years and only have to be 19 years old. Guns and weapons aren't allowed in Paraguay except for the policeman. It was really funny actually, last weekend I went to a Halloween party with my friends and he was a soldier so he went to the costume shop to buy a fake gun. When we were walking to the party, a police stopped us and asked if it was real because they don't have orange caps or anything, it looked very real. He said no and the police man asked where he can buy it so when he is somewhere where his real gun isn't allowed, it looks like he still has one! haha
Most typical jobs here are working at a store, a teacher, or a house cleaner. If you work at a store for an example, your salary is enough to pay for a car, a house, and to support a small family. The average amount people get paid per week is 250000 guarani which is 58.07 dollars. If the dad and mom work in the family, you can live quite well with just this amount of money here. Here is some costs of popular items: 4.000 Guaranies is $1
Bus ticket- 3000 G = .75 $
Three loafs of bread- 2000 G = .50 $
To fill up a van with Gasoline- 80000 G = 20.00 $
A basket of groceries- 40000 G = 10.00 $
A sandwich at a restaurant- 15000 G = ~ 4.00 $
Shampoo- 9000 G = 2.25 $
T-shirt or tank top- 10000 G = 2.50 $
Also, almost everyone is paid in cash. Cards are used rarely and only a few people have bank accounts. Bills are paid in person and it is rare for families to save money. It's normally the money you get paid with that week is the money you use for the next week. It's so different than in other countries but it's what they're used too.
Monday, October 27, 2014
My walks to school/work
So last week was just a typical week but I joined a gym! It's very cheap here and I have my own personal trainer which is always a bonus. I've been going quite often which is good to kill time.
But I want to talk about my walks to school every morning and afternoon. Every morning it's nice and refreshing to walk because it's not too hot yet and there's sometimes a little breeze. On my way, I pass a little farm with the owner milking the cows every day at the same time and we say hi to each other. I know if I'm late or early depending on if she's already milking the cows or not haha. And then a little bit further is this other very small, poor house and there's a dad and kids who are always outside sitting and talking no matter what time of day it is. His kids wanted to learn English so now they know how to say 'hello' and 'bye-bye' so every morning and afternoon they talk to me and it's so cute. Then the dad comes up to me and talks to me and it doesn't matter if I just laugh or reply with bad spanish because he just keeps on talking as if I understand everything I say perfectly haha. It's really funny and he somehow knows what the weather will be every day so I ask him about the next day and he's 90% correct. In the afternoon, either I walk home with one of my students and their moms or I walk home with another one of my students and his older sister. Most of the time it's with the kid and the sister. They are so sweet and we walk and talk and sometimes the mom comes to pick them up on the motorbike, but the older girl always comes with me instead and the little boy goes with the mom by himself. They're really sweet.
It's really cool though because since the school is for the neighborhood kids, everyone walks. So after and before school the streets are filled with kids and everyone has someone to walk with. I truly think it would be such a good place to raise your kids and they have no electronics, barely any money, and they still have so much fun just playing with each other. All your friends live next to you or on the next street over which is so lucky! One time I was listening to my music on my IPhone and a kid came up to me and asked me what it was. I told him it was my cellphone and he replied back to me in spanish, "Oh, I've never seen a phone that you can just touch and it does what it wants, it's like magic! My parents have to press buttons". I was first in shock and then said back to him, "That's a good thing you don't know how to use this or know what it is, you're only seven and that's how it should be!"
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Happy Days and an Exciting Week!
I used to only not like the post system here, but now I officially hate it. Since the post office is only open certain hours, I didn't go to work so I could get my package from my parents (it was sent a month ago), so I go into town to pick up my package and at the post office the lady was trying to explain to me that it's not there, so I had her write down the address of where it was. I took that paper to my mom's business and had the secretary take me to the address on the back of his moto. We finally arrived at 12:05 and they said the international office closes at 12:00. I was frustrated so I went back home and missed work again the next day to pick up my package before 12:00. I went again with the secretary and after signing five different papers, waiting for 45 minutes, and them opening and going through the entire package, I got it! Yay!!! Thank you Mom and Dad! After we went back to the business and my brother met me there after his school and we were going to go home for lunch. So, we were going to take the bus, which didn't end up coming, so instead my brother took us on the back of his motorcycle. Just picture this, three normal teenagers on a small moto seat with my brother only staying on because he's holding on to me, and I'm only holding on with one hand because in the other I'm carrying my heavy package in one arm. But, we made it home safely :)
In the package, I also had my mom send me pencils and pencil sharpeners for my students because there is always problems to make sure each kid has a pencil, most times they have to share. So the next day at work, I brought them a lot of pencils, sharpeners, stickers, and erasers and just to see their faces and how happy they were made the whole post office thing worth every minute. It was as if they each got a present they've always asked for, I almost cried. Then, to thank me they all came up to me and gave me kisses and said thank you, thank you, thank you. I love my kids, if you can't tell haha!
This week was so hot, luckily though where I live it's not as hot as the capital where most people live. It was 51 degrees celsius which is 124 degrees fahrenheit and it's only SPRING! But it was about 100-110 degrees every day which was not pleasant.
A surprise did happen though this week too! One of our dogs, a boxer, had babies!! She had four babies and they are so cute :) I'm in love with all of them and can't wait to play with them as they get older. This did however cause some problems with the other dogs in the house because if one goes near the mom and the babies then they start fighting and bad fighting with blood and everything. So the new job in the house is to keep the dogs separated for a while!
I also started Zumba this week! I go with another girl on AFS from Germany. I didn't think it would be that hard but I really enjoy it and it's a good yet fun workout! This week one day before we went my friend and I decided to walk into town to get something to eat. I don't know what we were thinking but we didn't think it would be that hard to walk in the heat, yet we were wrong. We showed up to the restaurant with so much sweat dripping down our bodies everywhere the waiter thought we literally just went swimming. I won't be doing that again haha.
Sorry my post was so long, just a lot happened this week and I want to tell everyone!
Monday, October 13, 2014
Feliz Cumpleaños
Happy Birthday to me!!! Last Monday was my birthday, I am now 19 years old, wow time flies by so fast, it's crazy. Birthday celebrations aren't a huge deal here, unless you're a girl and you're turning fifteen so you can have your quincenera. That is a big deal! So my family and I just had empanadas for dinner, my favorite, and they bought me a cake which we ate after. It was quite nice and a quite day. On Friday though, a couple of my friends and I went out to diner for my birthday which was fun, so at least I got a little bit of a celebration in :)
The past week was just a typical working week, however, my hours did get changed a little bit so now I am working only from 2-5 in the afternoon everyday, but I am on the search for another job so I can keep occupied in the morning. I might work at the other local neighborhood school in the morning and then switch to my school in the afternoon, we will see!
At the school, one of my jobs is to write in the kids books for their parents. Since, there's no mail here and hardly anyone has internet in their houses, the only way to inform parents of stuff or events happening at school is word of mouth and their books. So in their backpacks every day, the kids bring little journals and we write in them so the parents can be informed. Another difference is when a kid is sick or not feeling well, last week a kid had an ear ache, the teacher or one of the assistants just walks him/her to their house since it's in the neighborhood and there's no phones to call the parents or anything. It's quite strange but I guess it works out okay in the end!
Oh a couple of weeks ago, all the AFS'ers in the Encarnacion area met up with some local teenagers living here and they gave us a walking tour of the city. It was very interesting and it ended up at our favorite spot to hang out, the beach!
Next week hopefully I have a new job.. Bye for now!
The past week was just a typical working week, however, my hours did get changed a little bit so now I am working only from 2-5 in the afternoon everyday, but I am on the search for another job so I can keep occupied in the morning. I might work at the other local neighborhood school in the morning and then switch to my school in the afternoon, we will see!
At the school, one of my jobs is to write in the kids books for their parents. Since, there's no mail here and hardly anyone has internet in their houses, the only way to inform parents of stuff or events happening at school is word of mouth and their books. So in their backpacks every day, the kids bring little journals and we write in them so the parents can be informed. Another difference is when a kid is sick or not feeling well, last week a kid had an ear ache, the teacher or one of the assistants just walks him/her to their house since it's in the neighborhood and there's no phones to call the parents or anything. It's quite strange but I guess it works out okay in the end!
Oh a couple of weeks ago, all the AFS'ers in the Encarnacion area met up with some local teenagers living here and they gave us a walking tour of the city. It was very interesting and it ended up at our favorite spot to hang out, the beach!
Next week hopefully I have a new job.. Bye for now!
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Guerra del chaco!
This week I didn't have school for three days (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) because we were celebrating the win of the war with Bolivia many years ago. On these days a lot of relaxing, eating, and watching TV was done haha. I went to town with one of my friends and got our nails done and went to get something to eat which was fun. I also went to the post office for the first time last week to see if a package arrived from my family, and to sum it up, I hate the post system here. First of all, there's no address for my house in my neighborhood because there's no street names, so I wrote the address of my Mama's business in town which has a street name. I wrote the name of the business, the city, the zip code, and the telephone number of the store. Also, all mail goes to Asuncion first, the capital of Paraguay, and then from there it goes by car to every other part of the country since there's no trains or airplanes. Anyways, sorry for my little rant, but hopefully my package will arrive to me one day :)
Another highlight of my week was one night all the AFS students living in Encarnacion area, met up and had a little AFS party. We listened to music and just hung out. It's really interesting to see how all of our experiences are so different from one another yet were living not even 20 miles away from each other. Thankfully I got a Paraguyan phone now, so I can keep in contact with them and meet up with my new friends.
It's been raining a lot here recently and apparently October is the month of rain! Yay for me, since I love the rain and am dreading summer time considering it's about 110-115 degrees everyday with humidity on top of that. The land here is so green and nice; everywhere I look it's green and smells so good. I'm praying for you California though to get some rain too. If I could I would send you some! That's all that happened last week, and I'm sure more exciting things will happen next week, Adios!
Another highlight of my week was one night all the AFS students living in Encarnacion area, met up and had a little AFS party. We listened to music and just hung out. It's really interesting to see how all of our experiences are so different from one another yet were living not even 20 miles away from each other. Thankfully I got a Paraguyan phone now, so I can keep in contact with them and meet up with my new friends.
It's been raining a lot here recently and apparently October is the month of rain! Yay for me, since I love the rain and am dreading summer time considering it's about 110-115 degrees everyday with humidity on top of that. The land here is so green and nice; everywhere I look it's green and smells so good. I'm praying for you California though to get some rain too. If I could I would send you some! That's all that happened last week, and I'm sure more exciting things will happen next week, Adios!
Monday, September 29, 2014
Fiesta fiesta fiesta!
Hello all,
So last Sunday after I got back from the orientation in Asuncion, my brother and mama picked me up from the bus station and we went to my brother's school celebration. September is the month where all the school's (elementary to high school) select their school's queen and king and all the princesses; It's kind of like the Paraguayan homecoming. So for my brother's high school and all the other one's in the area, they meet at this big rectangular arena and have a parade with all the classmates and families and friends. Each school has their own section of the arena, so there's no fights, and all the students have such good school spirit it's pretty incredible. During the month before, the school all helps build a giant float, one with the queen standing on a pedestal, like the one's in Disneyland but bigger! Then all the princesses and queens get on it, and they slowly make their way down the middle of the arena and all the classes cheer and it's pretty fun. After there's a concert and festival and all the kids and families go. Paraguayan's are very family oriented which I enjoy a lot.
The Paraguayan's care a lot about beauty and getting done up, so these queens were wearing dresses like one you wear at a quincenera and their make-up and hair was all done, everyone looked very pretty! Even the little middle schooler's at my school got all done up.
I had a normal week after that, a lot of rain so I only went to school/work three out of the five days. At school one of the days, it's primavera now, (aka spring time) so the school gets all decorated and we celebrate. To teach the kids about it, they each planted their own plants and to learn about the fruit of spring, we made a big fruit salad in class and all the kids helped out, it was delicious!
On Saturday night, I went to a party in Encarnacion with my friends. It was very fun and we danced and met new people and had a great time. The parties are either in clubs or they rent out empty houses and have them there. There's security at every one and you have to pay a little to get in, but it's good because you know it's safe and that there's someone in charge haha. That was my week here, and I will try to post next Sunday!
So last Sunday after I got back from the orientation in Asuncion, my brother and mama picked me up from the bus station and we went to my brother's school celebration. September is the month where all the school's (elementary to high school) select their school's queen and king and all the princesses; It's kind of like the Paraguayan homecoming. So for my brother's high school and all the other one's in the area, they meet at this big rectangular arena and have a parade with all the classmates and families and friends. Each school has their own section of the arena, so there's no fights, and all the students have such good school spirit it's pretty incredible. During the month before, the school all helps build a giant float, one with the queen standing on a pedestal, like the one's in Disneyland but bigger! Then all the princesses and queens get on it, and they slowly make their way down the middle of the arena and all the classes cheer and it's pretty fun. After there's a concert and festival and all the kids and families go. Paraguayan's are very family oriented which I enjoy a lot.
The Paraguayan's care a lot about beauty and getting done up, so these queens were wearing dresses like one you wear at a quincenera and their make-up and hair was all done, everyone looked very pretty! Even the little middle schooler's at my school got all done up.
I had a normal week after that, a lot of rain so I only went to school/work three out of the five days. At school one of the days, it's primavera now, (aka spring time) so the school gets all decorated and we celebrate. To teach the kids about it, they each planted their own plants and to learn about the fruit of spring, we made a big fruit salad in class and all the kids helped out, it was delicious!
On Saturday night, I went to a party in Encarnacion with my friends. It was very fun and we danced and met new people and had a great time. The parties are either in clubs or they rent out empty houses and have them there. There's security at every one and you have to pay a little to get in, but it's good because you know it's safe and that there's someone in charge haha. That was my week here, and I will try to post next Sunday!
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Mid-way Orientation
Sorry for not posting on Sunday, but this past weekend I was in Asuncion for our welcoming orientation. Asuncion is the capital of Paraguay, and on the bus it takes about six hours to get there. So the seven students living here in Encarnacion, all took a bus on Friday morning to arrive in Asuncion Friday midday. We went to the AFS office there, and extended our visas so we can stay the whole year. After that, we all went back to the hotel we were staying in and did some bonding activities. It's so fun to hangout with and meet all the other students again from all over the world, and share all of our experiences. I love it! The three days were mainly bonding activities and AFS checking in with us and seeing how everything's going.
It was funny though because in orientation in Miami for an example, we had to be in bed by 10 and have lights out at 11 and it was very strict.. where as in Asuncion, we didn't have a curfew at all and we didn't finish our activities until midnight every night, and then we all hung out the whole night. There was very little sleep happening but it was so much fun. All the exchange students shared common thoughts on Paraguay, good and bad, and out of all the different countries that were there, none of our countries are like Paraguay. Everyone here is from a 1st world country, and so all of our experiences are so different than home, and we all compare the same things. It's good though to talk to everyone and know that your problems and your feelings are shared throughout everyone and we all are going through the same things.
Oh and at the orientation, there was such GOOD FOOD! We all missed cereal and fruit and vegetables and such, and at the hotel, they had all of that so we all stocked up in our bags for the next couple of days haha. It was such a great weekend and so good seeing everyone again!
Monday, September 15, 2014
Normal week
Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I wasn't feeling too well. By the way, traveler's digestion problems is in fact a real thing haha so don't forget and bring your Pepto Bismol while traveling!
This pas week was a typical week so far in Paraguay. Last Sunday, my family and I went to a sports gathering event. It was in a public park in downtown Encarnacion, and there was a huge indoor stadium like place with cement bleachers. Everyone is on a team, from where their from, so we were supporting San Juan, and you all sit together. There were about thirty people from San Juan there. Then the kids that are on teams, play mini matches of whatever sport they play against each other and you cheer for your team. The high school boys and little boys had two soccer teams and they were very good, and the high school girls had a hand ball team. It's kind of like pick-up sports, so when you want to play you scream out "San Juan, San Juan, San Juan" and then they choose an opposing team. We ate lunch there and just hung out with all the families. It was really hot inside though, so when we weren't playing, we went outside to the park and played volleyball!
A really funny/strange thing you do here, is when you go out for the day (ex: last Sunday) and you know there will be lunch or a barbecue, you bring your own plate, cups, and cutlery from home and then you eat with that. They don't provide paper plates or cups or anything, so I thought it was funny and random.
I taught my English class on Saturday, and more people showed up than last time because it wasn't raining, yay! It was good and I think they all like me, we are all around the same ages so it's fun and we talk about the differences from America compared to here, there are many!! That's all for this week, and I hope you're enjoying these posts! Thanks :)
This pas week was a typical week so far in Paraguay. Last Sunday, my family and I went to a sports gathering event. It was in a public park in downtown Encarnacion, and there was a huge indoor stadium like place with cement bleachers. Everyone is on a team, from where their from, so we were supporting San Juan, and you all sit together. There were about thirty people from San Juan there. Then the kids that are on teams, play mini matches of whatever sport they play against each other and you cheer for your team. The high school boys and little boys had two soccer teams and they were very good, and the high school girls had a hand ball team. It's kind of like pick-up sports, so when you want to play you scream out "San Juan, San Juan, San Juan" and then they choose an opposing team. We ate lunch there and just hung out with all the families. It was really hot inside though, so when we weren't playing, we went outside to the park and played volleyball!
A really funny/strange thing you do here, is when you go out for the day (ex: last Sunday) and you know there will be lunch or a barbecue, you bring your own plate, cups, and cutlery from home and then you eat with that. They don't provide paper plates or cups or anything, so I thought it was funny and random.
I taught my English class on Saturday, and more people showed up than last time because it wasn't raining, yay! It was good and I think they all like me, we are all around the same ages so it's fun and we talk about the differences from America compared to here, there are many!! That's all for this week, and I hope you're enjoying these posts! Thanks :)
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Rainy week
This week was a typical week with school and teaching, etc. On Tuesday, after school, my brother and I went to Encarnacion for a meeting promoting AFS Paraguay to study abroad. It was interesting the prices and how expensive it is for someone here to go to another country. It is the same price as America, but without the money converter, so in Paraguay with the money used to go abroad, you could buy a nice house instead. It doesn't really make any sense to me, but if you are extremely wealthy here, you can go abroad. After the meeting, my brother decided he wants to go abroad for sure. It has always been his dream to go to America, hence why he is taking two English classes (5 hours every Saturday), just to learn the language to go abroad. So at the meeting we asked about scholarships and he is starting to fill out the application and then we will work on the scholarship part of it. I am very happy and excited for him!
This past week was very interesting with the weather because it was so different from California. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday there were thunderstorms, because it's winter here. The lighting is very visible because there's no tall buildings anywhere so you can see the whole sky, it's very cool. Anyways, when it rains in Paraguay, the whole city basically hibernates and shuts down. No kids go to school and no one leaves the house. It's not rare for it to rain, but since it's always so hot it's kinda a big deal haha. So I didn't know that people don't go to school, so on Wednesday I walked to school and I enter the room and there was only one student and the teacher, so I got to leave early :) In the local school, where I teach, it's for the residents of the neighborhood and the kids who can't afford to go to a better school outside of the town, so most kids walk to school. The roads are all red dirt roads or big cobble stones that are very bumpy, so when it rains, all the dirt turns to mud so you really can't walk to school unless you try, like me, and get completely covered in mud by the time you get there. So most people just stay at home for the day. Even in Encarnacion, the main city where all the roads are paved, at my teaching class on Saturday, only three students showed up because it was raining and taking the bus and everything is just too much of a hassle so people have stay at home days. It's very funny I think!
That's just a little bit of the week, and I'm sure more exciting things will happen next!
This past week was very interesting with the weather because it was so different from California. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday there were thunderstorms, because it's winter here. The lighting is very visible because there's no tall buildings anywhere so you can see the whole sky, it's very cool. Anyways, when it rains in Paraguay, the whole city basically hibernates and shuts down. No kids go to school and no one leaves the house. It's not rare for it to rain, but since it's always so hot it's kinda a big deal haha. So I didn't know that people don't go to school, so on Wednesday I walked to school and I enter the room and there was only one student and the teacher, so I got to leave early :) In the local school, where I teach, it's for the residents of the neighborhood and the kids who can't afford to go to a better school outside of the town, so most kids walk to school. The roads are all red dirt roads or big cobble stones that are very bumpy, so when it rains, all the dirt turns to mud so you really can't walk to school unless you try, like me, and get completely covered in mud by the time you get there. So most people just stay at home for the day. Even in Encarnacion, the main city where all the roads are paved, at my teaching class on Saturday, only three students showed up because it was raining and taking the bus and everything is just too much of a hassle so people have stay at home days. It's very funny I think!
That's just a little bit of the week, and I'm sure more exciting things will happen next!
Sunday, August 31, 2014
First times for everything
This week I had a lot of firsts. Yesterday I had my first day of work! It went really well which is good because I was a little nervous. There are fourteen students in the class, and my host brother wants to learn English so badly and is so determined, he comes to my class on top of attending his own class in the morning. Each class is two and half hours long, so he's spending five hours every Saturday learning. The plus side is he gets to attend my class for free :)
Another thing I did for the first time is take the bus all alone! The buses here are very different than in America. They are decorated and on some of them you can see the road beneath you because of holes in the bottom. Also, to stop the bus sometimes you can stop on the side of the street anywhere and put your hand out and it will stop. When you get on and off the bus, if the drivers feeling nice that day, he will stop but otherwise you just jump on and jump off as fast as you can. It was scary the first time but now I find it fun. If you don't have enough money to take it that day and you ask the driver if it's okay, they let you ride for as much as you give them which is quite nice.
This past week there was no school on Wednesday and Thursday for all public schools in Paraguay because the government offers classes for the professors so all the kids get to miss school. School here is relaxed and the teachers are very nice. The relationship with them is so different as they are more your friends and you kiss them on the cheek when you leave for the day. I went to downtown, the center, of Encarnacion a lot this week and I love walking around the city looking at everything. My brother and I for some exercise walked from his house to Encarnacion and it took us 50 minutes each way, but it was cool seeing all the architecture and the city by foot. That's all for this week mainly and I will try to post every Sunday, I hope these posts are okay :)
Another thing I did for the first time is take the bus all alone! The buses here are very different than in America. They are decorated and on some of them you can see the road beneath you because of holes in the bottom. Also, to stop the bus sometimes you can stop on the side of the street anywhere and put your hand out and it will stop. When you get on and off the bus, if the drivers feeling nice that day, he will stop but otherwise you just jump on and jump off as fast as you can. It was scary the first time but now I find it fun. If you don't have enough money to take it that day and you ask the driver if it's okay, they let you ride for as much as you give them which is quite nice.
This past week there was no school on Wednesday and Thursday for all public schools in Paraguay because the government offers classes for the professors so all the kids get to miss school. School here is relaxed and the teachers are very nice. The relationship with them is so different as they are more your friends and you kiss them on the cheek when you leave for the day. I went to downtown, the center, of Encarnacion a lot this week and I love walking around the city looking at everything. My brother and I for some exercise walked from his house to Encarnacion and it took us 50 minutes each way, but it was cool seeing all the architecture and the city by foot. That's all for this week mainly and I will try to post every Sunday, I hope these posts are okay :)
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Job time
Yes, it is true.. I got my first job! It's funny that I had to come all the way to Paraguay to finally be employed but I was offered a job. I went to English learning class with my brother and sister at this language school in downtown, and the teacher, who's pregnant, asked me if I was interested in teaching the more advanced class when she is on maternity leave. I said of course and I'm really excited! My official class starts next Saturday and it's once a week. Now I'll have some spending money while I'm here :)
Besides that, this week was good. The kids are very cute and on Thursday was the national Parguayan folk dancing and traditions day. So at school, all the kids dressed up; boys in pants and a sombrero and girls in skirts with their makeup and hair all done, it was nice. They all looked so pretty!
Sunday, August 17, 2014
First Week - food and school
I just finished my first full week in my new home. It is incredible and I am learning so much. I started my first day of teaching at the local school this week. I teach pre-schoolers and am the assistant teacher. The school is for the children who can't afford going elsewhere and all the kids are adorable. They call me "Teacher, Teacher!". It is very cute and they all love me and won't let go of me haha. In Paraguay, teacher and student relationships are different than in America. The teachers are more friends than bosses, so you call them Teacher or their first name, and you have their personal cell phone number. Also, you are more touchy with them, for example, the kids hug their teachers no matter what age and for little kids, before they leave the classroom at the end of the day, the teacher gives them a kiss. In schools here, they also have little breaks throughout the day for milk and cookies, it's yummy! I go to school from 7:00-11:00, then go home or go to my teachers house for lunch, and go back for another session with different kids from 1:00-4:00.
Last week was Kid's Day (Dia Del Nino)! It is a national holiday in which the kids are celebrated. It originally started from the war Paraguay had with Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, when Paraguay was the richest country and the others wanted to combine with them but Paraguay didn't want too. Everyone in Paraguay died, so the kids started fighting and 3,000+ kids died so the day is in memorial and celebration of their lives. It is full of activities and at the school, my teacher went all out to buy the kids each gift baskets and we have a huge party. It was very fun!
If you are gluten free or dairy free, you will starve in Paraguay. For breakfast everyday, you have cakes or sweet breads with sweetened hot milk. Everyone drinks it at least twice a day. The milk we drink at home is from a local farmer and is straight out of the cow, so we have to boil it on the stove to kill any bacteria and germs; it is tasty though. Then lunch is always a hot meal with rice or pasta and meat.
That's just a little bit of differences here in Paraguay, and I will try to post once a week on Sundays! Thanks for reading it :)
Last week was Kid's Day (Dia Del Nino)! It is a national holiday in which the kids are celebrated. It originally started from the war Paraguay had with Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, when Paraguay was the richest country and the others wanted to combine with them but Paraguay didn't want too. Everyone in Paraguay died, so the kids started fighting and 3,000+ kids died so the day is in memorial and celebration of their lives. It is full of activities and at the school, my teacher went all out to buy the kids each gift baskets and we have a huge party. It was very fun!
If you are gluten free or dairy free, you will starve in Paraguay. For breakfast everyday, you have cakes or sweet breads with sweetened hot milk. Everyone drinks it at least twice a day. The milk we drink at home is from a local farmer and is straight out of the cow, so we have to boil it on the stove to kill any bacteria and germs; it is tasty though. Then lunch is always a hot meal with rice or pasta and meat.
That's just a little bit of differences here in Paraguay, and I will try to post once a week on Sundays! Thanks for reading it :)
Monday, August 11, 2014
First few days in Paraguay
I arrived in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, last Friday morning. We had a one-day orientation there with all the people from around the world going to Paraguay. We had the luxury of staying in a five star hotel, the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at, right downtown in the city of Asuncion. Then on
Saturday morning, we all went our separate ways to meet our families. Since I am living in Itapua, right outside of Encarnacion, I had to take a 7 hour bus ride with five other people to arrive there. It is in the south east region of Paraguay and is very nice. Encarnacion is the beach town where everyone in Paraguay comes for the summer season. At the bus station when we arrived, all of our families were waiting for us with big signs and posters, it was very lovely!
I have only had one full day in my new home, and the differences are unreal. First off, it's winter here and I have not put pants on once. Also, the main roads are not taken care of and you kind of have to drive a maze in the streets to avoid the pot holes. Drivers here are crazy and will pass you on a two lane street with an 18-wheeler coming right at them. The roads of where my house is, in a little village, are dirt and bumpy too. It's so different but it's cool. My house is quite small and there's a lot of poverty, but the neighborhoods are safe because no one has anything worth of stealing in their homes. We have three dogs and their are animals running all over the streets.
The main language spoken is Spanish, however the elderly generation only speaks Guarani, the native language. It doesn't sound anything like Spanish and is hard to understand. My parents don't speak English, but I am teaching them and they are teaching me Spanish. My little brother (14) is the translator of the household and we are very close. My sister, who's a year older than my brother, knows minimal English but she is trying. I am starting to understand more and more every day, but I'm not yet comfortable with speaking it.
That's all just from the first day upon my arrival, so there will be much more to tell as the year goes on! I miss you all!
Here is my brother and I in downtown Encarnacion, at the "beach"/river. On the other side of the river, which you can see in person, is Argentina!
Saturday morning, we all went our separate ways to meet our families. Since I am living in Itapua, right outside of Encarnacion, I had to take a 7 hour bus ride with five other people to arrive there. It is in the south east region of Paraguay and is very nice. Encarnacion is the beach town where everyone in Paraguay comes for the summer season. At the bus station when we arrived, all of our families were waiting for us with big signs and posters, it was very lovely!
I have only had one full day in my new home, and the differences are unreal. First off, it's winter here and I have not put pants on once. Also, the main roads are not taken care of and you kind of have to drive a maze in the streets to avoid the pot holes. Drivers here are crazy and will pass you on a two lane street with an 18-wheeler coming right at them. The roads of where my house is, in a little village, are dirt and bumpy too. It's so different but it's cool. My house is quite small and there's a lot of poverty, but the neighborhoods are safe because no one has anything worth of stealing in their homes. We have three dogs and their are animals running all over the streets.
The main language spoken is Spanish, however the elderly generation only speaks Guarani, the native language. It doesn't sound anything like Spanish and is hard to understand. My parents don't speak English, but I am teaching them and they are teaching me Spanish. My little brother (14) is the translator of the household and we are very close. My sister, who's a year older than my brother, knows minimal English but she is trying. I am starting to understand more and more every day, but I'm not yet comfortable with speaking it.
That's all just from the first day upon my arrival, so there will be much more to tell as the year goes on! I miss you all!
Here is my brother and I in downtown Encarnacion, at the "beach"/river. On the other side of the river, which you can see in person, is Argentina!
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Pre-Departure Orientation in Miami
I arrived in Miami yesterday afternoon after a brutal 3:00am wake up call to drive to the airport. We're all very excited and just want to be in our countries already. This orientation has all the students from the US that are traveling on any program, to a South American country. When I arrive in Asuncion tomorrow morning, I will attend another little orientation for all the students coming from around the world, living in Paraguay. I cannot wait for that and to meet everyone! It's a little boring now with bonding games and covering all the rules, but we will leave here in no time. I will try to post as much as I can, so check in and catch up if you want too! Next time I post, I will be in Paraguay :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)