Solo Un Mes Mas & La Copa Mundial

June here was World Cup madness. Let me start by saying that Paraguay is serious about soccer. For those of you that don’t know, this year Paraguay made it to the third round of the World Cup! All of the Paraguayan games were shown in school so that people didn’t skip the whole day to stay home and watch. I thought the first two games were a big deal, but after we won the third game, against Japan, the country just exploded. Winning that game put us on to the next round and made us one of the top 8 teams in the world. Everyone stormed the streets, let of fireworks and huge caravans of cars and motorcycles drove around honking their horns. In Asuncion it was even crazier, with thousands of people celebrating. In our next game, we lost in the last few minutes to España, but everyone was still really proud of the team. On Monday morning at 4 AM, I went with my mom and sisters to welcome the Albirroja in at the airport. There were 40,000 other people there to welcome them back too! It was so cool to be a part of something so patriotic and so big.

Wearing my Paraguay jersey:)

Watching in mi colegio

Fuerza Paraguay!

In other news, I have less than a month left in Paraguay…

I remember before I came to Paraguay thinking that six months would be such a long time to be away from my family, friends and everything familiar. Now my opinion has completely changed. Six months is way too short for an experience like this. I feel like I didn’t completely settle into life here until around the fourth month, and now, just when I really love it here, I have to go. For the first part of my time here half of me was in Paraguay and half of me was in the US. Now this is really my life. Tengo mi vida aqui. I have my friends, my family, my school and everything here. Right now, time is my worst enemy. Every week seems to pass so quickly, and it always means one less week until I leave. I am dreading saying goodbye, but for now I am trying to just enjoy the time I have left.

My last few weeks here are going to fly by. Today was the first day of Vacaciones de Invierno here. It’s pretty weird to have winter break in July haha. Tomorrow I’m going to a friend’s birthday party and then straight from there to the bus terminal in Asuncion. I’m going with my family to Pedro Juan for a week! Pedro Juan is right on the border with Brazil and actually, part of the city is in Paraguay and part is in Brazil. We’ll stay with family there until next weekend. For the second week of winter break I don’t have any solid plans yet but I want to go to see Iguazu Falls at the beginning of the week. Thursday through the next Tuesday I’m going to work for an organization called Un Techo Para Mi Pais to help build homes for homeless families. It’s like Habitat for Humanity in the United States. Then the folowing Wednesday through Friday I will just enjoy my last week at school. That weekend is my last weekend in Paraguay L. My friends and family are planning several despedidas (good bye parties) for me. Monday and Tuesday I have a feeling I will be busy doing last minute packing and other stuff to prepare. And then Wednesday, August 4^th is chau.

Three Months!

Wow, I’ve been in Paraguay more than three months! It’s hard to believe… it seems like it has been three weeks. I’ll try to update you on the past few weeks.

Three weekends ago my school took a trip to Encarnacion, Jesuit Ruins, and Yacyreta. Encarnacion is a major city in Paraguay and it’s the capital of Misiones (a state). Yacyreta is the huge hydroelectric plant on the border between Paraguay and Argentina. We also visited two different Jesuit ruins from the 17^th century. It was really fun to see those things with my classmates.

Two weekends ago, I had a trip to the Chaco with AFS. The Chaco is the northern region of Paraguay. In this area there are lots of Mennonite immigrants from Germany as well as lots of Indigenous people. There are tons of different species of animals, but hardly any people or towns. It’s estimated that there are over 20 different groups of Native Americans living in the Chaco today. Some people think there are still people in the Chaco that have never had contact with the outside world. Pretty cool. There were also cannibals there until about 20 years ago. Not so cool…

For our trip we visited a milk factory, the city Filadelfia, an indigenous zone, and Fortin Boqueron. Trebol is the major milk company in Paraguay and we were able to see the machines for packaging and everything. Afterwards we went to a museum where we learned about the Mennonite influence in the area. Then we visited Filadlefia, where almost all the people are German. It was pretty cool, all the signs were in German and in the supermarket they sold German food. Later on Saturday we visited an indigenous zone, which is like a Native American reserve. This was my favorite part of the trip. We got to meet tons of adorable little kids. They were really poor, but so funny and cute. They loved having their pictures taken and then getting to see them on the camera screen J For dinner, we went to a military base and they made us a huge asado, since we were traveling with a member of the military (the trip organizer’s dad). On Sunday we visited Fortín Boqueron. This is where the Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay was won. Overall, it was a really fun trip and I’m glad I got to see that part of the country.

You can see my pictures from both trips on my Flickr account at www.flickr.com/photos/annelisetrafford

Last weekend, I had a normal weekend in Luque. Friday I went to a birthday party. Saturday was mother’s day, so we had a big lunch for my mom. After lunch we found a boy who couldn’t have been more than ten years old sleeping in the middle of the sidewalk in front of our house. We warmed up some food for him and invited him in to eat. It was really sad, he was so skinny that it was painful just to look at him. There are lots of kids like that in Paraguay. My sister told me that there moms are usually drug traffickers or prostitutes. In the afternoon my dad took my brother and I fishing on the Rio Paraguaya, because my sisters and mom didn’t want to come. We only caught two teeny fish, but it was fun and the river is gorgeous. Saturday night I went to a quinceañera. On Sunday, we went out for lunch and then in the evening I went to a movie night at my friend’s house. We were making popcorn and forgot to put a lid on the pot and when we came back in the kitchen popcorn was everywhere hahah. My dad went to my grandma’s house and brought bag three huge bags of mandarin oranges and grapefruit along with empanadas that my grandma made. Yummmm.

This week starts three weeks of midterm exams at my school. Yeah, THREE WEEKS. But I’m only taking a few of them because they’re not going to count for my grade and you have to pay for them (which is kind of dumb because it seems like that would discourage people from taking them …)

Oh also! My blog post on food was featured on the AFS blogs website last week! You should go to the site to check it out and read tons of other interesting blogs from students around the world: www.afsblog.org

At this point, I only have about two and a half months left. In my time here so far, I have learned so much about myself. I have pushed my boundaries and tried hundreds of new things. I have made discoveries about people and the world. It has not always been easy, and I have had good days as well as bad days. Regardless, every night I go to sleep thinking about how thankful I am to have this experience.

Food!

The eating schedule is really different here than in America. Most people don’t eat breakfast, but if they do they have chipa or cocido. Then there’s mediamañana at around 11, which is a salty midmorning snack. This is usually a sandwich or empanada. Next is lunch at around 1 or 1:30, which is the biggest meal of the day (dinner and lunch are the opposite of how we eat in the US). For lunch my mom usually cooks pasta, rice or beans with beef (either diced, or in a big chunk) with a sauce made of oil and tomatoes and various other ingredients all blended into a liquid. On rainy days we usually have soup for lunch. At around 4 sometimes we have merienda, but not always. This is a sweet midafternoon snack. It’s usually cocido with dulce de leche on bread. Dinner is between 9 and 10. My mom doesn’t cook for dinner, so we usually buy empanadas or burgers or pizza or sometimes we make toasted ham and cheese sandwiches or tortillas. The diet in Paraguay mainly consists of meat and carbs. In my house, we hardly ever eat whole grains. Fresh vegetables and fruits are viewed as a special treat because they're expensive. This diet doesn't have much nutritional value, but it does taste good! One of my favorite things about Paraguay is all of its traditional foods. At this website you can find recipes (in english!) for most of the foods. Here are the most common ones (sorry I don't have pictures for all of them):

Chipa:

This is a bready snack or breakfast food. It comes in lots of different shapes and sizes (the chipa pictured is in a “medialuna” half moon shape). Chipa tastes kind of like a cross between a soft pretzel and a biscuit. People sell it everywhere—in the streets, on buses and outside of school. They carry it in big baskets on their heads. There are also things called “chipa barreros” which are trucks that drive around with megaphones hawking chipa (and waking me up in the morning). It is traditional to make chipa during Semana Santa (I talked about this in my last post).

Cocido:

This is a drink made from Yerba, water and sugar. It’s kind of like tea, and usually mixed with milk. To make it, you heat sugar in a pot until it’s brown and liquidy, then add water and stir until it’s mixed. Then you add yerba leaves and boil.

Sopa Paraguaya:

This is traditional Paraguayan bread/casserole dish. It is served almost every day with lunch, but it is eaten as a snack too.

Empanadas:

These are little pockets of dough filled with chicken, ground beef, ham and cheese, or corn then fried. I have an empanada at least once a day. They are eaten for snack, but also sometimes for dinner. People sell them in front of their houses everywhere and on any block there are at least five places to buy them. They’re also sold at my school’s cantina, and all of my classmates buy them there for their mediamañana snack. My favorite type is carne, which is ground beef mixed up with diced hardboiled eggs.

Mandioca:

In the US this is known as Yucca Root. We have it every day with lunch and often with dinner too. Its taste is kind of like a potato, with a little more texture. It’s pretty bland so it’s usually eaten with a bite of meat. It’s prepared by taking off the skin and then steam cooking it. I’ve had fried mandioca and mandioca empanadas a couple of times, but it is usually just eaten alone, not as an ingredient.

Dulce de Leche:

This is caramel. It can be eaten on top of ice cream or cake, as an ingredient in deserts, or (my preferred method) alone with a spoon. In my dad’s store he has these huge barrels filled with it, so every week he brings a big bowl home for us. It’s very popular here and even has its own aisle in the grocery store because people eat it so much!

Alfajors:

These are little sandwich cookies with a cakey outside and dulce de leche in the middle. Sometimes the edges are rolled in coconut. There are also packaged alfajors sold in stores and in my school’s cantina. These usually have three cookie layers and two dulce de leche layers and are coated in chocolate on the outside. Sugar overload!

Chipa Guazu:

This is a lot like Sopa Paraguaya, but with corn. It reminds me of corn casserole in the United States. It’s usually eaten as a side with lunch, instead of sopa paraguaya.

Tortillas:

These are very different from the tortillas I’m used to in the US. They’re made from dough of eggs, flour, water and salt and then fried in a pan. Sometimes we also dice potatoes and put them in the dough. We make them for dinner.

Asado:

This is meat from the grill. It’s typically eaten for lunch on Sundays or at fiestas. Usually there’s sausage, ribs, chicken, and other types of meat. The first time I had it, I was surprised because it’s eaten with all of the fat still on the meat, making it really chewy. It’s good but I’m glad we only eat it once a week, because it is very filling.

Fish:

(Sorry, I forget the name!) This is grilled fish covered in a salsa of onions and peppers and tomatoes. We have it on Sundays sometimes, instead of Asado. The fish is usually a Dorado fresh from the Rio Paraguaya. The salsa is diced peppers, onions and tomatoes with a little bit of oil and salt. We put the salsa on top and my dad grills it until it’s super tender and it falls of the bone when you cut it. It is one of my favorite foods here. The only downside is that it has tons of little bones that you have to be careful to take out while you’re eating.

Semana Santa: Trip to Cleto Romero

Last week was Semana Santa. Originally my family was supposed to go to Sao Paulo, Brazil (!) to visit my aunt, but we didn’t have enough time to get a visa for me. Then we decided to go to Pedro Juan (it’s about 6 hours away, right on the border of Brazil) to visit my grandparents, but we didn’t end up going there either. My grandmother told us there is a ton of Dengue Fever there right now, so my mom decided we should go later in the year when there aren’t mosquitoes because she didn’t want any of us to get it. So I was going to just stay around Luque for the week, but on Tuesday an AFS volunteer called asking if I wanted to go to Paraguari with her and I said sure. She was going to work as a missionary for her church and she invited the AFS students to help out and see the town. It turned out to be an amazing trip and I got to experience a totally different way of life.

I packed really quickly Tuesday night and then at 5 in the morning on Wednesday I met up with the volunteer, Lichy, and two other exchange students that went also, Ricarda and Lena (from Germany). From there we took a colectivo (public bus) to the omnibus station in Asuncion. The bus station was packed with people traveling to Brazil, Argentina and different towns in Paraguay to visit relatives for Semana Santa. There were even news crews there filming the chaos. We bought tickets for the next bus to Oviedo and then bought some chipa (yumm) and waited. Once the bus cameit was fairly empty so we got seats and all went to sleep. I have no idea when they got on, but when I woke up the bus was packed with people standing and sitting. Some stood in the aisle for more than four hours! After we got to Oviedo we took two more colectivos to get to Cleto Romero, the town we would be staying in. Our second colectivo was packed. There are no supermarkets or anything like that anywhere close to Cleto Romero, so once in awhile the women will go into town and buy enough supplies to last them until the next time they can get to town. So we were sharing the bus with a ton of people plus HUGE bags of flour and rice and containers of vegetable oil, soap and pasta. The women were like supermoms, balancing their supplies plus taking care of all of their kids. It was kind oflike being in Costco, except the women here would make their bulk products last a month instead of a week and the children were hungry and dirty.

Once we finally got off the bus, I was drenched in sweat from being squished between so many people. First we stopped by the house of the man that runs the church. I thought that my grandma was pretty poor and her house was really basic, but this was even more bare bones. Their house was made of planks of wood, but there were big gaps between the planks where rain and bugs and everything could get in. The floor was just dirt, so when it rained everything got completely muddy. They didn’t have electricity. In the outhouse, their toilet didn’t flush; it was basically just a hole into the ground. And for the baby’s crib they had tied a blanket between two walls like a hammock and put a stick at each end to make it into a rectangle shape. Regardless of all of that, they were extremely nice. They gave us food and completely welcomed us. And I got to help the mom make chipa!

After visiting with them for awhile, we walked about a kilometer to the house we would be staying. In the house there was a mom, a dad, and three daughters. They were also so, so, so nice. Their house was more like my house in Luque, actually a little bit nicer. Throughout our whole stay there I was never hungry because they were constantly serving us food! We ate desayuno (breakfast), mediamañana (mid-morning snack), almuerzo (lunch), almuerzo postre (after lunch desert), merienda (afternoon snack), cena (dinner), cena postre (after dinner dessert). Traditionally, mediamañana is always a salty snack and merienda is always a sweet snack. I felt like every time I finished eating it was time to eat again. And I couldn’t eat just a little at each meal because that’s really rude and the host will think that you don’t like their food. The only thing that saved me was that on Wednesday and Friday we didn’t eat any red meat, so that helped a little. But still, I think I ate about double there than I usually eat.

On Thursday we cleaned the whole church to prepare for a nighttime church service. Conveniently, it was only about a block from where we were staying. We swept, mopped and dusted on the inside then raked the leaves and mopped the patio outside. The daughters of the man that runs the church, Gaby and Liza (we met them the day before when we visited their house), also came to help us out. After all of that work, only five people showed up for the church service that night.

On Friday, Lichy had organized a Pascua Joven for the town. It is traditional during semana santa for kids to go for a day to a Pascua Joven service, which is a program for kids to teach them about the Easter story. About 15 kids showed up. We did crafts, played games, sang songs, and taught them about easter. In the afternoon we practiced and did “Villacruz”. This is another Easter tradition here. It is where the kids act out the death of Jesus (kind of like we do Christmas Pageants in America). I was Mary J We dressed up in these super heavy sheets and walked around the town following led by “Jesus” carrying a cross. By the end of it, I really thought I would die of a heat stroke. Saturday evening Lichy, Lena, Ricarda, Gaby, Liza, the girls, 2 of their friends and I went for a long walk. We saw the cemetery and then just kept walking along the main dirt road until it got so dark that we had to go home. While walking home, there were tons of huge frogs, the size of mixing bowls! When we got back, dinner was waiting (of course!) and we talked for a long time with the family.

Saturday we walked a TON. Lichy wanted to visit the next two towns on the road to talk with the people and visit the churches, so we went with her (Cleto Romero, San Miguel and Sagrado Familia only have about 100 people each). First we went about 4 kilometers to San Miguel, where we visited a tiny little church on the top of a hill. When we got there, the people had heard that we were coming and were expecting Lichy to give a sermon, so she had to make one up on the spot! After that we walked about 4 more kilometers to Sagrado Familia. There, we visited with a few families at their houses and saw another teeny church. After that, it was 2:00 and it was super sunny and hot, but fortunately a man in the town, who had a car, gave us a ride back to Cleto Romero. That afternoon I met a man from Minnesota who is living in Cleto Romero and working as a Peace Corps volunteer. After talking with him, my new dream is to be in the Peace Corps J Saturday night we had Easter church service and we had a reasonable turnout this time, about 30 people. Throughout the service stray dogs kept wandering into the church and by the end there were like 10 dogs “praying” with us haha. There was also little boy named Jesus who squealed with joy every time the Father said his name. Sooo cuteJ.

Sunday morning we caught the bus at the crack of dawn and made the trip back to Luque. I am so, so happy I had the opportunity to go on this trip. I got to see a different way of life and meet incredible people. The town was so different from anything I could have ever even imagined when I lived in America. And the people were a true lesson in generosity. They had next to nothing, yet they still gave us food, opened their doors, and made us feel completely welcome. Before I left, Gaby made me a card that said (translated): “Para Analiz- A joke: Paraguay has two things that Peru doesn’t- The Paraguay Hydroelectric Plant and a cool and quality friend like you. Thank you so much for helping me and my friends. One day when you need help, we will be there to help you. I love you a lot. From Gaby.” Awwww. My only regret is that I couldn’t stay longer.

Crossing the river

Cemetery

Lena working with the kids

Off of the colectivo! Finally!

The man who runs the church's house

Making chipa

Second AFS orientation and my mom's birthday

Hey I’m a little behind on the updates so this week I’m going to do a post about last weekend and another one about the weekend before.

The weekend before last weekend was the “adjustment orientation” for AFS. All the AFSers who arrived in February that are doing the high school program went. After school on Friday I went to the post office to pick a package from my grandma (thanks Mamaw! It made my dayJ) and then went home to get ready. On Friday at 1:00 we all met at the AFS Paraguay headquarters in Asuncion. Some people had to take the colectivo (the bus) all the way from Ciudad Del Este. They had to catch it at like 6 in the morning to get to Asuncion by 1 pm. Asuncion is only about a half an hour away from Luque and my host mom was nice enough to drive me there so I didn’t have to take the bus.

When we met at the AFS office it was like the first day of school. Everyone was so excited to see each other again and you could hardly get a word in edgewise. It was great to see the other Americans that I met in Miami. All five of us were there except Maggie because she’s doing the community service program. There was also one new American from Pennsylvania named Lauren. She arrived a week late because of the east coast snow storm.

It was great to talk to everyone and see how their experiences are going so far. We talked about all the things that surprised us or are different from the US, any problems we are having or had, and about our schools, our towns, our friends, and our families. It made me realize that we are all going through the exact same thoughts and feelings, even if our experiences are different. Overall, it seemed like everyone is having a great time here so far J

By about 2:00 all the people (there were about 20 total) had arrived. At around 2:30 we ate lunch then left Asuncion in a charter bus. About 2 hours later we arrived at the resort, Mamorei. Wow, it was amazing. It is set on a property with a pool, tennis courts, a volleyball court, soccer field and trails for bike rides or riding horses. When we got there, the owner and his son came to welcome us and there were popcorn and fresh juices for snack. We had some time to swim or relax and then we had our first session. Over the course of the camp we would have six sessions discussing everything from history, to school, to family life. After that session we had dinner which was delicioussss. All of the food at the resort was SO good. Later we went to bed because we would have an early morning the next day.

Saturday we woke up, ate breakfast and went for a hike. We took the bus about a half an hour away to Ypycui National Park. The hike was beautiful. We saw rivers, waterfalls, butterflies, spiders and frogs. After the hike the owner of the resort and his son came and made us a picnicJonce we were back at the resort we had several sessions broken up by lunch and a chipa making demonstration. Chipa is a traditional snack here and it’s kind of like a mix between a jumbo pretzel and a biscuit. After the afternoon sessions we had some free time and I got to play tennis! The owner’s son had an extra racket so I played with him for awhile. That was really fun because I hadn’t played tennis in awhile. After dinner we had another session and then went to bed.

In the morning on Sunday we had some free time so I went for a walk and took some pictures. Then we got back on the bus to Asuncion. After we got to the AFS office my mom and dad came to the AFS office to pick me up. My mom’s birthday was Saturday but she was at a church retreat and I was at the AFS camp, so we celebrated Sunday. My sister, Ali, made her a cake and I gave her earrings. Later Sunday night, she had a huge birthday party at a pizzeria near our house. About thirty of her friends came and it didn’t end until 1:00 in the morning!

I had fun reconnecting with my friends from America and wishing my mom “feliz cumpleaños!”

Ypycui

the view from the resort

our chipa! and yes, they actually use leaves as cookie sheet liners.

Me, Lauren, Samantha

Beautiful!

Week 4

Wow, it’s been five weeks since I arrived in Paraguay! Time flies when you’re having fun… It seems like it’s been a week. Sorry I haven’t blogged for awhile. Honestly, I’ve been feeling really unmotivated to write recently. I think it is because the newness of being here has worn off and now I’m not amazed at every little thing I see or do. Now I really feel like I live here and I’ve settled into my life and my routine.

The week before last week was pretty normal. One night we went to my aunt and uncle and cousins’ house (which is only a few blocks from ours) for empanadas and sangria and to meet our new baby cousin…so cuteJ. Another day I went to this field a few kilometers from my school to play soccer with my friends. We ended up dividing into a girls’ team and a boys’ team. We weren’t really keeping score but I’m pretty sure the boys won. There were cows grazing on the field and we didn’t have goals so we used the space in between the cow’s front legs and back legs as our goals haha. The cows got a few shots in the stomach, but otherwise it actually worked pretty well.

Last Friday was my last day of Spanish class so we had a party to celebrate. Everyone brought food. We ate empanadas, pizza and ice cream. I brought the ice cream because there’s an ice cream shop right across the street from my house. I love it! On hot days I can just walk over and get some helado to cool down. The old lady that owns it likes to talk to me and she always gives me a little extra ice cream for free J

On Saturday, AFS volunteers took the exchange students in Luque on a walking tour of our town so we would know how to get around by ourselves. We went everywhere. We saw Sportivo Luqueño, which is the soccer stadium in my town. We found a door that was unlocked so we were able to actually go inside and see it. We also went to the market which is quite an experience. It’s about four blocks long and people sell clothes, food, school supplies and pretty much anything else you could possibly want. It’s not like the markets in America at all. It is very dirty and crowded. Also, cars still drive down the streets that the market is on so you can’t walk around very easily. But, things are super cheap and I bought a bracelet for .60 cents in USDJ.

One of my classmates invited me to her quinceañera, which was Saturday night. In Latin America, when a girl turns 15, she has a huge party called a quinceañera, or quince, to mark her arrival as a woman. Here, people go all out for their daughter’s quinces. My sister and I got all dressed up and our older sister, Ali, did our hair. It started at 11 (parties here start really late) and when we arrived at 12 hardly anyone was there yet. There’s this expression that things in Paraguay run on “hora paraguaya” (Paraguay time) and it’s so true! Things usually start an hour or two after they’re supposed to because no one gets there on time. After a while food was served and we talked with our friends. After dinner, a slideshow of childhood photos and video clips of the birthday girl was played. After that, we got to eat a gorgeous (and delicious!) cake. There was also a giant table with all kinds of desserts and sweets. Later, the dancing started. That was really fun except that all the people are such good dancers and I’m a terrible dancer. But by the end of the night I was doing okay… My sister and her boyfriend picked Martha and I up at about 3:30.

My sister has been dating her boyfriend, Kelo, for 8 years and he is so cool. For his job he goes to the Chaco and catches exotic animals like anteaters, armadillos and snakes. He sends these to someone in Atlanta, Georgia who sells them as pets in the US. This sounds really sketchy and it’s probably illegal but it’s still cool to get to see his animals. Also, in a few weeks he’s going to take me rappelling at a mountain nearby. I love rock climbing and stuff, so I’m really excited.

Speaking of upcoming plans, I’m going to Brazil next week! Next week is Semana Santa, which is Easter week, and we have no school. My aunt lives in São Paulo, so my sisters and my mom and I are going to go visit her for the whole week! I’m super excitedddd. I’ll make sure to take lots of pictures.

Well, I want to post about my second AFS orientation, which was last weekend, but I think I’ll make a new post for that since this one is so long already. I hope all is well in the US! Chau!

Kelo's snake

With mama before the quince

Snake #2

Week 3

Whew, this week has been busy, busy, busy. Last Monday was a holiday, so we didn’t have school. I went to my friend Amy’s house and spent the whole day with her and her host family. When I got there, her mom was tanning by their pool and a maid came and brought me fresh squeezed orange juice. I felt like I was on 90210! In the morning we went in the pool and relaxed on the patio. I got really sun burned :( After lunch it was really hot so we hung out in her sister’s room and talked for awhile. Her sister, Mayda, is 15 too and she’s super nice. At around 4 we went to the Club Internacional de Tenis, which they are members of. There’s a gym and a giant pool and tennis courts and soccer fields and a spa. Amy’s host dad is a former professional soccer player so he basically gave me a personal lesson for two hours, which was so cool. Also, while we were there, there was a giant international tennis competition. The participants were from all over the world including 5 or 6 people from the US. We watched a few games and then went in the sauna. Ahhh. For a few hours I forgot I was in a third world country!

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I went to a handball tournament every night. It was really interesting, since I had never seen a handball game before. It’s basically like basketball except with a smaller ball and soccer goals instead of hoops. There were six men’s teams and six women’s teams from all over Paraguay. My parents were both volunteering at the concessions stand to support their church, so every night we were there from about 8 pm to 1 am. Needless to say, it was pretty hard to wake up at 6 for school in the mornings. Thursday was the championship for the men’s and women’s teams. Luque (my city) ended up winning for both men’s and women’s! There were a ton of people there, and they were going crazy cheering. It was fun and now I really want to try handball!

Friday was an AFS party for all the students in Luque. It was at my friend Ricarda’s house. There were about 20 students and volunteers there plus the host families. It was really fun, and I met a lot of new people. The party was to welcome me and the two other new students to Luque. Most of the other students are here for the year program. They’ve been here since last August. I think I may end up learning some German in addition to Spanish because about half the students are from Germany! It was so cool to hear all of the different languages and cultures being shared. At the end of the night someone brought out Espuma (which is a foam spray)leftover from Carnival a few weeks ago, and we all chased each other and got completely covered in it. Afterwards we broke a piñata filled with glitter and confetti. It stuck to our foam so we all looked like giant disco balls haha.

Yesterday we washed the dogs in the morning and went to my sister’s friend’s house in the afternoon. In the evening, my whole family went to a pizza place for dinner. It was SO fun! Everyone was laughing and joking around and having a really good time. At this point, I really feel like I am a member of the family, which is great. On Sundays we always have a big family lunch. Today my dad decided to make fish for the lunch, and I got to help him. In the morning, we went to the market and got a giant fish that had just been caught this morning in el Rio Paraguay. When we got home, we had to skin the fish and grill it. In the end it was deliciousss.

This week was so fun, even though it was busy! Hopefully next week will be just as good. Chau!

yummy fish!

Me and Martha

Go Luque!

Handball

Washing the dogs

Visiting my Grandma

Last Sunday, we went to my Grandma’s house in the country. I love going to the countryside in Paraguay because it’s so different from anywhere I’ve ever been before. This is one of the few places left on Earth that hasn’t yet been spoiled. There is electricity, but it’s very unreliable. In general, people do not have modern technology like TVs and washing machines. The way of life is so simple. People’s diets consist mostly of what they grow or have on their land. I think what I love most about it is that people here are able to be so self sufficient. They do not have to rely on a farmer across the world for their food or a car to get where they want to go. It’s never boring because there is always an animal that needs to be fed, fruit that needs to be harvested, or food to be cooked. I want to remember everything about this place and these nights: the smell of citronella burning, the taste of icy terrere, the sounds of laughter and insects, the view of the full moon, lighting the sky, and the feeling of being completely at home.

Photos from top: My grandma, me with my dad and cousins, a yummy fruit my grandma grows (I forget the name!), Martha and Alejandro (my babycousin), my grandma's house.

Settling in...plus things that no longer surprise me

Hey everyone! So my second week in Paraguay is done. It was another great week and now I’m starting to feel like I have more of a routine. This week several things happened. I started my Spanish classes, some friends came over to my house, I got my uniform and my cousin came to visit.

First, the Spanish classes. AFS requires all of its participants in Paraguay to take Spanish classes. We have them every day except Sunday for two hours. They are sooo boring. We are learning beginner’s Spanish such as greetings, the alphabet, family members and food. These are things I learned in Spanish I. And we have to do this for a month… There are three other AFSers in my class, a girl and boy from Thailand and a girl from Colorado. The only thing that makes the classes bearable is that I can talk with the other American, Amy. We both have taken several years of Spanish in school, so we are able to help Bang and Natcha from Thailand, since they don’t know any Spanish at all.

On Tuesday night after Spanish class, my friend Ricarda came over to my house for a little while. Ricarda is an AFS student from Germany and she’s the host daughter of my host mom’s best friend. She’s already been here for 6 months and will be here for another 5. When she came over we talked for awhile and bought ice cream from a store across the street. It was fun J When she arrived here, she didn’t know any Spanish and now she is basically fluent. Listening to her gives me hope for my Spanish skills! Yesterday (Thursday) afterschool, one of my friends from school, Dahiana, came over and hung out with me and my sister. We looked at my pictures of America for a while and then hung out in the yard. Funfunfun.

On Wednesday I came home and found out that my cousin was visiting from college in Asuncion. I don’t know how long he is going to stay here but he’s been living with us, in my brother’s room. His family has an exchange student also, from Germany. After we had lunch, my mom took me to get my uniform for school (finally!). I got measured for the uniform last week, but they didn’t have it ready until this Wednesday. As if I didn’t already stand out enough, I had been wearing jeans and my school’s polo instead of a uniform for the first week and a half. My uniform is a brown and white checkered jumper with a light blue collared shirt underneath. I also have to wear white knee high socks and brown leather buckle shoes. Pretty fashionable… haha.

Otherwise, this week has been pretty normal. I feel like I’m settling into my routine here. Usually I wake up at 6, get ready for school, eat some bread with dulce de leche (my new obsession!), get my notebooks together and my mom drives us to school. School is from 7-11:20, except for Tuesday, when it goes until 12:20. I love being done with school for the day and knowing that my friends in America are still in first period (I get out at 9:20 DC time)J. After school, my sister and I walk or take the bus home, depending on the weather. When we get home we read or watch TV and just relax for about an hour and a half. (Speaking of reading, I just finished the book Three Cups of Tea, about mountain climber turned school builder Greg Mortenson. I recommend it!) My mom makes us lunch, which is the main meal of the day, and we eat at about 1:30. After lunch, we have a siesta (naptime!). At 3:45 I walk to my Spanish class and then I walk back home when it's done at 6. After I get home, I usually hang out with my brother and sisters and sometimes run errands with my mom. I’ve been talking a lot with my brother because he’s trying to learn English. And we’ve been watching Skins together (we get MTV here!). On days that I have homework (which are rare), I do it before dinner. We eat dinner between 9:30 and 10. For dinner we usually go out to get empanadas or burgers or something. After dinner we watch TV and shower/ get ready for bed. And then I start over the next day.

I also wanted to post a few things that really surprised me when I first got here, but now seem normal:

· The buses are all painted with bright colors and patterns, like murals.
· There are dogs and cats and chickens in the streets and everywhere.
· People here shower two or three times a day (because of the heat).
· Horses or mules with wagons walk right alongside cars in the streets.
· Drivers here have no regard at all for other cars or people. Pedestrians fear for their lives.
· People put their whole families on motorbikes. I saw four people on one yesterday! And it’s common to see babies riding on the lap of the driver.
· People drink soda with every meal here, including breakfast. I now understand why Coca-Cola is a multibillion dollar company.
· I get more English channels here than I do at my house in DC.
· The dirt is bright red.
· In the country, women sometimes have 16, 17 or 18 children. They start having children when they’re 13 or 14 years old.
· EVERYONE is Catholic.
· Even though there are differences, the people here are really just like us!

sd Photos from top: The basilica in Ca'acupe, me with Martha and Dahiana (my friend from school), roadblock!, the calm before the storm

PP

First days in Paraguay

Hola! I'm in Paraguay! My first few days here have been great.

I started my trip with an orientation in Miami with 5 other students from America going to Paraguay. It was at a hotel that was connected to MIA airport. At this orientation, we learned about safety, communication and we got to talk with a consul from Paraguay. We did activities to practice acting out and drawing words we don't know and discussed our goals for the program. The orientation was led by two students from Miami International University.

After that we had an 8 and and a half hour flight from Miami to Santiago, Chile. On that flight I slept and watched movies and talked to the lady beside me. She was a retired teacher who is traveling the world now and she was going to Chile to hike in Patagonia for two weeks. So coool:)

From Santiago to Asuncion i sat next to a man who was very curious about the United States. He really wants to live there but he needs to "find an American bride" because it takes too long to become a citizen. haha.

When we got to Paraguay we were met in the airport by people from AFS and the students from Thailand. There alot of students from Thailand- 15 or 16. Thats more than all of the other countries combined! At the orientation we did more security info and we had lessons on Paraguayan culture. We learned about body language, culture, Guarani (the second national language of Paraguay), and medical info. On Saturday we met our families! I looove my family. My mom is very fun and my dad is really nice. I spend a lot of time with my 15 year old sister, Marta. My other brother and sister also live with us but they are both in college.

On Sunday we went to my grandma’s house in the country for the day. It was really cool to see that side of Paraguay because it’s very different than the city. The people that live in the “campo” are generally poor and live a very simple lifestyle. Also, I think that most of them are indigenous because Guarani is the primary language. My grandma lives in what Americans would consider a shack. Her house is partially made of boards nailed together and there’s no running water or electricity. Her land is very pretty though. I think that she has a yucca farm and she also grows lots of different types of fruits. My whole extended family on my dad’s side was there because it was his sister’s (my aunt’s) birthday and because they wanted to meet meJ We had a huge lunch made up of grilled pork, beef and chicken and a little bit of yucca and fruit from the yard (Paraguayans eat A LOT of meat). After lunch my dad, sister, cousin and I went for a walk around the land. Behind the house my grandma grows lots of plants. We also tasted all of the fresh fruits. Yum!

On Monday, I started school. I LOVE school J I go to a catholic school called Sagrado Corazon de Jesus. It’s very different than my school in the United States. We have to wake up at 6 because school starts at 7. It ends at 12 though, so I don’t mind. The school has classrooms centered on an outdoor plaza. The stairs and hallways are outside, so it’s very open to the outdoors, which I like. Here, the students stay in one class and the teachers move every period. There are only 18 students in my grade and we’re all in one class. This is different than America where I switch classrooms every period and have different people in each of my classes. In terms of a schedule, I have 5 classes a day for 50 minutes each with a ten minute “recreo” between each one. The school has a food store with candy and empanadas and sandwiches so people usually eat or talk with their friends during recreo. The people in my class are so nice! My sister and I mainly hang out with a group of 6 girls (including us) and 3 boys. They are very interested in the United States and are helping me a lot with my Spanish.

Speaking of my Spanish, I’m learning much faster than I thought I would! I can easily have a conversation, though sometimes I have to ask the other person to explain a word or repeat themselves.

We are about to have company over to watch a soccer game. Every night we either go to someone else’s house or someone comes here for some reason. Last night we went to my mom’s friend’s house (because it was her birthday) and we had to wait two hours to drive home because there was a terrible storm that flooded the streets and knocked out power!

Wow I feel like I just wrote a novel. It took me two days to write! Sorry for the length, but I wanted to let everyone know how my first days in Paraguay are going. I hope all is well in the USA! Ciaooo

ps- I am created a flickr account to share my photos but the internet here is really slow so it’s taking hours to upload them. When they are up, I’ll post a link on this blog J

Host Family Assignent Redux, Blogging from Chile!

I'm writing from the airport in Chile! Because of the snowpocalypse, I left DC on tuesday, drove to Charlotte, NC tuesday night and flew from there to Miami Wednesday morning. I then spent Wednesday afternoon and Thursday at an orientation in Miami. I was on a long flight last night (thursday night) to get from Miami to Santiago, Chile (where I am now) and I'll leave here in a couple of hours for ANOTHER flight, this time to Asuncion. I'll post more about my flights and orientations later, but what I really wanted to blog about is a change in my host family.

About a week ago I was informed by AFS that my host family has been switched. Instead of the Molinari family, I'll be staying with the Basualdo Rodriguez family. This family is also in Luque. In the family, I'll live with a dad, Cesar, a mom, Carmen, and a daughter my age (again!), Marta. They also have a 29 year old daughter, Carmen and 25 year old son, Cesar. I have a feeling these names might get confusing...

I exchanged emails with my host family throughout last week and I'm super excited to meet them. I asked my host mom lots of questions and found out lots of great information. For school, I will be going to the Sacred Heart Academy, a catholic private school. No one in the home speaks any english, which is actually what I was hoping for so that my spanish will improve quickly. They do have internet in the house. When I asked what their house was like, she said that it was "small but big hearted" :) She seems super nice and signs her emails with "besos" (kisses).

My adventure has begun and I'm so excited!

Host Family Assignment

I recieved my host family! I'll be staying with the Molinari family. In the family there is a mom, Liz, a dad, Jorge, a 15 year old daughter (!), Angie, and a 10 year old daughter, Giselle. They live in a town called Luque, just outside of the capital city of Asuncion and near the border of Argentina. The organization didn't give me any more information on them but I talked with my host sister on facebook briefly and she seems very nice. Ok, I'm off to go skiing, but I was really excited and just wanted to let everyone know!

Introduction

Hi, my name is Ann Elise. I live in Washington, DC. I am currently a sophomore at School Without Walls, a small public school in Foggy Bottom. In February, I will be leaving for six months for an exchange program in Paraguay. I am very excited about this opportunity.

This first post will be my introduction. I am very friendly and love spending time with my friends at the movies, restaurants, parties, or going to different neighborhoods in the city. I play lots of sports including soccer, skiing, swimming, tennis, basketball, and jogging. I also love spending time outdoors biking, camping, or going for walks. With my family, I like cooking and baking, travelling, and doing normal activities like watching TV and reading. I have no brothers or sisters.

Around my friends, I love having fun and often organize things such as going ice skating or sleepovers. My best friends live very close to me, so we usually go over to each other’s houses after school to hang out. I love making people laugh. I think that my friends would describe me as funny, kind, and social.

I also have a very good relationship with both of my parents. I enjoy spending time with them and often go to them for advice or just to talk. We go to museums, cook, travel, and go to the farmers market and other places around my neighborhood. I love doing normal activities with my parents like walking our dogs, running errands, seeing movies, and going out to eat. I think that my parents would describe me as independent, fun, and a leader.

I am very athletic. My main sport is soccer. I play for my school’s varsity girl’s soccer team and hope to be a captain next year. On the team, I am a starter and am considered a leader. Through my soccer team, I have made lots of friends. In addition to soccer, I love skiing, swimming, biking, hiking, basketball, jogging, and tennis. I enjoy playing pretty much any sport. I love spending time outdoors being active. With my parents, I often go camping or biking with other family friends. My grandparents on my mom’s side have cabins in Minnesota that we go to every summer. I like travelling to other places too. I have been to most parts of America and also Mexico, the Bahamas and Canada. I particularly like going to New York City and the beach.

In addition to sports, I am in other clubs and activities. I am an active member of my church, write for my school newspaper, am a member of the Global Interfaith Youth Action Committee, serve on Michelle Rhee's high school cabinet, and am a Venture Scout. Through my church, I teach Sunday school and volunteer for organizations to help the homeless. I also do community service as a venture scout, in addition to going on high adventure trips to ski, sail, canoe, and other activities. As a member of the Interfaith Youth Action Committee, I meet with other high school students that are Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and other religions. We discuss issues affecting the world today and what we can do to work together to solve these issues. We also do service and art projects.

I decided to apply for an AFS exchange program because I love trying new things and learning about different cultures and the World. I also would like to improve my Spanish. I hope that through this program, I will make lifelong friends and gain a new perspective. I think that this world is huge, so it would be terrible to waste my whole life in one place. There are so many different people, cultures, and ways of life and I would like to experience as many as possible. I have never been the type of person that would be content growing up and staying in the same place my whole life. I love trying new things. Sometimes people don’t try new things because they are scared, but I look at every chance to try something new, whether it is a food, activity, or anything else, as an opportunity to have a great experience.

After high school, I plan to go to college and then travel. For a job, I want to be either a teacher or a journalist. Both of those are jobs that I would be able to do even if I wasn’t living in America. I am interested in journalism because it allows travel and I could use it to make people aware of issues affecting other countries that they might not have otherwise known about. I would like to teach because I have seen the impact that a good teacher make in a child’s life, and I want to make that kind of impact.

If you are interested in donating toward my trip, you can click on the ChipIn! button near the top of the page. An exchange program isn't cheap, so any donations would be greatly appreciated. Also, I will be blogging while in Paraguay, so you can subscribe to my blog to get all of my posts from abroad. For more information about AFS Intercultural Programs, you can go to the AFS website. For more information about Paraguay, you can go to the AFS Paraguay page and click the download brochure button on the top right hand side of the page.
Thanks!
p.s.- future posts will not be so long :)