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!
