Cultural Differences

Friday, October 3, 2008 by Hannah


(From the top right: Emerson, Sam, Zan, and me.)
Having your life turned upside-down is part of the package deal for almost every AFS student. We pay however much money to leave our homeland for a year, and jump head-first into the real world. This is awesome, in my opinion. I get to experience first-hand the amazing culture of Paraguay, and how it differs from my life back home, in the U.S.

Some of the differences between Asunción and my hometown, Burlington, are obvious. Burlington is a small town of 10,000 people, while Asunción is the capital of Paraguay, houseing over a million. But there are smaller, more defined differences than this.

For example, there's no speed limit here. Drivers are welcome to go any speed they wish, or rather any speed they wish to drive over the frequent speed bumps. These can be quite a surprize when the driver isn't paying much attention. I've cracked my skull on the ceiling of the car many, many times when my host brother is driving.
Another driving difference is the lack of respect for the pedestrians. If you cross the road, it's your job to make it to the other side unscathed. If you're in the way, you'll get hit. It's as simple as that.

A more serious difference is social class. This is especially prominent in my case, since my family seems to have lots of money. However, it is common to see a maid, or a housekeeper working in a middle-class home. In my case, we have a driver, a night-guard, a cook, and several maids at our disposal. My family is very reliant on these people; on sunday, when the help is off, we are basically helpless. Nobody (except for me) knows how to cook, and we always order in, or go out for meals. But the social class goes beyond unskilled upper classmen. If they are cleaning, or cooking, or whatever their job is, the help is expected to not mingle with their employers, and to leave them alone. This has been the hardest on me - for most of the time that I've been here, when I'm bored, I've gone down to the kitchens to hang out with Lucy, our cook. She's a very nice lady, and I enjoy spending time with her. Only recently did I discover that I shouldn't be spending time with her, as it is not my place to do so. It may sound rude, but it's just different, not bad, or anything.
It took me a bitto realize that this is just how things go in Paraguay. Sweet, right?

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Thursday, September 18, 2008 by Hannah

(Me and my friend Luli.)

So on monday, I went on a class trip to Misiónes, a part of Paraguay some 500 km from Asunción, where I'm living now. It was a long bus ride, but I still had tons of fun. This fun included, much to my surprise, riding horse! I was so excited, since I haven't rode since I came home from Wilderness Pursuit.


The horse I'm riding in the above was only my 'starter' horse. I had to go out riding a few times to convince the vaqueros (cowboys, in a sense) that I actually knew what I was doing. It surprized them, seeing a woman that could ride so well. So after a bit of showing off, they switched me to a more difficult, young horse that needed an experienced rider. After switching, I really rode all day, not wanting to take the breaks that they forced upon me. A couple times I went out by myself, exploring the thousands of acres that they had at their disposal. The terrian is much like the west in America; flat, barren, and dry, so it was hard to get lost. When I returned from one of my trips, I was able to take part in a cattle drive which ment a few more hours of riding (which I didn't mind at all, really).


The cattle drive had us moving thousands of cows. And when I say thousands, I mean it. I've never seen so many cows in my life, and I'm from Wisconsin, for pete's sake.
I quickly learned the art of driving cattle, and found myself fitting in quite nicely in the middle of the Paraguayan wild west. But once it was over, it was over. I was under the influence that I'd be riding the next day, but I was scammed and sentenced into a day of boring, smelly museums on tuesday. Honestly, I'm not exactly sure how I went this long without riding...but as usual, I'll find a fix for it, or I'll make one myself. I usually do. :D


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Futbol and Mac&Cheese

Wednesday, September 10, 2008 by Hannah


This past weekend, I had AFS orientation. I met new friends, and had a blast. But the fun didn't stop there. Tuesday night, I went to an official Paraguay soccer game--PY vs. Venezuela--and had tons of fun. I'm not much of a soccer fan, but the energetic atmosphere that was present en la cancha I just couldn't resist. We stayed out late (for a school night) and I wasn't exactly looking forward to waking up in the morning, but I still had loads of fun. I'd do it again, any day of the week, no problem.
The way we aquired tickets for the game was interesting. It had the same amount of shiftyness you wouldn't be able to trust from the weird-looking guy standing outside of Soldier Field minutes before the Bears game started, but to my relief the tickets were real, and worked.
I also was able to experiance Paraguayan culture at its finest: the threat of having Coke dumped over my head if I wasn't wearing a Paraguay jersey. In response to the threats, I complied and bought one, which looks quite dashing, might I say.

One might think that I had my fair share of funness and exiting things happen to me, but the fun continues. The Sullivan family sent a package of things Jorge left behind, but also included mac and cheese! I couldn't believe it, and Jorge and I spent five straight minutes jumping up and down in excitement. We had it for dinner, and man, it tastes better than EVER! I missed it so much... But we have two more boxes to go, and I'm looking forward to the challenge.

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