Domingo

The weekends are a time for community integration during the three months of training. We have training during the morning on Saturday, but the rest of the week we have “off”. During the week we spend time with our family and very near by neighbors eating and chatting, but the weekends are a time to travel into the city with our families, meet more family members that come to visit, and just enjoy the company of our family in a tranquillopa’ setting. I don’t think I have ever been more nervous!

I kept thinking ‘My third day in Paraguay and I am spending the entire day speaking only Spanish to a family that I hardly know. What am I going to do?’ It actually ended up being one of the most eventful and entertaining Sundays I have had in a long time. Here is what I did:

I was awoken at 6 in the morning (yes it was very early since I still was not adjust to the time change) because I had plans to accompany my host father, Oscar, to one of the soccer games that he referees at on the weekend near Asuncion. After having a quick breakfast of the delicious drink cocida con leche, my host brother Abraham, Oscar, and myself piled into their two seater and well used car to travel to the game. First we stopped at the gomeria, which is a tire repair shop, where Oscar replaced one of the front tires. There are lots of gomerias along the main paved roads in Paraguay, because even the paved roads have lots of potholes, rocks, or trash in the road that destroy the tires. After that quick stop and one at the gas station we drove a little over an hour to the soccer field.

Paraguayan drivers are a slightly dangerous with their driving. Motos or motorcycles are very popular here, but are also super dangerous. Everyday in Paraguay at least three people die from a moto accident. As a Peace Corps Trainee and Volunteer I am not allowed to drive or ride on a moto during the entire 27 months. If I do and someone finds out, I will be sent home immediately, no exceptions. In addition to lots of motos on the road, no one wears their seat belts, there is no legal age for driving a vehicle and no one besides my host father seems to use their blinkers (thank God he does).

We arrived a few minutes before the game started, giving Oscar time to change into his uniform and for me to be graciously given a chair to sit in the shade with during the games. There were three games that Oscar refereed that morning. The teams that played in the games were adult club teams from the area. The first two were very competitive and required penalty kicks to determine the winner, but the last was a clean sweep by one of the teams. The games ended about 10 in the morning; however, it was already about 85 degrees out.

After leaving the game we went to an outdoor fruit market to buy oranges to make juice with and some watermelon for a snack. We then proceeded to the supermarket just outside of Asuncion. It actually reminded me of a Fred Meyer. It had food, household items like blenders and tupperware, as well as clothes. One thing that was very different was when we parked in the parking lot there were a few men loitering up and down each lane of parked cars. I learned as we were leaving when Oscar gave one a couple Guaranies (Paraguayan money) that they actually watch your car for you while you are in the store if you ask, so nothing will get stolen or broken into while you are gone.

After the hour long drive back into Guarambare in the now 90 degree heat, we return to the house where we consumed a delicious lunch of salad and panchos (hot dogs). I am actually super lucky that I get fruits and vegetables, some people only get fried food everyday, all day. After lunch I visited my neighbor Brenda, who is also a PCT. We spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with her family and neighbors and drinking terrere (matte with cold water). It ended up reaching 100 degrees in the afternoon. Once it started to cool down I got to play some volleyball with the neighbors. Brenda and I are actually very lucky to have a volleyball court in her backyard, because we get the opportunity to both exercise and it is a great community gathering activity so we get to practice our Spanish a lot while we watch.

Once the sunset, I returned to my house where I ate my dinner with the family and played tic-tac-toe with my host family kids and neighbors for over an hour. I was the "ganadora" for most of the games. I returned to my room around 9 and was able to take a small break for the heat. It was a long day, but I actually made it through it. Not only did I get to practice my Spanish all day, but I also got to see more of Asuncion and what the life of a typical Paraguayan is like on a Sunday. It was a pretty good day for only just arriving.