So far this trip has been a complete eye opener. Everything from the language to the food to the traditions are so different. When I first arrived in Carapegua, I was nervous because I have been made very aware that my Spanish is “no bueno”. But after meeting my host family, my anxieties have subsided. As soon as I arrived, the younger sister wanted to help me. She even made me a bracelet—at this point I had only just been introduced to her ten minutes before. The mother and father of the family came in and made sure everything was okay, and that their daughters had done their homework. Then we all watched TV. At that moment I realized maybe we aren’t so different. In fact, besides a few cultural differences, we are more similar than different.
Then today when we started our first project at the school, I realized that this experience is extremely important to the people of Paraguay. As we painted the mural along the school’s outside wall, little kids, bigger kids, and teachers crowded around us and complimented the work we were doing. Everyone was so grateful for our help and everyone was so curious about The United States. Throughout the past six days I have realized that this trip is not only a huge eye opener for me but it is also extremely important for the people of Paraguay.
by Grace, Wilson Senior High School
Every year, we as the leaders work with our group beforehand to get them ready for a terrific but humbling experience. And every year we both astounded by the warmth of the Paraguayans and the openness of the LearnServe Team. This year is no exception. We have to recognize how great the LSP team is—
how tolerant they are of the cold we are in, their ability to be put into new host families and share openly with them, their willingness to try new foods without complaining and their spirit to get up everyday and extend their own boundaries and learn new things. The pictures will tell only half of the story. We have been welcomed by the Paraguayans and in turn, we have welcomed them forever into our hearts and minds! We will surely have wonderful stories for our families upon return!
Jill and Margie, LSP ‘08 Co-leaders
Being back here in Paraguay is such an amazing feeling. I love both the old memories and the new experiences. So far, my favorite experience has definitely been the Horse Parade in Carapegua. We all met at the town plaza at 9 am, where we were told that we would be watching horses from all over the area come and perform. This definitely did not prepare me for the extravagant sight I’d be seeing.
After a couple of hours of standing around and waiting, we heard many clicks approaching. Hundreds and hundreds (maybe even thousands) of horses filled the streets of the small town known as San Juan.
The riders brought in their best and strongest horses, which were all lined up perfectly, dressed in lavish costumes and some performing little dances.
After about an hour of watching the horses and their riders walk by, there was a rush to the stadium. Walking into that stadium, I had never seen so many horses in my entire life! People gathered in like mad men to see the event of the year. The horses stood in the middle of the field, performing acts and dances. Around the perimeter of the field were countless riders, riding their horses around the field. People were filled with excitement and energy as they watched the horses perform. It was so incredible being there and seeing so many people and so many horses.
It’s so great to see because it’s so different than anything I’ve ever seen in the United States. People that didn’t even know each other were so helpful and friendly to each other. They were constantly watching out for inexperienced riders, and helping those who had trouble controlling their horses. I even got to ride one of the horses, and trust me, it is so much harder than it looks. This definitely was something I’ll never forget, it was such an amazing experience.
Maddy, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
This morning was our first morning in Carapegua. We arrived yesterday afternoon to be received with a huge reception at the local school. We sang both national anthems and the principal of the school welcomed us with a lot of warmth. From the local school, we visited the Plaza in Carapegua where our entire group touched base. We all get along really well which is great!!!
The teachers went to the homes of Paraguyan teachers and the students went to the students’ homes to spend the night. This morning we all met up at the local school and separated into groups. The students gave the kids at the school basic computer training while the teachers talked about their teaching methods in the USA and exchanged ideas. Tomorrow the kids will be doing various projects with the local kids at their schools. Most of us are painting the local schools. For the most part, the food is great and everybody really gets along with one another.
Ithi, Chantilly High School
(Note: due to technical difficulties, we have been unable to post photos from LSP ‘08. We hope to have this sorted out soon!)
LearnServe Paraguay is entering its fourth year with this summer’s trip.
We started with an exploratory visit in 2005 and three short years later, we are fully engaged in two communities where we work with local youth and teachers to promote urban (with the Santa Ana Community Center) and rural (with Institute Desarrollo and Carapegua Superintendents Office) development. This year will be unique, however. The efforts of LSP07 have resulted in a donation of 280 computers that will be central to our work. Over the next 18 days, we expect that the LSP team will learn about the power of youth and education in the transformation of a country at a local level. We will share cultural and educational experiences with students and teachers in three communities, starting with the Patron Festival in San Juan Bautista, traveling to rural community Carapegua and ending in a marginalized neighborhood in the Capital City. We hope that our blog will share our experience, our joy, our sadness, and most of all our growth as we learn about the challenges of this small country and the amazing Paraguayans that tackle them.
About the blog
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