Sam makes a lesson plan
I bent down to kiss the cheeks of the short, fragile grandmother, then the mother, then their seven year old daughter, and popped back up again to firmly shake the Dad’s hand. I greeted my new Carapegua host family in Spanish, and they returned my greeting in Spanish, Guaraní, and an attempt at English. As we walked to their little 1980’s green Volkswagen (having a car is a big deal) they asked me if I knew any Guaraní, and I asked them if they knew any English. Collectively, between the four of them, they knew car, dog, house, “Good night”, “good morning” and yes. On the other hand, I didn’t and still don’t know any Guaraní. The Santacruz’s had a nice three bedroom row house, with an outdoor family room, living room, and kitchen. For Carapegua, it was actually quiet nice.
Walking in the rain in Carapegua
Orlando, (the Dad) immediately sat me down the minute I arrived, and we talked about cars. He is very proud to have both a car and a motorcycle, because it boosts his business (package courier). After talking about cars, our conversation transitioned to me, my family, and America…oh and how he didn’t believe that I am only 16 because I am taller than him. Somewhere between my life, and Obama, Obama, Obama, five hours went by, and I was physically and mentally exhausted. I retired to my bed, which like the bed at Hotel Chaco, was way to short. In bed, I thought to myself that my Spanish couldn’t be that good, but maybe it had been. I drifted to sleep, a proud Spanish student, with the sound of barking dogs, and screaming animals in the background.
Fast forward a week, and a few some kilometers away- back at Hotel Chaco, in Asunción, we were paired with our San Jose School host families. My new host brother, Darío, greeted me in English, and took me over to where his friends were sitting. Their perfect English AMAZED me, and I did a double take when Darío informed me he had only been studying English for two years! I could tell this would be a very different experience.
Back in Asuncion
We started the welcome dinner at about the same time Orlando and his family would be going to bed in Carapegua, about 8:30. After dinner, the host families took us to a club party that lasted into the early morning hours, when my host family in Carapegua would usually be waking up. A side note, there were no chickens. The next morning, when I talked to my new host family as a whole, they were totally different than the folks in Carapegua. I felt as if I had traveled to yet another country overnight, because the culture was so different. They did not speak Guaraní, didn’t even know any, they did not drink Mate, they did not pray before a meal, they did not have animals, they did not make their own cloths, they did not wake up at four, and they did not stare at me because they had never seen an American before. What they did do is watch CNN, MTV, and E! They had Facebook, and GMail, and wore American fashion labels, they took family vacations, and had two new cars, they went walking for fun, and had a computer, and T.V’s, they had educated backgrounds, but despite all these differences (even though the two families only live two hours away from each other) they were equally interested, and honored, to have an American stay in their home. Reciprocating these warm, welcoming, but very different families, I was equally as honored to be staying in the homes of Paraguayans.
Santa Ana after the storm (photo by Sam T.)
The beard contest
Note: Today I am blogging from Hotel Chaco, because I am as sick as a dog, with a head and chest cold… at least I have a room with a balcony. Also, I am totally beating Eamon in the beard contest. The looser goes home with the winner’s mustache design.
Sam T., a student at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School