Paraguay 2015, Day 2 – Roosters, Dogs and Dragon Tamers

 June 26, 2015 –  My first day in Carapegua didn’t begin well. I was exhausted from traveling and was running on only five hours of sleep so as soon as we arrived at my host family’s house I fell asleep. I slept soundly until 3:15 am when the Roosters began screaming at each other. The back and forth screeching made me almost go insane. I hoped it would last at most half an hour, yet at 6:00 in the morning they continued to keep me up. As I got up to get ready to go to the School, San Alfonso, I cursed those birds under my breath.

For breakfast my host family fed me a hot milk-like drink. It was very nice for the chilly morning and was sweet and comforting. They also had these cookies, as my sister called them, but they looked round and long like a stick. Afterwards, we drove to school.  The car had blackened windows except for a small portion on the windshield. I mentioned to her how in the United States that was illegal. The actually driving is much different in Paraguay. For example, there are a lot less rules and the rules that there are, aren’t enforced. Also, for the most part the road was very bumpy but she never exceeded 25 km/h. And the lines separating each side were barely visible and largely ignored. Meanwhile, the major mode of transportation in Paraguay and especially Carapegua are motorcycles. For every car you see there are five motorcycles. And unlike in the United States, every type of person, no matter age or gender, rides a motorcycle.

 The school we arrived at, San Alfonso, is very different to the ones in the United States. The building is completely open. The staircase leading to the second floor looks out onto the field. The gym has no walls. And the bathrooms are in a separate building. Other differences I noticed were the dogs. In Carapegua, dogs are everywhere simply walking around or chasing motorcycles, and this carried into the school. There are three main dogs that stay in the school. A small black one that’s face resembles a chihuahua but whose body is too big. A fluffy tan dog that is medium sized, and another tan one that is obviously a mutt and causes trouble wherever she goes. The way the school system works is also different. When the children are in first grade they decide upon a career choice, for example, my sister chose to be a doctor. They stick to that choice for the rest of their education, while their parents pay for all of it. All I could think about was what I had wanted to be as a first grader, a dragon tamer. The students also have school only from 7:00 am to 11:00 am. And they have a fifteen minute break after their first period is over while we have a single thirty five minute break for a total of eight hours of school.

The students at San Alfonse were extremely friendly. You never had to approach anyone, they always came to talk to you first. The most difficult part about speaking in Spanish all the time is not speaking English. I might begin a sentence in Spanish and by the end I will have spoken in English. Or I’ll respond to a question in English without thinking about it and vice versa. But the students only smile and try as hard as they can to understand you. It is so amazing to them to have Americans in their school. I have never taken so many pictures in one day. Girls and boys will come up to you asking for a picture, take one and say goodbye. And you are always guaranteed to have someone staring at you. I imagine this is what it would be like to be a celebrity.

I’ve decided I adore Paraguay and Carapegua and am excited to visit again.

Alicia O’Neil, Rockville High School