I will never forget how much I laughed when I was together with the people of Santa Rosalia. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much in my life.
Arriving to Santa Rosalia was weird and shockingly awkward but luckily we were able to break the ice easily. After arriving from that plane, sleeping two nights in Hotel San Diego and two hours of driving from Asuncion to Santa Rosalia, just outside of Tobati, and the moment I got out the car I heard welcoming cheers in the distance behind a gate. Walking past that gate it became clear that many people were awaiting our arrival. The girls of the Colegio Nacional de Santa Rosalia performed and afterward we were invited to try their foods. The food was prepared by the community, and even though it was cold by that time, I had a smile on and gladly accepted it.
During the ceremony, we listened to a few speeches and then met our hosts and headed to their homes. My host brother was Santiago who is fairly quiet and an interesting character. He and I seemed really nervous at first but, as it turns out, we were very well alike – quiet, humble, strong, understanding and funny.
Santiago walked me to his home. I was wearing some casual shoes and the roads were extremely sandy. My choice of shoe was a big mistake. Along the way to his house I saw a ton of chickens and malnourished animals such as dogs, cows and cats. Many of the dogs had small wounds or scratches, fleas and dirt. No matter where you looked, you’d undoubtedly spot a chicken or some other animal.
We have now arrived at Santiago’s house and my shoes are full of sand. I met Santiago’s his mother, Perla, and his father, Santiago, and his brother, Enrique, who is a really cool guy. I gave my host mom an awkward hug but it wasn’t until later I actually started calling her mom. She showed me around and the house wasn’t exactly clean or perfect but I didn’t mind. It was perfect to me.
I got a tour of their house. The family dines outside and washes their hands outside in a little birdbath-like sink. At night, I brushed my teeth using the same sink under the countless stars and the sight was amazing. I found myself brushing my teeth for longer than usual just to spend more time under the stars. The kitchen was very dirty, the food and pots weren’t organized and the dogs of the home walk in and out freely. I named the nameless stray cat that stays at their place Nieve which means snow in Spanish because she is white.
For lunch, my host mother made Bori-Bori, a typical Paraguayan dish with potato pasta, chicken, corn husk and a lot of cheese. I ate it with steamed yuca and bread, and it was delicious! Afterward, we went back to the school…went back home and ate dinner then went to sleep. I showered in really cold water and slept with Santiago and his brother on the first night.
In the morning the chickens woke me up at 5:50<, and they would not shut up for three hours. And for four days straight I would wake up, drink Cocido, go to the colegio, and enjoy the day.
During my time at Santa Rosalia, I did many things. I met new people and bonded with them. I had never experienced such connection with other people. Everyone I met played an important role to my experience in Paraguay. I followed Santiago around and, with him as my guide, I felt more comfortable walking around the town. Sara and Tamara made it a lot easier to talk to other people. At first, I was nervous to talk to anyone but they opened up to me and I have never had that happen to me. Throughout the five days with the students of Santa Rosalia, I had teenage high school experiences–such as being invited to a party, playing volleyball and getting a back rub from a girl I don’t know that well–that I have not had yet in Washington, DC. With my host family, I killed chickens, which we eventually ate for dinner, and made cocido, a popular Paraguayan breakfast drink. I participated in all activities, got to know new people (complete strangers who are now friends) and acclimated easily to a new culture and environment. I embraced everything about Santa Rosalia and became a more open-minded and mature version of myself.
Jovanni R., Capital City Public Charter School