This morning was good. I woke up late but it was worth it. I grabbed a piece of bread and 3 pieces of ham and then we rushed to go buy paint and head to a school in Santa Ana (a working neighborhood in Asuncion) where we were helping to paint a mural on the school’s walls. Personally, I love children and having so many Paraguayan children come and want to help us out was touching.
I had a fun story with a little girl Mia. She was sassy and funny. Mia and her group of friends had asked where I lived. I answered saying “Vivo en los Estados Unidos en Washington D.C., dónde está la casa blanca,” which means “I live in the U.S in Washington D.C, where the White House is”. I thought this would help her understand what city I live in. But, never in my mind did I think that Mia was going to reply saying “mi casa es blanca”, which means “my house is white”. That is something I will never forget, it was so funny
After painting and dealing with Mia’s shenanigans, we went to eat. The Señora gave us a plate FULL of spaghetti, chicken, and gnocchi. It was the BEST food I have ever tried. Sorry mom. Let me tell you, I am a picky eater and my plate was clean. Afterwards, we went back to the hostel and took a great 2 hour nap…well most of us. Then we were all woken up by Florence, and got ready for our official tour of Asuncion. We saw the Cathedral, the University, and the old Congress building, which is now a museum. We went inside to check it out. It gave us a feeling of the history of Paraguay. We learned all about how women empowered Paraguay and how Lili de Monico was Paraguay’s Picasso. We ended the tour by walking along the water, which was really beautiful and peaceful.
The tour of Congress was intense because right in front of the building, you could see the flooding from one of the communities. In the entrance, you can see temporary shanty homes that the community built in order to get away from their flooded community. Walking in the middle of the street and seeing homes made of pieces of wood with tin roofs was so surreal. It makes me take a step back and realize what I have and how fortunate I am for having a roof over my head. Today was a huge slap in the face. It is crazy to me that right in front of Congress there are people building homes with tin roofs over their heads, and the government workers walk by this every day. It made me realize that people don’t take into consideration of what they have and take advantage of it all.
Carolina T., Rockville High School