On our way to Escuela Santa Ana to watch a soccer game, the roads were bumpy. It reminded me of El Salvador when I was younger. Every time we would ride on the truck to go to markets, the city, or the beach with my family, the roads would be bumpy. I was gazing out of the window, into the community, as I always do when we are on the road, and I saw people making ‘mate’ (a traditional Paraguayan drink, pronounced “mat-ey” ) for other people. The way they make it is by crushing the ‘mate’ leaves together and adding water to it. Everyone in Paraguay carries around a special water container called a ‘terno’ which has a cup holder and a cup on the side. The cup is called a ‘guampa’. Lastly, there is a special straw that you drink out of called a ‘bombija’. It is special because it has a filter at the bottom so you don’t drink up all of the herbs leaves and stems. The hot version is called ‘mate’ and the cold version is called ‘terrere’. I learned that sharing this drink is a way of respecting the community, and if offered, it means you are a part of it. I haven’t tried ‘mate’ yet, but before the trips ends, I know I will try it!
When we arrived at Escuela Santa Ana, I saw the mural that we started on Thursday morning, and finished on Saturday afternoon. The mural looked so beautiful – it had every individual’s personal creativity on the wall. The kids from the community and the school helped us out a lot also. We were excited to be back at the escuela for a third time, but this time to watch a soccer tournament.
We went inside and started to play some ice breakers to kill some time before the game started. We played “Big Booty” and “The Killer”. They were fun and had all of us laughing. The school had two fields, both made of concrete. There were some people who were playing in the big field, and some who played in the small field. There were five games of soccer played, and they were all intense. People were falling, hitting the ball with their heads and faces, and some got hurt but still kept playing. The balls were almost ripping apart but they didn’t mind. I normally don’t like soccer, but after watching the game it made me want to learn more about soccer. After the five rounds, LearnServe students decided they wanted to play, and got a team together to play handball. I didn’t play because I wanted to watch and enjoy the game. I had so much fun watching my friends and the other Paraguayan kids playing. There were people my age, older, and younger, playing on both teams. They all looked like they were having fun.
Everyone was so friendly with us and I felt so welcomed into the community. I was able to talk to a bunch of different kids. This one kid was asking me where I am from, how old I am, and if I had a phone. He told me how his friends like to play Fortnite, a popular game in the US, and I didn’t know that they knew about the game here in Paraguay. He told me how he doesn’t have a phone, computer, or game stations to play, so he would go to his friend’s place and play there. He wishes he had those things to play.
In the future, I would like to come back and help the community to do something big. I would like to help make the community better and give back to the community. For example, I would like to donate school supplies, uniforms or equipment for sports. I enjoy helping people and experiencing a new community, culture, language, and learning more about environmental justice.
Angelica Z., Capital City Public Charter School