Today was one of the most memorable experiences in the trip so far — today, we met our host families for the first time! Many of us were a mix of nervous and excited as we drove up the dusty road to Tobati. We had been preparing for this expedition out in the ‘interior’ of Paraguay for a while, but the time was finally here. Our two-hour long bus ride from Asuncion to the rural community got many of us thinking about our expectations for our host families. Most people were focusing on the positives, but me personally… I was a bit anxious. The fact that the host families had information on us but we didn’t have anything on them made things a bit stressful for me. I couldn’t anticipate exactly what kind of family I would stay with, or what the location of my new home would be.
When we arrived to Tobati we got off of the bus and walked over to the school (Escuela Santa Rosalia). At the school we saw 10+ families waiting for us, standing in a line staring as we walked in. We were all wondering which family was our family — it felt like a gamble to me! In the end I went with a male Paraguayan student and his family. My first thought was, “Does he have other siblings? Or is it just going to be the two of us?” but to my relief another boy in my group, Fabio, was selected to go with him as well, so we were together. Once the rest of the students met their host families, we all went back to our individual houses for our first ‘almuerzo’ with our families, and to get to know each other better.
My host brother’s name is Anrikee. He lives with his parents and with his older brother, Santiago. Fabio and I got to know both of them better throughout the rest of the day. He has similar interests to the both of us, such as playing sports and listening to music. His parents were excited to see us and immediately treated us like we were their kids. The rest of the day was relaxed. We were given a tour of the village, and then went back to our houses for dinner. Overall everything went smoothly! I’ve met the family and am already feeling more comfortable. I wonder what is set for tomorrow, and what else we will do with our host families.
Omar M., E.L. Haynes Public Charter School