On Saturday July 6th 2019, we woke up at around 8:00am to eat breakfast and left the hostel by 9:00. Today we were going to the tourist mercados. I wanted to buy a cowboy hat I had seen when exchanging my money from US Dollars to Guarani before we returned to the United States. We split up into groups to go buy Paraguayan gifts and find some lunch, and were told to meet back with the group at 12:30 in front of the currency exchange building. My group consisted of Omar, Robbie, and myself.
We first went to a market across the street to buy my hat ($20!) and Robbie’s belt and matte cup. Afterwards we walked around to see what other stands were selling. Some had handbags, jewelry, toys, and sports jerseys. Robbie bought an Olimpia jersey (one of the Paraguayan teams) and we asked the lady where we could go to find food. She told us where the expensive and cheap food districts were and we chose the latter. We ate at a cafe around the corner and the food was pretty good. I ate two ham and cheese croissants. When I ordered the food the cashier confused me into signing up for some rewards program. I thought she asked me if I wanted a receipt so I said yes and then she began asking me my full name, email, address, etc. After we all finished our main meal we left to go explore the market some more before it was time to meet up again. We found our trip leaders, Florence and Lauren, at the end of the street at about 12:27 (3 minutes early). As we waited, Robbie pointed out a video game stand and we stopped to browse the games.
I personally have never been a fan of sports or sports games, however the people of Paraguay love soccer or ‘futbol’ in Spanish. My host mother bought me a Paraguayan soccer jersey as a farewell gift and I felt that I owed it to her to give soccer another try. As a result, I bought FIFA 18 for 90 Guarani or $15 which is half the US price. I’m hoping to play it when I get back to the US, but only after I greet my family, pets, and friends waiting for me back home.
I was asked to dance a lot during the trip and it was fun even though I have not danced since I was in middle school. I danced at all the parties everywhere we went and with every group we met. I enjoyed the food and music of Paraguay but most of all the people. They all know how to have fun. They are very hard workers but somehow always find time to relax. I’ve noticed that I am more in the moment with all the activities we do and I don’t feel the pressure of the fast paced schedules we have in the US. I’m not trying to fit as much as possible into one day and I am very stress free as well.
My fellow Learnserve partners and I have all gotten along pretty well. We communicate, plan, help, and have fun as a group. We are all like a big family and treat each other as so, making sure everyone is doing well and helping them if they aren’t. Traveling has allowed me to reflect upon myself and break barriers by trying new things I never would have done if I hadn’t met all the amazing people here in Paraguay. It has been a wonderful experience so far and I am certain it will end as great as it began. I can’t wait to return home and tell my family about my experience here. Thank you LearnServe for allowing and empowering young people to travel and change the world.
Fabio A., Roosevelt High School