Miau >>

Hola amores,

Wednesday evening I had my welcome gathering for the exchange students coming and going to and from Pilar. It was nice to talk to the other students and all of the people said nice words about their/their children's experience abroad . To conclude the evening we ate a bit of snack and I tried empanadas. Mmm ;)
The only problem with a "welcome party" is that Spanish is still difficult and I didn't understand a lot of it.. tehe.

Larita, Paty, Yo, Dani

On Thursday, I woke up early to go the campo with my sister and some of her classmates to look for seeds from different plants/trees. I mostly just stood in awe of the beauty of Paraguay and tried to capture some good photographs. It was a way out of the city and I rode on some roads I didn't even know existed. They were very bumpy and often there were cows in the middle of the road. :P There are so many things here I've never seen in my life. Trees, Birds, Etc. It's awesome!

                                 

In the evening I went to hang out with the students that I met at the welcome party just one street away from mine. We played uno, cash, and ate Paraguayan pizza that they made. As a pizza lover, I will tell you it was delicious!! It was also pretty intriguing because we all shared our backgrounds and experiences so far abroad.

There is an Italian boy and a French girl in my city exchanging through AFS. Additionally there are three Paraguayan returnees who went to the United States, Canada, and Italy. There was a bit of translation at the gathering which was really entertaining. 

Friday was my first Spanish class. I went to the teacher's house with the other exchange students. It was a really simple lesson over greetings and a little about the country. The interesting aspect to the class it that I get to learn how people speak HERE. It's certainly unique because Paraguay mixes both the Guarani and the Castellano. I'm learning... but the Guarani is beyond me. Although, I will soon be taking a Guarani class in school. Right now I know only a few words. >> I'm slowly gaining confidence with my Castellano.

On both Friday night Saturday day I went to the English institute. I really enjoy going. All of the students, of various ages, are so friendly. I think it's really helpful for them to have someone in the classroom that has an American accent. It's also really gratifying for me because I can teach them something and still hear/learn some Spanish. After class on Saturday evening, I met one of my cousins and we walked. Then I had a family dinner at my sister Vivi's house. Right now my family is opening a restaurant there where they have started to sell ice cream and portello sandwiches. It's really exciting and they have all been working hard to get it going.

The weather is pretty unpredictable here. It varies day to day. However, this winter is a cold I've never experienced. This is coming from a girl who has lived through 18 Iowa winters!! The wind is fierce, especially when riding the moto. As a result, I usually wear about 6 layers. I'm not used to it being cold inside either, so it's a very different type of cold! 

Today is my welcome party/open house to meet friends and family!!

There's no place I'd rather be than here right now. It can be so hard to miss the ones you love. Some moments more than others. But it's not that I want to go back, it's that I want all of you lovely people here with me!

                                            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I don't get why we don't have this in the United States! (**at least not at our local Gary's ;]) I don't know how I had been living without it. :P

 I don't think I'm fat quite yet ;)

Love from Paraguay,

Alex

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