November

Well, I can start of by saying that November has easily been the best month yet in my exchange. 

To begin, my family from the United States came for a short visit this month, which is an experience that is fairly unique for foreign exchange students around here. On November 16th, I took the five hour bus ride from Pilar to Asuncion to stay with my sister to prepare for their arrival. My family would be flying in the following day around seven o'clock to the Asuncion airport and I was both anxious and a bit nervous to greet them. Luckily, up until their arrival I got to spend some time with my older sister who I don't see very often since she lives and works in Asuncion. She has a precious baby boy of four months, who is just charming.

When my family arrived, we all greeted each other with our biggest hugs. It was a dreamy feeling to see them walking through the automatic sliding doors in the airport dragging in their overstuffed suitcases, which later I would find out held some of the best chocolate and small gifts from the States. I already can't express my gratitude towards my stay here in Paraguay and them arriving into this gem of a country lifted my spirits even higher.

Just like me, that weekend my family got to use the public urban transportation in Asuncion for the first time. It's a system that functions decently, however, you have to both mentally and physically prepare to hold on tight. While cramming into an overfull bus, driven by who may or may not be a loco driver may make the average North American a little weary; but for us it was no problem. I'm lucky that my relatives are so adventurous and eager to dive into any new culture. I'm even more lucky that they were blessed with the ability to speak the Spanish language.

The first night of their stay was spent in Asuncion in the house where my older sister is currently living. We spent the evening talking and snacking on a bit of delicious chorizo con queso. The next day, everyone slept very late. I think between my family's journey to South America and the Paraguayan heat of Spring, they were thoroughly worn out. The heat can hit you pretty hard here if you aren't accustomed to it. Because of this we weren't able to go out in the city for very long because during the middle of the day it's so hot it's impossible to leave. Overall, I think all were content with just spending time together in this beautiful country. After a day of sleep, sharing and of course, eating, my family and I headed to Pilar.

When we arrived home in Pilar that Tuesday morning, my host mom and I helped my family get settled. My mom talked to them a bit about planning the rest of their journey through Paraguay and Argentina as there were many things they wanted to do here, but with little time. Up until Tuesday night, we talked and played card games. Unfortunately I couldn't take them around to see the my pretty little city because it was raining heavily all day.

On the final day of my family's short stay in Pilar, we had the opportunity to walk around a bit. I took them to see my school in the morning and in the afternoon we got to enter into Pilar's cotton factory! It's been a micro enterprise here since 1930. They export their products to Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay and Central America.

Cotton Factory

Unfortunately this was the last day that my family spent in Pilar. However they did have the chance to meet my AFS local chapter here and we all had pizza for dinner. After dinner they headed off to their next South American destination as I hugged them goodbye.

The 28th of November, as you already know, was the day of our great feast in the United States, Thanksgiving. My host mom who she herself spent a year in the USA with AFS when she was seventeen, decided it would be a great idea to have our own feast here in Paraguay. And so.. we did!!
As you can probably imagine the abundance of turkey here is pretty minimal, so we did what is logically Paraguayan... we had a barbecue! I also prepared brownies. Most of our visitors had never had eaten a brownie before. It was a Thanksgiving I'll never forget.

On November 30th, my classmates and I had our Prom/Graduation in our school. It's really the polar opposite of Prom in the United States. Here graduates invite all of their relatives to come to the dance. They set out a table with food to munch on and bring coolers full of soda and beer. Drinks are passed within family, friends, and fellow graduates and dances are shared.

All of the 3rd year students and their mother or father paraded in front of their friends and family. I presented with my brother and I was the last to go out. It's wasn't as a dramatic of an  experience for me as it was for my classmates. For them it's the beginning of a new chapter in their lives, where they have to make their own decisions and depart from their beloved classmates that they spent their secondary years with. The bond between my classmates is notably strong due to the time they spent together. I think spending 4-6 years with 23 others in the same classroom, hours on end, as the teachers shuffle in and out, creates more of a family of brothers and sisters rather a 'class' for teenagers here in Paraguay. While I can relate to moving on from high school, I can't imagine the feeling of leaving from a family so intimate.

Though I only got to spend little time with this group, I'll never forget them. They accepted me when I could hardly speak a word. They helped me so much more than they can realize as they helped to immerse me more into their culture and their family of classmates. I will forever carry them in my heart.

Happy December.
And for me, Happy Summer Vacation!