November flew be so fast! Now I have been here 4 months! Alot has happened this month, I guess I can give you the highlights.
Mi cumpleaños! My 16th birthday was November 20 and it was a very unforgetable day! I woke up, went to school and got zillions of happy birthdays and then went home around 9:30. I got home and just chilled. Then we ate lunch and I called my mom. My mom (the real one) and I talked for a reallly long time, so I missed nap time, so I sleepily helped my mom (the fake one) make sandwiches and clean up and stuff. Then I cleaned my room. After that I got ready to go to my brother´s confirmation. That was at 6. It was interesting to watch. Then we took some family pictures and went back home. We put out all the food and then people started to come, this was around 9pm. The last of my friends left around 3.
So basically all houses in CdE have a thing called a cincho. It is basially somewhere in the back yard or comming off the side of the house that has a huge grill, a table, and other basic kitchen stuff. It is sort of like the party-entertainment area that isn´t exactally in the house. Anyways...They set up a bunch of table and chairs and a sound system and food and everything! They had like a service come and do this all. This is not that rare of a thing here to have a party like this at your home. So since it was also my brothers confirmation, alot of the family and family friends where there as well. It was actually a really good thing that my bday was the same day as his confirmation because I didn´t feel like they were going out of there was TOO much for me, because it was sort of a co party with my brother. About 15 or so of my friends came and we just sort if hung out, talked, and ate. It was nice. Alot of my friends were not able to make it because they also had their confirmation as well and were celebrating with there families. It was a really fun time for everyone! I made a thank you card for my family rand they really seemed to like it. I really have an awesome host family!
Thanksgiving: I did...nothing. My mom has a Bible study and that night they were meeting in our home. She asked me to make some doughnuts for it, so I did. Then I talked to my family, and cousins with skype for over an hour. I did sort of feel like I was missing out, but there will always be more Thanksgivings, but ít´s not like I can just live in Paraguay anytime I want to, so I didn´t feel too bad. This year I have SO much to be thankful for. Especially my family. I appreciate them all so much. The only weird thing was that when I was telling my mom how thankful I am for her and our family, she was making this really disgusted looking face, I think it was because she couldn´t hear me well, idk. Before when I thought about my family, I would really miss them and feel like I was missing out on not being with them. But now, it is like I can think about what a great family I have and just be like"oh, isn´t that nice that I have great family, cool" I was talking to my friend from the US, who is here is py, about all the things that we have to do when we get back. It got me thinking about life in the US and just how different it is, and how glad I am that I am here and not there. Not that there is anything wrong with my life there, I love it. It is just that I REALLY like life here as well. Isn´t is funny that just a few months ago I was more like wishing that I had never even had the idea to come here. I mean, if you read my previous posts, you can see how different my attitude now is SO different then before. And it´s onlybeen 4 months. I think the hard part is over, for now. I am sure there may be some rough patches ahead, but I think I have pretty much gotten used to life here and LOVE it. It just took awhile to get out of my USA Erin mode, understand?
I sort of feel like a hiker when they have just finished hiking up a huge hill and looking back at where they have been. Being glad they are at the top, and relazing they would have never gotten there if they didn´t go through the hard work of actually climbing up. I still have quite a bit more climbing to do, but I am so glad to be where I am now. I don´t think I would change my life for anything! Luckily I still have more than half a year left. I am so glad I didn´t just come for a semester!
I am going to visit for missionaries. I am leaving this week and getting back on the 14 of December. I can´t wait to go. I can´t wait to leave. I have slept over my friends house the last two nights, but it is nice to be home. It is cool to have that "oh I´m HOME". I guess now I have two homes! Here, and in the US.
Thank you for all the prayers, they are SO appreciated.
Love you all friends and family!
Erin
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Hey guys it's been awhile.
So yeah, I haven~t written for nearly a month. So right now we are in November which is the last month of school for the kids here. This means that the first hour of two of school is a test. I am not taking the tests so I have been doing a mix of things, I~ll get back to that later. Anyways, everyday for the rest of the month there is a test. That is because there are so many subjects, like 15. Tests are not given very frequently here. Normally in the US, you get one after every chapter or so, but here there are certain weeks in which you are given a test everyday until you have completed a test in all or almost all of the subjects. There are a few exceptions to this, but they are rather rare. So basically everyday my friends are studying for a test.
There an abnormal amount of exchange kids at my school, 7 or 8. Normally the schools have a maximum of 3 exchange kids. I am not really sure why are school has so many. But this doen~t affect me so much because I am still the only exchange kid in my grade. Anyways, none of us are taking the exams, so we are all trying to find stuff to do. The director of the school suggested that we help with the little kids, there really isn~t that much to do with them. I have gone to the first grade room the past days and in all that time I have, taken 2 kids to the office. I asked the teacher about this and she admitted that there really wasn~t that much to do. There are 3 other exchange kids helping with the really little kids, but they don~t need anymore help. So...the oter option is watching movies, which get boring pretty quick. I don~t know.
So I mentioned that there are alot of exchange kids at our school. This has turned out to be a bit of a problem. Well, I guess it depends on how you look at it. The exchage kids tend to clump together. For example, we have a 20 minute recess everyday and more often than not, there is a group or two of exchange kids talking in English. This is okay occasionally, but when it is basicall eveyday, I think there is a problem. They also hang out quite a bit after school as well. Some of these kids parents have told them that they are spending too much time with the other exchange kids, and not enough time making Paraguayan friends. The school even told us that we are not mixing in well with the other kids. I don't blame them for hanging out so much because honestly I would do the same thing if I wan't fore warned about this by my very smart and experience local volunteer in MI. I hope I am not to guilty of doing this, but I am pretty sure that sometimes am I, it's just easier.
I recently started playing volleyball at the local social club. I really like it and the coach speaks super clear Spanish, so I understand practically everything that she says! The practices are from 6-8 every mon, wed, and fri. I really like the people that practice there. I have also discovered that my friend who lives within walking distance has a piano which she said I can use any time. So it is almost like having a piano at my house. She also has a good amount of music, including a HUGE book of classic, I really like those ones. So yeah, I guess you could say that those are my afterschool activities. Finally I am not just sitting at home all day!
I have really happy news. I feel like I am finally starting to connect with my host brother. We hardly ever talked before, which really bothered me and made me more homesick, but I think this is finally starting to change. For example, this past Saturday, when no one was home except for us, he invited me to eat lunch with him, he totally didn't have to do that, but he did. Then we continued to have a rather normal and flowing conversation while we ate lunch! This made me really happy. We have started talking in the car more, like when he picks me up from my friends house or something like that. I really just want to be his friend. I mean, we are siblings after all. He has also invited to go a few places with him and our classmates, before he never did that. Over all, he just seems much more caring or friendly maybe. Not really sure how to explain it. So you may think that this is totally crazy that I have been living in this house with these people for 3 months and am finally getting a grip on things, but that's just how it is. If I would have read a paragraph of a blog like this, I would have thought that the person writting it was just rally unfriendly or had some weird problem with people, but after living through it, it doesn't seem so unreasonable. Understand...
Interesting thing... I was at my friends house this Saturday making an apple cake with her. I said that we need 1.5 cups of oil. They (my Paraguayan friends and my Swiss friend) thought it was really strange that I would use oil to put in a cake. Apparently they only use it to fry things. I was kind of funny how freaked out they were that I was putting oil in a apple cake. Hmmm, I never knew that not everyone used oil for baking.
So I want to visit some missionaries ffor a couple weeks the beginning of December, but first I need to find some form to fill out for AFS. I asked my host mom were it was and she said, in the house. So wish me luck looking for that.
My birthday is in 10 days! It is on the same day as my host brother's conformation. But maybe I can celebrate it a different day. But anyways, it'll be interesting to see what we are going to do for that.
Normally, I call my mom orr she calls me every week or so. I have asked the other exchage kids, and they say that that is about how often they call their families' as well. I think it would be better if I called them more like once a month or so. Basically alot less than I have been. It is hard, buti think I will get to not talking with them so much, and then I will miss them alot less. I can honestly say that I am not homesick now, but still. But normally after I call them I feel at least a little homesick. It is like during the week of not call them taking two steps forward, and when I call them, one step back in the adjustment process. The weirdest things trigger homesickness for me, or maybe I should say that I miss the weirdest things. For example, then last time I video skyped them, they were all wearing sweaters and I was sweating in short and a t shirt. For some reason I really started missing the cold and wearing warm clothing. I miss the seasons. I left in July, now it is summer here, so it is going to be like a super long extended summer. I love the seasons. Oh, I think it is just better to not think about hem all together. This reminds me of when I quit ballet. I didn't ever wan to look at anything ballet, or go to ballets, or watch ballet movies, because everything ballet just made me feel bad cause I missed it so much. But now it is like ballet, whatever. hmm, just a thought. But now I think I'm just going on and on.
So hopefully this rather long blog entry has made up a bit for my lack of writting this past month.
yes, my Spanish is better, basically everthing is getting better, and I'm happy :)
love you all friends and family,
Erin
So yeah, I haven~t written for nearly a month. So right now we are in November which is the last month of school for the kids here. This means that the first hour of two of school is a test. I am not taking the tests so I have been doing a mix of things, I~ll get back to that later. Anyways, everyday for the rest of the month there is a test. That is because there are so many subjects, like 15. Tests are not given very frequently here. Normally in the US, you get one after every chapter or so, but here there are certain weeks in which you are given a test everyday until you have completed a test in all or almost all of the subjects. There are a few exceptions to this, but they are rather rare. So basically everyday my friends are studying for a test.
There an abnormal amount of exchange kids at my school, 7 or 8. Normally the schools have a maximum of 3 exchange kids. I am not really sure why are school has so many. But this doen~t affect me so much because I am still the only exchange kid in my grade. Anyways, none of us are taking the exams, so we are all trying to find stuff to do. The director of the school suggested that we help with the little kids, there really isn~t that much to do with them. I have gone to the first grade room the past days and in all that time I have, taken 2 kids to the office. I asked the teacher about this and she admitted that there really wasn~t that much to do. There are 3 other exchange kids helping with the really little kids, but they don~t need anymore help. So...the oter option is watching movies, which get boring pretty quick. I don~t know.
So I mentioned that there are alot of exchange kids at our school. This has turned out to be a bit of a problem. Well, I guess it depends on how you look at it. The exchage kids tend to clump together. For example, we have a 20 minute recess everyday and more often than not, there is a group or two of exchange kids talking in English. This is okay occasionally, but when it is basicall eveyday, I think there is a problem. They also hang out quite a bit after school as well. Some of these kids parents have told them that they are spending too much time with the other exchange kids, and not enough time making Paraguayan friends. The school even told us that we are not mixing in well with the other kids. I don't blame them for hanging out so much because honestly I would do the same thing if I wan't fore warned about this by my very smart and experience local volunteer in MI. I hope I am not to guilty of doing this, but I am pretty sure that sometimes am I, it's just easier.
I recently started playing volleyball at the local social club. I really like it and the coach speaks super clear Spanish, so I understand practically everything that she says! The practices are from 6-8 every mon, wed, and fri. I really like the people that practice there. I have also discovered that my friend who lives within walking distance has a piano which she said I can use any time. So it is almost like having a piano at my house. She also has a good amount of music, including a HUGE book of classic, I really like those ones. So yeah, I guess you could say that those are my afterschool activities. Finally I am not just sitting at home all day!
I have really happy news. I feel like I am finally starting to connect with my host brother. We hardly ever talked before, which really bothered me and made me more homesick, but I think this is finally starting to change. For example, this past Saturday, when no one was home except for us, he invited me to eat lunch with him, he totally didn't have to do that, but he did. Then we continued to have a rather normal and flowing conversation while we ate lunch! This made me really happy. We have started talking in the car more, like when he picks me up from my friends house or something like that. I really just want to be his friend. I mean, we are siblings after all. He has also invited to go a few places with him and our classmates, before he never did that. Over all, he just seems much more caring or friendly maybe. Not really sure how to explain it. So you may think that this is totally crazy that I have been living in this house with these people for 3 months and am finally getting a grip on things, but that's just how it is. If I would have read a paragraph of a blog like this, I would have thought that the person writting it was just rally unfriendly or had some weird problem with people, but after living through it, it doesn't seem so unreasonable. Understand...
Interesting thing... I was at my friends house this Saturday making an apple cake with her. I said that we need 1.5 cups of oil. They (my Paraguayan friends and my Swiss friend) thought it was really strange that I would use oil to put in a cake. Apparently they only use it to fry things. I was kind of funny how freaked out they were that I was putting oil in a apple cake. Hmmm, I never knew that not everyone used oil for baking.
So I want to visit some missionaries ffor a couple weeks the beginning of December, but first I need to find some form to fill out for AFS. I asked my host mom were it was and she said, in the house. So wish me luck looking for that.
My birthday is in 10 days! It is on the same day as my host brother's conformation. But maybe I can celebrate it a different day. But anyways, it'll be interesting to see what we are going to do for that.
Normally, I call my mom orr she calls me every week or so. I have asked the other exchage kids, and they say that that is about how often they call their families' as well. I think it would be better if I called them more like once a month or so. Basically alot less than I have been. It is hard, buti think I will get to not talking with them so much, and then I will miss them alot less. I can honestly say that I am not homesick now, but still. But normally after I call them I feel at least a little homesick. It is like during the week of not call them taking two steps forward, and when I call them, one step back in the adjustment process. The weirdest things trigger homesickness for me, or maybe I should say that I miss the weirdest things. For example, then last time I video skyped them, they were all wearing sweaters and I was sweating in short and a t shirt. For some reason I really started missing the cold and wearing warm clothing. I miss the seasons. I left in July, now it is summer here, so it is going to be like a super long extended summer. I love the seasons. Oh, I think it is just better to not think about hem all together. This reminds me of when I quit ballet. I didn't ever wan to look at anything ballet, or go to ballets, or watch ballet movies, because everything ballet just made me feel bad cause I missed it so much. But now it is like ballet, whatever. hmm, just a thought. But now I think I'm just going on and on.
So hopefully this rather long blog entry has made up a bit for my lack of writting this past month.
yes, my Spanish is better, basically everthing is getting better, and I'm happy :)
love you all friends and family,
Erin
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