Aregua and cultural confusion...

Yesterday we went to a city about an hour from San Lorenzo, with the spanish class (the other AFSers in the area) It was really nice there, but unfortunately we couldn't swim in the lake because of pollution.

 

                                             

Waterfall sign

                 

Why don't we have these??

The lake

A thing that catches my attention over and  over is how every little part of the nature in the Asunción area is totally littered with all kinds of human waste. People here appear to just throw things at the streets or into the forest when they don't need it anymore. I hope it's different if you get to the 'Chaco' (halfdesert/forest), but coming right out of the very clean and mostly untouched Biele Vody-forests (The place in Slovakia where we've got our very cute summer house) it really catches my eye and that is one part of this country that hasn't impressed me all too much...

Very cute thing :)

Tereré-thermoses

AFS-ers and spanish teacher Susanne

Abandoned train....

 Another thing that we've learned is that blonde hair is rather a disadvantage around here, with the whole macho-thing. Guys here seem to think they're very appealing and cool when they shout things or whistles when you walk  past them on the street.
Me? I think it's disgusting and unpolite. But you learn to ignore it.

                               

              

Gosh, aren't these fancy?

Quite nice things :)

Some kind of fruits

A nice garden, though I wish I could say
that it's the jungle just outside the house ;) 

                                        

I'm a total sucker for nice buildings

In Aregua, there was this street where they were seling all kinds of nice clay things. It really iched me to buy some of them. Like an enormous flower pot. But how would I get that home?? At least I have my red and white coffee mug  :)

We also visited a very beautiful church.

View from the church in Aregua

On a totally different subject, I've discovered how much healthcare differs from Sweden. I've been having a cough since I came, which don't worry me a bit, since I'm completely fine in any other way.
But here, people are really worried about it. So friday was a really mentally exhausting day. We went to this other doctor, who didn't really talk English, or at least didn't talk to me though someone said he knew English. What I gathered was that there was something wrong with my lungs (I think bronchitis, if I may add my opinion...) and if I don't take antibiotics it will only get worse.

My preferred remedies... 

The thing is that I'm not so fond of taking antibiotics, or medicine in general, when I dont need it. Especially when no one tells me why I all of a sudden need 3 different (unnecessary) drugs. And especially, when I try to look the substances up myself and discover that one of the components in the cough syrup is a substance that has been banned in Sweden since 1992 because it had the small disadvantage of destroying heart tissue and blood vessels...
But the thing that I was really dubious about was breathing fumes of cortisone through a mask at a Pharmacy. A mask that other (Probably ill for real) people has used before me, and which isn't cleaned between different patients. 3 time a day. For 50 days.
Now, I really don't want to disrespect the culture of this country, but that is one thing that I'm only going to do when a doctor talks to me directly, and shows me real evidence that I either do that thing or get a coffin immediately.
Now I've settled on the heart'damaging syrup and the antibiotics though, but it was really frustrating at the time. Imagine being on the other side of the earth, no one tells you what is happening and you don't have enough words to say something comprehensive... That's kind of a situation when you feel very alone...

 I guess it's because we usually don't give medicine just like that in Sweden, because our viruses and bacteria aren't so forceful here. A cold and cough is just something that passes on it's own...

Beautiful orchids in our garden

I will never tire of this beautiful art of nature

On the whole I like Paraguay very much though. It's different, but most people here are very nice, and my host family is great. I'm in awe about how much I actually understand when people are talking. Of course not everything. Not even half. But it has only been two weeks, and I understand so much more than in the beginning. It's a very cool feeling when you actually understand what is being said.
It is a bit like laying an ENORMOUS jigsaw puzzle. That has been thrown out all over the floor. I'm collecting some pieces and some patterns are beginning to show, but there's a very long way until I can see what the picture looks like. And it's a challenge. I love that.

Dollar, one of the dogs

Starfruits and strawberries in Aregua. 

      Stay safe, take care :)                                            

Tried to post this one before but it was just flipped the wrong way. But this is
probably my favourite photo so far  :)

                        

Exploring, listening and learning

Spanish studies

So, I've been here in Paraguay for a fortnight, more or less. It feels as though months has past since my last blog post, time is taking on a different appearance kind of, and I like it.
To say that I enjoy every single moment, well, as everything in life there are ups and downs, but in general, I already like this place alot.
I begin at Heavens Kingdom High the 16th of August, I've been told, and I reckon time will just fly by after that.

Right now and a couple of weeks ahead I'll be going to Fernando de la More, another suburb to Asunción, about 10 minutes with 'el colectivo', for spanish classes.

The busses (El colectivo as they say) are I N S A N E. One bus tour costs you 2.300 Guaranies (approximately 0.50 euro or 3.6 swedish crowns) on an all but clean bus. Twice, I've experienced the bus driving away while I was still on the steps (Which is about as scary as it sounds...). Usually, you can get as many people on the bus as there are seats, plus as many people as there can possibly be standing, and then three or four more. Andd then it's time for the sellers. People run on and of the bus selling things like apples, pears, cookies, candy and soda. Rather amusing.

I really have a sweet hostsister :)

Bought a mug which I want to use here
and then bring home as a souvenir

Last friday was intresting too. As I've described in an earlier post, I've been experiencing some problems with a unconvenient cough (It's still hanging on, but it's better now) which made my hostmother drag me to the hospital in Asunción. There I talked to a doctor, who on the question ¿Hables íngles? answered 'so so'. My sister reckons that was the only English he knew. I agree in the sentiment...

The saturday was spent in Asunción with the spanish class, we saw a couple of famous buildings, but unfortunately everything was told in spanish, so as I understood it, we went close to the congress house, into a house of Independence and into a Pantheon. Unfortunaly I'm the kind of person who clings to history with the same frenecy as someone would  cling to a bar of whitehot iron, but it was nice to see a bit more of Paraguay than San Lorenzo :)

My park...

The last couple of days, I've been able to go out of the house alone to go to a nearby park, where I go running. Everything just feels so much better when I can get out every so often to run, cleares the mind and makes me feel better generally.

I'm also understanding more and more of what people say, though it's much, much easier when they talk VERY slowly. But the feeling when you actually understand what someone says in a language you've studied two weeks... that is very cool...

And one more thing... I witnessed a car accident today, while riding the bus. A small green car went off the road and into a lamppost (one of my biggest fears when I'm driving...), and then it was almost run over by the bus in front of us. Really, really scary, but it didn't look like anyone was hurt.


And the house is growing on me... it may look a little messy, but I really like it =)

Take care, stay safe :)

I do have a bed, but I like the sofa better...

The door to the 'main space'

                      

The other door to the main space and kitchen

Kind of a corridor

The stove with something that looks very good..

The kitchen

Getting into everything...

One of the tucanos

(The layout is quite messed up, but that's just how it is...)
So far I've spent 6 days in Paraguay. Mostly I have been in the house in San Lorenzo, doing things like study Spanish on my own, reading books and painting a little.

I'm kind of used to being able to be outside for at least 2 to 3 hours every day, or do some sort of physical activity at least an hour per day, so I've been kind of uncomfortable with that part... there are only so many hours you can spend alone and in complete stillness.

But on the whole, it's probably quite good that I'm just sitting right now, since I arrived with a really nasty cough that I caught at the flight here. 

Last night was really strange aswell, like, concerning my health status. I was up talking to my sister until about 12, and then I just couldn't sleep until about 1.30 am because of the cough. It isn't that bad during the day, but at night, it's almost like I'm choking on it.. Quite unconvenient. 

My mother got me tons of different things for allergies, stomach illness, ache and insects

 (what a joke, the largest insects I've found so far are mosquitos. It also bit me, so I'm just hoping it wasn't one of those mosquitos carrying Dengue... and another thing concerning health. At our orientation camp, we were told that if we remember being bitten by a mosquito and a couple of days later have a headache or some other ache, it is a bad idea taking painkillers with paracetamol, which is the only kind I brought, since Dengue influences the liver so that it can't metabolise the paracetamol and then you just end up with hepatitis. Tss...)

but of course, there's nothing there as simple as something for sore throat or a cough.

Just some family members...

Also, as I have been told, the older generation here is full of supersticions, especially concerning health. Yesterday my mother explained to me that oranges are bad to eat when you have a cough, because it's a 'cold fruit'. Which sucks, because the oranges here are delicious. The oranges which are at the house are from a tree which grows at the land area the family owns.  

But still, I can eat pears (Which is apparently a 'warm fruit'), so no harm done really.

An adorable cat came by two days ago. From the waterpipes, apparantly. Found her in a hole in the floor...

Talking about eating... the Paraguayan cuisine is amazing. So far I've not tried all too much, but one of the things I've had is Sopa Paraguayana, which is not a soup, but rather a kind of really dense 'cake', which consist of onion, eggs, corn flour, cheese, milk and some other things, and it is delicious.
Another thing they've got here is Dulce de Leche, which is a rich, sweet, caramellic thing with the consistency of soft butter and it is eaten on bread... 

Well, it´s winter here. Only 30 degrees Celsius. What a shame...

 I'm probably gonna gain quite alot of weight here, but hopefully, when my cough is better, I'll be able to run at least once a day or something. I'm not here on some kind of exercise program, I'm aware of that, but for my healths and mental stabilitys sake, I really need to be in motion... =)

Two days ago, we had a visit by one of the most adorable cats I've ever seen. It was unceremonialy thrown over the garden wall, but returned, then was thrown out again. And returned...

 


One of the things that are most tiring is the time difference. I didn't really get a massive jetlag and I've been quite sharp and alert, but still, Paraguay is 6 hours behind my mental clock, so it can be quite confusing. Now I've gotten into is quite well though.

Yesterday was the first day of spanish classes. I really need those... At first I was very dubious, seeing as the techer talks really, REALLY good spanish, but no other language... But upon consideration, it is good, because than you really have to learn. Do or die.      

                                                                                      Take care, stay safe.    

...Heard there was some criminals around...?

 
                                                                 
   
                                Some photos. Unfortunately most of them are the wrong way. But still.

Paraguay... It has begun

Friday 20th I arrived to Asunción, Paraguay to begin my year as an exchange student.
Almost 3 days has passed, of which the first were at the AFS orientation camp to learn a bit about Paraguay before we´re thrown into the mash, so to speak.

Some of the very useful things we learned was about body language and signs they use here, and also some about Guaraní, one of Paraguays official languages, and terere, which is a kind of rich, aromatic, cold herbal beverage which almost everyone, from small children to old people drink a couple of times per day. It is a kind of social drink which is more popular than any alcoholic beverages as I understood it.

Yesterday I met my family for the first time. I was quite nervous, but they are really nice people. The family consists of a mother, Marina, a father, Manuel, and a daughter, also Marina but called Mume. Mume is fortunately fluent in english, so I´m not completely lost.

I have not ever studied spanish, if you don't take into account these two months since I recieved message that I was going to Paraguay, in which I've listened to Harry Potter y la piedra philosophal and tried to learn some expressions. Well, the AFS sending coordinator had some idea that I'd get into the language within a few months. Right now, I´m finding that quite hard to believe, but I´ll do my best...

Paraguay is not really what I've been told by friends and relatives... at least where I am, near Asunción, in San Lorenzo, it is a quite civilized country. People here does not live in trees or in mud houses.... The houses may seem a bit dirty or sloppy, and that seems to be one big difference between our countries. I believe that our houses are more 'orderly' and organized because we need to keep the heat inside. My house here is kind of an inside/outside house, you walk from the kithen right out into the garden. And it does not have central heating. Which means it is as the 'cold' in here is about as 'warm' as it ever get during a swedish summer...

Today, we went 'out into the wild life' to a piece of land by a creek that the family owns. There are orange trees here!! (Abit impressed...) and also, I saw a monkey on the veranda of a house... If I want one? YES.

Greetings from Paraguay

Sommarfudge

Och jag som tyckte att det var lite trist att fudge var ett 'julrecept' som bara skulle plockas fram i vintertider, det som är så himla roligt att göra.

 Vitchokladfudge med jordgubbar, mer sommar än så blir det väl inte? 

 Jag tycker att det är  himla roligt att experimentera med godisrecept, speciellt kvällar så det är lite trist ute, och jag egentligen borde plugga fysik (As if that's gonna happen..) 

Det är verkligen avkopplande att baka och laga mat. 

Att ha i jordgubbar var en liten gissning, visste inte om den skulle 'stelna', men: Det gjorde den :) 

 Sedan har 90% av den bjudits bort, varav typ 80% tillföll min fina, godisätande klass :) Sånt behövs när man skriver fysikprov!

2.5 dl socker 

0.75 dl grädde

 75 g smör

 50 g vit choklad
2 msk sirap (vit eller ljus)

             vaniljpulver eller vaniljsocker efter smak

(För jordgubbsfudge) 250 g jordgubbar

               
Mixa jordgubbarna och låt dem koka på låg värme tills större delen av vätskan reducerats
( tills ca 3 msk kvarstår).
Blanda sirap, grädde och socker i en kastrull, låt smälta ihop på låg temperatur. Tillsätt sedan smöret och låt koka upp till 116 grader eller ett mjukt kulprov.
Ta av kastrullen från plattan och låt svalna ett par minuter.

Blanda ner jordgubbspurén, blanda noga. Lägg sedan i vit choklad och vaniljsocker/pulver.
 Vill man ha väldans rosa fudge kan man också involvera lite livsmedelsfärg.
Kyl eventuellt ner kastrullen underifrån i en balja kallt vatten, vispa kraftigt medan fudgemassan svalnar. Efter ett tag kommer den bli tjock och ljusna (jag har hela dagen undrat varifrån träningsvärken i axeln kommer- måste bero på detta!)
När den är tillräckligt tjock och har svalnat så att du kan peta i den  utan att få tredje gradens brännskador är det bara att hälla ut den på ett bakplåtspapper., eventuellt placerat i en form, men för mig fungerade det med att bara lägga papperet direkt på bordet och låta det hela svalna där, det flöt inte ut och hade sig.

Låt svalna i ett par timmar, skär sedan i precis vilken form du önskar.

För vit fudge gör du precis exakt likadant, fast utan jordgubbar. 

De är fina i en ask tillsammans, som ett schackbräde.