Asunción two months in

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It is exactly two months today since I left home. It feels a lot longer, not because I'm not enjoying things, but because I feel so settled and at home here already. Also, it means I have done one fifth of my teaching here already! Which sounds crazy!

So far, (she says touching wood) the 'W' of culture shock has not kicked in... For those who don't know, the 'W' of culture shock is the process people normally go through when moving abroad for some time. When you get to a new place, you feel great, think everything is amazing, but then you start to hate everything, find things annoyingn and miss home, but then you get used to it and everything is great again. Then you go home... and miss the place you were, then start to re-adjust. This, so far, has not been the case! All is still well, and I am feeling really well settled and I am really liking my new city and my job.

I've actually come to think that Asuncion is a really pretty place. In an unconventional way. But nonetheless beautiful. There is so much colour and the city is full of character. Its amazing every morning being able to step out onto the balcony and see the river in the distance peacefully meandering by. There are the blossoms on the trees that at the moment are just starting to fall. Pink and yellow lapachos making little carpets all over the parks and footpaths. Then there are all the other wonderful flowers and plants, I have no idea what they are called, but they are everywhere. As are all the multi-coloured little birds in the trees, so many different types. There is one bird, however, thats I am never to happy to see! The Pitogue (pitoway), aka. pregnancy bird. If this bird sings outside your house it is supposed to mean that someone is going to have a baby... Luckliy I have not heard it sing!

Another Paraguayan superstition is that you cannot comment on the moon, for example saying how beautiful it is, because this is bad luck. Well maybe it is not just a Paraguayan thing... I'm not entirely sure!

The mix of architecture in Asuncion is quite amazing too. There are many stunning, old, colonial buildings, some well-kept and freshly painted, and others completely left open to the elements, and then there are lots of pretty little houses littered along the streets and the odd high-rise building which just springs up in the middle of nowhere to add a little contrast. The most special buidlings have to be the Lopez Palace and the Panteon, especially at night when they are fully illuminated.

The buses are colourful and provide endless fun when taking you from A to B. Some are like rollercoasters, others like you are in a rally car. When standing up bus surfing is always amusing and should be made into an extreme sport. Then there is the trying to get to the door of the bus to get off when it is going at 60MPH and then having to jump off when it does 'stop' as you are about a meter off the ground still. Also, there are the roads with the odd random tree in the middle, and I mean BIG trees, that maybe someone could just not be bothered to cut down when creating the road, or maybe people actually decided to put nature first for once.

I've been able to explore a bit more of the city now, well the centre anyway. I've been all around the Lopez Palace to take photos (not on my own though, not after all the warnings that I would get mugged there!), I've been into Manzana de la Rivera, where there are art exhibitions, a library and normally a few other cultural exhibitions, to Casa de la Independencia, a little colonial house, now a museum, which explains a lot about the history of the country, the Cabildo, which I think means town hall, where there are more art gallaries and an exhibition on the clothing and culture of the guarani people, and into the Panteon too, where there are the graves of some famous historical figures from Paraguay's past, after whom all the roads in Asunción seem to be named, and about whom I shall write another time.

There really is a lot of history in this country. I am really looking forward to reading more about it.

There is currently a plan to create a path or road which runs all the way along the river here, which, of course, many environmentalist are against, although I think having a safe place to walk along the river here would be amazing, especially on hot days.


Apart from discovering the city, what else has happened in these past two months? Well I now have a social life here, one which does not only include my flatmates anyway. I have met some wonderful people, who have been so kind and wonderful in helping me to feel welcome and at home here. Most of them I have met through work, or through friends of people at work, and I am now never stuck for something to do, unless, of course, I want to be.

And as for my Spanish... well, maybe it has not improved as much as I would have liked. It is difficult to find time to speak Spanish when at work you speak English and in your flat everyone speaks English, and all the people you meet also speak better English than you do Spanish. I think I need to put more effort into this, or maybe find someone who does not speak any English at all! I'm hoping to be a lot more confident with my speaking when it gets round to the end of December when I will start my 2 months travelling.


Highlights of the last two weeks...

1. One of my students had an 'asado' which is a BBQ, but just SOOO much better than the ones we have back home. Many of you will know that I do not normally eat red meat... well this is not so in Paraguay. I actually like meat here. It is so amazing. I have even eaten - and enjoyed eating - chicken hearts! This was a wonderful night with students from one of my classes. It was great to see them outside of the classroom.

2. Going on a little adventure to the top of the Hotel Guarani to take photos of the city from above one evening when there was a stunning sunset. Got some really good pics from there.

3. Becoming addicted to Lorna's chutney after not having eaten spicy food for so long! The Paraguayans don't seem to do spicy food.

4. Going to see the OSN Orchestra play at the Banco Central. First time I'd ever seen an orchestra live.

5. Seeing real Paraguayan rain for the first time and being stranded at my business class for fear of drowning if I left - so glad I took my rain coat that day! Then watching the most awesome thunderstorm ever about a week later that lasted the majority of the night. So exciting.


I can't think of any low points... just a few challenges.

1. Agreeing to cover a class for a teacher, then finding out it was a class of four and five year olds, then having a cold and a really bad headache that day, as well as three other classes to do... Always good! Although I survived! So all is well!

2. Trying to decide what to do about visas... the conclusion thus far is to leave the country next week when there is a national holiday, go to Iguazu Falls, have a nice day, then re-enter with a new stamp. Hopefully it will go that smoothly!

3. Missing people from home. Friends and family. As it is sometimes difficult to speak online with the time difference, and I am often too tired to reply to messages straight away. It is something I have to work on, and something I will not let beat me. Every day I am here is a day closer to me being home, although I am definitely not going to wish my time away!



Thought that was a nice note to end on. Will write again soon, hopefully in less than two weeks time.

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