Fútbol, Areguá, and more Fútbol...Week 5: July 20-27


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South America » Paraguay » Asunciòn
July 27th 2011
Published: July 27th 2011
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I passed my halfway mark this Sunday! Unbelievable! The weather is still switching from warm and sunny to mild and raining to clear and chilly. It can’t make up its mind, but I enjoy it. It is a change from the heat I am sure you are all receiving in the U.S. (specifically Sacramento and Stockton). At work we are still working on planning the Water Conference. Friday, I worked on the invitation to send out to government organizations (authorities), sponsors, and the Federation of Water Boards. I also worked on the executive summary (to ask for more support).

Saturday I went to Conmebol (the South American Soccer Confederation). We had a tour of the museum, where we heard a lot about soccer’s past in South America, watched a video, and saw many trophies from different cups (even a World Cup Trophy!). After, I took a one hour bus ride to Aregua, an artisan town. There were many stands selling pottery and artwork, and we saw the town’s lake and church. We asked to climb the bell tower, which was amazing! There were small ladders and many pigeons inside. We went up a series of about 6 ladders/staircases to the top, which had an extraordinary view of the town and the lake. It was breathtaking! That town was tranquil and had fresh air! It was a nice thing to do on a sunny Saturday afternoon. We went out that night again to another discoteca to dance the night away!

Sunday was a day of much needed rest! It was warm and sunny all day; it was the first time in a while that I didn’t even need to take a sweater around with me. I went to the mall to watch the finals of the Copa America on the big screen (Paraguay vs. Uruguay). Everyone was bummed when Paraguay couldn’t get the win, but they were cheering strong to the end! After, I bought a delicious empanada at Super Seis (one of the main grocery stores here) and some dulce de leche helado (ice-cream). There are heladerias (ice-cream shops) all over the city (which could be dangerous, as I crave it every time I see one). Haha!

The new work week started out with some small tasks, trying to get information for the water system expansion project in Horqueta, and starting calculations for allowable/required pipe diameter for the Horqueta project. I was also able to get AutoCAD on my computer to attempt making the map for the Horqueta project. As for the Water Conference, the invitations were finalized and sent out. Finally, I translated another document from Spanish to English, but luckily this document was not nearly as long as the last 34-page document I had to help translate before!

Tonight I am going to Sabor Peruano (Peruvian restaurant) in the Las Carmelitas area. I am meeting up with Karelli, the other intern from Pacific in Paraguay (working at Mbaracayu). She is in town because she brought the 8 girls from the Mbaracayu soccer team (that are participating in the Homeless World Cup in France) to get their Visas and to practice/train in Asuncion. I have been wanting to try that restaurant, so it should be fun!

Because there is not much new information to share in this entry, I would like to touch on something I noticed about Paraguay. Even though it is a developing country, Paraguay is not a completely “cheap” country to live in. Many assume that it would be extremely inexpensive to live here. It is not anything near living in the heart of San Francisco, for example, but to live comfortably, one must have a decent amount of money. The shopping malls sell items and clothes for sometimes more than we would spend in the U.S.; for example, I could go to Macy’s back home and find a sweater for 30 USD, whereas here one could spend about 40+ USD for a sweater in a mall. This is why many people shop in Mercado 4, the partially-outdoor market/shopping center downtown. The prices are much lower. However, what is in fact inexpensive is labor. It is common to see people have a “chica” (house keeper/maid), or for men to fill your tank at the gas station. Also, something which is popular is delivery. Every business delivers, from grocery stores, ice-cream shops, restaurants, pharmacies, and even fast food places (like Burger King)! Okay, that’s it for now! Chau!


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