It's been a week since I got on the airplane to start my adventure here in Paraguay. Here's an update on my life so far:
Thursday: I got a telephone here! Also I went with my sister, Ceci, to my school to watch the classes practicing for the dance festival. The music was so loud! In the middle, we left with two of her friends to have empanadas. They're like little pies with meat inside of them. My favorite was the ham and cheese one.
Friday: I ate cereal out of a coffee cup: that's the norm here. I got pants for my school uniform and for lunch I tried vori vori, a Paraguayan soup with meat. Danced (the festival) was tonight. I went with my host family and Caroline, an exchange student from Arkansas. Also I had a Paraguayan burger at a lomiteria.
Saturday: Ceci and Mavi took me to the supermarket and I got ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies! We also picked up Caroline and she helped make cookies. I can't say that before Saturday I had ever chopped up a bar of chocolate to make cookies (chocolate chips aren't popular here, we couldn't find any). It took a little while because we had to convert all the measurements (and did some guestimating on the small measurements), but they turned out really good. We ate cookies outside and drank terere and mate (which is hot terere- terere is kinda like tea, but lots of leaf and its served very cold). Also Saturday Caroline and I went to Hunter's house (Hunter is an exchange student from Minnesota) and went out for pizza with some other exchange students and some other people. So much fun!
Sunday: I went with my family to a bull festival. It was kind of like a rodeo, which was pretty exciting. There I tried asado. Asado is like American roast, cooked on a giant stick over a fire. It tasted very good! After that we went to the house of Juanro's grandma. We drank terere and talked for a while. When we went home, Dana (my adorable 2 year old niece) and I watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in Spanish.
Monday: My first day of school here in Paraguay! I'm in the same class as Hunter, Friedrich and Oskar. Friedrich and Oskar are from Germany. I didn't understand much of anything that happened. School is very different here. I'll talk about it another time.
Tuesday (today): Second day of school here. We had English class for a little while then everyone left to go to a raffle. The people that didn't go (including me) just hung out outside for the rest of the day. It was very chill and VERY chilly! After school I slept for a while and then went to Friedrich's house. He, Oskar, Romana and Manon and I (wow I apologize because I probably butchered those names...) walked around town for a while to find a place to eat. Now I'm at home on my computer.
So that's been my first week here in Paraguay!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Arrival and Day One
I made it to Paraguay in one piece!
What a looong flight. I arrived in Paraguay around 7:30 this morning. When I arrived, I had to get my visa for Paraguay. At first there was some trouble but we got it figured out. Then I got through customs and received my suitcase. When I walked through the exit, my family was there to meet me!! I almost cried when I saw the sign that said my name.. My first cultural experience was saying hello to everyone. When you say hello here, you don't just say "hello". You kiss the air next to a person's cheek when you do. That was a surprise to me when I had to do it with about 10 people!
After our initial hello, we got in the car to drive back to Coronel Oviedo. Juanro (my host brother) told me that the car ride was about 2 hours, but I wouldn't know because I slept almost the entire way there!
We ate lunch (spaghetti), and then I gladly took my siesta and slept again. When I woke up around 6, it was DARK OUT! Apparently here it gets dark around 5 right now. I got up and went outside with my sisters and drank terere, the national drink of Paraguay. It was delicious! It is kind of like a tea, but a lot more leaf and floating in the cup. It is also served very cold. My mother told me it is very popular here in Paraguay. Some people even drink it in the winter!
After that, I went with my family out for supper. I wish I knew what it was called that I ate, but it was like a Paraguayan taco. It had chicken in it. THE FOOD HERE IS SO GOOD. When we finished supper we drove around town for a while and I got to see my school. I start Monday, I believe.
Now I'm sitting at home watching TV with my sister, Mavi. I'm very tired though so I think I will go to bed. Ciao ciao! (That's how you say goodbye!)
What a looong flight. I arrived in Paraguay around 7:30 this morning. When I arrived, I had to get my visa for Paraguay. At first there was some trouble but we got it figured out. Then I got through customs and received my suitcase. When I walked through the exit, my family was there to meet me!! I almost cried when I saw the sign that said my name.. My first cultural experience was saying hello to everyone. When you say hello here, you don't just say "hello". You kiss the air next to a person's cheek when you do. That was a surprise to me when I had to do it with about 10 people!
After our initial hello, we got in the car to drive back to Coronel Oviedo. Juanro (my host brother) told me that the car ride was about 2 hours, but I wouldn't know because I slept almost the entire way there!
We ate lunch (spaghetti), and then I gladly took my siesta and slept again. When I woke up around 6, it was DARK OUT! Apparently here it gets dark around 5 right now. I got up and went outside with my sisters and drank terere, the national drink of Paraguay. It was delicious! It is kind of like a tea, but a lot more leaf and floating in the cup. It is also served very cold. My mother told me it is very popular here in Paraguay. Some people even drink it in the winter!
After that, I went with my family out for supper. I wish I knew what it was called that I ate, but it was like a Paraguayan taco. It had chicken in it. THE FOOD HERE IS SO GOOD. When we finished supper we drove around town for a while and I got to see my school. I start Monday, I believe.
Now I'm sitting at home watching TV with my sister, Mavi. I'm very tired though so I think I will go to bed. Ciao ciao! (That's how you say goodbye!)
Monday, August 5, 2013
My Last Day in the States
Okay, so not technically my last day in THE STATES. A more accurate phrase would be "Last day in Iowa".
I'm leaving early tomorrow morning to go to Minneapolis, Minnesota to board a plane and begin my exchange year! Doubting that I'll get any sleep tonight, but I will probably try.
Today isn't my last day in the states, tomorrow is. Because I'm leaving Miami at 11:45 at night!! It'll be a long overnight flight to Paraguay.
So what have I been doing during my last day in the States?
To start, I enjoyed my last day of sleeping in. It's kinda been a regular day I guess.
I ate a bagel with nutella.
Went to the bank to let them know that I'm leaving.
Came back home and watched a movie.
This is boring.
Later I'm gonna visit a few relatives and say goodbye.
And I really really want to go to the Whippy Dip before I leave!!
Probably another post later. Or maybe not. I'm not really sure. I'm feeling pretty scatterbrained lately.
I'm leaving early tomorrow morning to go to Minneapolis, Minnesota to board a plane and begin my exchange year! Doubting that I'll get any sleep tonight, but I will probably try.
Today isn't my last day in the states, tomorrow is. Because I'm leaving Miami at 11:45 at night!! It'll be a long overnight flight to Paraguay.
So what have I been doing during my last day in the States?
To start, I enjoyed my last day of sleeping in. It's kinda been a regular day I guess.
I ate a bagel with nutella.
Went to the bank to let them know that I'm leaving.
Came back home and watched a movie.
This is boring.
Later I'm gonna visit a few relatives and say goodbye.
And I really really want to go to the Whippy Dip before I leave!!
Probably another post later. Or maybe not. I'm not really sure. I'm feeling pretty scatterbrained lately.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Could it be?
After another failed round of sending papers to the Brasilian Embassy for my visa, Theresa at the travel agency determined that it isn't worth going through all the trouble we've been going through to get the visa. Which means no Brasil visa.
That's a good thing, unless I want to travel to Brasil with a host family. But if that's the case, we can try again.
So what now?
Now I get to work on getting my flight organized!!
I'll be leaving between August 4th and 6th, out of Minneapolis.
That's pretty close. I should start packing.
*Procrastinates*
But seriously, I think I'll start in a few days. Pretty sure I'm going to try to put a suitcase inside of a suitcase. That will prevent me from taking too much "stuff" that I won't need. Those of you that have flown before, is that a legal move?
That's a good thing, unless I want to travel to Brasil with a host family. But if that's the case, we can try again.
So what now?
Now I get to work on getting my flight organized!!
I'll be leaving between August 4th and 6th, out of Minneapolis.
That's pretty close. I should start packing.
*Procrastinates*
But seriously, I think I'll start in a few days. Pretty sure I'm going to try to put a suitcase inside of a suitcase. That will prevent me from taking too much "stuff" that I won't need. Those of you that have flown before, is that a legal move?
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Are We There Yet???
No.
Will we (I) be there soon?
..hopefully!
Originally, my date of leaving was supposed to be somewhere between July 19 and 24. I was really nervous that I wouldn't receive my guarantee form and my Brasilian visa before then.
I got my guarantee form a few days ago, which was super exciting!
But what about the Brasilian visa?
I still don't have it.
But it's okay! *Insert one of Mr. Fritz's bandroom smiles here*
There's been a little bit of trouble with my paper work and needing different documents. In the time that it took to acquire the papers that I now know that I didn't need, the application for my Brasilian tourist visa expired. Yep.
*Insert another bandroom smile here*
An important part of being a Rotary Youth Exchange student is PATIENCE. I'm still learning how to let go of the steering wheel and be patient with all of this, but that definitely has been my biggest challenge in my first year of exchange.
First year? What? You mean there's more than one?
Kind of, yes. There is actually three.
The first year is the one I'm almost finished with, which is signing up for the exchange and filling out paperwork. Patience is SUPER important here because everything takes TIME and TIME is something that we have plenty of. (Until it's three days before you're supposed to leave. Smile!)
The second year is the actual year of exchange, the one that everyone knows and talks about.
The final year is the year when you return to your home country. I've heard its a hard and confusing year.
I'll send news here soon as soon as I receive it myself!
Will we (I) be there soon?
..hopefully!
Originally, my date of leaving was supposed to be somewhere between July 19 and 24. I was really nervous that I wouldn't receive my guarantee form and my Brasilian visa before then.
I got my guarantee form a few days ago, which was super exciting!
But what about the Brasilian visa?
I still don't have it.
But it's okay! *Insert one of Mr. Fritz's bandroom smiles here*
There's been a little bit of trouble with my paper work and needing different documents. In the time that it took to acquire the papers that I now know that I didn't need, the application for my Brasilian tourist visa expired. Yep.
*Insert another bandroom smile here*
An important part of being a Rotary Youth Exchange student is PATIENCE. I'm still learning how to let go of the steering wheel and be patient with all of this, but that definitely has been my biggest challenge in my first year of exchange.
First year? What? You mean there's more than one?
Kind of, yes. There is actually three.
The first year is the one I'm almost finished with, which is signing up for the exchange and filling out paperwork. Patience is SUPER important here because everything takes TIME and TIME is something that we have plenty of. (Until it's three days before you're supposed to leave. Smile!)
The second year is the actual year of exchange, the one that everyone knows and talks about.
The final year is the year when you return to your home country. I've heard its a hard and confusing year.
I'll send news here soon as soon as I receive it myself!
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
To Contact Me. . .
Today I got to thinking: my current cell phone won't be active when I leave. Many people have asked how they can contact me while I'm in Paraguay, so here's the best ways.
FACEBOOK:
If you haven't already added me on Facebook, my name is Catrina Bruns. (Obviously.) I'll check Facebook when I get to a computer and feel like checking it. You'll be able to contact me, but I don't know how often I'll get on to talk.
SKYPE:
I do have a Skype account. The name of that is brunscatrina . I probably will use that primarily to video chat with my family but feel free to add me.
OTHER WAYS:
I have Snapchat on my phone. It will come with me to use in internet areas. I also have Instagram, which I might use for photos because I don't know how compatible this blog site is for pictures. It'll be best to check Facebook and Instagram for photos. My username for both Instagram and Snapchat is trina2317 .
And most importantly, this blog. My blog will be the place where you can read about what's going on during my exchange. I'll try to update it whenever I can!
On a final note, I learned who my first host family will be. I won't post their names on here for the sake of privacy, but just know that I'm now about 500x more excited!!
FACEBOOK:
If you haven't already added me on Facebook, my name is Catrina Bruns. (Obviously.) I'll check Facebook when I get to a computer and feel like checking it. You'll be able to contact me, but I don't know how often I'll get on to talk.
SKYPE:
I do have a Skype account. The name of that is brunscatrina . I probably will use that primarily to video chat with my family but feel free to add me.
OTHER WAYS:
I have Snapchat on my phone. It will come with me to use in internet areas. I also have Instagram, which I might use for photos because I don't know how compatible this blog site is for pictures. It'll be best to check Facebook and Instagram for photos. My username for both Instagram and Snapchat is trina2317 .
And most importantly, this blog. My blog will be the place where you can read about what's going on during my exchange. I'll try to update it whenever I can!
On a final note, I learned who my first host family will be. I won't post their names on here for the sake of privacy, but just know that I'm now about 500x more excited!!
Sunday, July 7, 2013
The Most Asked (and Disliked) Questions
Seeing as my exchange is approaching faster than I can fathom, I've had to make conversation with quite a few people about it. Which means answering the same questions that everyone has. I'm going to share those questions here so that maybe I won't have to answer them quite as many times.
"So you're going to be an exchange student?"
-Yeah.
"For how long?"
-About a year.
"Where are you going?"
-Paraguay.
"What's that?"
-Its by Brazil.
Those are the basics, the most frequently asked. Then I usually get more questions that are less factual.
"Aren't you gonna miss your family?"
-Of course I am, but its not like I'll never see them again.
"Have you heard from your family yet?"
-No. Also I'll probably have three or four families.
"Really? When are you leaving?"
-Between July 19 and 24. (Around 2 weeks from today. YIKES)
"What school are you going to?"
-I don't know.
I haven't heard a lot from my club yet. They sent me the rules of the club and the dates they want us to arrive between, but not much other than that. I'm eagerly waiting for more.
"So what language do they speak there?"
-Spanish.
"You're fluent then, right?"
-Um...no. But it'll come with being there for a year.
Get ready. Here comes my favorite question. (A bit of sarcasm if you didn't pick up on that.)
"Is your sister going with you???"
My real answer: No.
What I want to say: Why would she? Have you ever heard of two people exchanging together??
"What is she gonna do while you're gone?"
My real answer: I'm not sure.
What I want to say: Ask her, not me.
I get these questions waaay too often. But I guess people are just naturally curious.
On another note, I'm having a going away party next weekend. It'll be on July 14th at 11 I believe. The details are on facebook. If you don't have me on facebook, too bad.
Just kidding. I'll fill you in.
"So you're going to be an exchange student?"
-Yeah.
"For how long?"
-About a year.
"Where are you going?"
-Paraguay.
"What's that?"
-Its by Brazil.
Those are the basics, the most frequently asked. Then I usually get more questions that are less factual.
"Aren't you gonna miss your family?"
-Of course I am, but its not like I'll never see them again.
"Have you heard from your family yet?"
-No. Also I'll probably have three or four families.
"Really? When are you leaving?"
-Between July 19 and 24. (Around 2 weeks from today. YIKES)
"What school are you going to?"
-I don't know.
I haven't heard a lot from my club yet. They sent me the rules of the club and the dates they want us to arrive between, but not much other than that. I'm eagerly waiting for more.
"So what language do they speak there?"
-Spanish.
"You're fluent then, right?"
-Um...no. But it'll come with being there for a year.
Get ready. Here comes my favorite question. (A bit of sarcasm if you didn't pick up on that.)
"Is your sister going with you???"
My real answer: No.
What I want to say: Why would she? Have you ever heard of two people exchanging together??
"What is she gonna do while you're gone?"
My real answer: I'm not sure.
What I want to say: Ask her, not me.
I get these questions waaay too often. But I guess people are just naturally curious.
On another note, I'm having a going away party next weekend. It'll be on July 14th at 11 I believe. The details are on facebook. If you don't have me on facebook, too bad.
Just kidding. I'll fill you in.
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