Author Archives: yourstrulyjulieg

Over the last few months here in Paraguay, I’ve noticed quite a few interesting differences in the way cell phones are used compared to the US.  This is not meant to be judgemental in any way.  I’m still learning more about the culture here everyday, and cell phone use is so dramatically different here!  Some examples???

When people here are in important meetings, lectures, classes, or whatever, it is completely acceptable to answer your phone in the room and proceed to have a 5 minute non-emergency conversation!  I’m not sure that anyone even knows how to use the silent or vibrate functions on the cell phones.  I have even been in meetings where the person giving the information takes 5 minute phone calls.  While I find this to be completely distracting, it happens here everyday.

Also, if the phone is ringing, you must answer it right away!  A missed call seems like it would be the worst crisis ever here.  Even if you are in the bathroom, sleeping, eating a family meal, people jump up in an instant to make a mad dash to answer the call!  It’s funny to me that if my cell phone rings while I am in the bathroom, people knock on the door so that I can answer the call.

If you don’t answer the call, don’t worry, people will call you back at least 5 times in the next 10 minutes until you do answer!  At first when this started happening to me, I was thinking that this person must be a stalker, but it turns out that everyone does that.  When you finally call them back, they think something must be terribly wrong with your health because you didn’t answer the earlier calls.

Lastly, people like to text me to tell me they sent me an email.  Uh yes, I know… I responded to your email already.  So then I have to send them another text saying yes, I received the email and I already responded.  Why send the email in the first place if they are going to text me also?  I’m still trying to figure this one out.

I know that relationship building in very important in this culture, and it seems that people will drop whatever they are doing to make sure a friend/family member is their priority.  I guess that is the nice part about it, although it will take some getting used to on my part.  I do have about 4 Paraguayan friends now, so I will have to ask them more about this.

I am still on the search for a purpose here.  Crossing my fingers that something will work out soon before I go crazy from boredom.  However, I have noticed that my Spanish has gotten really really good now 🙂  I’m ready to put it to use working with businesses here… what’s the holdup?!

Hope to talk to many of you on Skype soon.  If I don’t answer, just keep on calling until I do 🙂

Yours Truly, Julie G

First, let me just say that patience is not one of my strengths.  I spend more time here waiting for meetings to happen, than actually in meetings.  Always the same response, UN RATITO (just a moment).  I’ve learned that un ratito can mean anywhere from 5 minutes, to 1 hour, to infinity.  Sometimes it even means this meeting won’t ever happen.  Un ratito has become my least favorite Paraguayan phrase because I can never be prepared for how long I will be waiting.

Yes, I know that I can bring a book, play games on my phone, count to a million.  It’s just so frustrating!  By the time I usually get into a meeting, I am already pretty annoyed at the people I’m meeting with.  I’m still looking for projects to do here, and it’s much more difficult than I expected.  I thought I would come here and there would be so many people who would want my help, but it turns out that I practically have to beg people to let me work with them.  Everyone here keeps telling me I need to be patient, give it more time, etc., and I’m trying to do the best I can.  I just have so much personal drive and motivation to help people NOW, and no one here wants my help.  I’m still pretty clueless about what I will be doing here for the next 2 years, and that makes me very uncomfortable.

Also, I’m still on the search for an apartment here.  Since I don’t know where I will be spending most of my time working, it’s difficult to narrow down locations to search.  I did find one that I really liked, but was told that the 30 minute walk is too far.  I’ve been asking everyone I meet if they know of any places, and everyone here keeps telling me to be more “tranquilo” because I don’t need to move until November.  Hello?  November is only a few weeks away!  One major difference between Paraguayans and Americans is our vision of short-term and long-term.  While Americans typically think of long-term as anything more than a year from now, Paraguayans view the long-term as anything happening more than 2 weeks from now!  Everyone here seems to think that I will just magically find an apartment when the timing is right… I sure hope they are right.

In summary, I’m having a tought time here right now.  I really hope things get better soon, and wish there was something I could do to get things moving a little faster here.  I’m not sure if this is just a phase, or if this is how things will be for the next 2 years.  And just to make things a little more uncomfortable, cockroaches have invaded the house where I live.  This week one crawled over my shampoo bottle while I was in the shower (yes, I ran straight out of the bathroom), and another one snuck into my room under my bed!

I guess things can only get better from here…

Yours Truly, Julie G