Well the trip to Encarnacion was certainly an adventure! On the day that I was leaving, all of the Paraguayan’s were complaining about how cold it was in Asuncion. It was about 80 degrees and slightly windy! I was really excited about my trip and was talking to a lot of people before I left. Everytime, the response I got was “you know it’s going to be cold in Encarnacion.” Of course I was thinking, “I’ve lived in Colorado. These Paraguayan’s don’t know what cold is.” So I packed up my backpack with sandals, some cool weather clothes, and a blanket. Thank goodness I brought the blanket because it was cold!!!
My contact from the artisan organization picked me up and we took an 11:30pm bus to Encarnacion. We arrived at 4:45am, and started work immediately! It actually took 2 hours to set up all of the tables and displays. It was quite uncomfortable waiting for the Burger King bathroom to open at 7am so I could brush my teeth. However, I really liked the city! It’s way down south in Paraguay, right across from Posadas, Argentina. They have a beach! I even got to see a few Peace Corps friends and we got Asian food, pizza, and ice cream. Since I hadn’t eaten pizza in the past few months, it definitely tasted like the best pizza I’d ever eaten!
On the work side of things, I’ve been running into a whole lot of obstacles here. It seems like everyone here says they want help, but they don’t. For example, the artisan organization has set up an office for me, and they want me to work there, which is great! However, when I ask them what exactly they want me to do, the answer is to sit at the desk. I’m not here to go sit at organizations and do nothing, so I told them I thought they have an amazing organization and would love to offer my services, but only if I have a project to work on. This was a problem. I gave some examples of types of projects I could do, and they did not want to hear it. I also just had a very similar issue at the cooperativa when I proposed project ideas. I’m really having a very difficult time figuring out how to do actual work here. It’s incredibly frustrating! I have started doing some consulting work with 2 small businesses, but not quite sure yet if that’s going to be productive or not. I also have a meeting next week for someone interested in a 3-month entrepreneurship class, so I hope that works out.
My apartment search is also on pause. I found a perfect place, but now I’ve been told that it’s too far. It’s only about 30 minutes walking from where I live now, which I think is reasonable. Anything I’ve found that is closer is about double the budget I’ve been given and isn’t even furnished! I still have to meet with the decision makers about the apartment I liked, but it seems that they are in no rush. Even if they eventually approve it, it will likely no longer be available. So, I’m stuck.
A funny cultural thing that I’ve noticed here is that nobody sets times for meetings. For example, if someone requests a meeting, it’s either “por la manana” or “por la tarde” (in the morning or in the afternoon)? I guess that makes sense, since things get started so late here. It really drives me crazy because I have no idea what time I’m supposed to show up places! If someone says we have a meeting in the morning, does that mean 9am, 11am? What time should I set my alarm for? If you try to ask someone to specify what time they want you to be there, they are so resistant!
Last but not least, my favorite story of the week. So I found out that there was a place to get Thai food in Asuncion, yes! The place is called “WokIn,” but of course, they only do delivery. You have to order what you want online only. In the section where you are picking all of your ingredients, they call it “pizza toppings.” Pretty funny, and good food. Also big news, Quiznos is coming to Paraguay! Right now the only American food places here are McDonalds, Burger King, and Pizza Hut.
That’s it!
Yours Truly, Julie G
YoursTrulyJulieG 