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So it has been awhile since I last wrote, and a lot has happened so sit back, relax, and enjoy.

About two weeks ago I started taking a Spanish class through AFS (mandatory) the class is about three hours long but it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. There are three of us in the class: Simon, Julian and myself. Both of the boys are from Germany and live in the city where the hamburger was invented. Hamburgers are probably one of the most amazing/delicious creations of all time! Visiting Hamburg has officially made it onto my bucket list. J

They are both super nice and friendly, although at times it can be difficult to communicate with them in Spanish. Our Spanish conversations usually turn into Spanglish and eventually into English. 

Their English is good, like crazy good. When I have a conversation with them (in English) it doesn’t feel like I am talking to someone whose first language isn’t English. Except for the fact that they have accents, but I have an infatuation with accents, so it’s all good. J

However in class we all speak in Spanish (what a shocker!). And the teacher doesn’t speak any English, but she talks slowly and explains everything which is really nice, but sometimes I have absolutely no idea what she is talking about. The German boys will sometimes explain to me in English which I think is crazy. They must have to translate from Spanish to German and the German to English. Their Spanish is better than mine, but that isn’t saying a whole lot.

On that note, my Spanish is improving, I am still having a lot of trouble conjugating verbs, and there are a lot of words that I don’t know, but when someone says something to me, I can differentiate the words even if I don’t know what they mean. It is really nice because then I can repeat back the word/s I don’t understand and ask them to explain instead of just staring at them like a dear in headlights.

One of millions of really interesting things I noticed since I arrived is that most of the Paraguayan flags don’t have the emblem in the middle of it. Just in case you are unfamiliar with what the official flag looks like here is a picture:

My host sister told me that it is a sign of "respect" I believe she said and that only certain flags have the emblem, like ones on flagpoles or on some government buildings.

So instead, this is the flag you usually see: 

 I have seen it on:

T-shirts

Cars 

Buses

Flags that people own

Signs

etc.

On Sunday I went to my host dad’s sister’s house for lunch and Karaoke. The family is about the same size as mine. There is a Grandma, her four kids plus all their spouses, and each couple has 2 kids.

We were there for almost two hours before we ate, which was very different for me, because normally when my family comes over we eat within 45 minutes and there are appetizers before hand. It was nice though, very relaxed, and it gave me a chance to talk to some of the cousins, because when is was time for dinner they ate in a different room they the adults and Jackie and me. I think it had to do with the fact that they are all younger, but I am not 100% sure. After dinner, it was time for Karaoke…somehow they got me to sing, a Jonas Brothers song no less. Luckily I knew the song and because they knew I was so nervous a bunch of people came up and danced around me while I was singing.

It was my first real taste of how Paraguayan families are when they get together, and I loved it!

Today we didn’t have school Wednesday or today. Wednesday was some big day for Fernando de la Mora (not sure why) and today was hero’s day (Día de los Héroes) see it more as a day to sleep in and stay in PJ’s all day. It is like our Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We learn about the day’s significance, get the day off school and most businesses are closed, but other than that it is a very low-key day.

I did hear that there are some parties and speeches in honor of the day, but my family isn’t going to any.

I decided I am going to try and update my blog at least twice a week. Not sure what days yet, maybe Monday and Thursday?

Oh and one more thing completely non-Paraguay related,

I heard about the shooting in Ohio, my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who was effected. 

Stay safe and remember that like is a gift that is why it is called the present. :)

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Don't you love cheesy inspirational quotes?