On a Typical Day in the Paraguayan Campo...

On a typical day in the Paraguayan campo, you might find yourself buying a few supplies at a corner tienda. We stopped in to buy a bottle of sugar cane alcohol, to prepare for Primer de Agosto. On the first of August it is tradition to drink a cup of cane alcohol mixed with stinging nettle, or ruda, to purify the blood. It’s actually a pretty nasty tasting concoction, but we will continue the tradition with our friends and neighbors.

On a typical day in the Paraguayan campo, you will probably find toads in your house. When I got up at 2:00am to use the restroom, this one was doing a handstand in our shower.

On a typical day in the Paraguayan campo, you will see cows, horses, chickens, and dogs on the roads. This cow, still in her pasture, is wearing a yoke to prevent her from slipping her head between the wires and pushing herself through. She watches wistfully as her pasture mate strolls down the road.

On a typical day in the Paraguayan campo, you may see kids playing in water. This year, the river near Puerto Garata flooded the surrounding areas. Daisy and Guido were playing in a boat that was tethered to fence post located a good 50 meters inland from the original shore line.

On a typical day in the Paraguayan campo, on the way to Arazape from the ruta, you will pass only two street signs, one reads, “It is unlawful to throw trash”; the other, “To destroy signs is illegal.”

On a typical day in the Paraguayan campo, you will hear people greeting each other…. Every person you meet on the road. Whether the customary, “Adios!”  “Que Tal?” Hearing your name yelled from a farmed field or wooded forest, or a quick, “OOOP!”

On a typical day in the Paraguayan campo, you will see people sitting, sharing time and terrere. This sitting can last for hours with extended periods of silence. In the beginning, it was difficult for me, to say the least, it still is at times… Andres Fuglesang has this to say about the Psychology of Sitting: …. people in Western civilization no longer have time for each other, they have no time together, they do not share the experience of time. This explains why Westerners are incapable of understanding the psychology of sitting. In villages all over the world, sitting is an important social activity. Sitting is not a ‘waste of time’ nor is it a manifestation of laziness. Sitting is having time together, time to cultivate relationships.     

What do you think?

Schools in Paraguay- Observations of Two Schools in the Campo

The school in Jhugua has about 75 students, Pre-escolar- sixth grade, only. Photo taken at our book celebration, with special visitors from the States- our kids!

Below, are some random observations, based on time spent volunteering in two different elementary schools, (Escuela Basicas, here in Paraguay), just some snippets about things that have jumped out at us. Sorry in advance for the stream of conscience ramblings…

• Bilingual Instruction is mandated and is presented in Spanish and Guarani.
• Most instruction consists of copying what is written by the teacher on the blackboard.
• Teachers frequently leave the classroom to talk, drink terrere, make phone calls, etc,
• No books, paper, or supplies in classrooms, each student has one notebook in which to write all assignments.
• Students are provided with a small bag of cookies and milk every day, for snack. They provide their own cup and rinse it out after use.
• In one classroom, a bucket of water is kept in the back of the room. Kids dip their cups into it to get a drink.
• Kids use box cutter knives to sharpen pencils.
• When a teacher is sick or needs to take a day off, she/he must find and pay a substitute.
• Kids get immunization shots, fluoride treatments, and anti-parasitic medications at school.
• Teachers and kids do all cleaning of classrooms and grounds, use machetes to cut weeds, and burn all trash in a pit on school grounds.
• Kids are boosted up with a broom, when the roof needs to be cleaned.

Students and teachers are responsible for cleaning the schools

• The school grounds where kids play has rubble from previous bathroom, a hole in the ground leading to an old well, and tangles of barbed wire. 
• There is no systematic maintenance, with broken windows, fans, and non functional lighting in many rooms.
• Frequently there are cows, dogs and chickens on school grounds. Less frequently, horses and pigs.
• If it rains, school is cancelled. Once a month, on teacher payday, school is cancelled. When teachers strike, (at least nine, one day strikes since we’ve been here), school is cancelled. This year, the first day of school was delayed one week to give teachers more time to clean classrooms and bathrooms and prepare the buildings.
• The school buildings are utilized from 7:00am until 9:00pm. 7-11:00am: Pre-escolar-6^th grade; 1-5:00pm: 7^th-9^th grade; 5-9:00pm: 10-12^th grades.
• Teachers and Parent group are responsible for paying electricity and water bills.
• Most schools have big grassy area- during the 20 minute recess each day, kids kick off their shoes and start up a big game of soccer.
• Each morning begins with an assembly for the raising of the Paraguayan flag, singing of the national anthem, and classes take turns leading morning announcements, and prayers.
• Holidays such as Mother’s Day, Day of the Child, and National Holidays are celebrated with assemblies, music, traditional dance performances, and games.
• I have never seen a fight or even a heated disagreement on school grounds, though students are minimally supervised.
• Many kids, especially girls, do not attend school past 6^th grade.

So, there you go- a little information about the elementary schools in Paraguay. We could write an entire blog post on each one of the topics listed above, but would rather talk about it more when we return to the states.