23 December 2008
YES!!!
So I finally got a hold of someone in with AFS USA, and I HAVE A HOST FAMILY! Mom, dad, grandpa, 16-year-old sister, 13-year-old brother, 12-year-old sister, 10-year-old brother. They live in Pilar, Paraguay. It's a medium/small city in the southeastern department Neembucu. There's a German girl and a French guy in Pilar right now who are still going to be there when I'm there. I don't know if anyone else is coming when I am.
23 November 2008
About Paraguay and AFS
Paraguay is a landlocked country in South America, between Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia. It's about the size of California. Spanish and Guarani (indigenous) are the major official languages. Both Spanish and Guarani are used frequently, with Spanish prevailing in cities and Guarani in rural areas and isolated cities. The east is humid and rainy, the west is dry and arid. It's in the southern hemisphere, so our winter is their summer. (I will arrive in February- the middle of their summer, just before school begins.)
Just under 7 million people live in Paraguay. The capital and largest city is Asuncion. Other larger cities are Ciudad del Este, Encarnacion, Concepcion, Luque, Villa Hayes, Caacupe, Villarica, Pilar, and San Juan Cabalero. Hydroelectricity, generated from several major dams, supply most of the country's power. Soybeans are the most important crop.
Many people are poor, but many of the families able to host exchange students are middle-upper class. School runs on a half-day schedule, with classes being either in the morning, afternoon, or occasionally evening. Usually kids are put into a "track" in high school, such as business, sciences, or arts.
AFS was started in WWI by ambulance drivers from the US as the American Field Service. The group was reformed during WWII, and started exchanges after the war. At first, exchanges were just between the USA and several western European countries, but today high school students from over 50 countries are involved. AFS maintains an international umbrella organization, but is really made up of national organizations in each country. AFS-Paraguay was started in 1962, and hosted US students in 1966 for the first time. Today, AFS-Paraguay hosts about 200 foreign students a year from all over the world, and sends out approximately 150 Paraguayan students.
Just under 7 million people live in Paraguay. The capital and largest city is Asuncion. Other larger cities are Ciudad del Este, Encarnacion, Concepcion, Luque, Villa Hayes, Caacupe, Villarica, Pilar, and San Juan Cabalero. Hydroelectricity, generated from several major dams, supply most of the country's power. Soybeans are the most important crop.
Many people are poor, but many of the families able to host exchange students are middle-upper class. School runs on a half-day schedule, with classes being either in the morning, afternoon, or occasionally evening. Usually kids are put into a "track" in high school, such as business, sciences, or arts.
AFS was started in WWI by ambulance drivers from the US as the American Field Service. The group was reformed during WWII, and started exchanges after the war. At first, exchanges were just between the USA and several western European countries, but today high school students from over 50 countries are involved. AFS maintains an international umbrella organization, but is really made up of national organizations in each country. AFS-Paraguay was started in 1962, and hosted US students in 1966 for the first time. Today, AFS-Paraguay hosts about 200 foreign students a year from all over the world, and sends out approximately 150 Paraguayan students.
First Post
This blog is going to be dedicated to my trip to Paraguay as an AFS exchange student. I'm not sure if I'm going to be online much once I'm in Paraguay (this is all stuff I'll find out once I get a host family) but for now, I'm going to assume that I'll have at least a few chances to update it while I'm gone.
I'll be leaving sometime in the beginning of February and getting back in the beginning of August. It seems like so long, and so short at the same time. As of right now, there's not much new news to report. I have my first orientation on December 14th, and I'm still waiting for word on my family and visa.
I'll be leaving sometime in the beginning of February and getting back in the beginning of August. It seems like so long, and so short at the same time. As of right now, there's not much new news to report. I have my first orientation on December 14th, and I'm still waiting for word on my family and visa.
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