Amanda's Year In Paraguay

     For me at least, March went by pretty fast. I guess that's because it's finally settled in my mind that I only have 3.5 months left of my exchange.      Last weekend, we had a mid-stay orientation in Estanzuela/Itaugua. It was organized by the Capiatá, San Lorenzo, Lambaré, and Luque teams. I was the only student from the US who came, there were about 8 students, plus our families. The only male student who attended was from the new group; he had arrived a month prior. I spent the most time with him and we became good friends. The students showed collages of photos from our exchange as well as items to represent what countries we're from and our host country. I brought a small American flag and a guampa (cup) for tereré.      For our main discussions, the families formed a group and the students formed another. We and our volunteers talked about how things are going in our families and any problems we might be having. We also talked abou...

     It's now been abo ut 6 weeks since I moved in with my new family, and so far, everything has been going great. My host parents are so caring and loving, that I truly feel like part of their family. My host brother Matias is quite introverted and doesn ' t talk much, but he 's still kind  and always invites me to spend time with him and his friends. My host sister Elena has been welcoming and asks a lot of questions about English and the US. We watch movies and play card games together (I taught her Kings in the Corners), and in general get along well.      They have a lovely one story house with a spacious patio in the back. My parents have their room, my brother has his own, and I share my room with my sister.      I have had 2 weeks of school with our regular schedule. On Mondays we have math, physics, and PE; Tuesdays we have devotional, history/geography, chemistry, Castellano, economics, and electives; Wednesdays we have physic...