Tengo entrevista de idoma el miercoles proximo...

I have my first language skills interview next Wednesday (that´s what the title says) and estoy preocupado (I´m worried). My language skills are a million times better than when I arrived, and my family has recently commented on how much better I speak now than 4 weeks ago. I can read quite a bit and understand most of it. Last Sunday I read all the US-based international news in the Sunday paper and got almost all of it.

But, I get really nervous in front of other people. It´s my competitiveness coupled with feeling embarrassed along with not wanting to sound stupid, so I freeze. But at the dinner table with family, I´m willing to sound dumb in order to learn, so I´m fine...more than fine. I´ve been able to have pretty complex conversations about money, lifestyle in the US, the role of fathers in parenting, and why we from the US leave our parents´s homes when we are only 18 (the Paraguayans think that is very weird as they live with their parents until they are married and oftentimes afterwards as well).

I will prepare some for Wednesday´s oral exam, which is only a conversation with a teacher who doesn´t know me very well, and I´ll hope that I sound intelligent when I do it. I am able to speak using the future tense (Voy a ir a Asuncion el Sabado...I am going to Asuncion on Saturday) and using the past tense (Yo comí mucho anoche...I ate a lot last night) and using the imperfect tense (Cuando era joven, yo trajababa todos los dias con mi hermana...When I was younger, I played every day with my sister) and even with the past participle a little bit (Yo he comido ya...I have eaten already). I also have learned a lot of idomatic phrases which are really helpful. (Yo acabo de comer...I just ate; No estoy razón...I´m wrong; and Estoy de acuerdo...I agree.) Idioms are the bomb and it´s no wonder my mom has a hard time teaching them in English to her non-native speaking students in Lowell...they don´t directly translate at all!

Que mas? My day to day life is actually pretty boring. I go to class, eat with the fam, talk with friends, maybe have a beer and do lots of homework and studying. We are currently in the middle of a series of Dia de la Practica, and Kimberly and I are preparing to present two ¨charlas¨ (workshops...chats) to the students at one of the high schools. We will do one about self esteem and one about why working hard is important. We are working with Fredy Olmeda, the director of the school. I am excited (and nervioso) to present to 30 high school students in SPANISH. We will work in concert with a teacher, which will be better.

There are yacares in the laguna here, in the middle of town. (Crocodiles...) We see them cuando hay sol (when there is sun). The funny thing is that yacare is a Guarani word and is also used to mean a man who sneaks into a woman´s room/house at night to hook up with her...apparently leaving your window open and making plans with a man results in a yacare visit. (NB: the word is pronounced with a hard J like in English...JACKARAY.) Just a little tidbit for those of you keeping track of cultural nuances. :)

We have visited with the director of the democracy project for USAID. Interesting. We have learned loads about how the municipalities run and the tax laws and the other stuff that the towns are responsible for. We have done workshops about relationships, machismo, dating, and using non-formal education technicques. We even learned how to use SWOT! (FODA in Spanish...)

Happy 4th of July. Everyone enjoy your breaks. Much love and missing.