There is a common joke amongst PC Paraguay: When you come to Paraguay, you speak one language well. When you leave, you speak three languages poorly.
Paraguay is relatively unique in the Peace Corps world, in that it is one of the few countries where the vast majority of the population is bilingual. When people mix their two languages, (Spanish and Guarani), it becomes what is known as Jopara. Volunteers quickly begin to mix up Spanish, Guarani, and English, which can be problematic for readers of volunteer blogs. I already find myself substituting words in Spanish and Guarani when I can’t find the right English word. I think this has spilled over into the blog, so I have come up with a quick fix. I have prepared a little dictionary of relevant words, terms and recurring ideas that I use here that may not be clear to those of you who are not here in Paraguay or serving in the PC. In addition to translating some commonly used Spanish and Guarani words, I have also defined common PC acronyms. I will try to link any words that could possibly cause some confusion to their corresponding entry in the dictionary.
To view all entries, the “Terminology” page can be found here.
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