Terminology
APCD
Associate Peace Corps Director – The directors of specific sectors within the country. This is your primary PC contact with all matters related to your work in site.
Asado
Paraguayan version of a BBQ. You take a little grill, stick it on the ground, throw some coals under it, and cook up some meat. Traditionally done on Sundays with friends and family.
Barrio San Antonio
The barrio (neighborhood) which is officially considered my site in Concepcion.
CD
Country Director – Overall director of PC in the country.
Cell Phones
There are two main cell phone companies here, called Personal and Tigo. If you have Personal, it costs more than double your normal rate to call or text Tigo, and vice versa. Consequently, many people simply carry two phones, one from each company.
Charla
Spanish word for a discussion or group activity. This is a very common method of working with local children and adults.
Chipa
Chipa is a type of doughy food that is very common in Paraguay. It comes in a variety of shapes, but the most common is a donut shape. It is made of corn, flower, eggs, cheese, and butter (or lard). The original recipe originated as a way to use up the above ingredients if you had some laying around and were about to go bad. It is delicious when it is fresh out of the oven, but when you eat it after more than one day, it has the same consistency as a rock. It is probably the most common thing to see being sold on the street or on busses. It is also the traditional food prepared during Semana Santa, (the week before Easter).
Community Contact
To make transitioning to your site easier, PC assigns you a community contact to work with. These contacts are Paraguayans who work in your sector. In my case, my contact is the director of a local school.
COS
Close of Service – The official end to your service. Normally this is 27 months after arrival.
CHP
The training organization which PC contracts in Paraguay. Most training for PC worldwide is done “in-house,” which is to say is done by PC employees. Since Paraguay is one of the largest countries for PC with about 170 volunteers, CHP is contracted for training.
Dengue
A virus passed by mosquito whose symptoms resemble a very severe case of the flu. [Wikipedia]
Despidida
Refers to a going-away party thrown for either an individual or a group. Volunteers often throw these when they are leaving site. Training groups often throw one as well.
ET
Early Termination – Term referring to a PCV who leaves service earlier than 27 months after arrival in country.
Future Site Visit
After being assigned to your site around week eight of training, PCVs meet their community contact, and travel with them to their new site. The purpose of this short stay is to scout out possible places to live and get some exposure to where you will be living for the next two years.
Geese of Guarambare
There was a family of geese that lived on my street in my training community here in Paraguay. I apparently did something that made them hate me, because whenever I walked down the road they would run up to me, squawking and waving their wings at me. I tired bribing them with food in exchange for safe passage, but their hate for me outweighed any hunger.
Guarambare
Town outside of Asuncion where CHP is currently located, and where trainees live for the duration of training. All training groups in Guarambare are known as a “G.” My training group was the 29th group to stay in Guarambare, and consequently, we are known as G-29.
Guarani
Official language, along with Spanish, of Paraguay. About 80 percent of Paraguayans speak Guarani and Spanish. Most rural Paraguayans only speak Guarani. My site is very urban, and I generally only use Spanish.
Horqueta
A town located about an hour east of Concepcion. The site of the closest UYD volunteer to my site.
IST
In-Service Training – After swearing-in, training groups return periodically to Guarambare for training classes, which focus on language development.
Jopara
A mix between Spanish and Guarani, which is very common in everyday conversation.
Leche!
The word “leche” is Spanish for “milk.” Since it is illegal to sell beer at soccer games, vendors shout “Leche!” instead. Everyone here knows what that means, and I still haven’t figured out how it continues to work. I mean, after years of this “secret” I don’t understand how police haven’t gotten clued in. Anyway, if you are in Paraguay and for some reason do actually want some milk at a sporting event, don’t be surprised if it tastes a bit like beer.
Linea 11
The first day I got to Paraguay, there was a huge storm that flooded all the streets around my house. My host dad drove me to class, and as I was getting out of the car, he asked me if I needed a ride back later. I told him I could walk, to which he responded “Linea 11,” with a smile. I assumed he meant a bus line, and I assured him that I could easily walk the four blocks back to the house. He didn’t bother explaining to me that there was no bus line 11. Paraguayans sometimes jokingly refer to walking as Line 11, because the number 11 looks like two legs.
Machetazo
One of the large markets in my town. Shortly after arriving at site, there was a late night robbery which left a night-guard dead. Then in July of 2009, the entire building was destroyed by fire. Arson is suspected, and many people around town believe it to be the work of one of the rival markets.
Medical Separation
When a volunteer has a medical condition that prevents him or her from doing their job in site, they are sent home for medical reasons. It is sort of like an honorable-discharge.
PCT
Peace Corps Trainee – Your title during the training period.
PCV
Peace Corps Volunteer – Your title during your two-year service period.
PCMO
Peace Corps Medical Officer – With the medley of new ailments that we are exposed to in this country, most volunteers become very well acquainted with the Medical Officers.
Politics
The two main political parties here are known as the Colorado Party (Conservative) and Liberal Party (Liberal). The Colorado Party had been in control of the Presidency for a very long time until 2008 when the current President, Lugo, won the election. There was a lot of uncertainty about how the transition of power was going to go, since the Colorado Party had had control for so long. Consequently, volunteers who were in country were asked to stay in their sites during the inauguration, but everything went on without violence. Lugo is currently under fire from his opponents because it has been discovered that he fathered several children with women back when he was still a Catholic Bishop.
Pombero
The most famous monster here is a furry little guy named Pombero. I was confused the first time I heard of him, since the Spanish word for firefighter is “Bombero,” and I couldn’t understand why people were so afraid of a furry firefighter. He has fur on the bottoms of his feet, so that he can be more stealthy as he sneaks into your house. In order to appease him, you can place cigars, liquor and honey on a table at night. Think of Santa Claus with the cookies and milk tradition, except that Pombero, instead of leaving gifts, kidnaps you. Many families, including my family in Guarambare, consider it bad luck to talk about him at night.
RPCV
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer – Your title once completing service and returning to the US.
Sectors
All volunteers work within a given sector in PC. My sector is known as Urban Youth Development. Other sectors in-country include: Agroforestry, Bee Keeping, Crop Extension, Early Elementary Education, Environmental Education, Municipalities, Rural Economic Development, and Rural Health and Sanitation.
Semana Santa
The week leading up to Easter. Paraguayans do not work during Easter weekend, and it is tradition to cook Chipa with your family, which is consumed during the weekend.
Site Presentation
Your official presentation to your community, performed by your APCD. This is a meeting with your community to explain what PC is, and what the volunteer is doing in site.
Soccer in Paraguay
There are 12 teams in the Paraguayan professional soccer league. However, the vast majority of Paraguayans are fans of either Cerro Porteño or Olympia, as they are basically the only two that have a chance of winning the league. The fans of the two clubs are very passionate and very proud of their teams. The best comparison I can think of would be to the Red Sox and Yankees.
Sopa Paraguaya
Contrary to what I originally thought when I heard its name, this dish is not actually soup. It is a bread that resembles corn bread. Usually it only has onion in it, but there are versions that include meat or other fillers.
Tereré
Since it can get so ridiculously hot here, its no surprise that a cool drink is as ubiquitous as Tereré, (”tehr-rreh-RRAY”). Consuming the drink is a whole process full of traditions. It is meant to be a social activity to sit in a circle, talk, and pass around the one communal cup, called a Guampa, (”Whamp-a”). Inside the Guampa you place an herbal mix, known as Yerba Mate, (”yurbah – Maht-ay”) and a metal straw known as a Bombilla (”bohm-BEE-yah”). The pourer (which is traditionally the youngest female in the circle) pours a small amount of water into the Guampa, and when it is your turn, you suck up the drink through the straw, which has a strainer at the bottom to keep the Yerba out. There is only enough water for one person, so it is refilled for each person. A big part of the Tereré culture revolves around Yuyos (JYEW-joes”), which are herbs that many people place into the thermo. There are dozens, and each one has a medical benefit (according to Paraguayans, at least). All Paraguayans have their personal favorite mix of Yuyos, as well as their preferred brand of Yerba. People only put Yuyos in their Tereré before noon, though. No Paraguayan seems to know the thinking behind this tradition, but it is adhered to rather strictly nevertheless.
Urban Youth Development
The PC sector which I am a part of. See “Sectors” for more information.
Yerba Mate
The herbal mix that is placed in the guampa for terere or mate.
Yuyos
Special herbs, roots, and leaves which are used with your terere for their medicinal properties.
VAC
The group of other PCVs that live near your site. PCVs typically meet with their VAC to exchange important PC information, and also to collaborate on projects. VACs vary in size, but the Concepcion VAC of which I am a part of is one of the larger ones in the country.
