graduations

December 12
This month I’ve attended two Paraguayan graduation ceremonies, one for kindergarten and one for the high school. In many ways they were similar, to each other and to US graduations – diplomas handed out by the principal, speeches by the valedictorian thanking her parents, staff members choking up as they talk about how much they’ll miss the graduating seniors, and for the kindergardeners, little bunny costumes and short plays.

The big differences: no pomp and circumstances, and I know I’m a sap but I really love hearing the band play that as they send the graduates off into the world. And instead of handing the diplomas directly to the graduates, in both cases the principal called to the stage the graduate and one of his/her parents, and handed the diploma to the parent who then got to hand it to her/his son/daughter. I can’t quite figure out what this signifies – the role of the parents in education, the decision of the parents to support the kid. In the US we don’t involve the parents at all, so what does that signify? Something to think about.

Christmas in Paraguay

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Not really, but just a little bit. Some houses have a string or two of Christmas lights out in front or on a tree, and some commercials play the tune of Jingle Bells (I don’t think anyone knows the spanish translation though). On Dec 23 the church is sponsoring a big family dinner, and Christmas Eve apparently everyone stays home and eats with family, until midnight when they go to a big dance down at the municipality. Presents aren’t given til Three Kings Day, January 3, and then just to kids apparently. It’s hot as hell here, quite literally, so while I was never really a fan of snow I am certainly dreaming of a white, cool Christmas.

From a Peace Corps packet on cultural adaptation: Someone once said if an applicant )to Peace Corps) wanted to know what it was like to be in Peace Corps, s/he should put on rabbit ears and a bunny tail, stand at a busy intersection in downtown Chicago, walk up to people and say “I’m here to help you.”