3. My first 'work' week

Hello everyone! I've completed my first 'work' week. My alarm went off at 6 o'clock on Monday. It sounds worse than it is. I still have the European time ingrained in me, so I tend to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier. Jetlag in this direction actually has its advantages.

So, I got up, had a roll with dulce de leche for breakfast (a caramel-like spread that I'm totally in love with), and set off for school with Rocío, just around the corner.

When I arrived, I immediately met Marylin. She is actually the German teacher from Puerto Rico, but since Alta retired, she has been helping out twice a week in Capioví.

As we were heading to the German room (which is a separate room), the hallways were blocked by lines of students all facing the open courtyard for the flag ceremony! "It's a little different here than it is for you," she whispered to me. Since she lived in Hamburg for a year, she could easily imagine what might seem strange to me. Later, when I was supposed to create an advertising poster for a 6-week stay in Germany, she said to me, "Put a lot of German flags on it! It's something positive for the students."

The relationship between the Guaraní and the rest of the population was a topic that came up repeatedly this week. For example, whenever I met a new class, I was immediately told which students were Guaraní. "They are very protected here, there are certain things you can't say, and they have special rights," Marylin said, looking at me expectantly. That may be true legally, but the reality seems very controversial to me. In the school bathroom, I found a package of toilet paper with the brand name "Guaraní". Instead of a dash, the logo has a smiling emoji with a headband and a feather above the "i". I couldn't believe my eyes, so I took a picture as evidence. How must it be for the children to go to the bathroom and see something like that? This underlying racism is deeply ingrained. But how could it be any different when such stereotypical images are conveyed through toilet paper in schools?

The best example was Marylin on Friday afternoon. When a class left the room where, as I was already informed, many Guaraní students were sitting (maybe half of them), she took out room spray and sprayed it wildly in the air. "It's the hormones, of course, but they also smell different, you know? They live in the forest, so they develop a scent to repel animals." I think it's clear who she meant by "they". The statement left me speechless and has been weighing on me ever since. Marylin has become very likable to me this week and has already helped me with many things that I probably wouldn't have been able to do on my own. How do you react to something like this? I was overwhelmed.

They also wear school uniforms here. I was told that they are meant to minimize social inequalities among the students. The question is, how much can a uniform achieve when the question of a student's father's profession is asked in German class and a child refuses to answer in front of the whole class or when things like I described earlier are part of everyday life.

But now let's turn to Argentine culture and its probably most important component: MEAT!!! It's a bit challenging for me as a vegetarian, but at least I stand out when I tell people that I'm a vegetarian. To briefly illustrate the extent of the love for meat here: After "What's your name?" and "How old are you?", the third question that was written on the board in German class was "How much does a kilo of meat cost?" It is by far the cheapest food item here. But, to make it a bit more positive, not because of cheap production like in our case, but because the animal is slaughtered just around the corner (funny pun).

Asado (a gathering to grill, where loads of meat are skewered, marinated, and put over the fire) is the ultimate event here! Each family has its own recipe for the perfect marinade, and in the end, the grill master gets applause for the asado. I think my dad would also like that at home! Then on Friday evening, I was invited for the first time myself. Since the other volunteers had raved about Argentine meat before, saying it is absolutely incomparable to what you can buy in Germany, I decided to give it a try again. If not here, then where. I still brought my marinated verduras (grilled vegetables) with me though. As chicken was supposedly the most delicious that evening, I took a bite. No, I didn't like it and it was a very weird experience. But at least now I know that I'm not missing out (from my point of view). So I'm glad I gave it another chance!

Another highlight this week was visiting the Saltos de Capioví (waterfalls). There are many waterfalls here, last week, for example, I went to the Gruta India with my host family. But what's convenient about the Saltos de Capioví is that they are right in town, so you don't have to drive 10 km through the greenery, although that also has its charm. I went there with Pauline and Jakob (a former volunteer who is here on vacation). As a resident, I only had to pay 15 pesos, which is not even a euro, given the terrible exchange rate at the moment. Since it was during the week, we had everything to ourselves and it was simply breathtaking. I saw a huge black and blue butterfly, something I usually only see in pictures. By the way, there are hummingbirds here too! It's all very impressive.

Next week, German classes will start in Puerto Rico, so I'll probably have a bit more to do. But next Friday, there will already be 5 days off. Let's see what fun things I can do then. I'll keep you updated!