Terere

It´s been a week since I arrived in Paraguay, and I can´t believe how much I´ve already learned. One of the coolest things about Paraguay is the drink, Terere. It is the cold version of yerba mate. To make/drink terere you need an equipo (team) which includes a large thermos or pitcher, yerba mate (tea), a cup (guampa) with a special straw (bombilla) and a pestal/morter for mashing medicinal herbs (yuyos). All the tea (yerba mate) is in the cup which you continuously fill with water that comes from a pitcher with all the medicinal herbs in it. Each person takes a sip, refills it, and then passes it to the next. It is tradition for the youngest person to serve the terere. It´s really cool because every terere is slightly different depending on which yuyos (medicinal herbs) you put in it. When I am at my future site I definitely want to have a yuyo garden.

This weekend we get to start building a vegetable garden at a house near our study center. It will be the first hands-on activity we do for technical training. So far, it´s mostly been language classes and informational sessions, so I am definitely excited to start getting my hands dirty!