3 days in...laughing and learning

Things are going well here, thanks for thinking of us and praying. We've gotten some language data and are busy preparing some others linguistic tests for use here and in other countries.

A few laughs and new experiences we've had:

• Paraguayan Sign Language (LSP) is NOT American Sign Language (ASL)! And it has had very little influence by ASL. LSP is the most different of any sign language that I yet to have come in contact with. So far, Julia and I have counted a total of about 10 signs that we've identified as being the same as ASL: deaf, follow, doesn't matter, cat...and a whole host of them that we are all learning as we go. Even the sign for Jesus is different, something that many people to be the same internationally! It's been so fun to practice and learn to communicate in LSP over the last few days. We have to be careful for cognates though (See next point)
• Cognates are words that look/sound the same but mean one thing in one language and another in another. This afternoon I looked at Jason and signed "Oh...you got the bag...thanks" only to start laughing and everyone else with me! I forgot that I had learned yesterday that the sign for "bag" in ASL is the sign for "pregnant" in LSP! Essentially I said "Oh...you got pregnant...thanks!" :)
  
• We have to use interpreters most of the time - after working as an interpreter, it's odd to need to use one in the deaf community again. BUT, it's been very successful and they've been so kind to give of their time to us so far. Even today when we though we'd need to meet with a Deaf pastor alone, there ended up being an interpreter who arrived to facilitate communication. Makes the whole process faster and avoids bad miscommunication in critical times (like explaining confidentiality of materials we videotape)
• We've been to two restaurants now that serve buffets and you pile what you want on a plate and then pay by the kilo! That is perfect because we can get a full plate of food with a lot of diversity of what we would like to eat for only 3 US dollars! For example, today Jason and I got: tortollini in a cream sauce, spinach casserole, potato pasta, chicken breast, and vegetables! Better than a buffet in the States because you don't keep going back for more and more but get lots of variety.
  
• The tap water is drinkable here! At first we got bottled water but we've decided to stop as everyone we asks (and the tourist information) says the water is safe to drink. I guess they have a huge well here that provides safe drinking water! This is the first time in our Latin American/Caribbean travels where we haven't had to boil or buy bottled water. It makes brushing our teeth much easier!
• Some deaf people in Ciudad del Este (on the eastern border with Brazil) decide to cross the border into Brazil to go to school. The only education available to them in Ciudad del Este is oral (teaching them to speak and lip-read in Spanish and Guarani) and Brazil offers bilingual education. This means that the deaf people in both cities (Paraguayan and Brazilian) are bilingual in Brazil and Paraguay sign languages! This is an interesting clue to the sign language situation here that we hope to check up on!
• People say "ciao-ciao" here to say goodbye and kiss on BOTH cheeks for hellos and goodbye.
  

Ciao-Ciao!