On Paraguayan Time

I love Sundays. The city is quiet and it’s easy to drive around. Everything is closed on Sundays, the city is quiet and still, except for the smoky smell of family asado and the sound of church bells or loud music. Jardin Botanico,  and other public parks are packed with cars, large family and friend groups hanging out or playing soccer.

The best time to get a haircut is on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. The worst time, or the busiest time, would be Friday or Saturday night as that’s when women get their hair done to go out.

Many stores are open Saturday, but the smaller shops have limited hours, usually 9-12. A museum in a nearby town is open from 8:00 – 10:45 am Saturday mornings, closed Sundays.

Events are not usually well published far ahead of time. Most restaurants open for dinner service at 8:00, a few open at 7:00. But the normal time to eat seems about 10:00. Siesta is not widely practiced here as it was in the past due to capitalism.

While everyone says tranquilo, tranquilo, people seem to be working all the time, from morning to night. Rush hour traffic is comparable to the US but many people have 2nd jobs or constant activities. There seems to be a mañana attitude towards some things, but others not at all, and things get done amazingly well and quickly. Like reupholstering a living room set in about 5 days, while other things take forever, like shipping things here or ordering curriculum takes 6 months. I’ve been pleased when I’ve been able to plan to go out for an errand and actually accomplish the task.

Zumba and other exercise classes are offered at 9:00 pm, or 21:00 as military time is more common here. In general, kids stay up late with their parents. Tennis courts are empty Saturday mornings but packed late into the evenings during the week.

Plans are not made very far in advance. At this point, most of my plans are with other expats, but everyone says this is the Paraguayan way. And running late is no big deal for some appointments. School, however, starts and ends right on time. Birthday party invitations are sent out 2 or 3 three days ahead, to the entire grade level and a huge party is often hosted for 30-50 kids on short notice.

The heat, (I hear its still coming and has been manageable up to this point) also makes it so you don’t really feel like eating until it’s cooler, at about 10:00 pm.

The weather and related last minute changes are probably partially responsible for how people relate to time. Like right now, a huge thunderstorm seems to have come out of nowhere, when this morning was sunny and clear. Plans have to change, and spontaneity makes life fun!

Sunday afternoon in the park