WFDYS: Asuncion, Paraguay (February 2019)

Our meeting in Asuncion, Paraguay, in February 2019 coincided with the WFD board meeting hosted by the Centro de Sordos del Paraguay (Paraguayan Deaf Association). We were all looking forward to our last gathering together, mainly because the WFD board was there. We expected a busy week is wrapping up a range of tasks and duties.  We had a lot of work to do.  

Getting there was quite a challenge as I flew out of Melbourne to Santiago, Chile, then transferred to Buenos Aires, where I stayed overnight. Catching up with friends from the previous children’s camp was great. I also got the chance to explore new areas I had not been to before. The next day I took a flight to Paraguay. My initial impression did not meet my expectations. Asuncion seemed relatively poor, not in an extreme way, but different than I imagined. I guess the lifestyle appeared a little more modest than I thought.  The location of my accommodation was planned at the same place as our meetings.  This trip was even more challenging because I suffered an injury playing cricket just before my departure. A twisted ankle left me hobbling in a moon boot for four weeks. The worst part was wearing the boot during the hot and humid weather in Paraguay. I had no choice but to suffer from the heat and discomfort for two weeks.

The WFDYS and WFD boards happily made their reunions which is always a cheerful time because meeting face to face only happens two or three times a year.  We are all busy doing our respective work and seldom cross paths.  We always take a little bit of time to re-acquaint.  Once the meeting starts, it is a busy time.  

The WFDYS board immediately started working on identifying the issues that had been achieved and those that had been postponed, some of which would be handed to the incoming board.  From this, we began making a four-yearly report in preparation for the YOMs to read.  We also prepared a list of the Youth General Assembly delegates who would also receive the reports.  The reports consisted of work completed to date, financial statements, significant achievements and action plan achievements. We spent our days discussing and working on the reports and the evenings filming these reports.  It was a hectic time.  In the short amount of free time I had, I enjoyed a dip in the swimming pool, a welcome relief from the heat. We also had to work on preparations for the youth camp in July. It was undoubtedly a hectic time, but we constantly checked in to ensure everything was on track. The WFD board were scheduled to present a couple of short seminars in the coming days, so we were paired with their board members to provide support. The local Deaf community found the presentations engaging and learned more about presenting themselves and interpreting processes.  Overall they received it well.

During our time, we also celebrated the birthday of one of our board members, Laura.  Despite a packed schedule, we had time to visit the office of the Deaf Association. Always good to view and compare how others conduct their work. We joined in a meeting with some members of the local Deaf community to briefly explain our role. After a hectic 4 or 5 days, we managed to meet a few young people in our free time and talked about the situation of Paraguay not having an official Deaf youth association or YOM.  They had, however, participated in the youth camp in Turkey in 2015.  The risk is that their experience there would naturally mean they have to carry the workload of establishing a Youth Association. The hope is that others will support them for the good of the community and the country. Meeting people like this always gives me the drive to continue promoting the work of the WFDYS and makes me understand the reasons for my involvement.  

At the end of our meeting, we said our farewells and most of us departed for home. I stayed on for another 4 or 5 days with Mark and Laura to do a little more travel. We decided to visit the famous Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina. It is amazing! We travelled by bus, which was somewhat luxurious, and stayed overnight. I found it very interesting when we arrived at the border of Paraguay and Brazil. The border town area is called Ciudad del Este and is famously busy selling goods.  Someone warned me that most of the goods are not genuine or illegal, and one needs to stay alert and keep your belongings, especially your passport, with you because petty theft is common in this area. Anyway, I got my passport stamped before crossing over the Paraguayan border and went through Brazilian customs.

At last, we arrived at the hotel in Foz do Iguazu city. Interestingly the hotel we stayed in accepted several different currencies.  We chilled in the local bar and dined out later that night. The next day we caught the local bus to Iguazu Falls. We arrived, and I struggled to walk the distance from the bus in the heat and with my moon boot, but I was determined not to miss it. Photos can be deceptive. Seeing it with your own eyes is unbelievable! It is beautiful beyond description.  I loved the feeling of misty water falling on me from the waterfall. I love the feeling of very light sparkling water from the fall.  There are also many cute looking coatis sniffing around, searching for food.  Many tourists were attracted to them and took some photos and videos, including myself. Nothing beats this beautiful place, especially during great weather – sunny and hot! After exploring, I treated myself to ice cream! 

The next day we took a local bus to cross over the Argentina border from Brazil through customs to get to the Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls. We arrived there and looked at the map – this place is so huge and there were plenty of walking trails and a viewing area called the Devil’s Throat. I was grateful that I got two lovely friends who were patient with me while I strolled with my moon boot. We took a jungle train to the Devil’s Throat Station then we walked over the footbridges leading to the Devil’s Throat. It is a massive cascade of waterfalls that comes in from two sides.  You can get quite close by following a trail along the edge. It was truly worthwhile, and I took heaps of photos. On the walk back, we saw several different animals but what was also curious was the difference in the people there. Some were quite friendly, while others were very aloof.  But overall, the culture and people were lovely. I’m glad I made an effort and can now say I have visited one of the world’s natural wonders.

We caught the bus back to Paraguay overnight. Mark flew home in the late afternoon. Laura and I stayed on for a few more days and had a big catch up and many reflections on our time together. Upon review, we achieved a lot during the week.  I wanted more time because we meet so infrequently that our time together is always so short.  The team is terrific.