This Week In Paraguay – FedEx Delivery, New Computer, Language Classes, And Japanese Food

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To give you an idea of what you might experience after moving overseas (both good and bad), I’ll occasionally let you know about some of the things that happen to me over the week.

I won’t do this every week.  Just if the week has a few events you might want to hear about.

FedEx from US to Paraguay

I have some paperwork from my accountant that I need to sign.  This is what I did to get it here.

• My accountant sent the paperwork to my Earth Class Mail address.
• When it arrived and was scanned, I requested it be sent to me in Paraguay by FedEx.
• It cost US$ 56 and took two days to arrive.
• It doesn’t look like it was opened by Customs, since it was just paperwork and labeled as “documents”
• The package was delivered to my door, on the day that the tracking said it would be.

Now I need to get it sent back to the US.  The last FedEx I sent from Paraguay (also just documents) took about 10 days to get to the US.  For some reason, it was stuck in Buenos Aires.

I hope that it won’t take that long going back this time.

Language classes in Asunción, Paraguay

In an effort to improve my Spanish, I sent an e-mail to Idipar, a language school here in Asunción.

I haven’t heard back from them yet, but they could be on vacation.

This brings up a problem that many people have when moving abroad.  If you’re from the US, Canada, the UK, or Northern Europe, you may have certain expectations about “how things should be”.

If you expect fast responses, efficient processes, and well-organized companies, you may get frustrated.  That’s not to say you won’t find it anywhere in Central or South America.  However, you’ll find more of an attitude that people “work to live”, instead of “live to work”.

So don’t be surprised if it takes a few e-mails, phone calls, or a personal visit to get something done.  Be sure to allow some extra time for anything you really need to do, so you don’t get in a stressful, urgent situation.

Ordered a new computer

To get ready for more travelling, I ordered a small netbook computer.

There were a few ways I could have done this, but I decided to order from a local company.

The laptop I ordered is the Acer Aspire One AO722-0473 (Amazon affiliate link).  It cost me US$ 65 more to buy it here, which includes the 10% IVA (Value Added Tax).  I’m not really paying too much more for the computer here.  Fortunately, Paraguay doesn’t have insanely high import duties for computers.

I could have ordered it through Amazon, and had it shipped to me (maybe by sending to my US address first).  However, that would add a couple extra steps, and I’d probably need to go pick it up from Customs.

There’s also a company here, run by a friend of mine, that helps people in Paraguay order things from the US – even if they don’t have credit cards.  The company is mondobuy.com.

His website lets you browse US shopping websites and then tell them what you want to order.  They calculate the shipping and handling fees and you can make a payment into their Paraguayan bank.  Then they order it for you, have it shipped to Paraguay, and let you know when it arrives.

It’s an interesting way for people in Paraguay to order goods from the US.  In addition, an idea of the kind of opportunity someone can find when they move overseas.

Wagyu beef in Paraguay

I just got back from lunch at a Japanese restaurant, here in Asunción.  Delicias Japonesas II, a few blocks from Mariscal Lopez and San Martin, has a buffet, sushi, and Wagyu beef (the same breed used for the famous Kobe beef from Japan).

For US$ 18, I had a very tasty lunch of miso soup, salmon, sautéed vegetables, rice, and bottled water.

Paraguay has thousands of people from Asia, and not all are the first generation living here.  You can find a wide variety of Asian restaurants.  So far, I’ve been to Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Japanese restaurants here – all run by people from the respective countries.

Now I just need to find a Thai place here, and I’ll be set.