An Interview with Christopher Kennedy
Christopher is in his freshman year of undergraduate studies here at Duke. He is from Asunción, Paraguay, and is possibly majoring in Psychology. His family includes his parents, two brothers, and one sister.
Why did you decide to study in the States?
I went to an American school, so about half of the people in my graduating class decided to apply in the States, and my parents had talked me into studying outside of Paraguay all my life. They gave me the option to do whatever I wanted, but, growing up, I knew I was going to come to the States to study.
So why Duke?
It was the best school I got into, and it was one of my top choices when I was applying to colleges.
Did any of your friends or family not want you to come to the States?
Not at all – everyone was supportive. My dad had done a similar thing. He had come to the US to work when he was younger, and it was a lot harder for him because they didn’t have Internet or anything like that. So, for me, it was like, “All right, goodbye. I’ll talk to you tomorrow when I get there.”
So when you got here, what were some of the things that surprised you either about America or Duke?
About Duke…Not a single person asked me where Paraguay was, and they all knew the capital, or most of them at least. But 99% of Americans don’t know where it is. And something that surprised me about America in general was that most people don’t smoke. Aside from that, they also strongly discourage other people from doing it. Since I quit smoking about a year ago, this made it easier for me to not be tempted to take up the habit again. Also, I was surprised to find out that I'm the first undergraduate student at Duke from Paraguay, although there have been several who have finished Grad School here.
Did you find being here difficult in any way?
Actually, I didn’t get homesick once. I was kinda surprised about that, but I’m also generally a happy person.
So do you think that you’re able to leave Duke campus enough and see more of the US?
No, I don’t think I get to do that here. I mean, Durham isn’t exactly a city where there’s a lot going on. So I don’t leave campus very often, and when I do it’s just to go to Wal-Mart or something like that. So no, I don’t think I get to see much of the “real” America here.
In being here the past six months, do you think you’ve changed any?
I don’t – I wasn’t sure about that, but when I was home during one of the last few days over break, I asked my friends if they had noticed anything different about me, and they all said no, that everything was the same. And I noticed the same about them, because some of them came here, too.
What are some of the things you miss about Paraguay?
My friends and family from back home, and the food.
What is Paraguayan food like, actually? I’ve never really heard much about it.
There’s something funny about that. There reason there isn’t much Paraguayan food in the US, even though I know people try to make it, is that the material people use to make it looks like cocaine, and it’s really really hard to transport that into the US.
I’d also say that even a lot of South Americans don’t know much about Paraguay. Whenever I brought it up with Argentines, they would usually just talk about contraband and Guarani.
Yeah, the frontier cities with Argentina and Brazil are really corrupt, and that’s all that the foreigners see about Paraguay.
Growing up in Paraguay, can you think of any differences between your childhood and someone’s in the US?
I wouldn’t say there’s much of a difference. But I guess one thing that I didn’t do that they do here, or I think they do here, is that I wasn’t friends with my neighbors – I didn’t go out and play with their children or anything.
What are some of the bigger issues facing Paraguay today?
Well we have a new President now. We changed political parties for the first time in over 60 years, so that’s a pretty big deal and people are expecting a lot from our new President, especially regarding a hydroelectric dam Paraguayans share with Brazil. Right now, Paraguayans don’t feel like they’re getting a fair deal out of it.
Even though you weren’t there at the time, could you tell what people’s reactions were to our election here in the States?
I think people were happy in general, because Obama’s foreign policy was much better than McCain’s. The thing is that people all around the world don’t like the US, and I think it’s mostly because of Bush’s policies. So I was very glad that Obama was elected, and I think most people I know in Paraguay were, too.
What are some mistaken ideas Americans might have about Paraguay?
The few people I know here who have been to Paraguay have only been to the frontier cities, like I said, and the frontier cities are the ones that are corrupt. That’s just not representative of Paraguay as a whole.
On campus, what are some activities and organizations you’re involved with?
I’m in Mi Gente, and that’s it, really. I’ll be working with their publicity committee starting this semester. I tried to join the Red Cross, but they weren’t accepting any more volunteers by the time I got there.
What do you think your plans might be after graduation?
Well, I plan on working somewhere in the US – maybe in New York, which is where my brother lives. I’ll do that at least for a couple years, then probably get a Masters, and then just go back home.