Really, Gringo?

Really, Gringo?
Marty Schubert '13

I got involved when I met a former director of the Central Bank of Paraguay a couple of summers ago at an economic education conference in Mexico City when I was working for the U.S. Department of Education. We stayed in touch, I emailed him when I was exploring summer opportunities, and he was able to help me out. The student works in the legal division of the Office of Banking Regulation at the Central Bank of Paraguay in Asunción and can expect to work in Spanish on a variety of banking issues. Housing is not provided, but modestly priced hostels and "host family" arrangements may be available. The interns will be completely immersed in the Spanish language, so fluency is highly recommended.

When the angry mob of disgruntled travelers began to aggressively chant at the airline staff at our gate in the international terminal of Jorge Chávez Airport in Lima, I began to think that going cheap on that four-stop flight from New York to San Salvador to Lima to Montevideo to Asunción may have been a bad idea. Volcanic activity in Chile had clouded the South American skies and cancelled all flights, an announcement that caused each air traveler to either jump from their seat in animated protest or slouch further into their chairs in resignation. I fell into the latter category and so did Carlos, a Paraguayan-born American citizen living in Washington who was going home with his wife and young daughter to visit family. After exchanging typical airport talk about where we were coming from and where we were going (with Carlos getting distracted as he tended to his overtired child), I learned that he had experience in government in the region. I asked him if he had any advice for me as I began my internship with the Central Bank of Paraguay. His face said it all, something like, "Really, gringo? You want to spend your summer working for a dysfunctional third world government? Good luck, dude."

It's safe to say that Paraguay is a forgotten country in Latin America. Sandwiched between regional giants Brazil and Argentina, Paraguay is one of only two landlocked countries on the continent (Bolivia is the other). In terms of name recognition, Paraguay doesn't even win the Battle of the Guays; it was not uncommon for my American friends to G-Chat me with "How's Uruguay?" All of these factors got me more excited for the adventure and the first day was just that. I got my picture taken with the President of the Central Bank and a former director of the Bank, an intimidating early test for my Spanish. The president had studied at the University of Illinois and, as a student of Spanish and Big Ten basketball, I directed the conversation to U of I's 2005 NCAA Championship run (which unfortunately ended in defeat). The strategy worked. Crisis avoided.

The president directed me to the legal division of the Office of Banking Regulation, known to Paraguayan government functionaries as "Asuntos Legales de la Superintendencia de Bancos." Here, I was introduced to my boss, Juanchi, considered a rising star within the Bank. A year younger than me, Juanchi had met the right people and shown his ability to get things done, rising to director of his office in only a couple years. Juanchi was anxiously preparing for his upcoming sabbatical to London, where the Bank was sending him to earn his L.L.M. from the London School of Economics. We hit it off immediately, and Juanchi put me to work. I was tasked with reviewing petitions from Paraguayan citizens attempting to re-open checking accounts that the government had closed because of fraud. These folks had written bad checks, lost their bank accounts, and were trying to get them back. The work exposed me to Paraguayan law and, most importantly, infused my Spanish with a confidence it never had
before.

I also had the opportunity to live with a co-worker, Marcos, a lawyer at the Bank with a love for soccer, women, and a good party. Marcos showed me around town like only a Paraguayan could, bringing me to local asados (cookouts), showing me the countryside, driving me to work, and shuttling me to pick-up fútbol games - where I was occasionally allowed to play but was NEVER allowed to touch the ball. Paraguayans don't pass la pelota. I didn't care, content with being included and experiencing a new cultural from an insider's perspective.

Overall, the people were great, the work increased my marketability as a Spanish speaking lawyer, and I ate a lot of meat. If I have one piece of advice for 1Ls looking for the right summer job, it's this: go abroad. And if someone gives you that "Really, gringo?" look, shoot them one
back, "Yes, really."