Tiago Ginavan: Freshman Tiago Ginavan visits his mom’s childhood home in Paraguay annually to experience vibrant family life

Freshman Tiago Ginavan has the flight route to Paraguay memorized: first to Texas or Florida, then a quick stop in Guatemala or Brazil before hitting the Silvio Pettirossi International Airport.

On the way home, he and his little brothers Rafa and Bruno might get to pick up some traditional souvenir crystals or artwork, if they were lucky to get pocket money from their abuela. 

“I feel like I belong when I visit because I’ve been there every year of my life,” Tiago said.

Visiting Paraguay annually in the winter or summer to live with his grandparents for up to four weeks at a time gives him a glimpse into his mom Karina’s beloved Paraguayan culture and bustling family scene.

Kansas State University offers a special in-state tuition deal to Paraguayan citizens, so Karina moved to the U.S. to attend at age 19 after growing up in Asunción, Paraguay with seven siblings, 57 cousins and dozens of aunts and uncles. Tiago has 23 cousins that he gets to see on trips to South America.

“Family is big [there],” Karina said. “Growing up, we would party until the morning when the sun came out. I feel like I don’t see that here.”

Tiago gets to celebrate Paraguayan Christmas at his grandparents’ house with a traditional steak dinner at 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Presents are opened at 1 a.m., and festivities end the next day with sunny outdoor pool games in the South American heat.

“Christmas is warm and completely different there,” Karina said. “But it’s how I was raised, and I love it. I have to visit or else I get homesick.”

Tiago also celebrates Children’s Day in August — a holiday commemorating Paraguayan kids who died in a historic battle — and Three Kings’ Day to observe the feast day of Epiphany in January the same way his mom did growing up with gifts and potlucks. 

“My grandma celebrates everyone’s birthdays at once which is fun,” Tiago said. “Over the summer, we had a big party for everyone with 20 cousins playing on a slip and slide. There’s always something to do with family in Paraguay.”

This past summer, Tiago went to his first soccer game in Paraguay with his uncle Paulo at a stadium nestled in an urban neighborhood. 

“They put up fences separating the opposing team’s section so that fans don’t get into fights,” Tiago said. “But people can climb over to the other side and fight anyways.”

Even as an avid Sporting KC fan and on the East team himself, he admits that soccer is “taken a lot more seriously” in Paraguay.

“Soccer is like a religion in Paraguay,” Karina said. “It’s everything. I’m so happy that my three boys play. I played growing up, and I still follow the Paraguay team today, of course.”

At home in Prairie Village, Tiago misses playing keep-away with his cousins in his grandparents pool and pick-up soccer. His mom talks to him in Spanish, and he rarely has to study for Spanish class. The Ginavan pantry is always stocked with Paraguayan chocolate cookies, and Karina cooks traditional meals with corn and steak when she can. 

Tiago talks about his trips sometimes with close friends, but Paraguay doesn’t come up often.

“My boys look more American than Latin,” Karina said. “They’re all blonde and have pretty fair skin, so it’s hard to tell. I wish there was more diversity for them to experience in Prairie Village schools, like different cultures and languages.”

She says she blends in less than her sons with her thick Paraguayan accent. 

“People ask me where I’m from, and I say South America [rather than] Paraguay because almost nobody here knows where Paraguay is,” Karina said. “Geography is not our forte in the U.S. Some people think I used to literally live in the jungle, like I’ve been asked if there was even shampoo in Paraguay. Others assume I’m Mexican.”

Karina doesn’t mind teaching others where Paraguay is on a map and has been doing so since college. She loves the safety of Prairie Village and watching the Paraguayan community grow as Kansas State continues to offer the same special in-state tuition deal for Paraguay citizens that she received.

“I’d love for Tiago to live in Paraguay someday so that he can fully experience it,” Karina said. “For now, we just visit as much as we can.”