- [Meg] Oh, they wondered what in the world you're over there- - Oh, what is that?

So, you know, sometimes it, why is that then drinking like a very suspicious like.

(gentle chiming) - [Meg] Hi, I'm Meg, the executive producer at Nashville Public Television, and on this series we talk about the little things that stand out to people when they first move to the region, from another country.

And I'm here today with Alexis Baez.

Alexis moved to Nashville, Tennessee, from Encarnacion, Paraguay, and Alexis enjoys playing a variety of sports, just being outdoors- - Yeah, I love it.

and drinking terere.

- [Meg] Which is really what I wanted to talk to you about today.

So, I guess just tell us, What is this I'm about to drink?

Why do you love it?

And how popular is this drink in Paraguay?

- [Alexis] Hello Megan, thank you for having me.

- [Meg] Of course.

- [Alexis] So, I wanna say about terere, it's a national drink in Paraguay.

It's, terere is a tea.

- [Meg] Yeah.

- [Alexis] It's a cold tea.

So actually the, yerba mate, that is the leaves.

It's a tea.

- Yeah- - So you pour in a cup, with a filter straw and just drink and enjoy.

Usually we actually, like, we use only one cup, so we share between friends.

- [Meg] I have never tried this before and I'm pretty stoked.

Should, can we, are we ready?

- [Alexis] Yeah, go ahead.

Cheers.

- [Meg] Okay, to Paraguay.

Oh, holy moly.

This is stronger than I thought it was gonna be.

(Alexis chuckling) - [Meg] This is the whole thing, isn't it?

- [Alexis] Maybe just little bit more ice but usually it's like.

- [Meg] Is it giving me some bubbles too?

Its the straw?

- [Alexis] Yeah, it's the a straw.

The first serve, it's like, give you that.

- [Meg] Okay.

- [Alexis] And then another thing, like terere, the name terere- - Wow.

- [Alexis] Come from actually that sound.

It's like, it's like a Guarani word, - Oh- - Another language.

We had another official language.

- [Meg] I wanted to ask you that.

So there's two official languages?

- [Alexis] There's two official languages in Paraguay.

Also the recent people drink terere in Paraguay, you know, the world is very hot- - Yes.

So they drink all day long.

And you, you'll see like, in Paraguay, everyone's working with the own jobs, like around the, the city.

- [Meg] Is is is that kind of like mate in Argentina?

So there similar tradition?

- [Alexis] It's very similar.

The difference like mate is hot water.

- [Meg] Mate is hot, yes.

- [Alexis] Yeah.

That's the only thing.

And sometimes in Argentina they drink with sugar.

- [Meg] Sugar, okay.

(Meg speaking Spanish) (Alexis speaking in Spanish) - [Meg] Well, it's so funny 'cause when I was in Argentina, we were in the waterfalls of Iguazu, right?

And I noticed everybody had these big, like, this is a huge thing- - Yeah.

- [Meg] This is like a, and you know, and they carried it around and we're like walking through the, you know, forest jungle looking area.

And they've got this big thing they're lugging around because they had to be drinking their, in their case, mate- - Yeah.

- [Meg] All day long.

It was almost like an a third arm, you know?

- Yeah- - So is it like, is that essential?

or like that common to your day?

I don't know how to even describe the.

- [Alexis] It, you know, like, it's, part of Argentina actually, They drink like terere too, like when, where I come from like, my city, Encarnacion, is on the border with Argentina.

Like Posadas, they drink terere.

- Oh, they do?- - because before, It was part of Paraguay.

Yeah.

But it just come from like every day, drinking also is, in Paraguay, it is activity.

- [Meg] That's what I meant.

- [Alexis] So people call you or like, invite you.

Hey, come over and we can drink terere with friends and talk and you know?

- [Meg] Yeah.

Well, is this hard to find here in Nashville, Tennessee?

Or you haven't?

Or do you have to order it online?

Like, and plus of course, now I'm gonna be addicted and carrying this around all the time.

So where am I gonna get it?

- [Alexis] So before, yes, it's kind of, it was hard for me.

Because you can find, like those Latino markets but we have a different brand and our like, yerba, our tea.

Is like stronger, so you can like- - Yeah.

- [Alexis] Drink it longer so the flavor stay longer.

But now I found one actually is the online.

- Okay- - But like, Gomate.

Goyerbamate- - Goyerbamate.

- [Alexis] So you can find all those like Paraguayan brands, if you are from Paraguay.

So you can find all Paraguayan brands, like straw cups, like we call like "termo".

- [Meg] Termo.

Sure, the thermos.

- [Alexis] Yeah.

So you can find that, everything.

Right now it's kind of popular everywhere.

- [Meg] Yeah, I can see why, it's good.

- [Alexis] But before, no.

Like, I don't know, 10 years ago when I like, moved here.

And people was like, what, what is that?

You know like- - Yeah.

- [Alexis] And like, because it's kind of, You can see the yerba mate, so tea is.

- [Meg] Oh, they wondered what in the world you're over there drinking?

- [Alexis] What is that?

So, you know?- - Oh, no.

- [Alexis] Sometimes what is that?

They drinking like a very suspicious.

- [Meg] Is this some kind of, like, weird concoction?

- [Alexis] Yeah.

What is that?

It's just tea, you know, just tea with flavor.

Nothing- - That's so funny.

Nothing, it's like coffee and nothing.

But you know, like they've never seen it before.

- Yeah- - Of course it, it's kinda weird, but it's good.

- [Meg] Well, we need to spread the word.

I hope that, you know, more Tennesseans and Americans watching this video, will be like, "I need to try that out".

And they will.

And just, just wanna thank you, for taking the time to, to share about terere with us.

And I guess that's it.

If you all enjoyed this video, please give us a thumbs up and make sure to subscribe for more videos in the series.

- Bye - [Female Narrator] Next Door Neighbors is made possible by the support of the Nissan Foundation.