New Experiences

                              Making "curabes" with the youth group, a traditional Paraguayan food

                                Making "chipas" with the youth group, another traditional food

                                                           It isn't all work =)

                                                    Some of the kids during recess at school

                                                                    More kids =)

                                                Learning Dance Moves in my new outfit =)

The First Week of Teaching

My first week of teaching has come to an end, and it has been quite the adventure. From last week when I was told that I wouldn't be teaching, but just assisting, to now when I realize that I actually have done a lot of the teaching. What a difference! I have come in and stated my expectations. The kids are starting to figure them out. I have stepped up the plate several times in getting the students to behave in a manner more appropriate for school. I have introduced new strategies for learning English. The kids love me to death and give me many hugs.

The week was a little challenging. Trying to manage kids that have never been managed before really wears a person out, and it can be very frustrating. But I must be doing something right because the kids are starting to get it and they really enjoy having me in the classroom. I just hope they will also start picking up more English,,,,

In the afternoons, Laurel and I have been tutoring, One little boy is a hyperactive 3rd grade boy who is really fun. We come up with activities and games for him that allow him to learn while being wild and moving. We also meet a few times a week with a teenage boy and just help him with his English by conversing with him and playing games,

The teenage girl has still been coming over quite often just to hang out. She took us out to get traditional Paraguayan clothes and taught us a few dance moves, We also went to the capybara park and walked around with her and played on the playground (never too old to have fun, right?). We have had many good conversations.

Tomorrow (Saturday) I will be teaching and leading the youth group at the church and the Bible study for the young girls in the morning. I am excited for this opportunity and hope it goes well!

Things I have noticed:

*"Winter" in Paraguay is more like a warm spring.

* Almost no wild animals still exist here, they have all been hunted and eaten,

* It is more likely for me to be considered German than American. Several times people have tried to speak to me in German.

*Rules are made as a guideline, and are usually broken.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

*Pray that my new friend, the teenager who spends time with us, would be able to get a scholarship to go to a good Bible college somewhere. She would be the first and only member of her family to attend college. She wants to be a missionary, but her family does not have the money to support her college dreams,

*Pray for my lessons with the kids and the youth group this weekend.

*Pray that I would have wisdom for when to step in and help the teachers, and when to let it be cultural. 

Classroom Chaos

I am starting to reaaaaalllly appreciate the very well-behaved students I teach back at home. The teachers here don't have any management strategies, and next to nothing when it comes to knowledge about good teaching practices. It seems to be cultural, but at the same time....it makes me wonder if the kids are learning anything at all. I have been in the classroom for 2 days now. The kids are sweet kids that are very excited to talk to me, but as far as learning goes, I am just not sure it is happening. There is no knowledge of the fact that some kids are just sitting there instead of participating, and no knowledge that some kids are finishing a lot quicker than the other kids. This leads to a lot of problems in management. The kids that are not working are running around like crazy, throwing things  at each other, talking to friends, running in and out of the room, and fighting. The teacher does nothing about it. When I get in front of the room to teach, I make sure the kids know my expectations and I follow through with them, I will not let the kids get away with that kind of behavior, but training kids to follow your expectations takes quite awhile....even more so when they have had no expectations for behavior up to this point. They also "learn" by copying words from a book or the board and reading phrases that they don't understand. Needless to say, I introduced many fun learning and English conversation strategies that allow the students to move and participate while having fun.

Even though I don't want to be culturally insensitive to the learning style, I also want to teach the kids as much as I can while I am here, and also perhaps show the teachers some strategies that they can use too.

A Change in Plans (literally)

I woke up early this morning to arrive for my first day of teaching at the school. The principal had told me to come to the office at 7:40 to be escorted to the classroom. When I arrived, the office staff seemed confused. They told me that their schedule said that the teacher that I am assisting doesn't have any English classes for that grade level on Mondays. So apparently the principal had made my schedule based on an old class schedule. So they quickly sent somebody down with my new teaching schedule, which did not include any classes on Monday. So I came back to the house. So teaching starts tomorrow, I hope.

Karen is looking into possibilities....perhaps connecting me with some one on one tutoring options, or with a public school that might like an extra adult to help.

Frustrations with the schedule are just that....frustrating. But I know that God is still using me in ways that maybe I don't even know.

New Friends

          This is my new friend, the capybara. He hangs out at this park and is super chill. You can just            walk right up to him and pet him and he doesn't move at all.

 These are my new friends that live in the outskirts of town. We were quizzing them on English. The other two American looking people in the picture are my mentor and the other short-termer.

This is the teenager that hangs out at the house all the time. She took us to a museum. She is awesome!

Flexibility, Friends, and Fun

I have not even been here for one week yet, though it seems like so much has happened.

My official "teaching schedule" starts next week. When I went to connect with the principal yesterday, she informed me that am not actually teaching, but only assisting the English teacher with her English pronunciation and conversing with the students so that they can practice with a native English speaker. However, I don't think things are clearly communicated here, so I won't be surprised if I show up on Monday expected to teach. I am praying for flexibility and preparedness for whatever happens. Also, I only have teaching assignments for the morning. And the schedule is different everyday.

If I don't end up teaching, I am worried that my attitude will get in the way. It is hard for me to just sit back and watch somebody else teach, especially when it seems one of the teachers here is not super organized and doesn't really know what she is doing as a teacher. Maybe she will want my suggestions, maybe she won't. I don't want to step on any toes, but I also want to serve in the best way.

Even though teaching has not officially started, I have had a few opportunities to get into the community. Karen mentors a teenage girl that  has spent several afternoons with us. She is on fire for God and strives to live outside of the fleshly world and in the world of Christ. She comes from a very hard family life, but has been mentored by missionaries now for many years. We also got to go into a community out a muddy road and help some sweet girls with their English. Their parents served us mate, the official tea of Paraguay. It is a hot tea that is passed around for everyone to drink from the same straw. It is quite bitter....

Yesterday we went to the marketplace and got to experience all the people trying to sell us their goods. One lady thought we were German. (There is a large German population here and many Paraguayans actually look just like me....blonde hair, blue eyes, and light skin!)

Things I have noticed or learned:

Paraguayans are very superstitious. They won't eat salty and sweet together. They won't eat watermelon before or after a meal, and they won't serve their tea with a meal. They think it will make you sick. They are also very afraid of  black dogs.

Almost everybody has a dog to guard their house.

Yesterday I saw 3 dogs chasing 1 cow outside of the house on the street.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

Pray for my attitude as I work with the English teachers.

Pray for wisdom that I would know when to listen and learn, and when to train and teach.

Pray that I would know how to use my time in the afternoon to serve while I am here.

Pray for my new Paraguayan friend that comes from a hard family life, but strives to live for Jesus.

Continue to pray for safety and health.

Asuncion to Villarrica

I have now survived almost 2 days in Paraguay, although it seems like much longer. This isn't a bad thing, it just takes a lot out of you to take it all in and get accustomed to your surroundings. I have mostly been resting, getting to know people, and traveling.

I spent yesterday in Asuncion with the SIM family because they were all together for a despedida to one of the families that is leaving for a year for their home assignment. We had asado (bbq) and watched Paraguay play Jamaica in the "copa america". Paraguay won 1-0.

Today, my mentor Karen and my other short term team member and roommate, Laurel, traveled to Villarrica where I will be staying for the rest of my time here. I am settled in and getting comfortable in my new temporary home. The house is cozy, and right across from the school where I will be teaching. My mentor is friends with lots of her community members, and some of them come to her house often. I just met one that is very sweet that will go with us tomorrow to the Paraguayan museum. I will also meet the principal of my school tomorrow.

The weather is humid. Yesterday was kind of chilly, but you got hot moving around. Today is rainy, which means more humid. I can't decide if it is hot or cold. I put my sweater on because I am cold, but then I quickly get hot from the humidity. Sounds like an Oregon Spring, right?

Things I have noticed so far:

The livestock is REALLY skinny and run freely from field to field. There is often "cow crossing" across the highway.

Introductions are very important. You stop everything you are doing to get up and greet someone who enters.

When you want to enter someone's house, instead of knocking, you clap outside the gate.

When a store owes you a small amount of change, instead of giving you the minute amount, they give you a piece of candy instead.

Ya me voy a Paraguay!

Well, this is it! Tomorrow night I fly out to Paraguay. I have many stops along the way, but will hopefully arrive in Asuncion by 3am on Tuesday morning. Please be in prayer for:

*Safe travel
*That my ears would not hurt while landing (this is always a problem)
*That I wouldn't get too sick (recently, I get pretty nauseous when flying)
*That I would arrive with all my luggage

Thank you for you prayers!