A Whirlwind Week

The last several days have gone by very quickly. We had Parade of Nations on Friday, which is an all day festival of countries. Each grade adopted a country. My fifth graders transformed our classroom into the United Arab Emirates and brought food and items in to share with the entire school. My fourth graders created a skit and decorated their classroom to look like Thailand. It was a wonderful time, although exhausting! I was so impressed to see my students step up and really work hard to learn about another culture. Tomorrow I begin teaching, which I am excited about.

On Friday night, I had the opportunity to visit a Paraguayan family that Emily knew. We went to their house and spent time with them. I had a blast using my Spanish and getting to know the family a little better. I wake up every morning, thankful that I have this opportunity to learn, grow, and impact others for Christ here in Paraguay.

Thankful, I am thankful

I am so blessed to be able to share my time in Paraguay with the first grade teacher here. Her name is Jenn and is such a kind person. I am really enjoying getting to know her. The church I visited this morning was the church Jenn goes to. What an encouragement to hear people praising the Lord in another language! I am so thankful to have Jenn as a roommate and to have a God who hears all praises, no matter the language!

benediciones!

Blessings! Thismorning, I was able to attend a Spanish speaking church. There is a lot I don't understand and their accents are incredibly different from what I am used to, but I really enjoyed it. After church, we went out to eat at a buffet, which is very different from a buffet in the United States. All of the food except for the meat is treated like a buffet. Customers go up to the line and choose the food they want. Then, the waiters come to the table with about 15 varieties of meat, bringing one or two choices over at a time. It is like a giant meat-eating party. I was suprised how much the Paraguayans like their meat. I bit into a tomato today to find that the Paraguayans had stuffed it with meat (as if there wasn't enough meat to begin with!!). I also tried the desserts and really enjoyed the passion fruit dessert.

Shopping and Eating... what a difficult Saturday :)

Today we went out with two missionaries to get supplies and lunch. One of the stores we went to was fascinating... it reminded me a lot of Target! Some of the stores here have American things, but many do not. We were suprised at how modern and American the mall looked last night (we got Pizza Hut pizza and some empinadas- traditional Spanish food). We also went out to eat at an Arab place which had fantastic food. They made really good smoothies for us with all natural ingredients. I am starting to be able to use the Spanish money a little bit, but it is still very confusing. Three of us went grocery shopping today which was a blast! I learned a lot about the culture that I didn't know.

Estoy Tranquilo!

Hello everyone! I have arrived in Asuncion and am really enjoying everything here! I met my class today and am very excited to teach them. My teacher is fantastic and is bilingual, which makes everything a bit easier. The students are required to speak in English during the school day, but my teacher can explain what things mean and how traditions work here. Our flight was incredibly long and I am so happy to have an apartment! Tonight and tomorrow we are going to be spending time shopping and learning more about the culture. I begin teaching half way through next week.

Chow!

NE Pennsylvania, Paraguay

Well, I am finally getting to the point where I feel very comfortable with my class and will miss them when I leave. I have several challenging students who keep me on my toes. However, I am really enjoying myself and am able to use everything I have learned from camp, college, and babysitting to help me in class. I have been in contact with my cooperating teacher and the principal in South America. Just a few more weeks until my life changes drastically!

Update!!

I started my first placement of student teaching in North East Pennsylvania last week. Just to update you a little, I have raised a little over $2,000 towards my trip. Additionally, I will need about $600 more before I am fully supported. I am so thankful for the generosity of the people who have donated money and volunteered to pray for me over the next few months. At this point, I am focusing on teaching (I teach math every day and will begin teaching more as the weeks continue) and working on getting my visa together for Paraguay. Please keep praying!