I am officially done with my first year teaching. Yeesh, I was beginning to think it would never end (especially every time someone gleefully posted that their year was over-grrrr). But it's finally here and I can go back to setting my own hours, not arriving at school at 6:40, and gosh, actually enjoying my evenings! It's marvelous...and I can't wait to be back. On the bright side, they have to wash the carpets in my classroom so I CAN'T go back in for at least two weeks. Hurrah!
I got my classroom as set up as possible for next year, furniture wise, because I just couldn't bring myself to leave without doing so. Luckily, some of the furniture was too heavy to move, so I had to leave it (my back is rejoicing). Everything else is shoved in the bathroom, in hopes that it won't look like it did last semester when I got there..
As crazy hard and exhausting as my first year was, I am definitely glad I decided to follow God's direction to go into teaching. My little ones are such blessings, and so funny. It's amazing how different all of their personalities are! Even thought they won't be far away in first grade, I'm going to miss them! The Pre-Kinders coming up will certainly keep me busy though. There are 12 of them and most of them are still working on speaking English, though they can understand it pretty well. They are sweet-hearts, but there are definitely a few that will keep me on my toes!
How to get boys to willing write 100 of something: Tell them that a google (their favorite number) is a 1 with 100 zeroes after it. In about 15 minutes they had written a google three times for fun! :) Smart kids!
I've had a great last few months. With holidays and various school breaks, we've had lots of opportunities to explore Asuncion on our days off. For Paraguayan Independence Day there was a whole host of interesting things to do!
Paraguay apparently has a Navy (who knew) and we got to tour one of the ships! The one on the water is ship #4 and we got to tour #5. I've now been on a Navy ship for two different countries...which I think is kind of cool!
We also finally got around to going inside the Pantheon of Heroes in the Plaza de Heroes. It holds the tombs of various military heroes, as well as a "tomb to the unknown soldier".
We also did a little exploring around the river.This is a picture of part of the "Chacarita" (slums) in Asuncion. It's really crazy to look at, because this poorest part of Asuncion is directly behind some of the government buildings, almost under them. You see well cared for lawns and the police station, then you walk to the edge of the land and look down twenty feet and see the slums.
We couldn't go through this part, but if you look closely there's a sidewalk by the river we walked around to. Jacqui really enjoyed being by the water again. You'd think she'd grown up on an island or something!
On the fourteenth, I celebrated my 24th birthday! Somehow we managed to have enough forethought to buy cupcakes, but not birthday candles, hence the mismatched emergency candles. Not nearly as fun to lick clean...
At the end of May, I officially passed Level 1 of Spanish and Jacqui and I've started Level 2! I'm quite proud of myself, though I've still got a ways to go, I can definitely tell I've learned a lot! I can now ask for things, hold a basic conversation, and generally understand what people are saying to me.
I'm officially official, and I gots a paper to prove it!
Why yes, I did get 90% on my writing! I'm very proud of myself! :)
In other news, Jacqui and I have managed to keep not one, but six plants alive for over a month! And like the true little nerds we are, we named them.
Meet The Doctor, River Song, Donna, Rose, Rory, and Amy!
They live in memory of Bob, Joe, and Rowena who, sadly, succumbed to neglect and thirst. The wimps
For now, though, Jacqui and I are enjoying the prospect of five weeks of being left to our own devices. In July, we are going to hop on a plane and go to Uruguay for a week. Coming from the US, where hopping on a plane for three hours leaves you in the same country that you started in, I'm quite amused by this idea of being able to travel to another country in such a short amount of time! Jacqui, my European friend who is used to the idea of hopping on a train, or a boat, or a plane for several hours and being in any number of countries doesn't quite understand my fascination.
Even though it will be pretty cold, it will be fun walking down by the beach, exploring the old cities, and generally enjoying the new sights. Apparently, at one beach, there's a giant's hand sticking out of the sand! Also, the hostels are reported to have hot (real hot, not "not cold") showers! So excited!
Finally, there will soon be a third in our apartment. We are getting a new roommate, named Hannah, who is moving to ACA from another school in Asuncion. She's Irish, so soon I will get to learn even more "Britishisms". We are excited to be getting to live with someone that we already know and like! :)
We get to add another flag to our door soon!
The little ones are the GA state flag and the Essex County flag, so Hannah will get her own flag.
Prayer Requests:
Please pray for the returning teachers as we relax and refocus over our school break and for the new teachers as they prepare to move their lives to a new country and life.
For safety as Jacqui and I travel to Uruguay in a few weeks.
ACA is still looking for a permanent first grade teacher (I can highly recommend the cuties!), so please pray that they would find the person that God has prepared for the position and that her/his transition would be quick and smooth.
Finally, a random advertisement:
If you know someone who is looking for a teaching position and would like to work overseas in a safe, welcoming environment, encourage them to check out ACA! Even if they don't want to come to PY, I highly suggest www.missionteach.org as a way to look for overseas school related jobs around the world. There are so many schools that need teachers, and we are just one of them! It's how I found this job.
