First 3 weeks in Paraguay!

I cannot believe that I have already been in Paraguay for 23 days!  I am so sorry that I have not updated since I arrived- I have just been so busy getting settled in and beginning teaching!

There is so much to share about what I have already experienced, but seeing as I need to get up for a school day that starts at 6:40, I will have to hit just a few highlights…

First I have wonderful living arrangements and am fairly settled in. I love my apartment! It has so much character, is fairly spacious, and just a minutes walk from my classroom door!  I am sharing it with another teacher at ACA, Courtney.  She has already been living and teaching in Paraguay for a year and has been very kind in helping me get adjusted and settled in.

The living room of our apartment.

The apartment is set up as a townhouse; on our first floor there is the common living area with a half bath, kitchen, living area, and dining area.  There is a balcony going off of the dinning area and another balcony going off our kitchen.   Upstairs Courtney and I each have our own room with a balcony joining them and we share a bathroom.

Except for a small wall by my desk, all of the walls in my room are brick; very South American.  Housing in Paraguay is built for hot summers and so typically buildings do not have any insulation, thus inside can be as colder or colder than outside.  Thankfully my AC unit doubles as a heater! 

Along with getting settled in my apartment, I have been adjusting to the rhythm of life in Paraguay!  The bus systems here are so different!  Bus lines run all over town but there are no bus stops- anytime you see the line that you want to get on you just hold out your hand and wave for it to stop and hope that it will pull over for you to get on!  Then whenever you want off you hit the buzzer in the back of the bus and hope it slows down enough for you jump off.  So far all of my experiences have been pretty good though- believe it or not the system has a way of working!

I am getting by with my limited Spanish but hope to begin taking classes soon.   People are usually very friendly and patient with you for trying to speak in Spanish; but I have made my share of mistakes in my pitiful attempts at trying.  As I get around and explore Asuncion more I am sure I will learn even more!

Since being in Paraguay I think that I have eaten more Chinese and Korean food than Paraguayan food!  What I can tell you though is that Paraguayan’s love meat and empanadas.  So far I have not had anything that surprised me too much or been inedible.  

Key-lime tarts the first dish I made in Paraguay!

I am blessed to have so easily found a church to be a part of.  My ACA “board buddy” Rose and her husband David are Assembly of God missionaries who have been working in Paraguay for the last 27 years.  Currently they are the pastors at a small, very informal, English speaking, non-denominational church known as the "Embassy Church" that meets in a hotel.  It is a wonderful mix of people from all around the world who have been drawn to Paraguay through working for their country’s embassy, teaching English, and being missionaries.

Between adjusting to a new culture and getting settled I have also began my first year of teaching!  I am teaching 5 classes: 9^th grade Biology, 8^th grade Physical Science and Honors Algebra, and 7^th grade Life Science and Math.  Also I am the 7^th grade class sponsor!  I am only in the third week- but so far everything is going great!  I have great students and am enjoying getting to know them more and more.  It is such a privilege to teach at a Christian school where I can share my beliefs with the students and discuss science with a Christian perspective!  Also, I love having my own classroom and getting to make my own decisions- it is so much better than student teaching! I am already getting a reputation for being a hard teacher- however I just think that my students complain too much about the words test and quiz.

Besides the students, the administration, other teachers, and additional staff at ACA are incredible!  The ladies in the office have been so wonderful in helping me learn the in and outs of the school and getting my residency documents in order.  I am in a group of 4 other new teachers; which has been a blessing as I am not alone in adjusting to Paraguay and going through my first year of teaching!  Everyone has been very helpful and kind in helping me to adjust and get everything that I need! 

We have a three day weekend and so on Friday night some of the other teachers and I are planning on taking an overnight bus to visit the Jesuit ruins in Southern Paraguay next to the boarder of Argentina.  It should be a fun time! Then when we go back to school on Tuesday, Paraguay will be celebrating Children’s day- a celebration of children that includes games, toys, and lots of candy.

Please be patient with me as I get used to having a blog and I will try to not wait so long to update again! 

Praises: Between traveling, eating new food, and drinking the water I have not been sick at all- that is blessing of reassurance that I am in the right place!  God’s provision of the wonderful people that I am getting to know here- especially the new teachers!

Prayer Requests:  I am still figuring out what to do for funding and finding a sending organization, I would greatly appreciate if you could keep that in your prayers.  Pray for my classes and that I will have even more opportunities to witness to my students through my teaching.  Also please keep the school in your prayers; we have a brand new Academic Director, pray for him as he adjusts and leads the school, and ACA is still looking for a permanent middle school English and Social Studies teacher.    

Thank you all so much for everything! I appreciate any comments or encouragement that you want to share with me!  I am enjoying being here so much, but it does not replace missing home!