Settling In

This week I have been working at the school every day.  I go at 7:00 and get home around 12:30.  I really love it.  One of the boys in first grade fell asleep in my lap while watching a movie the other day, and it immediately melted my heart. 

I’m teaching English with Roxanne, the volunteer from Canada.  She and I, together, are expected to create our own lesson plans and execute them.  We decided to start with a song with actions (Deep and Wide this week) and then proceed to learn specific words or things.  This week we are working on colors.  I hope that we’ll be able to be more organized in the future, but for now, both of us and the kids are having loads of fun.

I am constantly reminded of how things are very different from schools in the United States.  It’s more than the fact that in the U.S., foreign volunteers would never be able to teach actual classes with no teaching experience.  For example, in each of the classrooms, there is a large jug of water and a few plastic cups.  The kids, when thirsty, share the cups and drink after each other, which would never fly in a kindergarten classroom in the United States.  Also, the teachers are able to be very affectionate with the kids.  A lot of them refer to the kids as ‘mi amor’ which means my love.  I’ve never doubted that my teachers loved me, but here, that love and respect is tangible.

When I’m not helping in the classes, I help in the kitchen.  The school provides breakfast and lunch for the kids who need it (I’m not sure how all the logistics work), and I’ve been helping out with what’s needed.  Mostly that means that I do what I’m told and laugh when appropriate.  I’ve come to learn that one can learn much more than how to cook in the kitchen.

I also have been taking Spanish classes for two hours twice a week.  It’s a group class with Sam and Roxanne.  We are at different places in our Spanish knowledge, so it’s proven to be a little bit of a challenge for us all.  It’s hard for a teacher to focus on all of our needs at once. We spend the first half of our class learning the language, and the second learning about the culture of Paraguay, which has proven to be very helpful.

I continue to feel more and more like I fit in here.  The language can be very stressful sometimes, but I’ll manage.  I think that in a couple months, I’ll be much more comfortable speaking and understanding Spanish which is exciting.  My family and I continue to connect, and I’ve learned how to joke around with them which is nice.  I feel much more relaxed in a place when I can joke around with the people.  I have started to learn the city a little more, too, which is helpful.  I’m not at the point where I I could figure out how to get somewhere on my own, but I think I’ll get there.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. 

Much love,

Sarah