This week I had a lot of firsts. Yesterday I had my first day of work! It went really well which is good because I was a little nervous. There are fourteen students in the class, and my host brother wants to learn English so badly and is so determined, he comes to my class on top of attending his own class in the morning. Each class is two and half hours long, so he's spending five hours every Saturday learning. The plus side is he gets to attend my class for free :)
Another thing I did for the first time is take the bus all alone! The buses here are very different than in America. They are decorated and on some of them you can see the road beneath you because of holes in the bottom. Also, to stop the bus sometimes you can stop on the side of the street anywhere and put your hand out and it will stop. When you get on and off the bus, if the drivers feeling nice that day, he will stop but otherwise you just jump on and jump off as fast as you can. It was scary the first time but now I find it fun. If you don't have enough money to take it that day and you ask the driver if it's okay, they let you ride for as much as you give them which is quite nice.
This past week there was no school on Wednesday and Thursday for all public schools in Paraguay because the government offers classes for the professors so all the kids get to miss school. School here is relaxed and the teachers are very nice. The relationship with them is so different as they are more your friends and you kiss them on the cheek when you leave for the day. I went to downtown, the center, of Encarnacion a lot this week and I love walking around the city looking at everything. My brother and I for some exercise walked from his house to Encarnacion and it took us 50 minutes each way, but it was cool seeing all the architecture and the city by foot. That's all for this week mainly and I will try to post every Sunday, I hope these posts are okay :)
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Job time
Yes, it is true.. I got my first job! It's funny that I had to come all the way to Paraguay to finally be employed but I was offered a job. I went to English learning class with my brother and sister at this language school in downtown, and the teacher, who's pregnant, asked me if I was interested in teaching the more advanced class when she is on maternity leave. I said of course and I'm really excited! My official class starts next Saturday and it's once a week. Now I'll have some spending money while I'm here :)
Besides that, this week was good. The kids are very cute and on Thursday was the national Parguayan folk dancing and traditions day. So at school, all the kids dressed up; boys in pants and a sombrero and girls in skirts with their makeup and hair all done, it was nice. They all looked so pretty!
Sunday, August 17, 2014
First Week - food and school
I just finished my first full week in my new home. It is incredible and I am learning so much. I started my first day of teaching at the local school this week. I teach pre-schoolers and am the assistant teacher. The school is for the children who can't afford going elsewhere and all the kids are adorable. They call me "Teacher, Teacher!". It is very cute and they all love me and won't let go of me haha. In Paraguay, teacher and student relationships are different than in America. The teachers are more friends than bosses, so you call them Teacher or their first name, and you have their personal cell phone number. Also, you are more touchy with them, for example, the kids hug their teachers no matter what age and for little kids, before they leave the classroom at the end of the day, the teacher gives them a kiss. In schools here, they also have little breaks throughout the day for milk and cookies, it's yummy! I go to school from 7:00-11:00, then go home or go to my teachers house for lunch, and go back for another session with different kids from 1:00-4:00.
Last week was Kid's Day (Dia Del Nino)! It is a national holiday in which the kids are celebrated. It originally started from the war Paraguay had with Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, when Paraguay was the richest country and the others wanted to combine with them but Paraguay didn't want too. Everyone in Paraguay died, so the kids started fighting and 3,000+ kids died so the day is in memorial and celebration of their lives. It is full of activities and at the school, my teacher went all out to buy the kids each gift baskets and we have a huge party. It was very fun!
If you are gluten free or dairy free, you will starve in Paraguay. For breakfast everyday, you have cakes or sweet breads with sweetened hot milk. Everyone drinks it at least twice a day. The milk we drink at home is from a local farmer and is straight out of the cow, so we have to boil it on the stove to kill any bacteria and germs; it is tasty though. Then lunch is always a hot meal with rice or pasta and meat.
That's just a little bit of differences here in Paraguay, and I will try to post once a week on Sundays! Thanks for reading it :)
Last week was Kid's Day (Dia Del Nino)! It is a national holiday in which the kids are celebrated. It originally started from the war Paraguay had with Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, when Paraguay was the richest country and the others wanted to combine with them but Paraguay didn't want too. Everyone in Paraguay died, so the kids started fighting and 3,000+ kids died so the day is in memorial and celebration of their lives. It is full of activities and at the school, my teacher went all out to buy the kids each gift baskets and we have a huge party. It was very fun!
If you are gluten free or dairy free, you will starve in Paraguay. For breakfast everyday, you have cakes or sweet breads with sweetened hot milk. Everyone drinks it at least twice a day. The milk we drink at home is from a local farmer and is straight out of the cow, so we have to boil it on the stove to kill any bacteria and germs; it is tasty though. Then lunch is always a hot meal with rice or pasta and meat.
That's just a little bit of differences here in Paraguay, and I will try to post once a week on Sundays! Thanks for reading it :)
Monday, August 11, 2014
First few days in Paraguay
I arrived in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, last Friday morning. We had a one-day orientation there with all the people from around the world going to Paraguay. We had the luxury of staying in a five star hotel, the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at, right downtown in the city of Asuncion. Then on
Saturday morning, we all went our separate ways to meet our families. Since I am living in Itapua, right outside of Encarnacion, I had to take a 7 hour bus ride with five other people to arrive there. It is in the south east region of Paraguay and is very nice. Encarnacion is the beach town where everyone in Paraguay comes for the summer season. At the bus station when we arrived, all of our families were waiting for us with big signs and posters, it was very lovely!
I have only had one full day in my new home, and the differences are unreal. First off, it's winter here and I have not put pants on once. Also, the main roads are not taken care of and you kind of have to drive a maze in the streets to avoid the pot holes. Drivers here are crazy and will pass you on a two lane street with an 18-wheeler coming right at them. The roads of where my house is, in a little village, are dirt and bumpy too. It's so different but it's cool. My house is quite small and there's a lot of poverty, but the neighborhoods are safe because no one has anything worth of stealing in their homes. We have three dogs and their are animals running all over the streets.
The main language spoken is Spanish, however the elderly generation only speaks Guarani, the native language. It doesn't sound anything like Spanish and is hard to understand. My parents don't speak English, but I am teaching them and they are teaching me Spanish. My little brother (14) is the translator of the household and we are very close. My sister, who's a year older than my brother, knows minimal English but she is trying. I am starting to understand more and more every day, but I'm not yet comfortable with speaking it.
That's all just from the first day upon my arrival, so there will be much more to tell as the year goes on! I miss you all!
Here is my brother and I in downtown Encarnacion, at the "beach"/river. On the other side of the river, which you can see in person, is Argentina!
Saturday morning, we all went our separate ways to meet our families. Since I am living in Itapua, right outside of Encarnacion, I had to take a 7 hour bus ride with five other people to arrive there. It is in the south east region of Paraguay and is very nice. Encarnacion is the beach town where everyone in Paraguay comes for the summer season. At the bus station when we arrived, all of our families were waiting for us with big signs and posters, it was very lovely!
I have only had one full day in my new home, and the differences are unreal. First off, it's winter here and I have not put pants on once. Also, the main roads are not taken care of and you kind of have to drive a maze in the streets to avoid the pot holes. Drivers here are crazy and will pass you on a two lane street with an 18-wheeler coming right at them. The roads of where my house is, in a little village, are dirt and bumpy too. It's so different but it's cool. My house is quite small and there's a lot of poverty, but the neighborhoods are safe because no one has anything worth of stealing in their homes. We have three dogs and their are animals running all over the streets.
The main language spoken is Spanish, however the elderly generation only speaks Guarani, the native language. It doesn't sound anything like Spanish and is hard to understand. My parents don't speak English, but I am teaching them and they are teaching me Spanish. My little brother (14) is the translator of the household and we are very close. My sister, who's a year older than my brother, knows minimal English but she is trying. I am starting to understand more and more every day, but I'm not yet comfortable with speaking it.
That's all just from the first day upon my arrival, so there will be much more to tell as the year goes on! I miss you all!
Here is my brother and I in downtown Encarnacion, at the "beach"/river. On the other side of the river, which you can see in person, is Argentina!
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Pre-Departure Orientation in Miami
I arrived in Miami yesterday afternoon after a brutal 3:00am wake up call to drive to the airport. We're all very excited and just want to be in our countries already. This orientation has all the students from the US that are traveling on any program, to a South American country. When I arrive in Asuncion tomorrow morning, I will attend another little orientation for all the students coming from around the world, living in Paraguay. I cannot wait for that and to meet everyone! It's a little boring now with bonding games and covering all the rules, but we will leave here in no time. I will try to post as much as I can, so check in and catch up if you want too! Next time I post, I will be in Paraguay :)
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