My Adventures and Travels

We recently had a school holiday, and our mentors arranged a bus and trip for us to nearby Aregua! It was only about 45 minutes away, but a world away from the big city of Asuncion. I LOVED it! It was really nice to get out of the city, see a little bit of the countryside, and walk around and shop in Aregua. It is kind of an artisan/hippie town situated on a big lake. It is also strawberry season, so you can sample and buy every possible strawberry concoction! Entrance to the beach Lake Ybacarai The gang The gang, enjoying our boxed lunch of empanadas. There is lots of shopping to be done in Aregua, especially if you are in the market for pots. Lunch outside in the garden...beautiful! The view of Lake Ypacarai from the church. Strawberry festival! My buys for the day!

I've decided to start a little "how to" series, basically of things I wish I'd known when I decided to move! I hope this will be helpful to others who are thinking of doing the same thing. Hopefully it's not too for those of you who know me and are hoping for personal updates...or I guess if it is you can just pass on to the next post! So far, here is my biggest piece of advice for anyone thinking of moving abroad: Have some money in the bank. You will need it for expenses that inevitably come up, and to tide you over while you wait for that first paycheck! Luckily I had some money saved, and I got some money when I sold my car in the U.S. If I hadn't, I would have really struggled. Even though my current employer paid a $1500 (US) moving allowance and a $500 shipping allowance, I found that I needed a lot more than that to get just the basics. (The point of this post is *not* to bash them at all-I'm lucky they paid some expenses! My point is just th...

I just realized I never updated my house pictures. Probably because it's still a work in progress and I want to keep adding to it, but at least it's not as empty as it was! Bit by bit it is starting to feel like home. I'd still like a living room rug, some decorations/wall hangings, and maybe a little tv in the future. I'm also still working on my patio so I'll update that when it's ready! Dining/living room area. It's funny, the windows are so bright that it actually looks dark (if that makes sense) from this viewpoint. Standing in the doorway to the balcony looking in, you can see how much natural light there is! Another look out the balcony Kitchen, with appliances Bedroom, feeling cozier... But I still feel like I'm missing something.... Oh yeah. Friends. Now it feels like home!

A couple of weeks I posted pics of my classroom. Now it is pretty much set up. I'm still adding things to the walls but I like to use posters I create for a lesson, so those will come in time! Here are a few pictures of my room. I had to bring just a little bit of Colorado with me! Speaking of school, it started last week! I have 22 students. Here are their statistics. They're pretty cute, too, but I don't post student pictures. Guess you'll just have to come volunteer in my room and see for yourself. ;) 13 boys, 9 girls 18 born in Paraguay, 3 in the US, and 1 in Peru 19 speak English as their 2nd language (their accents are so cute!) 0 IEPs, 0 ILPs, and GT isn't a "thing" here or I'd have a bunch Socially advantaged (which is to say, rich kids). 88: approximate number of cheek-kisses exchanged on the first day of school. 22 students x 2 parents x 2 kisses per person.  My team is 2 5th grade teachers, 2 aides, and 1 Spanish teac...