The first two days of school have come and gone in a whirlwind of activity. Brandon has begun to "feel out" the students (especially the middle school and high school ones who are rumored to be adamently opposed to dressing our for P.E.) and I (Stacy) am desperately trying to get Bailey to stay on her schedule during the school day. As of right now, she's not cooperating.
The school in and of itself has been a culture shock to both of us. There are actually very few Paraguayans attending the school, so, as we adapt to Paraguayan culture off campus, we are simultaneously adjusting to classes filled with Korean and American MK students who have lived in Paraguay for some time. And, while English is the official language of the school, students take classes in Spanish and Guarani (the two official languages of Paraguay) and many of the Korean students attend Korean language school in the afternoons. The third graders I'm teaching are well on their way to being quad-lingual.
Another new experience having to do with the school is all the "specials" throughout the day. In order to be ACSI certified (state-side) the school has to offer library, PE, art, music and computer lab - the usual extras we are familiar with back home. However, the school is also now certified in Paraguay, which means they have to offer additional classes to students in Spanish, Guarani, Spanish Social Studies. Now, here's the kicker: all these "specials" are taught by certified teachers and the classroom teachers have prep time whenever their students go to one of them. In third grade, there are ELEVEN blocks of prep time over the course of the week, some lasting for up to an hour and a half! On Tuesdays there is a three hour block of time where I only see the kids for 10 minutes in between lunch and Spanish Social Studies. And Brandon - as a "specials" teacher - sees five different classes on some days, and only ONE class on Thursdays. It's crazy!
Our apartment-mates continue to be my saving grace, as is getting off campus. Every time we take buses I'm getting more and more comfortable with the routes; a few more chaperoned trips and I think us "newbies" will be able to take a bus on our own. Walking around near the school has also been nice. We've found a delicious ice cream shop and thankfully it's a fairly long walk to it's doorstep, otherwise I'd be there quite frequently and feel more guilty about indulging. But after a long walk, a few scoops of ice cream can't be all that bad, right?!
There's also a nice running trail that we went to for the first time on Friday after school. It was the first workout that I've had for about a month and it felt great to get my heart rate up and break a sweat. Brandon had scoped out the park earlier in the week and thought that the whole trail was paved, but he had only walked a few yards down the path. After the first few hundred meters, though, the pavement gave way to packed gravel and our peacefully sleeping baby was awakened with a jolt. We stopped running at that point, not wanting to turn her head to mush, and walked the rest of the lap. There were other patches of pavement along the 1600 meter loop, but after one round, Brandon sat with Bailey as I ran a second lap on my own.
We visited a new church today, an Anglican church that was in English. The music was off a CD player, though they did have the lyrics on PowerPoint, and I'd tell you more about the service, but Miss Grumpy Pants (a.k.a. Bailey) decided that she wanted to be outside all morning. I'd walk her around and get her to nod off to sleep, but when I tried to sneak back into the service to catch at least part of a sermon I'd understand, she's wake right back up crying and we'd be back outside pacing the grounds. Once church was over, she had an explosive diaper (probably why she was so fussy) that got on Brandon's hand; he looked like he was going to pass out or gag or both. We all had a good laugh watching him freak out over a little dirty diaper.
Please pray for our first full week of school and that Bailey can stay on schedule while in the classroom.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Countdown to the First Day of School
It's Monday night and there are two days left until students arrive for class at Asuncion Christian Academy. Brandon has a full schedule as the school's only P.E. teacher, teaching students from Pre-Kinder all the way through 12th grade. Quite the challenge, especially since some of the grade levels only have 5 students, making team sports difficult to do. Thankfully the school was flexible in allowing Brandon to combine some of the grade levels so that a volleyball or basketball unit wasn't out of the question. It will be fun to watch him with the little ones; I'll have to sneak out and get pictures of him playing with the 4 and 5 year olds!
I, too, have been brought on staff as the substitute 3rd grade teacher until a permanent teacher can be hired (and paperwork processed, plane ticket bought, etc.). They are letting me bring Bailey to school with me and the Director of Academics (the principal figure) is going to relieve me during the day when I have to nurse. And for language arts I'm thinking about doing centers and making one of them the "Read to Bailey" center for students to practice their fluency. I'm kidding, well, maybe not, we'll have to see how it goes.
Settling into the apartment is going well, I suppose. It's definitely different, moving into a place that is fully furnished. I'm grateful that we didn't have to purchase furniture for the place when we arrived, but the rooms don't feel like "home" when furnished with items you didn't choose. There are a few wall hangings that were left by the previous occupants that aren't bad, just not what I would have picked. There are also numerous random nails sticking out of the walls that are driving me NUTS, but we don't have a hammer with which to yank them out. Yet . . .
Our neighbors are wonderful. Our neighbors on the ground floor are South African natives who have been in Paraguay off and on for the past decade. They are the apartment "mom and dad" for the rest of us. Upstairs there is one single girl who has been here for three years, one single girl who just arrived, and another couple who is new to the staff. Funny story: we had a game night Sunday night and played Scattergories. There are lists of categories (fruits, insects, things you find in a car, weather words, etc.) and you roll a letter-dice. Whatever letter comes up, you have to write down items in that category that start with the letter. You don't get points for something that another person has written down, so you try to think of obscure answers. Anyway, one round the letter was "O" and one of the categories was U.S. Presidents. Any guesses what we ALL wrote down??? NOTHING!!! None of us thought of a president starting with an "O," none of us, that is except for the South African whose been in South America for years! When she announced her answer, we all exploded laughing, especially since we had our photo taken with Obama just a few days earlier at the Expo (a state fair type event).
One thing that is helping us settle into life in Asuncion, Paraguay, is getting off campus. It's only a few blocks to the grocery store and we're comfortable doing that without a chaperone (though I have to remember to use the spanish/english dictionary on my grocery list before going). Up the street, too, is a DVD rental store and a cafe called La Miga. The DVD store has old seasons of a few series that we're catching up on and La Miga has DELICIOUS pastries. We've also gone out several times on the bus, though I'm not at all confident enough to do that alone. Brandon says he wants to go out and "get lost" and then try and find his way home. Go for it, I say. I'll be at home with Bailey.
Sunday we made it to church with the rest of the apartment gang. Jenn, our upstairs neighbor who has been here for years, led us on the bus and through the streets. It was a traditional Baptist church, but they did have a praise "band" complete with drums, guitar, flutophones, violin, classic sax, piano, keyboard and harp! Most of the songs were older praise songs, but I was able to decode enough of the words on the projector that I got the gist of most songs. The sermon, though, was another story. Every now and then I caught words and phrases that I understood, but if I started thinking about what the pastor was saying (which is the point during a sermon), I lost track of the Spanish and it took a while to get back into it.
Bailey is doing really well. She's slept through the night twice and I'm hopeful that it will become consistent here soon! She's getting used to being in the Baby Bjorn and napping on the go. I just hope that she still will sleep in her crib!
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. If there is some way we can be praying for you, or you'd like to be on our monthly newsletter list, e-mail us at trevinofam5@hotmail.com.
I, too, have been brought on staff as the substitute 3rd grade teacher until a permanent teacher can be hired (and paperwork processed, plane ticket bought, etc.). They are letting me bring Bailey to school with me and the Director of Academics (the principal figure) is going to relieve me during the day when I have to nurse. And for language arts I'm thinking about doing centers and making one of them the "Read to Bailey" center for students to practice their fluency. I'm kidding, well, maybe not, we'll have to see how it goes.
Settling into the apartment is going well, I suppose. It's definitely different, moving into a place that is fully furnished. I'm grateful that we didn't have to purchase furniture for the place when we arrived, but the rooms don't feel like "home" when furnished with items you didn't choose. There are a few wall hangings that were left by the previous occupants that aren't bad, just not what I would have picked. There are also numerous random nails sticking out of the walls that are driving me NUTS, but we don't have a hammer with which to yank them out. Yet . . .
Our neighbors are wonderful. Our neighbors on the ground floor are South African natives who have been in Paraguay off and on for the past decade. They are the apartment "mom and dad" for the rest of us. Upstairs there is one single girl who has been here for three years, one single girl who just arrived, and another couple who is new to the staff. Funny story: we had a game night Sunday night and played Scattergories. There are lists of categories (fruits, insects, things you find in a car, weather words, etc.) and you roll a letter-dice. Whatever letter comes up, you have to write down items in that category that start with the letter. You don't get points for something that another person has written down, so you try to think of obscure answers. Anyway, one round the letter was "O" and one of the categories was U.S. Presidents. Any guesses what we ALL wrote down??? NOTHING!!! None of us thought of a president starting with an "O," none of us, that is except for the South African whose been in South America for years! When she announced her answer, we all exploded laughing, especially since we had our photo taken with Obama just a few days earlier at the Expo (a state fair type event).
One thing that is helping us settle into life in Asuncion, Paraguay, is getting off campus. It's only a few blocks to the grocery store and we're comfortable doing that without a chaperone (though I have to remember to use the spanish/english dictionary on my grocery list before going). Up the street, too, is a DVD rental store and a cafe called La Miga. The DVD store has old seasons of a few series that we're catching up on and La Miga has DELICIOUS pastries. We've also gone out several times on the bus, though I'm not at all confident enough to do that alone. Brandon says he wants to go out and "get lost" and then try and find his way home. Go for it, I say. I'll be at home with Bailey.
Sunday we made it to church with the rest of the apartment gang. Jenn, our upstairs neighbor who has been here for years, led us on the bus and through the streets. It was a traditional Baptist church, but they did have a praise "band" complete with drums, guitar, flutophones, violin, classic sax, piano, keyboard and harp! Most of the songs were older praise songs, but I was able to decode enough of the words on the projector that I got the gist of most songs. The sermon, though, was another story. Every now and then I caught words and phrases that I understood, but if I started thinking about what the pastor was saying (which is the point during a sermon), I lost track of the Spanish and it took a while to get back into it.
Bailey is doing really well. She's slept through the night twice and I'm hopeful that it will become consistent here soon! She's getting used to being in the Baby Bjorn and napping on the go. I just hope that she still will sleep in her crib!
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. If there is some way we can be praying for you, or you'd like to be on our monthly newsletter list, e-mail us at trevinofam5@hotmail.com.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Home Sweet Home
7/15/2010
We're here! After an exhausting 24-hour trip from Los Angeles to Asuncion, Paraguay (via Miami & Sao Paulo, Brazil), we are all set up in our new apartment. Here's a picture of the building (ours is on the bottom floor to the left when you walk through the entry way).
Here are some highlights from our trip:
Checking in at LAX - We had been told over the phone that Bailey would get one checked bag, plus we'd be able to check her stroller and car seat for free. We were also told that Brandon and I could take a third bag each (at $100 a piece) and that we could pack 70 pounds in each bag since we were traveling through Brazil. So we show up with six extra-heavy suitcases, a stroller and car seat and are greeted by the world's grumpiest representative who desperately needed a hug or something. When we first showed up at the counter and informed her that we were traveling internationally, she rolled her eyes at us and wanted to know why we didn't use the automated check-in system. We told her that we tried, but got an error message that told us to see a flight representative (that would be her). When we informed her that we had six bags to check between the three of us, she clarified that there were only two of us traveling (I guess Bailey doesn't count as a person since she didn't have her own seat?) and took it as a personal insult that we'd have to pay the excess baggage charge. We let her know that we were moving to Paraguay and didn't have much of a choice; we knew we'd have to pay for the extra bags. After throwing our first bag on the scale and having it top out over 60 pounds, she again was annoyed that the bags were too heavy and we'd have to pay $50. We reminded her that we were moving out of the country and that most of the bags would be over 50 pounds; we'd pay the extra fee. The second bag, too, was over 60 pounds and she again was annoyed that it was too heavy (I guess it's a lot of extra work to put a bright pink "HEAVY" tag on a bag while watching us lift these bags back and forth from the scale to the cart). About the time the fourth bag was being weighed (NOT too heavy) a knight in shining armor showed up to rescue us. Okay, it was a young man on his iPhone pushing a large luggage cart who offered to take our bags to the screening area. Finally some kindness! Needless to say, he got a tip; Mrs. Grumpy Pants did not!
Flight to Miami - Brandon sat by a gentleman who was on the flight with his wife and two elementary school age kids. They lived in Bolivia, but traveled every year to the United States. He was accustomed to traveling with little ones and was very understanding about Bailey's fussy moments.
Miami Airport - We didn't have much time between flights, so we hustled over to our gate, grabbed some food from a "Chili's to go" cart and did a quick diaper change. There were lots of toddlers running around by our gate so we knew Bailey wouldn't be the only kid (the youngest, by far, but not the only).
Flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil - The couple in front of us definitely wasn't pleased about a baby sitting behind them. When she fussed for a second as we sat down, they locked (and then rolled) eyes disapprovingly. Though, with the four teenage girls across the aisle literally climbing over each other's seats and shouting back and forth to each other, I don't know why WE were the source of their scorn. Those of you that know Bailey know that she HATES to be sitting (rather, for you to be sitting while holding her), and so I had to get up during the flight and pace in the back by the attendants (even though the fasten seatbelt light was on). They were okay with me back there during the mild turbulence, but when I had to grab hold of the wall to keep my balance, one steward recommended that I take my seat. Oh, by the way, Bailey exploded in her diaper as we started taxiing down the runway (which I couldn't change for quite some time) and then proceeded to explode AGAIN as soon as I was seated. Thank goodness there are changing tables in the bathrooms . . . our neighbors definitely wouldn't have been happy about smelling a poopy diaper in all it's glory!
Sao, Paulo Airport - As we disembarked from the plane and retrieved Bailey's stroller, there was an attendant calling to us, asking "Asunicon?" We said yes and she immediately pulled us aside and (after oohing and ahhing over Bailey and her blue eyes) gave us directions to our gate. I kind of felt like she was smuggling us through security, though, as everyone else from the flight went down one corridor towards immigration and we bypassed that whole process (not that I'm complaining). After three gate changes (announced in Portuguese) we made it to the final leg of our flight.
Flight to Asuncion - Brandon sat by a gentleman who worked for adidas and had been at the World Cup, so they had plenty to talk about on the 2 hour flight from Brazil to Paraguay. It was a fairly uneventful flight, which was a wonderful ending to the trip. As we disembarked the plane, the man who had sat by Brandon looked at me holding Bailey and said "the pilot said it's 10 degrees (Celsius) outside." I said "oh . . . ", thinking to myself "that means nothing to me." Again, he said, "it's 10 degrees outside, do you have something else to put on the baby?" The lightbulb went on . . . it's cold outside! We did have a jacket for her and as the cold air streamed in the plane at the door, I was grateful for his help. It was a breeze getting through immigration, our bags were all on the baggage claim belt, and the director from the school (plus our neighbors at the apartment) were right there to meet us and load our bags into their cars, whisking us off to our new home!
God was so good to us on this trip and, while I'm glad we don't have to repeat that journey for another 5 months, I'm not completely dreading the return trip in December.
We're here! After an exhausting 24-hour trip from Los Angeles to Asuncion, Paraguay (via Miami & Sao Paulo, Brazil), we are all set up in our new apartment. Here's a picture of the building (ours is on the bottom floor to the left when you walk through the entry way).
Here are some highlights from our trip:
Checking in at LAX - We had been told over the phone that Bailey would get one checked bag, plus we'd be able to check her stroller and car seat for free. We were also told that Brandon and I could take a third bag each (at $100 a piece) and that we could pack 70 pounds in each bag since we were traveling through Brazil. So we show up with six extra-heavy suitcases, a stroller and car seat and are greeted by the world's grumpiest representative who desperately needed a hug or something. When we first showed up at the counter and informed her that we were traveling internationally, she rolled her eyes at us and wanted to know why we didn't use the automated check-in system. We told her that we tried, but got an error message that told us to see a flight representative (that would be her). When we informed her that we had six bags to check between the three of us, she clarified that there were only two of us traveling (I guess Bailey doesn't count as a person since she didn't have her own seat?) and took it as a personal insult that we'd have to pay the excess baggage charge. We let her know that we were moving to Paraguay and didn't have much of a choice; we knew we'd have to pay for the extra bags. After throwing our first bag on the scale and having it top out over 60 pounds, she again was annoyed that the bags were too heavy and we'd have to pay $50. We reminded her that we were moving out of the country and that most of the bags would be over 50 pounds; we'd pay the extra fee. The second bag, too, was over 60 pounds and she again was annoyed that it was too heavy (I guess it's a lot of extra work to put a bright pink "HEAVY" tag on a bag while watching us lift these bags back and forth from the scale to the cart). About the time the fourth bag was being weighed (NOT too heavy) a knight in shining armor showed up to rescue us. Okay, it was a young man on his iPhone pushing a large luggage cart who offered to take our bags to the screening area. Finally some kindness! Needless to say, he got a tip; Mrs. Grumpy Pants did not!
Flight to Miami - Brandon sat by a gentleman who was on the flight with his wife and two elementary school age kids. They lived in Bolivia, but traveled every year to the United States. He was accustomed to traveling with little ones and was very understanding about Bailey's fussy moments.
Miami Airport - We didn't have much time between flights, so we hustled over to our gate, grabbed some food from a "Chili's to go" cart and did a quick diaper change. There were lots of toddlers running around by our gate so we knew Bailey wouldn't be the only kid (the youngest, by far, but not the only).
Flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil - The couple in front of us definitely wasn't pleased about a baby sitting behind them. When she fussed for a second as we sat down, they locked (and then rolled) eyes disapprovingly. Though, with the four teenage girls across the aisle literally climbing over each other's seats and shouting back and forth to each other, I don't know why WE were the source of their scorn. Those of you that know Bailey know that she HATES to be sitting (rather, for you to be sitting while holding her), and so I had to get up during the flight and pace in the back by the attendants (even though the fasten seatbelt light was on). They were okay with me back there during the mild turbulence, but when I had to grab hold of the wall to keep my balance, one steward recommended that I take my seat. Oh, by the way, Bailey exploded in her diaper as we started taxiing down the runway (which I couldn't change for quite some time) and then proceeded to explode AGAIN as soon as I was seated. Thank goodness there are changing tables in the bathrooms . . . our neighbors definitely wouldn't have been happy about smelling a poopy diaper in all it's glory!
Sao, Paulo Airport - As we disembarked from the plane and retrieved Bailey's stroller, there was an attendant calling to us, asking "Asunicon?" We said yes and she immediately pulled us aside and (after oohing and ahhing over Bailey and her blue eyes) gave us directions to our gate. I kind of felt like she was smuggling us through security, though, as everyone else from the flight went down one corridor towards immigration and we bypassed that whole process (not that I'm complaining). After three gate changes (announced in Portuguese) we made it to the final leg of our flight.
Flight to Asuncion - Brandon sat by a gentleman who worked for adidas and had been at the World Cup, so they had plenty to talk about on the 2 hour flight from Brazil to Paraguay. It was a fairly uneventful flight, which was a wonderful ending to the trip. As we disembarked the plane, the man who had sat by Brandon looked at me holding Bailey and said "the pilot said it's 10 degrees (Celsius) outside." I said "oh . . . ", thinking to myself "that means nothing to me." Again, he said, "it's 10 degrees outside, do you have something else to put on the baby?" The lightbulb went on . . . it's cold outside! We did have a jacket for her and as the cold air streamed in the plane at the door, I was grateful for his help. It was a breeze getting through immigration, our bags were all on the baggage claim belt, and the director from the school (plus our neighbors at the apartment) were right there to meet us and load our bags into their cars, whisking us off to our new home!
God was so good to us on this trip and, while I'm glad we don't have to repeat that journey for another 5 months, I'm not completely dreading the return trip in December.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
All My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready to Go . . .
. . . I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again . . .
We're in the process of packing up the last of our things, trying not to get overwhelmed at the prospect of navigating the airports with six bags (plus stroller and car seat) with a baby in tow . . .
Our flight leaves at noon on Monday, July 12th and we'll land in Asuncion, Paraguay on Tuesday, July 13th at noon.
Please pray for a safe trip and that Bailey is peaceful on the plane. She has a cold and is congested to begin with; the change in air pressure won't help, I'm sure.
Thank you for all your well wishes and prayers. We love you!
We're in the process of packing up the last of our things, trying not to get overwhelmed at the prospect of navigating the airports with six bags (plus stroller and car seat) with a baby in tow . . .
Our flight leaves at noon on Monday, July 12th and we'll land in Asuncion, Paraguay on Tuesday, July 13th at noon.
Please pray for a safe trip and that Bailey is peaceful on the plane. She has a cold and is congested to begin with; the change in air pressure won't help, I'm sure.
Thank you for all your well wishes and prayers. We love you!
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