End of the First Year!



The Cancha!



       I am sorry that I have not posted in two weeks, things certainly have been full and busy as our semester ended and I was able to come home to the US for our winter break. My parents surprised me back in May with buying me a ticket to be able to come home for this break and I have been so blessed with this time. I have enjoyed catching up with family and friends and the rest and break have been a welcomed relief.



Chipa salesman



       Before I left on break I was able to go to my first Paraguayan soccer game! It was a sort of pre-season game of Paraguay verses Chile. While no one scored Paraguay still played well, and I had a blast getting an inside look into their soccer games! While the stadium wasn’t full there was still plenty of cheering, chipa and drink salesmen, and soccer pride. While there was more cheering for Olympia and Cerro (the biggest rival in Paraguayan Club teams) instead of for Paraguay, it was wonderful to get to show some country pride. I have attached several pictures for you to be able to see!



Rolling advertisements!

    



Julia finished her pillow that she
was making in art club!



  On June 24th it is the official day of San Juan and there are lots of festivals all throughout Paraguay to celebrate! I went downtown with some friends and was able to join in with the festivities. The San Juan festival is full of old traditions, some that are more standard and some that are more regional. Much of the festivities revolve around fire. There are games and rituals to help young women find out who they are to marry(things similar to catching the bouquet), clay pots (like piñatas), and this year in Asuncion they made the biggest mbeju in the world! Mbeju is a traditional cake/pancake-like pattie that is made from a few ingredients and then cooked over a stove or a fire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbeju ). In this case the mbeju was huge, about the circumference of an above ground swimming pool. They rigged up a huge iron circles and with a crane and a big fire, they were able to cook the mbeju. I have to admit that I have certainly had better, but it was still fun to be a part of it. At the festival there were lots of traditional dancing, delicious food, and some stuffed human sized dolls. One of the dolls that was downtown that they were going to burn, was labeled with the names of key figures that were less than popular with the people who helped to label it. For example on the doll that I saw it had the labels of Lugo (the Paraguayan president) and the president for the Olympia soccer team! I have been so blessed to dive into the Paraguayan culture more and more.



These pictures are from the end of the
year carnival that we created!



       I will be heading back to down to Paraguay on July 12th and our new school year will start up on July 26th with in service for teachers before. We are welcoming several new teachers into our school and are very excited to have them join our community.



Digging for pirate treasure!



Prayer Requests:

- The temperatures in Paraguay are going lower than they have before. Much of Paraguay is not equipped for the weather and many people are struggling. My church has been giving out new blankets and shoes to the children that come to my church to help keep them warm. But many people are far less blessed. Those living in the slums and shacks have little to keep them warm at night. Please pray for the people in Paraguay on the streets and in the shacks.

- Please pray for safe travel and a good transition for our new teachers that are coming down.

- Please pray for safe travel for all of the teachers who have traveling for a safe return.

- Please pray for a wonderful fresh start with the upcoming new school year.

Firsts:

- First Paraguayan futbol game!

- First time celebrating the San Juan festival!
- First time eating the World’s biggest mbeju!
- First Year of teaching completed!
- First time going from colder Paraguay to warmer US!