19 December 2007
a refreshing few days
I got back yesterday from a lovely time visiting my friend Arantxa in Salamanca, Spain. It was the first time in three years that I'd been back there and I loved every minute! Arantxa and I spent many hours talking about life, God and the universe and it was almost like it had been back when we were living together all those years ago. We walked the streets of Salamanca at my request every day. I really enjoyed the bright, crisp winter weather, feeling my face to be very cold while the rest of me was wrapped up warm, and enjoying the blue, blue skies. We passed through the Plaza Mayor as many times as I could persuade Arantxa it was necessary (a lot!) and ate roasted chestnuts as we wandered in the evening, with the Christmas lights brightening the streets. All in all, a very lovely time. ¡Que se repita!
If you want to see photos I took, go to my Picasa album:
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| Salamanca December 07 |
08 November 2007
a busy couple of months
It's been a while, I know. There has been a lot going on at work but nothing new or unusual enough for me to feel the urge to write about it. I did workshops with the 1st and 2nd year teacher trainees on how to teach English to young children. The second year group are a lovely bunch of girls; we are blessed to have them at FEISA, and they were very enthusiastic from the beginning. The first years are a much more difficult group and, while doing the workshops I got the feeling that they were thinking it was a bit of a waste of time, so I was very surprised and gratified that my perceptions in fact had been wrong, when they wrote out their evaluation of the workshops. There were only one or two negative comments and almost all of them gave me 5 out of 5!
My parents came for their second visit in as many years! They had a fabulous time watching birds in the Chaco with a British bloke called Paul. I'm not exactly the biggest fan of birdwatching so I was pleased to leave them in the safe and capable hands of Paul while I got on with work at FEISA for a week! We visited the Iguazú falls again and the Jesuit ruins, in the south of Paraguay. I got to see a different part of the country with them, which was lovely. We stayed together at the SIM guest house in Asunción, so I had to get used to my mum's snoring quickly! And that meant Mum and Dad met (albeit briefly!) a number of the other missionaries I work alongside.
It was a very dry winter here, which meant drought for those living in the harsh western region called the Chaco, and it also provided fuel for thousands of forest fires to break out. Fortunately, there has been some rain in the past month or so, which has helped, though not enough to solve the water shortage yet.
I did my first solo visits to girls on teaching practice in October. A bit scary at first but I found I enjoyed being able to input into their training in a direct way. I saw some fantastic teaching and some decidedly underwhelming teaching too! Fortunately, there was a lot more that was positive than negative!
This photo shows one of our students as she supervises kids painting their playground wall
And here the children are painting themselves!
Other things I've been involved in include the design for a website we're putting together. There will be a Spanish part for prospective students and an English part for prospective donors/praying people. The Spanish part is with the website design company now and should be up and running within the next few weeks. The English part will take longer, but we're all quite excited about it, as you can imagine!
We have also taken the mobile play scheme to many, many schools over the past month. Our third year students have taken advantage of this service to enhance their teaching practices in schools in very poor areas. Some of the kids have been so overwhelmed they just didn't know what to do when faced with so many toys! I was playing in the home corner with one little girl, going along with the story she was making up and she was so delighted that I was responding to her play that she gave me a kiss on the cheek!
It's now near the end of the academic year so exams are coming up, which make the students quite stressed, as you can imagine. Everybody is exhausted and it's getting hotter, which makes everything that much more tiring, so we're all looking forward to the end of term!
At the end of October, I went away to a lovely hotel in the trees near a lake about an hour from Asunción, for a women's retreat with 6 others from the SIM team in Paraguay. It was a really wonderful weekend. We were the only guests at the hotel for most of the weekend, so it felt completely luxurious, swimming in the pool by ourselves, having the waiters at our beck and call...! It was fantastic to get to know everyone a bit better and to spend time with each other focusing on God and how to make Jesus our treasure. It really touched my heart and made me reassess my commitment to my Lord. If I really want to experience the joy of the Lord, I have realised this will entail discipline and sacrifice as well as suffering along the way. A hard thing to come to terms with but I am now convinced that the price is worth paying. If you want to pray for me, please pray that I will find fullness of joy in my relationship with my Saviour.
These are some of the women on the retreat; clockwise from left: Kelly, Alyssa, Vonnie, Lissy with Timmy
the extra ones in this picture are Sarah (front left) and Cherlynn (back right) oh, and me, as you can see!
02 September 2007
Cynthia's Story
In order to give you a view of how FEISA is impacting lives, here's the story of one student, who was in my English class last year:
(photo of Cynthia at a play scheme this year)
"The love of God called me in 2006 when I was lost in the world, in religiosity, empty and with serious problems in my marriage. That January, I saw an advert in the newspaper for the Early Years Teacher Training course at FEISA. Teaching had been my dream for a long time but I had never had the opportunity or the finances to study. I found out that FEISA offers scholarships so I applied and a few days later I was accepted on the course. The scholarship was a real blessing because I was in a difficult situation; my husband was the only wage earner in the family and studying was difficult because I had 3 children who were also going to school. In this way, God was preparing the way for me towards an encounter with him.
"When I arrived at FEISA, I encountered the love of God through the people there and, in the Christian Worldview classes I discovered that salvation comes through faith and not by works, as I had believed.
"By July 2006, my relationship with my husband was deteriorating to the point that I wanted to leave him, even though I loved him a lot. I couldn't take the jealousy or the physical and verbal abuse any longer. The following month, my sister Liliana invited me to meetings where they talked about God and in September, I met him, God the Father, (Abba, Daddy!) at church. I continued to grow and that very month I started going to a Bible study where the Lord began shaping my life. In April 2007 I was baptised by full immersion, also known as water baptism.
"My brothers and sisters at FEISA were the fertile soil which welcomed this little seed.
"Nowadays my parents are studying the Bible, as is my husband. That monster changed into a wonderful and handsome prince, but, unlike the story of Beauty and the Beast, where everything ends when Beauty kisses the Beast and he changes and becomes handsome and they fall in love, in this story, it was God who showed us his love and this love changed us both.
"I thank the people at FEISA for their prayers and their support because the Word tells us that faith without works is dead and I feel the love of God through them, my brothers and sisters in Christ. I thank them because they are instruments in God's hands and thanks to this, God can change the lives of his children."
(photo of Cynthia at a play scheme this year)"The love of God called me in 2006 when I was lost in the world, in religiosity, empty and with serious problems in my marriage. That January, I saw an advert in the newspaper for the Early Years Teacher Training course at FEISA. Teaching had been my dream for a long time but I had never had the opportunity or the finances to study. I found out that FEISA offers scholarships so I applied and a few days later I was accepted on the course. The scholarship was a real blessing because I was in a difficult situation; my husband was the only wage earner in the family and studying was difficult because I had 3 children who were also going to school. In this way, God was preparing the way for me towards an encounter with him.
"When I arrived at FEISA, I encountered the love of God through the people there and, in the Christian Worldview classes I discovered that salvation comes through faith and not by works, as I had believed.
"By July 2006, my relationship with my husband was deteriorating to the point that I wanted to leave him, even though I loved him a lot. I couldn't take the jealousy or the physical and verbal abuse any longer. The following month, my sister Liliana invited me to meetings where they talked about God and in September, I met him, God the Father, (Abba, Daddy!) at church. I continued to grow and that very month I started going to a Bible study where the Lord began shaping my life. In April 2007 I was baptised by full immersion, also known as water baptism.
"My brothers and sisters at FEISA were the fertile soil which welcomed this little seed.
"Nowadays my parents are studying the Bible, as is my husband. That monster changed into a wonderful and handsome prince, but, unlike the story of Beauty and the Beast, where everything ends when Beauty kisses the Beast and he changes and becomes handsome and they fall in love, in this story, it was God who showed us his love and this love changed us both.
"I thank the people at FEISA for their prayers and their support because the Word tells us that faith without works is dead and I feel the love of God through them, my brothers and sisters in Christ. I thank them because they are instruments in God's hands and thanks to this, God can change the lives of his children."
17 August 2007
giving blood
I was sitting on my sofa at 11pm one evening last week. I'd just watched the latest episode of my favourite Brazilian soap opera (dubbed into Spanish, I particularly enjoy the fact that these stories differ from Eastenders and Coronation Street by having an end; they last a few months, are on every night for an hour each, and you watch the story with all its subplots developing, knowing that there's going to be a happy ending at some point!). I was surprised to notice that the late film this evening was one I was interested in so I decided to stay up and watch it for a change.
As the film got underway, a notice rolled across the bottom of the screen, asking help for someone who was ill in the public hospital and needed blood type A+. It gave the name and room number of the person and asked for donors to go to the hospital to give blood.
(I wondered whether it was the done thing to go and visit the person you were giving blood for...?)
I'd seen a similar notice on the telly once last year but the blood type needed was not mine. This time it was my blood type, so I decided to help. I've given blood several times in the UK and I thought it was a very practical and tangible thing I could do to help someone in need. So the next morning, I made my way to the public hospital not at all sure what to expect. I'd heard terrible stories about corridors full of patients and rude staff. I realised the experience was going to be different from what happens in the UK at a blood donating session, but I didn't know how different or in what ways. When I arrived at the hospital I made my way through the stalls selling all kinds of snacks, drinks and useful items like tissues and shoes (!) and headed for the main door. There was a sign outside the main entrance telling me the blood bank was in area "C" so once inside, I followed the signs down a corridor which got narrower and found myself facing a brick wall with no exit! I realised I'd have to ask a member of staff where to go. I was glad not to have to look far before I found someone in a white coat and she was quite helpful, giving me clear directions to a new building where the blood bank had obviously recently moved.
I entered the waiting room, lined up at a door with others and was given a form to fill in. I was reassured by the comprehensive nature of the questions on the form; very similar to the forms at home. However, the first question was "Have you read and understood the information leaflet in the waiting room?" I diligently looked around the room for said leaflet but had to conclude that either there was no leaflet or it was invisible! I left that question unanswered and moved on to the next. Within about 20 minutes, my number was called and I followed a technician into an office, where she skimmed through the questionnaire and asked a few of the questions again and completely ignored the question on whether I'd ever had my blood rejected at a donation session before. I'd answered yes because there have been a couple of times my haemoglobin has been low. I silently prayed that it wasn't going to be a problem this time, especially once I realised they weren't going to test my haemoglobin here!
She asked me who I was donating for so I said, "the woman whose name came up on the telly last night" It hadn't occurred to me that I'd need to give them her name. She said not to worry, the blood would be used and she noted me down as a volunteer instead.
The next part of the procedure was very similar to what happens at home; they stuck a needle in my arm as I was lying on a reclining chair and told me to open and close my hand to keep the blood pumping out. What happened once the bag was full was very different however! In the UK, you're made to lie still for another 15 minutes or so and then you sit with a cup of tea and a biscuit for another little while before they'll let you leave. Here, the moment the blood had started clotting to heal the wound on my arm, they said, "you can go now!" I stood up and the room started to sway gently! I decided to take it easy and had a sit down in the waiting room for a few minutes before making my way slowly out of the hospital to get the bus home. Fortunately I didn't have to go to work for another few hours so I lay down on the sofa for a bit to recover!
They are obviously not inundated with blood donations so I'm considering going back once in a while to give blood and do my bit to help.
As the film got underway, a notice rolled across the bottom of the screen, asking help for someone who was ill in the public hospital and needed blood type A+. It gave the name and room number of the person and asked for donors to go to the hospital to give blood.
(I wondered whether it was the done thing to go and visit the person you were giving blood for...?)
I'd seen a similar notice on the telly once last year but the blood type needed was not mine. This time it was my blood type, so I decided to help. I've given blood several times in the UK and I thought it was a very practical and tangible thing I could do to help someone in need. So the next morning, I made my way to the public hospital not at all sure what to expect. I'd heard terrible stories about corridors full of patients and rude staff. I realised the experience was going to be different from what happens in the UK at a blood donating session, but I didn't know how different or in what ways. When I arrived at the hospital I made my way through the stalls selling all kinds of snacks, drinks and useful items like tissues and shoes (!) and headed for the main door. There was a sign outside the main entrance telling me the blood bank was in area "C" so once inside, I followed the signs down a corridor which got narrower and found myself facing a brick wall with no exit! I realised I'd have to ask a member of staff where to go. I was glad not to have to look far before I found someone in a white coat and she was quite helpful, giving me clear directions to a new building where the blood bank had obviously recently moved.
I entered the waiting room, lined up at a door with others and was given a form to fill in. I was reassured by the comprehensive nature of the questions on the form; very similar to the forms at home. However, the first question was "Have you read and understood the information leaflet in the waiting room?" I diligently looked around the room for said leaflet but had to conclude that either there was no leaflet or it was invisible! I left that question unanswered and moved on to the next. Within about 20 minutes, my number was called and I followed a technician into an office, where she skimmed through the questionnaire and asked a few of the questions again and completely ignored the question on whether I'd ever had my blood rejected at a donation session before. I'd answered yes because there have been a couple of times my haemoglobin has been low. I silently prayed that it wasn't going to be a problem this time, especially once I realised they weren't going to test my haemoglobin here!
She asked me who I was donating for so I said, "the woman whose name came up on the telly last night" It hadn't occurred to me that I'd need to give them her name. She said not to worry, the blood would be used and she noted me down as a volunteer instead.
The next part of the procedure was very similar to what happens at home; they stuck a needle in my arm as I was lying on a reclining chair and told me to open and close my hand to keep the blood pumping out. What happened once the bag was full was very different however! In the UK, you're made to lie still for another 15 minutes or so and then you sit with a cup of tea and a biscuit for another little while before they'll let you leave. Here, the moment the blood had started clotting to heal the wound on my arm, they said, "you can go now!" I stood up and the room started to sway gently! I decided to take it easy and had a sit down in the waiting room for a few minutes before making my way slowly out of the hospital to get the bus home. Fortunately I didn't have to go to work for another few hours so I lay down on the sofa for a bit to recover!
They are obviously not inundated with blood donations so I'm considering going back once in a while to give blood and do my bit to help.
07 August 2007
Hillsong Disappointment
I arrived at the stadium hot and sweaty after the 15 minute walk from work with my friend and colleague, Noemí. We had made our excuses and left work early for the concert that was due to start in 2 hours' time and I had misjudged the weather yet again in this Paraguayan winter, wearing warm clothes on an afternoon that turned out to be warm and muggy. Hillsong, the Australian worship team, were due to perform for the Paraguayan youth (and assorted taggers-on, like myself! Although I was there as part of the leadership of the youth group at church, so perhaps my presence was justified!). At youth group, I'd become familiar with two of the songs from the latest Hillsong album "United" (recorded in Spanish) and was looking forward to singing them with the 20,000 others in the stadium that night.
We met Noemí's husband at the gate where he was waiting for the youth who were yet to arrive and we bought "chipa," the ubiquitous bread-like snack made with corn flour and cheese, baked into rings. Noemí and I headed into the stadium to find the rest of the youth, laden with chipa and Coke. We had bought our tickets at the last minute because the youth were late in handing over the money they had raised through the sale of Bibles, which had been donated for the purpose. This meant the tickets had gone up from 30,000 to 35,000 Guaraníes (£3.50), a significant amount of money in a country where the official minimum wage is £100 a month but most live on £50 or less. Noemí had given me our tickets to look after earlier in the day and I enthusiastically held onto them, handing them over as we entered the stadium. I was most disappointed when my beautifully designed ticket was thrown mercilessly into the bin on entering our assigned section of the stands! There went the souvenir!
We found the youth group sitting in a great spot, with a good view of the stage and the screens either side. Noemí saw friends of hers in the crowd who came and talked to her, I saw a student from the college and went to say hello... we chatted about this and that and the atmosphere was very expectant. The group had been in Brazil for a few dates of their tour and then had come to Paraguay for one night only. We were looking forward to the blessing of worshipping with this international group and all these thousands of Paraguayans. As we waited, the sun went down (the stadium lights took a while to catch up and we were left in the murk for a little longer than was comfortable!) and the temperature started to drop; I was glad of my jumper after all! The stadium gradually filled and finally (half an hour late!) the music started. Hooray! Oh, what? They were singing in English! Well, I'm sure you'll be thinking; of course they were; they are Australian, after all! But, with them having brought out a cd in Spanish, then coming to a Spanish-speaking country where few people speak English, I had expected them to sing in Spanish. As had everyone else I talked to about it.
What a disappointment! They were singing the English versions of songs from the United album. The words were on the screens in Engish and Spanish and every now and then, the singer would do the chorus in Spanish, but mainly the songs were sung in English. What a shame. They proclamed that it wasn't a concert, it wasn't a show, but that they wanted it first and foremost to be an act of praise to God. How can God's people praise him if they don't understand the language being used? Some of the Paraguayans were singing along in Spanish to the songs they knew but there was a definite change in atmosphere whenever the folk on stage sang in Spanish; the volume of singing from the crowd rose noticeably. At one point late on, a Paraguayan worship leader took over in Spanish the leading of one of the well-known songs from the Australians and the crowd's reaction was electric; suddenly the stadium was alive with praises to God. At another moment, the crowd was encouraged to sing a repeated phrase in English from one of the songs, in praise to God; "Let's praise him together!" said the leader. The people may have sung along willingly, and it was clear that the folk on stage were worshipping but whether the crowd were is debatable.
Many, many people were mightily blessed by the concert and I don't want to belittle their experience but for me, the team from Hillsong came to Paraguay with far too little knowledge of the realities of the country. At one point before the show started, they showed a film (in English, without subtitles) about a project they support in Africa, working with children. The film was about our responsibility, as people who "have" to give to those who have nothing and ended with a plea for money. I was offended by their showing the film here, where there are far too many needy children right in front of our eyes without having to look abroad for them. Late on in the concert, they talked about the Bible school Hillsong runs in Australia and said, "we want you to come!" WHAT? Did they have NO idea of the impossibility of a Paraguayan getting together the funds for a flight to Australia, never mind the cost of studying and living there? It showed a complete lack of interest on their part in knowing something about the people they were ministering to.
There was a message, half way through the show, by a youth pastor who was part of the Australian team. It was translated, phrase by phrase, into Spanish and was about Peter and John healing the cripple; nothing is impossible for God. A fine message, but it smelt to me as though it was the same message they had been giving at all their concerts. Why didn't they ask a Paraguayan pastor to speak? It could have been so much more meaningful to the Paraguayan youth. It's as though Hillsong have discovered that they have a gift in their own country (and, probably around the English-speaking world) and now have this wonderful idea about dropping it like an aid package from an aeroplane in all these different countries to bless the unfortunate people there... It has no long-term benefits and it smacks of colonialism in the worst way when they don't take any account of the unique circumstances of each country they visit.
If you're coming to minister to people in a different country, you have a responsibility to find out something about the country and try to make your minsitry relevant. I think their purpose could have been served much better if they had taken the time to discover what Paraguay was like and what needs the youth in this country have. At the very least, they should have had singers who could perform in Spanish. In my opinion, it was an opportunity lost and I hope they have learnt from the experience. However, I wonder whether they stayed long enough to realise their faults or did they rush onto the next date in Argentina or wherever, without giving it a second thought?
We met Noemí's husband at the gate where he was waiting for the youth who were yet to arrive and we bought "chipa," the ubiquitous bread-like snack made with corn flour and cheese, baked into rings. Noemí and I headed into the stadium to find the rest of the youth, laden with chipa and Coke. We had bought our tickets at the last minute because the youth were late in handing over the money they had raised through the sale of Bibles, which had been donated for the purpose. This meant the tickets had gone up from 30,000 to 35,000 Guaraníes (£3.50), a significant amount of money in a country where the official minimum wage is £100 a month but most live on £50 or less. Noemí had given me our tickets to look after earlier in the day and I enthusiastically held onto them, handing them over as we entered the stadium. I was most disappointed when my beautifully designed ticket was thrown mercilessly into the bin on entering our assigned section of the stands! There went the souvenir!
We found the youth group sitting in a great spot, with a good view of the stage and the screens either side. Noemí saw friends of hers in the crowd who came and talked to her, I saw a student from the college and went to say hello... we chatted about this and that and the atmosphere was very expectant. The group had been in Brazil for a few dates of their tour and then had come to Paraguay for one night only. We were looking forward to the blessing of worshipping with this international group and all these thousands of Paraguayans. As we waited, the sun went down (the stadium lights took a while to catch up and we were left in the murk for a little longer than was comfortable!) and the temperature started to drop; I was glad of my jumper after all! The stadium gradually filled and finally (half an hour late!) the music started. Hooray! Oh, what? They were singing in English! Well, I'm sure you'll be thinking; of course they were; they are Australian, after all! But, with them having brought out a cd in Spanish, then coming to a Spanish-speaking country where few people speak English, I had expected them to sing in Spanish. As had everyone else I talked to about it.
What a disappointment! They were singing the English versions of songs from the United album. The words were on the screens in Engish and Spanish and every now and then, the singer would do the chorus in Spanish, but mainly the songs were sung in English. What a shame. They proclamed that it wasn't a concert, it wasn't a show, but that they wanted it first and foremost to be an act of praise to God. How can God's people praise him if they don't understand the language being used? Some of the Paraguayans were singing along in Spanish to the songs they knew but there was a definite change in atmosphere whenever the folk on stage sang in Spanish; the volume of singing from the crowd rose noticeably. At one point late on, a Paraguayan worship leader took over in Spanish the leading of one of the well-known songs from the Australians and the crowd's reaction was electric; suddenly the stadium was alive with praises to God. At another moment, the crowd was encouraged to sing a repeated phrase in English from one of the songs, in praise to God; "Let's praise him together!" said the leader. The people may have sung along willingly, and it was clear that the folk on stage were worshipping but whether the crowd were is debatable.
Many, many people were mightily blessed by the concert and I don't want to belittle their experience but for me, the team from Hillsong came to Paraguay with far too little knowledge of the realities of the country. At one point before the show started, they showed a film (in English, without subtitles) about a project they support in Africa, working with children. The film was about our responsibility, as people who "have" to give to those who have nothing and ended with a plea for money. I was offended by their showing the film here, where there are far too many needy children right in front of our eyes without having to look abroad for them. Late on in the concert, they talked about the Bible school Hillsong runs in Australia and said, "we want you to come!" WHAT? Did they have NO idea of the impossibility of a Paraguayan getting together the funds for a flight to Australia, never mind the cost of studying and living there? It showed a complete lack of interest on their part in knowing something about the people they were ministering to.
There was a message, half way through the show, by a youth pastor who was part of the Australian team. It was translated, phrase by phrase, into Spanish and was about Peter and John healing the cripple; nothing is impossible for God. A fine message, but it smelt to me as though it was the same message they had been giving at all their concerts. Why didn't they ask a Paraguayan pastor to speak? It could have been so much more meaningful to the Paraguayan youth. It's as though Hillsong have discovered that they have a gift in their own country (and, probably around the English-speaking world) and now have this wonderful idea about dropping it like an aid package from an aeroplane in all these different countries to bless the unfortunate people there... It has no long-term benefits and it smacks of colonialism in the worst way when they don't take any account of the unique circumstances of each country they visit.
If you're coming to minister to people in a different country, you have a responsibility to find out something about the country and try to make your minsitry relevant. I think their purpose could have been served much better if they had taken the time to discover what Paraguay was like and what needs the youth in this country have. At the very least, they should have had singers who could perform in Spanish. In my opinion, it was an opportunity lost and I hope they have learnt from the experience. However, I wonder whether they stayed long enough to realise their faults or did they rush onto the next date in Argentina or wherever, without giving it a second thought?
06 July 2007
half way through the year already!
How time flies! We're just about to start our 2 week winter break and I'm quite amazed at how this first semester has sped by.
We had the exam for the 3rd years' course on teaching English to young children and I was very impressed with how well all the students did. They had to teach an activity to the rest of the students, as though they were doing it with a class of 5-year-olds. I was really very pleased with the quality of their teaching, I couldn't have hoped for anything better! Hooray! It is wonderful to think that I’ve trained students who are now capable of teaching English really well.
I asked the students to fill in evaluation sheets at the end of the course and they all came back with really positive comments. They enjoyed the practical nature of the course and the fact that the assessments were designed to help them teach, not just to give them marks. They were also very positive about me as a teacher, which is really affirming. Overall, they gave the course 5/5, so I feel quite confident that I managed to meet their needs and make the course enjoyable enough.
I'm going to a wedding tomorrow evening; a young couple from church. The worry is that the only clothes I've got that are suitably smart are not going to be warm enough. It's forecast to drop in temperature tomorrow and there's a chance of rain. Still, at least I've got clothes to wear!
On Sunday, I'm leaving for the SIM Paraguay team's annual conference. This year it's at a hotel in the countryside and will last 5 days, including some teaching and relaxing as well as a great opportunity to just spend time with the team. As a group we don't get together very often because there are families in a number of different places, some very far away. So I'm looking forward to that.
And that's all my news, I think.
We had the exam for the 3rd years' course on teaching English to young children and I was very impressed with how well all the students did. They had to teach an activity to the rest of the students, as though they were doing it with a class of 5-year-olds. I was really very pleased with the quality of their teaching, I couldn't have hoped for anything better! Hooray! It is wonderful to think that I’ve trained students who are now capable of teaching English really well.
I asked the students to fill in evaluation sheets at the end of the course and they all came back with really positive comments. They enjoyed the practical nature of the course and the fact that the assessments were designed to help them teach, not just to give them marks. They were also very positive about me as a teacher, which is really affirming. Overall, they gave the course 5/5, so I feel quite confident that I managed to meet their needs and make the course enjoyable enough.
I'm going to a wedding tomorrow evening; a young couple from church. The worry is that the only clothes I've got that are suitably smart are not going to be warm enough. It's forecast to drop in temperature tomorrow and there's a chance of rain. Still, at least I've got clothes to wear!
On Sunday, I'm leaving for the SIM Paraguay team's annual conference. This year it's at a hotel in the countryside and will last 5 days, including some teaching and relaxing as well as a great opportunity to just spend time with the team. As a group we don't get together very often because there are families in a number of different places, some very far away. So I'm looking forward to that.
And that's all my news, I think.
28 May 2007
corruption deep and widespread
One evening as I was watching the news, three stories caught my attention:
The first was about a project the government set up to provide a glass of milk a day for the poorest children in Paraguay. It was discovered that some of the milk the children were being given was practically devoid of any nutrients, having been made up from milk derivatives instead of being pure milk.
The second story was about an investigation into academic certificates that have been given out to people who have not gained the qualification stated on their certificate. The people found with false certificates include government ministers and doctors.
The third story related the discovery of many tonnes of cotton seeds stored away. The government subsidised the seeds last year to help farmers earn a living. The companies that should have distributed them took the cash from the government but the seeds never reached the farmers.
These kinds of stories are all too common here. Corruption is absolutely endemic. A taxi driver the other day was explaining how, when he goes to the car mechanic, he buys the part he needs himself, takes it to the workshop and then watches as the mechanic replaces it. He uses up half a day in order to be sure that he’s not being swindled. He said everyone knows that otherwise, the mechanic would either tell him he’d fixed it when he hadn’t or he’d replace the part with one from an old car, which would last only a very short time. “That’s what Paraguayans do,” he said.
In a report published last week by Transparency International, Paraguay came joint bottom in a table of the countries with the most corrupt judicial systems.
The first was about a project the government set up to provide a glass of milk a day for the poorest children in Paraguay. It was discovered that some of the milk the children were being given was practically devoid of any nutrients, having been made up from milk derivatives instead of being pure milk. The second story was about an investigation into academic certificates that have been given out to people who have not gained the qualification stated on their certificate. The people found with false certificates include government ministers and doctors.
The third story related the discovery of many tonnes of cotton seeds stored away. The government subsidised the seeds last year to help farmers earn a living. The companies that should have distributed them took the cash from the government but the seeds never reached the farmers.
These kinds of stories are all too common here. Corruption is absolutely endemic. A taxi driver the other day was explaining how, when he goes to the car mechanic, he buys the part he needs himself, takes it to the workshop and then watches as the mechanic replaces it. He uses up half a day in order to be sure that he’s not being swindled. He said everyone knows that otherwise, the mechanic would either tell him he’d fixed it when he hadn’t or he’d replace the part with one from an old car, which would last only a very short time. “That’s what Paraguayans do,” he said.
In a report published last week by Transparency International, Paraguay came joint bottom in a table of the countries with the most corrupt judicial systems.
college life continues...
“We want to have fun!” said the 3rd year girls when I asked them what their expectations were for the course I’m teaching them on how to teach English to very young children. It was the beginning of the first lesson of the module and it was really not the kind of response I was expecting at all!! They obviously remember the workshops I did with them on the same topic last September and were expecting a similar teaching style for this module. I was very sorry to have to disappoint them because this course has to be more academic than the workshops; they were a taste of the different activities you can do, but this module has to include theory and the development of lesson plans and schemes of work. I am including some fun activities in all the lessons but there are inevitable moments of dullness!
I am more involved with the teaching practices team this year, going on visits to an orphanage to supervise the students doing stimulation activities with the babies.
This year we have been taking the mobile play scheme to a wider range of places, including church pre-schools in very poor areas. It is a welcome break for the teachers and the children are over the moon at the chance to play freely for an hour or so.
I am more involved with the teaching practices team this year, going on visits to an orphanage to supervise the students doing stimulation activities with the babies.
This year we have been taking the mobile play scheme to a wider range of places, including church pre-schools in very poor areas. It is a welcome break for the teachers and the children are over the moon at the chance to play freely for an hour or so.
19 May 2007
Fame at last!!
"Ah, you're Fiona Cooper, I've heard about you!" So said Nelson Aguilera, a university bigwig and author, when he read my name badge as the conference speakers were having lunch on Friday. It was the Paraguayan conference of the Association of Christian Schools International and I was there to do two workshops on teaching English in a fun way to 3-11 year olds. I'd heard a lot about him, he's quite famous in education circles here, so I felt it was quite something for him to have heard about little old me!
I had great fun doing the workshops, though it was a challenge for me because I really feel my expertise is in the pre-school age group, so I didn't feel quite as confident about everything as I had when I did the workshop to the pre-school teachers in March. Two of the teachers who'd come in March were also there on Friday, and one of them told me she was using a lot of what she'd learnt at the previous workshop in her teaching. It was really encouraging to have that feedback.
I was surprised in the morning on Friday when, as the first participants trickled in to the room for my workshop, they were speaking English to eachother and to us (Sam came with me as my moral support and techie!) so I asked them whether they'd prefer to have the workshop in English or Spanish. To my surprise they all wanted it in English, so I did it all in English, even though my powerpoint and all my notes were in Spanish. More and more people came into the room after I'd started and I felt a little for the latecomers since they didn't get the choice of having it in Spanish! We played games and sang songs and there was much fun and laughter. I love teaching when it's like that! There were about 40 teachers at the morning workshop and when I repeated it after lunch, 12 people came. ("siesta time;" a similar thing happened to us last year when we did the play scheme workshop at the conference).
At the start of the afternoon session, I asked which language they wanted it in and they chose Spanish, so I got to do the same workshop in two different languages, which made me feel very versatile indeed!! One of the morning teachers returned in the afternoon with someone else from his school. It was better to have fewer participants because everyone could get involved in the games, whereas in the morning, some people had to sit and watch and then, when I gave them the opportunity to participate, were too comfortable in their chairs to come and sit on the floor with me!!
So, there I was doing exactly what I hoped I'd be doing when I said to God after our play scheme workshop at ACSI last year that I'd like to do one on teaching English. The teachers who came to the workshops on Friday all seemed very interested in what I was sharing with them and my prayer is that every one of them will have gone away with new ideas that they can implement to add something new to their teaching.
I had great fun doing the workshops, though it was a challenge for me because I really feel my expertise is in the pre-school age group, so I didn't feel quite as confident about everything as I had when I did the workshop to the pre-school teachers in March. Two of the teachers who'd come in March were also there on Friday, and one of them told me she was using a lot of what she'd learnt at the previous workshop in her teaching. It was really encouraging to have that feedback.
I was surprised in the morning on Friday when, as the first participants trickled in to the room for my workshop, they were speaking English to eachother and to us (Sam came with me as my moral support and techie!) so I asked them whether they'd prefer to have the workshop in English or Spanish. To my surprise they all wanted it in English, so I did it all in English, even though my powerpoint and all my notes were in Spanish. More and more people came into the room after I'd started and I felt a little for the latecomers since they didn't get the choice of having it in Spanish! We played games and sang songs and there was much fun and laughter. I love teaching when it's like that! There were about 40 teachers at the morning workshop and when I repeated it after lunch, 12 people came. ("siesta time;" a similar thing happened to us last year when we did the play scheme workshop at the conference).
At the start of the afternoon session, I asked which language they wanted it in and they chose Spanish, so I got to do the same workshop in two different languages, which made me feel very versatile indeed!! One of the morning teachers returned in the afternoon with someone else from his school. It was better to have fewer participants because everyone could get involved in the games, whereas in the morning, some people had to sit and watch and then, when I gave them the opportunity to participate, were too comfortable in their chairs to come and sit on the floor with me!!
So, there I was doing exactly what I hoped I'd be doing when I said to God after our play scheme workshop at ACSI last year that I'd like to do one on teaching English. The teachers who came to the workshops on Friday all seemed very interested in what I was sharing with them and my prayer is that every one of them will have gone away with new ideas that they can implement to add something new to their teaching.
15 April 2007
Wish you were here?
"I wish it was me!"
"It's so exciting what you're doing!"
"My life seems very ordinary in comparison."
Those are quotes from people in the UK on hearing about what I'm doing here, on the other side of the world.
It's true, it is exciting for me to be here, using my gifts and skills in this work I've been called to. However, I think the key to my joy is in the last few words of that sentence; the fact that I'm doing what God has asked me to do. God has a plan for each of us, uniquely suited to the gifts and personalities he has given us. The most exciting place to be, surely, is right in the centre of that plan. That is the place we can experience most blessing. That's not to say that it will always be easy. By no means! I have gone through some very difficult times while following God on this journey. I have often been challenged by deep desires for a different lifestyle, yet I know that God made me with this journey in mind and I would not give it up for anything in the world.
And, although there are moments of excitement and deep joy, the vast majority of my life is in fact taken up with the mundane ordinariness of life as we all know it; eating, cleaning, washing, shopping, minor stresses at work, personality differences with colleagues, frustrations with details at church...
God calls each of us to our own path, with its own challenges and joys. All of them leading to him, all of them equally precious in his sight. We must not discredit our own path because in our eyes it's somehow lacking in comparison with others'. Neither must we discredit others' paths in comparison to our own.
To some, God gives the privilege of travelling far and wide and meeting lots of people. To others, he gives the privilege of living in one place and becoming part of a stable community. Neither is better or worse, more or less important. Just different. Each person's path is uniquely suited to them.
So here's my challenge to you; are you doing what God has called you to do? Are you using the gifts he has given you for his purposes? If you know that the answer is "yes" then you can be sure that there is no other life better suited to you. If the answer is not "yes" then your task is to seek God's will for your life and accept the challenge of following him unconditionally, because that is where you will find the excitement and blessing you desire. If that thought scares you, give that fear to God. He will not ask you to do anything you are unable to do. He will not allow you to suffer more than you can bear. And he will be with you, guiding you, protecting you and above all, loving you, to the end of time.
"It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for" Ephesians 1 (The Message)
"It's so exciting what you're doing!"
"My life seems very ordinary in comparison."
Those are quotes from people in the UK on hearing about what I'm doing here, on the other side of the world.
It's true, it is exciting for me to be here, using my gifts and skills in this work I've been called to. However, I think the key to my joy is in the last few words of that sentence; the fact that I'm doing what God has asked me to do. God has a plan for each of us, uniquely suited to the gifts and personalities he has given us. The most exciting place to be, surely, is right in the centre of that plan. That is the place we can experience most blessing. That's not to say that it will always be easy. By no means! I have gone through some very difficult times while following God on this journey. I have often been challenged by deep desires for a different lifestyle, yet I know that God made me with this journey in mind and I would not give it up for anything in the world.
And, although there are moments of excitement and deep joy, the vast majority of my life is in fact taken up with the mundane ordinariness of life as we all know it; eating, cleaning, washing, shopping, minor stresses at work, personality differences with colleagues, frustrations with details at church...
God calls each of us to our own path, with its own challenges and joys. All of them leading to him, all of them equally precious in his sight. We must not discredit our own path because in our eyes it's somehow lacking in comparison with others'. Neither must we discredit others' paths in comparison to our own.
To some, God gives the privilege of travelling far and wide and meeting lots of people. To others, he gives the privilege of living in one place and becoming part of a stable community. Neither is better or worse, more or less important. Just different. Each person's path is uniquely suited to them.
So here's my challenge to you; are you doing what God has called you to do? Are you using the gifts he has given you for his purposes? If you know that the answer is "yes" then you can be sure that there is no other life better suited to you. If the answer is not "yes" then your task is to seek God's will for your life and accept the challenge of following him unconditionally, because that is where you will find the excitement and blessing you desire. If that thought scares you, give that fear to God. He will not ask you to do anything you are unable to do. He will not allow you to suffer more than you can bear. And he will be with you, guiding you, protecting you and above all, loving you, to the end of time.
"It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for" Ephesians 1 (The Message)
02 April 2007
Drenched (doesn't come close to describing it)!
On Saturday 31st March I went to a concert by an Argentinian group, with the youth from church. The concert was organised to promote a "Paraguay without drugs or violence", in remembrance of some youth who had lost their lives when they were fired upon at a peaceful demonstration against the government in 1999. The event was held at a football stadium. It rained the morning of the concert, which was great because it cleared the air and the temperature dropped to a bearable level. The sun came out in the afternoon and we all trotted off to the concert without a care in the world!
I felt a few drops of rain during the second song of the headline act, but didn't worry too much. However, by the beginning of the third song, we were in the middle of a full-blown tropical storm!! The rain came down at an incredible rate, accompanied by thunderclaps and lightning. The band kept playing but the audience scattered as fast as we could to escape the downpour. As we were leaving the stands, the electricity got cut so the sound and lights went out. Suddenly we were in darkness, with just the sounds of rain hitting every surface with a thud and of people calling to each other to make sure no-one was lost. Within a minute of the downpour starting, I was drenched to the skin. I couldn't see properly because the rain was coming into my eyes and stinging.
The thousands of people at the stadium were all leaving in order to make their way home. We were squeezed through the tunnel under the stands because lots of people had chosen to stand there to avoid the rain and there was a hairy moment or two as I found myself in the middle of an immense crush of people, half of them wanting to stay where they were and the other half wanting desperately to get out. Once outside the stadium gates we had to cross the road to find the car that had brought us. By this stage, the road was becoming a river and I was very grateful I was wearing flip-flops rather than trainers! It took us another 5 minutes of walking through the deepening waters to find the car. The rain just soaked right through my clothes and by the time I sat in the car, there wasn't a square millimetre of my skin that was dry. I would not have been wetter if I'd gone swimming fully dressed!!!
The water kept rising. Fortunately, we were in a pick-up truck, so the river that the road had become wasn't such a problem as for other vehicles. However, there were 16 of us altogether and, while 5 of us fitted inside the cab, the other 11 had to brave the storm on the back of the truck. And it kept raining. Some roads were impassable so we had to take the long way round to take some folks home. Asunción is a town with lots of little hills, so the roads become the drains taking the water to the river and, within an hour of the rain stopping, the roads are practically dry again! By the next morning, the only evidence of the storm were gatherings of mud at dips in the roads, where it had been carried by the water.
I do enjoy a storm but I definitely prefer to watch it from the shelter of my own home! It was a shame about the concert, a lot of people had been looking forward to it for ages. Still, not much you can do about the weather!
I felt a few drops of rain during the second song of the headline act, but didn't worry too much. However, by the beginning of the third song, we were in the middle of a full-blown tropical storm!! The rain came down at an incredible rate, accompanied by thunderclaps and lightning. The band kept playing but the audience scattered as fast as we could to escape the downpour. As we were leaving the stands, the electricity got cut so the sound and lights went out. Suddenly we were in darkness, with just the sounds of rain hitting every surface with a thud and of people calling to each other to make sure no-one was lost. Within a minute of the downpour starting, I was drenched to the skin. I couldn't see properly because the rain was coming into my eyes and stinging.
The thousands of people at the stadium were all leaving in order to make their way home. We were squeezed through the tunnel under the stands because lots of people had chosen to stand there to avoid the rain and there was a hairy moment or two as I found myself in the middle of an immense crush of people, half of them wanting to stay where they were and the other half wanting desperately to get out. Once outside the stadium gates we had to cross the road to find the car that had brought us. By this stage, the road was becoming a river and I was very grateful I was wearing flip-flops rather than trainers! It took us another 5 minutes of walking through the deepening waters to find the car. The rain just soaked right through my clothes and by the time I sat in the car, there wasn't a square millimetre of my skin that was dry. I would not have been wetter if I'd gone swimming fully dressed!!!
The water kept rising. Fortunately, we were in a pick-up truck, so the river that the road had become wasn't such a problem as for other vehicles. However, there were 16 of us altogether and, while 5 of us fitted inside the cab, the other 11 had to brave the storm on the back of the truck. And it kept raining. Some roads were impassable so we had to take the long way round to take some folks home. Asunción is a town with lots of little hills, so the roads become the drains taking the water to the river and, within an hour of the rain stopping, the roads are practically dry again! By the next morning, the only evidence of the storm were gatherings of mud at dips in the roads, where it had been carried by the water.
I do enjoy a storm but I definitely prefer to watch it from the shelter of my own home! It was a shame about the concert, a lot of people had been looking forward to it for ages. Still, not much you can do about the weather!
07 March 2007
Fun English for Kids
My workshop on Saturday was a success!
Thank you to all who prayed. It was a miracle, but everything got done in time and I was only a little bit nervous! I spent last week running around doing last minute things like getting my
flashcards laminated and recording the songs onto CD (yes, I am officially a Recording Artist!) and supervising the printing and photocopying of the booklet (see the photos below). As you can see, Leo (the graphic designer) did a fantastic job making the booklet look fab. There are similar designs throughout the booklet and it's just wonderful to see my work looking so lovely. The booklet is manual for how to teach English to young children, including advice on classroom management, lesson structure, curriculum development and a prepared curriculum for 5 year olds, including a list of games and songs as well as advice for the first ever lesson. It's taken me about a year to put it together with the flashcards, worksheets and songs, which are now on CDs the participants were able to buy. (All proceeds going to FEISA, of course!)
12 teachers came from different schools in and around Asunción; we sang songs, played games, did a worksheet and looked at how to structure a lesson and how to design a curriculum. I enjoyed it very much and the teachers were very enthusiastic. One has asked me to do a workshop with the other English teachers from her group of schools. There's also the possibility of doing another workshop in the next couple of months, for teachers who didn't hear about this one. We need to work on the publicity a bit more!
Last May we did a workshop on learning through play at the Paraguayan Conference of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). Then in September, we went to Argentina to do the same workshop with the Argentinian ACSI Conference. Well ACSI seem to be quite keen to have me do a workshop on teaching English at the Paraguayan Conference this year... Watch this space!!!
Thank you to all who prayed. It was a miracle, but everything got done in time and I was only a little bit nervous! I spent last week running around doing last minute things like getting my
flashcards laminated and recording the songs onto CD (yes, I am officially a Recording Artist!) and supervising the printing and photocopying of the booklet (see the photos below). As you can see, Leo (the graphic designer) did a fantastic job making the booklet look fab. There are similar designs throughout the booklet and it's just wonderful to see my work looking so lovely. The booklet is manual for how to teach English to young children, including advice on classroom management, lesson structure, curriculum development and a prepared curriculum for 5 year olds, including a list of games and songs as well as advice for the first ever lesson. It's taken me about a year to put it together with the flashcards, worksheets and songs, which are now on CDs the participants were able to buy. (All proceeds going to FEISA, of course!)
12 teachers came from different schools in and around Asunción; we sang songs, played games, did a worksheet and looked at how to structure a lesson and how to design a curriculum. I enjoyed it very much and the teachers were very enthusiastic. One has asked me to do a workshop with the other English teachers from her group of schools. There's also the possibility of doing another workshop in the next couple of months, for teachers who didn't hear about this one. We need to work on the publicity a bit more!
Last May we did a workshop on learning through play at the Paraguayan Conference of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). Then in September, we went to Argentina to do the same workshop with the Argentinian ACSI Conference. Well ACSI seem to be quite keen to have me do a workshop on teaching English at the Paraguayan Conference this year... Watch this space!!!
17 February 2007
English teaching workshop
On Wednesday this week, I went with Ana, the head of teaching practices at FEISA, to a meeting with the director of ACSI Paraguay (the Christian schools network), to ask for ACSI's help in publicising and organising a workshop for people who teach English to very young children. It was a great meeting, Esteban, the ACSI director, was very positive about the idea of the workshop and the materials I've produced so far. He was very helpful in getting us to work out how best to organise the workshop and so it looks as though it's going to happen on the 3rd March!!! That's now just two weeks away and there's a lot to do before then.
I've written a booklet on how to teach English to young children, including advice and a sample scheme of work, together with songs and a list of games. I've also produced worksheets to accompany the scheme of work and vocabulary flashcards for use in games. We have a graphic designer who is going to help with making the booklet look attractive for pre-school teachers here (they like pictures!). Please pray that he has enough time to do that! I've got to finish the worksheets and possibly put them into pdf format, and finish the flashcards then get them laminated. Then I've got to plan what I'm actually going to say to the teachers!! Please pray that I can get all that done and feel happy with the standard of work I've produced.
I am very excited about the chance to share with teachers here the skills and knowledge that I've gained over my teaching career, it's as though this is the culmination of all my previous experience. I'll let you know how it goes!
I've written a booklet on how to teach English to young children, including advice and a sample scheme of work, together with songs and a list of games. I've also produced worksheets to accompany the scheme of work and vocabulary flashcards for use in games. We have a graphic designer who is going to help with making the booklet look attractive for pre-school teachers here (they like pictures!). Please pray that he has enough time to do that! I've got to finish the worksheets and possibly put them into pdf format, and finish the flashcards then get them laminated. Then I've got to plan what I'm actually going to say to the teachers!! Please pray that I can get all that done and feel happy with the standard of work I've produced.
I am very excited about the chance to share with teachers here the skills and knowledge that I've gained over my teaching career, it's as though this is the culmination of all my previous experience. I'll let you know how it goes!
wildlife
This is an insect (some kind of cricket?) that spent a week on (the outside of) my kitchen window, munching away on this plant that had grown up from the ground below over Christmas. It's body is about 3 inches long. I could see it breathing! I was very glad that we were separated by glass!
Dengue fever
I arrived back in Paraguay at the end of January to find the country in the middle of an epidemic of dengue fever, which is a disease carried by mosquitoes. There has been a lot of rain recently, which has led to an increase in pools of standing water in gardens and gutters all around. The mosquitoes have taken advantage of these new breeding grounds and are multiplying like crazy! The symptoms start a few days after being bitten, and include aches and high fever, which can last as long as 10 days. The official figure is 8,000 cases since the beginning of January, but everyone knows several people who have had it, so some people think the real figure may be as high as 30,000. There is no vaccine and, if you've had it before, you can get the more severe haemorrhagic version, which can kill you. Five people have died so far.
It is a real problem in a country where people only get paid for the work they do; sick pay is very rare. And, of course, when there are so many ill, it gets hard to find cover and so those who are not ill are working twice as hard. Estela, the director of FEISA, had dengue fever just before the new school year started in February. Marina, one of the teachers, has it at the moment.
The authorities are trying to control the spread of the disease by encouraging everyone to empty out any standing water they have around their house and yard (the photo is of a banner in the street emphasising everyone's responsibility to help). There have also been teams out spraying insecticide in the worst-affected areas. However, their efforts have been criticised as being ineffective and ill-organised.
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