Baby shower

Last Friday we had fun holding a Baby shower for "Auntie Rita". She is an ex-pupil who is now an art teacher and the Primary secretary. She was delighted with all the gifts that she recieved. She has two boys and has longed for a little girl. We are praying for a safe arrival.

An appeal to our students.

Today an appeal was launched in school by one of our teachers, Profesora Pabla. This morning she gave a presentation before appealing to our children to help. (We try to educate our children to help those less fortunate than themselves.)

During our school holidays she went to visit a large school in the Chaco. It was started 45 years ago by a priest, Pai Puku. Nearly thirteen years ago I was invited to the founding of radio Pai Puku Christian radio station, (named after the priest) at a nearby site. I will never forget that visit, my first real introduction to life in the Chaco and to the lovely indigenous people there.

The school has developed well over the years and although it is a basic affair, it is very impressive. The priest helped the locals to build it, using local materials. The walls are made with palm tree trunks. There was an initial vision to give these underprivileged children a rounded education that will serve them for the future. The school now covers a huge area of land and it is like a large village with lots of buildings.

The teaching staff live on site in small houses made from local materials. They are extremely dedicated and they work very long hours, supervising work and studies.

The school has grown to cater for 600 pupils now. They are all from very poor, indigenous families and they stay on site as boarders, with only one school holiday per year. The school is basically self-sufficient and they require little help from outsiders. The students' families are away, working on cattle ranches for little remuneration.

The school is a fantastic enterprise. The Upper secondary pupils learn carpentry and they build and repair all the school furniture (which is basic, but strong, made from local hardwood). Younger members of the secondary department learn to bake and cook. Some of the lads rise at 5.30 a.m everyday and they bake the bread for the day, in a highly praised modern oven.

Girls rise early to do the laundry in a specially constructed washing area, with lots of stone sinks (no washing machines!!!). Primary pupils learn to iron with huge, heavy irons which are heated over wood burners. They too rise early to do this before the day's classes begin. Other girls learn how to sew and to repair clothes.

There is a kitchen area where they cook over wood fires in huge pots. All the serving saucepans are kept spotlessly clean and shiny and the dining room is also clean, well-organized and very simple. The children are very proud of their school and they are tidy and organized.

Part of the school is a beautifully kept farm. The students grow their own vegetables and they are virtually self-sufficient. Local ranchers give them meat for free. They have had problems with droughts but now they have a large water tank to catch and preserve rain water. They learn how to conserve water.

When asked how we could help them, the request was for milk, chocolate milk, aound 600 cartons for Childrens' Day, which is coming up soon. The appeal went out today for each of our students to bring a carton, which we will send up to the Chaco. Our children were extremely attentive as Profe Pabla spoke with passion. I am sure that our students will respond well to help the indigenous children to have a wonderful Childrens' day.

The summer term begins

The Summer term has begun with freezing cold temperatures. The extra week of holiday "due to cold temperatures," ended up being warm and sunny until Friday. This week it is sooooo cold. We went down to two degrees celsius today.

In the library we have started new project work. The children are investigating and finding out about famous missionaries as part of their biographical studies. I started them off with the questions "What is a missionary? Where do they work? What do they do? "What do they look like? and "What equipment do they need?"

Here are some of the responses:-

Happy Friendship Day

Today was Friendship Day in Paraguay. It is a day when friends get together and celebrate their friendship. We should have been at school for this but we will celebrate there next week. Instead we were all invited to Marcela's house for a barbecue lunch. We also celebrated Mags' and Gwens' birthdays.

We arrived at about midday to find Carlos had started the barbie. There was lots of yummy meat emitting a wonderful aroma. (Of course I interfered too!)

Gradually people began to arrive and we all sat chatting and catching up with each other.

It was not strange that the females were "gassing" in one area whilst the males took themselves off around the barbie.

The sun blazed down on us and we welcomed it after the cold weather of the last few weeks.
Of course we all enjoyed stuffing our faces. Mags and Gwen received gifts. There was a hiccough when Marcela tried to light a candle on the deliciously sinful, gooey cake.

Later we were serenaded by Gustavo (a bit of a character) singing along to a Karaoke. It was hysterically painful, but we all laughed and joined in occasionally.

Now we all look forward to seeing each other again on Monday as the new term commences.

Winter holiday

Our Winter holiday finally comes to an end this weekend. It has been unusually cold, for much longer than usual, so that meant cancelling our trip to Iguazu. However, the enforced holiday this week, "due to the cold weather " has turned out to be a beautiful, warm and sunny affair. It has made up for two miserable weeks.
I was beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic, stuck in Asuncion, but Mags suggested a trip across the border to Argentina last week.
The nearest border crossing is only an hour and a half away by bus, but you need to be fairly fit and streetwise to do the journey. It was one of those unforgettable South American experiences.
The buses are very ramshackle. They come down from the Asuncion market and pass the end of our road. The bus was full when we got on so we had to stand all the way to the border. If we thought it was full when we embarked we were in for a surprise because all along the route more and more people piled on. We were like sardines and there was even one young lad hanging out of the front door. There are no health and safety rules here!
We set off and eventually crossed the bridge over the river Paraguay and turned to go along the other side of the river to the border. The last twenty minutes took us off the metalled road and along the bumpiest track ever, through thorny scrub Chaco, with palm trees waving in the wind. We were well-shaken, but not stirred, by the time we arrived at the border crossing. We passed through a small village of houses which were barely more than shacks, with pigs, chickens, and dogs, running across the road and all around us. There was also the odd cow in a garden, presumably for milk.
Eventually the bus stopped and we alighted, feeling pleased to be on firm ground and in one piece again. We wound our way through a sleezy market, selling a mountain of contraband, to the border post. We flashed our ID cards and received a tatty piece of paper allowing us entry for a few hours. In fact nobody batted an eyelid on our way back out of the country and there was no check. Several men could be seen carrying heavy boxes of goods through to Paraguay with no customs checks.
The town of Clorinda, in Argentina was a typical Chaco town. It was thick with sandy dust. Dust lay on the wide roads in the town centre and every time a car passed there was a huge cloud thrown up, which we found ourselves eating as we talked. Most of the shops were still closed for siesta when we arrived so we walked around the town. People were still eating lunch at 3.00.p.m.
Eventually the "supermarkets" opened. They were scruffy inside, with limited stock. We had gone looking for corn syrup, which we can no longer get in Asuncion. In fact we could not get it there either. I guess that the company must have gone bust.
We found some good cheese, which was cheaper than in Asuncion so we stocked our rucksacks. Comfort was also half price and washing up liquid and toothpaste so we more than covered our bus fares. (80p each way).
On the way back we were told to get on the bus at the front of a queue of buses. It appeared full so I yelled down the bus and asked if it was going to where we wanted to go and I looked for seats. Some Indian men pointed to some seats piled up with shopping and indicated to two ladies to move it and make room for us. I managed to get a seat at the front and Mags was just across the aisle. Soon the bus was full.
What a journey back. I bounced up and down on that seat and could feel all my organs being shaken out of place inside. There were no shock absorbers!
In fact we had a lovely journey back, apart from the bouncing, as the sun was setting and the light across the Chaco and the river was beautiful. As we journeyed people started to alight. Eventually the bus was nearly empty apart from huge boxes which had been hidden under the seats..... more contraband bound for the Asuncion market????

Compromise or compromised?

Well, the saga went on all weekend, with newspapers giving mixed reports. First they reported that all schools would all have to comply with the law and take an extra week of holiday. Next they published a statement from the Presidential office which said that Private schools had a choice to return to classes or not and that the decree had been a guideline. At St. Andrew's the staff were told to go into school for a meeting today.

Somebody was despatched to the Ministry of Education where the Minister of Education appeared and said that everybody had to take an extra week of holiday. Apparently those schools who had already returned were going to receive a phone call to stop work. We have yet to see this happen.

In the event it was decided that our school staff will go in for two days of preparation and the children will return next Monday. As a staff we are all happy with the compromise as it means that we will only lose two days of our September break, as opposed to all of it. I wonder what the reaction to this would have been in UK. The mind boggles.

To confuse or not to confuse?

Well, they have done it to us again this year. First thing this morning the Minister of Education made an announcement that due to the cold weather the school holidays for the state schools would be prolonged by a week but that private schools could choose whether to return on Monday. St. Andrew's staff then received notification from the director that we would all return on Monday, much to our joy. (Yes, I mean that! We have to prepare children for exams and we value the precious time that we have to teach them.)

At 11.50 a.m a decree was issued by the Ministry of Education, signed by the President to say that all schools, private schools included will have an obligatory, further week of holiday. A decree is a law here, so we have no choice but to obey the government authorities. It probably means that as last year we will be trying to bring together all the exams, which will probably be rescheduled, (or maybe not) and we will lose our much-needed September break. We will probably be called in as last year to provide the children with homework for a week, which of course they will not present on their return to school, if at all. You can guess at what we are thinking and feeling!