Winter in Paraguay

After four months of warmth with few ugly days, winter has finally descended on Paraguay. Last week was freezing! Well maybe not literally freezing but its as cold inside as it is outside. I spent much of Saturday in the warmth of my sleeping bag reading a book and trying to keep from freezing. All the cold and rain leaves the ground wet and muddy. My half hour plus walks to get everywhere and anywhere are now spent trying to dodge puddles and keep my pants out of the mud. And often when I finally arrive at my destination I discover that whatever activity I planned to attend has been cancelled due to cold, rain or the chance of rain. This is life in Paraguay. On a positive note my tutoring at Gotas de Leche, the school reinforcement program I am working with, has helped me get an in with the kids. They are much more likely to want to play and hang out with me now than they were a month ago. The more confidence and trust they have in me the more likely they will be to listen when I start giving talks and actually dong more of the work I am here to do. I also went to an elementary school where I will most likely be a gym teacher for the kindergarten through third graders. Although I have absolutely no experience teaching gym, I guess I’ll have to figure it out as I go. Teaching gym will not only allow me to promote gender equality, self-esteem, leadership slls and a more active lifestyle, it will help me get to now the teachers and might proved an opportunity to work with some of the older kids in other classes. Not sure when I will be starting but it is sure to be yet another adventure in Paraguay!