So what about the classes?

I have written and posted about a few things, but what about the classes?

About a week or so ago we met with the Principal of the public school located right across the street from the church. We set up a time every Monday where we will host English classes at the church for 5-6 year olds, with 2 classes of 6 year olds and 1 of 5 year olds each an hour long. However yesterday we just had the one class of 6 year olds and a class of 5 year olds with 15 kids in each group. Since these kids go to a free public school they come from various amounts of unstructured and sometimes abusive home lives. Essentially the inner city without the obvious inner city.

Listening was an obvious problem, but Bethany got through the classes and have been brainstorming ideas of ways to get around the struggles we faced with each of the classes. It is difficult enough teaching in the inner city, but can you imagine not being able to talk to them and have them understand? Oy avey. Nightmare city. And with these ages English is new new new. The 5 year olds have never heard the language before except maybe in cartoons, and the 6 year olds know a few songs, and maybe some colors and numbers but everything is an introduction. We definitely have our work cut out for us for these classes in the school

 This is the school and the school's playground, it doesnt look like much, and dare I say it looks a little concentration campy? Its almost directly across the street from the church which makes it miles easier for them to simply walk across the street with a teacher and come to the class.

This little nook is our English learning corner we hope to add more to the walls, possibly a picture of the kids in each class with their names and have people of the congregation pick a child to pray for. This will also create ownership of the class and hopefully help them be more willing to learn. In a way there is hope to plant a seed in these children, we are not allowed to pray or do anything religious with them because they are affiliated with the school. But if they have never been to church and this is their first experience we want it to be a good experience for them.

While I am at it, this is the church! I will no doubt add more pictures of it full on a Sunday, it is modest in size and congregation but their singing fills this place. There is space on the side of the building where they hope to build some classrooms at some point, and there will be a ceiling installed in the coming  months.

We would appreciate prayers on these things as well as the classes. For the patience of the cultural and lingual differences and difficulties and that we can not only bless God through this but also the church.
Thank you for your diligent prayers!

-10 degrees? What? I cant hear you over the beach waves and sunshine!

Actually, the second half of last week cooled down to VERY comfortable temperatures and stormed for a full day which was much needed! Still, though... Its been wonderful even when cloudy, I barely remember the snow ;).

I have been meaning to post, and I have been storing things in my head for this very time. I  have attempted to write down some thoughts so I dont forget them, but I have been so exhausted by the end of each day that I didnt even have energy for that! I remember this exhaustion well, in Costa Rica it was often that I would find myself not so gracefully flopping into my bed at the end of each day. This is all due to learning a new language while being surrounded by it along with learning a new culture. You are so much more observant and self conscious, even worse than when you were in High school but that may just be me. But you are watching hand gestures, expressions, tones, body language- which you detect in conversations in your own language in culture without realizing but you also know the words theyre saying. When youre learning a new language its completely amplified because those things help you decipher what that person is saying and help draw conclusions to words and meanings. This is something that exhausts you mentally and physically in ways that have surprised me. At least in Costa Rica I had a background to the language having taken Spanish in school and such things. Here I can recognize words but most things seem to blend into each other because of vowel placement. Since this past week I can now pick more words out but itll be difficult for me until I can get a good foundation.

I have found the people here to be very genuine and very warm. I instantly felt at home with the Dos Santos family, they are loud, hilarious and big story tellers. I have enjoyed every time we have gotten together with them. In June there is a marathon relay and there are 4 of us that are going to do it, 8 kilometers per person which comes to about 6.5 miles each? Cake. Maybe I should start running more often?

Since last week was Carnival, a holiday for all of Brazil, yesterday and today were holidays because it marks the end of Carnival. So most businesses were closed and the church, Primeira Igreja Presbiteriana had a picnic that combined the church in Itajai and Picarass and I believe other churches from the surrounding cities. We had a short message delivered by John and then lots of singing. And of course Brazilian barbecue which was sooo delicious and a very typical meal. There is always lots of meat choices, beef, chicken and sausage. And potato salad, which isnt your normal American potato salad but still very good and tasty! There was also a manioc root which is served either fried or plain and is almost a staple in most Brazilian households. Its almost powdery in texture but will stick and tastes very good.
 I also had it in a solid form at a fair we visited which reminded me of polenta in shape and texture. The picture above is what the root looks like, and the most typical form it takes in Brazilian cuisines. With the solid form I had it with sea food, clams and fish and whatever else they had put in it with a tomatoey sauce. That dish I guess was something the fisherman used to eat quite often as a meal on a typical day, it was very delicious and I even finished Bethanys for her since she turned a little green at the sight of it ;). The history behind this root alone is incredibly interesting being a drought resistant root that feeds millions of South American families and is most common along side rice and maize (corn). One of my big interested in culture (and every day life) is the food. I love trying new things and I will eat anything (almost) at least once. Especially something with such great and extensive history among the continent! So dont be surprised if I gush more about the new things I have tried here.

Its been a long day of Portuguese with many more to come, better rest before that happens.

Bom Noite!

Heather