September, short and sweet--and springy!

September, short and sweet
The month was indeed both. The 30 days seemed like three, and it was sweet with the arrival of spring, which is heralded countrywide almost like an official holiday, since it starts on the same day as “Dia de la Juventud," aka "day of youth." Paraguayan springtime really is short and sweet, and the flowering bushes and trees are abundant (more than "mere" flowers in the ground). The month was also sweet with the news that our library committee proposal was approved, and went live on the Peace Corps web site September 8, International Literacy Day. (A good sign, I hope!) For those of you who would like to contribute to our library workshop for Paraguayans, please follow this link:

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=526-215

A shout out to my local Rotary Club in Nebraska City for its generous contribution to our workshop. The club designated one meeting a month as “Paraguay Day” during which it raised money for our project.

At my school we observed International Literacy Day by highlighting it in the daily “assembly” and also entering each classroom to announce the winners of a reading contest. The winners were every student, since the idea was to motivate everyone to read more, not merely recognize the kids who read well, since everyone can readily identify the best readers. Every child was given a brand new pencil with an eraser, as we emphasized that reading and writing are linked.

This post is also short and sweet since I'm down to the wire, posting on the last day of the month, during my final moments of online access.

Happy Spring to colleagues in the Southern Hemisphere; Happy Fall to friends and family up north!