"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. "- Mother Teresa
Upon coming home and having time to reflect upon my experiences in Honduras, a particular picture and series of events keeps replaying in my mind. It is a beautiful picture, one filled with hope, love, appreciation, and a better understanding of the meaning behind Mother Teresa's words.
Two months ago, a dear friend of mine by the name of Juan Carlos lost his humble home and everything that he owned in the horrific flooding in Juticalpa. The other volunteers and myself spent an entire day surveying the wreckage, unable to comprehend what our friends must have been going through. Furthermore, we struggled with the feeling of being so helpless, unable to do much to help those whom we now considered family. We knew the only thing we could do was to ask for your help, and the help of others. You came through.
The image that keeps replaying through my mind is the change in the Juan Carlos' family's life through the generous donations of our family and friends. In October, that image is of a young girl of about 5 crying outside the remains of her home saying she couldn't go to school because her shoes had washed away in the rains and they couldn't afford to by her new ones. She had no bed to sleep in, no place to call home. The day before I left Honduras for Boston; that image changes to the same little girl prancing around a beautiful new home innocently singing "Noche De Paz" ..or "Silent Night". A family who had two months ago lost everything and seemed to have lost all hope now has a beautiful home accentuated by a Christmas tree covered in sparkling lights. Not only do they have a home, but everything within it has been replaced as well.
There are some days where I feel as though I am not making a difference. That I am in fact just making a drop in that ocean. Then I remember Juan Carlos and how that tiny little drop has made such a big difference in his life and the life of his family.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
5 more days!!!!!
I just wanted to report that things have been going quite "swimmingly" for the past week and a half since I last posted. I have found as my time here progresses, I am becoming exceedingly more busy and time is flying by at lightening speed! The past two weekends have consisted of hanging out and eating dinner at the houses of new Honduran friends, evenings outside at the Feria listening to live music and eating more Pupusa's than I ever actually needed (Just to prep you everyone...I'm NOT any skinnier than when I left...in fact, I think I've GAINED a few pounds), and dancing Punta and Bachata with above mentioned new friends. Saturday night there was a concert in the gymnasium next to the Cathedral as part of the annual feria, and every Northamerican volunteer in Juticalpa was there.
Things in my classroom have been fantastic as well. We are halfway through the second grading period, and I am happy to report that nearly ALL of my students are finally recalling all the letters and sounds of the alphabet in English. I have spent long hours and have at many times lost my patience, but it seems as though we are getting somewhere! Hard work does pay off!
In any case, I will be back in the States for a MUCH needed two week vacation on Saturday. I can hardly believe it! I hope to see you all at some point while I am home. I would love to spend time with all of you as long as good food is included (I am just kidding about that, obviously; but it WOULD be kind of nice!) In any case, see you all VERY soon! In 120 hours, I will be BOSTON BOUND!!!!
Things in my classroom have been fantastic as well. We are halfway through the second grading period, and I am happy to report that nearly ALL of my students are finally recalling all the letters and sounds of the alphabet in English. I have spent long hours and have at many times lost my patience, but it seems as though we are getting somewhere! Hard work does pay off!
In any case, I will be back in the States for a MUCH needed two week vacation on Saturday. I can hardly believe it! I hope to see you all at some point while I am home. I would love to spend time with all of you as long as good food is included (I am just kidding about that, obviously; but it WOULD be kind of nice!) In any case, see you all VERY soon! In 120 hours, I will be BOSTON BOUND!!!!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Floating....
I have been blogging so much lately. I feel as though all of the sudden; I am clearly able to form thoughts and describe the taciturn of emotions I am going through as this experience comes to a climax.
I have to admit that I am floating these past few days. I am feeling a sense of happiness and fulfillment that I have never felt in my life. I feel as though I am on the top of the world when I am in my classroom. I was sick on Monday. I am not sure if was in relation to the delicious tarejetas I had Sunday night with Wendy and here family; but that is neither here nor there. In any case; Annie substituted in my class. She came into my classroom on Tuesday morning to give me an update on the day and told me how amazed she was at the progress my class has made in the past few weeks. It's "la verdad" (the truth)! All of the sudden; things just seem to be clicking for my students. I see the wheels in their heads turning as I present each clearly thought out lesson. I see the delight on their faces when they correctly answer questions. Every morning when I enter my classroom, I am practically knocked over by the embraces of 20 little arms. Yes; my students seem to really be falling in love with me! Sometimes I question why on earth they would love me so much. I feel like the Wicked Witch of the West some days. Sometimes I feel as though my expectations of them are too high. Then I remember what Annie told me when I first arrived here: "DON'T lower your expectations. They ARE capable!". You know what? They are! I am pleased to report that MOST of my students now know their letters and sounds (in English!) and many of them are able to clearly read the vocabulary words I present to them on a weekly basis. I am very proud of myself for not giving up on them, and am now super excited to start each school day and all the challenges it will encompass. I feel as though all of those days that I felt I was falling flat on my face and failing as a teacher are now totally irrelevant in the grand scheme of my goals here. Suddenly doing whatever I have been doing seems to be WORKING and working well!!!! Being with my students reminds me of what I love about these children. I am imperfect. I am grouchy and sometimes impatient. But they love me nonetheless. I am learning a lot more from them than they ever could from me. I just wanted to share with everyone how happy I am here; living each moment here to the fullest and enjoying every smile, tear, and sound of children laughing around me. I know I am making a small difference in the lives of these people here; but this moment in time they are making an even bigger one in mine.
I have to admit that I am floating these past few days. I am feeling a sense of happiness and fulfillment that I have never felt in my life. I feel as though I am on the top of the world when I am in my classroom. I was sick on Monday. I am not sure if was in relation to the delicious tarejetas I had Sunday night with Wendy and here family; but that is neither here nor there. In any case; Annie substituted in my class. She came into my classroom on Tuesday morning to give me an update on the day and told me how amazed she was at the progress my class has made in the past few weeks. It's "la verdad" (the truth)! All of the sudden; things just seem to be clicking for my students. I see the wheels in their heads turning as I present each clearly thought out lesson. I see the delight on their faces when they correctly answer questions. Every morning when I enter my classroom, I am practically knocked over by the embraces of 20 little arms. Yes; my students seem to really be falling in love with me! Sometimes I question why on earth they would love me so much. I feel like the Wicked Witch of the West some days. Sometimes I feel as though my expectations of them are too high. Then I remember what Annie told me when I first arrived here: "DON'T lower your expectations. They ARE capable!". You know what? They are! I am pleased to report that MOST of my students now know their letters and sounds (in English!) and many of them are able to clearly read the vocabulary words I present to them on a weekly basis. I am very proud of myself for not giving up on them, and am now super excited to start each school day and all the challenges it will encompass. I feel as though all of those days that I felt I was falling flat on my face and failing as a teacher are now totally irrelevant in the grand scheme of my goals here. Suddenly doing whatever I have been doing seems to be WORKING and working well!!!! Being with my students reminds me of what I love about these children. I am imperfect. I am grouchy and sometimes impatient. But they love me nonetheless. I am learning a lot more from them than they ever could from me. I just wanted to share with everyone how happy I am here; living each moment here to the fullest and enjoying every smile, tear, and sound of children laughing around me. I know I am making a small difference in the lives of these people here; but this moment in time they are making an even bigger one in mine.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
A Poem I Love....
While it has no correlation to this blog directly, I got sent this poem in my email this morning by one of my best friends and it is one of my favorites. Therefore; I would like to share it with you all. It is a reminder of what defines true beauty. It was written by Audrey Hepburn and was read years later at her funeral.
"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others. "
"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others. "
Monday, December 1, 2008
Dreaming of a White Christmas...
Well, it is officially December in Honduras. I cannot even believe that I have been here going on four months. In 18 days, I will make "mid-adventure" trek back home to the states; soaking in all of my surroundings that were once all I knew of. I will take hot showers, sit on my parent's couch and watch T.V on their big screen T.V, eat sushi, turkey, roast beef, and omelettes. I will enter back into my "old life" briefly. There; I will take a portrait of it and take it back with me as I process all of the experiences that I have had thus far. I will apply all of my gratitude for all that I have torwards making the absolute most out of the rest of my experience here. I cannot believe it is almost time to do so. It surely doesn't feel like December. Sure; so many things here point to it being Christmas. A giant light up Santa Claus stands in front of the Dispensia supermarket. Supermercardo Las Palmas; our local shopping market is decorating in brightly colored strings of lights. While shopping for vegetables on Saturday for our Thanksgiving feast, I heard Feliz Navidad blaring at the usual ear-piercing level. Fireworks are being lit off at all hours of the night in the house next door to us; a sure sign that Christmas is coming according to the locals. Yes; you heard that correctly. Something we North Americans associate only with Independence Day is apparently correlated with Christmas here. Even more scary is that I went outside at 6:15am the other morning to head off to the bus stop when I saw my three year old neighbor in the nude trying to strike a match to light off a firework.
Yesterday was one of my more memorable days of my adventure thus far; but also one of the more heartbreaking. My coworkers and now good friend Wendy invited us out to her Aunt and Uncle's farm out in the country for the afternoon. It is when you travel down the road less traveled, miles away from the "city" of Juticalpa (I still can't seem to want to call this place a city for some reason) that you find the worst of the poverty. Wendy's family welcomed us with open arms, as has everyone else here when we have been guests in their home. We sat outside and ate fresh squash and drank the most delicious coffee I have ever drank (an odd combination, I know, but it was good) and "platicando"-ed with her family. I laid in a hammock and ate fresh fruit and played a game with her little cousins to see how far we could spit the seeds. I asked Wendy how many people lived in this humble home; and she did not even know. It seemed to me that about 15 people were living in a brick house with dirt floors and no electricity. I cringed as I watched a 10 year old jump from a tree branch into the river which was probably only 5 or 6 feet deep (he was at LEAST 2 stories up in the air...no exaggeration). I winced as I watched the children play barefoot amongst a pile of trash containing rusty nails. I had to walk away when I watched them start to rough-house ona big cement block, afraid someone was going to cut their head open. This is the reality here. Children as young as 3 years old play in the middle of the road, and go swimming in the river alone. There seems to be no level of fear amongst the parents where their children are. Seven year olds hold two years olds in the water when everyone goes swimming. Eight year olds take on the full role of a mother figure for their younger siblings. Swinging from a barbed wire fence? Nothing to worry about. Wrestling on concrete? It seems like everyone here is invicible. They live their lives as though there is no danger around them. It was heartbreaking to see people having to live among these conditions; but it brought great joy to my heart to spend a day with these children playing with them and enjoying their free spirits. Wendy's Mom is a doll and has invited us to another family member's house when we come back in January. I will very much look forward to it. It is days like yesterday that remind me of why I am here and what I find so beautiful about these people in this country. Here we were; total strangers at their door . Strangers whom I am certain they believe are wealthy and privileged. They shared with us the little that they have. Then invited us to come back again. I am starting to fall in love with Honduras all over again, the way that I did in April. The beauty in my day yesterday can not even be described in words. One would have to experience it him or her self. Miss and love you all! 18!!!!
Yesterday was one of my more memorable days of my adventure thus far; but also one of the more heartbreaking. My coworkers and now good friend Wendy invited us out to her Aunt and Uncle's farm out in the country for the afternoon. It is when you travel down the road less traveled, miles away from the "city" of Juticalpa (I still can't seem to want to call this place a city for some reason) that you find the worst of the poverty. Wendy's family welcomed us with open arms, as has everyone else here when we have been guests in their home. We sat outside and ate fresh squash and drank the most delicious coffee I have ever drank (an odd combination, I know, but it was good) and "platicando"-ed with her family. I laid in a hammock and ate fresh fruit and played a game with her little cousins to see how far we could spit the seeds. I asked Wendy how many people lived in this humble home; and she did not even know. It seemed to me that about 15 people were living in a brick house with dirt floors and no electricity. I cringed as I watched a 10 year old jump from a tree branch into the river which was probably only 5 or 6 feet deep (he was at LEAST 2 stories up in the air...no exaggeration). I winced as I watched the children play barefoot amongst a pile of trash containing rusty nails. I had to walk away when I watched them start to rough-house ona big cement block, afraid someone was going to cut their head open. This is the reality here. Children as young as 3 years old play in the middle of the road, and go swimming in the river alone. There seems to be no level of fear amongst the parents where their children are. Seven year olds hold two years olds in the water when everyone goes swimming. Eight year olds take on the full role of a mother figure for their younger siblings. Swinging from a barbed wire fence? Nothing to worry about. Wrestling on concrete? It seems like everyone here is invicible. They live their lives as though there is no danger around them. It was heartbreaking to see people having to live among these conditions; but it brought great joy to my heart to spend a day with these children playing with them and enjoying their free spirits. Wendy's Mom is a doll and has invited us to another family member's house when we come back in January. I will very much look forward to it. It is days like yesterday that remind me of why I am here and what I find so beautiful about these people in this country. Here we were; total strangers at their door . Strangers whom I am certain they believe are wealthy and privileged. They shared with us the little that they have. Then invited us to come back again. I am starting to fall in love with Honduras all over again, the way that I did in April. The beauty in my day yesterday can not even be described in words. One would have to experience it him or her self. Miss and love you all! 18!!!!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
This is all so anti-climatic and strange to me. Today is Thanksgiving; and I sit in the teacher's lounge of Santa Clara typing this entry. We have school today. There is no celebration of Thanksgiving in Honduras. There will be no turkey tonight. There will be no sitting outside in bone-numbing cold watching a high school or college football game. There will be no post-feast nap or time spent with my family today. Even stranger to me (but I like this part) is that today I am wearing flip flops and a sundress. After school; I have tentative plans to go swimming in the pool of one of my new friends. Thanksgiving Day does not exist for me in my world this year. What I have come to realize; though, is that everyday is like Thanksgiving for these beautiful people who have welcomed me into their hearts and homes during my adventure here. It is these amazing people who are teaching me to be thankful for all that I have; and to realize that one can be happy with very little. This year; I am counting all of my blessings.
This week has been an amazing one for me. One of last year's volunteers; Colleen Devine has been in town and has introduced me to some wonderful new people. On Saturday night; we attended a surprise party in the home of one of her old students; a blind boy by the name of Michael. There; we were welcomed with open arms and fed more pupusas and sugary cake than our bodies could handle. I also attempted to dance Punta for the very first time. My attempts were met with a lot of laughter. If you have ever seen anyone dance Punta, you would know that there as some EXTREMELY hip-defying movements that go along with this tradition dance. Well, imagine a white girl with NO hips attempting these moves? Let's just say, I am quickly realizing that I have NO talent in the area of dance. Back home I thought I could "cut a rug" pretty good; but here I am realizing otherwise. Still though; it's fun. And being so submerged in the Latin American culture is equally fun.
I also wanted to mention in this blog the passing of a classmate of an old classmate of mine. I learned on Monday that Glenna Kohl, who attended Salve Regina University with me passed away this past weekend after a 3 1/2 year battle with cancer. For some reason; her death seems to be hitting me pretty hard although the two of us were never close friends. I think that this is because I have seen real suffering amongst these people here in Honduras, but I have also seen their faith and their belief in the afterlife. I have had several people here assure me of her being at peace and their belief that she is in a better place. So in this entry, I just want to send my love and prayers to the Kohl family (who I believe is now reading this blog!) Glenna was a beautiful person and a woman of such strength and compassion! She is in the thoughts and prayers of many and will always be in our hearts!
Happy Thanksgiving; everyone! I will being seeing you all in about 3 weeks and I can't wait! Think of me today as you eat your turkey and pumpkin pie. I think I'll be having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner (I can't help it....I have to make you all feel a LITTLE badly about my missing the holiday! haha) Besos!!!!
This week has been an amazing one for me. One of last year's volunteers; Colleen Devine has been in town and has introduced me to some wonderful new people. On Saturday night; we attended a surprise party in the home of one of her old students; a blind boy by the name of Michael. There; we were welcomed with open arms and fed more pupusas and sugary cake than our bodies could handle. I also attempted to dance Punta for the very first time. My attempts were met with a lot of laughter. If you have ever seen anyone dance Punta, you would know that there as some EXTREMELY hip-defying movements that go along with this tradition dance. Well, imagine a white girl with NO hips attempting these moves? Let's just say, I am quickly realizing that I have NO talent in the area of dance. Back home I thought I could "cut a rug" pretty good; but here I am realizing otherwise. Still though; it's fun. And being so submerged in the Latin American culture is equally fun.
I also wanted to mention in this blog the passing of a classmate of an old classmate of mine. I learned on Monday that Glenna Kohl, who attended Salve Regina University with me passed away this past weekend after a 3 1/2 year battle with cancer. For some reason; her death seems to be hitting me pretty hard although the two of us were never close friends. I think that this is because I have seen real suffering amongst these people here in Honduras, but I have also seen their faith and their belief in the afterlife. I have had several people here assure me of her being at peace and their belief that she is in a better place. So in this entry, I just want to send my love and prayers to the Kohl family (who I believe is now reading this blog!) Glenna was a beautiful person and a woman of such strength and compassion! She is in the thoughts and prayers of many and will always be in our hearts!
Happy Thanksgiving; everyone! I will being seeing you all in about 3 weeks and I can't wait! Think of me today as you eat your turkey and pumpkin pie. I think I'll be having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner (I can't help it....I have to make you all feel a LITTLE badly about my missing the holiday! haha) Besos!!!!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Wanted: Decent Earplugs
Why, you ask? I woke up this morning relatively unhappy. The mini mart around the corner from us is having their "Annual Anniversary Sale". What does this consist of you might ask? Well, a live D.J that plays the SAME 10 or so songs REPEATEDLY for hours at an earpiercing volume that can be heard from probably a mile away. This started at 7a.m this morning. (On an alternative note; they are also giving away free Bacardi and Cokes to patrons to celebrate their Anniversary. So you can stop by; have some free drinks and have a "dance-off" in front of your local grocery joint) Needless to say I am not happy about it as I was hoping to "sleep in". "Sleeping in" is difficult here as I am usually woken up by 5:30am with a serenade of various farm animals. In any case; if anyone can send me a pair of decent earplugs that don't hurt my ears....
I.O.U: One armpit hair plucking. Preferably a public place; and only if we sell fruit or other food while we are doing this. If we are going to do this, we need to do it Honduran style!!!!!
I.O.U: One armpit hair plucking. Preferably a public place; and only if we sell fruit or other food while we are doing this. If we are going to do this, we need to do it Honduran style!!!!!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Never-ending Summer....
It has been awhile since I have really blogged. For some reason; I just feel as though sometimes I can't put into words all that I want to say. To say that the past couple of weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions would be the understatment of the century. Let's just say in the past 2 weeks; I have seen the reaction of Honduran parents when their child fails English class, I have gone to a "Honduran Halloween Bash", gone on another relaxing weekend away in the mountains, and felt the stress of trying to do grades by myself for the first time ever. In any case, I feel as though lately I am having days that are either "super high" or "super low". I am feeling the stress of trying to test first graders on all that I have taught them thus far, and the frustration level when I realized many of them retained most of it was a bit upsetting to say the least. On a positive note; I gave my first REAL Spelling test today and 80% of the kids passed it. I feel like I am starting to make progress little by little, but this is surely the biggest challenge I have ever undertaken in my career thus far. I do love it though; and I am starting to imagine how difficult it will be to leave these children in July. Everyday I get on the bus; only to have them fight over who gets to sit with me. It never ceases to make me laugh that they will run up to me excitedly; rattling off an entire story in Spanish filled with all this body language and expression; still not realizing that I have no clue what they are saying. I have one student in particular (Andrea Lizeth) who I can't help but crack up laughing at everytime she comes up to me. She always has one hand on her hips, and she flails her arms around wildly with wide eyes as she fills me in on the latest "first grade gossip"...in Spanish, mind you. After she goes off on her rampage, she looks at me expecting an equally intense reaction, and I usually simply respond with "ohhhh, siiiiiiii!" She probably thinks I am insane! She is my leader too; and I would be lost without her. Everytime I speak to the class in English and they look at me as though I have lobsters crawling out of my ears; she marches to the front of the room and relays the message to the class in Spanish. Lately, I make an attempt to try to give my instructions out in Spanish. I have decided to dub my Spanish "caveman talk" because that is just what it is. In any case, my friend Edgar (the gym teacher) told me that I have the Spanish speaking level of a toddler. I suppose I can't blame him; seeing where I only talk in the present tense. For instance; if I say "Please put your books in your backpacks and come and sit down for storytime" it would probably translate into Spanish "Your backpacks put your books in and sit here for the book". I still find myself trying to add an "a" or an "o" to the end of English words; convincing myself that this is the solution for every situation in which I do not know what the correct word for something is. It is starting to register that I can't say "Do-o you-o want a drinko?" when I really want to say "Do you want a drink?" (For the record, I THINK it's something along the lines of "Quieres una bebida?", but I could be wrong. In any case, enough rambling about my lame attempts at speaking Spanish.
A couple of "big events" are coming up over the course of the next month; and I have much to be excited about. First of all; Colleen (one of last year's volunteers) is coming into town on Saturday for a week and I will be making the trek into town with Carlos to get her. It will be a week of dancing, partying (which here in Honduras means LOTS of food... most of which does NOT agree with my stomach still), and lots of visiting of different families. Also next week; I will celebrate my first-ever "Honduran Thanksgiving" which will supposedly include ALL the fixings. I wonder if they have cranberry sauce here in Honduras? And in four weeks; I will make the big trip back to the States to celebrate Christmas. I have to say that while it is an adventure here; I am actually super excited to be headed home for a couple of weeks. I am sure my opinion may be different though after I get off that plane and remember how miserable the weather is in New England for 4-5 months out of the year. It's going to be HARD for me to EVER want to live in such a cold place again after this year. I am at the point now where 70 degrees is "chilly". Right now, I am wearing socks because I have cold feet. It's probably 75 degrees out! Another reason I know I am becoming a tad bit Honduran? I ate nachos for breakfast at 8:00 this morning. With extra salsa! Who does that? This is my life now, and I do!
A couple of "big events" are coming up over the course of the next month; and I have much to be excited about. First of all; Colleen (one of last year's volunteers) is coming into town on Saturday for a week and I will be making the trek into town with Carlos to get her. It will be a week of dancing, partying (which here in Honduras means LOTS of food... most of which does NOT agree with my stomach still), and lots of visiting of different families. Also next week; I will celebrate my first-ever "Honduran Thanksgiving" which will supposedly include ALL the fixings. I wonder if they have cranberry sauce here in Honduras? And in four weeks; I will make the big trip back to the States to celebrate Christmas. I have to say that while it is an adventure here; I am actually super excited to be headed home for a couple of weeks. I am sure my opinion may be different though after I get off that plane and remember how miserable the weather is in New England for 4-5 months out of the year. It's going to be HARD for me to EVER want to live in such a cold place again after this year. I am at the point now where 70 degrees is "chilly". Right now, I am wearing socks because I have cold feet. It's probably 75 degrees out! Another reason I know I am becoming a tad bit Honduran? I ate nachos for breakfast at 8:00 this morning. With extra salsa! Who does that? This is my life now, and I do!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
A bit lighthearted...
Some unusual sights and lessons learned thus far during my 2 1/2 months here in Honduras. Also included are some sights I don't find so strange anymore...
-Plucking one's armpit hairs with tweezers is not only acceptable, but doing so in a central location (like the town square) seems to be the preference. Additionally, it's not all that bizarre to engage in this habit while performing ones job as a food vendor (No, I don't buy fruit from these people!)
-One can take a full shower (including washing, shaving, and washing and conditioning ones hair) with a 5 gallon bucket of water. I know this first hand. We had no water delivered to us for 2 weeks so my water supply was SUPER limited.
-it IS humanly possible to live off of eggs, beans, cereal, and rice. I substitute this excellent diet with the occasional salva Vida (the local version of Bud Light) or better yet, a bag of Peanut M&M's or Cheetos. I have also learned that people over the age of 22 (college age) DO eat Top Ramen still. NOTE: I don't recommend you folks try this at home...but when everything else sends you running to the facilities at lightening speed, you have no other options!!!!!
-Know how Kiss 108 plays the same 20 or so songs REPEATEDLY in the States? Well here in Honduras, divide that by 5. They play the same four songs over and over again.
-The verb "Molestar" does NOT mean what one would automatically think that it does had they never studied Spanish. I'll leave this one alone.
-Having a flushing toilet is a hot commodity. A hot commodity that I do not have. After living 2 1/2 months without one, it is not unusual for me to hunt down places in town that DO have them. I make sure to frequent these places on my daily errands. If I'm REALLY lucky, the same "bano" will also have their own toilet paper and running water too. I definitely can't hold my breath for all 3 though. (As a sidebar; a friend from home told me about her new condo and the "aggressively flushing toilet" it has...and it was then that I realized that jealousy is a human flaw that I definitely possess!)
-Keeping the sense of humor light is key here in keeping one's sanity. For instance, I suggested to my roommates tonight that we make each other coupons as compensation for us giving one another a bad time when we are not in a good mood. For instance a couple could read "I owe you....one bathroom cockroach disposal" or "I owe you...one night of warming up your pila water on the stove for your bucket bath on a cold night". Everything really IS hilarious when you make a joke out of it...you have to have fun under these conditions!
-Opening your door in the morning at 6am to be greeted by Porky Pig or Domenic the Donkey is as common here as opening up your door in the morning at home to find your neighbor's dog or cat. I barely bat an eyelash at these random animals these days. Similarly, I don't flinch when I am in the middle of teaching and I hear a "MOOOOOO!" bellow loudly through my classroom.
-On the subject of animals, I have never been one for National Geographic. However; my love for this magazine is starting to grow as I realize that I could submit a lot of my own material now. Every venture into the shower is like opening a fresh monthly copy of the magazine. One never knows what they might encounter. Four inch grasshoppers? Red Ants the size of your thumbnail? 3 inch Cucarachas crawling out of the drain? Doesn't matter how bad the economy is when I leave here...I have enough material to offer that they could NEVER turn me down for a job!
That's all for now! I'm sure the list will continue to grow! I hope I am able to get a few good laughs out of this post! Hope you are all doing well! MISS YOU ALL! I'll be home in 6 weeks for Christmas break...a time where I don't want to see a single grain of rice OR a bean! :-)
-Plucking one's armpit hairs with tweezers is not only acceptable, but doing so in a central location (like the town square) seems to be the preference. Additionally, it's not all that bizarre to engage in this habit while performing ones job as a food vendor (No, I don't buy fruit from these people!)
-One can take a full shower (including washing, shaving, and washing and conditioning ones hair) with a 5 gallon bucket of water. I know this first hand. We had no water delivered to us for 2 weeks so my water supply was SUPER limited.
-it IS humanly possible to live off of eggs, beans, cereal, and rice. I substitute this excellent diet with the occasional salva Vida (the local version of Bud Light) or better yet, a bag of Peanut M&M's or Cheetos. I have also learned that people over the age of 22 (college age) DO eat Top Ramen still. NOTE: I don't recommend you folks try this at home...but when everything else sends you running to the facilities at lightening speed, you have no other options!!!!!
-Know how Kiss 108 plays the same 20 or so songs REPEATEDLY in the States? Well here in Honduras, divide that by 5. They play the same four songs over and over again.
-The verb "Molestar" does NOT mean what one would automatically think that it does had they never studied Spanish. I'll leave this one alone.
-Having a flushing toilet is a hot commodity. A hot commodity that I do not have. After living 2 1/2 months without one, it is not unusual for me to hunt down places in town that DO have them. I make sure to frequent these places on my daily errands. If I'm REALLY lucky, the same "bano" will also have their own toilet paper and running water too. I definitely can't hold my breath for all 3 though. (As a sidebar; a friend from home told me about her new condo and the "aggressively flushing toilet" it has...and it was then that I realized that jealousy is a human flaw that I definitely possess!)
-Keeping the sense of humor light is key here in keeping one's sanity. For instance, I suggested to my roommates tonight that we make each other coupons as compensation for us giving one another a bad time when we are not in a good mood. For instance a couple could read "I owe you....one bathroom cockroach disposal" or "I owe you...one night of warming up your pila water on the stove for your bucket bath on a cold night". Everything really IS hilarious when you make a joke out of it...you have to have fun under these conditions!
-Opening your door in the morning at 6am to be greeted by Porky Pig or Domenic the Donkey is as common here as opening up your door in the morning at home to find your neighbor's dog or cat. I barely bat an eyelash at these random animals these days. Similarly, I don't flinch when I am in the middle of teaching and I hear a "MOOOOOO!" bellow loudly through my classroom.
-On the subject of animals, I have never been one for National Geographic. However; my love for this magazine is starting to grow as I realize that I could submit a lot of my own material now. Every venture into the shower is like opening a fresh monthly copy of the magazine. One never knows what they might encounter. Four inch grasshoppers? Red Ants the size of your thumbnail? 3 inch Cucarachas crawling out of the drain? Doesn't matter how bad the economy is when I leave here...I have enough material to offer that they could NEVER turn me down for a job!
That's all for now! I'm sure the list will continue to grow! I hope I am able to get a few good laughs out of this post! Hope you are all doing well! MISS YOU ALL! I'll be home in 6 weeks for Christmas break...a time where I don't want to see a single grain of rice OR a bean! :-)
Thursday, October 30, 2008
P.S....
I have found out how to allow you to all comment me without having to register! It only took me 2 months, but late is better than never! Besides, were on Honduran time here now! So comment away! I can't wait to hear from all of you!!!
The end of the first quarter!
The rain has stopped finally! I have been back at work for the past week, and boy; does it feel good to be back! I feel as though my class is starting to really come together. The students really seem to finally get the rules of my classroom, and their personalities are starting to shine. Hector Luis is the class clown, who always has a smile on his face. Romnel is my "Eager Beaver" who gets so excited to answer questions that he is always on "red" for calling out answers. Then there's Mario David and Jafeth Alexander; who are the most sensitive, sweet children I have ever met; who insist on giving me 5 hugs a day. Then of course I have my trouble makers; Rodrigo and Roberto; whom I continually have to take a deep breath before addressing as I at times lose my patience with them.
In any case, things are back to "normal" here after the week and a half of flooding. We went out last weekend and assessed some of the damage and it was absolutely heartbreaking. Some of you reading this blog will remember Juan Carlos. If Carlos is Padre's "right hand man" , Juan Carlos is Carlos'. You would never know it from meeting him that he grew up in a house made of sticks and mud, but that is exactly the case. I saw the "home" he grew up in last week, and everything inside it was destroyed. I can't believe that this beautiful, intelligent, kind-hearted person lived under such conditions for so long. You would never know it from meeting him, as he is always so eager to put other's first. I was shocked to learn that 12 people lived in this stick structure, including cousins and aunts and uncles. One of his family members; a 6 year old little girl, is not attending school right now. Her shoes got washed away in the flood, and cannot be replaced because they have no money to do so. Imagine not having the money to buy a pair of shoes to send your child to school? Imagine being a child who will miss days and weeks of school because you don't have the right shoes to attend? This really broke my heart, and as a teacher; I imagine that the public schools are frustrated by this and that it's probably pretty typical. Another one of my coworker's (cleaning staff) home endured some major damage last week as well. She told me that she and her 2 children have been sleeping on the dining room table for the past week as her only bed was destroyed and she doens't have the money to replace it. This is the same woman who brings me my coffee every morning with a smile on her face, and has been excitedly trying to invite myself and the others over for dinner since day one. It is the same woman who last week walked around town with us to help us find an extension cord to hook up our t.v when we could not find one. Her selflessness amazes and inspires me, and I wish there were more I could do to help her. On a positive note; myself and John have started taking up collections from the states and it looks as though we will be able build a better house for Juan Carlos' family out of cement with a better roof. We will also be able to accomplish some other projects. It restores my faith in the good of people as I see these donations rolling in. This whole situation has made me realize just how lucky we truly are for all that we have.
I also have to report that we also have had to endure some complications due to the flooding. Here at the "case de las ninas" we have not had any well water delivered for two weeks. During this time period, I realized that bathing with a 5 gallon bottle of purified water IS possible. I learned JUST how wasteful we are with water in the states. Taking a bucket bath with 2 buckets of water CAN clean you thoroughly. I cannot believe how low maintenance I have become in this country!!! Our water STILL isn't running, so we have resorted to having Carlos come twice a week to deliver us a (very) limited supply of water that we have to be very concious of using. I have made the decision to start showering a couple of times a week at Nazareth (the special needs school) in an effort to conserve water; and found myself turning the water on and off in between soaping up and rinsing despite the fact that their supply is endless.
Anyways, enough rambling!!! I must sign off now as I have to do grades. Our first grading period is over. I cannot believe I am a quarter of the way through my time here! Miss and love you all!
In any case, things are back to "normal" here after the week and a half of flooding. We went out last weekend and assessed some of the damage and it was absolutely heartbreaking. Some of you reading this blog will remember Juan Carlos. If Carlos is Padre's "right hand man" , Juan Carlos is Carlos'. You would never know it from meeting him that he grew up in a house made of sticks and mud, but that is exactly the case. I saw the "home" he grew up in last week, and everything inside it was destroyed. I can't believe that this beautiful, intelligent, kind-hearted person lived under such conditions for so long. You would never know it from meeting him, as he is always so eager to put other's first. I was shocked to learn that 12 people lived in this stick structure, including cousins and aunts and uncles. One of his family members; a 6 year old little girl, is not attending school right now. Her shoes got washed away in the flood, and cannot be replaced because they have no money to do so. Imagine not having the money to buy a pair of shoes to send your child to school? Imagine being a child who will miss days and weeks of school because you don't have the right shoes to attend? This really broke my heart, and as a teacher; I imagine that the public schools are frustrated by this and that it's probably pretty typical. Another one of my coworker's (cleaning staff) home endured some major damage last week as well. She told me that she and her 2 children have been sleeping on the dining room table for the past week as her only bed was destroyed and she doens't have the money to replace it. This is the same woman who brings me my coffee every morning with a smile on her face, and has been excitedly trying to invite myself and the others over for dinner since day one. It is the same woman who last week walked around town with us to help us find an extension cord to hook up our t.v when we could not find one. Her selflessness amazes and inspires me, and I wish there were more I could do to help her. On a positive note; myself and John have started taking up collections from the states and it looks as though we will be able build a better house for Juan Carlos' family out of cement with a better roof. We will also be able to accomplish some other projects. It restores my faith in the good of people as I see these donations rolling in. This whole situation has made me realize just how lucky we truly are for all that we have.
I also have to report that we also have had to endure some complications due to the flooding. Here at the "case de las ninas" we have not had any well water delivered for two weeks. During this time period, I realized that bathing with a 5 gallon bottle of purified water IS possible. I learned JUST how wasteful we are with water in the states. Taking a bucket bath with 2 buckets of water CAN clean you thoroughly. I cannot believe how low maintenance I have become in this country!!! Our water STILL isn't running, so we have resorted to having Carlos come twice a week to deliver us a (very) limited supply of water that we have to be very concious of using. I have made the decision to start showering a couple of times a week at Nazareth (the special needs school) in an effort to conserve water; and found myself turning the water on and off in between soaping up and rinsing despite the fact that their supply is endless.
Anyways, enough rambling!!! I must sign off now as I have to do grades. Our first grading period is over. I cannot believe I am a quarter of the way through my time here! Miss and love you all!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Praise you in this storm...
These past few days have been very difficult for me as I have seen the destruction around me and feel a bit more upset everytime the sky opens up. Tonight we had our weekly Spiritual Night and Annie played a song for us that I think we could all relate to very well during this difficult time. (In both a literal sense and a figurative sense). It is by a Christian Rock group named Casting crowns. I suggest everyone download it. The lyrics are beautiful.
Casting Crowns
Praise you in this storm
I was sure by now / That You would have reached down / And wiped our tears away / stepped in and saved the day / but once again, I say "Amen," and its still raining. As the thunder rolls / I barely hear you whisper through the rain / "I'm with you" / And as Your mercy falls / I raise my hands and praise the God that gives / And takes away.I'll Praise you in this storm / And I will lift my hands / For You are who You are / No matter where I am / Every tear I've cried / You hold in your hand / You never left my side / And though my heart is torn / I will Praise You in this storm.I remember when / I stumbled in the wind / You herd my cry / You raised me up again / My strength is almost gone / How can i carry on / If I can't Find you/ As the thunder rolls / I barely hear you whisper through the rain / "I'm with you" / And as Your mercy falls / I raise my hands and praise the God that gives / And takes away I'll Praise you in this storm / And I will lift my hands / For You are who You are / No matter where I am / Every tear I've cried / You hold in your hand / You never left my side / And though my heart is torn / I will Praise You in this stormI lift my eyes into the hills / Where does my help come from? / My help comes from the Lord / The maker of Heaven and EarthI lift my eyes into the hills / Where does my help come from? / My help comes from the Lord / The maker of Heaven and Earth.I'll Praise you in this storm / And I will lift my hands / For You are who You are / No matter where I am / Every tear I've cried / You hold in your hand / You never left my side / And though my heart is torn / I will Praise You in this storm/And though my heart is torn / I will Praise You in this storm
Casting Crowns
Praise you in this storm
I was sure by now / That You would have reached down / And wiped our tears away / stepped in and saved the day / but once again, I say "Amen," and its still raining. As the thunder rolls / I barely hear you whisper through the rain / "I'm with you" / And as Your mercy falls / I raise my hands and praise the God that gives / And takes away.I'll Praise you in this storm / And I will lift my hands / For You are who You are / No matter where I am / Every tear I've cried / You hold in your hand / You never left my side / And though my heart is torn / I will Praise You in this storm.I remember when / I stumbled in the wind / You herd my cry / You raised me up again / My strength is almost gone / How can i carry on / If I can't Find you/ As the thunder rolls / I barely hear you whisper through the rain / "I'm with you" / And as Your mercy falls / I raise my hands and praise the God that gives / And takes away I'll Praise you in this storm / And I will lift my hands / For You are who You are / No matter where I am / Every tear I've cried / You hold in your hand / You never left my side / And though my heart is torn / I will Praise You in this stormI lift my eyes into the hills / Where does my help come from? / My help comes from the Lord / The maker of Heaven and EarthI lift my eyes into the hills / Where does my help come from? / My help comes from the Lord / The maker of Heaven and Earth.I'll Praise you in this storm / And I will lift my hands / For You are who You are / No matter where I am / Every tear I've cried / You hold in your hand / You never left my side / And though my heart is torn / I will Praise You in this storm/And though my heart is torn / I will Praise You in this storm
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Rain Continues On...
I wish I had happier things to report at this point in time, but unfortunately; I regret to only blog that things here have taken a turn for the worse on the weather front. During many of the days, the sun has come out for a portion of the day. This only leads to looming dark clouds that begin to make their way into the blue sky during the early afternoon. By mid-afternoon, the sky seems to normally go totally grey and it will start pouring by sunset. The rain continues throughout the majority of the night at varying rates. I lay awake in my bed at night thinking of my neighbors who live only a few miles up the road down near the river. On Thursday, school was closed because the river was starting to overflow. I cannot even begin to imagine what that scene looks like now.
The rain has pretty much not let up now since Saturday. Saturday evening, we were lucky enough to be invited over to the Bishop's house to watch a Boston sporting event (which I do not want to blog about right now, as it is too depressing...Boston sports fans know that the wounds run too deep to talk about too quickly following a loss!). In any case, it was POURING buckets so we decided to leave halfway through the game. This was partially due to the rain, and partially due to the fact that I was starting to feel sick to my stomach again. In any case, the water was so deep that we were surprised cars were even able to drive through it (we later learned that Carlos' car in fact did die that night when he was en route to his folks house). The rain continued the past two nights, and there was no school again today.
Since Maria and I both have been sick, we did not go up to Santa Clara today to assess the damage, but I was told by Carlos that the entire school was under several inches of water and that all of the people on that road up to Santa Clara are in pretty big trouble. It is about 11:00pm here and the rain has been falling pretty steadily for several hours, so I do not want to think about how it looks up there now. I am wondering whether or not we will have school tomorrow. I hope and pray that we do. I need to get back into the classroom and get back to what I came here to do. I feel as though I am stuck in a bit of a rut these days and I know it due in large part to the weather; and also that I haven't been feeling my healthiest. Today; I did feel a lot better. I managed to eat pretty regularly and not get sick. I am hoping that this rain will stop so we can get back to school and doing what we were sent here to do. I feel as though that is when I am happiest here: when I am with the children. It always feel as though no matter how difficult things may seem; that the children bring out the beauty in everything here. I am so blessed to have them to learn from everyday. Their positivity and energy amazes me. There is so much potential in so many of these children, and I hope that I can make some bit of a difference while I am here to inspire them and challenge them to see the world beyond here. Please keep everyone here in your prayers and PRAY for a change in the weather. I got an email from my parents tonight and they said that the weather generally improves come November 1st. Thankfully, we are almost through October. Let's hope things get better soon!
Love and miss you all! Remember PRAY FOR SUNSHINE!!!!
The rain has pretty much not let up now since Saturday. Saturday evening, we were lucky enough to be invited over to the Bishop's house to watch a Boston sporting event (which I do not want to blog about right now, as it is too depressing...Boston sports fans know that the wounds run too deep to talk about too quickly following a loss!). In any case, it was POURING buckets so we decided to leave halfway through the game. This was partially due to the rain, and partially due to the fact that I was starting to feel sick to my stomach again. In any case, the water was so deep that we were surprised cars were even able to drive through it (we later learned that Carlos' car in fact did die that night when he was en route to his folks house). The rain continued the past two nights, and there was no school again today.
Since Maria and I both have been sick, we did not go up to Santa Clara today to assess the damage, but I was told by Carlos that the entire school was under several inches of water and that all of the people on that road up to Santa Clara are in pretty big trouble. It is about 11:00pm here and the rain has been falling pretty steadily for several hours, so I do not want to think about how it looks up there now. I am wondering whether or not we will have school tomorrow. I hope and pray that we do. I need to get back into the classroom and get back to what I came here to do. I feel as though I am stuck in a bit of a rut these days and I know it due in large part to the weather; and also that I haven't been feeling my healthiest. Today; I did feel a lot better. I managed to eat pretty regularly and not get sick. I am hoping that this rain will stop so we can get back to school and doing what we were sent here to do. I feel as though that is when I am happiest here: when I am with the children. It always feel as though no matter how difficult things may seem; that the children bring out the beauty in everything here. I am so blessed to have them to learn from everyday. Their positivity and energy amazes me. There is so much potential in so many of these children, and I hope that I can make some bit of a difference while I am here to inspire them and challenge them to see the world beyond here. Please keep everyone here in your prayers and PRAY for a change in the weather. I got an email from my parents tonight and they said that the weather generally improves come November 1st. Thankfully, we are almost through October. Let's hope things get better soon!
Love and miss you all! Remember PRAY FOR SUNSHINE!!!!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Let It Be
When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. Whisper words of wisdom, let it be. And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be. For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see, there will be an answer. let it be. Let it be, let it be, ..... And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light, that shines on me, shine until tomorrow, let it be. I wake up to the sound of music, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be, let it be, .....
Rain, rain, go away...
It has not been an easy week or so here for me. I woke up Sunday morning with severe stomach pains, naseau, and vomiting which lasted the next couple of days. Unfortunately, I was not able to get to the doctor until Tuesday due to the holiday. Carlos took me anyways (despite the fact that I already knew it was something I ate) and it was confirmed. So I spent the first three days of my week in bed praying for the pain to go away. Thankfully, I started to feel a bit better yesterday and was excited to go back to school today. It is now 5:30a.m and I woke up to some bad news.
It has been raining pretty much nonstop here for the past 36 hours or so. We have been in the rainy season since I arrived here; and there has been a good amount of rain every night. Usually, the sky will open up and it will pour for an hour or so and dry out the next morning. I have seen the river relatively high, but the rain always seems to stop before it gets to be a real problem. I guess that isn't the case right now. Although I was home sick yesterday, my roommate arrived home at noon saying that Annie had closed school down early because of the rain. I had heard of snow days, but never rain days until I got to Honduras! In any case, when it rains a lot here; the river overflows. Lots of people live on dirt rolls uphill and their homes become flooded and damaged. Apparently that is what is happening here right now. I checked the weather online, and it looks like we are in the middle of a tropical depression and it could keep raining for the duration of the next two days. I cannot imagine some of the damage that people are receiving to their homes. It is amazing how different things are here. At home; we would view 2-3 days of nonstop rain as an inconvenience. People would be "under the weather" and cranky, just wanting the sun to come out. Here; it is much more than an inconvenience. It puts people's entire lives on hold. Employees at Santa Clara were anxious to get home yesterday, in hopes that they wouldn't find their entire houses under water. I cannot even imagine what it looks like on the big dirt road leading up to the school. This is one of the poorest areas of town and some of the most impoverished conditions I've ever seen. People live in houses made out of mud, dirt, sticks, and metal. Some of the houses I have walked past you can see right through. I can't even begin to imagine what it must be to live in places like this when this type of weather happens. I am sure that area is completely demolished right now. I hate standing by and seeing this type of stuff happen and not be able to do anything about it.
I am also really down in the dumps today because I was eageer to get back to work today. I guess I will be having another lazy day of reading, blogging, and listening to music. (As a side note, we are getting a T.V this weekend, which will be a luxury!). To everyone back home, please keep everyone here in your prayers right now. I am going to see some of this damage to people's homes firsthand that we were all trying to not have to imagine when we were here in April. I love and miss everyone. Hopefully my next post will have something more positive to announce other than food poisoning and flooding!
It has been raining pretty much nonstop here for the past 36 hours or so. We have been in the rainy season since I arrived here; and there has been a good amount of rain every night. Usually, the sky will open up and it will pour for an hour or so and dry out the next morning. I have seen the river relatively high, but the rain always seems to stop before it gets to be a real problem. I guess that isn't the case right now. Although I was home sick yesterday, my roommate arrived home at noon saying that Annie had closed school down early because of the rain. I had heard of snow days, but never rain days until I got to Honduras! In any case, when it rains a lot here; the river overflows. Lots of people live on dirt rolls uphill and their homes become flooded and damaged. Apparently that is what is happening here right now. I checked the weather online, and it looks like we are in the middle of a tropical depression and it could keep raining for the duration of the next two days. I cannot imagine some of the damage that people are receiving to their homes. It is amazing how different things are here. At home; we would view 2-3 days of nonstop rain as an inconvenience. People would be "under the weather" and cranky, just wanting the sun to come out. Here; it is much more than an inconvenience. It puts people's entire lives on hold. Employees at Santa Clara were anxious to get home yesterday, in hopes that they wouldn't find their entire houses under water. I cannot even imagine what it looks like on the big dirt road leading up to the school. This is one of the poorest areas of town and some of the most impoverished conditions I've ever seen. People live in houses made out of mud, dirt, sticks, and metal. Some of the houses I have walked past you can see right through. I can't even begin to imagine what it must be to live in places like this when this type of weather happens. I am sure that area is completely demolished right now. I hate standing by and seeing this type of stuff happen and not be able to do anything about it.
I am also really down in the dumps today because I was eageer to get back to work today. I guess I will be having another lazy day of reading, blogging, and listening to music. (As a side note, we are getting a T.V this weekend, which will be a luxury!). To everyone back home, please keep everyone here in your prayers right now. I am going to see some of this damage to people's homes firsthand that we were all trying to not have to imagine when we were here in April. I love and miss everyone. Hopefully my next post will have something more positive to announce other than food poisoning and flooding!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Time
Well, it has been quite awhile since I last blogged. I have to say that there have been a multitude of reasons why. First and foremost, I am really starting to get swamped with things to do here. There's always people to meet for dinner, papers to be corrected, Spiritual meetings to be had with the other volunteers, errands to be ran (by the way, grocery shopping is a 3 hour long event when you have to walk to three different grocery stores on the opposite ends of town to get what you need), and most importantly SLEEP to be had. Life here in Juticalpa is both mentally and physically draining due to the heat and the fact that tasks which are simple at home are difficult here (washing underwear is also an hour long event. Who would have known?) In any case, I am starting to feel more "acclimated" here, I guess you could say. However; I have had a lot of bouts of homesickness lately which may be why I have been apprehensive to really write.
One major event that has happened over the past couple of weeks since I last posted is the initiation of a Special Olympics team at Nazareth School. For those of you who don't know much about Olancho Aid, Nazareth is a special needs school in Olancho. In fact; it's the ONLY one in Olancho (which is the size of Massachusetts!). In any case; myself, John, Keri, and Eric have started coaching the team of 24 special needs adult and children every Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. I have to say that it has been a blast and I absolutely enjoy this interaction with these special people every week. I have one little girl on my team named Michelle who told me last week that I was her "best friend' and insisted on shooting about 2 dozen photos with me. Everyday when she sees me, she jumps up and down excitedly. I look forward to seeing her every week now as she makes me feel really welcome and wanted. Special needs individuals are so loving and warm, and they always seem so excited to see myself and the other volunteers; although all we may do with them is kick around a soccer ball. One thing I am going to publically admit is that I am terrible at soccer. So bad in fact that most of the special needs children could whip my behind in a pick-up game. It doesn't seem to matter; however, as they all want you on their team regardless of your ability. One thing that has really touched me about these children is how they all cheer one another one. The more "able-bodied" and more "functional" children cheer on those with less ability; jumping up and down on the sidelines. I often think of children of normal intelligence and how they get frustrated with and angry with one another when a teammate may be losing a game for them. Not these special people. They are filled with such love and care so deeply for one another that we could all certaintly learn a thing of two from them!
As far as other recent activities are concerned, I spent an amazingly relaxing weekend away these past few days. On Friday; myself, Bree, and Keri boarded a bus to Tegucigulpa. From Tegus, we boarded another bus to a village about 45 minutes outside of the city called Valle De Angeles. It was absolutely amazing there, and I will definitely be making a trip back before I go home for Christmas to purchase some secret Christmas presents. :-). In any case, the village is nestled away in a small quaint village with tons of handcrafted gift stores, little "mom and pop" type of pupuseria's, and cute little restaurants. We had a great time poking around, and mostly enjoyed the weather. It was about 20 degrees cooler there, as we were way up in the mountains. For the first time in my 27 years of life, I think I was actually HAPPY to have goosebumps , and even happier to throw on a sweatershirt and long pants. This was the first time in 7 weeks that I haven't sweat for a full 24 hour period and it was amazing. As if all of this wasn't already fantastic enough, the hotel we stayed in was beautiful. Get this: I got to go swimming in a pool and take a SCALDING hot shower. I think I stayed under that running water for about 30 minutes. It was the cleanest I have felt in a month and a half. I must admit that it was majorly disappointing to come home yesterday and stand under my freezing cold shower to bathe. Even worse was turning the water off constantly to shampoo, rinse, and shave. Here at our house; our supply of water is so limited that we use only what we absolutely need to cleanse ourselves. There are no long relaxing showers here! No matter; I will have one again in a couple of weeks during the next of our travels!
We came back yesterday to some kind of unfortunate news. Apparently, it poured for the vast majority of the weekend while we were away, and that led to a lot of flooding here in Olancho. It has been a very rainy past couple of weeks and the river was overflowing. Our house and everything in it was totally fine, but the boy's house had some issues. They were away for the weekend as well, and John lost his camera and some important books, and Eric lost his ipod as their entire house was underwater. I thought that we were in the clear, but when I went to Santa Clara this morning, I discovered that almost everything that I had shipped down for my classroom from the states was ruined. I had a couple of hundred books in my (very small) personal library, and it looks as though most of those are ruined. Also, a bunch of games and flashcards people had donated to me seem ruined as well. I didn't get a chance to go through much of it today, but the prospect of a lot of it being salvagable is pretty grim. They weren't near a window or anything. It just so happens that that is where it decided to flood. In any case, no one here seems to bat an eyelash. Life just moves on. Therefore, I must too. It will definitely be more of a challenge now to occupy my kids when they finish work early though. Oy vey!
In any case, I am off to begin grading progress reports. I had my first parent/teacher conference today and it went surprisingly smooth considering my Spanish capabilities. I guess I am improving a bit in that area. I find that I can understand a lot of what is said to me, but as far as responding; I am still pretty clueless.
I love and miss all of you! I will try to be more frequent in my updates in the future!
One major event that has happened over the past couple of weeks since I last posted is the initiation of a Special Olympics team at Nazareth School. For those of you who don't know much about Olancho Aid, Nazareth is a special needs school in Olancho. In fact; it's the ONLY one in Olancho (which is the size of Massachusetts!). In any case; myself, John, Keri, and Eric have started coaching the team of 24 special needs adult and children every Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. I have to say that it has been a blast and I absolutely enjoy this interaction with these special people every week. I have one little girl on my team named Michelle who told me last week that I was her "best friend' and insisted on shooting about 2 dozen photos with me. Everyday when she sees me, she jumps up and down excitedly. I look forward to seeing her every week now as she makes me feel really welcome and wanted. Special needs individuals are so loving and warm, and they always seem so excited to see myself and the other volunteers; although all we may do with them is kick around a soccer ball. One thing I am going to publically admit is that I am terrible at soccer. So bad in fact that most of the special needs children could whip my behind in a pick-up game. It doesn't seem to matter; however, as they all want you on their team regardless of your ability. One thing that has really touched me about these children is how they all cheer one another one. The more "able-bodied" and more "functional" children cheer on those with less ability; jumping up and down on the sidelines. I often think of children of normal intelligence and how they get frustrated with and angry with one another when a teammate may be losing a game for them. Not these special people. They are filled with such love and care so deeply for one another that we could all certaintly learn a thing of two from them!
As far as other recent activities are concerned, I spent an amazingly relaxing weekend away these past few days. On Friday; myself, Bree, and Keri boarded a bus to Tegucigulpa. From Tegus, we boarded another bus to a village about 45 minutes outside of the city called Valle De Angeles. It was absolutely amazing there, and I will definitely be making a trip back before I go home for Christmas to purchase some secret Christmas presents. :-). In any case, the village is nestled away in a small quaint village with tons of handcrafted gift stores, little "mom and pop" type of pupuseria's, and cute little restaurants. We had a great time poking around, and mostly enjoyed the weather. It was about 20 degrees cooler there, as we were way up in the mountains. For the first time in my 27 years of life, I think I was actually HAPPY to have goosebumps , and even happier to throw on a sweatershirt and long pants. This was the first time in 7 weeks that I haven't sweat for a full 24 hour period and it was amazing. As if all of this wasn't already fantastic enough, the hotel we stayed in was beautiful. Get this: I got to go swimming in a pool and take a SCALDING hot shower. I think I stayed under that running water for about 30 minutes. It was the cleanest I have felt in a month and a half. I must admit that it was majorly disappointing to come home yesterday and stand under my freezing cold shower to bathe. Even worse was turning the water off constantly to shampoo, rinse, and shave. Here at our house; our supply of water is so limited that we use only what we absolutely need to cleanse ourselves. There are no long relaxing showers here! No matter; I will have one again in a couple of weeks during the next of our travels!
We came back yesterday to some kind of unfortunate news. Apparently, it poured for the vast majority of the weekend while we were away, and that led to a lot of flooding here in Olancho. It has been a very rainy past couple of weeks and the river was overflowing. Our house and everything in it was totally fine, but the boy's house had some issues. They were away for the weekend as well, and John lost his camera and some important books, and Eric lost his ipod as their entire house was underwater. I thought that we were in the clear, but when I went to Santa Clara this morning, I discovered that almost everything that I had shipped down for my classroom from the states was ruined. I had a couple of hundred books in my (very small) personal library, and it looks as though most of those are ruined. Also, a bunch of games and flashcards people had donated to me seem ruined as well. I didn't get a chance to go through much of it today, but the prospect of a lot of it being salvagable is pretty grim. They weren't near a window or anything. It just so happens that that is where it decided to flood. In any case, no one here seems to bat an eyelash. Life just moves on. Therefore, I must too. It will definitely be more of a challenge now to occupy my kids when they finish work early though. Oy vey!
In any case, I am off to begin grading progress reports. I had my first parent/teacher conference today and it went surprisingly smooth considering my Spanish capabilities. I guess I am improving a bit in that area. I find that I can understand a lot of what is said to me, but as far as responding; I am still pretty clueless.
I love and miss all of you! I will try to be more frequent in my updates in the future!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Well, tomorrow marks 5 weeks since I have arrived in Juticalpa. I have to admit that the time is starting to fly a lot faster, and I almost feel as though I have no one real story to report this week. I guess that is what happens when you have been somewhere for an extended period of time and start to fall into a routine. The past week has been just that: a start of feeling like I am falling into a routine, and it's kind of a nice feeling!
In any case, I have been extremely busy over the past week or so, between social events and planning at school, and just overall exhaustion (I have to report that I went to bed at 7:30p.m, as I was totally wiped out!). I go to bed REALLY early and I sleep like a baby here, which is a nice change from when I am home in the states and I lie awake at night worrying about different obligations for the next day or listening to my college-aged neighbors blast "Beat It" on repeat at all hours of the night when I have to get up the next day for work. I just made the realization that I am learning to sleep through the nightly serenade of various farm animals as well and I never thought that I would. Si, I think I am starting to get adjusted!
Probably the best news I have to report as of late is the progress that my students are beginning to make. It is slow progress and it takes every single ounce of energy within me to teach daily, but my students are beginning to conform to my behavioral expectations. Additionally, they have begun coming up to me and asking me to use the bathroom or go get a glass of water in beautiful English. When they learn to say something new in my language, they run up to me excitedly and are so proud of themselves. They are so eager to learn and unafraid to make mistakes, and I admire that about them. I still feel really embarassed to even make attempts to speak Spanish, as I feel as though I sound really ridiculous. I also worry about my grammar being correct, even though right now I know that it is more important to just relay the messages that I want to get across. Today I took a look at my students and their attitude towards learning a new language. I decided today that in a lot of ways they are teaching ME a lot more than I am actually teaching them. They greet me every morning with lots of hugs, kisses, and flowers hand-picked from their gardens. The boys have taken to greeting me every morning with a "Misssssss estas es muy linda!" (Miss, you are very pretty/beautiful) and my little girls like to draw me pictures and play with my hair. I guess that despite the fact that I feel like all I do is nag them and have to criticize negative behavior; they really do love me! I am starting to really enjoy the challenge of teaching them, and I adore having my very own classroom for the first time. I am starting to feel really lucky to be here!
I am keeping this post short as I have a lot to do. I do have a few stories I would like to share with you all, but I have to get through some curriculum planning tonight and the effects of another huge dinner are starting to wear on me (i.e...fatigue from overeating!). Therefore, I will post some more this weekend when I can collect all of my thoughts. I know a lot of you probably haven't heard from me over the past few days/week. We have been having some connectivity problems at our house and our internet has been VERY slow. Just know that I am thinking of you always and love all of your inspirational emails and kind words. Love you!
In any case, I have been extremely busy over the past week or so, between social events and planning at school, and just overall exhaustion (I have to report that I went to bed at 7:30p.m, as I was totally wiped out!). I go to bed REALLY early and I sleep like a baby here, which is a nice change from when I am home in the states and I lie awake at night worrying about different obligations for the next day or listening to my college-aged neighbors blast "Beat It" on repeat at all hours of the night when I have to get up the next day for work. I just made the realization that I am learning to sleep through the nightly serenade of various farm animals as well and I never thought that I would. Si, I think I am starting to get adjusted!
Probably the best news I have to report as of late is the progress that my students are beginning to make. It is slow progress and it takes every single ounce of energy within me to teach daily, but my students are beginning to conform to my behavioral expectations. Additionally, they have begun coming up to me and asking me to use the bathroom or go get a glass of water in beautiful English. When they learn to say something new in my language, they run up to me excitedly and are so proud of themselves. They are so eager to learn and unafraid to make mistakes, and I admire that about them. I still feel really embarassed to even make attempts to speak Spanish, as I feel as though I sound really ridiculous. I also worry about my grammar being correct, even though right now I know that it is more important to just relay the messages that I want to get across. Today I took a look at my students and their attitude towards learning a new language. I decided today that in a lot of ways they are teaching ME a lot more than I am actually teaching them. They greet me every morning with lots of hugs, kisses, and flowers hand-picked from their gardens. The boys have taken to greeting me every morning with a "Misssssss estas es muy linda!" (Miss, you are very pretty/beautiful) and my little girls like to draw me pictures and play with my hair. I guess that despite the fact that I feel like all I do is nag them and have to criticize negative behavior; they really do love me! I am starting to really enjoy the challenge of teaching them, and I adore having my very own classroom for the first time. I am starting to feel really lucky to be here!
I am keeping this post short as I have a lot to do. I do have a few stories I would like to share with you all, but I have to get through some curriculum planning tonight and the effects of another huge dinner are starting to wear on me (i.e...fatigue from overeating!). Therefore, I will post some more this weekend when I can collect all of my thoughts. I know a lot of you probably haven't heard from me over the past few days/week. We have been having some connectivity problems at our house and our internet has been VERY slow. Just know that I am thinking of you always and love all of your inspirational emails and kind words. Love you!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
This has been the most emotionally draining day of my time here in Juticalpa thus far. It started off with some excitement this morning with a closing of school due to the fact that there was no electricity or running water at Santa Clara. Now; you might ask "why would school be closed for no running water? Don't half the kids not have that in their own homes?". Well, the cafeteria fixes HOT lunches for all 300 kids every single day at school so without hot water, everyone would go hungry! In any case, we went ALL the way to school only to get back on the buses and go back home. Half of the parents weren't even called! Here; it seems to be no big deal for the school bus to return an hour later dropping the children off BACK home because school has been cancelled. No one even seemed to bat an eyelash that their children were back home, and the kids didn't seem unusually excited to have an extra day off. Only in Honduras!
In any case, I settled in for yet (another) day of doing essentially nothing here in Juticalpa. There is no T.V here, and I have already read the half or dozen or so novels that were left in my apartment from Jess and Colleen. I decided to slip on my Nikes and my ipod and take a leisurely stroll through town and just have time to process that this is in fact me and this is my life now. I walked around town for about 90 minutes; totally losing track of time and just taking in all of the sights and sounds around me that have become my daily life. I saw the same children I see every afternoon when I set out to get my afternoon treat (a frozen coffee drink!) walking barefoot and carrying their buckets full of fruit to sell to passerby. I stopped to buy some guavas from them and noticed the open sores on their hands and feet, obvious complications of not having access to any type of bandaids or antiseptics to bandage their wounds. I walked past at least 5 of my students in my travels; smiling to myself at the "Misssss! misssssss!" that they called after me as I walked past. I stopped to say "buenos tardes" to the guards who work outside the Hotel Bourqeron and greet me with a smile and give me a sense of comfort and safety when I pass them every single afternoon on the walk home from work. I just realized that I truly am part of the community here. After just one month, it is as though I am no longer a stranger; but have been a part of Juticalpa for much longer. Strangers look out for me. Children stop to say hello and want to hold my hand and walk with me as I stroll pass; usually with groceries in tow. It is a completely different world out here; one where people actually interact with one another. Back home, I usually avoid making eye contact with the people I have contact with on a daily basis to and from work while traveling on the MBTA. Here though; it is much more of a community. Although I communicate simply with a smile or a wave, it is as though we all understand one another and are all looking out for one another.
In any case, during my travels this afternoon; I heard a loud crash up ahead. I was headed to the grocery store; as Annie happened to call me during my stroll to ask me to pick some things up at the pulperia in my neighborhood. I walked towards the scene of the loud crash and saw that a man lay there writhing and bleeding to death. Feeling my stomach churn, I watched as people seemed to just come out of the woodwork to join in on spectating on the accident that had just occured. I did not see exactly what happened (I had probably missed it by a minute, thankfully), but it appears as though it was a middle aged man who was hit by a vehicle while riding his bicycle. I wanted to walk away, but something made me stay. I watched as the police and fire department showed up, along with the local newscasters. I watched as what appeared to be a priest stood over the man and administered last rights. I watched as the people of the neighborhood sat in silence paying their respects to one of their own. Then out of nowhere appeared a man who appeared to be a family member of the victim. He spoke to the police officers and had a younger girl with him who could not have been over 12 years old. I watched as the news was broken to him and was shocked to see him turn to me and hug me while crying. Here I stood on the side of the road with him, a perfect stranger; and it was to me that he turned
for a hug. The gringa. The only real outsider in the crowd. I watched as dozens of eyes seemed to stare.All along throughout my time here; I have thought I was feeling what it was like to be the minority for once. Today; I realized that that is not the case at all. I felt like I was one with the people here for the first time; and it touched my heart to see this man in his deepest shock and pain to turn to me for consolation. I was deeply appreciative that I had purchased sunglasses yesterday (my other ones broke) to hide the tears that were in my eyes. I only hugged that stranger for about 10 seconds, but it felt like an eternity. It was today that I remembered my real reason for wanting to come here. These people may be poor in the material sense, but in spirit and love they are richer than many of us will ever be. I will never forget today and the brief moment of support I was able to offer this stranger. I hope that all of you who read this blog today will offer up a moment of silence for this stranger who's life was cut short by tragedy today. As the crowd started to disperse, I noticed the sounds of the world going on around me. A man with an ice cream cart was ringing his bell; about a dozen children gathered around his side; jumping up and down with Lempira in their hands to purchase a tasty treat. I noticed a crowd of teenager boys roughhousing and kicking a soccer ball. A group of women stood on a street corner, cooing over a newborn baby which one of them held. Life goes on. The scene made me think at once of the idea of the circle of life. On this particular afternoon, a life was cut short. But life continues on. It was very eerie to be amongst such variances in mood and attitude. Now; I must go and lay down for awhile. I think I need a nap! I love and miss you all!!!!
In any case, I settled in for yet (another) day of doing essentially nothing here in Juticalpa. There is no T.V here, and I have already read the half or dozen or so novels that were left in my apartment from Jess and Colleen. I decided to slip on my Nikes and my ipod and take a leisurely stroll through town and just have time to process that this is in fact me and this is my life now. I walked around town for about 90 minutes; totally losing track of time and just taking in all of the sights and sounds around me that have become my daily life. I saw the same children I see every afternoon when I set out to get my afternoon treat (a frozen coffee drink!) walking barefoot and carrying their buckets full of fruit to sell to passerby. I stopped to buy some guavas from them and noticed the open sores on their hands and feet, obvious complications of not having access to any type of bandaids or antiseptics to bandage their wounds. I walked past at least 5 of my students in my travels; smiling to myself at the "Misssss! misssssss!" that they called after me as I walked past. I stopped to say "buenos tardes" to the guards who work outside the Hotel Bourqeron and greet me with a smile and give me a sense of comfort and safety when I pass them every single afternoon on the walk home from work. I just realized that I truly am part of the community here. After just one month, it is as though I am no longer a stranger; but have been a part of Juticalpa for much longer. Strangers look out for me. Children stop to say hello and want to hold my hand and walk with me as I stroll pass; usually with groceries in tow. It is a completely different world out here; one where people actually interact with one another. Back home, I usually avoid making eye contact with the people I have contact with on a daily basis to and from work while traveling on the MBTA. Here though; it is much more of a community. Although I communicate simply with a smile or a wave, it is as though we all understand one another and are all looking out for one another.
In any case, during my travels this afternoon; I heard a loud crash up ahead. I was headed to the grocery store; as Annie happened to call me during my stroll to ask me to pick some things up at the pulperia in my neighborhood. I walked towards the scene of the loud crash and saw that a man lay there writhing and bleeding to death. Feeling my stomach churn, I watched as people seemed to just come out of the woodwork to join in on spectating on the accident that had just occured. I did not see exactly what happened (I had probably missed it by a minute, thankfully), but it appears as though it was a middle aged man who was hit by a vehicle while riding his bicycle. I wanted to walk away, but something made me stay. I watched as the police and fire department showed up, along with the local newscasters. I watched as what appeared to be a priest stood over the man and administered last rights. I watched as the people of the neighborhood sat in silence paying their respects to one of their own. Then out of nowhere appeared a man who appeared to be a family member of the victim. He spoke to the police officers and had a younger girl with him who could not have been over 12 years old. I watched as the news was broken to him and was shocked to see him turn to me and hug me while crying. Here I stood on the side of the road with him, a perfect stranger; and it was to me that he turned
for a hug. The gringa. The only real outsider in the crowd. I watched as dozens of eyes seemed to stare.All along throughout my time here; I have thought I was feeling what it was like to be the minority for once. Today; I realized that that is not the case at all. I felt like I was one with the people here for the first time; and it touched my heart to see this man in his deepest shock and pain to turn to me for consolation. I was deeply appreciative that I had purchased sunglasses yesterday (my other ones broke) to hide the tears that were in my eyes. I only hugged that stranger for about 10 seconds, but it felt like an eternity. It was today that I remembered my real reason for wanting to come here. These people may be poor in the material sense, but in spirit and love they are richer than many of us will ever be. I will never forget today and the brief moment of support I was able to offer this stranger. I hope that all of you who read this blog today will offer up a moment of silence for this stranger who's life was cut short by tragedy today. As the crowd started to disperse, I noticed the sounds of the world going on around me. A man with an ice cream cart was ringing his bell; about a dozen children gathered around his side; jumping up and down with Lempira in their hands to purchase a tasty treat. I noticed a crowd of teenager boys roughhousing and kicking a soccer ball. A group of women stood on a street corner, cooing over a newborn baby which one of them held. Life goes on. The scene made me think at once of the idea of the circle of life. On this particular afternoon, a life was cut short. But life continues on. It was very eerie to be amongst such variances in mood and attitude. Now; I must go and lay down for awhile. I think I need a nap! I love and miss you all!!!!
Friday, September 12, 2008
A couple of quotes...
That motivate me, inspire me, and I can relate to right now....
"In this life , we cannot do great things. We can only do small things and do them with great love"
"Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand."- Mother Teresa
"You may only be one person to the world, but you may also BE the world to one person"
"You can give without loving. But you cannot love without giving." -- Amy Carmichael
"Spread love wherever you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier..."
"In this life , we cannot do great things. We can only do small things and do them with great love"
"Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand."- Mother Teresa
"You may only be one person to the world, but you may also BE the world to one person"
"You can give without loving. But you cannot love without giving." -- Amy Carmichael
"Spread love wherever you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier..."
Lessons Learned Thus Far...
I am going to keep this brief and to the point; as I am getting up at the crack of dawn to leave for Tegus, but I wanted to share with you a few "Lessons Learned' thus far in my 3 weeks in Honduras.
First of all:
Honduran teachers are MUCH different than American teachers. In Honduras, we save major, detailed projects for Friday afternoon. Generally, we begin them at 2:45 (15 minutes before the bus is to arrive to take us home for the weekend.) They are unexpected and can take up to 5 hours. Today, I had the intentions of coming home at 3:00 to relax for a bit, run, then pack for Tegus. To my surprise, I learned that we had to make elaborate posters for a parade on Monday at 3:15 p.m when the bus was 15 minutes late. I never did leave school until 7:00p.m tonight. I think it is a law in Juticalpa that anything that takes a lot of concentration, detail, and effort is supposed to take place when the work week is OVER.
-Secondly, Hondurans apparently don't believe in the usage of napkins or appropriate cutlery. I learned that this week through the celebrations of "Dia Del Nino" and a birthday party. Birthday cake? Who needs a plate or a fork for that? Ice Cream in a cup? Who needs a spoon! Also, Honduran's have no issue with giving a six year old hyperactive child a huge slice of cake, Pepsi, AND pixie sticks at 9:00 in the morning. Sure, why not put as much sugar in a child as possible before they are supposed to sit still for a 60 minute class spoken in a language that they do not understand. No problem, right? Might as well throw some ice cream in there too! :-)
First of all:
Honduran teachers are MUCH different than American teachers. In Honduras, we save major, detailed projects for Friday afternoon. Generally, we begin them at 2:45 (15 minutes before the bus is to arrive to take us home for the weekend.) They are unexpected and can take up to 5 hours. Today, I had the intentions of coming home at 3:00 to relax for a bit, run, then pack for Tegus. To my surprise, I learned that we had to make elaborate posters for a parade on Monday at 3:15 p.m when the bus was 15 minutes late. I never did leave school until 7:00p.m tonight. I think it is a law in Juticalpa that anything that takes a lot of concentration, detail, and effort is supposed to take place when the work week is OVER.
-Secondly, Hondurans apparently don't believe in the usage of napkins or appropriate cutlery. I learned that this week through the celebrations of "Dia Del Nino" and a birthday party. Birthday cake? Who needs a plate or a fork for that? Ice Cream in a cup? Who needs a spoon! Also, Honduran's have no issue with giving a six year old hyperactive child a huge slice of cake, Pepsi, AND pixie sticks at 9:00 in the morning. Sure, why not put as much sugar in a child as possible before they are supposed to sit still for a 60 minute class spoken in a language that they do not understand. No problem, right? Might as well throw some ice cream in there too! :-)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Feliz Dia Del Nino...
It's been a week since I've updated, so I feel as though it is about time as I know everyone is anxiously waiting. The reason I haven't written anything in the past week is because I have to be honest; the thought of being here for a year is starting to seem really daunting, and I didn't want to post anything with any type of negative undertone, but I feel as though I should be "real" in my writings, so here goes...
In any case, things are starting to settle down here and I am beginning to make the realization that I am actually here for an entire year with a list a million miles long of the things that I hope to get accomplished. Teaching my class on a daily basis is the most draining (both physically AND mentally) challenge I have ever taken on. I sit here at night and wonder how on earth I'm supposed to teach SUBJECTS like Math and Science to these kids when they don't even understand my directions to "sit down" or "open your books". It seems like a such a daunting task and I genuinely wonder how I am going to ever get anything done. Furthermore, I feel cranky and grouchy by mid-afternoon because most of my day is spent correcting the behavior of 25% of my class rather than actually TEACHING anything. Some of them are starting to come around, but the behavioral expectations are just NOT up to par with anything in the states. I guess I am going to just have to keep "plugging alone". I just don't like the fact that I am here to make a difference in these kid's lives and it seems like all I do is reprimand them. Still though; on a positive note they are always ready with hugs every morning. I don't know why they seem to love me so much. I surely do not love myself lately at the end of the day. The combination of the heat, lack of resources and directions, and just general cultural differences in the school system makes me not nearly as pleasant as I want to be. Maria and I find ourselves "snapping" at each other when we get home in the afternoons, and neither of us like it. To end this negative aspect of my post on a more positive note; we all decided today that we are going to sit down and try to recall one really positive thing that happened on that particular day in order to remember why we are actually here. For me today, it would have to be one of my students; Jafeth. He is the brother of a girl named Nemisis who is in the 5th grade that I absolutely adore. In any case, I met Nemisis back in April and fell in love with her, and I JUST made the connection today that Jafeth is her brother! All week long I have been talking to Annie about how he is so adorable and I want to take him home with me! Imagine my surprise today when I made the family connection :-). Anyways, Jafeth came into my class Monday morning saying "No me gusta la clase de Inglies", which obviously broke my heart as I don't want these kids to not like me or what I'm teaching! Anyways, today he came up to me on the bus and gave me a candy and said that he LOVES English class. I guess I am making some progress....baby steps! Sorry that this post had to be so negative as I don't want it to ever be that way at all...I just feel like I have an incredible challenge in front of me and I'm not sure how to even begin approaching it. Bree and I decided last night we have to take everything day by day and not focus TOO much on the future or we'll get exhausted and feel like it's hopeless. So that is what I am doing. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers though. I definitely need them.....
On to another subject: the poverty we see he on a day to day basis. Coming here in April only gave me a brief glimpse into what the situation was like in this country. Once you live here and amongst the people, you see it in much greater detail. I have neighbors with 16 kids living in a house with a tin roof. The children come knocking on my door each day asking for water, and jumping up and down excitedly if I give it to them (as though it were Christmas). This afternoon, Eric, John and I decided that we wanted the real Honduran experience. We decided to walk back to our apartments in town all the way from Santa Clara. It was about a 90 minute walk, and I later learned that the heat index was 109 degrees (thank you, weather.com!). Anyways, I have met several amazing people over the course of the past 3 weeks who walk 4-10 miles every single day back and forth to work in the heata and are just grateful to have a job. I came home drenched in sweat, tired, and overheated to the point where I passed out on my couch for 2 hours when I got home (and I am NOT an afternoon napper!). On the way home, we passed through the village on a dirt road leading to Santa Clara. Children seemed to come out of the woodwork, pulling out a large rope. The stood on the opposite ends of the street with the rope, so as to create a baracade so we could not go through without "noticing" them. (As though that would even be possible anyways!). The children came up to use begging for money. One adult man even asked us for money. The asked to take pictures with us. I gave them 20 lempira from my purse (equivalent to about 1 U.S dollar) and felt guilty that I did not give them more. I saw one of their homes on the side of the road. It was nothing more than a concrete frame with a cardboard door and windows. I thought of how hot it must be in there. I cannot imagine living among these conditions. Back at the "casa del las ninas" (what we affectionately call "the girls house") we find ourselves worried about the well running out of water, or complaining about creepy critters who find their way into our homes at night. (As a sidebar, we DID have an actual tarantula in our living room on Saturday night and I legit had a heart attack!). But compared to the people we live amongst and walk amongst on a daily basis, we are lucky. We have money to eat everyday (although it may not be the steak or sushi that we actually want), water to shower MOST days (albeit cold and we have to turn the water off and on), and our house is clean and comfortable (we even have a cleaning lady come in twice a week to tidy up and do laundry..I never even had that back in the states.) In summary, even the way we are living here in Honduras is extremely comfortable compared to the life of the people in our barrio. And our life back in the States? I can't even think of it anymore without feeling really guilty, and most importantly; more appreciative than ever.
Speaking of appreciative, we are headed on a road trip this weekend to Tegus for a little R&R. I can't wait to sink my teeth into a Burger King cheeseburger, take a HOT shower, and go to watch a movie (in English!) We may even get a room at a hotel with a T.V! A month ago, I wouldn't have ever given these simple amenities a second thought. Now, these simple pleasures seem like treats. I guess I am realizing just how lucky and privileged I have been in this life to experience these things!
In any case, things are starting to settle down here and I am beginning to make the realization that I am actually here for an entire year with a list a million miles long of the things that I hope to get accomplished. Teaching my class on a daily basis is the most draining (both physically AND mentally) challenge I have ever taken on. I sit here at night and wonder how on earth I'm supposed to teach SUBJECTS like Math and Science to these kids when they don't even understand my directions to "sit down" or "open your books". It seems like a such a daunting task and I genuinely wonder how I am going to ever get anything done. Furthermore, I feel cranky and grouchy by mid-afternoon because most of my day is spent correcting the behavior of 25% of my class rather than actually TEACHING anything. Some of them are starting to come around, but the behavioral expectations are just NOT up to par with anything in the states. I guess I am going to just have to keep "plugging alone". I just don't like the fact that I am here to make a difference in these kid's lives and it seems like all I do is reprimand them. Still though; on a positive note they are always ready with hugs every morning. I don't know why they seem to love me so much. I surely do not love myself lately at the end of the day. The combination of the heat, lack of resources and directions, and just general cultural differences in the school system makes me not nearly as pleasant as I want to be. Maria and I find ourselves "snapping" at each other when we get home in the afternoons, and neither of us like it. To end this negative aspect of my post on a more positive note; we all decided today that we are going to sit down and try to recall one really positive thing that happened on that particular day in order to remember why we are actually here. For me today, it would have to be one of my students; Jafeth. He is the brother of a girl named Nemisis who is in the 5th grade that I absolutely adore. In any case, I met Nemisis back in April and fell in love with her, and I JUST made the connection today that Jafeth is her brother! All week long I have been talking to Annie about how he is so adorable and I want to take him home with me! Imagine my surprise today when I made the family connection :-). Anyways, Jafeth came into my class Monday morning saying "No me gusta la clase de Inglies", which obviously broke my heart as I don't want these kids to not like me or what I'm teaching! Anyways, today he came up to me on the bus and gave me a candy and said that he LOVES English class. I guess I am making some progress....baby steps! Sorry that this post had to be so negative as I don't want it to ever be that way at all...I just feel like I have an incredible challenge in front of me and I'm not sure how to even begin approaching it. Bree and I decided last night we have to take everything day by day and not focus TOO much on the future or we'll get exhausted and feel like it's hopeless. So that is what I am doing. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers though. I definitely need them.....
On to another subject: the poverty we see he on a day to day basis. Coming here in April only gave me a brief glimpse into what the situation was like in this country. Once you live here and amongst the people, you see it in much greater detail. I have neighbors with 16 kids living in a house with a tin roof. The children come knocking on my door each day asking for water, and jumping up and down excitedly if I give it to them (as though it were Christmas). This afternoon, Eric, John and I decided that we wanted the real Honduran experience. We decided to walk back to our apartments in town all the way from Santa Clara. It was about a 90 minute walk, and I later learned that the heat index was 109 degrees (thank you, weather.com!). Anyways, I have met several amazing people over the course of the past 3 weeks who walk 4-10 miles every single day back and forth to work in the heata and are just grateful to have a job. I came home drenched in sweat, tired, and overheated to the point where I passed out on my couch for 2 hours when I got home (and I am NOT an afternoon napper!). On the way home, we passed through the village on a dirt road leading to Santa Clara. Children seemed to come out of the woodwork, pulling out a large rope. The stood on the opposite ends of the street with the rope, so as to create a baracade so we could not go through without "noticing" them. (As though that would even be possible anyways!). The children came up to use begging for money. One adult man even asked us for money. The asked to take pictures with us. I gave them 20 lempira from my purse (equivalent to about 1 U.S dollar) and felt guilty that I did not give them more. I saw one of their homes on the side of the road. It was nothing more than a concrete frame with a cardboard door and windows. I thought of how hot it must be in there. I cannot imagine living among these conditions. Back at the "casa del las ninas" (what we affectionately call "the girls house") we find ourselves worried about the well running out of water, or complaining about creepy critters who find their way into our homes at night. (As a sidebar, we DID have an actual tarantula in our living room on Saturday night and I legit had a heart attack!). But compared to the people we live amongst and walk amongst on a daily basis, we are lucky. We have money to eat everyday (although it may not be the steak or sushi that we actually want), water to shower MOST days (albeit cold and we have to turn the water off and on), and our house is clean and comfortable (we even have a cleaning lady come in twice a week to tidy up and do laundry..I never even had that back in the states.) In summary, even the way we are living here in Honduras is extremely comfortable compared to the life of the people in our barrio. And our life back in the States? I can't even think of it anymore without feeling really guilty, and most importantly; more appreciative than ever.
Speaking of appreciative, we are headed on a road trip this weekend to Tegus for a little R&R. I can't wait to sink my teeth into a Burger King cheeseburger, take a HOT shower, and go to watch a movie (in English!) We may even get a room at a hotel with a T.V! A month ago, I wouldn't have ever given these simple amenities a second thought. Now, these simple pleasures seem like treats. I guess I am realizing just how lucky and privileged I have been in this life to experience these things!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
A great day...
I have to say that Colleen and Jessica (last year's volunteers) weren't kidding when they said that the first couple of months here would be a series of highs and lows. They could not be any more on par with the way I have been feeling for the past couple of days. Yesterday afternoon after work; I had the house to myself for the first time since I have moved in and I started thinking. All I could think of was "wow. I am really living in an apartment in Central America with complete strangers for an entire year and teaching 41 students in a language that I do not understand." It is kind of a really liberating feeling, but at the same time, there are moments that I still feel unsure of myself and what I am going to be able to accomplish here. I am having a difficult time controlling my class. I don't think it is so much the language barrier that is an issue, but the whole "self control" issue. The children here do not have the same behavioral expectations in school as they do at home. Add that to the fact that I have 41 students (28 of which are boys) and you have the ingredients for chaos. Today, we got through an entire morning without anyone kicking, hitting, or punching each other. They are starting to understand that I won't tolerate this. I think we are starting to make progress!
In any case, today was a great day. I think I started to feel a lot better about things when almost all of my afternoon students hugged me on the way in. Then; one little girl named Mary came up to me and said "misssss, I love you!". It was so cute! I feel badly that I cannot communicate with them in Spanish though. It does frustrate me, and I'd be lying if I said that it didn't. After work, I sat and talked with my new friend Wendy (she works in the cafeteria, and is the sweetest person ever!). Another cafeteria worker named Ana came in with her baby and handed her right to me. Her name is Leah Nazareth, and she is three months old and as cute as a button! At that moment; I remembered what I love most about this place. A total stranger handed me their child and entrusted them in my arms. It was such a great feeling to hold baby Lea Nazareth, and I think I am going to offer to watch her some night as I miss being around infants like I was back home.
I must finish this entry as I have so much to do. In about an hour; Annie, Padre, and the rest of the volunteers are coming over. We are going to cook dinner and sit outside and play the guitar and just chat. It will be nice and relaxing after today. I am starting to feel as though I most crave the minutes of actually "being" and doing nothing. When my roommates and I get home in the afternoon, we oftentimes just grab a couch and sit and listen to the rain (it is still the rainy season, and it pours everyday either late in the afternoon or in the evening)or chat on our computers. Sometimes, we will sit for an hour without saying a word to one another. That would never happen back home, where everything is so fast paced. It feels good to have some peace and quiet. (Except of course, during the nighttime when the animals start...it feels like an "Old MacDonald" serenade here at all hours of the night and I can't seem to get used to it. Somehow; the sounds of cows mooing and roosters crowing at midnight does not compare to the sound of the MBTA whizzing by in Boston!) In any case, hope you are all doing well back home! I think there is a meeting tonight for the upcoming mission team. Send everyone my love and let them know I am thinking of them!
In any case, today was a great day. I think I started to feel a lot better about things when almost all of my afternoon students hugged me on the way in. Then; one little girl named Mary came up to me and said "misssss, I love you!". It was so cute! I feel badly that I cannot communicate with them in Spanish though. It does frustrate me, and I'd be lying if I said that it didn't. After work, I sat and talked with my new friend Wendy (she works in the cafeteria, and is the sweetest person ever!). Another cafeteria worker named Ana came in with her baby and handed her right to me. Her name is Leah Nazareth, and she is three months old and as cute as a button! At that moment; I remembered what I love most about this place. A total stranger handed me their child and entrusted them in my arms. It was such a great feeling to hold baby Lea Nazareth, and I think I am going to offer to watch her some night as I miss being around infants like I was back home.
I must finish this entry as I have so much to do. In about an hour; Annie, Padre, and the rest of the volunteers are coming over. We are going to cook dinner and sit outside and play the guitar and just chat. It will be nice and relaxing after today. I am starting to feel as though I most crave the minutes of actually "being" and doing nothing. When my roommates and I get home in the afternoon, we oftentimes just grab a couch and sit and listen to the rain (it is still the rainy season, and it pours everyday either late in the afternoon or in the evening)or chat on our computers. Sometimes, we will sit for an hour without saying a word to one another. That would never happen back home, where everything is so fast paced. It feels good to have some peace and quiet. (Except of course, during the nighttime when the animals start...it feels like an "Old MacDonald" serenade here at all hours of the night and I can't seem to get used to it. Somehow; the sounds of cows mooing and roosters crowing at midnight does not compare to the sound of the MBTA whizzing by in Boston!) In any case, hope you are all doing well back home! I think there is a meeting tonight for the upcoming mission team. Send everyone my love and let them know I am thinking of them!
Monday, September 1, 2008
The first day of school...
I don't think I have ever been this exhausted in my 27 years of life. Today we started school, and boy was it challenging. However; unlike other challenges I have been met with in life that seem to be impossible, this one I am excited about. Today was nothing short of chaos, and I loved every minute of it (well, aside from the fact that my classroom is about 100 degrees with no air circulation!). First and foremost, I should mention that I have 41 students in all. And they understand a lot more English than they let on. Secondly, I should mention that Honduran children don't have NEARLY the teacher behavioral expectations as children in the states do. So I was met this morning with a group of 20 children who barely understood English, 75% of them boys who kicked and punched one another all morning. I don't think we got much done today other than establishing the fact that "we don't kick our friends" and "we keep our hands and feet to ourselves". I should also mention that I made a child cry today (back to the comment on them knowing a lot more English than they let on!). One of my students, Jose Ricardo; was totally out of control and kept ignoring my requests to behave pretending he did not understand. As soon as I threatened to call his mother though; he understood and started to cry! That was not my intention for the first day, but I have to mean business with these kids according to Annie, Jess and Colleen! I must take their advice! Oh, and I should also mention that my class learned how to put their backpacks on the hooks in the back of the classroom. This is challenging enough with 41 kids who speak English. But 41 who speak Spanish? It is a miracle! This is going to be by far the most difficult job I have ever encountered, but I am determined to do it well! Anyways, more about school tomorrow. I am beyond exhausted right now, but I know you are all anxiously awaiting an update, so I wanted to let you know that I survived the day! Love and miss you all!
Oh yeah..and this entry wouldn't be complete without mentioning this weekend. On Saturday night, I went to a Honduran wedding! I was at the Colonia (where we lived up until last night) and Annie came home and asked if we wanted to go to a wedding. I panicked, thinking I had brought NOTHING super fancy here with me. When I asked what time it was going to start, she said "oh probably a few hours." Well, lo and behold I was in the shower 15 mins later and I heard a honking of a car horn. The people who were taking us had arrived! So I jumped out of the shower (with shampoo still in my hair), threw on a dress with FLIP FLOPS, and ran out the door. We piled 10 people into the back of Henry's family car, and off we went! On the way there, we got caught in a massive rainstorm and had to hide undercover under an overhang on the side of the road! Once there, we danced the Punta and Bachata, and had an absolute blast! I would have to say that Saturday night's festivities were by far the most fun I have had since I arrived here in Honduras. I had SO much fun with Henry's family, and they were so welcoming. Of course I was initially skeptical to go thinking..."who has random people from other country's at their WEDDING?". But like everything else here, we were not only accepted; but welcomed with open arms! After the party, the groom drove Annie, myself, and Maria all the way back to the Colonia so we didn't have to ride in the rain.
Oh, and I know I was going to keep this short (as I fall asleep here at my computer); but two more sidebars. I KNOW I must be adjusting to life here in Honduras. Last night; I killed a bug the size of my head without flinching (O.k that may be a SLIGHT exaggeration!). And for the best news...Carlos was able to get my computer up and running! Therefore, I will blog as much as possible this week! I miss and love all of you so much!!! Donna, I got your email today! Hope Lauren had a great first day of school!
Oh yeah..and this entry wouldn't be complete without mentioning this weekend. On Saturday night, I went to a Honduran wedding! I was at the Colonia (where we lived up until last night) and Annie came home and asked if we wanted to go to a wedding. I panicked, thinking I had brought NOTHING super fancy here with me. When I asked what time it was going to start, she said "oh probably a few hours." Well, lo and behold I was in the shower 15 mins later and I heard a honking of a car horn. The people who were taking us had arrived! So I jumped out of the shower (with shampoo still in my hair), threw on a dress with FLIP FLOPS, and ran out the door. We piled 10 people into the back of Henry's family car, and off we went! On the way there, we got caught in a massive rainstorm and had to hide undercover under an overhang on the side of the road! Once there, we danced the Punta and Bachata, and had an absolute blast! I would have to say that Saturday night's festivities were by far the most fun I have had since I arrived here in Honduras. I had SO much fun with Henry's family, and they were so welcoming. Of course I was initially skeptical to go thinking..."who has random people from other country's at their WEDDING?". But like everything else here, we were not only accepted; but welcomed with open arms! After the party, the groom drove Annie, myself, and Maria all the way back to the Colonia so we didn't have to ride in the rain.
Oh, and I know I was going to keep this short (as I fall asleep here at my computer); but two more sidebars. I KNOW I must be adjusting to life here in Honduras. Last night; I killed a bug the size of my head without flinching (O.k that may be a SLIGHT exaggeration!). And for the best news...Carlos was able to get my computer up and running! Therefore, I will blog as much as possible this week! I miss and love all of you so much!!! Donna, I got your email today! Hope Lauren had a great first day of school!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Bumps in the road...
Well, week one in Honduras is over, and I have to admit that I have had a couple of difficult days, but I am pressing along. Yesterday, my computer caught a virus. I had Carlos and James take a look at it, and it looks as though I am going to need a disk...which of course I left in the states...to restore it. Therefore, communication is going to be very scarce for the next couple of weeks until Father Donahue goes to Boston and my parents can get him the disk so it can be repaired. I am a bit upset about this as I will feel like I am totally öut of the loop¨as far as everything is concerned back home. However, I am going to try to look at it as part of this experience. I should be spending my time here getting to know the people here and mingling with my ¨mission teammates¨rather than sitting on the internet emailing people from back home. I have to try to view it positively, as a means of causing me to become more independent. It is just hard, because I have already begun to rely so heavily on my computer for entertainment in the evenings . I guess I will be reading a lot over the course of the next couple of weeks. There is a great stack of books at my apartment that I am ready to dive into!
In any case, I really enjoyed a lot of teacher training week. On Wednesday, we all boarded a bus into Tegus....as a sidebar, excuse my punctuation on this post. I am using Annie´s computer and it is set to spanish mode and it won´t let me place parenthesis, question marks, and other punctuation in my sentences. So don´t think I have lost my skills with the English language already. haha. I just simply don´t know how to find those keys! In any case, we went into Tegus on Wednesday and we had a blast! We went to a children´s museum, and I have to say that it was a lot cooler than the museum in Boston. I think the best exhibit was this gigantic nose that visitors go inside of. Inside the nose, you press a button and all of the sudden, a huge sound is made and it is supposed to replicate someone blowing their nose. What fun! In any case, we had a blast there. We then went to two teacher stores which are exactly like the stores we have in the states. Despite the fact that I had TONS of bulletin board and supplies, I decided that I wanted to keep with a ¨Clifford the Big Red Dog¨theme, and purchased a calendar, alphabet border, and teacher´s helpter bulletin board. I know that Honduran children know about Clifford, as that is Janca´s dog´s name.
Anyways, things here are MUCH different than in the states as far as teacher training is concerned. We were supposed to have several hours more of group orientation this week. Well, those just never happened. We have a parent orientation tomorrow morning...and we know pretty much nothing about it, only that we have to be there at 8a.m. The guys have both never taught a day in their life, and have pretty much been handed materials and had to figure things out themselves. It is both a nice feeling to know that I have freedom in my classroom, but it is also a bit frustrating as I am used to such order in my classroom and more direction. I guess this is just all part of the Honduran way!
In any case, I don´t want this blog to come off as totally negative, because I am definitely having a great experience here. I have just had a few ¨low days¨and I suppose those are going to come. Hopefully the ¨high days¨will outweigh them. To end this entry, I want to share a few comical stories and observations with you all. First and foremost, did you know that Hondurans are obsessed with Bryan Adams!!! Everywhere you go...be it the gas station, on a public bus, someone´s house...Bryan Adams seems to be playing. It is not like he has even put out an album or anything! They are also big fans of the Beatles here. I heard ¨Hey Jude¨in Spanish at least 10 times this week in the room next door. Another comical part of this whole adventure is surely my Spanish knowledge. Or rather, my lack thereof. I have tried speaking several times and each attempt has been met with laughter by the Honduran teachers. For example, the other night one of the teachers asked how my brother was. Another teacher asked who Christopher was. Well, I responded with ¨Christopher is mi hombre¨. Now, I know that ¨hombre¨means man, not brother. But when you are trying so hard to recall words, the wrong one always seems to come out. So yes. I called my brother ¨my man¨. At least everyone is very lighthearted about it and they all seem williing to help. I DO hope my Spanish improves to a point where I can at least communicate with some people. It is VERY difficult to be the social butterfly that I am not and not be able to converse with all of these new people in my life. Hopefully, the frustration level will lead me to just try even harder to learn the language.
In any case, I am out to enjoy a Friday night out in Juticalpa. One of the other volunteers, Sarah, is leaving tomorrow morning. So we are going to dinner at a restaurant called Oregano´s. According to Annie, it is the only restaurant in all of Juticalpa that has dishes similar to what we have at home...in Italian restaurants, anyways. I have to say that I am looking forward to it. And I refuse to get meat tonight. I think I have eaten more red meat in the past 8 days than I have in the past YEAR. And the meat is always super tough and chewy. It hurts my jaw to chew it! Anyways, I love and miss you all and will try to blog at least weekly. Monday is the first day of school, and I am super excited about it! I got my final list today and it looks like I have 39 children rather than 46. But this is Honduras, so essentially anything can happen! Keep me in your thoughts and prayers on Monday. I am going to need them!
In any case, I really enjoyed a lot of teacher training week. On Wednesday, we all boarded a bus into Tegus....as a sidebar, excuse my punctuation on this post. I am using Annie´s computer and it is set to spanish mode and it won´t let me place parenthesis, question marks, and other punctuation in my sentences. So don´t think I have lost my skills with the English language already. haha. I just simply don´t know how to find those keys! In any case, we went into Tegus on Wednesday and we had a blast! We went to a children´s museum, and I have to say that it was a lot cooler than the museum in Boston. I think the best exhibit was this gigantic nose that visitors go inside of. Inside the nose, you press a button and all of the sudden, a huge sound is made and it is supposed to replicate someone blowing their nose. What fun! In any case, we had a blast there. We then went to two teacher stores which are exactly like the stores we have in the states. Despite the fact that I had TONS of bulletin board and supplies, I decided that I wanted to keep with a ¨Clifford the Big Red Dog¨theme, and purchased a calendar, alphabet border, and teacher´s helpter bulletin board. I know that Honduran children know about Clifford, as that is Janca´s dog´s name.
Anyways, things here are MUCH different than in the states as far as teacher training is concerned. We were supposed to have several hours more of group orientation this week. Well, those just never happened. We have a parent orientation tomorrow morning...and we know pretty much nothing about it, only that we have to be there at 8a.m. The guys have both never taught a day in their life, and have pretty much been handed materials and had to figure things out themselves. It is both a nice feeling to know that I have freedom in my classroom, but it is also a bit frustrating as I am used to such order in my classroom and more direction. I guess this is just all part of the Honduran way!
In any case, I don´t want this blog to come off as totally negative, because I am definitely having a great experience here. I have just had a few ¨low days¨and I suppose those are going to come. Hopefully the ¨high days¨will outweigh them. To end this entry, I want to share a few comical stories and observations with you all. First and foremost, did you know that Hondurans are obsessed with Bryan Adams!!! Everywhere you go...be it the gas station, on a public bus, someone´s house...Bryan Adams seems to be playing. It is not like he has even put out an album or anything! They are also big fans of the Beatles here. I heard ¨Hey Jude¨in Spanish at least 10 times this week in the room next door. Another comical part of this whole adventure is surely my Spanish knowledge. Or rather, my lack thereof. I have tried speaking several times and each attempt has been met with laughter by the Honduran teachers. For example, the other night one of the teachers asked how my brother was. Another teacher asked who Christopher was. Well, I responded with ¨Christopher is mi hombre¨. Now, I know that ¨hombre¨means man, not brother. But when you are trying so hard to recall words, the wrong one always seems to come out. So yes. I called my brother ¨my man¨. At least everyone is very lighthearted about it and they all seem williing to help. I DO hope my Spanish improves to a point where I can at least communicate with some people. It is VERY difficult to be the social butterfly that I am not and not be able to converse with all of these new people in my life. Hopefully, the frustration level will lead me to just try even harder to learn the language.
In any case, I am out to enjoy a Friday night out in Juticalpa. One of the other volunteers, Sarah, is leaving tomorrow morning. So we are going to dinner at a restaurant called Oregano´s. According to Annie, it is the only restaurant in all of Juticalpa that has dishes similar to what we have at home...in Italian restaurants, anyways. I have to say that I am looking forward to it. And I refuse to get meat tonight. I think I have eaten more red meat in the past 8 days than I have in the past YEAR. And the meat is always super tough and chewy. It hurts my jaw to chew it! Anyways, I love and miss you all and will try to blog at least weekly. Monday is the first day of school, and I am super excited about it! I got my final list today and it looks like I have 39 children rather than 46. But this is Honduras, so essentially anything can happen! Keep me in your thoughts and prayers on Monday. I am going to need them!
Monday, August 25, 2008
What am I getting myself into....
I woke up at 4:45 a.m this morning. It is now 2:00 a.m and I lie awake worrying and thinking "what on earth have I gotten myself into". Today was the first day of teacher training. First and foremost, I should mention that the ENTIRE thing was in Spanish. Secondly, I should mention that my Spanish training is almost nonexistant. Annie did give a very BRIEF translation in English, but I sat in a sweltering hot room for several hours listening to her go on about school policies in a language which I did not understand. Afterwards, I was able to get the assignment from one of my fellow volunteers; Eric, who is fluent in Spanish. I am starting to worry immensely about my ability to carry out my job responsibilities. I am hoping to keep the faith and be positive about things as the start of the school year approaches, but it is impossible to hide my apprehension. 30 children English speaking children with 2 teachers was a challenge enough. But 46 children who speak Spanish with an English speaking teacher? It is looking like the challenge of a lifetime....keep me in your prayers, I surely need them right now!
On the upside, I had dinner again tonight with all of the volunteers and I had an AMAZING time! Around 10p.m, it started downpouring and I grabbed a bar of soap outside and proceeded to start showering in the rain. It wasn't raining hard enough to wash my hair, but I have to admit that I feel very clean and refreshed right now. It is amazing how quickly one can learn to appreciate running water! It was a really nice night. All of us sat around and discussed our reasons for being here and what we wanted to gain from this experience. I shared with everyone that Honduras for me restores my faith in the good of humanity. I feel beyond blessed to be here. These people have so little material wise. But what they don't have in money and material goods, they make up for in love and kindness. The fact that I get to spend a year amongst these beautiful people is an amazing blessing! I love and miss you all though; and wish you were sharing in this experience with me!
P.S Mom, I found my bed sheets! They were in a box marked "adult diapers". Haha...wish you guys were here!.....
On the upside, I had dinner again tonight with all of the volunteers and I had an AMAZING time! Around 10p.m, it started downpouring and I grabbed a bar of soap outside and proceeded to start showering in the rain. It wasn't raining hard enough to wash my hair, but I have to admit that I feel very clean and refreshed right now. It is amazing how quickly one can learn to appreciate running water! It was a really nice night. All of us sat around and discussed our reasons for being here and what we wanted to gain from this experience. I shared with everyone that Honduras for me restores my faith in the good of humanity. I feel beyond blessed to be here. These people have so little material wise. But what they don't have in money and material goods, they make up for in love and kindness. The fact that I get to spend a year amongst these beautiful people is an amazing blessing! I love and miss you all though; and wish you were sharing in this experience with me!
P.S Mom, I found my bed sheets! They were in a box marked "adult diapers". Haha...wish you guys were here!.....
Settling in...
It is 4:45 a.m and I am wide awake. I am actually up on my computer ready to blog. Back home, I would have had difficulty prying myself out of bed even 2 hours from now. I'm not a morning person at all, but I think I am going to have to become one. I am officially in Honduras. The temperature in my bedroom already feels as though it has climbed above 90 degrees making it difficult to sleep. Rather than the sound of the MBTA whizzing by or homeless people digging through the trash in the dumpster next to my apartment, I instead hear the sounds of various types of lizards crawling around on the tin roof and roosters crowing. (Did you know that roosters don't "cock-a-doodle doo" at dawn online? They do it 24/7!)
I feel guilty that I am just starting to blog now, as I know that everyone back home is anxiously awaiting to hear about the start of my adventure. Please forgive me for taking a few days to get acclimated and "dilly-dallying" on starting this. As many of you know, this is the Honduran way!
I had a nice, relaxing weekend here in Juticalpa. I got a lot of down-time to get acclimated to the area and "find my bearings". It really isn't that difficult to quickly learn your way around here, with the exception of the fact that it's impossible to give directions! There is only one real street with a name in Juticalpa, and that is the Boulevard. Essentially, if you head down that street you will find your way to the "guys house" where Eric, John, and James (the male volunteers) live, and the "girls house" (where myself, Bree, and Maria) will be living. I am currently staying in the Colonia, a government owned housing area with Annie (the principal of Santa Clara) and her husband Henry. Two other volunteers are still staying here, and they are still staying in my place. It is really nice to stay with Annie and Henry as I know the both of them already and they are so friendly and welcoming, but I am kind of anxious to get into my own place. I don't really feel "settled" yet as I am kind of living out of my suitcases right now. I am afraid to unpack them, because closing the both of them was a nightmare. Therefore, I guess I will just deal with the mess of living out of them for a few more days and enjoy my quiet time here in the Colonia. It is so quiet over here that at night, you could hear a pin drop.
This morning, we officially start our new teacher training. I have to admit that I am extremely nervous and apprehensive about what lies ahead of me. All I know is that I will have two sections of first graders. One I will have in the morning, the other I will have in the afternoon. I am to speak in English to them only, which I clearly have no other option anyways as I don't speak ANY Spanish at all. What really scares me to death is that I learned this weekend that I will not have the teacher's assistant that I was promised. Therefore, I will have 23 spanish speaking little munchkins at a time ALL by myself. I know from teaching kindergarten back in the states that this is going to take every ounce of energy out of me. I am not scared about putting in the effort or working hard. I guess what I am most afraid of is that I will not be "good enough" to educate these children. I am afraid that the language barrier will hinder me from being a good teacher. Both Jess and Colleen (last year's volunteers) have warned me how difficult the first month or so of school is going to be, but I am afraid that I won't pick up the language fast enough.
It just amazes me how different things are here from in the states. Back home, it would be next to impossible to even find a teaching job as my undergraduate degree isn't even in Education. It would surely be impossible to find a teaching job in an inner city school where being billingual is a necessity. Here, it doesn't even seem to be an issue. Two of the other volunteers have never even stepped foot in a classroom in their lives! It just amazes me how we all seem so unqualified in different areas, yet everyone seems SO excited and so appreciative to have us here. Walking down the street last night to the cathedral, a group of little kids started yelling to us "hi teachers!" in English. I guess they know that any "gringas" that are here in Honduras are here to teach. Everywhere you walk in town, people stop and stare at you. It is SUCH a weird feeling to be considered a minority. I have never felt like that before anywhere back home! I would not say that I am homesick per say as this place is amazing, but it is definitely a lot different being here on my own rather than in a group like I was in April. I think what is most difficult for me right now is that I am seeing all of these familair faces and experiencing all of these amazing things and I can't share it with the people back home that I shared it with in April. I feel a strong desire to pick up the phone and just call one of these people and tell them about everything that is happening. At least I got to talk to my parents this weekend, which made me feel a lot better. I know that they share the same level of love and connection with this place, and it made me smile to tell them about my adventures thus far. (Even the fact that I we hung out at the Esso station for 2 hours to keep cool yesterday, they appreciated!) I feel as though I don't want to tell them TOO much though, as I know that they wish they could be on this great adventure with me. In regards to everyone else, I guess I am just going to have to work REALLY hard on keeping up with my emails! It will give me something to do in my "down-time" I suppose!
Anyways, I am going to cut this short because it is time to get ready for my first day at work. Getting ready is going to include an ice cold shower with a limited water supply. I must turn the water on and off as I wash to conserve water. When I get out of the shower, I will get dressed and throw my hair in a ponytail. It is so hot here that I have already thrown all of my hopes on looking beautiful to the wind. Makeup? It wound melt right off your face? Styling my hair? I'm lucky if I get enough water pressure and can withstand the cold water long enough to get the soap out of my hair. You know what though? I already like it better this way. It is so nice to know that in the mornings I will be able to just get up, comb my hair, throw on something comfy and cool, and go. Wish me luck! Today is going to be a VERY full day with LOTS to digest! I love and miss you all back home!
To my friends, I think about you all everyday! It was hard for me to leave, but please realize that this is something that I just have to do right now. It is going to be an experience of much growth and I have such a strong connection with these people that I know I have made the right decision. Don't think I have forgotten about any of you though!
Anyways, I am off! Hasta Luego!
I feel guilty that I am just starting to blog now, as I know that everyone back home is anxiously awaiting to hear about the start of my adventure. Please forgive me for taking a few days to get acclimated and "dilly-dallying" on starting this. As many of you know, this is the Honduran way!
I had a nice, relaxing weekend here in Juticalpa. I got a lot of down-time to get acclimated to the area and "find my bearings". It really isn't that difficult to quickly learn your way around here, with the exception of the fact that it's impossible to give directions! There is only one real street with a name in Juticalpa, and that is the Boulevard. Essentially, if you head down that street you will find your way to the "guys house" where Eric, John, and James (the male volunteers) live, and the "girls house" (where myself, Bree, and Maria) will be living. I am currently staying in the Colonia, a government owned housing area with Annie (the principal of Santa Clara) and her husband Henry. Two other volunteers are still staying here, and they are still staying in my place. It is really nice to stay with Annie and Henry as I know the both of them already and they are so friendly and welcoming, but I am kind of anxious to get into my own place. I don't really feel "settled" yet as I am kind of living out of my suitcases right now. I am afraid to unpack them, because closing the both of them was a nightmare. Therefore, I guess I will just deal with the mess of living out of them for a few more days and enjoy my quiet time here in the Colonia. It is so quiet over here that at night, you could hear a pin drop.
This morning, we officially start our new teacher training. I have to admit that I am extremely nervous and apprehensive about what lies ahead of me. All I know is that I will have two sections of first graders. One I will have in the morning, the other I will have in the afternoon. I am to speak in English to them only, which I clearly have no other option anyways as I don't speak ANY Spanish at all. What really scares me to death is that I learned this weekend that I will not have the teacher's assistant that I was promised. Therefore, I will have 23 spanish speaking little munchkins at a time ALL by myself. I know from teaching kindergarten back in the states that this is going to take every ounce of energy out of me. I am not scared about putting in the effort or working hard. I guess what I am most afraid of is that I will not be "good enough" to educate these children. I am afraid that the language barrier will hinder me from being a good teacher. Both Jess and Colleen (last year's volunteers) have warned me how difficult the first month or so of school is going to be, but I am afraid that I won't pick up the language fast enough.
It just amazes me how different things are here from in the states. Back home, it would be next to impossible to even find a teaching job as my undergraduate degree isn't even in Education. It would surely be impossible to find a teaching job in an inner city school where being billingual is a necessity. Here, it doesn't even seem to be an issue. Two of the other volunteers have never even stepped foot in a classroom in their lives! It just amazes me how we all seem so unqualified in different areas, yet everyone seems SO excited and so appreciative to have us here. Walking down the street last night to the cathedral, a group of little kids started yelling to us "hi teachers!" in English. I guess they know that any "gringas" that are here in Honduras are here to teach. Everywhere you walk in town, people stop and stare at you. It is SUCH a weird feeling to be considered a minority. I have never felt like that before anywhere back home! I would not say that I am homesick per say as this place is amazing, but it is definitely a lot different being here on my own rather than in a group like I was in April. I think what is most difficult for me right now is that I am seeing all of these familair faces and experiencing all of these amazing things and I can't share it with the people back home that I shared it with in April. I feel a strong desire to pick up the phone and just call one of these people and tell them about everything that is happening. At least I got to talk to my parents this weekend, which made me feel a lot better. I know that they share the same level of love and connection with this place, and it made me smile to tell them about my adventures thus far. (Even the fact that I we hung out at the Esso station for 2 hours to keep cool yesterday, they appreciated!) I feel as though I don't want to tell them TOO much though, as I know that they wish they could be on this great adventure with me. In regards to everyone else, I guess I am just going to have to work REALLY hard on keeping up with my emails! It will give me something to do in my "down-time" I suppose!
Anyways, I am going to cut this short because it is time to get ready for my first day at work. Getting ready is going to include an ice cold shower with a limited water supply. I must turn the water on and off as I wash to conserve water. When I get out of the shower, I will get dressed and throw my hair in a ponytail. It is so hot here that I have already thrown all of my hopes on looking beautiful to the wind. Makeup? It wound melt right off your face? Styling my hair? I'm lucky if I get enough water pressure and can withstand the cold water long enough to get the soap out of my hair. You know what though? I already like it better this way. It is so nice to know that in the mornings I will be able to just get up, comb my hair, throw on something comfy and cool, and go. Wish me luck! Today is going to be a VERY full day with LOTS to digest! I love and miss you all back home!
To my friends, I think about you all everyday! It was hard for me to leave, but please realize that this is something that I just have to do right now. It is going to be an experience of much growth and I have such a strong connection with these people that I know I have made the right decision. Don't think I have forgotten about any of you though!
Anyways, I am off! Hasta Luego!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
