I was glad to be busy this past weekend, because I am beginning to get very antsy about going home. The days just don't seem to go by fast enough. And especially with the long week that I had last week. I don't think it could have been any slower. Hopefully this week with go by much quicker!
Now, to catch you up on my crazy life over the past week. It all started on Monday (well really I was feeling bad before that) when I was baking cookies with Laura for the Christmas Cookie Exchange Party. We were have a really good time, listening to Christmas music and rolling the cookies into little balls when I realized that I was feeling horrible and needed to go lay down immediately. I did, thinking I just needed to rest for a minute, and I didn't get up again until the next morning. My whole body was incredibly weak and I had no energy to even get out of bed. Tuesday morning, I came to school, but it was a struggle. I went to the school doctor (with my principal so that she could translate for me) and found out quickly that I had a parasite. If you'd like to know how I got it exactly you can ask me later! (It's gross)
Thank goodness, the doctor was able to give me a prescription (well he told me which medicine to buy at the pharmacy). There aren't really prescriptions here, you can get whatever medicine you want right over the counter. I was feeling incredibly ill, and apparently my principal could tell, so she had someone go right away and pick up my medicine. When he got back he took me home for the rest of the day. One of my good friends, who is the high school Chemistry teacher, and happens to have a good sense of humor covered my 11th grade class for me that day. He told all of the students that I was really mad at them and was considering leaving Honduras because they had given me such a hard time. Of course, when I got back on Wednesday, I had to settle a couple of students down who were quite upset about this!
I slept the whole day and had to miss out on the Cookie Exchange that night :-( I really wanted to go, but there was absolutely no way. Jess stayed home with me though and helped take care of me. And that she did. I didn't want to eat anything, because the thought of food made me feel nauseous. However, I was craving ice-cream (which we did not have), but Jess quickly came to the rescue. She had made ice-cream with her 3rd graders as a science experiment earlier that day at school and whipped me and her up a bowl real quick. It was the best (at least at the time) ice-cream I had ever had. Makes me want some just thinking about it!
Still didn't feel great on Wednesday, but I went to school and made it through the day somehow. It was a really long and draining day and when I got home I was completely wiped out. I tried talking to Jeremy on skype but was literally falling asleep during the conversation. Finally, by Friday I was feeling pretty much back to normal. However, it was not a fun week at all. Having something inside you that takes all your energy is no fun. Trust me.
I was glad to be feeling better because Friday night I went to the elementary school Christmas Program and then Jess, Jen and I went to stay with the Crook girls at their hotel for the night. We had so much fun with them. We watched a movie, ate pizza and ice-cream, went bowling, did make-overs, had a tea party, played truth-or-dare, had tickle fights and just spent the weekend being girls. It was the perfect ending to such a long, hard week!
Sunday morning, Laura and I were going to go catch a taxi to go to church, when we walked out of our front gate and saw 6 cows mulling about on our street. Seriously, we just laughed and thought, "Only in Honduras!"
Sunday evening, we went over to Diana and Ben Camp's (a married couple who teach at IST) apartment to make Papusas. It is one of my favorite dishes here in Honduras even though it is really from El Salvador. Diana is from El Salvador and her mom visited recently and taught her how to make papusas, so she decided to share the wealth with the rest of us! Papusas basically look like pancakes, but are filled with cheese (and you can add beans, meat or really anything). They were really fun to make....and eat. However, I don't think they were quite as good as the Papusa Lady's at Valle de Angeles. I'm going to keep practicing though so that I can learn the technique, because they are so delicious!
I'm off to our last Bible study for this year! See you all in just a few day:)
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Beautiful Lady
I don't really like all of the cliche phrases that everyone always says when someone you love passes away. Like "You don't know how much you love someone until they are gone." or "She's in a better place." But I guess they became cliche because of the large amount of truth that they hold.
The thought that Nana is in heaven right now was what immediately brought me comfort after my mom told me the news over Skype. However it wasn't until I was talking to Libby and she told me that Nana is not only with Jesus right now, but she's also with granddaddy again that I was able to smile about it. (Thanks Lib!)
It's been a rough few days being away from my family during this time, but I can't tell you all how much I appreciate all of the messages and emails saying that you are praying for me. I honestly don't know how people without the Joy of the Lord can handle circumstances like this. Especially being so far away from everyone that I love. However, I know the Lord is teaching me to rely solely on him Him during this time.
Nana was such a beautiful lady. Looking back and remembering how much she was a part of my life has been such a blessing. I am pretty sure that most grandkids aren't so lucky to live just a quarter of a mile down the road from their grandparents and get to spend so much time with them. However, growing up on "Pittman Road" allowed me to experience true family life to the fullest. I remember staying with Nana and Granddaddy as a little girl every time my brothers had a basketball game because I "hated" basketball (go figure). I'd take Mary Poppins and maybe some coloring books and would sit with Nana all evening.
One of the best memories, and I'm sure you all remember as well, was our weekly Sunday afternoon lunches with Nana. Not only did we have lunch every week, but Nana made sure that we had a GOOD lunch every week. And without fail, because I loved them so much, Nana would always make mashed potatoes. She would always tell me that she made them just for me!
Nana also always got all of her grandchildren candy and cards every holiday. When I was younger, I loved Peppermint Patties! However, as I got older my love for them became less and less, I mean, I never disliked them, but they wouldn't have been my choice candy. Nana never knew this, and even up until I left for Honduras, she would always get me Peppermint Patties as my special treat. I still smile just thinking about it, and even though it wasn't my favorite, I loved that she thought it was and that is what made it so special.
Nana was probably the most giving lady that I knew. She continuously was the one who was cooking or cleaning and making sure that everyone else was comfortable. I remember thinking, when I was younger, "I wish she would just sit down and enjoy this time with us instead of staying so busy." However, now I realize that that was her love language. She showed us all love by serving us. And what a servant she was. I am so thankful to have had such an example to follow.
There are so many more memories I have shared with Nana, and so many of the events in my life include her. Although I wasn't there when she passed away, I know that she still asked about me daily. When I was home, she loved knowing about my life. Where I was going (Honduras), who I was dating (Jeremy, who she liked), how my job was going (she always thought I stayed at the Schorsch's house way to late), and anything else that I did. I wish I could have been there to tell her all about my many stories of teaching, and traveling in Honduras. Still, I'm so thankful for the time I did have with her this summer, and throughout my entire life.
I love you, Nana.
The thought that Nana is in heaven right now was what immediately brought me comfort after my mom told me the news over Skype. However it wasn't until I was talking to Libby and she told me that Nana is not only with Jesus right now, but she's also with granddaddy again that I was able to smile about it. (Thanks Lib!)
It's been a rough few days being away from my family during this time, but I can't tell you all how much I appreciate all of the messages and emails saying that you are praying for me. I honestly don't know how people without the Joy of the Lord can handle circumstances like this. Especially being so far away from everyone that I love. However, I know the Lord is teaching me to rely solely on him Him during this time.
Nana was such a beautiful lady. Looking back and remembering how much she was a part of my life has been such a blessing. I am pretty sure that most grandkids aren't so lucky to live just a quarter of a mile down the road from their grandparents and get to spend so much time with them. However, growing up on "Pittman Road" allowed me to experience true family life to the fullest. I remember staying with Nana and Granddaddy as a little girl every time my brothers had a basketball game because I "hated" basketball (go figure). I'd take Mary Poppins and maybe some coloring books and would sit with Nana all evening.
One of the best memories, and I'm sure you all remember as well, was our weekly Sunday afternoon lunches with Nana. Not only did we have lunch every week, but Nana made sure that we had a GOOD lunch every week. And without fail, because I loved them so much, Nana would always make mashed potatoes. She would always tell me that she made them just for me!
Nana also always got all of her grandchildren candy and cards every holiday. When I was younger, I loved Peppermint Patties! However, as I got older my love for them became less and less, I mean, I never disliked them, but they wouldn't have been my choice candy. Nana never knew this, and even up until I left for Honduras, she would always get me Peppermint Patties as my special treat. I still smile just thinking about it, and even though it wasn't my favorite, I loved that she thought it was and that is what made it so special.
Nana was probably the most giving lady that I knew. She continuously was the one who was cooking or cleaning and making sure that everyone else was comfortable. I remember thinking, when I was younger, "I wish she would just sit down and enjoy this time with us instead of staying so busy." However, now I realize that that was her love language. She showed us all love by serving us. And what a servant she was. I am so thankful to have had such an example to follow.
There are so many more memories I have shared with Nana, and so many of the events in my life include her. Although I wasn't there when she passed away, I know that she still asked about me daily. When I was home, she loved knowing about my life. Where I was going (Honduras), who I was dating (Jeremy, who she liked), how my job was going (she always thought I stayed at the Schorsch's house way to late), and anything else that I did. I wish I could have been there to tell her all about my many stories of teaching, and traveling in Honduras. Still, I'm so thankful for the time I did have with her this summer, and throughout my entire life.
I love you, Nana.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Thanksgiving Vaca
Oh so many things have happened since I last wrote so I'll catch you up quickly on a few and then tell you about my amazing weekend!
1. My weekend in Richmond for Leslie's wedding was amazing. It wasn't too weird being in the States, but being able to flush my toilet paper was hard a hard adjustment. Seeing my best friends was refreshing, seeing my family was hard, coming back wasn't too bad, being back has proven to be more difficult.
2. I got to go to a teacher's conference at the Marriott Hotel. This has been the only place in Honduras that I have been to where you can actually flush your toilet paper. (sorry for all of the toilet paper references) The conference was pretty good, and the fact that I didn't have to go to school on Friday was a bonus!
3. The school puts on a Thanksgiving Dinner for all of the teachers and staff. It was at the Humuya Inn (look it up online). This is the Inn that the Crook family owns. Mrs. Crook is an amazing interior decorator and the whole Inn looked beautiful with lights and Christmas decorations. The food was equally delicious. Turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and of course pumpkin pie! Mimi (Ms. Crook) told me later that all of the recipes were from the States. Her husband, Scott, is American so they have quite a bit of family in the States.
Now for my amazing weekend...
As you may remember, I ran in a 10K Race back in October and won a free, all-inclusive trip to La Ceiba. My original plan was to go with Jeremy in June, but I found out I had to use the trip within three months so I decided to go over our Thanksgiving Break.
As Wednesday rolled around, my roommate, Jess, and I thought to ourselves that we couldn't imagine not having the rest of the week off because we were so exhausted. Wednesday after school we came home, Andrea and I ran, and then we headed out of the city to the Crooks house for the night. We rented a couple movies and had pizza with the girls. It was a great start to our long weekend.
Thursday morning we were awakened by the smell of bacon and eggs. We had to catch an 8:30AM flight so we left the Crooks house around 6:30AM. Carlos got us safely there, and we spoke (or tried to speak) Spanish the whole way. I think Carlos asked me if I would buy him some shoes from the States when I go home, but my Spanish is still a little shaky so I'll have to ask Andrea to translate next time we are all together.
Anyways, we hopped on our plane and got to La Ceiba around 9:45AM. The taxi ride to the Resort took about 40 minutes, but once we got there we knew it was going to be a good weekend. The place was beautiful and the staff (although not terribly fluent in English) were very accommodating. We were forced to speak Spanish to Marco, the older man who worked at the towel hut by the pool, he wouldn't help us otherwise:-) We spent most of our time laying out on the beach and by the pool reading. I am now reading through The Chronicles of Narnia books, which are amazing!
There was a restaurant that served three meals a day, buffet style, and also snacks and drinks available by the pool all day long. We were given a neon yellow wrist band when we got there and after that we were never asked to pay for anything. All of the food, drinks and activities we wanted to do were included.
Friday we decided to go kayaking out in the sea (Caribbean Sea) and boy what an adventure it was. We laughed about how there was no waiver to sign, or even a requirement that we wear life jackets. (actually they didn't even have them) As we made our way out to sea, Jess was trying to tell me how she had gotten soaked by a wave when another wave came up on her all of a sudden and...FLIP! No more Jess! I almost flipped my own kayak I was laughing so hard. I tried to hold her kayak and paddle while she attempted to get back in, however the first attempt was a failure. Not only did she not get back in, she nailed her leg on the side of the kayak and was now working with a bum leg. She seemed a little ticked at this point so I decided to paddle away and let her work it out on her own. But what happened next was hilarious. Apparently, since she didn't quite give it enough umf the first time, she decided to really jump into the kayak this time. However, I think she gave it a little too much, and up she went on one side, and over on the other. I did wait to start laughing this time, but as soon as Jess came up with a smile on her face, I burst! I couldn't contain myself and even now as I write this I can't stop laughing.
No worries, she made it back in the kayak on attempt #3 and all was well after that. We paddled down the beach about a quarter of a mile or so, and then went back. Overall, the experience was quite enjoyable (for me)!
We realized shortly after arriving at the resort that we were the ONLY gringas there...so we stuck out a bit. Talk about being stared at constantly! Apparently this time of year is not very busy for the resort and the majority of people that were staying were there for a conference. While they were all walking around in business attire, we were laying around in our bathing suits by the pool!
There was also entertainment at night, a Tropical Dance show at 9:30PM out by the pool. It's pretty sad when you have to go back to your room to take a nap so that you can stay up past 9:30, but I guess that's one of side affects of being a teacher. However, the show was a little less than mediocre. The performers changed outfits between every song and even tried to perform a western dance...to a song in Spanish. It was pretty funny, but we decided to leave after that one.
Overall, spending the weekend with Jess was really great. We had so much fun, and were able to just relax and not worry about anything!
I'll try to write more often until Christmas. There are several things going on (as I'm sure there are at home as well) here for the Christmas Season! I'll keep you posted so you can experience a Honduran Christmas with me!
2. I got to go to a teacher's conference at the Marriott Hotel. This has been the only place in Honduras that I have been to where you can actually flush your toilet paper. (sorry for all of the toilet paper references) The conference was pretty good, and the fact that I didn't have to go to school on Friday was a bonus!
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| Sofia Caceres (one of other math teachers) and I at the Thanksgiving Dinner |
3. The school puts on a Thanksgiving Dinner for all of the teachers and staff. It was at the Humuya Inn (look it up online). This is the Inn that the Crook family owns. Mrs. Crook is an amazing interior decorator and the whole Inn looked beautiful with lights and Christmas decorations. The food was equally delicious. Turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and of course pumpkin pie! Mimi (Ms. Crook) told me later that all of the recipes were from the States. Her husband, Scott, is American so they have quite a bit of family in the States.
Now for my amazing weekend...
As you may remember, I ran in a 10K Race back in October and won a free, all-inclusive trip to La Ceiba. My original plan was to go with Jeremy in June, but I found out I had to use the trip within three months so I decided to go over our Thanksgiving Break.
As Wednesday rolled around, my roommate, Jess, and I thought to ourselves that we couldn't imagine not having the rest of the week off because we were so exhausted. Wednesday after school we came home, Andrea and I ran, and then we headed out of the city to the Crooks house for the night. We rented a couple movies and had pizza with the girls. It was a great start to our long weekend.
Thursday morning we were awakened by the smell of bacon and eggs. We had to catch an 8:30AM flight so we left the Crooks house around 6:30AM. Carlos got us safely there, and we spoke (or tried to speak) Spanish the whole way. I think Carlos asked me if I would buy him some shoes from the States when I go home, but my Spanish is still a little shaky so I'll have to ask Andrea to translate next time we are all together.
Anyways, we hopped on our plane and got to La Ceiba around 9:45AM. The taxi ride to the Resort took about 40 minutes, but once we got there we knew it was going to be a good weekend. The place was beautiful and the staff (although not terribly fluent in English) were very accommodating. We were forced to speak Spanish to Marco, the older man who worked at the towel hut by the pool, he wouldn't help us otherwise:-) We spent most of our time laying out on the beach and by the pool reading. I am now reading through The Chronicles of Narnia books, which are amazing!
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| View from our balcony |
There was a restaurant that served three meals a day, buffet style, and also snacks and drinks available by the pool all day long. We were given a neon yellow wrist band when we got there and after that we were never asked to pay for anything. All of the food, drinks and activities we wanted to do were included.
Friday we decided to go kayaking out in the sea (Caribbean Sea) and boy what an adventure it was. We laughed about how there was no waiver to sign, or even a requirement that we wear life jackets. (actually they didn't even have them) As we made our way out to sea, Jess was trying to tell me how she had gotten soaked by a wave when another wave came up on her all of a sudden and...FLIP! No more Jess! I almost flipped my own kayak I was laughing so hard. I tried to hold her kayak and paddle while she attempted to get back in, however the first attempt was a failure. Not only did she not get back in, she nailed her leg on the side of the kayak and was now working with a bum leg. She seemed a little ticked at this point so I decided to paddle away and let her work it out on her own. But what happened next was hilarious. Apparently, since she didn't quite give it enough umf the first time, she decided to really jump into the kayak this time. However, I think she gave it a little too much, and up she went on one side, and over on the other. I did wait to start laughing this time, but as soon as Jess came up with a smile on her face, I burst! I couldn't contain myself and even now as I write this I can't stop laughing.
No worries, she made it back in the kayak on attempt #3 and all was well after that. We paddled down the beach about a quarter of a mile or so, and then went back. Overall, the experience was quite enjoyable (for me)!
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| One night we climbed trees:-) |
We realized shortly after arriving at the resort that we were the ONLY gringas there...so we stuck out a bit. Talk about being stared at constantly! Apparently this time of year is not very busy for the resort and the majority of people that were staying were there for a conference. While they were all walking around in business attire, we were laying around in our bathing suits by the pool!
There was also entertainment at night, a Tropical Dance show at 9:30PM out by the pool. It's pretty sad when you have to go back to your room to take a nap so that you can stay up past 9:30, but I guess that's one of side affects of being a teacher. However, the show was a little less than mediocre. The performers changed outfits between every song and even tried to perform a western dance...to a song in Spanish. It was pretty funny, but we decided to leave after that one.
Overall, spending the weekend with Jess was really great. We had so much fun, and were able to just relax and not worry about anything!
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| There was a dock just a little walk down the beach |
I'll try to write more often until Christmas. There are several things going on (as I'm sure there are at home as well) here for the Christmas Season! I'll keep you posted so you can experience a Honduran Christmas with me!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Busy Busy
Mom tells me that I need to write, even though I don't really have anything too exciting to write about, but Mom is usually right so here goes.
It's been a while and I am having a hard time remembering what all I have done since I last wrote. We started the second partial, which I thought would be easier and less work, but as it turns out, I feel like I have been on overload since it started. It could be because of the extra things that I have added to my weekly schedule over the past few weeks. I train Andrea, one of my tenth grade students, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after school. Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (as of this week) I have started tutoring a 7th grader in Pre-Algebra, which makes everyday just a bit longer. However, the running I really enjoy, especially with Andrea.
A few funny classroom comments...
1) "Mees, On behalf of the entire class....You look absolutely beautiful today!", says Diego right before his class had to take a quiz. I'm pretty sure he was trying to butter me up so I'd go easy on the grading!
2) Today we had a short mourning period after one of my senior girls came into class very somber and told me "She died." I was puzzled, and then she explained that her lucky pen had finally run out of ink and the funeral was today.
3) After asking my students to guess what color shoes I was going to wear in my roommate's wedding, I laughed when some of them wrote "red high hills!" (this was of course after I told them the correct answer. Although a few of them did guess correctly before I told them.)
I laugh everyday at/with my students. Of course, I do get pretty frustrated quite often too, but for the most part they always put a smile on my face!
I have become very good friends with another family at School. Andrea Crook, the girl I train, and her family have become my home away from home. I love their family so much and have been able to spend time with them, just watching movies, playing soccer and having Sunday breakfast out on the deck and talking for over an hour. It's been so wonderful to see how God has blessed me with the people here in Honduras. Andrea is like the little sister I never had. We have so much in common, I practically see myself when I look at her. It's been really good for me to be able to invest so much into someone else.
Christmas is soon approaching. Or should I say....has been here for about a month now. For some reason, Hondurans begin decorating and listening to Christmas music around the middle of October. Now, I am one of Christmas' biggest fans, but even I think that might be a little early. However, once November arrived, I started to crank up the tunes! ...When in Honduras, do as the Hondurans!
I'm sure there is a ton more that I have forgotten, but it's getting late and I'm leaving tomorrow to head back to Virginia! I can't wait to see my best friends and my family! I've realized since I've been away from Libby, Sarah, Lindsay and Leslie that friends like that don't just come around everyday. What a special place they all have in my heart. J.E.L.L.S. or should I say "The Fab Five" :-)
Off to bed....if I can fall asleep.
It's been a while and I am having a hard time remembering what all I have done since I last wrote. We started the second partial, which I thought would be easier and less work, but as it turns out, I feel like I have been on overload since it started. It could be because of the extra things that I have added to my weekly schedule over the past few weeks. I train Andrea, one of my tenth grade students, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after school. Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (as of this week) I have started tutoring a 7th grader in Pre-Algebra, which makes everyday just a bit longer. However, the running I really enjoy, especially with Andrea.
A few funny classroom comments...
1) "Mees, On behalf of the entire class....You look absolutely beautiful today!", says Diego right before his class had to take a quiz. I'm pretty sure he was trying to butter me up so I'd go easy on the grading!
2) Today we had a short mourning period after one of my senior girls came into class very somber and told me "She died." I was puzzled, and then she explained that her lucky pen had finally run out of ink and the funeral was today.
3) After asking my students to guess what color shoes I was going to wear in my roommate's wedding, I laughed when some of them wrote "red high hills!" (this was of course after I told them the correct answer. Although a few of them did guess correctly before I told them.)
I laugh everyday at/with my students. Of course, I do get pretty frustrated quite often too, but for the most part they always put a smile on my face!
I have become very good friends with another family at School. Andrea Crook, the girl I train, and her family have become my home away from home. I love their family so much and have been able to spend time with them, just watching movies, playing soccer and having Sunday breakfast out on the deck and talking for over an hour. It's been so wonderful to see how God has blessed me with the people here in Honduras. Andrea is like the little sister I never had. We have so much in common, I practically see myself when I look at her. It's been really good for me to be able to invest so much into someone else.
Christmas is soon approaching. Or should I say....has been here for about a month now. For some reason, Hondurans begin decorating and listening to Christmas music around the middle of October. Now, I am one of Christmas' biggest fans, but even I think that might be a little early. However, once November arrived, I started to crank up the tunes! ...When in Honduras, do as the Hondurans!
I'm sure there is a ton more that I have forgotten, but it's getting late and I'm leaving tomorrow to head back to Virginia! I can't wait to see my best friends and my family! I've realized since I've been away from Libby, Sarah, Lindsay and Leslie that friends like that don't just come around everyday. What a special place they all have in my heart. J.E.L.L.S. or should I say "The Fab Five" :-)
Off to bed....if I can fall asleep.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Lago De Yojoa
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| The powerful waterfall. How can you see this and not give glory to God? |
We left bright and early on Saturday morning and started on our way to Lago De Yojoa, a beautiful lake outside of the city. This was the perfect weekend for a get-a-way because Friday was the end of the 1st Partial and we were all in need of a break.
The trip there wasn't too bad. Leaving at 8:00AM means that everyone is much more awake than leaving after school when every teacher is exhausted! The only problem was that I had already had a whole cup of water to drink that morning and if you know me, you know I am a frequent bathroom stopper. Of course about 15 minutes into the drive, I could tell that I was going to need a bathroom break. I was actually able to make it about an hour and a half before I even mentioned that I needed to stop. I tried occupying my mind and was able to learn a new card game called Uker (Landon I'm gonna have to teach you because I think you'd really like it). It worked for a little while, but I was really starting to be in pain, so about 2 hours into the trip we made a pit stop at a Burger King! I'm pretty sure we were planning on stopping anyways, but I'm not completely sure. The second half of the trip was much more enjoyable:-)
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| It was a little to chilly to go swimming for me. |
We arrived at the lake around 1:30pm and unpacked our things in our quaint little cabins. The place was pretty nice, and each cabin had a porch with chairs and a hammock. Our cabin had a great view that looked out over the lake. It was so peaceful and quiet, which was a nice change from the constant motorcycles and dogs barking on my street in Tegus. (Jeremy can testify to the random, loud noises that often occur while we are skyping!)
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| Our porch and view of the lake. |
We all met back for dinner at the hotel restaurant. They had prepared fish (yes the whole fish, eyes and all) and rice and beans for us. After lunch we wondered around the area for a little bit and then headed back to the cabin and played Phase 10 for a couple hours out on the deck. It was a pretty cloudy afternoon, so Phase 10 just seemed to be the perfect game to play. We followed that up by dinner together and then a time of worship and sharing our "how we came to Honduras" stories. It was a really nice day and was perfect for unwinding.
Saturday Jen V. and I went out on a paddle boat on the lake after breakfast. It was pretty cloudy when we left, but the sun peeked out as we paddled our way out onto the lake and we enjoyed just sitting and talking for a while in the warm sunshine. I had forgotten how great paddle boating is for chatting with a good friend!
Now begins the real adventure. Around 11:00am we packed up and headed out to the waterfall, which was about 30 minutes away from where we stayed. We were told that we could take a tour of the waterfall, which consisted of walking under the waterfall and going into a cave behind it. When we got there, it had gotten cloudy again and I was a little unsure as to whether or not I really wanted to do the tour. Of course, it only took a second, when I saw the beautiful waterfall to decided that I DID want to do the tour. Some of the girls who had done the tour last year when they visited, decided not to go again and told us that it was pretty intense. I usually like intense and thrilling, so I was getting pretty excited as we headed down the mountain towards the fall.
The excitement lasted until we got to the first big rock where we had to jump into a rushing pool of water from about 10 feet up. Still, I was enjoying it, but I began to think "What have I gotten myself into?" The waterfall, at this point, is really close and we are getting sprayed by the water pouring over the edge of the mountain, but still we aren't directly underneath of the waterfall....yet.
As we continued on single file behind the tour guide, the power of the water got stronger and it was like walking inside of a tornado. I could barely open my eyes to see where I should step next. As we hopped from rock to rock underneath of the pouring water, my heart began to beat overtime. I wanted more than anything to turn back, but since that wasn't an option I plowed on. When we hopped down off a rock and were waist deep in the water, I turned back and saw Jen V. standing up against the side of the rock looking petrified. She said she couldn't go on, and I believed her for a second, and then just grabbed her hand and told her that we HAD to keep going. As I encouraged Jen and kept talking to her, I completely forgot about how scared I was. At this point, the guide told us to form a chain with each other (so that we didn't get washed away). I just kept moving as fast as possible because I wanted to get out from underneath of that pounding water as soon as possible.
We finally reached a crevice in the side of the mountain, where the water was not hitting us directly. A Honduran lady who was also on the tour must have seen how scared I looked, because she pulled me in as close as possible and we just held each other. We stayed there for a minute, but then we had to keep going. I really didn't want to, but still I knew there was no other option. After a couple of more minutes of climbing on rocks and wading through water we made it to the cave. However, the cave was less than I'd expected, because the entrance was just big enough for one person to fit through (barely) and it was dark and pretty tight inside. As I sat there, waiting for everyone else to come in, I could not stop my body from shaking. This was the first time I had ever experienced such an adrenaline rush in my life. I was terrified, but there was no way to safety except to head back out into the waterfall just the way we had come in.
I'm not sure I would have gone back out except that again Jen told me that she wasn't going back. That's when my courage decided to come out again, and I told her that we could do it together. (Seriously this may sound stupid, but we really were petrified) We went back as quickly as we could and when we finally made it out from underneath of the waterfall my emotions finally let loose. I wanted to cry more than anything, but I held it together because I was still super excited and the adrenaline was still pumping. It took the whole walk back to the bus for me to finally calm my nerves. I will say that I am glad I did it, but I will NEVER do it again.
After that experience, I don't need to do anything thrilling for quite a while!
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| Before we took the tour. (I'm still smiling) |
Monday, October 18, 2010
Vamos
Since I got to Honduras, I found it really difficult to go running as often as I would like. Over the past few weeks, however, several of the male teachers and I have started running for about an hour every Wednesday after school. It's been really nice to have other people who like to run around, because there really is no way that I could go by myself.
Also, I have started training one of my students, Andrea, to run a mile in under 7 minutes. We now go three times a week after school to a track here in Tegucigalpa and run. I love training Andrea, it's like a side hobby I never knew I could do. After we train, she has tennis practice, so her mom lets me stay and run around the track for as long as I like and then gives me a ride home.
All that to say that Eduardo, another teacher at IST, told us all about a 10K race here in Tegucigalpa. The race was this past Sunday morning, and since there were several of us from school running, we all got matching t-shirts and had our names put on them. It was pretty cool, I'm not gonna lie.
So here's what happened, the race started around 9:00AM, and my goal was to run the race in about 48 minutes. There were a couple other guys who wanted to run it at about the same pace, so I decided if I could just keep up with them than I would be good. We started off pretty well, moved to the front of the pack pretty quickly. Those hills really tend to weed out people pretty fast. On the way up the first hill, I almost tripped and fell on my face because "someone" got really close to me and our feet got tangled. I was about to get really mad at whoever thought they could get so close to me, when I looked back and saw a dog running with a number around his collar. Only in Honduras can a dog enter a 10K race. I was a little less upset to know that the K-9 had run between my legs and not another person though.
The race was going well, and I was feeling pretty good, when I spotted the #1 female runner up ahead. So I decided to stick pretty closely behind her and make my way to the end. I like to run behind people, instead of trying to stay ahead because that is always more difficult. I accidentally got a little to close to her at one point and she spotted me coming up behind her. From that point on, she started bookin' and I was just trying to keep up. With about a Kilometer to go, a guy came running from the opposite direction and starting running with her. They started running really fast, and I just kept telling myself "Just keep up with them!" I managed to give it everything I had and kept within a pretty close distance, when a guy came up from behind me and started encouraging me, "Vamos!", but at that point I realized that there was a huge crowd standing right at the top of the hill.
I wish this could be one of those "come from behind" stories, but it wasn't. I ended up coming in 2nd place, but I was very happy with that. I felt like I did my best and honestly I don't think I could have beaten the lady who came in first. She was good.
After the race, everyone started talking about there being prizes for the winners. I figured that there wouldn't be any since the race was free in the first place. However, I was told to come back at 1 o'clock for the award ceremony, and rumor had it that I was going to win L.5000 ($250)!
The Martinez family picked Tim and I up and took us out for breakfast at a really nice restaurant while we waited for the ceremony. Marco and Rosela were so excited and proud of me! (Made me feel like my own mom and dad were there with me to celebrate!) After breakfast we walked around the mall, just waiting time until 1 o'clock. Finally, we headed back out to where the tents were set up, only to find that everyone was gone and they had actually gone ahead and done the ceremony at noon.
Good news though, the people in charge were still there, and very glad to see that I had come back. They said that they didn't know what they were going to do because it was such a great prize, but they had no one to give it to. I was expecting a check or cash or something like that, but then the lady told me my actual prize....
A round-trip flight to La Ceiba and a 3 nights stay at an all-inclusive resort on the beach for 2! I could hardly believe it. I was to call the lady and let her know when I wanted the trip so that they could make the reservations for me. Rosela (being like my mom) could read my mind, and immediately asked if they could hold the trip until June. At first the lady hesistated, but then said that it would be okay.
You see, I had already told Rosela that Jeremy was planning on coming to visit in June and that we were going to go to Roatan (which is the Island off of La Ceiba). What a perfect prize to receive! Now we get to enjoy a great resort and a beautiful beach all for FREE! I am still pretty shocked at how great of a prize that I got. Things like this just don't happen to me, so I'm still trying to soak it in.
Only in Honduras!
Also, I have started training one of my students, Andrea, to run a mile in under 7 minutes. We now go three times a week after school to a track here in Tegucigalpa and run. I love training Andrea, it's like a side hobby I never knew I could do. After we train, she has tennis practice, so her mom lets me stay and run around the track for as long as I like and then gives me a ride home.
All that to say that Eduardo, another teacher at IST, told us all about a 10K race here in Tegucigalpa. The race was this past Sunday morning, and since there were several of us from school running, we all got matching t-shirts and had our names put on them. It was pretty cool, I'm not gonna lie.
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| IST Teachers and Staff |
So here's what happened, the race started around 9:00AM, and my goal was to run the race in about 48 minutes. There were a couple other guys who wanted to run it at about the same pace, so I decided if I could just keep up with them than I would be good. We started off pretty well, moved to the front of the pack pretty quickly. Those hills really tend to weed out people pretty fast. On the way up the first hill, I almost tripped and fell on my face because "someone" got really close to me and our feet got tangled. I was about to get really mad at whoever thought they could get so close to me, when I looked back and saw a dog running with a number around his collar. Only in Honduras can a dog enter a 10K race. I was a little less upset to know that the K-9 had run between my legs and not another person though.
The race was going well, and I was feeling pretty good, when I spotted the #1 female runner up ahead. So I decided to stick pretty closely behind her and make my way to the end. I like to run behind people, instead of trying to stay ahead because that is always more difficult. I accidentally got a little to close to her at one point and she spotted me coming up behind her. From that point on, she started bookin' and I was just trying to keep up. With about a Kilometer to go, a guy came running from the opposite direction and starting running with her. They started running really fast, and I just kept telling myself "Just keep up with them!" I managed to give it everything I had and kept within a pretty close distance, when a guy came up from behind me and started encouraging me, "Vamos!", but at that point I realized that there was a huge crowd standing right at the top of the hill.
I wish this could be one of those "come from behind" stories, but it wasn't. I ended up coming in 2nd place, but I was very happy with that. I felt like I did my best and honestly I don't think I could have beaten the lady who came in first. She was good.
After the race, everyone started talking about there being prizes for the winners. I figured that there wouldn't be any since the race was free in the first place. However, I was told to come back at 1 o'clock for the award ceremony, and rumor had it that I was going to win L.5000 ($250)!
The Martinez family picked Tim and I up and took us out for breakfast at a really nice restaurant while we waited for the ceremony. Marco and Rosela were so excited and proud of me! (Made me feel like my own mom and dad were there with me to celebrate!) After breakfast we walked around the mall, just waiting time until 1 o'clock. Finally, we headed back out to where the tents were set up, only to find that everyone was gone and they had actually gone ahead and done the ceremony at noon.
Good news though, the people in charge were still there, and very glad to see that I had come back. They said that they didn't know what they were going to do because it was such a great prize, but they had no one to give it to. I was expecting a check or cash or something like that, but then the lady told me my actual prize....
A round-trip flight to La Ceiba and a 3 nights stay at an all-inclusive resort on the beach for 2! I could hardly believe it. I was to call the lady and let her know when I wanted the trip so that they could make the reservations for me. Rosela (being like my mom) could read my mind, and immediately asked if they could hold the trip until June. At first the lady hesistated, but then said that it would be okay.
You see, I had already told Rosela that Jeremy was planning on coming to visit in June and that we were going to go to Roatan (which is the Island off of La Ceiba). What a perfect prize to receive! Now we get to enjoy a great resort and a beautiful beach all for FREE! I am still pretty shocked at how great of a prize that I got. Things like this just don't happen to me, so I'm still trying to soak it in.
Only in Honduras!
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| Tim and I with the Martinez kid's, Marco, Maria Jose and Marianna |
Friday, October 8, 2010
It's been a while since I've written, but for good reason. I have been swamped this week with writing final exams and study guides. Everything was due today, 4 final exams (3 versions of each) and 4 study guides. I can't believe how much time it took to make those tests! Shew...its good to have a large chunk done. Now for revising and correcting all of my mistakes on the tests.
Anyways, so now I have a little time to write. We just got home from school, and are waiting to leave to go on the Teachers Spiritual Retreat. It's just an overnight thing, but I think it should be fun. I hear (suggested) that there may be some kickball in the schedule!
Last weekend was my birthday weekend, and I wasn't sure exactly how I would handle it. I figured I'd get pretty homesick but I had such a great birthday here in Honduras. Saturday was the Fiesta Cantracha (Honduran Party) at school, so all of the North American teachers went and enjoyed a big Honduran Celebration! There were beautiful outfits, delicious food and informative booths of all of the major cities of Honduras. I had a really good time watching all of the students perform and experiencing some of the Honduran culture. After that, I went to a big mall to go grocery shopping with several other girls. This mall is not what you would think a mall would be like in Honduras. Just picture this, Lacoste, Apple Store, Nine West and so many more expensive stores. It's weird how there are such extremes here. As we walked in the mall, we strolled past TGI Friday's and one of the other girls remembered that you get a free meal on your birthday, so we definitely hit that up. I felt like I was back in the States as we sat in Friday's and enjoyed free refills of soda, and watched the, get this, Clemson football game on ESPN. It was really fun (even though the food took 45 minutes to come out and the waiter brought me the wrong food, and he didn't actually take my meal off of the bill) and I had a great time. When we got home, my roomates had planned a dinner at a new Chinese Restaurant that just opened, so we went there and had dinner with most of the North American teachers. Then we all came back to our house and had brownies and icecream and played my favorite game, Catch Phrase!
It was such a great birthday! One I won't soon forget!
The weekend only got better, when I got to go to church with the Martinez family and then play frisbee on Sunday. For dinner, the girls at La Vista (one of the other houses) had us over. We had such a good homemade meal; Lasagna, bread and peaches. Yummy! I think my favorite part though was that Paula used to be a barista at a coffee shop and is AMAZING at making delicious coffee. She made us peppermint mocha's and Cinnamon-vanilla drinks. Quite wonderful! We had a great time and enjoyed telling stories and spending some time together. It's amazing how enjoyable Sunday can be when you don't have to go to school on Monday.
That's right, we had Monday off from school, so we planned a trip to Valle de Angleles. (Valley of Angels) It's a little town about an hour away that is a complete tourist trap. We caught a taxi and then a busito to get all the way there. The little town was so pleasant and I actually felt safe walking around and taking pictures. If anyone ever comes to visit, I'll take you there. They had so many little Honduran knick-knacks, and I got most of my Christmas shopping done!
4 day work weeks are great, especially when I got another break on Thursday. I was able to go on the 10th grade Spiritual Retreat yesterday, which was during the school day. We went up to a place in the mountain where camps are held. We had a great time with all the students. I got to know some of my students even better and really start to build relationships.
I feel like I am leaving so much out, but this would be 10 pages long if I told every detail. So much has happened over the past week and now its Friday again.
Good times in Honduras!
Anyways, so now I have a little time to write. We just got home from school, and are waiting to leave to go on the Teachers Spiritual Retreat. It's just an overnight thing, but I think it should be fun. I hear (suggested) that there may be some kickball in the schedule!
Last weekend was my birthday weekend, and I wasn't sure exactly how I would handle it. I figured I'd get pretty homesick but I had such a great birthday here in Honduras. Saturday was the Fiesta Cantracha (Honduran Party) at school, so all of the North American teachers went and enjoyed a big Honduran Celebration! There were beautiful outfits, delicious food and informative booths of all of the major cities of Honduras. I had a really good time watching all of the students perform and experiencing some of the Honduran culture. After that, I went to a big mall to go grocery shopping with several other girls. This mall is not what you would think a mall would be like in Honduras. Just picture this, Lacoste, Apple Store, Nine West and so many more expensive stores. It's weird how there are such extremes here. As we walked in the mall, we strolled past TGI Friday's and one of the other girls remembered that you get a free meal on your birthday, so we definitely hit that up. I felt like I was back in the States as we sat in Friday's and enjoyed free refills of soda, and watched the, get this, Clemson football game on ESPN. It was really fun (even though the food took 45 minutes to come out and the waiter brought me the wrong food, and he didn't actually take my meal off of the bill) and I had a great time. When we got home, my roomates had planned a dinner at a new Chinese Restaurant that just opened, so we went there and had dinner with most of the North American teachers. Then we all came back to our house and had brownies and icecream and played my favorite game, Catch Phrase!
It was such a great birthday! One I won't soon forget!
The weekend only got better, when I got to go to church with the Martinez family and then play frisbee on Sunday. For dinner, the girls at La Vista (one of the other houses) had us over. We had such a good homemade meal; Lasagna, bread and peaches. Yummy! I think my favorite part though was that Paula used to be a barista at a coffee shop and is AMAZING at making delicious coffee. She made us peppermint mocha's and Cinnamon-vanilla drinks. Quite wonderful! We had a great time and enjoyed telling stories and spending some time together. It's amazing how enjoyable Sunday can be when you don't have to go to school on Monday.
That's right, we had Monday off from school, so we planned a trip to Valle de Angleles. (Valley of Angels) It's a little town about an hour away that is a complete tourist trap. We caught a taxi and then a busito to get all the way there. The little town was so pleasant and I actually felt safe walking around and taking pictures. If anyone ever comes to visit, I'll take you there. They had so many little Honduran knick-knacks, and I got most of my Christmas shopping done!
4 day work weeks are great, especially when I got another break on Thursday. I was able to go on the 10th grade Spiritual Retreat yesterday, which was during the school day. We went up to a place in the mountain where camps are held. We had a great time with all the students. I got to know some of my students even better and really start to build relationships.
I feel like I am leaving so much out, but this would be 10 pages long if I told every detail. So much has happened over the past week and now its Friday again.
Good times in Honduras!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Foot Washing
Today I was able to wash the feet of several Honduran men and boys from the streets. It was quite a humbling experience and I was suddenly able to realize how unusual it would have been for Jesus to wash the feet of his disciples. It's not a fun job, but it does show just how much Jesus sacrificed to come and live on earth, not only as a human, but as a human who was willing to do the lowest jobs possible.
So grateful for His sacrifice.
So grateful for His sacrifice.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Solo en Espanol los Domingos
Nuevo Regla: Sole en Espanol los Domingos.
Today I went to church with the Martinez family and we went out for breakfast and coffee afterwards, as usual. I am really starting to love this tradition. Not only is the company amazing, but I am hopefully going to be learning some more Spanish. On the way home today, Rosela said, "Well if you guys are going to continue to come with us then we are only going to speak Spanish on Sundays." We joked about how quiet our Sundays would be from now on, but really I am very excited to learn. It is pretty intimidating to try and speak a new language, but Mr. Martinez, Rosela, and MariaJose and are all very patient and super helpful.
Tim came with us today, and as we sat in Dunkin Donuts finishing up our coffee the conversation turned to Tim's love life. Apparently Rosela is quite the match maker and is very excited that Tim is single :-) I could not have been happier that I already have a boyfriend. Otherwise I have a good feeling she would have been on my case as well! Don't worry Jeremy, I told her all about you! However, she also is NEVER wrong when it comes to relationships and knowing whether or not they will work out. I told her that she is going to have to meet Jeremy when he comes to visit so she can let us know how it's all going to work out :-) haha
What a great Sunday afternoon.
This past week at school was Spirit Week, where each day had a dress up theme. They weren't really as exciting as our days when I was in high school, but fun to participate none the less. Monday was crazy hair day and although I didn't go ALL OUT, I thought my buns on both sides of my head looked pretty crazy. I was disappointed to find upon my arrival at school that I was among the minority of people who participated. This was just not acceptable. When I asked my 10th grade geometry class why none of them had crazy hair, they all said it was because they were too cool. I just laughed and them and told them that I was the cool one. Then I got the genius idea to see if I could get them to participate. I told them that if every single student dressed up everyday for the rest of the week I would give everyone a FREE 100% QUIZ GRADE. And do you know, those crazy kids actually did it. Every single one of my 10th grade students dressed up everyday and walked into my classroom as proud as ever. I was pleased:-)
Today I went to church with the Martinez family and we went out for breakfast and coffee afterwards, as usual. I am really starting to love this tradition. Not only is the company amazing, but I am hopefully going to be learning some more Spanish. On the way home today, Rosela said, "Well if you guys are going to continue to come with us then we are only going to speak Spanish on Sundays." We joked about how quiet our Sundays would be from now on, but really I am very excited to learn. It is pretty intimidating to try and speak a new language, but Mr. Martinez, Rosela, and MariaJose and are all very patient and super helpful.
Tim came with us today, and as we sat in Dunkin Donuts finishing up our coffee the conversation turned to Tim's love life. Apparently Rosela is quite the match maker and is very excited that Tim is single :-) I could not have been happier that I already have a boyfriend. Otherwise I have a good feeling she would have been on my case as well! Don't worry Jeremy, I told her all about you! However, she also is NEVER wrong when it comes to relationships and knowing whether or not they will work out. I told her that she is going to have to meet Jeremy when he comes to visit so she can let us know how it's all going to work out :-) haha
What a great Sunday afternoon.
This past week at school was Spirit Week, where each day had a dress up theme. They weren't really as exciting as our days when I was in high school, but fun to participate none the less. Monday was crazy hair day and although I didn't go ALL OUT, I thought my buns on both sides of my head looked pretty crazy. I was disappointed to find upon my arrival at school that I was among the minority of people who participated. This was just not acceptable. When I asked my 10th grade geometry class why none of them had crazy hair, they all said it was because they were too cool. I just laughed and them and told them that I was the cool one. Then I got the genius idea to see if I could get them to participate. I told them that if every single student dressed up everyday for the rest of the week I would give everyone a FREE 100% QUIZ GRADE. And do you know, those crazy kids actually did it. Every single one of my 10th grade students dressed up everyday and walked into my classroom as proud as ever. I was pleased:-)
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| 10th grade on Hat Day (Esther made a hat that said "I love Geometry") |
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| Seniors on Sports Day (I wore my Liberty University Softball shirt, everyone else had soccer jerseys) |
Sunday, September 19, 2010
La Ceiba
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| Boat we rode out to Cayos Cochinos to go snorkeling |
- Ride in a bus with no air-conditioning for 8+ hours
- Drive through several Independence Day Parades and be the center of attention
- Have to stop for a herd of cows crossing the road
- See some of the most beautiful parts of Honduras
- Apply 50 SPF sunscreen
- Run and jump into the Caribbean Sea
- Discover how warm and salty the sea is compared to the Atlantic Ocean
- Swim really far out to get to the sandbar
- Dive down to pick up sand dollars and watch them move in my hand
- Walk along the beach
- Share a room with Jen, Jen and Julienne
- Watch disturbing music videos because it is the only channel in English
- Turn on our air conditioning and enjoy a cold room
- Fall asleep in a hammock on the beach
- Apply 50 SPF sunscreen
- Ride a tiny boat out to Cayos Cochinos to go snorkeling (see picture above)
- Discover the beautiful coral reef and colorful fishies
- Swim next to a swordfish
- Get a headache from my goggles being so tight
- Actually being able to float in the salty water without a life jacket
- Meet the indigenous people who live on Cayos Cochinos
- Apply 50 SPF sunscreen
- Lay out on the white beaches on the Islands
- Drink a Coke out of a glass bottle while laying on the beach
- Eat a fish even though I could still see his eyes
- Realize that water takes a long time to boil
- Eat a community spaghetti dinner with everyone in our group
- Apply 50 SPF sunscreen
- Zip-line through the rainforest
- Sit in a natural hot spring
- Get rubbed down with mud
- Wait for 1 hour to get my food (definitely worth it though, see item # 32)
- Eat steak for the first time since I've been in Honduras (much needed)
- Get up early to go for a run on the beach but realize that its already to hot and just lay out instead
- Get eaten by sand fleas
- Oh yeah, Apply 50 SPF sunscreen
- Stop on the side of the road and buy a coconut
- Discover I don't like coconut water (or eating fresh coconut for that matter)
- Have a long talk with Jen V. on the way home :-)
- Realize I can survive without communication to Jeremy or my parents for 4 days!
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| I thought I would love coconut milk, I was wrong! |
There is bound to be things that I have forgotten. The week was so amazing and everything we did was relaxing and incredibly fun. At first I thought that I just wanted to go and sit on the beach for the whole trip: 1. Because I love to sit on the beach and 2. Because I am a bit of a cheap skate. However, Snorkeling and Zip-lining were great decisions!
Also, as you may have noticed, I kept of with my sunscreen application and hardly got burnt at all. My back got a little red the day we went snorkeling (self explanatory) but other than that, my 50 SPF was true to its word. The sun is so much hotter here, and even more in Ceiba than in Tegus, but I can hardly tell that I have been out in the sun. Thank you Banana Boat!
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| Yes I actually took a bite of this guy. |
Now, back to the grind. Time for some Rosetta Stone (thank you Jeremy) and Journal writing (thank you Hubers) and then begins another week in my new, exciting life. Can't wait to see what's in store!
Also, I'm going to try and get a list of all of my students that I teach and send them to my mom. (Sorry I haven't actually mentioned this to you yet mom!) There are probably around 100 high schoolers, but one of my friends was telling me that she was going to have people at home commit to praying for each on of her students (which is only 21 because she teaches 2nd grade), but I thought that it was a great idea. If you would like to commit to praying for one of my students, please let me or my mom know so that we can give you a name. I know it would only help out my classroom and it would be an encouragement to me and to my students. Maybe I'll even be able to send pictures and I can update you on your specific student and let you know special needs once we get it all figured out! But let others know because I need about 100 people to commit to this task!
Thanks to all of you for your already continual prayer for me!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Good Food
Since I reported that I would keep searching for good food, I only thought it appropriate to let you know that I have found it! Last night we went out to a restaurant called Las Tejitas, which is a nicer Honduran style restaurant. The atmosphere is almost as good as the food. It is pretty much outside, but there is a roof (which was good because it was raining) and then there is orange material that hangs on the sides to serve as walls. The ambiance of the whole restaurant is very soothing and warm. We ended up having a pretty big group go which was really fun, and even though we all arrived in different modes of transportation, we all got there around the same time (which is kind of unusual here in Honduras where time is not quite as important). I got a combo plate with two tacos and one gringa. You know what a taco is and a gringa is just a folded tortilla with chicken in it and it is grilled. Then there is a bar in the center of the restaurant with all sorts of sauces and veggie mixes to put on top. Very delicious!
I would be amiss to not tell you about our cab ride home. Don't worry, I'm still alive, but our cab driver was a bit crazy. He was chomping on some chicken wings and once we got in the car he put on "Stand by Me" and started singing at the top of his lungs. Apparently this is one of his favorite songs because he played it over and over on the way home. We sang along and he thought it was hilarious. He had to slam on the breaks a couple times, and kept looking back at us and smiling and saying something that we couldn't understand. We got out at the bottom of our hill and decided to walk the rest of the way home since we couldn't tell if he was completely all there. :-/
Today I went to the early service at church with my friends Leslie and Jen V. One of my students, Maria Jose and her family, picked us up at my house and took us to church. It was so nice to have a ride and get to spend some time with a Honduran family. However, this is not just any Honduran family, this is probably the most loving and amazing family in all of Tegucigalpa. The Martinez family offered to pick us up every Sunday and take us to church, which is so much better than taking a taxi or the bus. I enjoyed being able to worship and interact with people who didn't need to hear the translation at church and are also so passionate about the Lord. After church, they took us all out to breakfast at GG's, which was best food #2. They had great coffee (which Mrs. Martinez insisted that we try) and I got an omelet all the way, which was probably the best omelet I have ever had! Mr. Martinez thought it was funny when I ordered and said "Omelet of your choice" (it was in spanish on the menu) and the waiter quickly said back to my "No, of YOUR choice." I was just reading the name off of the menu and apparently it was an Omelet with whatever "I" wanted, not whatever the waiter wanted. We got a chuckle when it was all cleared up.
Summary: Great food, great people and I can't wait to get to know and spend more time with the Martinez family!
I would be amiss to not tell you about our cab ride home. Don't worry, I'm still alive, but our cab driver was a bit crazy. He was chomping on some chicken wings and once we got in the car he put on "Stand by Me" and started singing at the top of his lungs. Apparently this is one of his favorite songs because he played it over and over on the way home. We sang along and he thought it was hilarious. He had to slam on the breaks a couple times, and kept looking back at us and smiling and saying something that we couldn't understand. We got out at the bottom of our hill and decided to walk the rest of the way home since we couldn't tell if he was completely all there. :-/
Today I went to the early service at church with my friends Leslie and Jen V. One of my students, Maria Jose and her family, picked us up at my house and took us to church. It was so nice to have a ride and get to spend some time with a Honduran family. However, this is not just any Honduran family, this is probably the most loving and amazing family in all of Tegucigalpa. The Martinez family offered to pick us up every Sunday and take us to church, which is so much better than taking a taxi or the bus. I enjoyed being able to worship and interact with people who didn't need to hear the translation at church and are also so passionate about the Lord. After church, they took us all out to breakfast at GG's, which was best food #2. They had great coffee (which Mrs. Martinez insisted that we try) and I got an omelet all the way, which was probably the best omelet I have ever had! Mr. Martinez thought it was funny when I ordered and said "Omelet of your choice" (it was in spanish on the menu) and the waiter quickly said back to my "No, of YOUR choice." I was just reading the name off of the menu and apparently it was an Omelet with whatever "I" wanted, not whatever the waiter wanted. We got a chuckle when it was all cleared up.
Summary: Great food, great people and I can't wait to get to know and spend more time with the Martinez family!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Futbol
Living in Honduras, you would think that by now I would have been playing futbol (soccer) all the time. But today after school was the first time that I have actually played since I've been here. I went with some of the teachers downtown to a little turf soccer field to play with some of the street kids. It's a ministry put on by Micah Project, a house and school for boys who can't afford to otherwise get an education or even have a place to live. There are about 12 boys who live at the Micah House and its really cool to see how they have turned their lives around from living on the streets and sniffing glue, to being able to get an education and experience a relationship with the Lord. So anyways, Micah Project also does Friday afternoon soccer with some of the street kids (who don't live at the Micah House). We get to just go and love on the boys and play with them for a while. Then they present the Gospel and we feed all of the guys. Usually I think they wash each boys feet, but we didn't do that today. It really is a great ministry and it was a good way for me to really see some of what Honduras is really like. Most of the guys that come are high the whole time so the soccer game is a bunch of kicking it as hard as you can and just going from one end of the field to the other. But while the guys are there, they have to give up their "sniffing glue" in order to play and eat. Some of the kids were so great. One little boy, Jorge, was simply adorable. He looked like he was about 12 or 13 years old. He was on my team and even though I am not very good at soccer he kept smiling at me and telling me "bien"!
When you picture where we played soccer, you should really picture a fenced in area that is only a little bigger than a basketball court. Not a huge soccer field like we are used to playing on at all. Like I said earlier, these guys are pretty high when they get there and so they are playing full force, and absolutely killing the ball. Well, while we were playing today I gained quite a bit of respect from all of the street kids because of my "toughness". Here's what happened; I was standing right behind another guy while our goalie had the ball and was about to kick it down the field. Well, I couldn't see the goalie so as I turn around to face him, the guy in front of me suddenly ducks and WHAM! I had about .01 seconds to think to myself, "This is going to hurt!" and before I knew it the ball slammed into my face. Of course everyone stopped (for about 10 seconds) to make sure I was okay, and when I successfully stood up and said "Muy Bien" the game continued. Of course, it really did hurt, but it's not like I haven't been hit in the face with a ball a time or two. Apparently, they all kept talking about it even after the game was over and several of the guys came up to me afterwards with huge grins on their faces and they would just put their hand up and hit their face. I guess since there isn't usually a ton of girls who play, I proved myself by getting nailed in the face and not crying. I guess if that's what it takes to "get in" then I'm okay with it.
After soccer, we went to the market downtown by the futbol stadium. It was pouring the whole time as we walked and Laura B. couldn't have said it any better, "Doesn't get better than this!" Welcome to Honduras!
So by the time we got to the market we were drenched, but that was okay because apparently the baleadas (which I had never had) were definitely worth it. Basically it was a tortilla (which really was delicious) and you could put beans, eggs, cheese, some kind of meat, and avocado in it. I'm not going to lie, it wasn't my favorite food. I'll keep searching until I find something I really love. But after we ate we walked around the market a little bit and I bought a fresh pineapple (which made me think of you Jeremy)!
Overall, it was a wonderful, soggy, tiring and beautiful Friday afternoon!
Oh wait I forgot to tell you about the pigs. You know how you always hear about pigs living in the mud and eating the garbage, but you never actually see it. Well today, after we played soccer, I looked behind the field where we played and sure enough there was a dump. There must have been 12-15 pigs just walking around and eating the garbage. It really did open my eyes to how different things are here.
When you picture where we played soccer, you should really picture a fenced in area that is only a little bigger than a basketball court. Not a huge soccer field like we are used to playing on at all. Like I said earlier, these guys are pretty high when they get there and so they are playing full force, and absolutely killing the ball. Well, while we were playing today I gained quite a bit of respect from all of the street kids because of my "toughness". Here's what happened; I was standing right behind another guy while our goalie had the ball and was about to kick it down the field. Well, I couldn't see the goalie so as I turn around to face him, the guy in front of me suddenly ducks and WHAM! I had about .01 seconds to think to myself, "This is going to hurt!" and before I knew it the ball slammed into my face. Of course everyone stopped (for about 10 seconds) to make sure I was okay, and when I successfully stood up and said "Muy Bien" the game continued. Of course, it really did hurt, but it's not like I haven't been hit in the face with a ball a time or two. Apparently, they all kept talking about it even after the game was over and several of the guys came up to me afterwards with huge grins on their faces and they would just put their hand up and hit their face. I guess since there isn't usually a ton of girls who play, I proved myself by getting nailed in the face and not crying. I guess if that's what it takes to "get in" then I'm okay with it.
After soccer, we went to the market downtown by the futbol stadium. It was pouring the whole time as we walked and Laura B. couldn't have said it any better, "Doesn't get better than this!" Welcome to Honduras!
So by the time we got to the market we were drenched, but that was okay because apparently the baleadas (which I had never had) were definitely worth it. Basically it was a tortilla (which really was delicious) and you could put beans, eggs, cheese, some kind of meat, and avocado in it. I'm not going to lie, it wasn't my favorite food. I'll keep searching until I find something I really love. But after we ate we walked around the market a little bit and I bought a fresh pineapple (which made me think of you Jeremy)!
Overall, it was a wonderful, soggy, tiring and beautiful Friday afternoon!
Oh wait I forgot to tell you about the pigs. You know how you always hear about pigs living in the mud and eating the garbage, but you never actually see it. Well today, after we played soccer, I looked behind the field where we played and sure enough there was a dump. There must have been 12-15 pigs just walking around and eating the garbage. It really did open my eyes to how different things are here.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Cuantos flores?
I must tell you about our cleaning lady. It's different here because everyone has someone who comes and cleans their house (or at least I think it's a pretty common thing). I guess it provides jobs for more people, and who doesn't want to have a clean house? So, our cleaning lady came Monday while we were at school. When we got home we knew she had been here because as soon as Jess opened the door we could smell the cleaning supplies (I love that smell)! She always does such a great job making everything spotless and look really nice. However, I was completely floored when I walked in my room and all of my laundry had been washed, dried and folded! I felt so grateful. Of course, I really didn't think about the fact that my mom did just that for me for 22 years (THANKS MOM!). I guess I should have been more appreciative. Also, everything in my room was straightened up, my shoes were all lined up nice and neat and she had moved all of my things (hairdryer, straightener, softball glove, etc.) so that nothing was on the floor (in case of flooding). It's amazing how hard of a worker she is, and I'm sure how little appreciation she gets. Don't worry we are going to show her quite a bit of appreciation:-)
Last night we went out for Thai food at a great restaurant (upon Erik and Danielle's suggestion). It was kind of far away, so I wasn't sure if I still wanted to go after we spent 2 1/2 hours at the bank trying to get our new bank cards to work. However, Thai food just sounded so delicious and so I couldn't pass up the opportunity. We ended up having 9 people go and so we shoved 5 people into a little taxi and headed on our way. It took a little longer than expected to get there because apparently nobody knows where "Sobu" is. The driver was great though, and kept stopping to ask everyone that we saw (yes ladies he was a male driver) if they knew where the restaurant was. We eventually got there and it was completely worth it. The food was delicious and the view was great; you could see the Jesus Statue out of the window from the table we sat at. I also love sushi and was glad to get to try several different Thai dishes.
Then it was so great when I woke up this morning at 7a.m. and was ready to grade papers and make the Precalculus test for this upcoming week. I don't know why, but sometimes I get in these moods where I want to do things that I usually don't enjoy doing. Basically the way my brain works is that I will lay in bed and think about doing something so much that I might as well just get up and do it because I'm definitely not falling back asleep. So I took advantage of my "go-get-um" mood and started my day! I was able to get quite a bit done as I sat in bed, watched "The Holiday" (it's always been one of Apartment 1015's favs) and sipped my coffee. By 9:30a.m. I had all of my Calculus quizzes graded, and the test made. Most of my other planning I was able to get done on Friday since I only teach for the first 3 periods! Really its a wonderful start to my weekend:-) By 10:30a.m. I was outside taking advantage of the beautiful weather. We have a gated area in front of our house so I took my towel and laid outside under the warm sun for a while! It was so relaxing and enjoyable (especially knowing that I didn't have a ton of work hanging over my head)!
There is a place in front of our window to plant flowers, but so far its just been bare. We got some little green plants and some purple and pink flowers to beautify our house a bit. We were having trouble trying to decide how many flowers we needed to buy to fill the area. So I told the guy who was helping us how big of an area we were trying to fill (that was done successfully with hand motions), however, I then asked him (in Spanish) "Cuantos flores?" a.k.a "How many flowers?" Yes, I know this is grammatically incorrect, but he knew exactly what I meant and then told me that he thought about 10 plants would do the trick. (I don't think he said "do the trick" but I knew that's what he meant.) You may be thinking, "You've been in Honduras for 3 weeks now and that's all you can say!", and I will confirm that yes that is about the extent of my Spanish. I'm working on it really, but its going to take much longer than I thought. Hopefully, I'll dive into the culture more before too long!
I'll keep you posted!
Last night we went out for Thai food at a great restaurant (upon Erik and Danielle's suggestion). It was kind of far away, so I wasn't sure if I still wanted to go after we spent 2 1/2 hours at the bank trying to get our new bank cards to work. However, Thai food just sounded so delicious and so I couldn't pass up the opportunity. We ended up having 9 people go and so we shoved 5 people into a little taxi and headed on our way. It took a little longer than expected to get there because apparently nobody knows where "Sobu" is. The driver was great though, and kept stopping to ask everyone that we saw (yes ladies he was a male driver) if they knew where the restaurant was. We eventually got there and it was completely worth it. The food was delicious and the view was great; you could see the Jesus Statue out of the window from the table we sat at. I also love sushi and was glad to get to try several different Thai dishes.
Then it was so great when I woke up this morning at 7a.m. and was ready to grade papers and make the Precalculus test for this upcoming week. I don't know why, but sometimes I get in these moods where I want to do things that I usually don't enjoy doing. Basically the way my brain works is that I will lay in bed and think about doing something so much that I might as well just get up and do it because I'm definitely not falling back asleep. So I took advantage of my "go-get-um" mood and started my day! I was able to get quite a bit done as I sat in bed, watched "The Holiday" (it's always been one of Apartment 1015's favs) and sipped my coffee. By 9:30a.m. I had all of my Calculus quizzes graded, and the test made. Most of my other planning I was able to get done on Friday since I only teach for the first 3 periods! Really its a wonderful start to my weekend:-) By 10:30a.m. I was outside taking advantage of the beautiful weather. We have a gated area in front of our house so I took my towel and laid outside under the warm sun for a while! It was so relaxing and enjoyable (especially knowing that I didn't have a ton of work hanging over my head)!
There is a place in front of our window to plant flowers, but so far its just been bare. We got some little green plants and some purple and pink flowers to beautify our house a bit. We were having trouble trying to decide how many flowers we needed to buy to fill the area. So I told the guy who was helping us how big of an area we were trying to fill (that was done successfully with hand motions), however, I then asked him (in Spanish) "Cuantos flores?" a.k.a "How many flowers?" Yes, I know this is grammatically incorrect, but he knew exactly what I meant and then told me that he thought about 10 plants would do the trick. (I don't think he said "do the trick" but I knew that's what he meant.) You may be thinking, "You've been in Honduras for 3 weeks now and that's all you can say!", and I will confirm that yes that is about the extent of my Spanish. I'm working on it really, but its going to take much longer than I thought. Hopefully, I'll dive into the culture more before too long!
I'll keep you posted!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
MAIL!!!!
Today I was sitting in another math department meeting after a long day of work. Not my favorite thing to do after school, but it comes with the job. So anyways, I was more that overjoyed to see two students come to my classroom door holding none other than 2 pieces of mail. Since there were about 5 teachers sitting in my room, I waited to get too excited since the mail could have been for any of us. But I was thrilled to hear them say, "Ms. Pittman?" and of course I jumped to my feet and ran to the door to get my first letters from home. All of the other teachers were a bit jealous I would imagine ( I would be if someone else got TWO letters and I didn't get any). I could hardly wait to tear into them, but of course I had to wait until the meeting was over.
After everyone finally left my room, I read my 2 letters, which actually turned out to be 3 because Lindsay sent me the sweetest note (it was inside my parents card). You can probably guess who sent the third letter (all the way from St. Louis).
First mail from home: Mom and Dad (plus Linds:-) and Jeremy!
Both made me smile (and tear up a little), yes I'm still a little emotional when it comes to feeling homesick.
Moral of the story: Getting mail is AMAZING!
After everyone finally left my room, I read my 2 letters, which actually turned out to be 3 because Lindsay sent me the sweetest note (it was inside my parents card). You can probably guess who sent the third letter (all the way from St. Louis).
First mail from home: Mom and Dad (plus Linds:-) and Jeremy!
Both made me smile (and tear up a little), yes I'm still a little emotional when it comes to feeling homesick.
Moral of the story: Getting mail is AMAZING!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
All Grown Up
I can't believe I just finished my first week of school, my first week of "my grown-up job", and my first week of this great adventure. It feels like just yesterday that my parents were dropping me off at Liberty at Dorm 33. Thankfully, this new experience, as opposed to my first week of college has been much more enjoyable, although the change of culture and location is much more drastic than going from Surry to Lynchburg. It's so cool to see how the Lord has grown me in so many ways since then, and how prayer from others and trust in His Power makes such a difference. I am not one who likes change (just ask my mom and dad), I even cried for the first few weeks when I changed high-schools. It's amazing that the Lord can take someone like me, a mama's girl, homebody and use me all the way in Honduras.
I always used to say that I couldn't wait to be a teacher because it was so much easier than being a student. FALSE! I am here to tell you today that I could not have been more wrong. I thought,"You don't have to do homework and take tests and deal with the peer pressure of friends, teaching must be so easy." Now that I am "all grown up" I realize that even though I might not have to take the tests, I do have to make them, grade them and make sure that my students take them successfully. However, even though I may have been wrong in my thinking, I still really do love teaching. As I stand up in front of a class of high-school students, I love the feeling that I am actually transforming the way that they think and am taking part in molding each one into who he or she will become one day. I have already begun to love most (I don't want to say "all" yet) of my students, and they (for the most part) are eager to learn. Teaching math is FUN!
While teaching is fun, planning and grading and preparing for everyday is not the best. I actually have been really overwhelmed with this part of the job (which is about 80%). It has been a challenge to work under a Department Head who only speaks Spanish. As you may or may not know, teacher meetings seem to always go way longer than is necessary. Just imagine a teacher meeting where everything has to be translated (poorly) and we talk about the same topic for about 20 minutes, instead of the 2 that it should take. The Lord is teaching me patience, hope I learn my lesson quickly!
So you may remember when I told you all about Chepe, the aerobics dance class that I went to. Well I went again, but this time the story gets exciting after we left the class. The place where we go to have the class is about a 20 minute walk, mostly downhill. Which makes the walk back about 20 minutes, mostly uphill. So here is what happened: Thursday was a really long day at school, and we have to stay a little bit later because we have principal meetings after the students all leave. So a few of the other teachers (Josie, Laura B. and Jen V.) and I decided that Chepe would be the perfect release after a long day of teaching. We headed down after school together and had a great time dancing our stress away. Once we got done, we were all exhausted and ready to be back home so we left immediately. It wasn't one minute after we walked out of the building that the sky let loose! At first we were all screaming and trying to cover our heads as we briskly walked (uphill don't forget). However, after seconds of getting drenched we quickly realized that trying to stay dry was completely pointless! So we decided to embrace our God-given shower and enjoy cooling off after being in that hot room with 20 other sweaty ladies :-/ But because we have such a steep hill to climb, and the rain was so hard the whole walk back was like wading through a rushing stream. The water was a couple inches deep on either side of the street (which is where we had to walk so we wouldn't get hit by the crazy Honduran drivers). Everything was soaked once I got home. But that is beginning to become a pretty common thing to me now. I pretty much know now that whenever I am out, there's about a 100% chance that it just rained, is raining, or soon will start to rain!
Today we went to a park up in the mountain that looks over the city called Picacho. We road a couple of rapiditos to get there (which took a while because traffic here can get pretty bad). Once we arrived, though, it was definitely worth it because the view was beautiful. You could see the entire city, the futbol stadium, the airport, and every colorful house and building for miles and miles. The main thing that the park is famous for is a huge statue of Jesus that you can see from practically anywhere in the city. We got some good pics at the statue (it was way bigger than I thought)! Then we walked around for a while and enjoyed the swings and playing on the monkey bars. The only hang-up we had was when myself and the two other Jen's all decided we needed to go to the bathroom. Fortunately there was one in the park. Unfortunately, you had to pay to use it. Fortunately it was only 2 lempira. Unfortunately after we paid, the lady told us there was no toilet paper. We decided we should have just found a tree and saved our 2 lempira. Other than that, successful day it was a great day at the park. As busy as the city gets, it was so nice to escape from the hustle and bustle and enjoy nature a bit.
I always used to say that I couldn't wait to be a teacher because it was so much easier than being a student. FALSE! I am here to tell you today that I could not have been more wrong. I thought,"You don't have to do homework and take tests and deal with the peer pressure of friends, teaching must be so easy." Now that I am "all grown up" I realize that even though I might not have to take the tests, I do have to make them, grade them and make sure that my students take them successfully. However, even though I may have been wrong in my thinking, I still really do love teaching. As I stand up in front of a class of high-school students, I love the feeling that I am actually transforming the way that they think and am taking part in molding each one into who he or she will become one day. I have already begun to love most (I don't want to say "all" yet) of my students, and they (for the most part) are eager to learn. Teaching math is FUN!
While teaching is fun, planning and grading and preparing for everyday is not the best. I actually have been really overwhelmed with this part of the job (which is about 80%). It has been a challenge to work under a Department Head who only speaks Spanish. As you may or may not know, teacher meetings seem to always go way longer than is necessary. Just imagine a teacher meeting where everything has to be translated (poorly) and we talk about the same topic for about 20 minutes, instead of the 2 that it should take. The Lord is teaching me patience, hope I learn my lesson quickly!
So you may remember when I told you all about Chepe, the aerobics dance class that I went to. Well I went again, but this time the story gets exciting after we left the class. The place where we go to have the class is about a 20 minute walk, mostly downhill. Which makes the walk back about 20 minutes, mostly uphill. So here is what happened: Thursday was a really long day at school, and we have to stay a little bit later because we have principal meetings after the students all leave. So a few of the other teachers (Josie, Laura B. and Jen V.) and I decided that Chepe would be the perfect release after a long day of teaching. We headed down after school together and had a great time dancing our stress away. Once we got done, we were all exhausted and ready to be back home so we left immediately. It wasn't one minute after we walked out of the building that the sky let loose! At first we were all screaming and trying to cover our heads as we briskly walked (uphill don't forget). However, after seconds of getting drenched we quickly realized that trying to stay dry was completely pointless! So we decided to embrace our God-given shower and enjoy cooling off after being in that hot room with 20 other sweaty ladies :-/ But because we have such a steep hill to climb, and the rain was so hard the whole walk back was like wading through a rushing stream. The water was a couple inches deep on either side of the street (which is where we had to walk so we wouldn't get hit by the crazy Honduran drivers). Everything was soaked once I got home. But that is beginning to become a pretty common thing to me now. I pretty much know now that whenever I am out, there's about a 100% chance that it just rained, is raining, or soon will start to rain!
Today we went to a park up in the mountain that looks over the city called Picacho. We road a couple of rapiditos to get there (which took a while because traffic here can get pretty bad). Once we arrived, though, it was definitely worth it because the view was beautiful. You could see the entire city, the futbol stadium, the airport, and every colorful house and building for miles and miles. The main thing that the park is famous for is a huge statue of Jesus that you can see from practically anywhere in the city. We got some good pics at the statue (it was way bigger than I thought)! Then we walked around for a while and enjoyed the swings and playing on the monkey bars. The only hang-up we had was when myself and the two other Jen's all decided we needed to go to the bathroom. Fortunately there was one in the park. Unfortunately, you had to pay to use it. Fortunately it was only 2 lempira. Unfortunately after we paid, the lady told us there was no toilet paper. We decided we should have just found a tree and saved our 2 lempira. Other than that, successful day it was a great day at the park. As busy as the city gets, it was so nice to escape from the hustle and bustle and enjoy nature a bit.
Monday, August 23, 2010
First Day of School
Although I am very excited to share about my first day of teaching, I must begin this blog by going back to yesterday and telling about my experience at church.
Since it was only the second Sunday that we have been in Tegus and most of us new teachers don’t know our way around Rio Grande (our neighborhood) yet, not to mention how to find a church, the school decided it would be a good idea to shuttle anyone who wanted to go to Iglesias Impacto. Of course, from now on we will have to figure out a way to get there (taxi or bus) which is still pretty intimidating. Anyways, I enjoyed the service a lot. The cool thing about Impacto is that they do everything in Spanish, but they offer headphones to anyone who would like to hear the translation in English. It’s much better than stopping after every sentence and waiting for someone to translate. However, I did not have a set of headphones yesterday. I just listened in Spanish, which turned out to be okay since I read the passage that the pastor was preaching from and then could kind of pick up his main points from the Powerpoint Presentation that he had. (I think I’ll use the headphones next week though) The church itself, the way the service was run and the type of songs that they sang reminded of Bacon’s Castle. I definitely think that I am going to start going there regularly because, besides being in Spanish, I felt like I was at home sitting on the 4th row on the left with my parents behind the Lanes and in front of the Loves The only difference was that after church there was a guy selling ice cream as we walked out the door (which I would highly recommend to BCBC)!
Now, I am not sure I can describe how thankful I am to everyone back home who has been diligently praying for me. There is no way that a teacher’s first day should have gone as smoothly as mine did, not to mention that once I got to school all of my nerves were gone. God is so good and everything went really well. I am hoping, however, that I didn’t smile too much and be too friendly (according to Miss Janet, that is a monumental mistake). I tend to not be able to be very strict but I did try to make my students understand that I’m not going play around and that my class is going to be a tough class! We’ll see if they are all as nice and respectful as they were on the first day, or if they start the scheming after I think I’ve already won the battle!
I was greatly encouraged after meeting all of my students today because I had be scared into thinking that they were going to be horrible. Even if they do turn out to be rowdy and talkative, I can already tell that they are mostly good kids who just want someone to care what they think and actually take an interest in each one of them. It’s amazing how quickly they opened up and just wanted to know everything about me and how long I would be staying at IST. I think they get nervous that every teacher is just going to up and leave them as soon as they teach for one year (which happens often at IST).
I can’t believe I just sat here and wrote this whole blog after my first day of school. I really should be looking over Diagnostic Tests and making lesson plans for the rest of the week. It’s amazing how much work a teacher does outside of school, and it’s just the first day!
Since it was only the second Sunday that we have been in Tegus and most of us new teachers don’t know our way around Rio Grande (our neighborhood) yet, not to mention how to find a church, the school decided it would be a good idea to shuttle anyone who wanted to go to Iglesias Impacto. Of course, from now on we will have to figure out a way to get there (taxi or bus) which is still pretty intimidating. Anyways, I enjoyed the service a lot. The cool thing about Impacto is that they do everything in Spanish, but they offer headphones to anyone who would like to hear the translation in English. It’s much better than stopping after every sentence and waiting for someone to translate. However, I did not have a set of headphones yesterday. I just listened in Spanish, which turned out to be okay since I read the passage that the pastor was preaching from and then could kind of pick up his main points from the Powerpoint Presentation that he had. (I think I’ll use the headphones next week though) The church itself, the way the service was run and the type of songs that they sang reminded of Bacon’s Castle. I definitely think that I am going to start going there regularly because, besides being in Spanish, I felt like I was at home sitting on the 4th row on the left with my parents behind the Lanes and in front of the Loves The only difference was that after church there was a guy selling ice cream as we walked out the door (which I would highly recommend to BCBC)!
Now, I am not sure I can describe how thankful I am to everyone back home who has been diligently praying for me. There is no way that a teacher’s first day should have gone as smoothly as mine did, not to mention that once I got to school all of my nerves were gone. God is so good and everything went really well. I am hoping, however, that I didn’t smile too much and be too friendly (according to Miss Janet, that is a monumental mistake). I tend to not be able to be very strict but I did try to make my students understand that I’m not going play around and that my class is going to be a tough class! We’ll see if they are all as nice and respectful as they were on the first day, or if they start the scheming after I think I’ve already won the battle!
I was greatly encouraged after meeting all of my students today because I had be scared into thinking that they were going to be horrible. Even if they do turn out to be rowdy and talkative, I can already tell that they are mostly good kids who just want someone to care what they think and actually take an interest in each one of them. It’s amazing how quickly they opened up and just wanted to know everything about me and how long I would be staying at IST. I think they get nervous that every teacher is just going to up and leave them as soon as they teach for one year (which happens often at IST).
I can’t believe I just sat here and wrote this whole blog after my first day of school. I really should be looking over Diagnostic Tests and making lesson plans for the rest of the week. It’s amazing how much work a teacher does outside of school, and it’s just the first day!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Rainy Days
Not a day has gone by since I arrived in Tegucigalpa that it has not rained at some point. Usually the dark clouds begin to roll in sometime in the afternoon and remain all night long. I was also expecting to be sweating up a storm and drinking water 24/7. I still drink lots of water, but it has actually been cooler here than it is at home. I would say that the average temperature has been in the low to mid 80’s and it’s typically not very sunny. Hopefully I brought enough warm clothes!
Ironically enough, as I am sitting here in my classroom right now, I am not sure I have ever witnessed such a severe thunderstorm. As I was working at my desk, I watched out of my wall size windows (the view is amazing) the huge storm clouds begin to form and move in my direction. The sound of the thunder in the distance gradually became louder and louder and I could actually see the rain coming across the mountains like a swarm of bee’s enveloping the city. The crazy thing is that all day it has been sunny and warm, and in 10 minutes the hugest raindrops I’ve ever seen were pounding the school. Unfortunately, my room has not one but three leaks (and they just put a new drop ceiling in this summer)! Fortunately, all of the leaks are in areas that do not cause too much damage to my room besides making the floor all wet.
On a good note, I actually got to meet a few students today. Some of the senior girls were at school today helping out with the 6th grade orientation. Their names are Paula, Ana, Karime and Scarlet. (There was one more but I can’t remember her name) I will actually have Scarlet as a student in my Calculus class this year! I was encouraged and relieved to see that they were very sweet and friendly girls. Ever since I got the job at IST all I have heard about is how disrespectful and unruly the students are. However, I now know that the students here are just like students in the States. Of course there are going to be a few who will test my patience but overall they are good kids.
Feeling more prepared today, and getting excited about starting on Monday!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Chepe
5:30 came early this morning, but duty calls! I really don't mind getting up and beginning my day. It has been especially nice because everyday this week we begin with a time of worship and short devotional. I wish that we could begin every school day that way throughout the year because spending that time with others worshipping the Lord just takes the bad mood and groggy morning feelings right out of you!
I was able to get some preparation for my classes done today, but being a high school teacher and never having taught at IST or anywhere before I am still very unsure as to what exactly to prepare for. Both of my housemates have been busy cutting bubble bee's and coloring letters, elementary teachers of course. (So glad I changed from Elementary Education to High School. Thank you Katie and Whitney!) I have been able to do most things at school and not have too much to do at home so far. Hopefully I'll be adequately prepared for the first day!
One thing you probably know about me, I love to workout (a bit obsessively I'll admit). Usually, I opt for running. However, here in Tegucigalpa it is not always the wisest decision to slip on your sneakers and head out for a run whenever you want. Also, due to the lack of cell phones amongst all of the new teachers communication can be difficult, and finding a running buddy is just not that easy. But today I was introduced to a whole new world of exercise!
One more thing you should know about me, but may not....I can't dance! (I know my family/ roommates are laughing right now) I literally have no rhythm. Did that stop me from going to a Latin Aerobics Dance class (aka "Chepe")? Of course not! When a couple of my housemates asked me if I'd like to go with them, I thought a little about how embarrassed I would probably be but then remembered how much I love to work out so I opted to go! And what a great decision it was :-) The class was about a 20 minute walk away, and once we got there we danced for 2 hours. It was so much fun and we were all exhausted when we were done (not to mention the 20 minute uphill walk back home). Again, my dancing skills are lacking so I am sure it was quite entertaining for anyone walking by (and I think I saw the instructor laugh a little while we were dancing). Definitely going back!
One day closer to my first day of school! Please pray for my students!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Learning
After a full weekend of exploring and getting to know Honduras a little better I am feeling much more at home. There is so much still to learn and do, but I can't wait to try it all. Here are a few of the things that I learned this weekend:
1. Colectivos are taxis that go from one location to another. Very cheap and (as far as I know) reliable.
2. Hondurans follow no traffic laws. Get out of the way or get run over!
3. Speaking Spanish is hard.
4. Plantains are a great appetizer.
5. Queso will bubble and begin to smoke if you don't eat it all and leave it over burning coals.
6. Tae-bo is a good cardio workout.
7. Having pictures on the wall of family and friends is very comforting.
8. It rains EVERYDAY during rainy season here.
9. Whether or not we speak the same language, we can still worship together.
10. God is God of every nation and tongue.
11. Taxi drivers will try to take advantage of "gringos" when it is dark and raining outside (and you just want to get home).
12. I live in Rio Grande, but I don't know how to tell a taxi driver to get to my house.
13. My housemate, Jess, can do a great "Minnesota" accent.
14. Skype is AMAZING!
15. God is Good All the Time, and All the time God is Good!
16. It's cooler up on the mountain.
17. Lifelong friends are just around the corner.
Tomorrow begins a week of orientation and really getting to know the school. I can't wait to start preparing for my students and getting lessons ready! I'm pretty nervous about my first day of teaching but God is faithful and I know that He will use me (with all of my weaknesses and failures) to do whatever He wants me to do.
Learning to be moldable.
1. Colectivos are taxis that go from one location to another. Very cheap and (as far as I know) reliable.
2. Hondurans follow no traffic laws. Get out of the way or get run over!
3. Speaking Spanish is hard.
4. Plantains are a great appetizer.
5. Queso will bubble and begin to smoke if you don't eat it all and leave it over burning coals.
6. Tae-bo is a good cardio workout.
7. Having pictures on the wall of family and friends is very comforting.
8. It rains EVERYDAY during rainy season here.
9. Whether or not we speak the same language, we can still worship together.
10. God is God of every nation and tongue.
11. Taxi drivers will try to take advantage of "gringos" when it is dark and raining outside (and you just want to get home).
12. I live in Rio Grande, but I don't know how to tell a taxi driver to get to my house.
13. My housemate, Jess, can do a great "Minnesota" accent.
14. Skype is AMAZING!
15. God is Good All the Time, and All the time God is Good!
16. It's cooler up on the mountain.
17. Lifelong friends are just around the corner.
Tomorrow begins a week of orientation and really getting to know the school. I can't wait to start preparing for my students and getting lessons ready! I'm pretty nervous about my first day of teaching but God is faithful and I know that He will use me (with all of my weaknesses and failures) to do whatever He wants me to do.
Learning to be moldable.
Friday, August 13, 2010
It's All New
I made it safely into Tegucigalpa yesterday a little before noon. It was a great flight and I actually met up with 3 other teachers going to International School and we got to ride beside each other on the plane from Atlanta to Tegucigalpa. It made the flight enjoyable and calmed my nerves a bit to be able to get off the plane with people I felt comfortable with. Getting to our house took a little while because we had to get all of the new teachers (23) all loaded up into the bus and then unload everyone at their own houses. It was really cool getting to meet everyone since we are all in the same boat.
Our house is called "La Casa Verde" (The green house). All of the house are brightly colored so the easiest way to refer to each teacher's house is by the color. I live with 2 other new teachers, Jessica and Laura. We were in the middle of unpacking yesterday when we all went outside to get lunch (KFC) from one of the administrators at the school. The door shut behind us but luckily Laura had her key. However, we tried and tried but were unable to open our door so we just decided to eat our lunch outside and then took a walk to visit some of the other teachers down the street. Eventually we got back into our house (thanks to a veteran teacher who taught us how to open the door)!
I slept like a log last night and didn't even wake up once! I was exhausted and it felt great to just sleep for 8 hours. Also, having Ms. Bev's quilt to snuggle with made it much easier:-) I woke up this morning feeling very refreshed but the day was filled with meetings and getting to meet administrators and principals at IST. I was able to go into my classroom, see my schedule and become more familiar with what and where I will be teaching.
After we left school we went shopping to get all the things we couldn't bring from home: Small shelves, a fan, sheets, and some food. We went to a mall that had a store just like Wal-Mart. There were tons of American brands and it really didn't feel that different from being back home. However, it was a little confusing trying to speak to the Hondurans and pay with Lempira instead of dollars. Something I'll have to get used to.
It's been only a short time since I've been in Honduras, but I am already starting to feel overwhelmed being in such a different culture. Not being able to speak the language makes me feel pretty helpless but I'm sure time will heal that. Hopefully tomorrow we will get to do a little bit of exploring around the city because right now I feel completely lost everywhere I go!
Goodnight. See you soon.
Our house is called "La Casa Verde" (The green house). All of the house are brightly colored so the easiest way to refer to each teacher's house is by the color. I live with 2 other new teachers, Jessica and Laura. We were in the middle of unpacking yesterday when we all went outside to get lunch (KFC) from one of the administrators at the school. The door shut behind us but luckily Laura had her key. However, we tried and tried but were unable to open our door so we just decided to eat our lunch outside and then took a walk to visit some of the other teachers down the street. Eventually we got back into our house (thanks to a veteran teacher who taught us how to open the door)!
I slept like a log last night and didn't even wake up once! I was exhausted and it felt great to just sleep for 8 hours. Also, having Ms. Bev's quilt to snuggle with made it much easier:-) I woke up this morning feeling very refreshed but the day was filled with meetings and getting to meet administrators and principals at IST. I was able to go into my classroom, see my schedule and become more familiar with what and where I will be teaching.
After we left school we went shopping to get all the things we couldn't bring from home: Small shelves, a fan, sheets, and some food. We went to a mall that had a store just like Wal-Mart. There were tons of American brands and it really didn't feel that different from being back home. However, it was a little confusing trying to speak to the Hondurans and pay with Lempira instead of dollars. Something I'll have to get used to.
It's been only a short time since I've been in Honduras, but I am already starting to feel overwhelmed being in such a different culture. Not being able to speak the language makes me feel pretty helpless but I'm sure time will heal that. Hopefully tomorrow we will get to do a little bit of exploring around the city because right now I feel completely lost everywhere I go!
Goodnight. See you soon.
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