I’m not sure I would have made it all the way through this week without the Lord’s strength. Monday afternoon felt like Wednesday and Wednesday felt like Friday. There was never a day that I actually ate my lunch during lunch, which is actually okay since we have lunch at 10:45AM. I think that because so many students missed school right after Christmas break; everyone is trying to catch up and get extra help. I really enjoy helping students during lunch and after school, but this week just seemed like during any free time, there was someone who needed a little help. It’s actually been fun for me to be able to help students one-on-one though. I really love to see each one when they get that “Ahh…Now it makes sense!” look on their face. Makes me remember that I really do love teaching.
Since you all can’t be in my classroom I’d like to give you an example of a actual conversation takes place: It all starts on a Thursday…
Me: “Okay class, we have two more sections in this chapter and next Thursday we are going to have a test over Chapter 7.”
Class: (groans)
Me: “Come on guys, you know this stuff, don’t worry you’ll do great!”
Fast forward to the following Tuesday (Keep in mind, since last Thursday the words “Test on Thursday” have been written on the board):
Me: “Okay your homework is the chapter review and we will go over it tomorrow in class and review all of Chapter 7 for your test on Thursday.”
Ricardo: “Mees, we have a test?”
Me: “Someone answer that question for Ricardo.”
Rene: “What stuff is on the test?”
Me: “Come on guys, we just finished Chapter 7, you have a test on Thursday on Chapter 7!”
Wednesday (Review day, the class is split up into groups of 4 and we play a review game all day during class)
Thursday:
Me: “Put away all of your notes and get out a pencil and your calculator.”
Ricardo: “What are we doing?”
Daniella: “Is this a quiz?”
Me: “Nope, today is your test.”
Ricardo: “We have a test?”
Rene: “What chapter is the test on?”
Vivian: “Oh Mees, I’m going to fail.”
Me: “You guys will be fine, we reviewed all day yesterday and the test is just like the review.”
After taking and turning in the test…
Leda: “Mees that was a hard quiz.”
I was thrilled to be able to stay at the Humuya Inn (best Hotel in Tegucigalpa, and all of Honduras for that matter) on Thursday night. The Crooks put me up in a comfy room, and I was able to just have a night to myself. It was really great and just what I needed. I didn’t get any work done, but I think that was just the ticket!
After school on Friday, Jess, Laura and I went with the Crooks to the Varsity girl’s soccer game. It was a fun game to watch, but it ended up in a tie (0-0). Why someone once decided that leaving a game in a tie was okay is beyond me? Who wants to go home after a tie? I’m pretty sure there is no other sport besides soccer that there doesn’t have to be a W or a L. I tried to explain my concern, but no one else seemed to have such strong feelings on the matter.
After the game, we headed to the Humuya Inn to just relax and burn some time until our 7:00 movie started. We went to see Tangled with the girls, which was my first time going to a movie theatre here. Mimi had called around and found the only place that had the movie playing in English. We were pretty pumped because we had planned to go the weekend before but it didn’t work out. Finally we were going to see this movie that we had only heard good reviews about. We got our popcorn and drinks and headed in. We walked in as the previews were rolling, and quickly realized our dilemma. Spanish. They only had it in Spanish, so we had two options. Go to a different movie, or watch it in Spanish. We chose the latter. It actually was still really cute, and Andrea helped me through most of the movie. She would lean over and update me every so often to make sure I was still following along :)
Saturday morning I went downtown to the market to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Danielle and Diana had told me that they always go, because the produce is really good and insanely cheap. I got tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, carrots, mandarin oranges and a pineapple for a little over $4.00. There are so many people, and countless numbers of vendors selling all sorts of things. Somehow, we ended up going down the meat alley. This could have been a mistake for me, but it’s an experience I don’t think I’ll ever forget. It’s definitely a smell I’ll never forget. I saw livers, stomach lining, chicken feet, cow tongue and I don’t even know what half of the other things were. I may just become a vegetarian.
Living in Honduras never fails to provide me with new experiences. Some better than others, but all very different! I'm grateful for such a diverse experience, just imagine the stories I'll be able to tell my children one day about walking under a waterfall, playing soccer with street kids and so many teaching tales!
(pictures to follow hopefully)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Getting back into the swing of things
Well it's been almost a couple weeks now since I left Richmond and landed in Tegucigalpa. It was definitely a hard transition to make after such an enjoyable break, but it's good to be back and busy again. The first few days after I arrived were not easy for me at all. The only thing I could think about was home, my family and Jeremy and how much I wanted each of those things. My heart was in a constant aching and I could not get it to stop.
As some of you know, my prayer has been that while I am here, I want to be "completely here". I don't want to miss the opportunities that the Lord has placed in front of me solely because I am looking towards the future. So I had been praying this prayer over and over, that the Lord would help me to "live in the moment" and to be filled with His Joy. I really wasn't seeing a difference in the way I felt about being here, until last Sunday night. I was reading through Daniel Chapter 1, and I realized that even though we may be going through tough times, it's our responsibility to choose joy each day. And then after talking to my mom about it for a while, she told me that I am the one who controls my attitude, no matter what the situation. I began thinking about all these truths that the Lord was throwing in my face. I came to the conclusion that even though I was praying for Joy, I wasn't choosing to be joyful. The Lord provides us with new mercies each morning, but if we don't choose to take them, then they kind of just go to waste. That night I decided that I would choose Joy on Monday morning, and every morning for the week. I cannot explain the difference it has made in my life. Each day has not been perfect by any means. But I have begun to enjoy being here again, enjoy teaching again, and enjoy my students again. I am so thankful for those little bits of truth that the Lord shows us in so many different ways.
I've only taught 7 days of school so far, but I am starting to feel like I'm getting a better feeling for what I'm doing. I've changed a few things in my classroom management and teaching style, and I think they have really helped. I'm pretty sure one of my students hates me now, but I'm okay with that. This same student told me once that she wanted to be like me, but now, since I had to take her cell phone and be much more strict with her, I'd guess she might think differently. I realized at the end of last partial that I was not being strict enough with all of my rules in the classroom, so I've really tried to buckle down. It really has helped, and I think my students are responding well.
Yesterday was the second time for Parent-Teacher Conferences. I teach around 100 students, and I had about 10 parents come. So far I haven't had any irate parents. They are all understanding when I tell them why their child is doing poorly. Which is usually one of two reasons: 1) They haven't done their homework, or 2) They talk and pay no attention to me during class. I'd venture to guess that this is probably the universal reasons why students do poorly, not just in Honduras.
I went to see the Girl's Soccer Team play after school on Wednesday. Several of my students play on the team and were really fun to watch. Girls don't get quite the recognition here as boys do, so I was glad to be able to support them. IST beat Discovery School 3-0. The girls did really well (as far as I could tell.) Also, Jess and I got to ride to the game with a couple of my students, which was really fun. Alejandra and Vivian are sisters and I teach both of them. They are really thinking about going to Liberty when the graduate (one is a junior and one is a sophomore)! I'm really trying to talk them into it:) How cool would it be for them to live so close to me in VA? I could visit them all the time!
Last night several of us girls got together and watched "The Holiday"! Such a chick-flick. It's funny how watching movies like that have changed for me. I used to get super excited and get those little butterflies in my stomach whenever cute and romantic things would happen. Now, those scenes just remind me of something that I have really experienced in real life (with Jeremy of course). It makes me just as happy to think of that, if not even more happy to know that I have the real thing waiting for me back home. I did however, enjoy watching the other girls react to all of the sweet scenes with "awww" and "He is just the perfect man!" comments:)
I look forward to the weekend every week. It's a great perk of teaching to be able to sleep in two mornings out of seven. Starting on Thursday afternoon (because Thursdays are my really long and busy days) I get excited just thinking about the weekend. So in essence, my weekend starts on Thursday nights and lasts until Sunday night. I really don't mind Friday's because they are not very busy for me. I usually am able to get a lot of planning and work done for the next week and so that my weekends are less busy with schoolwork. Today I am actually going with the Crooks and spending the night at their house tonight! I need a little "family time"! Have I mentioned I love the weekends?
Now to get a few things done and enjoy the rest of my weekend!
As some of you know, my prayer has been that while I am here, I want to be "completely here". I don't want to miss the opportunities that the Lord has placed in front of me solely because I am looking towards the future. So I had been praying this prayer over and over, that the Lord would help me to "live in the moment" and to be filled with His Joy. I really wasn't seeing a difference in the way I felt about being here, until last Sunday night. I was reading through Daniel Chapter 1, and I realized that even though we may be going through tough times, it's our responsibility to choose joy each day. And then after talking to my mom about it for a while, she told me that I am the one who controls my attitude, no matter what the situation. I began thinking about all these truths that the Lord was throwing in my face. I came to the conclusion that even though I was praying for Joy, I wasn't choosing to be joyful. The Lord provides us with new mercies each morning, but if we don't choose to take them, then they kind of just go to waste. That night I decided that I would choose Joy on Monday morning, and every morning for the week. I cannot explain the difference it has made in my life. Each day has not been perfect by any means. But I have begun to enjoy being here again, enjoy teaching again, and enjoy my students again. I am so thankful for those little bits of truth that the Lord shows us in so many different ways.
I've only taught 7 days of school so far, but I am starting to feel like I'm getting a better feeling for what I'm doing. I've changed a few things in my classroom management and teaching style, and I think they have really helped. I'm pretty sure one of my students hates me now, but I'm okay with that. This same student told me once that she wanted to be like me, but now, since I had to take her cell phone and be much more strict with her, I'd guess she might think differently. I realized at the end of last partial that I was not being strict enough with all of my rules in the classroom, so I've really tried to buckle down. It really has helped, and I think my students are responding well.
Yesterday was the second time for Parent-Teacher Conferences. I teach around 100 students, and I had about 10 parents come. So far I haven't had any irate parents. They are all understanding when I tell them why their child is doing poorly. Which is usually one of two reasons: 1) They haven't done their homework, or 2) They talk and pay no attention to me during class. I'd venture to guess that this is probably the universal reasons why students do poorly, not just in Honduras.
I went to see the Girl's Soccer Team play after school on Wednesday. Several of my students play on the team and were really fun to watch. Girls don't get quite the recognition here as boys do, so I was glad to be able to support them. IST beat Discovery School 3-0. The girls did really well (as far as I could tell.) Also, Jess and I got to ride to the game with a couple of my students, which was really fun. Alejandra and Vivian are sisters and I teach both of them. They are really thinking about going to Liberty when the graduate (one is a junior and one is a sophomore)! I'm really trying to talk them into it:) How cool would it be for them to live so close to me in VA? I could visit them all the time!
Last night several of us girls got together and watched "The Holiday"! Such a chick-flick. It's funny how watching movies like that have changed for me. I used to get super excited and get those little butterflies in my stomach whenever cute and romantic things would happen. Now, those scenes just remind me of something that I have really experienced in real life (with Jeremy of course). It makes me just as happy to think of that, if not even more happy to know that I have the real thing waiting for me back home. I did however, enjoy watching the other girls react to all of the sweet scenes with "awww" and "He is just the perfect man!" comments:)
I look forward to the weekend every week. It's a great perk of teaching to be able to sleep in two mornings out of seven. Starting on Thursday afternoon (because Thursdays are my really long and busy days) I get excited just thinking about the weekend. So in essence, my weekend starts on Thursday nights and lasts until Sunday night. I really don't mind Friday's because they are not very busy for me. I usually am able to get a lot of planning and work done for the next week and so that my weekends are less busy with schoolwork. Today I am actually going with the Crooks and spending the night at their house tonight! I need a little "family time"! Have I mentioned I love the weekends?
Now to get a few things done and enjoy the rest of my weekend!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
My Life in Virginia
So I know this is supposed to be about my crazy adventures in Honduras, but I thought it would be a good idea to write about my time at home. Since I teach at a school that follows an American plan, we got two weeks off for Christmas, just like schools in the States. I was so thankful to be able to go home during the break, because being away from my family and friends during this time of year would have been unbearable. However, my visit home was absolutely wonderful and everyday was filled with spending time with Jeremy and my family.
Not a day went by that I did not have fun plans to go out, or stay in and just enjoy the Christmas season. One of my favorite nights was when Jeremy and I went out on a double date with the Hubers. We all hopped in the car and were trying to decide where to go to get dinner when Ms. Janet suggested that we go Port Arthurs, the Chinese restaurant in Newport News. Jeremy then suggested Hayashi Hibachi, which is where they cook the food right in front of you. I was a little skeptical and if I'm not mistaken, I don't think the Huber's were super excited about it either, but Jeremy convinced us that it was going to be amazing. So we headed that way and boy were we in for a treat. The atmosphere, food and company were wonderful. The cook joked with us, we caught food in our mouths and left the restaurant completely stuffed. After dinner we enjoyed a leisurely ride looking at Christmas lights and chatting the whole way home.
Other activities over the break included going to the Christmas play at church, making and decorating Christmas cookies (to look like people we know), going dress shopping with mom, watching Christmas movies, going Ice Skating, going out to dinner with the Pittmans and Riddicks, having a snowball fight, having a family gameday, making pancakes for my boyfriend, decorating the Christmas tree, going to the Christmas Eve service, playing Just Dance over and over, spending the night with Coopie, getting a free bike from Conte's, going for a run in the park, playing with Will and Reese, making homemade pizzas, falling asleep outside in a hammock, going shopping with Jeremy, and spending New Year's day at home with my family :)
If I went into detail about everything this blog would take forever, and quite frankly I'm a bit exhausted from two weeks of going to bed late, getting up early (because my body just won't sleep in), being busy everyday, and a day of traveling back to Honduras.
Things I learned over the past two weeks:
1. I love Jeremy.
2. There's no place like home.
3. My church family cares for me more than I can express.
4. I enjoy teaching in Honduras.
5. Having to stay home because of the snow is a good thing.
6. I love Jeremy.
7. Staying in Honduras for one year was a good decision.
8. I love Jesus more than when I left for Honduras in June.
9. Leaving Jeremy and my family is really hard.
10. I love Jeremy.
11. Mom and I don't really enjoy shopping, but we enjoy spending time together.
12. Crying can sometimes make things feel better.
13. I love my family and my family loves me.
Okay, so these aren't all things that I learned over the past two weeks, but they were definitely confirmed.
I'm off to bed for now to catch up on some sleep. Spending time with the Crooks tomorrow! Back to life in Honduras. I'll be sure to keep you posted on how things are going. Thanks again for all of the prayers and support. All of you who read about me, pray for me and give financially are greatly appreciated. I really can't thank you enough for your love.
Not a day went by that I did not have fun plans to go out, or stay in and just enjoy the Christmas season. One of my favorite nights was when Jeremy and I went out on a double date with the Hubers. We all hopped in the car and were trying to decide where to go to get dinner when Ms. Janet suggested that we go Port Arthurs, the Chinese restaurant in Newport News. Jeremy then suggested Hayashi Hibachi, which is where they cook the food right in front of you. I was a little skeptical and if I'm not mistaken, I don't think the Huber's were super excited about it either, but Jeremy convinced us that it was going to be amazing. So we headed that way and boy were we in for a treat. The atmosphere, food and company were wonderful. The cook joked with us, we caught food in our mouths and left the restaurant completely stuffed. After dinner we enjoyed a leisurely ride looking at Christmas lights and chatting the whole way home.
Other activities over the break included going to the Christmas play at church, making and decorating Christmas cookies (to look like people we know), going dress shopping with mom, watching Christmas movies, going Ice Skating, going out to dinner with the Pittmans and Riddicks, having a snowball fight, having a family gameday, making pancakes for my boyfriend, decorating the Christmas tree, going to the Christmas Eve service, playing Just Dance over and over, spending the night with Coopie, getting a free bike from Conte's, going for a run in the park, playing with Will and Reese, making homemade pizzas, falling asleep outside in a hammock, going shopping with Jeremy, and spending New Year's day at home with my family :)
If I went into detail about everything this blog would take forever, and quite frankly I'm a bit exhausted from two weeks of going to bed late, getting up early (because my body just won't sleep in), being busy everyday, and a day of traveling back to Honduras.
Things I learned over the past two weeks:
1. I love Jeremy.
2. There's no place like home.
3. My church family cares for me more than I can express.
4. I enjoy teaching in Honduras.
5. Having to stay home because of the snow is a good thing.
6. I love Jeremy.
7. Staying in Honduras for one year was a good decision.
8. I love Jesus more than when I left for Honduras in June.
9. Leaving Jeremy and my family is really hard.
10. I love Jeremy.
11. Mom and I don't really enjoy shopping, but we enjoy spending time together.
12. Crying can sometimes make things feel better.
13. I love my family and my family loves me.
Okay, so these aren't all things that I learned over the past two weeks, but they were definitely confirmed.
I'm off to bed for now to catch up on some sleep. Spending time with the Crooks tomorrow! Back to life in Honduras. I'll be sure to keep you posted on how things are going. Thanks again for all of the prayers and support. All of you who read about me, pray for me and give financially are greatly appreciated. I really can't thank you enough for your love.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
A Visitor in my Body
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:)
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:)
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!
 |
| 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!
 |
| 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)!
 |
| 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!
 |
| 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.
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