Settling in

Goodness me what a couple of days!

So sunday morning we all attended mass...all accept Lacey who was freaking out because she was convinced she had cotracted lice from the pillows and sheets she had been given. Not wanting to risk inflicting it on everyone else, she opted out of mass. This was completely unnesecery, as later we determined it was only bed bugs (because that's SOO much better).

Mass was an event, to say the least. Honduran Cathholic mass is alot more lively than American ones. There is alot of singing and tamberines; one guy I saw even had an old turtle shell (the size of my cat) and was beating it with a wooden stick like a drum! Of course I didn't understand a word of it (well maybe one word here and there), but it was enjoyable none the less. Afterwards one of the parishoners had us all over to her home for juice and cookies. It was a beautiful, but simple home. A town house with only a single level, tile floor, and open rafters over which you could see the terracotta tiles of the roof. There were a few paintings on the wall, a dining table, a sofa, a couple side tables, and a cabinet full of plates. Acording to Carlos, Hondurans take great pride in their homes, keeping them VERY tide and clean (which is a feat with all the dust that is kicked up fromt he dirt roads. I must admit, thinking of my room back home, full of stuff, made me feel a little disgusted with myself. I mean, what do I need it all for?

Anyway, while we were there, the other volunteers and I put our heads together on how to cheer up Lacey. You see it was her birthday on sunday, and waking up to find bugs in you bed is not a good way to start. Thankfully, Jeff and I had already planned to bake her a cake that afternoon, which the others said would be great with the dinner we were having that evening!

So, when we got back, Maki (one of the returning volunteer co-ordinators) gave Lacey a can of spray for her bed along woth some new sheets and pillows. Jeff meanwhile, got Lacey out of the house on the pretense of going shopping, giving me time to bake the cake.

I have to say, baking a cake with no way to measure the ingredients was a challenge, but I managed to pull it off in time to clean up so that Lacey thought I had spent the whole afternoon on the sofa reading (Jeff did an excellent job of stalling at one of the other volunteer houses)

That evening we had a great dinner of boliadas! It is baisically a soft taco, wrapped around refried beans, scambled egg, fresh avocado, and two types of Honduran cheese (one that is almost the same as feta cheese, and the other almost the same as sour cream, but thicker) I'll have to make them for you all when I get back.

We gave Lacey the cake and sang her happy birthday in English AND in Spanish, and she went to bed with a smile on her face...which is saying somthing considering that it was full of bugs that prior morning!

Today we met with the Honduran teachers at the school, and got into small groups to begin planning the school year. My group was particularly small, since most of the teachers are at the elementary school, and only a handful of us are all at the middle school. We brainstormed a bit, and I have to say I am excited! I have to plan for three classes: Art, Actividados (which is basically home economics...or as I'll be doing it, International Cooking 101!), and World History. I am also being threatend with having to teach sex ed...lets hope that dosn't happen.

Next Friday is the pre-school year open house for the parents, and apparently Honduran parents expect to see a decorated classroom. It indicates to them that the teacher is ready and prepared to educate the students. I am noticing that appearances are much more important down here than back home. For instance I am going to have to get a haircut, because long hair on guys is associated with gangs (which explains at least some of the funny looks I'v been getting in town). I have yet to cut my hair, but I think I should proubly do it soon...apparently a few years back some people in the capital got angry about local violence and whent out and mobbed anyone with tatoos (which are also connected to gangs). Like I said, I think I'll get it cut soon.

Thisafternoon I was very brave (or stupid depending on how you look at it), and ventured into town to buy groceries all on my own! I know I know, you're all thinking how could I do that, I could have been mugged, but honestly during the day their isn't any danger (so say all the returning volunteers). The real issue was my complete lack of decent language skills. Still, I did mange to find my way around, had a good walk, saw the city (which is actually really nice to be in, it feels like a community), and even fumbled my way through buying food for dinner.

That being said, I'm pretty sure the guy at the butcher's counter in the super market thinks I'm insane. I had no idea how to ask for a unit of weight, and ended up having to just tell him to stop when the desired amount of ground beef was in the bag. I did this by saying 'alto' to him, which means 'stop'...at least it does if you're driving. The word for 'stop' in reference to a person filling a container for you is, I am told, a completely different word. The only reason I knew 'alto' was because it is written on all the stop signs (of which I have seen three in the whole city).

It is now raining VERY hard, and there has even been some thunder and lightening. Now this is what I wanted from the rainy season! I should probubly crash though, as tomorrow is another long day of lesson planning and trying not to make too much of a stupid gringo of myself.

Missing you all

Andrew