Today was supposed to be fairly easy...well, for me at least. I would spend a quiet day at the school working on lesson plans, and then return home to do the dishes. All that did end up happening, but with a few unwelcome additions (as is the way of things).
First if all, it was anything but quiet. There is some sort of work being done on the soon-to-be teacher's office, and it involves a lot of power tools. We had to keep pausing the meeting to wait for them to finish drilling. However, this pales in comparison to the news we all received regarding a prospective student named Micheal. After meeting Micheal and his mother, Maki (the coordinator) showed them around the school and had a talk with Micheal's mother regarding our expectations. They are not high to say the least. Maki made it clear that there was very little chance that Micheal would pass, in fact we all rather expect him to fail.
Now I know that sounds horrible to cast judgement like that, but this is why. Micheal is blind. Not only that, but he also has some sort of mental disability. Sadly, this is not on paper, and Micheal's mother is in MAJOR denial about the whole thing. The fact remains that we are just not equipped (or trained) in how to handle this. Micheal needs special care and attention, which we cannot give him. Even Nazareth (the school for the mentally handicapped also run by the Olancho Aid Foundation), said that they did not have the training to take him. The only place that could is three hours drive from here in the capital city, Tegucigalpa!
Much to all our chagrin, Micheal's mother was absolutely determined to have him in the school...and Maki said ok. I'm not sure I would have had the heart to turn him down either. The issue is, that Micheal's parents recently got divorced. The father got all the money, and the mother got the blind, mentally handicapped child. Does that strike you as fair? Of course I don't know the whole story, but still. Micheal's mother just got a new job to try and support him, and had assumed that we were going to accept him into the school. It seems that his prior teachers have been pity passing him, so that he could get his 6th grade education (this is a HUGE deal in Honduras; they literally get more dressed up that we do in the states for most weddings!), so his doting mother thinks that he can do anything the other kids his age can. So we have taken him on, on the condition that he keeps his grades up and participates in class. There is pretty much no chance of this, since this is like asking a man with one leg and a heart murmur to run a marathon. Maki says that at least this way the mother will have a chance to find something else for Micheal, but this does mean that we are stuck babysitting for the next month or so. It sounds cold, but that is basically what we are doing.
In happier news, the afternoon commute home continues to be an adventure. Having been dropped off in the center of town twice now (once with a very large, very heavy box), I was not too surprised when it happened again. This time was in a slightly different place then before, but I was confidant that I could make it home. But then I was greeted by a friendly tap on the shoulder, and turned to see Hermando, the gardener at the high school! he asked me (in Spanish, with a sprinkling of English) if I knew my way home, and could he help me get there...at least I'm pretty sure that is what he said. I replied (in English with a scattering of very broken Spanish) that I would love some help getting home.
I should point out that I know Hermando from the first day of orientation at the high school, where he and I were partnered up to try and overcome the language barrier and to introduce one another to the group. He seemed like a friendly chap, at least from what I could understand, and it would seem that my trust was not misplaced, as here I am safe and sound.
Of course, halfway through the walk home, I was not so confident. We walked through a part of the city I had not been through before, and I was terrified for a moment that the reference to "casa" was for his home, rather than mine. The other volunteers did say that the Hondurans were friendly and would invite us over alot. "Oh good grief" I thought, "what happens when I get there? I'm going to have to have a conversation, and my Spanish can only improve so quickly! What if he wants to introduce me to his family? What if those guys on the corner want to beat us up and take our money? What if Hermando wants to beat me up and steal my money?" By this point I had lost my orientation, and no longer knew were I was. So it was with great relief that I recognized the health clinic at the corner of our street, and made a mental note that there were some very pretty vistas from down that road. Hermando is a pretty nice guy. He even tried to make a bit of conversation in broken English.
I shall wrap up this blog with something fun...geckos! They are everywhere, indoors and out, usually high on a wall, and today at lunch I got to watch them hunting bugs on the screen of one of the high windows in the school. They have this almost supernatural ability to jump off the wall as if their center of gravity had shifted 90 degrees. I even saw two of them play tug of war with a bug one of them had caught. It was one of the most adorable things I have ever seen!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Trouble in the back
It seems about time to talk about Honduran driving habits in a bit more detain. In particular the abundance of pick up trucks, and the even more abundant habit of riding in the back of them. You see it everywhere, and while this might not seem so odd, try to envision exactly what this for of transportation entails. You are sitting on the edge of the bed (nobody seems to sit IN the bed of the truck, and as a result you feel honor bound to follow suit, or else risk seeming like some cowardly gringo pansy), and you fly along a dirt road which is more pot holes than pavement...and by pavement I mean compacted dirt. The driver attempts to compensate for the Swiss cheesiness of the road by swerving suddenly to try and avoid them; a maneuver which often takes you into the path of on coming traffic!
Now, you want to try and look ahead, to try and prepare for the imminent swerving, bumping, and near-death experiences rapidly hurtling towards you, but whenever you look up you are blinded by all the grit and dust kicked up by the passing vehicles which the driver of this death ride has managed to avoid.
So now you are blind, hanging on for dear life, and wondering if it would have been a better idea to simply walk the five miles back home?
There are only two things which can make this ride worse. That's right, WORSE. One is if it is raining. While this does reduce the blinding dust, it also makes the truck slippery, at which point you are reduced to cowering in the bed of the truck, and hoping that none of the locals spot you for the nancy boy you invariably feel like.
The other is if during the prior night you were rudely awakened at 2am by a vicious call of nature. I'm not sure if it was the fruit I ate the previous day or simply the local bacteria finally having their way with me, but either way, I can now personally attest to just how swift and brutal Moctezuma's revenge can be.
To settle one's stomach after a ride of this sort, the returning volunteers swear by coke and alkaseltzer. The combination is very affective, but one must remember to put the tablet in a glass and then SLOWLY add the coke...not drop half the tablet into the coke bottle. There will follow a few moments of clarity in which you have to act, and if like me, you happen to be sitting in the office of the middle school director, there really isn't much you can do except put your mouth over the bottle and try to drink the ensuing eruption of effervescence. In this situation you are doomed to failure. Anyone else present will be rewarded by a few moments of your cheeks filling up with soda foam like a cartoon character sucking on an air pump, before the inevitable occurs. During this time you can think only one thing...
oh why didn't I pay more attention in chemistry?
Now, you want to try and look ahead, to try and prepare for the imminent swerving, bumping, and near-death experiences rapidly hurtling towards you, but whenever you look up you are blinded by all the grit and dust kicked up by the passing vehicles which the driver of this death ride has managed to avoid.
So now you are blind, hanging on for dear life, and wondering if it would have been a better idea to simply walk the five miles back home?
There are only two things which can make this ride worse. That's right, WORSE. One is if it is raining. While this does reduce the blinding dust, it also makes the truck slippery, at which point you are reduced to cowering in the bed of the truck, and hoping that none of the locals spot you for the nancy boy you invariably feel like.
The other is if during the prior night you were rudely awakened at 2am by a vicious call of nature. I'm not sure if it was the fruit I ate the previous day or simply the local bacteria finally having their way with me, but either way, I can now personally attest to just how swift and brutal Moctezuma's revenge can be.
To settle one's stomach after a ride of this sort, the returning volunteers swear by coke and alkaseltzer. The combination is very affective, but one must remember to put the tablet in a glass and then SLOWLY add the coke...not drop half the tablet into the coke bottle. There will follow a few moments of clarity in which you have to act, and if like me, you happen to be sitting in the office of the middle school director, there really isn't much you can do except put your mouth over the bottle and try to drink the ensuing eruption of effervescence. In this situation you are doomed to failure. Anyone else present will be rewarded by a few moments of your cheeks filling up with soda foam like a cartoon character sucking on an air pump, before the inevitable occurs. During this time you can think only one thing...
oh why didn't I pay more attention in chemistry?
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Quite the event
So today a man held a razor to my throat! It's ok though, I paid him to do it. I finally went and got my hair cut at a local barber's shop, and man do these guys know how to cut hair! I have never seen someone cut hair with such pressision. They even trimmed my beard and finished everything off with a strait razor! I have never felt so well groomed in my life. If any guys come down to visit me, make sure to let your hair and beard grow out so you can go to a barbers while you are down here.
The best part...it only cost the equivalent of $2.50!
The best part...it only cost the equivalent of $2.50!
To war!
I firgit to mension that in the last couple days we have gone to war with the indiginouse insect population. Mosquitoe larva in the pila, which they have stuff for down here; fireants in the kitchen sink...yes that's right, FIRE ants. Turns out the dowsing the place with vinigar diswades the little blighters quite effectively. Last but cirtainly not least, we cannot forget the GIGANTIC cockroach Jeff found in his closet. The beast was the size of a small car, and is probubly watching me type, right this moment, from under the refrigerator. We are looking up remedies to try and deal with him, and are feeling hopeful that the "backing soda and sugar" trick we found on the internet will work. We have the stuff but have hesitated in using it...we're conserned that the sugar will just attract more of them...
Monday, August 23, 2010
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
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
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Getting caught up and settled in
Ok, so I'm here. It took a while to get the internet working, and then we were all buisy getting settled in, so I appologise for not posting sooner.
The flight was fun. The flight to San Salvadore was uneventful (I slept through most of it), and the flight from there to Honduras was brief to say the least (it took lierally 20 minutes...we went up, and then came back down). I then flew through immigration (not many people fly in at 9:30 am on a thursday), and then spent an hour waiting in the terminal for someone to show up. During this time I tried vainly to find someone to change my US money so that I could FINALLY get somthing to eat. Saddly, my spanish sucks, and I eventually gave up.
At long last Peggy (the Olancho Aid volunteer co-ordinator) and Carlos (the Olancho Aid co-ordinator)showed up and came to my rescue. Gradually the rest of the volunteers flew in and we all pile onto the bus for a three hour ride out to Juticulpa. But first...
...we went to the mall! That's right, the very first thing we did on arriving in Honduras was go to the Tegucigalpa mall food court and eat at subway. Tegus (Tegucigalpa) is a pretty developed city, and there are US stores everywhere you look (including Little Ceasar's, Burger King, and Sherwin Williams).
That being said, the food court did have an amazing view of the mountains. We watched as a late afternoon rainstorm rolled in, the clouds cascating down the mountainside. It was a very strange feeling sitting there eating my meatball sub and watching somthing so beautiful at the same time.
The bus ride was equally jarring. Mostly due to the fact that roads here mostly consist of potholes, and the "rules of the road" are more like guidelines than laws. Still, he view's were amazing. The Olancho province is in central Honduras, which is mostly mountains. Despite the rain which hits most afternoons this time of year (as it is early in the rainy season) it is still fairly clear the rest of the day. You round a bend and all of a sudden you are looking across a mountain vally strewn with small clusters of houses dwarfed by a sea of green. My memory of the ride is a bit patchy, as I fell asleep a couple times, only to be awakened when my head got slammed against the window from hitting a particularly deep pothole.
We arrived in Juticalpa, ate pizza, found our houses, and promptly passed out. I'm sure we did some other stuff, but I really don't remember it.
Friday we got the grand tour. We saw the three schools Escuela Nazareth (the only school for handycapped children in all of Olancho), Santa Clara (the elementary school), and Cardenal (the high school where I will be teaching). We met Padre Ricardo, the founder of the Olancho Aid Foundation, and picked up the boxes we had sent ahead of ourselves...all accept mine. I'm sure it will arrive eventually, but until then I'm going to have to make do with a hand towl and the cloths I packed on the plane.
We got a tour of the city too. Its a lively place. Most of the roads are dirt, save the main boulavade and a few at the center of town. You are perfectly safe during the day and early evening, although I still don't think I'll be going out on my own for a while...many of the roads look the same to me, and I know I'll end up lost. On the bright side, the foundation gave us all cell phones so we can reach each other!
I have to say that the technology here feels very out of place. Almost everyone has cell phones, and yet only a few have constantly running water. I and my roommates still have yet to discover that supposedly magical hour when we get running water to our house.
Which brings me to the living arraingements! I'm sharing a house with two other volunteers, Jeff and Lacey. We each have our own rooms, and share a large common area and a kitchen. There are two bathrooms, which are almost useless to us. We have to use a buckt to flush the loo half the time, and the shower and sinks NEVER work. We have to wash using a bowl out by the pila, which is a large concrete tub in the back which you keep full of water for things like flushing the loo, washing, and doing dishes (we buy large jugs of water to drink, just like everyone else).
As soon as I figure out how, I'll start posting pictures. I found out AFTER I got here that my new laptop's maximum resolution is just 168 pixles short of the minimum requirement for my new digital camers...I hate technology. I'm going to try and get one of my roommates to let me use their laptop for picures.
Next week we have to plan our lessons. I actually get two, since the high school dosnt start classes till september 6th (somthing about testing). I am very glad to here this, as I have to make lesson plans for art class, cooking/life skills (more on that later), and world history. No, I am no longer teaching PE. Its already a joke here how I never seem to know what classes they are going to throw at me.
Anyway, I'm gonna go wash my hair out by the pila. Its raining and I don't want to miss the opportunity. It's actually a really nice temperature (around 70 during the day) and low humidity, but we did walk around alot and it is pretty dusty.
Oh, one last thing! There is a very nice hotel just around the corner. AC and a pool even, so you can all feel free to come down and visit! Once I get my school year schedule, I'll let you all know when my vacations are!
The flight was fun. The flight to San Salvadore was uneventful (I slept through most of it), and the flight from there to Honduras was brief to say the least (it took lierally 20 minutes...we went up, and then came back down). I then flew through immigration (not many people fly in at 9:30 am on a thursday), and then spent an hour waiting in the terminal for someone to show up. During this time I tried vainly to find someone to change my US money so that I could FINALLY get somthing to eat. Saddly, my spanish sucks, and I eventually gave up.
At long last Peggy (the Olancho Aid volunteer co-ordinator) and Carlos (the Olancho Aid co-ordinator)showed up and came to my rescue. Gradually the rest of the volunteers flew in and we all pile onto the bus for a three hour ride out to Juticulpa. But first...
...we went to the mall! That's right, the very first thing we did on arriving in Honduras was go to the Tegucigalpa mall food court and eat at subway. Tegus (Tegucigalpa) is a pretty developed city, and there are US stores everywhere you look (including Little Ceasar's, Burger King, and Sherwin Williams).
That being said, the food court did have an amazing view of the mountains. We watched as a late afternoon rainstorm rolled in, the clouds cascating down the mountainside. It was a very strange feeling sitting there eating my meatball sub and watching somthing so beautiful at the same time.
The bus ride was equally jarring. Mostly due to the fact that roads here mostly consist of potholes, and the "rules of the road" are more like guidelines than laws. Still, he view's were amazing. The Olancho province is in central Honduras, which is mostly mountains. Despite the rain which hits most afternoons this time of year (as it is early in the rainy season) it is still fairly clear the rest of the day. You round a bend and all of a sudden you are looking across a mountain vally strewn with small clusters of houses dwarfed by a sea of green. My memory of the ride is a bit patchy, as I fell asleep a couple times, only to be awakened when my head got slammed against the window from hitting a particularly deep pothole.
We arrived in Juticalpa, ate pizza, found our houses, and promptly passed out. I'm sure we did some other stuff, but I really don't remember it.
Friday we got the grand tour. We saw the three schools Escuela Nazareth (the only school for handycapped children in all of Olancho), Santa Clara (the elementary school), and Cardenal (the high school where I will be teaching). We met Padre Ricardo, the founder of the Olancho Aid Foundation, and picked up the boxes we had sent ahead of ourselves...all accept mine. I'm sure it will arrive eventually, but until then I'm going to have to make do with a hand towl and the cloths I packed on the plane.
We got a tour of the city too. Its a lively place. Most of the roads are dirt, save the main boulavade and a few at the center of town. You are perfectly safe during the day and early evening, although I still don't think I'll be going out on my own for a while...many of the roads look the same to me, and I know I'll end up lost. On the bright side, the foundation gave us all cell phones so we can reach each other!
I have to say that the technology here feels very out of place. Almost everyone has cell phones, and yet only a few have constantly running water. I and my roommates still have yet to discover that supposedly magical hour when we get running water to our house.
Which brings me to the living arraingements! I'm sharing a house with two other volunteers, Jeff and Lacey. We each have our own rooms, and share a large common area and a kitchen. There are two bathrooms, which are almost useless to us. We have to use a buckt to flush the loo half the time, and the shower and sinks NEVER work. We have to wash using a bowl out by the pila, which is a large concrete tub in the back which you keep full of water for things like flushing the loo, washing, and doing dishes (we buy large jugs of water to drink, just like everyone else).
As soon as I figure out how, I'll start posting pictures. I found out AFTER I got here that my new laptop's maximum resolution is just 168 pixles short of the minimum requirement for my new digital camers...I hate technology. I'm going to try and get one of my roommates to let me use their laptop for picures.
Next week we have to plan our lessons. I actually get two, since the high school dosnt start classes till september 6th (somthing about testing). I am very glad to here this, as I have to make lesson plans for art class, cooking/life skills (more on that later), and world history. No, I am no longer teaching PE. Its already a joke here how I never seem to know what classes they are going to throw at me.
Anyway, I'm gonna go wash my hair out by the pila. Its raining and I don't want to miss the opportunity. It's actually a really nice temperature (around 70 during the day) and low humidity, but we did walk around alot and it is pretty dusty.
Oh, one last thing! There is a very nice hotel just around the corner. AC and a pool even, so you can all feel free to come down and visit! Once I get my school year schedule, I'll let you all know when my vacations are!
GO!!! (retroactive posting)
I’ll post this later since I can’t seem to get on the internet here, but it is currently 3:35 am, on Thursday August 19, 2010, and I am sitting in Dulles airport waiting for my flight. There’s no turning back now, and I have to say, I am very excited (either that or sleep deprived…I can’t quite tell…)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Get set...
Sunday night while I was saying goodbye to my friends it finally hit me...I'M GOING TO HONDURAS, AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! I spent most of Monday panicking about it, and trying to figure out all the things I still needed to do before I left (like get my anti-malaria pills...those are important.)
Now the abject terror seems to have calmed down now a bit. There is stuff everywhere waiting to be put into the suitcase, and A LOT of important papers to keep track of (passport, traveler's insurance, etc...) but finally the fear is more of an anticipation.
I've said a lot of goodbyes, which makes me sad, but I don't have time to mope.
Now where did I put that pile of underwear?
Now the abject terror seems to have calmed down now a bit. There is stuff everywhere waiting to be put into the suitcase, and A LOT of important papers to keep track of (passport, traveler's insurance, etc...) but finally the fear is more of an anticipation.
I've said a lot of goodbyes, which makes me sad, but I don't have time to mope.
Now where did I put that pile of underwear?
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
On your marks...
Hello all! It's just over a week before I leave for Honduras and things are getting a little crazy. I have to pack, write a final paper for my associate degree, and wrap up all the final details before I head out.
Thanks to all of you who have leant your support and encouragement! Your donations are helping make this possible. If anyone would still like to help sponsor me on this trip, it's not too late! Just give me a call and I'll tell you how you can help.
For anyone interested in learning more about where I am going, here is the link to the Olancho Aid Foundation's website. This is the organization I am going down with:
http://www.olanchoaid.org/
Thanks to all of you who have leant your support and encouragement! Your donations are helping make this possible. If anyone would still like to help sponsor me on this trip, it's not too late! Just give me a call and I'll tell you how you can help.
For anyone interested in learning more about where I am going, here is the link to the Olancho Aid Foundation's website. This is the organization I am going down with:
http://www.olanchoaid.org/
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