An American Thanksgiving in Honduras

November 29, 2012

Thanksgiving break arrived upon us in what felt like record time.  While August, September, October and the majority of November has gone by quickly we were still exhausted as teachers and ready for a break.  We were also stoked because we would get to travel to a real city!  We spent weeks preparing/reminding each other of all the great things we would get to experience and see and more importantly all the wonderful food that we would have. 

On Wednesday morning we met at our principal’s house who was going to drive us in his truck to Santa Barbara where, if we were on time, we would catch a direct bus to Tegucigalpa (known to Hondurans as Teguc), but we would actually get off at a rest stop about halfway where the Gracias teachers who were traveling on an Abundant Life bus would meet us and pick us up.  This was a great plan, but things quickly ran off course.  First, Jake accidentally slept in so when we were all ready to leave at 6 am we were missing him and had to call and wake him up.  He got ready quick though and we were on our way to pick up a few people and things on our way out of town.  Just as we got everything and everyone loaded in the truck started smoking and when the hood was opened we found that the truck had actually lit on fire.  The next best option was to walk to the main road and catch the 7ish bus out of town to Santa Barbara.  We did this and the ride wasn’t too bad, but since it left later we had missed our direct bus so we took a packed mini-bus.  There were no seats left and so we stood in the aisle basically on top of each other staring at the floor because the bus was just a bit short.  This took us to an intersection where we got off and waited for a mode of transportation that was heading in our direction.  A few minutes later a large van stopped and said they would take us to the rest area to meet our group.  We once again piled in to a tight space, but we arrived to meet the Gracias teachers…and Surprise! Their students too.  This meant another very full bus and with loud students, but the good news was they had gotten us all chicken sandwiches and fries from Wendy’s.  We finally arrived at our hotel in Teguc to discover that all of the girls (students and teachers) had been placed into one large bunk room that was just packed with bunk beds…and had only 1 bathroom.  After the frustrating day of travel we had and the screaming students we couldn’t handle it so we had a conversation with Jake who, bless his heart, was able to get the La Union female teachers their own room.  We took quiet naps and relaxed before we met for some Pizza Hut and got ready for a benefit concert at the Vida Abundante church.  Of course as a side note, this is when my body decided to rebel against me and I was stricken with a cold. 

The evening was spent at a concert that was actually a benefit for our La Union school.  I don’t remember the name of the group but it was 4 young people who played guitar together and had dancers that danced to a few of their songs.  Unfortunately for us it had been a long day and the concert was not of the super exciting kind so it nearly put us to sleep.  We gratefully retired to bed after it. 

On Thursday we went the Abundant Life School in Teguc and had breakfast.  We also got to see a bit of the school which was pretty cool and made us La Union teachers a bit jealous.  After the school we went to the Vida Abundante clinic and received a tour.  Many teachers, including myself, also had our eyes checked.  Glasses here are much cheaper even for designer frames like 50-100 dollars including exam, lenses and frames.  Unfortunately since I am so blind my lenses are very thick and they don’t have the lens thinning here so I decided to wait for a new pair when I get back to the states.  Once we had seen everything we went on to lunch at a local pizza place which was really good.  In the afternoon we stopped by a cultural fair that was being set up and took a look around; it was fun because it was taking place in this really old prison so it was quite unique.  We then went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. 

The table was all set

For us La Union teachers dinner was an exciting affair because we haven’t dressed up for anything and rarely put make-up on or do our hair.  So we got ourselves all dolled up and joined the whole group for dinner at one of the directors’ houses.  It was AMAZING! Her house was up in the mountains around Teguc and was absolutely gorgeous even by American standards and was all decorated for Christmas.  We spent time talking with everyone and thanking God for all of the wonderful gifts we have been given in our lives.  The food was great and much like a typical Thanksgiving at home.  We had turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, fruit salad with candied pecans, wine and pumpkin flavored flan for dessert.  My stomach and I were very content and I was able to sleep well that next night. 

The water cycle exhibit at the Chiminike

On Friday, we went to Chiminike in the morning.  This is a children's science museum and yes I was in heaven.  It was like having a kid in a candy shop, everything was soooo cool.  I even climbed my way through the digestive system and got sneezed on in a giant size nose.  I have decided one of my life goals might just have to be to own/direct/design exhibits for a children's museum.  After the museum we went to lunch at a local place in the what is known as the District.  This unfortunately was not the best experience.  There were 3 choices on the menu and we still waited over 2 hours for food and still they forgot about one of our orders so we had one person not get food at all (we shared of course). 

The afternoon was spent paint balling, which many of the teachers skipped out on, but our whole La Union crew was prepared for some domination.  Unfortunately we had 8 people and all the other schools combined only had 6 that wanted to play so we decided we would give them Jake (he wanted to shoot at all of his teachers anyway).  The others were worried this would be unfair because it meant that the La Union team had 6 girls and 1 guy while they had 5 guys and 2 girls.  Lets just say that we shut them up quick and while we let them win a couple we dominated in the rest.  This was my first time paint balling and I had blast; I even came out with a nice battle wound bruise on my leg where the ball hit and bounced off, not breaking.  After our domination they let us go back to the hotel and change which was good because I had also gotten shot in the head a few times and had paint all over my hair, so I was able to shower.  We then went to a Mongolian type restaurant and had a great family style meal.  The food was great including a curry, rice dish, beef in oyster sauce and chicken in peanut type sauce. 

After dinner the group was going bowling, but the La Union teachers decided to go back to the hotel.  We wanted to keep with our Friday night traditions of watching Downton Abby, so we took a cab to McDonalds and got McFlurries then cuddled up and watched an episode of our show, retiring a little early to bed. 

This is Otis the Owl, Kara and I deliberately acquired him from a special place and he spent the rest of the trip traveling around with us, this is just one of the many pics we got with him around Teguc.

Saturday morning we ventured out of Teguc to a place called valle de los angeles which is a tourist town that has lots of shops selling local artisan crafts, pottery and other goods.  We wandered around a bit and finished our Christmas shopping.  We then headed for the mall where we had our choice for lunch as McDonalds or Quiznos.  I ate at Quiznos and then headed straight for Wal-Mart.  I filled a cart with practical items that I haven’t been able to find anywhere else, powdered sugar, febreze, brown sugar, some wine, granola bars, Christmas lights…all the good stuff.  After the shock of WalMart wore off I ventured through the rest of the mall, but didn’t find much that caught my eye.  We had a late lunch so at dinner we just ordered a bunch of appetizer sampler plates and shared those before we all headed to the movies.  Some people went to see the last installment of the Twilight series but I went with a group to see the new James Bond film and I was quite impressed.  I liked the movie a lot and was happy to be in a real theater with comfy seats and it only cost me like 4 bucks!

Sunday morning we left the hotel early to catch the 7am direct bus to Santa Barbara.  Of course as plans go, the bus we thought left at 7 actually left at 8:30 so we spent some time waiting around.  We eventually arrived back to La Union safe and sound but tired from traveling.  I unpacked and went to bed early arriving at school the next day a little unprepared but I didn’t worry much because the break was all worth it.  Little did I know though that this week would be crazy…I’ll explain this weekend with some pictures of the fun things my students have been doing in science class. 

Parent Teacher Conferences and More

November 19, 2012

Good morning!  I know it has been awhile since I put up any type of update, but life has been pretty normal for the past couple weeks.  I’m taking the time and opportunity to write this because our internet is currently down and writing this is better than that stack of 8^th grade science papers that have been staring at me all morning…They can wait a little while longer!  After my birthday things returned to normal for a couple days and then on Saturday November 10, we had parent teacher conferences.  I had a good experience with parent teacher conferences when I was student teaching except for one parent who went off on me.  I was not very worried about that because all of my 10th grade students are really great people and their grades are all quite good, plus I wouldn’t understand a word they were saying.  So I went in to them feeling pretty confident. 

The way they do parent teacher conferences here is a bit different though.  Instead of visiting all of your childs teacher you only visit their homeroom.  So I represented all the teachers who taught the 10^th grade.  Likewise, I had to give my recommedations and comments for students to their homeroom teacher.  I also was in possession of the only copy they could get of their report card so it was incentive for the parents to show up because their kid was very interested in what their grades had totalled out at.  One of the volunteers from England sat with me and did my translating throughout the morning and we enjoyed hanging out between parents because I only have 8 students so I had a lot of extra time.  The one thing I experienced that I didn’t in the states was the pure gratitude from the parents that I was here and working with their children.  They were so thankful that I had chosen to come here and that I am a part of their child’s life; it was a great reminder of the reasons I’m here.  The last difference I will make note of is that the parents were less concerned with their students actual grade than they are in the states, but every parent asked the same question…are they well behaved in class?  I found this very entertaining, but a sign of a cultural difference.  Here they concern themselves a lot in showing respect and conducting yourself in a proper manner (atleast in school) and it would be very troubling for a parent to hear that their child was disrespectful or rude. 

Waking up early to go to conferences really put a damper on our Saturday and didn’t help that the weather was cold and rainy and we were all completely freezing!  We decided to do what we know best and we plopped ourselves on the couch with our down blankets, a bucket of popcorn, and a bowl of cookie dough and we spent the afternoon watching movies cuddled together.  Cassidy and David then cooked a spaghetti dinner for everyone and we played games…more Settlers of Catan.  Sunday we went over to the Brits house to watch football because the Lions vs. Vikings game was being shown.  It was a disappointing loss for the lions but I was able to get some work done while watching so atleast I had been productive. 

Last week went smooth and many of my students had tests which they all did quite well on especially Chemistry.  I was concerned because it was a difficult unit on molar mass, limiting reactants and percent composition, but they proved to be the wonderful students I have come to see that they are.  I did several demonstrations with multiple classes and they enjoyed actually getting to see and experience science rather than just hear about it.  My creativity skills have been greatly improving as I constantly look for things that I can do with the few materials have in my teacher toolbox here. 

This weekend was a rather relaxing one once again.  Lenny and Kara ventured back to New York City for a wedding they were both in.  So we were short a few people from our group plus Cassidy and David left Saturday morning to take him back to the aiport for an early Sunday flight.  We had girls night Friday and watched a couple episodes of Downton Abbey complete with more cookie dough.  On Saturday Brooke and I came up to the school and got a lot of work done for the week when we come back from Thanksgiving, so that we have less to worry about over our break.  It also helped that the internet wasn’t working then either so we had no other choice but to work on stuff.  We then ventured over to the Brits and watched some wedding shows including Say Yes to the Dress and then went out for some fried chicken for dinner.  Sunday consisted of church and then a nice brunch of omelettes that Brooke and I made.  We then laid on the couch and watched a couple movies while eating popcorn.  Since we had time we decided to cook a nice dinner and enjoy some wine that I had gotten the last time I was in Gracias.  I helped her grade papers while our Cajun shrimp cooked and then we enjoyed this fabulous meal while we awaited the election results. 

Yesterday was election day here.  Which is why we had planned a lazy day Sunday because we didn’t want to go out since the parties were supposed to get pretty intense.  We were told it was actually calm all afternoon and things didn’t get crazy until the results were announced.  At which point we could hear the celebrations and there were tons of fireworks going off well into the night which made it difficult to fall asleep.  Last night was also one of the colder nights we have had.  I woke up several times and was quite cold, I was told this morning it was less than 50 degrees.  This seems like I have become a wimp for cold weather, which might be partially true, but then you can consider the fact that I have no heat and no insulation in my house.  Not only that but our roof is tin and the walls cement so the cold just surrounds us. 

I am looking forward to a shortened week.  We were supposed to have school on Wednesday but after asking our permission they decided to cancel it.  Us teachers were probably more excited than the students because not only do we not have to teach that day but we will get to leave a day earlier for Tegucigalpa and will get to see a concert that is being put on as a benefit for the La Union School.  We are all very excited for our trip to Teguc and I’m sure I will have an exciting blog post when I get back that will include lots of Thanksgiving food, Thai food, paintball, bowling, movies and the best yet, WAL-MART.  I never thought going to Wal-Mart could be so exciting but I have been feeling deprived of such American things and I have a list of things I can get to help with my science experiments a bit. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and is reminded of all the wonderful things they have to be thankful for, I sure will!

Birthday Blessings

November 7, 2012

Today was such a great day and provided the lift I needed in order to survive the next 7 or so weeks until Christmas.  I had the experience of celebrating my birthday in a new country with some amazing new people.  I am somewhat of a traditions person and I was a little disappointed to not get to spend my birthday with the people I love back home, but boy did it get celebrated here. 

I woke up to a plate full of candy and goodies along with a wonderful note from my roommate and her boyfriend who is having the pleasure of visiting and getting to know La Union.  We made our way to school where I was greeted with lots of Happy Birthdays and even hugs.  The day started in my homeroom with the 10^th graders, they of course sang and asked me all the usual birthday questions.  We read our bible verse and discussed the message and I went on my way.  I had the next two periods free during which the primary grades have their chapel, and no they could not forget about me.  They called me over and all of the 1^st – 6^th graders sang to me and I got more hugs than a person could ever need.  I was feeling very loved and took note of the fact that even though I wasn’t with my loved ones from home, I was with some pretty special people and kids who love me! 

Much more happened throughout the day including each class I walked into breaking out in song and the 3^rd graders singing and giving me hand made cards.  My 10^th grade bio students had a quiz today and when I arrived after morning recess they were all ready to take it and asked me to hurry up…very unusual, usually I am begging them to put their materials away and get ready.  After the quiz they all ran outside and when they returned they had a big cake, chips, candy and pop.  We spent the rest of the time listening to music, chatting and eating (some of my favorite things).  I also managed to get one of the class clowns with a facefull of frosting and despite my attempts to run away he was able to return the favor.  I left class with a full stomach and a face that was caked with frosting!  They sure do know how to celebrate J

After lunch I headed down to the 9^th grade classroom where I was politely asked to wait outside.  When I was allowed to enter they busted out in song and displayed a table of food including 2 more cakes (yes they made me eat a piece of each).  I was overwhelmed and couldn’t believe how generous all my students were throughout the day.  We spent another hour eating, laughing and of course chasing each other with frosting and yes I got frosting in the face again!  When the school day came to end I had the chance to FaceTime with my mom and shortly after the power went out so it was home for us.  Luckily the power came back on quickly and I was able to get some school stuff done for the day. 

I was told dinner was going to be at Kara and Lenny’s but that I could not be there before 6:30.  When arrived though the smell was amazing Kara and Brooke had cooked an amazing birthday dinner of lasagna, garlic bread and homemade applesauce.  I was in heaven and couldn’t believe all that they had done for it to be special for me.  Everything was delicous!  Since I had so much cake at school we decided to save cake for Saturday and instead had cookies made by Kara and Cassidy.  It was all so yummy, I had to make myself stop eating haha.  It was a great break from the usual evening school work we do and a great time spent with the people here that I have gotten to know and love…Their my La Union family! 

Reminders

October 31, 2012

First of all Happy Halloween!  I wish I was in the states so that I could overdose on candy and see all the fun costumes, since Halloween is viewed very negatively here.  This week has been a pretty calm one so far, but has provided me with numerous opportunities for reminders about the beauty and uniqueness of where I am.  I finished calculating my grades over the weekend and put them in the books today.  I was pleasantly surprised at the success of my students.  It is not that I expect less from them, but it always seemed like so many of them were failing tests and quizzes that it would be hard for them to pass.  I must say somehow they pulled it off.  I would also like to take the chance to tell you about two of my favorite students (ssshhhh don’t tell).  They are siblings and this is their first year at the school.  One is in the 10^th grade and the other is in 8^th grade.  During the first week of school I saw their blank stares and thought uh oh, this is going to be a long hard year for them; it was very apparent that their English just wasn’t at the level of their fellow students.  They slowly began to improve and their grades were awesome!  I talked with both of them a bit and was told that the 10^th grader works hours every night studying and reviewing material and forces his sister to do the same by reminding her of the great opportunity they have.  They also have an hour each night where they talk only in English about anything they want just to practice some more.  I am so impressed with their dedication and determination that I can’t help but appreciate their presence in my classes.  They are a great reminder of why I am here and the good things I am doing. 

On funnier note, on my walk home from school today with two of my fellow teachers we happened to see one of our 9^th grade students driving.  Now that is not abnormal since we have seen 5^th graders driving pick-up trucks and several 7^th graders have motorcycles (more like dirt bikes).  What was so weird was that he was driving a giant back hoe down one of the main streets of La Union, and I am talking giant.  He just looked at us, smiled and waved as if this was to be expected.  We were flabbergasted and just laughed, saying TIH (this is honduras).  This served as a reminder to not take life so seriously, sometimes you just have to enjoy the odd things in life.  It also reminded me that La Union is different, especially from anywhere in the states, but that those differences make it all the more challenging, humerous, and enjoyable.   There somethings you can do here that you just can’t do in the states.

A few days ago I walked home from school by myself because I was ready to leave while others were still working.  I enjoy my time alone while I walk and had the chance to think about my time here so far.  Yes, there are A LOT of things and people that I miss back home, and yes I think about them all the time, but I am enjoying myself here.  At first I thought the only fun times were when we got to travel, but the more time I have spent here in La Union, the more fun it gets.  Although sometimes sensory deprivation sets in, I find myself extremely content in my life here and overjoyed with the new friendships and blessings that have been placed in my life, I couldn’t ask for better people to spend this adventure with.  I also got to think about how beautiful and undeveloped La Union is just nestled in the mountains.  Space such as this would easily be bought and begun to be developed in the states taking away from much of the raw beauty.  The best way to describe it is simple.  Life here is simple, the people tend to think in simplistic ways, the living situations are simple and the scenery is simply beautiful.  My walk home reminded of the simple things and beauty I wouldn’t be experiencing if I were in the states.  It also served to remind me of the things and people I will miss when my time here ends. 

I think it is important to try and spend time every so often reminding ourselves of what we have in our life, who we have in our life and those things that just can’t be described or forgotten.