March 5, 2013
First of all, I am very excited that it is March because it
means I am getting so much closer to seeing my family and best friend on
Roatan. It is currently only 2 ½
weeks away! Since my last post
showed some anger and frustration, I wanted to be sure to fill you all in on
what keeps me going and brings me joy.
The title of this post comes from an activity that Kara, Heather and I
did with the 11th grade girls.
The girls have been coming over on every other Tuesday night and we hangout
with them. This gives them a
chance to use and practice their English and a chance for us to get to know
them a little bit more. They all
have very shy personalities and it doesn’t help that the 11th grade
boys are all very outgoing and tend to overpower the girls in class when it
comes to attention. This past week
we did and activity called Empty The Jug.
You divid a piece of paper into 4 squares and in the first one you write
everything that you feel mad about.
After a few minutes of writing you move on to things making you sad,
then glad, and lastly anxious.
They then paired up and shared some of their feelings with a
partner. This was a fun experience
and it was great to see them interact and share things with their
classmates. It reminded me though
of some of the things here in Honduras that I have really been enjoying and
that’s when I realized I better share some of those things. Tuesday nights with the 11th
grade girls are definitely on the list.
Another thing that has recently started is basketball
practice. I am coaching the girls
team with the help of Brooke and I love it. I have really missed being in the gym and working with
athletes. The girls have a lot to
learn and it is similar to watching 3rd graders play, but I still
enjoy the time I get to spend with them.
Most of my time has been spent either at school or with the other
American teachers so it is nice to get out of both of those roles and to do
something different. I also get to
see all of my students learn something other than science and see them compete
with each other and also work together at the same time.
I have one student who continues to amaze me. I know I have talked about him before,
but it is worth saying again. He
only learned English a year ago and yet he is thriving in all of his
classes. After only a year of
foreign language I could not imagine taking classes like World History, Biology
and Algebra 2. He is completely
dedicated to his studies and is an all around great person even outside of
school. I sat and talked to him
one day about his goals for the future and he told me that his dream would be
to study in the states. While his
english is good, it is not good enough for the test that is required to study
in the states. After some thinking
and discussion with Kara we concluded that if he could spend some time in the
States practicing his english then he weould be able to improve enough to make
an attempt at the test. So we were
on a mission. Kara’s dad is a
pastor at a chuch in Holland, Mi and every summer they hire about 12 high
school interns who work with neighborhood kids, teach Sunday school, help with
vacation bible school and work with one of the mission groups. Kara talked to him about the
possibility of sending our student there for the summer and he thought it would
be a great idea. So, we worked
with him to fill out an application and send it off. The group that chooses the interns meets on March 10 to make
their decision so we have been hoping and praying that he gets this opportunity
to continue to learn and practice his English. He is a student that can do great things and I am hoping
that this will give him even more potential.
I also must say that the friendships with teachers and
students I have made here have been a great source of joy and happiness. I have enjoyed getting to know each and
every person and I couldn’t be happier that they were put here with me. Our similar experiences have only
brought us closer and the company is great. I have learned so much from them about the world, myself and
others and I know that if any one of them was not here our family would be
incomplete.
Very lastly, the upcoming adventures that we have planned
are keeping me thinking positively.
This weekend we will be heading to Gracias to go ziplining. Lenny’s 2 sisters are on their spring
break and are here visiting so we thought we would show them Gracias and give
them experience they won’t forget.
We will also be having dinner at the place we found last time we were
there that had the most amazing chicken wings. Then shortly after that trip will be our trip to Roatan
where we can soak up the sunshine, snorkel on the reef, swim with whale sharks
and eat lots of great food.
By continuing to remind myself of the positive things that
are happening in my life, I can deal with the frustrations of being here. I constantly remind myself the effect a
positive outlook can have and continue to look for things that bring me comfort
and joy.
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