Life Goes On

Life does go on. After waiting 3 weeks, my kids finally were able to take their first test. After 3 weeks a student admitted she thought my name was Miss Murder. :) After 3 weeks my students are back wanting hugs and ready to learn. It has been good for all of us to be back in school. Things are settling down in the country. Might be the calm before the storm. There still is no resolution. Zelaya is still in the Brazilian Embassy. We still don't have our freedom of speech etc. It isn't over, but we continue on. We are enjoying not feeling stuck on the school compound, taking walks up the mountain. We still don't venture down into the city as we had before, but we'll take what we can get. Radio and TV stations have been shut down because of the suspending of our rights. People are being arrested. Other countries are hurting too...In Guinea they are experiencing something almost identical to Honduras. The former president of Peru was sentenced to jail for 6 years for his corrupt behavior. There is the frightening earthquake and tsunami by Sumatra. There are all the deaths in the Philippines with the flooding...There is a little girl born at 28 weeks fighting for her life in Thailand. We live in a broken hurting world, but we have a God who is so much bigger than all of this. We have a God who is looking out for us. That is where we put our trust. I have been asked if I or my colleagues are second guessing being here. I for one am not, and I have not heard from others that they are. We all trust that God has put us here at this time and He will watch out for us. We know that God is bigger than the situation at hand. Thank you for praying with me and for me. We certainly do feel the prayers! Continue to pray!

My Freedom of Speech

Interview with Fox News:

MICHELETTI: You cannot change the constitution ever.
VAN SUSTEREN: Ever?
MICHELETTI: Ever.
VAN SUSTEREN: There is no way to amend it?
MICHELETTI: Since 1980, (inaudible) is who made the constitution. And they thought that someday there was going to be big man who would try to change the rule in our country, is why they support two, three, four articles in the constitution that it's not allowed to be president again.

Email we got from the US Embassy today:

The Embassy advises citizens residing in and visiting Honduras that the
de facto regime issued a decree suspending certain rights under the
Honduran constitution on Sunday, September 27, 2009. This decree
affects all people in Honduras, including non-Hondurans. Specifically,
the following articles of the Honduran Constitution have been suspended
for the next 45 days (until November 11, 2009):

Article 69: The right to personal freedom
Article 72: Freedom of Speech
Article 78: Freedom of Association
Article 81: Freedom of Movement
Article 84: The right to due process _

For the next 45 days, the defacto regime has stated that the local and
national police, at times to be assisted by the military, will arrest
individuals for the following reasons:

* Disobeying announced curfew, or appearing to engage in
suspicious activities
* Gathering in public without prior approval from police and
military forces
* Carrying out media announcements violating the law or government
resolutions , or offending human dignity or any public official

The de facto regime has also stated the following:

* Individuals that are arrested for violating the above listed
restrictions will be detained
* All public installations which are occupied by demonstrators or
which are occupied by persons carrying out activities prohibited by law
will be cleared

Congress has asked Micheletti to annul this to which he responded he would talk to the congress at an opportune moment in the next few days. So the last president was impeached because of trying to rewrite the constitution, and now the next president is taking away basic human rights. What is this country coming to? Taking away the rights of people is not going to fix the problem at hand. The government wants to feel that they are in control therefore they tie everyone’s hands behind their backs and take away their voice.
We had school today. We dismissed at 2 instead of 2:40, otherwise it was a ‘normal’ day. Out of my 140 students only 2 were absent. I was very shocked so many students came. They had stories from the past week. Being in the wrong spot at the wrong time and fearing for their lives. One student’s grandfather lives right across from the Brazilian Embassy. He told stories of the protesters demanding water or they would urinate on the house; taking things from the yard to throw at people, demanding to come into the house to escape from the gasses. The grandpa at times stood in front of the door with his gun telling people to back off. Some students admitted that taking the bus home was scary. The military was yelling at them for being out past curfew. But everyone made it home safe. We did our best to create a normal school environment; a respite. The rest of the week we are dismissing at 12:30 so that our buses will have adequate time to get the students home if by chance the curfew would be moved up. The majority of the students are Micheletti supporters but there are Zelaya supporters. They are mostly respectful of each other; though they can talk about politics like many of us can talk about sports. It is fascinating.
Keep praying for this country. There are random acts of violence and innocent lives being taken. The government will not allow OAS members to come into the country, Micheletti keeps delaying the meeting. The presidential candidates met with the US ambassador today. Pray that God will use various leaders of the OAS and leaders of nations to walk alongside the government and find a peaceful solution. Pray that both Micheletti and Zelaya will stop being stubborn and agree to work out a solution. Pray for our students, bus drivers, and nannies as they travel the streets each day. Pray for the parents as their kids are away from them. Pray for this country!

Today we were able to go get groceries. We drove right by the US and Brazilian Embassies. Of this series of pictures I took the first 3 and the rest I found on the internet.


This is between the US and Brazilian Embassies.

This is a gas station owned by a Pinares Family. It is between the two embassies which was a hot spot. Abierto means open. It is just boarded up for protection.

This is the road leading to the Brazilian Embassy.

What is going on according to me...

Last night we had a cultural adjustment meeting with the president of the school board and his wife. They have been living in Honduras for 19 years and have been missionaries their whole life. Mr. Caudill growing up in Cuba. They are very knowledgeable people and after our culture session a few of us asked them to clarify some of the happenings. So using what they told us and from what I hear from the news I will try to summarize what in the world is going on here.
A little background. Zelaya and Hugo Chavez are buddy buddy. Hugo Chavez is the president of Venezuela but more accurately would be described as dictator. This summer Zelaya tried to re-write the Honduran constitution so that he could be elected for another term. The Honduran constitution allows for presidents to only serve one term so there is not threat of dictatorship. Because Mel was acting in a way that was breaking the constitution the government took action. They were trying to prevent exactly what Mel and Hugo wanted, so they had Mel impeached. This is what is known as the coup. Micheletti was the president of the congress which is the person next in line to be president, like the vice president. So that is why he is president.
The problem with the impeachment is that Mel was not tried right away for his illegal actions. Why things were not done differently, I do not know. But as you may or may not know he attempted to fly back into the country and hung out at the Nicaraguan border, stepping foot in once. It was kind of a chess match to see what he would do next. Over the summer Chavez paid people, not even Hondurans necessarily, to protest. He paid them a day's wage and they would walk the streets of Tegucigalpa protesting on behalf of Mel. Again Chavez is very behind this.
So why did Mel come back? Chavez and Mel saw that the country was running just fine without Mel. Yes the world was/is not recognizing Honduras and its government, but the country was peaceful. They realized that the elections would happen in November, Micheletti would hand over the power in January, the world would eventually realize that what happened was legal and start funding Honduras again. This could not happen for Mel. So he came back.
He came back with the aid of Brazil. Brazil is the 2nd richest country in the Western Hemisphere and is on the up. It wasn't by chance that Brazil was chosen to help. He came across the Guatemala border in a car with South American license plates. And he has been in the Brazilian embassy since, creating all sorts of problems. What has to happen is A. Mel turns himself in to be arrested or B. Brazil gives him political asylum meaning that Brazil uses an embassy car and brings him to the airport, puts him on a plane, and flies him to Brazil. He cannot be attacked when that is taking place or while he is at the embassy because attacking an embassy is attacking a country. That is why the troops only surrounding the embassy cutting of the water and electricity. At one point for about 15 minutes they even tried using a really annoying noise to get him out. Now it is the waiting game...
Another question is why is the world supporting Mel? Really why are they? Mel's actions were not legal. He is a very corrupt man. Mr. Caudill worked for many years bringing water to the rural communities of this country. Before Mel was president he too worked for one of the government water organizations. Mr. Caudill met with Mel to present a joint project to bring water to three communities close to where Mel was from. The way that Mr. Caudill presented it was three times cheaper than what Mel had planned. But when Mr. Caudill presented it Mel just simply laughed in his face not giving him the time of day. Why was Mr. Caudill's plan 3 times cheaper? Mr. Caudill wasn't pocketing two thirds of the money whereas Mel was. Mel claims to want to help the poor when really he is stealing from the poor. So again, why is the world supporting such a corrupt man? It has to do with money. Not that Honduras has much money, it is the 3rd poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, but the world has to be benefit ting somehow.
So that is the story. Other random facts. We read somewhere that every day that Honduras has a daytime curfew it cost the country 50 million dollars. We also read the Micheletti thinks the country can survive for 6 months on the food it has here. We can't. Every time there is a daytime curfew all of Central America suffers because the borders close and no trucks can pass through and you have to pass through Honduras. Micheletti definitely isn't perfect. But in the end, he is following the constitution and will allow the elections to happen.
What is going on here right now? Things are pretty peaceful. There are a few demonstrations but people are at work trying to lead as normal of a life as possible. Earlier yes there were cars and stores that were ruined. Tuesday they lifted the curfew and grocery stores were madhouses. There are pictures on yahoo.com. We don't have school yet today. Why? Our school represents families with money. Our kids run a great risk of being kidnapped. Last year in one week there were 4 kids from other bilingual schools who were kidnapped, one killed. Parents are not jumping at letting their kids out quite yet. Hopefully Monday we'll start up again.
What are my thoughts and reactions and how am I dealing with living in this historical time? All I can do is pray. I hope that you will join me in prayer. As I have said, there is a lot of corrupt tendencies in this area of the world. Pray for a peaceful resolve. This has never been scary for me. The only fear I have is for my students and their families. This has divided families and brought fear to our kids. As they were getting off the buses on Monday, they were questioned and targeted. Pray for them as we begin school again.

He's Back...

So in June the president was "kidnapped". If you want to read about it there is a writer from the Wall Street Journal that reported this story in truth from day one. The writer's last name is O'Grady...I just went to the WSJ online and searched Honduras, O'Grady and there are a few articles that show up. I have found them helpful in understanding everything. Anyway...Mel came back to Honduras today for the first time...There are a lot of demonstrations etc. You will probably see stuff in the news but rest assured I am safe. We don't have school tomorrow because the busses cannot travel safely. Pray that the situation can be resolved peacefully!

The Central American Adventure Swine Flu Break '09 is over...Well we have the weekend yet, but the travels are done. If you don't want to read a novel then you'll have to skim!
Tuesday morning we (and when I say we it is me and 6 other teachers, who none of them I really knew a whole lot. One of them is my roommate Steph but even then we have known each other for a month...) packed up our backpacks/duffel bags and headed down on the rapidito. Bus #1. We then got taxis to a bus that would bring us to Choluteca, Honduras. Bus #2 On Bus #2 we enjoyed the views of Honduras. The rolling green hills, the cows on the side of the road, a semi that had flipped over, rivers and curvy roads. Upon arriving in Choluteca we got in a microbus to take us to the border. Bus #3. We ate our knees for this short ride. The people were friendly and helped us when the van stopped. When the van stopped I felt like a piece of meat being swarmed by flies. Men wanted to change my money, they wanted to bring me to the border on a bike taxi, they wanted to sell me food and drinks...We were 7 and they were probably 27. We were a bit out numbered and really didn't know what to do. So one of the ladies that had been in the microbus helped us get good rates on the bike taxis and they brought us where we needed to go. We took care of the border crossing and then we got on a bus to Leon, Nicaragua. The people on the bus were very friendly and wanted to know who we were and where we were going...We had to stop at a check point which is very common in Central America. People cannot travel illegally through these countries. We discovered it appeared that we were travelling illegally. For some reason they had not stamped our passports when we came into Nicaragua. After a bit of discussion they let us go and wished us luck getting out of the country. Great way to start the trip! Well we would just cross that bridge when it came. Bus #4 is what we call a chicken bus. What is a chicken bus? It is a school bus that transports people and livestock from point A to B. No there were not chickens on the bus, but it could have happened! It was about 8 when we finally got to Leon and in Central America it gets dark at 6. We had no clue where we were going to stay and as we got off the bus a couple told us to follow them and they would show us a good hotel. And that they did. $6 a person with a bathroom in each room...not bad. We found some gallo pinto (rice and beans) sold by a lady sitting out on the sidewalk. It hit the spot.
Day 2 - The morning was spent walking around, exchanging money, sweating buckets, and eating breakfast. We ate at a nice little restaurant that the food is displayed in a big glass case...fried chicken, fried fish, rice and beans, taquitos, pancakes with cheese...you know typical breakfast items. And they take it right from the case and buen provecho. It was delicious! After breakfast we took a camioneta to a bus that would take us to a beach. What is a camioneta? It is a truck that serves the same purpose as a bus. It is covered in the back and you sit on the benches or stand in the middle. For about $0.10 you can get where you need to go. Again people were interested in what we were doing and where we were going and they recommended a beach called Benitas. They showed us exactly where to catch the bus and so we took bus #4 to Benitas. Along the way we probably backed up and turned around 5 times. It was a very accommodating bus to where people needed to be dropped off. We got dropped off in paradise. Benitas is a beautiful beach with hostels and hotels lining water front. It isn't resorty or touristy, just accommodating. So we paid our $6 per person and stayed at a great hostel that was on the beach. We played in the water, read on the beach, talked to the local kids trying to sell us jewelry and just enjoyed the afternoon. The sunset was gorgeous. The stars were AMAZING. The hostel also was a restaurant and I ordered fish. I was served a whole fish, eyeballs and all. It was some of the best fish I have ever eaten. It was a relaxing peaceful night.
Day #3 Nicaragua is hot. By 6 AM the sun is up and it is already hot. So we had an early start to our day. It was a lazy morning of staring into the ocean, eating breakfast, walking on the rocks, and finally leaving around 10:30. We took a bus back to Leon bus #5. Rode again in a camioneta. And got on a bus to Managua. Bus #6. The Nicaraguan landscape is beautiful. There are volcanoes jutting out of the green fields. The sky is a pure blue and the land is lush and green. Upon arrival in Managua we weren't really sure where to go. People were telling us different things, taxis wanted to bring us places. Finally we got two taxis that would bring us to where we could catch a bus to Rivas, a border town. The bus station was overwhelming, everyone wanted us on their bus, but we found where we needed to go and crammed onto the bus, bus #7. And when I say cram it means 2-3 people in a seat, people standing in the aisle...No personal space on these buses. We arrived in Rivas around 5 so we could actually walk around trying to find a decent hostel. I am not really sure if a decent hostel existed in this town. We checked out 4-5 and finally settled for one. It seemed to be okay until we realized the water didn't really work in 2 of the rooms, there were bedbugs...but we were on an adventure. We ate at a nice restaurant and enjoyed the night lounging at smaller restaurant where we met a man named Fidel. While talking to Fidel we discovered he worked at the border and he said he would escort us across in the morning. Remember how I said they had wished us luck on getting out of the country? Our luck, our angel, was Fidel.
Day 4. After a hot, bedbuggy, loud, restless night we were on the road by 7. Fidel accompanied us on the chicken bus to the border, bus #8. Guided us where we needed to go. Made sure they let us out of the country no problem and into Costa Rica. An answer to prayer! We ate breakfast with him and then said our thanks and good-byes. We had made it to Costa Rica. We took bus #9 to a town along the coast, where very friendly and helpful people helped us find a bus to Quepos which is where the beach Manuel Antonio is. So bus #10 was probably one third gringos due to the fact that Quepos is a very popular tourist destination. We had to stand for about half of the ride. The view from this bus windows were again volcanoes, rain forests, monkeys, crocodiles, and heavy rainfall. We arrived in Quepos by 7 that night and ran through the rain to Hotel Sanchez. We rented a little house and ate some dinner and called it a night.
Day 5. Beach day! We took bus #11 to Manuel Antonio, only a 10 minute bus ride. And we laid on the beach for about 6 hours. We were entertained by men playing soccer on the beach, people learning how to surf, and the vast array of people of different cultures. And we all got a little color, for better or for worse! Not much to be said of this day, but playing in the water, reading, eating peanut butter sandwiches and simply relaxing. Took the bus back, bus #12 and that evening we ate some pizza, sat around and chatted and Stephanie and I made plans for the rest of the trip.
Day 6. As the rest of the group was sick of travelling and didn't want to go any further south, and Stephanie and I wanted to keep going, we parted ways. Steph and I got a morning bus to San Jose, bus #13. We were hoping to get a bus at noon to take us to Panama City, and we did in fact make it to San Jose to get that bus. So we hopped on a Tica Bus, which is equivalent to Grey Hound buses, and began our journey to Panama. Bus #14= AC, reclining seats, bathroom, and movies. Much different than the buses we had been taking, but with 2 white girls travelling the safest way to go. The bus to Panama city took about 15 hours. The border crossing was entertaining as we needed to go to one window after an other getting different papers etc. It was very nice to have the bus company direct us in what we needed to do. I can't really tell you what the country side of Panama looks like because it was dark by the time we got there. We slept as well as one could on the bus and got into Panama City around 3:30 AM.
Day 7. Upon arriving in the bus station we were shocked by how big it was. We felt like we were in Europe. It was modern and it had multiple food courts and stores...Hundreds of buses pass through it daily. Being that it was 3:30 in the morning it was pretty quiet there. We sprawled out on some chairs and fell asleep only to have a security man nudge us awake telling us we couldn't lay down. So we had to sleep sitting up! By about 7 the place started to get busier. We bought our returning bus ticket, to leave at 11 that night and then found a bus that would take us to the Panama Canal. Again we were absolutely packed on this bus, people hanging out the door...Bus #15 brought us to a place where we could walk to the canal. So what does the Panama Canal look like? It looks like a river cutting through green foresty land, and it has barges trudging up and down it. It was pretty spectacular. We viewed the canal from the Miraflores Locks. There are 3 sets of locks on the Canal. We were fortunate enough to see 2 barges pass through the locks. If you don't know what locks are, google it! There was also a visitor's center where we could watch a video on the canal and walk through exhibits telling the history, the wildlife, the operations, and the future of the canal. It was truly fascinating, and a dream come true to be able to see the canal. After spending a few hours at the canal we headed back to the bus station and ate and read and people watched and were more than ready to get back on the bus and out of the station. So by 11 that night we were on the road again, but #16.
Day 8. Again I cannot tell you want Panama looks like because we travelled through it in the night and not only was it dark, I was sleeping! We did the whole border thing again, slept, watched the movies being played...and we arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica by mid afternoon. After not showering for a few days and sleeping on buses and freshening up as much as you can in a bus station we were ready for a bed and a shower. Day 8 also happened to be Independence Day in Costa Rica. We saw no celebrations and we saw a lot of closed restaurants and hotels. However, about 100 feet from the bus terminal we stumbled across a hostel. It had a shower, a bed, and a TV. It was glorious.
Day 9. Bus to Managua, Nicaragua, bus #17. Not much to be said...The border was crazy busy so it took a couple hours to cross. The country side was beautiful. A common site along the road is cows being herded. Occasionally the bus would have to come to complete stops as to allow cows to cross the road. Managua is not the safest city so we were thankful that there was a hotel and a cafe in the bus terminal. So we enjoyed those accommodations and slept our last night on the adventure.
Day 10. We had to be up around 3:45 as we had to check in around 4 for our bus at 5. So it was a rather early morning. But we were on the home stretch which we were thankful for. So we boarded the bus to Tegucigalpa, bus #18 the final bus. Again not a whole lot to say. We crossed the border no problem. We got into Tegus around noon, we got a taxi and were home by 1. We were ready to be home. Our clothes were not clean smelling anymore, and as much as I loved seeing the country side, I am fine with not getting on a bus tomorrow! All in all it was a wonderful trip and I am grateful I had the opportunity to go!

Well you won't be hearing from me for a couple weeks. Our school has been shut down due to H1N1. There are no confirmed cases at our school. But there are a lot of kids out with just the flu. There are quite a few schools in the area that have shut down. It isn't an overreaction. There are a lot of people that are sick. So...I am going on an Central American Adventure! The only plan we have is to end up at the Panama Canal! I'm leaving the computer behind...so check back in 2 weeks!

Oh one other thing...Today I had 2 boys serving lunch detentions. One of the boys actually had 2 lunch detentions, one with me and one with another teacher. You get in trouble if you don't show up to one but you can't be in two spots at once. He begged me to let him serve tomorrow. His line was 'Miss, what would God do if He were you. He would let me go so I don't get in trouble.' I laughed and told him God is a just God and he had to stay. I'm such a mean teacher. :)

My apologies for not posting for a while. I teach, I come home from school, I socialize with my roommates or other teachers, I stare at my computer, I go to bed. The end.
I'll fill in the holes. I am really enjoying teaching here. The kids are funny. They are VERY social beings and they like to test my limits. I have had to discipline more here than I did in New Mexico. I don't find this a bad thing, I am sure in a month the kids will have me figured out and realize what is excepted of them. Today I had my 8th graders do a group project. Each person in the group had a job and it was highly entertaining to watch them work. I am convinced that other teachers have not trusted them to work in groups. They were so excited to be able to work with other people it was awesome. They however did more socializing than working. I was not discouraged though. By the end of the year they will be able to positively work in a group, that is my goal! My 7th graders still worship me. I hope it stays that way! :)
Last Friday was open house, so I got to meet a lot of parents. It was fun. They all were very supportive and said they were at my service. It was very encouraging. The best was when they would come in introducing themselves in very broken English and I would tell them they could speak Spanish and this wave of relief would wash over their face. This will hopefully enable good relationship with parents so we can work together to help their kids understand math. Speaking of understanding math, my kids can't add 9 and 13. They have to use their fingers...I'll take any suggestions on what to do with these kiddos!
Today my roommate Stephanie and I rode a school bus down into the city. It was the most well behaved school bus I have ever been on. Each bus has a nanny. They are workers of the school that take care of the kids on the bus. They even carry backpacks off the bus for the kids. They make sure the kids get off on the right stop, make sure they are seat belted in, make sure they aren't being naughty. Every school should have nannies!
While downtown today Steph and I felt like we were in a parade. We have walked around el centro a few times but today especially EVERYONE was staring at us. The joys of being American. We just walked around, stopped at a few shops. For about $3 we got a chicken sandwich and a delicious coffee. Can't go wrong. It is nice to get off the mountain!
Next week the basketball season starts. I am coaching JV girls. Practice is only twice a week and supposedly they aren't very good at all! It will be an adventure.
In a week we have a long weekend for Independence Day. We're hoping to go a beach and relax. I'll let you all know how that works out.
We finally have a maid. She is amazing. Coming home to a clean apartment and supper on the stove is amazing. We truly appreciate her! She even lines up all of the shoes in the closet. :)
Things continue to go fantastic with my roommates! And I am truly enjoying being here!