My Adventures

Zacate

2011-02-05T06:26:00.000-08:00

Do I have your interest now? :) This is where I was last weekend. It was amazing. Tuesday of last week I got a message from a mom that said "we're going to the beach this weekend, we want to you to come, but we can't provide transportation." We found transportation enough for 14 of us teachers to go! This is the story. One of my students Isa, who I absolutely adore, her mom's family owns property on the Pacific. Isa's great-grandpa bought this land 50 years a go, and everyone thought he was crazy. The mom, Marcela, tells stories of going there as a young girl and her grandpa would make up stories of an octopus guarding a hidden treasure and they would even find jewels on the beach

:) it was their magical get-a-way! The grandpa loves animals so there are deer, macaws, peacocks, crocodiles, etc on the land. As his kids got older and their kids got older they started building more homes for lodging. Now there are 8 or so houses and then a big pool, kitchen, dining, hang out area. It is a peninsula with a boardwalk around it and from it you can watch beautiful sunsets!

We spent the day reading, walking the beach, playing with the kids and just loving life. The food was AMAZING! We probably gained about 10 lbs. And on Monday we all were depressed and wanted to be back. We are truly truly thankful for such a great weekend and parents and families that bless us and allow for such a relaxing weekend! Check facebook for more pictures!

So some of you who read my blog last year might remember that our school is well, not good at sports. Our varsity boys soccer team qualified for the playoffs! They beat our rival school in a penalty shoot out! Super exciting! Next month they will travel to San Pedro to play in the country wide tournament! We are proud!

It is weird to read about all the crazy blizzards going on in the States. It has been in the 80's here! We are loving it! The flowers are blooming, and I am proud so say our flowers are still looking great!

My college roommate Dena lives and works in Egypt. She is okay in Turkey, but pray for her and the situation there. I was talking to my students about it yesterday and with Honduras having the political unrest etc. and if I had to be evacuated to a different country I would have been a mess! I would be thinking about all of them and praying they were ok. I am sure Dena is constantly thinking about and praying for her friends in Egypt. Let's join her in praying!

December Showers bring January Flowers?!

2011-01-23T18:55:00.000-08:00

One of the many things I love about Honduras is 80 degree weather in January. Nice weather meant gardening for us this weekend. Friday after work, my roommate Twana and I walked to a local greenhouse and bought 8 plants and a bag of dirt. Like true gringas we walked back...got to love that everything is in walking distance! Not going to lie I am still a bit sore from carrying that dirt! For about an hour and a half we dug out the bulbs that had been planted in the planter. They were boring, we wanted fun. So here are the plants we pulled out...and Twana using our 'scissors' to attack some of the ridiculous root systems!

And our final product! The houses in the background are what our house looks like. There are 15 of them in our little community that is part of a bigger neighborhood. It is a wonderful safe neighborhood! And now we have flowers to enjoy!

Along with planting flowers a hilight of my week was talking to Steph who taught with me here last year. She is now living in the happiest place in America, Nebraska for those who missed that on ABC, and she is married and doing great. Experiencing life here creates a strong bond, which I am truly thankful for! Most of you just wouldn't know and care that Annelise is dating Fernando, so I am so very thankful for a friend that knows and understands Honduran life! :)

Tomorrow I have Bible Study...I do Bible Study with my roommates and we have the wonderful blessing of working with 7th grade girls. Most of our 7th grade girls have one thing on their mind...BOYS! I tell you folks, these girls are boy crazy! And though they are 12 or 13 they like to act like they are 20. When I was 12 I liked a boy and he liked me, and he would draw me pictures and I would pretend I didn't like him. Or my friends would be "going out" so that meant I had to pass the notes for them and their gifts and they didn't talk to each other! :) Not these kids...wow...they have their blackberries so they are in CONSTANT communication. And they are so 'pony' or cheesy or sappy or just wow...but they LOVE each other. They get all these quotes from movies and dedicate them to each other...it is rather entertaining. I just worry about these girls being addicted to the attention of boys, because some of them are developing that. If only God had a blackberry...Pray for us as we work with these beautiful girls that we do LOVE!

I'm Back

2011-01-16T18:56:00.000-08:00

I guess I haven't found the need to blog this school year because it has been well, normal. I go to school, I teach, I do something after school, I come home, I eat, I get some work done and I go to bed. Not too exciting if you ask me. But I guess since I am in a different country it is exciting. :)
If you need me to fill in the holes of June-December send me an email. Otherwise I am not going to fill you in and just go...
This weekend was fantastic. Friday night my roommate, Stacy, and I babysat. Living in the city has allowed for a lot more time with the families, which is a huge blessing. They aren't our families by any means, but it is nice to feel part of a family here. The family that we 'babysat' for has a 3rd grader, Jorge, and a 7th grader, Ana, and a 6 week old, David. There is a special story to this 6 week old. To make a really long story short, the Lezama's cook's sister abandonded her baby and the cook confided in Claudia (the mom) that she didn't know what to do and was going to bring him to an orphanage because she couldn't care for him. Claudia said no way you bring him here, and now they are working on trying to adopt him. The adoption process hit a road-block already so pray that things will work out. Also pray for his little heart. There is a hole in it and one of the valves might need surgery. It amazes me that they are so willing to just open their hearts to this little boy. He is very precious. I was just reading in James where is says take care of the widows and orphans...They are living The Word. I am so blessed to be around such loving people!
My roommate Stacy is also living out that verse. Over Christmas break a dad of a 3rd and 1st grader died suddenly of a brain anreusym. They are a Korean family and the mom doesn't speak English and only a little bit of Spanish. Stacy grew up speaking Korean and still speaks it with her mom and family. So she has been spending time with that family, trying to help them adjust and just support them in this time. Pray for this family. The dad was so sweet and such a good man. And pray for Stacy as tries to support them and care for them.
Back to the weekend...babysitting was just fun. I spend quite a bit of time with this family, so I feel at home in their beautiful home. We made cookies, sang really off key to ridiculous songs, watched a movie and just relaxed in our pj's. That relaxing in our pj's carried over to Saturday...I managed to spend the whole day in pj's. I didn't even do that over Christmas break! I got stuff done, like yard work, just in my pj's and when I was done working, I just put clean pj's on. It was amazing. I read a book, watched 3 episodes of Gilmore girls (my roommates and I are addicted)...We all needed a day like that. Then today I went to church with Claudia, Ana, and Stacy. I go to church almost every week with Claudia and Ana and the rest of the family. We go to a church that is smaller and up by the school. There are a lot of great families from the school there so the fellowship is a blessing. And it is just a fun time with my "Honduran family". Today was also a successful day in the kitchen...pita, hummus and snickerdoodles. A natural trio of course...they were all delicious!
My roommate Twana has a twin sister...her twin sister had a baby today. We got to see her when she was 45 minutes old, via skype and they live in China. Got to love technology.
This week is the end of the quarter. It will be a busy week and the kids will be stressed out and extra whiney :) Good thing I love them! Have I said that I LOVE my job?! I wake up at 5 every morning to get on the bus at 6 and probably only once or twice this year have I thought ugg I don't want to get up and go to school today...and then probably because it was gross weather.
See told you...my life isn't that exciting! But take it for what it is, I love my life!

Natural Disasters

2010-05-31T21:18:00.001-07:00

This year school has been cancelled for Swine Flu, Politics, World Cup qualification, and now Agatha. Agatha is a Tropical Stormed turned Tropical Depression and it slammed into El Salvador, Guatemala, Southern Mexico and Honduras. Guatemala has especially been hit. Click here for an article on CNN with a CRAZY picture from Guatemala.
What does Agatha mean to me? My experiences with Agatha have been the following. Friday afternoon 4 other teachers and myself went to the beach for the weekend. We slept outside on Friday night, with the protection of a canopy. As one of the teachers said, "We were like vegetables in the grocery store with the misters on all night." We didn't get soaked but everything was very damp! Saturday morning the sun did manage to peak out for a little while, but we decided we were done being misted vegetables so we went home that afternoon. Which was a very smart choice because Agatha came rolling in Saturday night. It just rained A LOT all day on Sunday. The past 10 days have been pretty wet so the rivers were already pretty high and then with the heavy rainfall on Sunday the rivers started to flood. Tegucigalpa is in a bowl. There are mountains on all sides which does not serve well for drainage of all this water. The rivers and streams that flow through the city have over taken roads and have washed away bridges. In Honduras 17 people have died, 11 bridges have washed away, 63 homes have been destroyed, around 3500 people have been evacuated and 3000 people around are in shelters. And there are countless roads, bridges, homes, schools, businesses that have been damaged.
The infrastructure of this country cannot handle natural disasters. One of the problems is sewage. Many of the sewage lines have been destroyed and well now it is just flowing with the water. Awesome huh?
God is watching out for us. The sun was out most of the day helping the waters to go down. However the waters are still raging. There are still many areas that are under water and the country is still under a National State of Emergency. The government has shut down all schools as many schools are being turned into shelters. We are thankful for the days of rest, but at the same time these days come at a cost for so many people. I think of the farmers whose fields are being destroyed. The markets that are under water, the business that have feet of water in the buildings. How long will it take for the people to recover?
Pray for the people. Pray that the sun will come out tomorrow too. Pray that the waters will go down. God will provide, he is so much greater and stronger than these raging waters.
Pray for Guatemala too. Thursday a volcano erupted. Just so happens to be the volcano that I climbed 2 months a go. The ash and debris from the eruption is clogging the drains making the flooding worse.

Mathlete

2010-05-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

This year is full of new experiences for me. Add Math Olympics to the list. Either my high school didn't participate in academic competitions, or I wasn't smart enough to be invited so I didn't know about them. :) I think I would have liked Math Olympics as a student. Each grade level has a team of 3 and together they have 2 hours to complete a test. It is a test of 20 questions and it is graded with a score of perfect score, superior, excellent, very good, or participation. 7th-9th grade out excellent scores, 10th-12th got superior. We are VERY proud of the kiddos. One of the math teachers has been here for 20 years and she can't remember the last time we did this well. Usually one of the classes gets a very good. Gold star for us!
A few details of the trip. One way it was 9.5 hours, in a school bus, in 90 degree weather, with 90% humidity, and we had to wear pants and a collared shirt. The day of the competition the teachers got there early to make the tests. What a chaotic mess. Lets just say, it took us 2 hours to make the test when they gave us an hour. But it all got done. I really enjoyed talking to the other teachers. All the schools that participated are bilingual and I was really impressed with their English. I expected broken English when really many spoke it without accents. 2 of the ladies that were in my group had studied industrial engineering, but now are math teachers. They said even though they were the top of their class, the men always get the jobs. They do enjoy teaching now and would never want an engineering job.
In other news...On Monday half of the 7th grade class was missing because they were at the funeral of a classmate's grandpa. I found it a bit odd that they would be going to the funeral of a grandpa so I asked them why they were going...The grandpa was a former president of Honduras. Oh the kids I teach.
Here is a great Honduran law for you...if a student fails my class for the year, he/she is given a chance to take a test to pass. This test is called a recoup. The test is made up of material of the quarters this student failed. So I get to make recoup tests for a handful of students, and each test will probably be different because they all have failed different quarters. Great huh? And then if they fail this test, they can take a test made up of material from the whole year. And then if they fail that test, they can take another test. And then if they fail that test, the teacher is asked to look over the tests to make sure they can fudge a point here or there. Just wrong...So I have that to look forward to.
Less than a month I'll be home!!!

2 months later...

2010-05-03T19:14:00.000-07:00

So sometimes I forget to write. My bad.
What is going on as of late???
I HAVE A NIECE!!! She is beautiful and I am super thankful for her. I CANNOT wait to hold her and love her and feel her little heart beating against mine. Her birth has made me extra homesick, but the countdown is in the 40's so I CAN DO IT!!!
Today I just had to laugh at this...Most kids put their assignment in their book to keep it safe, or a folder, or a binder, or they give it to me. One of my students folds it into 8ths and stores it in his wallet. So today when I was checking their assignment he pulls out his wallet and among about 6 other assignments, he pulls out his math assignment. Pretty smart, because your wallet is definitely one thing you make sure is safe!
When we left for Spring Break there was rumor that we were going to have to go into serious water rationing. Even before we left, the water was being rationed. Our big tank was filled every 3 days. If it ran out before, too bad so sad you will be smelly. We never ran out, but we did get low! Anyway, there was rumor that it was going to be moved to every 3 WEEKS that we would get water. Well God heard our prayers and we have been having CRAZY storms. The thunder will shake the walls, it is pretty awesome. And the rain, well the rain is great. However rain means more bugs which is not good for some. I am not suffering from the bugs, but others are getting eaten alive which is no fun.
I am currently reading the book 'Follow Me to Freedom' by Shane Claiborne and John Perkins. It is a book about being a Christian leader and what that means. It is challenging me to think about who I might be leading and where I am leading them to. And also where God might be calling me to be in a leadership role. Sometimes I wonder why God called me to Honduras. I believe it was to strip me of all the comforts and routine of life. I left a community of people who knew me and appreciated me. I left behind being able to fly home on a whim if my heart desired. I left behind my cell phone, my car, my amazing bed, everything...God is teaching me that He is all I need. I was stripped of every comfort that I had and was forced and still am forced to rely on Him; to KNOW Him. He has put people in my life to encourage me to find my everything in Him. "The Christian life is about surrounding ourselves with people who like like someone we want to become, people who may be a few steps ahead of us on the journey." Does this mean surround yourself only with people who are amazing Christians? No. It means your inner circle, your bff's, your homie g's need to be able challenge you and hold you accountable. So that in turn together we can reach out. A leader can't lead by his/herself. We need each other. I am truly thankful for my bbf's, my homie g's, my family. I feel like God is guiding me into something, some sort of leadership role somewhere somehow, we'll wait and see what that is!
We have 29 days of school left. I am trying my best not to be anxious for the summer. God is teaching me patience!

Tough Times 2

2010-03-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

A little update. Mariangel is recovering quite well in the hospital. She still does not know her mom is dead. They are waiting for her to gain more physical strength before she breaks emotionally. Teachers have been able to go visit and they give good reports. Mariangel remembers pretty much everything that happened. The nightmares that little girl will have. Continue to pray for her.
Claudia the girl that was stung by the scorpion is just fine. She was limping yesterday and back to normal today.
Swine Flu shut down grades PK-6. So the elementary teachers haven't had to teach the past 2 days. Us high school teachers on the other hand had the privilege of shaping and molding young minds for the past 2 days. It wasn't hard at all to be motivated when your friends are sleeping in and not having to teach. No sarcasm in that at all...Everyone will be back at school on Monday in hopes that the flu disappeared. If the whole school takes another day off we will be having Saturday school. So truth be told, teaching the past 2 days was just fine with me in light of not having Saturday school.
So if that wasn't enough to deal with this week, last night I get a call from my mom telling me my sister Jessica is in the hospital experiencing contractions. She is 31 weeks. Her contractions at one point were 2 minutes apart. Not good...They got the contractions to slow down but then she started to dilate. So she spent the night last night at the hospital and will again tonight. They are hoping to get her to 34-35 weeks. She will be on complete bed rest. It is killing me not to be home right now.
Thank you all for your loves and prayers!

Tough Times.

2010-03-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

"-then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search out, man cannot discover its meaning." Ecclesiates 8:10
I cannot comprend what is going on under the sun right now.
Ecclesiates 3
"There is a time for everything and as season for every activity under Heaven: a time to be born to die." Today one of our 4th grade girls named Mariangel got off the bus and was greeted by her mom. While they were walking they were approached by evil. Men tried to kidnap Mariangel and her mom refused to let her go and Mariangel was shot 4 times and her mom was killed. Why? Mariangel, if she survives, is an orphan. Why?
"...a time to kill and a time to heal" A time to kill?! Definitely not a time to kill. What do you pray for this little girl? If she survives she will have so much physical healing and even more emotional. But she is so young and has so much life to live!
"...a time to weep and a time to laugh" This weekend at the beach we laughed a lot. Laughter is a gift, and now we weep. We weep because of the evil that is so present. We weep because of what has been robbed of Mariangel.
"...a time to search and a time to give up" We search for comfort in this situation. We search for wisdom when talking to the students. We search for peace. We search for what right can come from this. We will not give up. We search for Him.
"...a time to be silent and a time to speak" Be still and know that He is God. Words cannot comfort, words cannot give this life back. I pray that those who are surrounding Mariangel will know when to speak and when to be silent.
"...a time to love and a time to hate" I hate satan. I hate the work that he is doing. I hate the pain that he brings. I hate evil. I love that we have a God that is so much bigger than this situation. And I love that He hears and knows our hurts and pains.
Hebrews 13:5-6 "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. So we say in confidence. 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"'
Our students have to live in the fear that this could happen to them. I pray that they can find peace and strength in Him. We never know when our time is up. This story is a true example of that. I pray that this will be used as a wake up call for some. Are you living with Christ?
My heart is heavy. I struggle with knowing what to pray in the situation. I am thankful I serve a God who hears the cries of my heart when all I can do is cry.
Pray for this situation. Pray for the family and friends of this little girl. Pray for the students and the teachers as they try to sort through their emotions. Pray that God's will be done.

Also pray for the school as swine flu is back. There are 5 confirmed cases in the school. We can't afford to miss more school!
Also pray for a girl named Claudia who got stung by a scorpion today. She went to the bathroom and while in the bathroom she got stung 3 times on her leg. Last I heard she was on her way to the hospital and her like was completely numb.
Much to pray about. Good thing we serve such a powerful God! Thank you for storming Heaven's gates with me.

Another Month...

2010-02-25T18:28:00.000-08:00

One of my roommates just wrote a blog of countdowns, she has inspired me.

1 sleep till THE BEACH!
3 weeks 5 days till JILL's due date!!!
4 weeks 1 day till SPRING BREAK!!! (El Salvador and Guatemala)
6 weeks 1 day till my birthday...26 might be hard.
2 months 1 week 1 day till JESSICA's due date!!!
3 months 3 weeks 1 day till HOME!!!
146 days till MICHIGAN!!!

The past month in Honduras I have experienced...
-Fumigation for mosquitoes.
-The start of water rationing. We get a certain amount of water every three days and hope we don't run out in that time!
-Lots of drama at school
-Meeting the coach of the Honduras soccer team.
-Going to the feeding center.
-The Dentist-ZERO cavities, probably helps that I have a lot of fillings already!
-Lots of love from my estudiantes.
-Lots of love from my new friends.
-Relampago- a soccer tournament hosted by our school. We got 4th out of 4 teams!
-GOD at work.

As most of you may have read or seen on the news there was a school shooting in Littleton, CO. One of the things that the principal and teacher spoke of was their love and sense of protection for their students. Their students are their kids, they would risk their life for them. I pray that if faced with the same circumstance that I would do the same. I really do love these kids, yes they frustrate me, but how can I not love them?! Makes me think about what am I doing in my daily life to show my love for my students and for those around me. I pray that God's love will flow through me and that He will continue to teach me to love!

Inauguration

2010-01-27T06:52:00.000-08:00

Well today is a day that could potentially be crazy. If it is, I will have no clue unless I watch the news. We are safely tucked away on top of this mountain. Today President Pepe is going to be sworn into office. You may remember that I met president Pepe. Which is the picture to the left. He seems like a nice enough guy, but politics here are corrupt. Sadly that is just the way it is. Many say that in the first 2 weeks of Pepe being president, this country will be bankrupt. Honduras is a poor nation to begin with, the 3rd poorest in the Western Hemisphere behind Haiti and Nicaragua. Speaking of Haiti, my heart is just breaking for Haiti. The images and the stories just tug on my heart. How many of you wish you could go help? I know I do! I know that some of you know people that are there helping and they are in my prayers!

Back to Honduras...So this isn't just a normal inauguration because the president handing down the power is President Micheletti who took over in June when Zelaya was overthrown. On a side note, Micheletti came to school for a visit 2 weeks a go. Here are a few pictures of that day.

He was amazing with the kids giving autographs, shaking hands. It was pretty awesome. The most touching moment is when he asked to speak with Guilianna, the daughter of the man who was in charge of the fight against drugs and was murdered. He was so sweet with her, stroking her hair while they spoke. It brought many to tears. It was a very special day for many of the kids. It wasn't special for all the kids as they are still on team Zelaya. People are very passionate about politics here. I guess you can kind of compare it to athletics passion in the states. You don't just switch sides, you are loyal. So kids refused to see Micheletti. even though he is the current president. I know I forget to think about Zelaya, and his family and what they are going through. Zelaya's cousin is a teacher at our school. She and Zelaya were raised together. He is like her brother and it has been hard on her to watch him go through this stuff. Seeing her struggle snaps me back to reality. He is a person, just like you and me. The reason today could get interesting is because Mel will be leaving the country to the Dominican Republic. He may never get to see people close to him again after today. How he is getting to the DR, I am not sure. But he has political asylum. Some of his loyal followers will rally and show their support as he leaves, and whether or not this will cause problems, we will discover today. So we will see what happens. I am writing this laying in bed enjoying the day off. Many of the streets will be blocked off so our buses cannot pass so we cannot have school. I know, if seems like we never have school.

So what else has been going on since I've been back? I am coaching soccer. Thankfully we are better at soccer than we are at basketball. No embarrassing beat downs! I got to chaperone a trip to an orphanage. It was a great afternoon. The sad thing about the system here is that once you are in certain orphanages you cannot be adopted. So the kids at this orphanage will be there till they are 18 and can live on their own. We were told that 3 kids a year are adopted internationally. I went to the feeding center last week. The kids were SO excited to see us as they now remember us. School is going great. My students make me laugh every day. Life is good.

There is a lot of hurting going on around the world. I have a friend in Jos, Nigeria and they are experiencing conflict between the Christians and Muslim. The hurt in Haiti that we can't wrap our minds around. The Ethiopian plane crash, the plane crash with 2 Hope College students. The tension in Kenya...But through it God is faithful. He will provide. There is a lot of joy in this world too. When I look at this picture, my heart fills with joy. I have much to be thankful for!

Oh Mr. Sun Sun Mr. Golden Sun..

2010-01-12T18:10:00.000-08:00

Where is the sun? So when people think of Honduras weather, you think of tropics, being close to the equator which means warmth. NOT SO FAST. The past few days we can see our breath in my classroom. I teach wearing mittens and grasping a hot cup of tea. It is in the 40's which doesn't sound so bad, BUT when you don't have any source of heat it can be miserable. There is no relief from this bitterness, till you crawl under your many covers. I am very thankful for my bed and my warm blankets. I am thankful for my apartment that keeps me out of the wind. However, it is cold!!!
So we've been back for a week and a half. It was hard to leave home. My time home was a blessing. I was able to go to Jessica's ultrasound. It was AMAZING. At the time, the baby was the size of a pop can. I never knew the intricate details one can see in an ultrasound, the 4 chambers of the heart, the hemisphere's of the brain...INCREDIBLE!!! It was the hi-lite of my break. Hanging out with Colby and getting his hugs and kisses and being told story after story was amazing. I love him. I love my family too. Lots of laughter and bonding time!
I've been back in Honduras for about a week and a half now. Not going to lie, it is good to be back. Leaving was HARD, but I KNOW this is where I am supposed to be. I know that God has many plans for me. This semester my goals are to love the students that I struggle to love, to love the kids of the feeding center, to love the students that already love me, to love my colleagues and to just LIVE FOR HIM!!
Please pray that Steph, Stacy and I will be able to live in the city next year. We are getting discouraged. We feel called to serve up here and down in the city and our heart's desire is to be down there. It is hard to find a safe affordable place in the city. Pray that God will provide that!

December=HOME!!!

2009-12-20T07:43:00.000-08:00

I'm home!!!
December recap...It was a busy month. It was also an oddly warm month.
I met the new president Pepe Lobo. Had a conversation with him and took a picture. Just another day in Honduras. Yesterday I sat across the aisle from Elvin Santos and he helped me get my bag out from the overhead compartment. Elvin was the runner up in the presidential race. Just another day...
I went to the ballet "Little Mermaid". Honestly the ballet was a joke, couldn't help but laugh. We got the tickets free from a family and then when the show was done they had their driver take us home. The husband in the family is someone important in the government, so they have a driver and a couple body guards. Rubbing elbows with the rich and famous is something I probably will never get used to.
I went to the feeding center a couple different times. I am going to try to go as much as I can from here on out. These kids just need love! They are soooo precious! Going there as much as I can is something I can get used to.
I checked out an apartment with Stacy and Stephanie as the three of us really desire to be in the city. We truly appreciate the community of the Pinares staff and love the people that work there, however I didn't move to Honduras to seclude myself in Gringoville, as I like to call it. So our students are helping us out in finding a safe affordable place to live. They are SUPER excited for us to live in the city. One class declared we are the coolest teachers ever for wanting to live in the city. Just goes to show that these kids want real teachers. Teachers who will live in community with them and have them over to hang out etc. They truly do see us through different eyes now. Pray that the board will grant us permission to live in the city and that the apartment that we looked at will work out, because it is an amazing apartment.
The students had their Christmas concert. It was so fun to see them all dressed up. I love watching my students perform, I feel like a proud parent! They did a great job in choir, band, and bells. They had a staff choir as well which I was able to sing in, I love singing in choirs!
Soccer season is underway. I am the JV assistant coach and the goalie coach for all the teams. We had a friendly game on Friday and tied 3-3. Soccer is a different story from basketball, no more 104-2 losses!
Our apartment looked festive with our Christmas tree. I loved sitting on the couches doing work to the glow of the Christmas tree.
I had many prayer requests that families will just get along during the Christmas season. Pray for these kids.
And now I am home and in a couple of hours I get to see Colby and I am PUMPED!!! I am so thankful to have such a great home and such a great family!
Merry Christmas Everyone!!! God's many blessings!

Article

2009-12-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

Here are 2 articles about the dad who was killed.
BBC CNN
The viewing and the funeral were today. In Honduras, the burial and funeral have to be the day after the death. This is just Honduran law. Adds even more stress for the family that is already in shock. Needless to say, the family needs prayers.

A Tough Day

2009-12-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

At our school there are students of many important political figures. One of the senior's dad is/was a general in the military and he was the director of the fight against drugs in Honduras. He was very successful in his fight. This morning he dropped off his daughter at school and at the bottom of the mountain he was killed in a drive by shooting. Guilianna, his only daughter, found out in her 2nd period class. I do not know her, but I know some of her close friends and all the seniors were pretty shaken by it. It is tough to see these kids struggling with such unjust act. They spent most of the afternoon in prayer and song, lifting their hurts to God. Tomorrow is the funeral. Pray for the Gonzales family as they struggle through the pain.

Pepe

2009-11-30T14:35:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Elections have come and gone. Christmas is coming! We had a half day on Wednesday and we will go back to school tomorrow. It has been a relaxing time off. Wednesday we had quite the meal provided by the school. After lunch I, along with Steph, Stacy, and Kirsten, went to Caroline's house, a teacher who lives in the city. Wednesday afternoon and Thursday we spend hanging out in the city. Our hope was to go lay out by a pool at a nice hotel, but the weather didn't cooperate. Instead we wondered around the city finding a great little cafe and then sat poolside in our jeans and t-shirts. We did some grocery shopping and got food to make a vegetarian Thanksgiving meal. Let me tell you folks, we should open a restaurant. We make a great team and we make great food. We prepared green bean casserole, stuffing, corn, garlic bread, mashed potatoes, punch, and then for dessert apple crisp and homemade chai tea. It was amazing. On a side note, we were trying to find the french fried onions...I tried to describe them to a couple employees at the grocery store, dried, crispy onions in a can...They looked at me like I had asked for human fingers in a can. No worries though we created our own.
Friday we went to a city named Valle de Angeles. It was our own version of Black Friday. We went Christmas shopping, but not for clothes and gizmos and gadgets. It was a fun day. That afternoon we went over to our 'mom and dad's' house and made cookies and watched college football. We had to get some football in this Thanksgiving weekend.
Saturday we went shopping, saw the movie 2012...
Yesterday was elections. We needed milk so 2 of my roommates and I decided to walk down to the new grocery store to get some. We forgot that one of the voting sites was in between here and the grocery store. We walked right past it and we were in no danger. There were people from both parties there and it was completely peaceful. There were quite a few people just standing around. It wasn't at all like people thought it might be. It was peaceful. It goes to show that people just want their lives back to normal. They want change and they want to be done with what went on. Whether or not the elections are actually legit and not full of corruption is another story. The man who was elected Pepe Lobo lost to Zelaya in the 2005 elections. Honestly he doesn't give this country much hope. From what I hear, he too has corrupt tendencies. Neither one of the 2 main candidates offered much hope, but we can pray that God will work through Pepe.
I will be home in 19 sleeps. I am really, really excited to go home!!!

104-2

2009-11-23T17:03:00.000-08:00

104-2. That my friends is the score of a basketball game. That my friends was the score of the basketball game of the team that I coach. My team was the 2. It was a humbling experience to say the least. I am coaching 9th and 10th grade girls. In the States by 9th and 10th grade, most girls have at least played at recess or in youth league. Honduras is not the States. I knew going into this that Pinares is not very competitive in basketball but I wasn't expecting 104-2. I must say I was very proud of my girls for at least scoring and keeping a great attitude. My girls have grown a lot. The next game after our 104-2 loss we came back and had the lead after the 1st quarter. The score was 3-1, but we won a quarter! I am trying to learn the tricks of the trade. I have always coached my girls that defense is played with your feet. Not here, defense is played by hugging your opponent, and hugging is not a foul. And you can jump across the line when you are shooting free throws, and you can take a step without it being travelling..Lots of fun rules. It has been a fun learning experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Elections...Pray, pray, pray. There is lots of talk that things are going to get ugly. They are this Sunday. The way elections work is that everyone has to go to where they were born to vote. So the roadways will be busy, that is if people are going to vote. Some of Zelaya's supporters are saying they aren't going to vote. If not enough people vote then the elections don't count, and then...I don't know. People are scared to vote because of bomb threats and fear of getting shot. Things have been so peaceful it is hard to believe that something is going to happen, but really how can something not happen? We were going to go on a little vacation but have decided against it for our own safety. Not going to the beach is very sad, but we value our lives, so we're staying put.
Last night 3 other teachers and I went to Micah Project for Sunday night worship. It was great to hang out with the boys. They show their love by trying to playfully beat us up. One minute they are resting their heads on our shoulders and the next they are trying to beat us up. There is just a lot of raw love. One thing is certain, they are growing into strong young men of Christ.
Well that's all for now folks.

Reflections

2009-11-09T18:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I heard a great sermon. I have been going to a church in the city center. I am not really sure what denomination it is, but I really enjoy worshipping there. The sermon was about the good Samaritan. Many of us have probably heard a sermon or two about the good Samaritan, but how many of us have taken time to allow this story to challenge us? Who are we in this story; the thief, the religious man/woman, or the Christian? Are we always wanting more for ourselves or doing things for our benefit, are we seeing and knowing but not doing, or are we looking for the needs of others and trying to meet those needs? I think a lot of times I fall into the seeing and knowing but not doing.
In my last post I mentioned that we had a sleep out to raise money and awareness for street kids. One of these projects is called The Micah Project. The Micah Project falls into seeing the need and striving to meet the needs. It was powerful because many of the project boys worshipped with us yesterday. These boys were the Jew who had been left for dead until their good Samaritan came along and bandaged their wounds and gave them a place to stay. Would I have walked right by these kids? How many street people do I walk by every single day? What am I doing to make sure I am loving my neighbor as myself?
At the sleep out a couple weeks ago I experienced a small slice of Heaven. How is sleeping outside on a soccer field Heaven? It is the interactions of the rich and the poor coming together playing soccer, frisbee, basketball...praying together and for each other. We weren't Pinares students, teachers, Micah Project boys, Transition Home girls, band members, rich, poor, we were/are all children of God laughing and playing together. We laid hands on each other and prayed for each other. Each one of us having different needs, and God hearing all of them. It was powerful.
I am left thinking about all of the kids who still need a home like Micah Project provides. UNICEF reports in 2007 there were 170,000 kids orphaned in Honduras. That is just in Honduras. These Micah Project boys left their families to live on the streets, many of them while living on the streets became addicted to sniffing yellow glue. These boys had nothing. These boys were and are loved. They were hungry and were fed, they were thirsty and given something to drink, they were naked and given clothes. Am I loving my neighbor as myself?
"'Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?' ...'The one who had mercy on him.' Jesus told him, "GO and DO likewise."' Luke 10:36-37

Oh Where Oh Where Did October Go?!

2009-11-01T12:15:00.001-08:00

Hard to believe it is November. That means I go home next month! So what in the world has been going on over here...

Well life is busy and about to get busier. No complaints though. We finally finished a quarter of school. It took a couple extra weeks but we got it in. We have been going to school everyday except October 15 for the celebration of Honduras making it to the World Cup. US citizens were pretty popular after the US soccer team scored a last second goal, tying Costa Rica putting Honduras above Costa Rica to make it to the World Cup. It was very nice to have a day off. No more days off hopefully till Thanksgiving!

Our first basketball game is next week. We have a lot to learn before then. It is going well though and the girls are great.

2 weekends ago we had a leadership retreat. There were a few students and Bible Study leaders that participated in the retreat. We prayed for each student by name. Were challenged to serve and be the leaders, and got little sleep!

Last weekend we had a sleep out. The sleep out was a fundraiser, awareness raiser for street kid ministries. The students found sponsors and for every hour they slept out on the soccer field they had someone sponsoring them. We had about 40 students that participated in the events. We had activities planned like making games and sculptures out of garbage, praying for kids that have been taking in by different ministries, playing games with the kids from the ministries, worshipping, sleeping on cardboard boxes on the field...It was a impacting experience for them. I too learned a lot from the experience. At one point during the night 2 boys from the Micah Project were sharing their testimonies of being rescued off the streets. When they were asked what they want to be when they grow up they both responded that they want to help the poor people just like how they were helped. How many of us want to have jobs that will make our lives more comfortable? These boys challenged me.

Last Saturday we went to the feeding center again. We went to a different one than the first time. The kids at this one were so affectionate and loved crawling up on our laps. I hope to be able to go on a regular basis.

Last night butternut squashes were carved. We couldn't find pumpkins but we had fun carving the squashes, making homemade chai tea, eating pumpkin bread and watching Charlie Brown Halloween.

Last week was spiritual emphasis week having chapels every day. Our prayer is that hearts were touched. The week before that was 24-7 prayer. Many of the kids really embraced that. It is good to see kids alive for Christ. Others are not so alive for Christ. There are many kids who do not feel the need for Jesus. There are many kids that have so many earthly belongings why would they need a God to provide for them? It is a battle we are fighting!

Tomorrow soccer starts. Monday and Saturdays I'll be coaching soccer. Tuesday and Fridays-Basketball. Wednesday-meetings. Thursdays-Bible Studies. All good stuff.

This past Thursday was Colby's birthday. He turned one. I got to be there for most of the party via Skype. I am so thankful for Skype. Colby is getting WAY to big WAY too fast. I can't wait to go home and chase after him! And the best news that was shared this month is that come this spring I will have another little nephew or niece to love to pieces. Life is good. God is good!

The Busyness Has Begun

2009-10-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

This weekend my roommate Steph came up with the idea of making a movie "A Day in the Life of a Gringa". Being a gringa here can be rather entertaining. Everywhere, yes everywhere, we go we are noticed and called at and talked to. 'Where are you from?' 'I love you.' You are beautiful.' Saturday, Steph and I were on a rapidito, a little bus, and before we even left the city a man asked Steph where she was from. Her response was the United States. His response 'California or Carolina?' The conversation went on...Parting words from the man to Steph...'I love you sir. Jesus love you.' We laugh... Same rapidito ride another man gets on and introduces himself as Mel Zelaya. He was very drunk...Anyway, again he asks us lots of questions and tells us about 20 times that we are beautiful and to be careful. He also told us we would be waiting a long time for our princes to come because there are a lot of bad men. You might thing all this attention would be flattering...it isn't...it is entertaining though! One of these days maybe we will make a movie...
Yesterday was the Honduras vs. USA soccer game for qualifiers for World Cup '10. The US is at the top of this region of the world. Honduras isn't too far behind. You all should check it out. Anyway, US smoked Honduras when they played in Chicago, but Honduras hasn't lost at this stadium in 2 years. It was a great game. USA won 3-2. If you didn't watch it, you missed a great game with many near goals by Honduras.
This past week was busy. Basketball on Tuesday and Friday was rather entertaining. These girls did not grow up playing basketball. A few of them couldn't even hit the backboard doing layups. But we will improve and we will have fun! Wednesday was meetings and a planning session for an upcoming Sleep Out. The Sleep Out is a fundraiser where the students and staff members, like me, will be sleeping out on the soccer field. The students get people to support them for every hour they sleep out on the field. The money goes to organizations that work with street kids. It will hopefully be an impacting time. Thursday was Bible Study. We only had 4 11th grade girls but they are great girls. Friday after basketball was Living Out Loud, LOL. LOL is a youth group type thing for a students. The students who go seem to like it!
So that was my week. Not too exciting. There was a lot of laughing with my students. A lot of saying prayers for patience. I am ready for another week!
Keep praying for this country. Our rights have not been given back to us. The meetings with the OAS did not get too far. Neither side is willing to compromise. So we will see what happens. Something will happen before elections which is November 29. Things are peaceful which we are grateful for!

Kids...

2009-10-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

Today I was teaching one of my Pre-Algebra classes and we hear a branch crack and fall to the ground. We look out the window and there is Jose, our awesome maintenance man, in the tree with his machete "trimming" the tree. He whacked that tree apart. One Honduran boy raises his hand and says "Miss, this wouldn't happen in the States. They would just use a chainsaw." This is the same boy who before the test raises his hand and says "Miss, I can't study anymore because if I study more my brain will get all wrinkly, and then it will shrivel and then I won't be smart. I saw it on Discovery Channel." Have I mentioned that these kids are pretty funny?
Progress reports go out on Friday. Every 7th grader gets one. My grades are all updated, so it shouldn't be too much work right? I wish...we are in the stone ages here folks. We get to hand write them, and not only do we get to hand write them we get to use carbon paper so the office can have a copy too. I have all week to do them, it won't be that bad...It really just makes me smile!
Life is getting back to normal here. Supposedly our rights will be given back to us tomorrow. The city is pretty peaceful. Last week we went down into the city and got pedicures. The following day we went to the mall and movie theater. So all in all, life goes on.
Basketball FINALLY gets to start tomorrow! I am pretty excited about that. Rumor has it that the girls here are not good, at all. It will be a fun challenge. Bible Study will also start for real this week. Last Thursday we had an initial meeting during a lunch period. This Thursday we will actually go to the other leader's house after school. I am really excited to connect with all these girls! Pray that we can continue with all these after school activities!

Life Goes On

2009-09-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-28T15:43:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-09-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-09-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

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. :)

2009-09-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

So I've had a great couple days. I actually feel like I experienced Honduras yesterday. Friday was my second half day of teaching. It was a great day. I love teaching. I had my 8th graders and they are hilarious. They had problems adjusting last year with being a chatty class and just behavioral problems. The school worked with them a lot last year so we'll see how this year goes. I am not a teacher who needs the classroom constantly quiet so hopefully we'll get a long just fine. It is night and day difference with my 7th graders. They don't say a word! I am sure that will change. We'll see how Monday goes when I actually have to teach a math lesson.
We still don't have a maid but last Wednesday and Friday we've had subs. Maids will often cook for you if you asked, so we asked and came home from school to arroz con pollo (rice and chicken). It was so nice after being in meetings all afternoon. So after another sweet walk we chowed down, watched The Office and went to bed.
Saturday morning up at 6 AM. No sleeping in here! Every other Saturday a school bus will take us to the market. I love doing stuff like that. The market is every Friday and Saturday when people from the country bring in their fruits and vegetables to sell. So we stocked up on fruits and veggies. I also bought a bed side table and hangers. You can find just about anything there. We ate some food while we were there too, baleadas. I love feeling like I am actually in Honduras instead of being in the complex.
That afternoon we met up with a returning teacher, Caroline. She is involved in working with feeding centers. She also has a car which we are thankful for! So we drove to a gas station and waited for a pastor to pick us up. On the way to the gas station some police that were standing around decided to flag us down because 5 white girls driving around looks a little odd. But it all was fine. The pastor came and we piled into the back up his truck to pretty much drive straight up a decently steep river bed road. It was a fun bumpy ride! :) We got up to the feeding center and there were about 100 kids there. Every day during the week there is a crew that goes to the feeding center to feed sponsored kids and then on Saturdays any kid can go, I think that is how it is at least. Anyway, some of the leaders lead prayer and song and then we lead little lessons. Caroline led a lesson and I added my 2 cents too all impromptu which was a fun challenge. After the lesson the kids lined up with their cups and waited for their rice. We also handed out little bananas and we ran out of everything with at least 20 kids to go. Sad. We had some time to interact with the kids talking to them and loving on them before we headed back down.
When we got back we had to wait for another teacher so that we could follow her. We ended up sitting in a gas station parking lot for about 20 minutes as there was a demonstration supporting Zelaya (the former president). It was peaceful. There were maybe 100 cars with flags taking up the whole road honking and yelling. No violence though. They did however block the road we wanted to take so we ended up having to go another way. But it all worked out.
Today I went to church with one of the Honduran teachers. It is a bit outside of the city. The people were very friendly and it was fun to get out of the city. What was church like. A bit charismatic and the preacher was a yeller. A good 2 hours long, but it was nice! Afterwards we went out for lunch and now it is time for a Sunday afternoon nap!

2009-08-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

So 1st day of teaching in Honduras under my belt...Well I would hardly call it a day of teaching...It was a half day and I taught 2 classes. The first class was helping 7th graders open their lockers and the 2nd class was trying to get them to say 2 words. 7th graders are scared. It is fun and refreshing to be a new teacher and have students scared of you. Maybe it is because I stand head and shoulders taller than them. They are so little! I have my 8th graders tomorrow...that should be interesting. I hear they are a little more challenging. I have my inflatable bat to knock them into place. No really I do...
I wasn't nervous this morning. I guess I am at peace for where I am at. It is a blessing. I am just thankful I am here! I decided to not teach the mindless method. I was told I didn't have to so I am not. I decided that yesterday after talking to my peer coach. She is an amazing teacher and challenged me to do whatever I felt comfortable doing. In my opinion teaching should be a conversation with your students and filling in the blanks is definitely not a conversation. Math to most isn't fun so I want to attempt to make it a little fun. We'll see how it goes!
So what are my kids like? I will be teaching 7-8 white kids out of 140 kids. So they are Honduran kids. They have to wear uniforms. I am glad I don't have to wear the uniform. They are forest green pants with white and green checkered shirts. They can wear whatever shoes they want though. The kids have to speak English in my class. You can definitely tell that English is their 2nd language. Some of their sentence structure is weak and phrasing different things. Like typically I would ask you 'Where are you from?' They on the other hand asked 'Where did you come from?' It will be interesting to teach math in their 2nd language. Math is hard enough in a 1st language! So the kids are just kids. They love to socialize, just not when the scary tall teacher is around!
One of the benefits of living on this mountain is the gorgeous walks you can go on. Granted you can't go by yourself but the different areas that you can walk around are endless, and it is a great work out. We don't live at the top of this mountain so there are lots of hills to climb.
Oh so you all are going to love this. My roommate and I are the chess club advisers! No one else signed up to do it so we said, hey why not! And I am a Math Olympics Advisor and probably a basketball coach. And I am going to lead a 11th grade Bible Study. Maybe I am getting a little too involved but hey, why not?! If I get burnt out I'll back off.
It is 9 o'clock and I'm going to bed. It gets light at 5:30 and dark at 6. And I have to be at school at 6:55!
Some of you should comment on this blog so I know people are actually reading it...It is nice to have a little reinforcement!

2009-08-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

2 great things happened in the past couple of days.
1st great thing...I was able to attend church in El Centro. These days El Centro can be a bit dangerous with protests but Sunday was a peaceful day, only fitting, so we got to go worship there. A couple veteran teachers worship there and they invited us to check it out so we did! It is great to have returning teachers around that can help us find ways to connect and get off the mountain. The service was a bit different than a typical service at this church as a lot of teachers from the international school were there checking it out and so everything was translated as we went. It was still a great service just a lot of gringos. I like worshipping God in Spanish. There is just something about singing in Spanish that just speaks to my heart. You all should try it sometime. After church we took a bit of a walking tour of el centro looking for a place to eat lunch. There was evidence of protests in a few broken windows. But have no fear there was nothing that even resembled a protest when we were there. So that was my first great thing...
2nd great thing...I got to hang out with some students tonight. Some seniors came in to make posters for the hallways and just to hang out. They are pretty cool kids. It was just fun to be able to learn about them a little bit and hang out. It is hard to sit through all these meetings and not be interacting with kids. Now I am motivated again. :)
I keep forgetting that I am going to be teaching 7th and 8th grade. I am used to teaching older kids. It will be an adjustment from me to say the least. Pray that it will go well!
I found out today that my job is designed is rather mind numbing. The way this class has been taught in previous years is that each student receives a notetaking guide. This is a workbook that has fill in the blank notes in it...So my job is to display a transparency and fill in the blanks for them. A monkey could teach this class. I might rock the boat a little bit and at least have a little fun! Not really sure what the school's thinking is as to why the class is set up like this.
2 more days and then I get to actually have kids in the desks!

2009-08-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

First off correction...I speak English in the classroom and at home... :) oops!
Here are a few culture things...
We ate at a mall food court. I got what looked like sweet and sour chicken...The chicken had bones and not a whole lot of meat...I stuck to the rice.
Today at PriceMart which is our Costco or Sam's Club they had samples; every other sample was an alcoholic beverage. I did not sample, I am not allowed to.
We and when I say we it usually means my roommates and I. :) Anyway we were talking to the music teacher, Mr. Kolmodin for all you Unity Christian West MI people, and he was telling us that he asked his 8th grade girls choir to come sing at a church. Everyone said they would come; 2 out of 16 showed up. When you ask someone to come you don't have to show up whether it be to dinner or to sing at a church.
Random Honduran Laws having to do with schools. You may not take away points from a student you must give them a certain amount of points. So instead of saying I will start you at 2 points a day and if you show up late you lose one and if you get a warning you lose one; instead I must say you get a point for showing up on time with your stuff and you get a point for not getting a warning! Random... Another law is that you may not have food or drink, with the exception of water, in the classroom. Last year there was a situation that student A had tea and student B asked for a drink and student A decided to throw the drink at her spilling it all over her so student B decided to start beating on student A. Who is at fault? The teacher for allowing the drink in the classroom. Lawyers were involved etc...the joys of working at a rich school.
Other random facts...one of the families of the school owns 45 miles of land on the Pacific ocean...45 miles of beach!!!
On the way up the mountain we live on there are mansions and there are shacks. In a few of the shack communities there is no running water. They city's solution? Have an exposed pipe that is continually flowing...So along the side of the road there is this 'spring' that people bring their buckets to in order to have water in their home. They will wash their clothes there...All the while the rich are driving buy to go to their mansions...We live in a mixed up world!
Last random thing...fireworks/fire crackers and lit off at all hours. 4:59 this morning sounded like gun shots...got to love that on a Saturday morning!
I posted pictures on facebook...check it out..

2009-08-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

The story of my life the past few days…meetings, meetings, and more meetings. A few highlights without the boring details. The history of Academia Los Pinares (ALP): The school started off as a missionary kid’s school. There was a population of Mennonite missionaries so they created a school for their kids. After a while other missionaries from different denominations asked if they joined in and so if they added kids they had to add a teacher so it became a multidenominational school however with the Mennonites in charge. After a while locals started to ask if they could join too, so they locals joined…The Mennonites then decided they didn’t want to be in charge of the school so they created a board with the Baptists, Christian Reformed, Brethren, and one other. And now the school will be starting its 45 year. The school started to let pretty much anyone come making a very secular student body and they are in the process of trying to get more Christian families in the school to balance it out. This they are also starting a scholarship program otherwise it is mostly upper class kids.
So that is the brief summary of the school…I won’t bore you more with all rules we learned etc…
My classroom…Its 3 years old…it’s really nice! It has lots of white walls…My largest classes are 24 students.
Adventures…My roommates and I walked further up the mountain and I made them venture with me through a fence to find a lookout of the city. We found one…it was awesome.
There are little pulperias which are corner stores…you can get snacks for cheap and meet people. Did that a couples times.
Met the returning teachers and a couple of them are going to help us get connected to organizations in the community which is a huge blessing. Honestly being here you could totally stay on this hill and never really experience Honduras. You speak Spanish in the classroom, at home...you aren’t forced to learn Spanish or get involved. NO THANK YOU! So we are going to hopefully help out with street ministries handing out shoes and clothes and food etc…

Anyone been reading about the political situation? You guys probably know more than I. We don’t have internet in our apartment so it is very hard to stay connected. And since we are up on the hill we have no clue what is going on in the city. Tuesday there were demonstrations and a Popeye’s restaurant was destroyed and a bus was burned. So it is real and it is happening but I am perfectly safe. There was a demonstration by the mayor’s house that we could hear and see a bit of the march from the balcony of our apartment. Again I am behind a locked gate so we are safe. Could make for an interesting school year if our busses can’t get through the city. We’ll just have to wait and see! Pray!

2009-08-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

Honduras 1st impression…It is GREEN!
2nd impression…The roads are NOT user friendly. Reminds me of Santa Fe with the donkey trails.
3rd impression…it rocks my socks.
Things are going marvelously. My flights were as smooth as could be. 2 of my roommates and I found each other in Houston. Immigration was no problem. My bags came and weren’t searched. I was greeted by my principal right outside of customs. The bus driver helped me with my 99 lbs of luggage. It truly was marvelous. The school is located towards the top of a hill. The drive to the school from the airport is up a windy road that overlooks the city as you go up. It is an impressive sight. The city is located in the mountains/green foothills; so it just weaves its way through these hills creating this vast city of Tegucigalpa. Along the drive you will see homes of ambassadors that are mansions and homes that consist of one room. The higher you get on the hill the nicer the houses. It is a drawback to be on the hill because you easily can just live in this North American compound, but my goal is to not let that happen.
The school is a gated campus with a wall and barbwire fencing on the top of the walls. We are definitely safe. There are 4 apartment buildings that each house 8 people; 4 bedroom or 2 bedroom apartments. I am living in a 4 bedroom apartment. It is a very large apartment. You walk into an open area that is the dining area the living area and the kitchen; all open to each other and all spacious. Off each side of this open area are the bedrooms and bathrooms; 2 bedrooms and a bathroom off each side. The bedrooms are HUGE. They provide a dresser, desk and bed and the closets are about 7 feet long and 5 feet wide. It looks naked with my 2 suitcases worth of stuff! I feel spoiled to have such accommodations. And yes we do get hot showers.
Along with having such accommodations is the expectation of having a maid. So 3-4 times a week a maid will come in and clean for us, do our laundry, and cook. We are spoiled/blessed! It will be an interesting experience!
My roommates. Christa, Stephanie and Sarah. The school did a wonderful job of matching us up. I feel blessed. They are all kind, caring spirits with a passion to get out into the community and experience as much as possible. I can’t see any drama happening with us which I am so thankful for! Christa and Sarah are both teaching 2nd grade and Steph is the jr. high art teacher. They are already good friends.
The school. Very spread out. The high school is made up of 3 buildings. Plus the gym and auditorium. Elementary is also made up of 3 buildings plus random other areas. That will be an adjustment from the closeness of Rehoboth and the teachers eating lunch together and whatnot. My classroom is large and has a white boards and lots of white walls and nothing to decorate them! There are 350 students 7-12 and around 500 K-6. 7th and 8th are considered high school here. The school is 44 years old this year I think I remember hearing.
What have we been doing? Nothing…Saturday was fly in get yourself settled day…Sunday was go to church (Spanish speaking non-denominational church. Pretty much your average church but in Spanish) take Sunday afternoon naps, get a tour of the campus, eat dinner, play catch phrase, figure out shopping lists.
What am I thinking? This is going to be fun and an experience. I feel that my roommates will be great support on those tough days and even the good ones. I am thankful that there are people that don’t want to stay in their comfort zones and want to branch out. I am just thankful to be here!
Wrote that on Sunday...today is Monday night...
Today was lots of fun things like learning what foods to buy and how to wash our fruits and veggies so we don't get sick. Then we learned what our maids are to do for us and how much to pay....Then we filled out insurance forms etc...then we went shopping...I don't like shopping...We first went to a plastic store to buy buckets and tubs and laundry baskets etc...Then we went to a mall that has a Wal-Mart type store to buy groceries and other little stuff for the apartment. We accomplished a lot, buying a lot for not a lot of money and now we can eat all by ourselves.
Tomorrow is more meetings and working in the classroom! So next blog I can tell you all about my classroom...that will be so exciting! ;)

Paris etc...

2008-07-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

Alright…an update…
I went to Paris.
It was amazing.
I took a lot of pictures.
I went to a concert in the gardens of the Royal Palace last night.
It was amazing.
We weren’t allowed to take pictures.
School is done tomorrow.
I have to study.
I leave on the cruise in 4 sleeps.
The end.

Details:
Paris. When I say we I am referring to Stephanie, Kallie, and I. Stephanie and Kallie are 2 girls who are in the same program as me. Well it was a whirlwind few days. We landed in Paris on Thursday evening around 7. After asking we figured out where the metro was and bought passes for the days we were there and began the adventure. The metro was fun! We were serenaded by a violinist at one point. Well after about 20 min. on the metro we made it to our stop. Then we had no clue where to go. All I knew was it was by this train station and what road it was on. Somehow by the grace of God we stumbled upon the hotel. The people there were really friendly which was nice and contrary to what many people had told me!
That night we went to a place that overlooks the city. It was a beautiful view of Paris that is a huge city with no skyscrapers. We didn’t stay too long, because even though it is a popular tourist spot it is also a popular place for the locals to come and drink and smoke weed. So we took our pictures and left!
Friday morning we started out hopping on the metro and going to the Arc of Triumph. It was pretty cool to see and when Tour de France finishes there I can now say I have been there! Again we snapped our pictures and hopped back on the metro to the Eiffel Tower. I have always dreamed of seeing the big hunk of medal! It was pretty sweet to have that dream come true. It was a beautiful day and we climbed the 700 some odd stairs to the 2nd story. The sites again were phenomenal. It was also nice that they had posters to tell us what we were looking at! Well again we took our pictures and kept moving on. We hopped back on the metro and got off on one of the main shopping roads in Paris. We stopped in a few stores only to have our jaws drop at the prices! It was outrageous how much things cost. Though then again I really don’t go in such stores in the states though I do know they exist. 550 euros around $900 for sunglasses…$4000 for purses…$1500 for perfume! I had a great time looking at all the stuff! We got side tracked and ended up going to a couple museums, palaces, and cathedrals. It seems that on every street corner there is something amazing to see! Eventually we got back on track and kept walking to the Louvre.
After 6 pm everyone under 26 gets in the Louvre free so we walked around the fountains and listen to an opera singer practice in the courtyard and finally went in at 6. The Louvre is HUGE! We walked around for like 3 hours and did not do it justice! We did see the Mona Lisa and other notable pieces of art. Someday I will have to go back and soak it in a little more!
By 9 we were exhausted. So we hopped back on the metro and headed back to the hotel first grabbing a bite to eat and about fell off our chairs when looking at the price of a can of pop. $7!!! Ridiculous! It was like that everywhere we discovered!
Saturday morning we woke up to rain. Good thing I grew up in WA and rain don’t bother me! We first ventured out to find Moulin Rouge and to go souvenir shopping. Well I have never been in a red light district. I was very cultured! It was sex store, after porn store, after awfulness…it was very eye opening and sad! We find Moulin Rouge and took pictures and then got out of there! We all bought our souvenirs and headed back to the hotel. Kallie and I decided to not eat jelly sandwiches like we had Friday, we were trying to save pennies, and find a restaurant. We wondering in the rain suffering from indecision and finally decided on this whole in the wall Mediterranean place. After pointing to what we wanted on the menu we got our food. It was yummy and the pop was only $2!!!
In the afternoon we hopped back on the Metro and walked around the Opera house. We wanted to go in but the auditorium was closed, which would have been amazing to see. Guess I will just have to go back! We stumbled upon this amazing cathedral that had Coliseum type pillars and there was a wedding just finishing so we got to see the bride and groom and the decorated church. After dreaming about getting married in France, we continued on…
We headed towards Notre Dame. We stopped at a few places along the way before finally getting there. The stained glass windows are amazing! The whole architecture of the place was incredible! We attended mass which was a neat experience, though we did not understand a word!
We then found a restaurant and I had a ham and cheese crepe. Crepes are the French food and I rather liked the 3 that I had! Nutella and crepes are a great combination! Well I had to use the restroom so I went to go find it in the restaurant. Well I found one and it had urinals, so I figured that wasn’t the one for me! So I was walking around looking for one and one of the restaurant employees informed me that yes indeed that was the bathroom and that I were to use it. So I obliged and used it. Not too sure about this unisex bathroom thing when the urinals are not in stalls or something…enough said.
After eating we continued walking around and waiting for it to get dark because we wanted to take pictures of the Eiffel Tower, the Arch, Moulin Rouge etc. in the dark. So we took the metro as far as we could and ended up in modern Paris where there are skyscrapers and this big arch of offices. I counted it to be about 30 stories high. There were also other random art things, and we enjoyed walking around and seeing Paris from on top of the hill. Well it finally got dark so we went and took our pictures, ate another crepe and headed back to the hotel.
Sunday morning we woke up, hopped on the metro, hopped on the plane, hopped on the bus, and walked ‘home’. All in all it was a great whirl wind trip!
Sunday afternoon a few of us walked around the beautiful park in the center of Seville. There are fountains and ponds and bridges and beautifulness!
Monday was school and shopping. There are big sales going on so I bought a few things. I have to pack today and tomorrow…it will be interesting! Monday night I went to a bbq at a bar with a few girls. By a bbq I mean grilling things on a George Foreman inside of the bar. I found it rather comical. But it was fun to hang out with some of the locals and experience a Spanish bbq!
Tuesday again was school and then a 2 hour nap! And then about 10 of us decided to get dressed up and eat dinner alongside the river. It was beautiful! And then we got to experience a concert in the gardens of the royal palace. The music was a violinist, cellist, and a tamborist. They were very good and the fact that we were sitting under the stars in the gardens was amazing! We rather enjoyed it.
Today was school, nap, studying, drinking a chocolate shake while studying, Encuentro (praise and worship) and now writing this because I don’t feel like studying!
Friday I have a 12 train ride to Barcelona and I will be meeting up with Donna on Saturday and will be leaving on the cruise Sunday!!!!
It will be sad to leave here. The family I am living with is great. The girls I have come to know are amazing, and this city is wonderful. Though I won’t miss dodging the dog poop on the way to school everyday!
This is long enough!

2008-07-01T13:34:00.001-07:00

As some of you may know Spain won the EuroCup! And I was hear to experience it! I was able be with a crowd of Spaniards to yell and scream to the TV. The celebration out on the street was CRAZY! I think the whole city emptied out into the plazas. There wasn't a horn that wasn't being honked or a voice not being heard. I wonder how many people were late to work the next day!!!
This past weekend we went to Granada to see La Alhambra. It is Arabic palaces, a castle, cathedral, gardens dating back to the 9th century. It was the home of the king and was were political stuff happened. It was very beautiful and just awesome. The buildings were phenomonel with all the intricate details in the designs on the walls and the patios and gardens were amazing. It is not really anything I can explain and would be rather boring. So I will spare you! Google it if you want to see and learn more! :)
Also in Granada we went shopping and walked around the old city. We experiences tapas, apetizers. It is just a beautiful city at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas. It was a fun city to hang out in.
Monday we went to an assisted living home and visited with the old folks. They told me I don't talk right...I haven't developed the Castillian accent of no 's' and using the the sound correctly. It was fun to talk to them though. Also that evening we went to a flameno dance. It is a traditional Spanish dance and was very interesting to see.
Today we went to the royal house palace whatever here in Sevilla. It is still used whenever royalty rolls in...It was very impressive. Tomorrow we are going to an art museum and Thursday to another place to look at art.
Today 3 friends and I rented a paddle boat and paddled down the river. That was fun and relaxing! We enjoyed being on the water and then walking around trying to find an open churro stand, and never found it! It was disappointing!
Well Thursday I go to Paris!!! I am very excited. And then next Thursday the program is done! :( But the adventures won't stop! I've got a cruise to go on!!!

2008-07-01T00:06:00.000-07:00

In Granada!!!

This is in the Mosque that we visited last week in Cordoba.

This is a beach that we took the train to last week...

This is the Gold Tower which I walk by every day on my way to school.

A much needed update!

2008-06-26T00:15:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a busy past few days. Saturday we went to a beach that was about an hour away by bus. There were 10 of us that went, and it was beautiful! The beach was called Matalascanas. Spanish lesson-mata means kill las the and canas is sugarcane. So before the beach was taken over for public access it was all sugarcane. We were there for about 7 hours enjoying the hot sun and the cool water. Interesting things we saw were that no one has trucks so they have their boats stored in store houses and have John Deeres that pull them down so there were tractors on the beach. We saw a man being pulled out of the water and first aid people performing CPR. That was scary, but the man coughed so he was at least alive! Here the news they show everything and are in your face, so they were in the face of the guys that was not breathing…One other interesting observation was the European openness of nudity. All in all it was a fun-low key day. The only annoying part was the bus driver told us the first bus back was at 4…it was at 6.
Sunday we got some much needed sleep! We went to the cathedral here in Sevilla which is the 3rd largest in Europe. It is rather impressive. We walked to the top of the bell tower and got a bird's eye view of the city. There is a lot more history and whatnot, but I won't bore you! We also walked around different neighborhoods and went to a museum that told the history of exploration including the exploration of the Americas. It is interesting to be on this side of the ocean and see it from a different perspective! That pretty much sums up Sunday. We wanted to go to a bull fight but they are on break so I don't know if it will work out to go to one which makes me sad. I want to see a bull die a painful death. Well not really but I want to be cultured!
What I am neglecting to tell you all is how badly my feet hurt during the weekend. I think my shins were going to explode and my feet were going to fall off. We walk about 2-3 hours a day on average in about 100 degree weather. Lovely eh? I think my feet are used to it now, because I miraculously have no pain!
Monday was class and it was a Monday! After class we, and when I say we it is because I am never alone but it varies in who the we is! Well we took a different route home and went shoe shopping. I bought some shoes on Friday actually. You all will love them and laugh because they so aren't me, but I like them and I am embracing the Spanish in me, and they will be me whether you like it or not! Anyway, we went shoe and window shopping. I just love all the little shops, and all the fun townhouse like places…The streets and buildings have so much character! Well we didn't shop long because all the shops close at 2:30 for siesta time. I think we should embrace this idea. Then again it isn't light till like 11 everyday either…Well Monday evening we went back to school and painted fans. It was a fund raiser and a cultural experience because on every street corner you can buy a fan. After painting we went to McDonalds. Gross I know! We however had to try the highly recommended coffee with ice cream. It's like a root beer float only with ice cream! It was tasty!
Then it was home for dinner. We eat at like 10 every night, but lunch isn't till 3 so it all works out. We eat a lot of food! I have not had beef since arriving here!
Tuesday we had class then 4 of us took a train to a city called Cadiz which is another beach! It too was beautiful! We met up with a group of students from Texas and lets just say they know how to have a good time. It was rather eye opening! Cadiz was impressive. It must have been an old fortress because there were big fortress walls with cannons still in them. But we did not have a lot of time to walk around and see the actually city. We were tired when we got back but it was definitely worth the 2 hour train ride!
Yesterday we went to Cordoba which show a strong influence of the Muslims. We first went and saw ruins of an ancient city and then we went to the Mosque that was turned into a cathedral now it is a combination of the too. The first part of it was built in the 8 century and it is just an impressive building! I need to get pictures up. We are studying the art and the influence that Christians and Muslims have so it was interesting to see the combination! We ate lunch in the patio of the Mosque and walked around the cute little shops of Cordoba and were very ready to get on the air conditioned bus!
That pretty much brings me to now. This weekend we are headed to Granada to Alhambra. And then next weekend Paris. I had to choose between a bull fight and Paris. I really do want to experience a bull fight because it is such a Spaniard thing, but Paris I just could not pass up! So I am pretty much excited beyond belief for that!
Stay tuned!

¡España!

2008-06-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

Well folks...I am here safe and sound. I arrived Wednesday at 3 pm this time. I am happy to say that my bag also arrived with me! My flights went well. They were long but I slept most of them. I am living with a family and then also my roommate Blanca. It will be amazing if I get a word in the way that Blanca and my mama talk! My family is very nice. Living in the apartment is the mom and dad and a 23 year old daughter. It is a 3 bedroom apartment...
After arriving yesterday I took a quick nap and then Blanca and I walked around for a couple hours. It is amazing how long the sun stays up here! It was 9 pm and it felt like it was 4 with how high the sun was! It is HOT! But we stay inside and all the stores close from 1:30-5:30 for siestas because no one wants to be out with the sun being that intense! The city is a city! There are stores and lots of cars and people. The people here are beautiful and casual attire is my top formal wear! So I look like a tourist! Ah well!
Today the program began. We took a tour of a few central spots of the city. The architecure here is amazing. A lot of old buildings with great history... I will try to post pictures eventually! We walked through one neighborhood that was definitely the Sevilla seen in books with the narrow roads, tall buildings, and flowers on the decks... The cathedral is a phenomonal building one of the biggest in the world. There is so much history here!
I have nothing too exciting to report...we are hoping to go do things this weekend...check out a beach or something! So much to do and so little time!

2008-06-06T22:16:00.001-07:00

Melanie and others say I need to blog so thus I begin...
I leave for Spain in about 10 days. I can't even begin to believe that...I am going to Spain. Pretty exciting! I've been emailing a fellow student who will be my roommate for the 3.5 weeks of taking the class. Her name is Blanca which means white. I don't think she is white though because she is Mexican. She lived in Mexico till she was ten so Spanish is her 1st language. Interesting that I will be in Spain rooming with a Mexican. I am excited about that though because she can teach me a lot too!
I miss New Mexico. 3 things I miss the most: the people, the sun (its appeared once since arriving in WA) and my bed. 3 things I don't miss: the wind, the cats, and the half eaten bird that the cats drug in. I've been painting Lance and Jessica's kitchen since arriving home, I'm glad to have something to do! Funny how I feel guilty doing nothing, because I didn't just teach all year and need time to unwind?! I must be Dutch, always have to be doing something!