Is it Friday yet?

Its been a slow week.  Yesterday I thought it was Wednesday and today I was thinking there was only one more day until the weekend.  No such luck.

When I left my house this morning there was power…after my 10 minute walk to school I was looking forward to hitting the button on the fan and cooling off a little before classes started.  I hit the power button…and then any other button I could find on the fan until I realized the power was out.  That was the start to my day.  When the power is out at school it makes for a long day, especially if it’s a non gym day.  At least when there’s gym we get to go outside and run around for half an hour or so…but today we were in the dark classroom all day (other than snack and recess time).  I guess you get accustomed to being in the dark, the kids kept asking if we could turn the fan on…I had to remind them there was no power…Fernando wanted his baleada (flour tortilla with refried beans, cheese and crema) warmed up for snack…after I was confused why none of the buttons on the micro were working…I remembered there was no power…and when I needed to make copies for homework…Carolina reminded me there was no power…

The power did finally come back on at about 4:00PM, enough time to charge up my phone and computer and then the brownouts started.  Right now I’m typing up the post in Microsoft Word…there’s not enough power coming through the wires to keep my wireless router powered.  Next time there’s a burst of power I’ll post this.  Also, when there are brown outs the fan moves a little slower, the light is very dim and the TV turns off every few minutes (the remote doesn’t work so I tend to not get too comfy on the couch!  haha)

Ok…enough ranting about poor me with no power.  It’s really not that bad…just puts crinkles in the day.

Since I haven’t really blogged in the past few days here’s what I did…

Monday was laundry day…and drum roll please……………I took my first shower since I’ve been here!!!  Now, at this point you’re probably disgusted and thinking maybe I should just stay in Honduras forever…but in my house here there isn’t a functioning shower, there’s a bucket of water.  Which is fine.  However, Darla said while I was doing laundry I could use her shower…a real shower with water squirting from the shower head!  It wasn’t warm water, but I didn’t care.  I could have waited and used the other shower, but I was just excited about a shower and didn’t care if it was warm of cold!  So that was the highlight of my day!

Tuesday, Carlos, Lucy and I went to Casa Quemada to visit some people.  Carlos and Lucy have been visiting a few different families every Tuesday for a while now and I’ve recently joined them.  The purpose of the visits is to build relationships with people in the town and to disciple new Christians.

And today we had our small group meeting with some of the kids from the youth group.  We met for about an hour and a half today.  Luis led a devotional from Colossians 3:12…”Therefore, as God’s chosen people, hold and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”.  After the devotional we played some games and then headed home…in the rain.  I’m glad I had my busted umbrella with me…it’s still functional…kind of!  :)

Tomorrow Wendi, a girl from the small group, is coming over.  I’m going to try to teach her some conversational English and she’s going to help me with my Spanish.  Hopefully the power comes back on soon so I can search for some help in teaching conversational English…

I'm alive :)

I was just realizing I haven't updated the blog in a few days...more specifically since T.S. Matthew.  Don't worry...I'm alive!  :)

Saturday, the day we were supposed to get hit with the most rain it actually turned out to be a nice sunny day with a little breeze!  And since the storm it's been a little cooler...down to the high 80's!  While the high 80's are still quite warm, it's a welcome break from the mid to upper 90's!

I do have some sad news...my umbrella broke!  My umbrella serves two purposes...to keep me dry when it's raining and to provide shade from the scorching sun.  A little background info on my umbrella:  it's only 2 weeks old and I paid 40 Lempiras (the Lempira is the currency for Honduras) for it, which is about $2.25.  I suppose you get what you pay for!  I am thankful however that there is a team coming down to Honduras in two weeks and will be bringing me an umbrella (or two!)...that should get me through til at least December.  :)

Rain, rain and more rain!

It rained all through the night...it got so loud at time it woke me up and I had to turn on my iPod to fall back asleep.  I know people say sleeping with the sound of rain on a tin roof makes them sleep well...I guess it's different with the sound of a tropical storm on your tine roof.  :)

Right now the rain has let up a bit, just a little sprinkle currently.  However I know the forecast is for rain the next two days at least so the already waterlogged country will be even more waterlogged.

Calm before the storm...

Right now I just hear the crickets chirping and that's it...(and the usual sounds of Honduras...roosters crowing...fire crackers going off...gun shots...and extremely loud televisions...)  They say the rain will come...I guess it's the calm before the storm. 

Honduras is in a High Flood Threat level...the National Hurricane Center says portions of Nicaragua and Honduras will have 6-10 inches of rain and isolated areas will have up to 15.  I guess it just depends on where the rain bands hit...

Currently I have electricity (obviously!)...however during normal rain storms it often goes out...I'm assuming with tropical storm rains it will go out as well.  As I have internet I'll update about the conditions.

T.S. Matthew

This is the current satellite image of the Caribbean...

Thankfully I live on the western side of the country, but still there should be a good amount of rain dumped on us in the next few days

Hiking...

First, let me apologize for my lack of blogging lately.  There hasn't been anything overly exciting and don't want to bore you!  :)

However, yesterday was full of excitement...I went for a hike!  Yep...a hike in Honduras where it's 95 degrees and feels like 110.  Let me tell you, if you like to sweat, that's the activity for you!

The small group from the youth group decided a few weeks ago on meeting up at the three crosses in Sula...they're up behind the old Sula hospital.  From the ground it really doesn't seem like it would be that bad of a hike...well...looks are deceiving!  haha  But, it was fun and maybe I would even do it again...probably not when it's 95 degrees out!

The hiking crew...

Fernando brought his American Style Cooler...

Fernando y Yessenia

Baby size jell-o?

A view of the valley

Emerging from the jungle...

Such a happy hiker!

Lucy

Taking a rest at the top

Yessenia and Lucy took a tumble...

Making a chain to get down the mountain

Tomatoe, Tomato...

Words are a funny thing...especially when in another country.  The other day Lucy asked me if I wanted some jelly...I was slightly confused since clearly you don't just serve jelly, so I was expecting jelly on bread which we have as a snack sometimes.  Well, as she turned the corner, there was no bread...just a bowl...a bowl full of jello!  I love jello so it was a welcomed surprise.  So then I explained to her that it's called jello not jelly...I'm just glad it wasn't a bowl full of jelly!
Another word that sometimes I don't know what I'll be getting is cookie.  They use the word cookie for, well, cookies and also crackers.  So sometimes I get a package of cookies and other times a plate of saltines!

And today for breakfast...a tower of cookies (crackers) with jello (jelly)!  :)

15 de septiembre

Today at school we celebrated 15 de septiembre, which is the Honduran independence day. The students participated in a "parade"...I'll use that term lightly...we walked around the school yard. Each class was also responsible to bring in a traditional Honduran food. My class brought in ticucos and pineapple juice. Ticucos are some sort of corn mixture with beans, some sort of meat (today was chicken) and some variety of vegetables. and then covered in crema. Other foods that were brought in by other classes included tamales, enchiladas, tacos, carne asada and sopa de mondongo (lots of vegetables and cow stomach...yummmmmmmmmm! People tried to get me to eat it, I politely declined.). And for drinks of course all sorts of fruit juices, horchata, and fresco de nance. Horchata is a ricey milky cinnamony drink (how's that for a description?) and fresco de nance is a juice made from nance fruit...I don't really know how to explain it.

Tomorrow is when the towns actually celebrate it with real parades around town and festivities in the parque. Which means no school tomorrow! :)

I have some videos of the typical dances they did today during the acto civico, but they're taking forever to load. I'll try again later when the internet isn't so slow...

Ticucos wrapped in corn husks...

Inside of the ticuco

Lucy serving up some atol

Nothing quite like a bucket of pineapple juice!

Fresco de Nance...they like to serve things in bags...

Also we celebrated Alberto's birthday today!

Another picture...

Here's one of me and my students (this was before my class doubled in size)...

People in my life

A few pictures of the people I've been hanging out with...

This is the small group from the youth group..."Tropa Rescate"

And these are some other people from the church.  They had a ceremony last night for people going from one group to the next...there are 4 different levels in their youth/young adult program.

Dia del Niño

Yesterday in Honduras was Dia del Nino.  We did have school, but we didn't have classes...it was a day filled with games, pinatas, food, fire crackers and water pressure rocket things!

Pinata fun!

Richard and Wayne with the water pressure rockets!

Pollolandia Happy Meals

Felicidades Ninos!

My sweet decorations!

Soccer and relays...

The power is still on the fritz...I'm sorry for the lack of posting and the shortness of my posts!

However, I would just like you to paint a little picture in your head of this afternoons activities...

First of all we were supposed to go swimming, which I'm not really sure how that works since most of the people I've been hanging out with can't swim...so I'm pretty sure it was a blessing the pool down the road was closed!

Two of the small groups from the youth group met together today so the first part of the meeting William lead a devotional, then Yessenia lead some relay races...this is where you get to paint a picture in your mind!  So, of course I would have just loved to watch from the sidelines, but that wasn't an option.  So, the first relay we were split into two teams and had to run to mid-field of the soccer field and run back...amazingly my team won!  The next relay...the two teams stood in lines and the person had to hold the foot of the person infront of them.  Somehow I was the line leader....for a very short period of time!  After I failed my team the first two times I headed for the back of the line.  And then.....a soccer game!  Yep...soccer.  I wasn't expecting to play...jeans and flip-flops are not the ideal wardrobe to be running around a field in Honduras!  I did manage to kick the ball a few times...and of course ran away from the ball a few times as well (especially from the guys wearing cleats!).  Thankfully the thunder and lightening were getting extremely close and we had to call it quits early!  :)

Sorry for the lack of pictures...maybe next time they try to force me to play their games I'll use the excuse that I need to take pictures!  :)

Also....I don't think they know how to make light fluffy pancakes  :)

Pancakes?

Honduran Wildlife...

In my room...

Today a cockroach was scurrying around...thankfully Carla took care of that!  And now I have my eye on some sort of spider...and waiting for some friends to come over to kill it!

Teaser...

Sorry...this isn't a real post.  I just wanted to let you know the power has been funny lately...off and on, off and on...(it's the norm in Honduras!).  But wanted to let you know I'm alive and well!  I'll post soon...I promise!!!

Staff Picture

Because I'm sure you want to know who I'm working with...

Morning Star 2010-2011

 

 

Back row:  Mildren, assistant; Lucy, 1st; Jennifer, Kindergarten; Josue, 6th; Daniveth, Span. Soc. Stud; Michael, 4th

Front row:  Edwin, P.E., Computer, Bible; Lilian, Pre-K; Alfonso, Spanish; Heydy, 3rd; Carolina, assistant; Randy, 5th

Happy 1st of September!

Today the kids were crazy! They couldn't keep still and couldn't stop talking! We're trying to get into a routine, which is hard when there's a new student every day. I had 9 today, and a new girl starts tomorrow and I need to readjust some of the seating as well. I have found out that some of my quiet kids the first day have turned into quite the social butterflies! :) Here's a picture of some of my students...some couldn't be bothered with getting their picture taken, they had coloring to finish!

The precious little ninos!

I did some laundry today and had a visitor in the bodega with me! I know he's there, but every time he moved it scared me!

My new friend...I think I should name him...suggestions?