Sunday, October 6, 2013

Week Four in Honduras

I can't believe a month has passed since I unpacked my bags in El Porvenir.

Things at the Kindergarten are going smoothly, but they have an unusual amount of holidays. I feel like for every week there's been at least a day off. The kids have gotten much better at giving into brushing their teeth, maybe because I enforce it every day and it's finally becoming a routine. I taught about food this week, and we made art with plates of paper food-it was a hit! The more time I spend with these children, the more I witness how much a child's home life affects their behavior in class. One girl doesn't listen to anyone or want to do anything-she is losing both her parents to AIDS. Same with another grumpy little boy-he's losing his mom to cancer. Another boy is quiet and cries a lot, because he gets beaten at home a lot since his dad left the family. Needless to say, some days participation is not good but I can't expect too much. Sometimes I just sit on the stairs of the classroom and watch them, wondering what kind of adults they will grow up to be. Despite everything, most of the students go on every day cheerfully living in the only world known to them. . I'm learning how to chill out and work with a class that is constantly in chaos, to take every day as they come and do the best we can with what we've got.

Next week I will start giving English classes to the local firefighters with my teaching partner. They are a group of good natured men, some are younger boys that volunteer to train with them. I've never really taught English for adults, but I've been a student in adult classes for different languages! They aren't busy here, plus sometimes even if they get a call, they don't have gas in their truck to answer it! Most of their English skills are non-existent, but we've picked out a very basic textbook to start off with. We need to make photocopies week by week for everyone.

This past weekend I took a break from traveling to just hang out. We got three new volunteers, and our project manager organized an International Dinner on Friday where we all cooked food from our countries to share. I felt obligated to make something Asian since I'm the only one here, so I made chow mein! Hahha we had Spanish tortillas, Norwegian crepes, hot dogs (the american dudes of course) grits, sangrias, pina coladas, etc. Yesterday I went to La Ceiba and bought a Honduras jersey cause a bunch of us are planning to go to the Honduras vs. Costa Rica game next Friday, if we can get tickets. It's supposed to be a huge game, cause if we win then Honduras will go on to the World Cup in Brazil!! I also finally went swimming at the beach next to our house! The water was warm, and there are lots of rolling waves that gently float you back to shore. I don't know why I hadn't gone out there before.

Oh, I went out to the club for the first time here last night. We went out in La Ceiba, it was called HIBOU anddddd compared to the laser beam lights at Luxy, or the walls of waterfalls inside Myst, the views out on the balcony of Departure, I was not impressed despite it being the nicest club in La Ceiba. The music was good though-I didn't know any of the songs but they were easy and fun to dance to! They had an outside area, and I was amused to find out we were ON the beach, overlooking the waves. We were out until almost 3am but it never got that crowded, and it didn't feel dangerous.

I'm starting to see the same people all the time here, walking around on the streets or buying things from the pulperias. Every stranger here is my new friend waiting to be made. :) Okay, maybe not EVERYONE. My Spanish has continued to improve to the point where I'm speaking Spanglish! I think it's a good thing, cause I'm generally communicating in Spanish and fill in words I don't know with English. Which is a lot, and it doesn't work here if they don't know the English word either. So maybe not a good thing. I've started to look for the right tutor here.

That's about it for now! One month, check.

Where I finally went swimming yesterday, my backyard beach!

Another successful day of teeth brushings! 

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