It's a new year

Happy New Year to everyone! 2010 is officially over, and the new year just beginning! I wish everyone the best. I awaited the new year with the kids at the hogar. We ate a feast of turkey, and then later had cake and ice cream for dessert. The kids put on an awesome program of singing and dancing, of which I was the judge for the talent show. Some of the highlights were Venancio and Moises's mock fight/ dance in which they selected some lucky volunteers from a group who is visiting to dance the them. Extremely funny. The smaller girls danced a punta together, and Rosa did a solo dance while Maribel sang. Everyone did beautifully and fun with it. Later we all had some time to talk and dance and play, while we awaited the new year. Finally it came with the sounds of hundreds of fireworks and a fireworks show right in front of us. We clapped and celebrated and I got 5 new years kisses from the kids. I truly can't believe that it is 2011. Even with the celebration, it doesn't feel like it has changed! But so it is.

Thursday was an amazing day, and definitely a highlight so far of my entire experience. After classes, Ethan and I stayed with the jungle school kids and the two of us took 4 of them on a hike to the waterfall. Even though they live right by, none of them have ever been to it, mainly because it costs a little over a dollar to enter the park (for a Honduras- foreigners are more of course). Denia, Nelson, Geny and Alan all went with us for about a 2 hour uphill hike. The waterfall was just as beautiful as last time. It is so tall, and when you go under the spray it is an extremely exhilarating feeling. The kids were all freezing cold, but they were amazed by it. When I heard them telling the story later, I could tell in their voice how happy there were to have gone. Geny seemed completely stoked on life. Oh my goodness. Nelson found 2 dead snakes at the base of the waterfall. One of them was enormous. Over 8 feet long if not more. It was a big black boa of some sort, and both of them must have fallen from the top of the waterfall. The poor things. Imagine just swimming in the river and then suddenly the river ends and you fall. Well one of them thought it would be a good idea to put it around my shoulders. Let me tell you- not a good idea. I would almost prefer an alive 8 foot snake. It was just dead weight. Ethan's face though when he picked it up was absolutely priceless. A mixture between amazement, disgust and sheer terror. Eventually we headed back and stopped to swim in the river an hour later. I was happily soaking my feet since I was dry when they decided that wasn't enough and threw me in. Somehow Ethan avoided that fate though even though he was sitting right next to me. Must have been because he didn't react when they splashed him. ha. Oh we also saw 2 tucans which was exciting. Ethan and I spent the entire way back arguing with the kids that there aren't tigers in Honduras. They are convinced that there are, but we keep telling them that they are Jaguars, not tigers! They don't listen. Compound that with the fact that I told them that the 'birds' they see are actually bats, and they definitely think that I am crazy.

We didn't get back to the houses until about 6, so it was just getting dark. Even at the base of the road there is still a good 20 minute hike up to Geny's house. We started up, stopped at Nelson's house and then continued. I am so glad I thought to bring a gallon of water. Last time Ethan and Natalie stayed in the jungle, Natalie got really sick. They were careful to use our water for us to make any juices because of that. Last night though was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Truly. Living how they live is foreign to me, and the people are so generous and kind. Geny's house is a dirt floor shack with an tin roof and a woodfire stove. It has one section of the room portioned off for sleeping, where there are 4 beds. 9 people live in the house. And they gave Ethan and I each our own bed. Of course they wouldn't listen to any of our protests. Also, I have never felt so bad eating food in my life. They fed us so well and it was absolutely delicious also. Chicken, beans, cheese and tortillas. I could tell though that everyone else didn't get nearly as much as we did. I felt like I was in a movie or a painting, or something the entire time. Outside of the house there were bugs and frogs making their nightly noises. The stars shone brightly and there was a slight glow in the sky. From the path you could see the light from La Ceiba. Inside the house, the only lights were two gas candles. The ladies were huddled around the table making bread from the wood stove/ oven. They stalked coals into the oven portion, put in the pans with bread dough in, and then closed the oven with a special type of leaf to keep in the heat. The entire room flickered from the light and I just sat there in amazement, attempting to realize where I was and what I was seeing. It is so strange to think how they live every day, how they grew up living and probably will live in the future. There is no light except the candle. No water except what you haul from the river. Nothing to cook with unless there is plenty of wood. No food unless you have money from some sort of work that doesn't make much, unless of course you can catch something yourself. It is truly incredible, and to be part of that for even one night was an amazing experience.

We woke up, were served another delicious breakfast in which they gave us way more food than they should have, and then went to visit Lucia's house. It was about another 20 minutes further up the mountain, but there was one point where we came to a clearing and you could see all of La Ceiba, and the ocean beyond. It was a perfect day out and the view was amazing. Geny climbed a tree to get us Coconuts, we went back down to Geny's and said our goodbye's and thank you's, left some money and then headed down to the road to go back to the house. We of course managed to miss our bus so we hitchhiked with Denia, Geny, Glenda and Carlitos down to the road. Denia and Geny came back to the house to skype with Ana and Natalie, and then we got ready for the fiesta this night. Quite amazing. Everything.

It's Christmas Time

It's been a long time since I've written. I find that as things become more routine, it becomes more difficult to write. I am making the shift from a vacation spot to somewhere that I am living. Though I am more used to things here as they are, that doesn't mean that the constant flurry of activity around HHK has lessened. It actually increased incredibly during the holidays. Christmas finally came! Every kids dream, and this Christmas nearly put the kids in heaven I believe. My family arrived with four huge suitcases full of presents and supplies, just for the kids. I couldn't believe it. It took hours to sort through it, but luckily Danelia, the director and 'mother' for the kids, came to save us and delegate what gift should go for which kid. We eventually got the clothes sorted out, the sandals distributed, and all the many toys relegated to extremely lucky kids. 

One thing I realized was that you don't realize how much you miss people until you actually get to see them. It was so exciting for me to watch my family step off the bus. I also forgot for quite awhile how short I was, bus was quickly reminded when everyone once again towered over me. Skylar is about my height now or will be soon, and Danielle is super tall. I've been accustomed to being on the taller side here in Honduras! I started talking to Skylar in Spanish and had to switch my language over. The week with them was spent very nicely. The day after they got in, we went up to the jungle school for the christmas party to hand out presents. Ethan and I distributed all of the presents as fairly as we could and then the kids had fun whacking a piñata. After the fiesta, I wanted to show my parents Geny's house so we all made the trek up there, with the 22 hogar kids in tow as well. Well, technically I didn't make the treck because I got a ride. As we were first starting up, one of the boys shows up with a horse and asks me if I want to jump on. Without hesitating I said yes, and enjoyed an amazing ride all the way up to the top of the mountain, and had fun waving as we passed everyone else. Denia was amazing, because she was leading the horse and was hauling up the hill so quickly. After our quick visit, we descended and spent some time swimming in the river. The jungle school kids all made this enormous tower of people by standing on each others shoulders, while the river current passed by. It was extremely impressive. 

Next day we visited Cayos Cochinos. The day started out beautifully, even with a rainbow around the islands, but towards the end the rain caught up with us. You still can't beat the warm and crystal blue water though. We all enjoyed snorkeling around the reef and watching the fish. I love being in water like that. Right when we got into the water I saw an enormous barracuda! It was a little nerve racking but neat nonetheless. We made a trek into one of the islands to search for snakes as well. The pink boa lives on the islands and its the only place in the world where you can find them. Mom was the first to spot one surprisingly, even before our guide. We ate at a spot on a smaller island where there is a little community, and while the meal was delicious fried fish, we are relatively certain that our problems later originated from that same meal. Every single one of us, me included, got sick. Typical gringo's. I was surprised that I did because I haven’t gotten a stomach sickness since I came. But most of the rest of the trip was filled with interesting bodily functions. Christmas eve was kind of a bummer. I watched 8 hours of crime scene shows. Half way through my marathon I got fed up and took a cipro pill. Cipro completely clears out almost all bacteria in your body but 4 hours later I was feeling perfect. I had to miss helping Professor Kenya make tamales, but I did make it to the fiesta that night. Danielle at this point was the only healthy one. Chris and Skylar had to stay back, and while mom came she had to leave early. Not exactly how I had planned Christmas but you can't always plan for these things. I at least got to be Santa for the 22 kids! That was really neat handing out all the presents. Not a kid left unhappy. There were so many clothes, toys and jewelery being opened. Minor walked away with a half a quart bag full of marbles. I was so happy to be there and watch them. They deserved it. Each one of them. At exactly midnight there were fireworks everywhere. We walked out on the street and it was like a battlefield because loud booms were coming from every direction. So cool. 

Christmas itself was extremely laid back. The Christmas celebration here is always on Christmas eve, so we just hung out at the hotel and played card games. David took us to see the property in the afternoon and later we spent three hours assembling a foosball table. Mom and I put together a million pieces but now they have a fully functioning table and love it. We had a Christmas dinner at Pizza Hut, and then headed back to the hotel. The next few days were rainy so we had to cancel our plan to hike to the waterfall, but I still enjoyed staying with my family and playing spoons and BS. It was sad when I had to say goodbye. I felt more homesick than I have all trip, because I wasn't going home with them. But not to worry, I am over any homesickness now. It was a passing weakness. The boys (Geny, Paco and Alan) stayed with us last night again. Ethan made a rather humorous discovery. When the boys shower, they keep their underwear on. We know this because after their shower, they hand us their clothes and their underwear is always wet. Finally we figured it out and confronted them about it, and they were confused to find that yes, we do indeed bathe nude. They were getting angry at us for telling them that they don't need their underwear in a shower. I was dying of laughter. 

Recovered

I am finally better after almost a week out. I self prescribed myself some anti-biotics and the next day i was mucho mejor. Thank goodness. I despise staying home sick, even if I was productive. Yesterday I decided I wanted to make some Christmas Cards so I got ready to make a quick trip out to buy some construction paper. However, when I went to grab my money it had completely disappeared. I was keeping my large bills in the bottom drawer of my closet and taking them out as needed. I had just reloaded my stash the day before so I was positive that I had money. I looked around and slowly spread out my search for the missing $200. It was my fault somehow I was sure, because I am always the first to misplace things. But no, it wasn't there. Then I had a realization. The rat took it. There was no other solution. Our friendly house rat that is still lurking somewhere, nibbling at the corners of our food. So reluctantly I set out in search. Previously it had been around the closet area, so I began to pull out the drawers. Not with my hand mind you, I kind of pushed them out with a broom handle, just to be safe. The first drawer came out and I heard something pattering, little feet running across the floor. Eww. One by one the drawers came out until the last one. I pulled it out and in the back I saw the rats tail flash to the other side. I will admit that this entire time I was hopping from foot to foot. There was no bravery involved in this. It was out of complete necessity. Finally I looked in and he was there, huddled right behind my $200. The rat freaking burgled my money and now was guarding it from me. I put the broom handle in and he zoomed out and I screamed and then Ethan let out a little gasp/scream which I found extremely funny. Finally I recovered my money and the rat ran into the kitchen. I think he's residing under the fridge. Ah well. I missed Natalie quite a lot. Ha.

I made my Christmas cards and today helped the kids make some. We had a late start because we were both  catching up on sleep. Ethan was recovering from a fever, but he seems better now. It was good to see the kids again. It always is. We saw Narnia with most of the kids tonight. I enjoyed it for the second time. Paola and Cherlin had my hands the entire time. I don't ever want to let them go.

Just Hanging Out

Stayed home sick three days, hoping to ward of the worst, succeeded- or so I thought- acted normal on Saturday and Sunday, am paying for it now. The same illness as last time, only this time I at least know what it is. Tonsillitis. And trust me, I don't recommend it. Before, during the days I took off, I don't think it was full blown but now, because of my lack of care, it definitely is. On one side of my throat at least. The other is perfectly fine. Ugh. It's never ending. Ah well. It's been a good past couple of days. During my sick days, I was very productive. I read an entire book- (The Kite Runner, very good by the way. I recommend it. Cried through the whole thing). I also finished my rough draft of a story I was elected to write about Luz Mila. I think it turned out well, but there are many parts I need to work on, add and review. I'll post it soon once it is finished. Other news, all of the kids have facebooks now! Or almost all of them. If you want to wish any of them welcome to facebook, look them up. Tag photos of them and write them a message. They are thrilled. They can't exactly use them all that much, but the idea excites them. I think it's a little odd but a good idea. It lets all of the volunteers and sponsors keep in touch. Hopefully we can keep them up.

On Wednesday I missed an adventure. We had planned on going to spend the night at Geny's house on Tuesday, but the rain scared us away, so we moved it to Wednesday. Natalie and Ethan went but I couldn't because I was sick! I'm super bummed. They said they had a really good time and all of the family's filled them up on a ton of food. They went from house to house with an entourage of kids, ate food and met everyone's parents. Geny's family gave up two beds for them to sleep. Poor Natalie though got sick. She was throwing up all night. All of the food didn't sit well with her. In all they said they had a good experience. Luckily Geny has invited us back to spend next weekend with them. We'll see if I can make it this time. Three of the boys spent the night again on Friday. We made pasta and sauce, went on a little walk outside to look at lights, and gave the hot cocoa for the first time. I also had the urge to make a key lime pie of all things and after looking up the recipe I discovered it wasn't at all difficult to do. The boys finished off the entire pie that night and the next morning. I was considering being motherly and not letting them have both fruit loops and key lime pie for breakfast, but then decided against it. If they didn't eat it, it only meant I would ;) . The rest of the family came that morning to wish Natalie a good trip and say their goodbyes. I cooked up 5 pounds of home fried potatoes and 2 dozen eggs. The 14 people who were in our tiny casa polished it all off, complete with a full bag of bread. I'm still astonished. It was a sad goodbye. Natalie had visible tears running down her cheeks, and Glenda and some of the kids were tearing up also. It was strange, even for me who is not leaving, walking away from the group of them and towards the Hogar. The entire Hogar was so sweet and threw Natalie a going away party. They served food and the kids put on a little program in her honor. When the time came to say goodbye, it was so sad. Mostly for Natalie. One of the tia's said something that is really true. Volunteers get so much out of an experience like this, and to say goodbye to people they love is something foreign to them. It's always harder on the volunteers than the kids, because the kids lives have been full of past goodbyes. I truly hope that the time we spend here is for the better, and that it doesn't hurt the kids too much to say goodbye. I think, I know, that there is more good than bad in it. Plus, I know I will always be back.

I took Daniel and Rosa to see a movie today. It didn't work out completely as planned, but I had a really good time. Those two kids grab my heart. We went to eat at the mall and it was so difficult for the two to choose where to eat. They kept asking me to. Then I realized something. They never truly get to choose for themselves, not much at least. What they are doing every day, where they go, who they hang out with- everything is pre chosen. That has to be tough. Rosa also looked disconcerted. She told me that this was the first time that a volunteer had ever taken her out just to hang out. She was so happy, but she kept looking over her shoulder for the other kids. Rosa is the leader of the hogar. She is the second mother. She is, in a way, the boss. She is the one who organizes, teaches, cares for, and keeps the kids in order. When the group goes out to eat, she distributes the food equally. On the way over, I heard her giving instructions to Mercedes about how to portion out food. She takes on so much responsibility and I think most people who visit don't always see that. She tries to be strong all the time, but it's hard for a 14 year old girl to do so. The three of us wandered around the mall, looked at dresses, played some video games, and passed the time until the movie. I tried to get her to relax a bit and may have succeeded. She was so worried about how much money they were spending. As i said before, it's a weird thought to know that no one has ever really taken them out shopping and treated them to a nice day. Not their mother or an aunt. I felt the need to do something special for them, show them how much they are worth. That's what the day was really all about. Maribel was supposed to join us but she was a tad bit late. I think that worried Rosa, so she couldn't be completely worry free. Daniel was perfectly content to wander around and look. We saw Narnia together, and I really liked it. I wasn't too lost at all, even though it was in Spanish. I had brought some drinks into the theatre, a Dr. Pepper and Root Beer. Daniel took a sip of the rootbear and asked me where I got it, saying it tasted like medicine. I thought that was too funny. Maribel met up with us later and as we were talking I realized that she didn't know I was Stewart's daughter! She hadn't recognized me and I thought she knew. I told her and she became so excited and laughed at not knowing. It's funny to think she and Livio never would have known if I hadn't said something. I knew her from before, in my previous trips, but I had cut my hair and so she didn't know! Too funny. They were talking about my Dad and how he is always happy. I had to laugh.

So hopefully I shall make a quick recovery, be able to talk again and continue on! It will be very strange without Natalie here. She left this morning. I wish you all the safest travels Natalie! We'll miss you!

When we thought it was over

The rat saga, unfortunately, did not come to an end. A new rat made a special appearance on Sunday, this time in Natalie's wardrobe. We heard a light commotion in the room and went in to find her pulling out her drawers, searching for this rat. I began to help and just when one drawer was about to come out, the rat launched itself out and under the beds. We poked around with some broom handles and found it in my empty suitcase. Again, it flew out and this time headed right towards me. I looked down to find it running in circles around my feet and let out a scream. Until that point I hadn't thought I would have reacted so strongly but nope. I did. A full out scream, complete with hopping from foot to foot. It then took off and disappeared. We think it might have escaped through the bathroom window. I'm crossing my fingers.

Sunday morning was really fun. Ethan, Natalie and I took a kayaking tour in El Cacao, where there is a large lagoon with mangrove trees and little inlets. A steady drizzle rained down the entire time, which cloaked the lagoon in silence. It was extremely pretty and a little surreal. We went through the channels and saw little bats that blended in with the wood. They were impossible to spot unless the guide pointed them out. We saw a monkey! Granted it was sleeping, but the idea was so neat. But, what was even neater- we talked to a monkey. After we moved on from the first monkey, we went around the lagoon and the guide taught us how to make monkey calls. Ethan was the best at it. We heard one call, so the guide called back. It responded and then Ethan responded. It went back and forth between the monkey and us for a good 10 minutes. We were willing it to reveal itself to us, but we didn't know how to say that in monkey talk. It was so close, we could here from its voice, but talking to it was just as much fun. On clearer days, they sometimes see alligators as well.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing at home. We practiced our cooking skills, made some delicious potato cream soup, some fresh bread, salad and snicker doodle cookies. It was a feast. Monday we had school again. As we walked up the steps I became so sick with worry, because Geny had spent the night on Saturday. On Sunday when we left for our outing, we sent him off to find his way home. I gave him some money for a taxi, but he still would have to take a bus or hitch a ride up. All of the scenarios were running through my head of what would happen if he had never come home, and his family was expecting him to be with us. I was so scared, but of course I was worrying for nothing. He was at school today safe and sound. But I got a little taste of what a parent must feel like at times.

School these past two days have been challenging. The kids, for the most part, don't study. We've spent the last two weeks learning forms of 'to be' and today when I ask them to do exercises, they don't even know what 'I am...' means. I feel bad because I feel like I’m not encouraging them enough, or that I'm making it boring, or I can't explain things well enough. Solutions are running out. So I baked cookies today to attempt to bribe them. We shall see. The hogar kids are learning a Christmas play and some songs so that's been taking up the afternoons. It's been raining non stop. It's probably about high 60's and everyone here is freezing. Quite amusing. I can only imagine Luz! We skyped her with her family today. She was all bundled up and looked so cold but so happy. She showed us her room and the snow and I got goose bumps. I'm so happy and excited for her. I shall be adamantly stalking her facebook as time goes on. :)

Visitors

 Yesterday I remembered why Piano isn't my favorite activity to engage in. David owns a keyboard that stays at the Hogar, so I decided to pull it out and play a little. My first discovery was that I couldn't remember any of the songs I once knew. Bummer. So after doing some scales (yes, I could still do those) I went online and printed out some music. To my relief I did remember how to read the music, albeit slowly. I got through some extremely basic songs but I was content with that. Of course, once the kids saw the piano every one of them was clamoring over me saying 'I want to learn! I want to learn!'. So I thought- why not? I can teach some basics. The problem arose when they didn't understand the concept of one person at a time. 3 people sitting at a keyboard with more crowded in behind, while on a couch without a proper stand is claustrophobic. You have so many different sounds and the kids prefer to press random keys instead of listening. Definitely not ideal. I actually think those three words describe just about everything in Honduras. Especially learning conditions. Anyways, I put the piano away but then Paola asked me is I could teach her that night. Those lessons went better, but I still don't think piano is my thing, especially on a keyboard where every note is the same and you hear it over and over again. It was the first time I felt myself loosing patience with the kids and I felt bad. Tia Yolanda asked me if I could teach them a song to sing while I accompanied them on the piano for Church on Christmas. I'm still thinking about that. That I think I could handle. It might be fun :)

Today Nelson, Denia, Geny, and their Aunt and little Carlitos came over. I had invited the older two to study English with me and the rest kind of followed. We made a pancake breakfast and then got to work. The problem is that it is difficult to have them practice speaking with the English they know. They know a lot, but never use it. I don't know how to teach it so that they use it. I think I will just have them learn the vocabulary and keep practicing, practicing, practicing.

Those were the welcome visitors. We also had a not so welcome visitor. As I was finishing up working on some stuff on the computer on Wednesday at about 12 at night, I saw something zip past me out of the corner of my eye. I turned and then I was sure that it was a huge rat that had just run in from outside. I froze and spent some time considering what to do. I decided to ignore it for the time being and pretend that I had just seen something and was mistaken. When I went into our room (Natalie and Ethan were sleeping in the other with air conditioning) I flipped the light on and I saw it sitting on my bed for a brief second before it ran underneath. At that point I had a difficult time not letting out a tiny squeal. I ran out, grabbed mypillow and blanket and flew into the 'sleeping room' where Natalie and Ethan were. I closed the door behind me and spent some time calming my beating heart. In the morning I told everyone of our visitor and we all crept around searching beds and clothes without any luck. The next night was Dan Collins last night, so Luz Mila and her mother were sleeping over because Luz had to go early in the morning. She was so excited but you could also tell she was nervous and sad because she had already said goodbye to her family. Such an enormous thing to go through! Saying goodbye to everyone you know and going away for the first time in your life. She was handling it so well though. They slept in Dan's room so Dan and his dad were on the outside couches. I decided to chance it and sleep in our room, hoping that the rat escaped or was in a different part of the house. At five o'clock in the morning, after dreaming all night about rats crawling around and biting me, I discovered that I had made a poor decision. I woke up to the sound of knawing on wood, in the corner of my room. The crunching was so loud and there was no question of what it was. I jumped up on my bed so fast so that as little of me was exposed as possible. Then I took a few minutes to gather the courage to jump down and run outside. Luz and Dan were just getting up so they could catch their bus, so I had a chance to say goodbye. I am so excited and nervous for her. Her story hits me right in the heart. I think it is amazing. But the rat story is not yet at an end. While I was teaching piano last night, Natalie and Ethan came home early, and they recounted their story to me. They went into our room with the intention of searching for the rat, and sure enough- zoom! it runs right past them into my and Ethan's closet area. Natalie was the brave one and she began to pat down all of our clothes. She couldn't find it and then she hit Ethan's one jacket which was hanging up. The rat flies out, hits her and jumps past into the bathroom area. They run to shut the door to lock it in. Natalie then suits up in tennis shoes and gloves, grabs the bottom of the trash can to catch it in, enters the bathroom and closes the door behind her. Screaming, yelling and banging emanate from the bathroom as she tries to trap it under the trashcan. "AHHHHHH!" "Holy Sh*t! It's a jumping rat" "Oh my god!"  "EEEEEK!!" -BANG-. The rat was jumping everywhere, off the walls, off the toilet, in the sink and finally she trapped it vertically on the door. This entire time Ethan was rolling in laughter outside, because all he could hear was her screams sprinkled with some creative cursing. Once the rat was under the trashcan, she moved it down the wall, did a quick flip to the floor, and escorted it outside. I can not believe I missed it.

Exciting Things are Happening

I went to the beach with the kids on Sunday. Every weekend is a new beach, and this was my favorite so far. A shallow river channel ran right into the river, so we had a little bit of both.  There was a good sized flat sandy area for playing soccer, and across the channel were a lot of chocolate plants. Cacao is a better description, though it is the fruit that chocolate is made out of. The kids all ran right over there and picked a bunch of them. They are interesting, because you break the hard case open and then the fruit is inside, though there isn't much fruit. It's more like a slimy case around the seed, and you suck on it and spit out the seed. The fruit is very sweet though there is nothing chocolaty about it. Each of the kids came back with arm fulls, very proud of their finds. Soon after, we started up a soccer game in the sand. It was me, moises, and Venancio against Gerson, Daniel and Carlos. I have so much fun playing! I have hardly ever played soccer but Venancio gave me a compliment and said i was a "buen jugadora". I did learn the hard way though that playing soccer in the sand is not the best idea. Towards the end I looked down at my leg and it was completely red and scratched up and bleeding in spots from the sand. Beautiful. But totally worth it. I wish the kids had more chances to play! Around the hogar there is absolutely no room so that's out of the question meaning that the only time they can play is when we go to the beach. I'm attempting to set up some sort of PE class in the afternoons but it's difficult because there is no space, no supplies, and the kids don't even have tennis shoes. We had a semi PE class the past three days. The kids are split into groups for the afternoon so the first day was the younger kids. We played (or attempted to play) capture the flag. They had a blast though actual running around was minimal. The older kids took there turn the next day and we had even less space and it was less successful, but everything is mostly make do. Today while the younger kids ran around I helped out Eddy with the computer's class. I found some games that taught basic typing, and everyone seemed pretty responsive. Daniel, Carlos, Cherlin and Sara picked it up the quickest. They all love to play games on the computer, so hopefully with practice and time we'll get them all pretty good at using one. It's strange thinking that it's not a common skill here. I never really considered it a skill before but it is I suppose. English classes went well more or less. The kids don't study so it's frustrating when I have to slow down my pace and can't move on, especially when there are some kids who do understand and want to move on. I gave them a little bit of a talking to today and decided to split the class next week, so we'll see how it goes.

Big news!!!! We got the land donated from the city of La Ceiba to Helping Honduras Kids for the purpose of constructing a new Hogar de Amor!!! This is a HUGE step and means that the 22 kids and 4 tias will now be out of the small three bedroom, 2 bathroom house. We could not be more excited, but it also means that we have a huge step ahead of us. Fundraising! We need the funds to construct our permanent home. We will be starting from scratch and building in stages, taking and using all the help that we can get. We need to build the wall around the property, bring in electricity and sewer, build the foundations, build the house and provide for all the necessary things that raising kids requires. The property is about 1.3 acres, so thankfully there will be space to run around and space to live. Now is the time to call up all your work groups, church groups, friends and family and get a group together to come down and pitch in!

Also, our second big news... Luz Mila is leaving for Canada on Friday! Dan Collins and his dad, Gord, arrived on Monday to bring her up with them to study for the next chapter of her life. Just thinking about the experiences she will have, the new things she will see, the opportunities she will be presented with, gives me the chills. I can't even imagine what's going through her head. Moving from the jungle in La Ceiba, Honduras to the city of Toronto Canada. Changing from a place where she had to walk an hour and a half every day through a jungle path and keeping away from Jaguars just to get to school, to somewhere where everyone has a car, school is close and the temperature is below freezing. Switching from a house with earth walls and dirt floor to a suburban modern day home. I wish I was there the entire time to see her reaction to everything new. I instructed them to keep me updated with pictures and a video of the first time she sees snow. Luz Mila is an amazing individual. She has the spark in her that tells you that she will go far. Right now her English comprehension is amazing. She is so dedicated to learning and she will take full advantage of what is presented to her. I will be writing a story on her this month, explaining everything that went into taking her up to Canada. Just when you think that it's impossible to make a difference, you realize that amazing things do happen.

In the van on my way to the beach on Sunday, I feel like something changed within me. I don't know how to explain it, or what exactly it was. Mynor was sitting on my lap, leaning his head back against my chest. He had hold of my hand and seemed so comforted with me being there. I felt like he trusted me completely and a feeling just rose up within me and I realized that I'm making almost a lifelong commitment to these kids. They are taking pieces of my heart, and I won't ever be able to take them back. I'm going to be tied to their well being for as long as they grow up and beyond. I'm doomed.

Fiesta Week

Semana de Fiesta's! Cada dia, fue increible. Technically the party's began on Thursday, but Wednesday was full of preparation. School went well. I introduced a new game and everyone (parents included) got into it. Then I got an extra bonus for not giving homework. After lunch Cristy picked us up to go to the beach with the group from Vanderbilt. Soon after we began our thanksgiving shopping trip! There was no way that we were missing thanksgiving, so we picked up all the necessities. Thursday was our cooking day! The entire day we worked on our turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, and 3 pies. All from scratch. Granted, we had a lot of help from Eddy, but it was quite a process. I also managed, while peeling potatoes, to peel my finger. Don't worry, I got no blood in them. At five the group showed up. We had our adopted children over including Geni, Paco, Denia, and a new addition- Wilmer. Wilmer is so adorable and was so excited to be there. He never, ever stops smiling. Cristy and Meily both came as well as an old volunteer Carlos. Our last invitee was David. It was such a fun night and I ate more than I have in years. Everything turned out so well it was exciting! We loaded up food for the kids and then were excited to see that Geni has definitely made an improvement in his bulk. Everyone ate a ton and we still had leftovers, but that is what Thanksgiving is all about. All my worrying was for nothing. Later we played spoons and everything was just perfect.

Friday we began our day with our next party. It was graduation for the kinder kids and sixth graders. We got there at 9 am and watched as first the kinder kids and then the sixth graders walked down the little aisle. Everyone was dressed up so well! All of the graduates were in blue dresses and dress shirts, and the attendees were dressed up as well. Waldy was the cutest thing I have ever seen. She had her hair pulled back and a princess dress on and was absolutely glowing. Each of us was the madrina/ padrina of one of the kids. Natalie was madrina of Christian, one of the kinder kids, and Ethan and I were both Geni's padrino's. As a present we gave him a photo album with some pictures in it, as well as some spending money. When his name was called we presented it to him, took a photo, and then at the end Geni and I danced a waltz. It was a really fun experience. The last part was eating! I ate about a second thanksgiving meal worth of food. The entire ceremony was over at about 1, so the three of us went swimming with Cristy and Meily in the river. We went to a lodge area with an enormous rock to jump off of. It was extremely enjoyable as well. Next stop was back to the hogar to hang out with the kids. The Vanderbilt group set up some activities to do, including an ice cream station, bowling, and cookie decorating. Our last thing on the agenda was practicing Michael Jackson's Thriller dance until late hours of the night.

We finally went ziplining today! Well, the others did. They loved it. I just joined for the second part, since I've been ziplining before. We laid in the hotsprings for hours. It was extremely relaxing and just as pretty as I remembered. The company drove us back to La Ceiba in a zebra painted pick up truck. We were all in the back and just as we started leaving, it began to pour. We were drenched and the truck flew down the road. The rain pelted us but we couldn't stop laughing. One part however was absolutely horrifying. When we got into Ceiba, there was a dog walking down the side of the road. All of us were assuming that the driver was going to swerve around it, but instead he made an effort to swerve towards it. For a minute my heart stopped because I thought he hit it, and Natalie and I both gasped. Thankfully, right after we passed we saw that he was fine, and it was even a little funny because the dog ran after us barking. I still can't believe it, and I had no idea what I would have done if he had hit it. Hardly anyone treats animals well here. The dogs are all starving, get kicked and hit, and are targets for cars. Horrifying. Driving down the main street from Ceiba in our zepra painted pick up was also kind of amusing. I don't know a better way to scream 'tourist' than that right there. I definitely heard some laughs, but it was fun. We got back, did some last minute practice, and then headed over to the fiesta at the Hogar for the night. It was the monthly fiesta for all of the kids with Birthdays, which was Carlos and Carolina this month. We got Carlos some marbles and a soccer ball, and Carolina a pair of sandals. They were both thrilled. It was quite the noche de talento. Rosa hosted the entertainment. Some of the highlights included Joel's dance to Billy Jean, which was one of the funniest, cutest things I have seen. Sherlin sang to Shakira which I personally thought was pretty good. She was so sassy, and she sang perfectly most all of the words, even though they were extremely fast. Mercedes also sang, and my favorite part was simply to watch her face and see how happy she was to be up in front and performing. Santos, Lula, and Angelo all sang Barney's "happy family" song, which was precious as well. Our performance went well, all things considered. I mean, after Joel's Michael Jackson- there was no way we could compete. ;) The night ended really fun, with everyone there just dancing and jumping and laughing. I still can't Punta (the dance that the kids all do), but I was enjoying jumping up and down. I love to watch Rosa dance, because she lights up when she hears the music. She can move and get into it, and her smile is so big. I love seeing her like that, because many of the times she is more reserved. Some of the kids were really out of sorts because it was the Vanderbilt group's last day. Poor Patricia was crying the entire night, and Reina was close to tears much of the time as well. Even Rosa shed a few as the night ended. All that we can hope is that in some way, someone was changed for the better through the meeting, because you never what impact you can make.

Hondurafied

Well, we are officially becoming Hondurafied. We now know how to make balleadas! Yesterday was quite the day. A large chunk of Geni's extended family came to visit us. This included two of his aunts, his sister, and about 6 cousins, plus his brother and Alan who were already with us. We made a mountain of tortillas, beans, and cheese but sure enough, once we sat down to eat they all disappeared. They were so delicious though! We can now make balleadas and tajadas! (fried plantains that are delicious and taste like potatoes but better). Denia, Geni's sister, is teaching me some spanish. I had homework and everything. I see why people get tired when they are hosting people in their houses. Oh! Eddy moved out so now it's just the three of us. In a house to ourselves. It's a little strange. Tonight we randomly decided to get some exercise and stretch. This decision was made at about 11 o clock at night- you know, some midnight exercise. Lots of fun.

Teaching is getting a little easier. I'm  coming up with lesson plans without too much problems. The difficult part is still having that "teacher" air about me, that says Hey! Listen to me!. But i'm working on it. I have some older kids from the high school coming as well and they are all pretty far ahead of the other kids. Everything that my teachers ever complained about - different level of kids, missing school, not listening, not doing homework, being late- I now understand why it is frustrating. I enjoy it though for the most part.

On sunday a new group of volunteers arrived and we went to the river. It was a laid back outing, and I had some fun splashing around with the kids. All of the new group are either college juniors or seniors. I walked past them this morning as they were hauling sand up the huge steps at the jungle school and it brought back plenty of memories.

We are preparing for a thanksgiving feast! So that should be delicious. It will be a little HHK get together. All in all, everything seems to be going good!

Surprises

I started this post off with "Tomorrow was extremely fun", well that obviously makes a lot of sense. My english is doing so well here. Yesterday though was quite good. Right when I got to the Hogar, David was loading up the car with the kids to make a trip up to the river. My policy is always to go with David because you never know what your going to do, and it turned out pretty well. Some of the kids and I were in the back of his pick up, which is so extremely fun to stand up and have the wind in your face. We got to the jungle school and began helping haul up brick from the bottom to the top. Brick after brick. It brought back memories of my trip in April. The little ones were cute, sharing a block between two of them to haul up. By the end I was sweating so much. Laura was with me, and after the bricks, she and the kids lobbied David to go swimming in the river. He at first said no, but a chant went up and we got a nod, so we all ran down to the river and jumped in fully clothed, me with jeans on and everything. It felt so nice. On the way back we air dried in the truck and then it was nap time and I fell asleep on the couch.

Geni and Paco came over last night and we took them to see Harry Potter! It was so much fun, and it was the first time they had been to the movies. Imagine never going to the movies until you were 10 and 13 years old. We bought some maroon and yellow fabric and made ties and scarves before. No one ever dresses up in Honduras, so we were the strange gringos with Harry Potter costumes walking around, with two little one's (also dressed up) in tow. The movie was pretty dark, but they really liked the experience. I absolutely loved it, sooo good! They were so excited. Paco is the cutest boy alive. He is so excited about everything. Natalie was talking to Ethan and she said how happy he looked and he stops and looks at her and responds in English "I am happy!". We have been feeding them so much, we are a little afraid they are going to explode from too much food.

Today we spent most of the entire day cleaning. I don't know if this house has ever been cleaned. We washed down the kitchen walls, cleaned sinks, bathrooms, swept floors and scrubbed off rust and bacteria. And then after hours of cleaning we found them. First outside, and then later in our house. Maggots. Oh my gosh. I don't think I have ever been more disgusted. I'm still horrified. Outside in the trash at least it was understandable, but inside. Ugh I can't even talk about it more.

Our family has grown by one more child tonight. Just when we had about finished cleaning, we look outside and two of Geny's aunts are there with one of his cousins. We were quite surprised, but quickly let them in. It is always an adventure communicating with our limited spanish. I offered them something to eat, and then checked to see what we had and realized we had no snacks. So we ended up making pasta and sauce. We talked (kind of) for quite awhile, and they told me how grateful they were for the volunteers and the school. I learned a little about the kids families. Their mom died 4 years ago, and there dad ran off. He lives in the states but doesn't keep in contact. In the end, Natalie, Ethan and I decided that they came because they wanted to bring Geny's cousin, Alan, over because he has an infection on his knee. They were hoping we could get him some medicine. So we invited him to stay the night and took him to the farmacia. So now we have three sons. I love it.  

Keeping Busy

Hey! Sorry for the break in writing. I've been busy helping out with sponsor work for HHK. I've decided to only write twice a week, so for those of you (probably just my mother ;) ) who are looking for my blogs, count on them on Saturday's and Tuesday's.

This week has been really great. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were classes at the jungle school in the morning. We got up at a nice and reasonable hour, 7:00, and headed over to the Hogar to get a ride from David with all the kids to the school. It is vacation school now, so the only class the kids have is English. After all my planning on Sunday, we ended up getting through only a quarter of the lesson, so I was extremely excited- it meant I had lessons for the rest of the days! I passed out the binders that Alexis had brought me, and they were all very excited to have it just for English. I also took pictures of them all and printed them out to glue in. I'm still teaching the second level class, and Natalie and Ethan are working with the first level. Unfortunately we can't use both classrooms until after the graduation so the first level is working out on the picnic tables below. I feel kind of bad but well.... I didn't want to do it. We have covered the alphabet and are working on pronunciation. I have determined that the silent "e" concept is extremely difficult for most of them to pick up (minus our class genius Daniel). Also, I have determined that English has no reason as to why we say certain words like we do, and therefore it is impossible to teach. But we're getting there. I worked out a system that every time they answer a question, volunteer, or win a game they get a star. When they have five stars they are allowed to choose a prize. I was so glad that it worked, because all of the kids are so proud of their stickers. When I got back wednesday I then proceeded to spend $30 on prizes, but its all for the cause.

Geny stayed the night on Tuesday again. We took him to take some pictures for his graduation after school and it was one of the funniest experiences. Me, Ethan and Natalie all went with him as the lady was taking them, and we stood behind her making funny faces to get him to smile. He was attempting to do the serious face that all of the kids do, but we weren't having any of it. We felt exactly like parents, coaching him on his smile and acting rediculous. It was fun. In the morning, on our way to school, we fit 30 people into the van built for 20. It was a miracle really that we all fit. I was extremely impressed.

Sherlin is no longer ignoring me. For about a two weeks she did not speak a word to me. Not one. Every time I would even look in her direction, she would leave the room. And then, yesterday she decided to be my friend again. She is the moodiest girl I have ever met. She gets attention in such strange ways. I'm really sad though. Britta was planning on coming down over winter break. Her and Sherlin were absolutely inseperable for the week that the group was here, and Sherlin has been looking forward to her visit since we got here. Now Britta is unsure if she can make it anymore- its always finances. I truly don't know if I have the heart to break the news to Sherlin. I don't want to add disappointment to this girl who I'm sure has had a lot of disappointment in her life. Hopefully things will work out.

Today there wasn't school at the Jungle School, but we taught a short English class at the Hogar. It went well more or less.  A little later David took us all to the SOS children's village, which is the orphanage he used to work at before breaking off and starting his own. There are 140 kids there but the facilities are very nice. There was a lot of open space and it is organized into houses. 8-10 kids live in a house, with a kitchen and living area, and a tia to watch over them. While we were there it was pouring rain, so we all congregated under a shelter, the Hogar kids and some of the SOS kids. David was there to drop off some rice and supplies. It was interesting seeing our kids interact with the others. They were very shy and timid, and seemed a little uncomfortable. I'm not sure why. The SOS kids were playing soccer in the rain, running through puddles (which looked more like lakes) and getting sopping wet. By the end I had joined them, fell several times, and was the only dripping one on the car ride back. So fun.

Piojo's!

Natalie officially has Piojo's!! It's kind of awesome. We have been joking about it the entire trip, and now she has them. Piojo's are lice by the way. She's been itching her head since wednesday. We had checked before that but didn't see anything, but Lara (the new volunteer) checked today and sure enough! We went on a piojo shampoo hunt at 9 30 tonight, and all that was open were Pulperia's (tiny snack stores) and liquer stores. We made a new friend at one of the Pulperia's, asking for piojo shampoo. Unfortunately he said no, so we went back and then returned later to look for some vinigar. At this point he was laughing at us and again the answer was no. So we went to find another Pulperia and success! Piojo shampoo! On our way back we showed our friend, and he was really excited for us. Natalie is now soaking her hair in some pretty terrible smelling stuff but soon, no more piojo's! Honestly, it's inevitable that one of us were going to get them. We probably all will eventually. The kids all have them and we are always close. The kids love natalie especially and give her lots of hugs, so...

Today was extremely laid back for me especially, though I think I managed to stress myself out more than I have all trip. Natalie, Ethan and the other volunteers went swimming with the kids and they said they had a good time. I stayed home to prepare a lesson plan because tomorrow English classes begin from 9-12 and I really want to be prepared and have a fun class and have the kids learn a lot. I now have a lesson that will hopefully last for a long enough time. Unfortunately it is just one lesson, so tomorrow I will have to do the same thing in about an eighth of the time. Should be fun. I'm sure I just overthink things, but its really more out of my desire for them to truly learn and for me to be a good teacher. Teaching can be as easy or difficult as you make it, but to be a good teacher I think is hard. I have no idea really what to expect tomorrow, how many kids will be there, or what ages. Should be interesting. Hope it goes well. 

Happy Birthday Natalie!

I would like my parents to take a moment to appreciate my newfound cooking skills which have been on exhibit the past few days. I have almost single-handedly made a complete pizza from scratch, pancakes and eggs, and a cake. Add to that the chicken from before and I feel like I'm almost a chef. Ok, moment over. These past three days have been very busy and very good. On Thursday we woke up late and spent some time at the hogar. Geny and his brother Paco spent the night again, and Anna and Clara took them out to go shopping for supplies for the family. I went with them to Wendy's in the night and we just relaxed. The kids love to watch tv because its a special treat for them. On Friday I went with Geny, Anna, and Clara again to Geny's house to bring up some of the supplies. We couldn't take everything because there was a lot of stuff. But we hiked up there again through the mud and spent some good time talking with Geny's grandmother. She is a remarkable woman. She is the matriarch of her family and caretaker of dozens of children while their parents are working. She is extremely generous and gracious, and extremely respected. Several of Geny's cousins live with them, and many of the others live in houses very close to their own. Everyone is an uncle, aunt, cousin, brother and sister to someone else, but it is impossible to remember all the relationships because age doesn't really determine it. Just because two kids are the same age doesn't mean they're cousins, they could easily by an aunt or uncle or something else. It was a short visit because we needed to be back at the jungle school so that Anna and Clara could say their goodbye's. Goodbye's are so difficult. Anna and Clara were so sad, you could see that they didn't want to leave. The kids steal your heart and take it away so easily. They brought some drinks and chips and candy to throw a mini going away party, and a few tears were shed. Seeing how they felt after three weeks made me think about what it's going to be like saying goodbye after 6 months. I can't even imagine.

            We got back at about 1 30, and I grabbed some balleadas and went back to the house to work on the profiles for the hogar. I also decided to attempt to get some exercise in doing basic things like lunges and sit ups and pushups. Well, I am currently extremely sore, thus showing me how out of shape I really am. During this time I also made the pizzas- crust, sauce and all. When everyone got back we ate them as out goodbye dinner and they turned out pretty well. It was a sad goodbye. They invited all of us to Spain to visit this summer. I wish I could.

            This morning at about 7 30 I woke up to the sound of someone calling my name from outside. Confused, I got up and peeked out the window and Geny and his older sister Denya waiting outside the gate with their bikes. They came to try to say goodbye to Anna and Clara but they missed them by about an hour. I let them in and we decided to make some pancakes and eggs. A trip to the store for some eggs, syrup, and milk, and the pancakes turned out pretty well. After that they just relaxed in the chairs watching some TV. The others were all sleeping for awhile still. When they finally got up we decided to go to the Hogar to see what the plans were. It was Natalie's birthday today! We were hoping to go ziplining, but because of ride issues and weather we decided to postpone that adventure. We instead brought up the rest of the supplies to Geny's house. It was the first time Natalie, Ethan and Korey had been there, and i think the enjoyed themselves. The path up was even more slippery than before because of the rain this morning, and all of us were in Sandals. I had my tenis shoes in my backpack but for some reason decided not to use them which resluted in several close calls. A little later, David brought all of the younger kids up to say hi as well. The older kids were at a class for music for the day. Paola's madrina and a friend of hers arrived today to visit Paola and see the HHK programs. They are both very nice and it is obvious that they are quickly falling under the kids spell as well. Laura (madrina) said that as soon as  Paola saw her, without ever meeting her before, she just enveloped her into the biggest hug. It was quite a crowd at the tiny house. The kids were running and slipping in the mud, climbing the trees, and running around the forest. The animals were in and out, trying to steal any food they could. It was so sad because the poor dogs, including a month old puppy, were constantly being stepped on and yelping, and no one paid them the least bit of attention. But that's how it is. Nothing has a name because theses animals are not pets (although they do have a pet pigeon that they keep, kind of like a parrot). After a few hours we headed back down, I slipped a few more times, and then we made a pit stop at with the kids at Burger King for ice cream cones. When we got back to the house we went out to dinner for Natalie's B-day and then made a delicious cake to celebrate. It sounds like so little but we were kept busy and it was good.

A Wonderful Day

Everyone was kicked out of the Hogar today due to a scheduled rat fumigation, so David loaded up the van and we went on a full day outing. Ethan and Korey stayed behind, but Natalie and I had so much fun with the kids. Even riding in the van is an adventure. HHK has a four row van that is supposed to fit 20. We managed to squeeze in 27, on top of bags for everyone with beachwear, and an enormous cooler with food. Luckily the kids are small. Our first stop was the beach. Not the beach close to us, which is iffy, but one that was very nice and secluded. We were the only one's there, which was definitely a crowd, but it was fun. I spent much of my time being hung on by a mixture of Paola, Lula, Joel and Santos. This was especially perilous because of the hundreds of sand dollars that we were constantly stepping on. It was kind of incredible the amount of them. They weren't just here or there, but there were sections where you couldn't feel the sand, only sand dollars under you. The kids love to swim. We spent hours in the water. I paid for it later, as evidenced by the beautiful, even, redness spread around my body. We buried several kids in the sand, including me, and then sat down for lunch. About an hour later we heard the call "Vamanos", and everyone piled into the van again. We went to El Cacao to check in on some programs, including a daycare that is set up, and another childrens home where there are 20 kids all under 6 years old. After those quick stops we piled out at Rachel's house, to see how she is doing. Rachel is one of the girls who used to be at the Hogar. She ran away several times, and finally they had to let her begin her own life. Now she is married and has a baby at 18 years old. I think it is tough for David to be there with Rachel, because he sees how she is living now ;in a tiny one room house, with a kitchen separate outside. It's not much, though everyone was very excited because they just bought a tv. Right next to her "house" is a pig farm that we walked through. I didn't realize that pigs get so BIG! There were so many of them of all ages, including adorable tiny baby piglets. They must have been not over a week old because one still had an umbilical cord. After buying some cheese that they make in the community, we said our goodbyes and again squeezed in. Every time we got in the van I really think it got smaller and smaller.  

Our last stop for the day was up to the jungle school. Not for school though! We went swimming in the rio, and it was absolutely lovely! There was a spot that was pretty deep and secluded, so we could jump off rocks and basically relax. The kids thought the water was so cold, but Natalie and I were loving it because it was about normal for us. Minor was shivering as much as a person can. There was also a spot that you could go into the main current and drift down the river until you ended up in another pool. That was so much fun as well. I love how you can go from the Caribbean to a tropical jungle river in about 20 minutes. It's amazing. Our day however was not over as we again loaded into the van. When we got home, we showered and then went to a futbol game! The two big teams from La Ceiba were playing today- Vida and Victoria. Everyone from La Ceiba has to choose one or the other. I am officially for Victoria ( with the help of Geni). Natalie and Ethan are Vida, so it's no good there. I won't say who won because I'd be betraying my team. Geni and his brother Jose (Paco) are staying with us again tonight, and we took them to the game. It was their first one ever and I think they really enjoyed themselves. They are both so quiet but you could tell they were just taking it in. Jose is only 10 and perhaps the quietest boy I've ever seen. He is tiny, like Paola, but also like Paola he is very sweet. The entire family is truly amazing. Finally we are home, and I must admit that today was quite amazing. 

Lots of Laughs

Hallelujah, my first warm shower in two weeks! Hot water is officially fixed and I love it. Right now one of the boys, Geni, is staying at our house. We are helping him with studying, though I admit, there is minimal studying going on tonight. We are having fun showing him friends and family on facebook, as well as the joys of photobooth on the mac computers. More importantly, he helped us cook a chicken today. Well not cook, but cut. When he came here, we wanted to cook him a good meal, so we decided to go get some chicken to cook. Natalie and Ethan came back with a whole chicken, in a bag. We were hoping that someone would know what to do with it, but one by one we passed it around and shook our heads. This included me, Natalie, Ethan, Korey, as well as the Spanish volunteers Anna and Clara. So all of our heads turned to Geni for direction. At this point he was laughing extremely hard. It must have looked so sad. So he took the chicken out and began to cut it up for us into good sized pieces. We all watched as he pulled apart legs and the middle, and cut through the bones etc. Ugh. Once we had the pieces, I pulled out the cookbook and figured out how to bake it. It turned out surprisingly well! I put in some onions, garlic and olive oil and then cooked it. We made rice and baked carrots and I consider it the best meal we've made! Genie has also been laughing at our attempts to speak spanish. Natalie came up to him and meant to ask him if he wanted some chips, so she pointed and said "te quiero". He gave her a very strange look and she just handed him the bag and walked away. I sat there for like a minute thinking about it and then started cracking up, realizing that she had just said "I love you". So now, every time we ask him if he wants something we tell him that we love him. Ah so funny. So many laughs here, at the moment I cant stop. Anna is perhaps the funniest person I have met. 

Anna and I were the only one's to get up early to go to the jungle school this morning. School this week is only for those who need extra help, and I was in charge of three kids in third grade. We spent time practicing our times tables. Anna went with the sixth graders to take their graduation pictures, and when she got back we both hiked to Geni's house to speak with his grandmother. It was a twenty minute walk up a muddy, slippery slope. We eventually arrived without falling (success) and were welcomed into Geni's house. Seeing the kids at the school every day in their uniforms, it's so easy to forget where exactly they life. We were greeted by several enormous pigs laying outside the house, and clothes strung around the house. Inside there was only the dirt floor and single room, with a stove in one corner and the beds in another. The roof is only tin, and looking up I wonder what they do when it rains. While we were sitting inside, I looked to my right and a tiny little puppy emerged. Later there were hens with baby chicks coming in and out of the house, and the pigs kept entering and being shooed out. They gave us some water with lemon juice in it, and Anna and I looked at each other and prayed for cleanliness before drinking. It was quite good, but we shall know soon if any Montezuma's revenge was contained within it. In a situation like that, you don't refuse anything that is offered. Nothing bad so far :). 

We went down to catch the bus, but the bus decided to be 2 hours late. It was quite nice. We walked with Geni, the school director, and three of the kids half way down the jungle school road. I enjoyed the walk. It is so pretty, and the three little boys were so funny, clinging to us and racing ahead. I didn't enjoy being bitten by tiny red ants, but that was the only unenjoyable part. Finally the bus picked us up which was about time. We took Geni to burger king, went shopping for some food, and then our night adventures began. Very fun day, and I'm so glad I went. They invited me back to visit any time. Geni is such a good, nice kid. If he can't go to the high school, he will repeat sixth grade again or help out at the jungle school, which would be a bummer because he would loose a year. There is some hope though. 

School's Out!

Official last day of school! Today was the fiesta at the Jungle School, and the kids (and me) had tons of fun. There was some work finishing up exams in the morning, and then David brought up all the equipment from the Hogar to watch a movie. That movie captivated all of the kids immediately, which was perfect for us to serve the food. We had bought the food for the fiesta the day before as a donation, and then passed plates out. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough plates or silverware so with no other option we had to reuse them without washing as kids finished, and pass them back out with new food. But that is how a lot of things are over here. We do the best we can with what we have, though it is rarely ideal. Later, there were some nice sized pieces of cake for all of the kids. I spent Sunday night helping Eddy bake three enormous cakes for the party. It took about 3 hours but it was so much fun and they turned out deliciously. We even got to make a mini cake for us- chocolate banana. Mmmmm. A mini talent show followed the movie, and some time for dancing. It was a little bit crazy in the one room with about 90 kids, plus more parents and siblings. Kids were dancing and running into each other, falling down and tripping others. It especially didn't help that some of the boys would not stop fighting, and every time we broke them up they claimed they were "playing". But no one got hurt. I think it is so funny the difference between kids here and in the states. Its incredible. Here, there is so little supervision of what kids do or where they are. You see them playing in the street, hanging off of fences, and doing all manner of things that would stop a mothers heart. At the fiesta today there was a little baby a few months old that her older sister (about 7?) was carrying around, and none to carefully. Also, my heart just about stopped when the piñatas came out. There was hardly any room for the kids to swing the bat (excuse me, piece of wood), and when Santos had it, he took a back swing that must have come within three inches of Carolinas face. She didn't even flinch. I kind of gave a mini yelp. Then, when the candy started coming out, it was literally, in every manner of the word, a dog pile. Kids jumped on it, ignoring the bat swinging above, and then fought each other for it. I looked down and it looked more like fish in a net when they are pulled up. It was kind of funny, and I thought how different it is in the states where the parents carefully monitor all safety rules. Haha, it works out somehow. 

Mom- a special not for you. Remember how I signed us up for sponsoring a kid? Well, we are sponsoring Daniel. He is so smart and sweet. Anyways, when you are a sponsor, you are considered the kids "Madrina" or "Padrino" which is Godmother of Godfather. I told him that you were his "Madrina" today and you should have seen the enormous smile that lit his face. He gave a small whoop and then did a back flip right there. I laughed so much. You should be getting a letter from him pretty soon :) A chance to practice your Spanish? Haha, miss you. 

Sponsoring a kid is such a big deal here at the Hogar. The kids really love talking to and keeping in touch with their Madrina's and Padrino's. When we pull up pictures they spend so long looking at them. A sponsorship is their way of knowing that they have someone special that cares about them. They are important to the Hogar and School as well, because sponsorships are almost the only way that money gets to go to the general programs that HHK runs. They pay for food, for salaries, and for the things that keep the kids healthy and happy. Many times groups or individuals raise money for construction or other specific projects because it is nice to see a finished project that they contribute to, which is awesome, but it is more difficult to raise funds for general upkeep. That is where sponsors come in, but at the moment we are severely lacking in the number needed to pay for the monthly upkeep at the Hogar. We are working to expand our sponsor base as best we can, so hopefully some new publicity will bring us a little bit of help.

Change of Plans

Trip to Roatan for the weekend was cancelled on account of rain. A lot of it. It rained for about 12 hours strait, and this isn't drizzle rain, this is pouring rain. The entire city was flooded. We took a taxi on Thursday morning, though at certain points a boat would have seemed more appropriate. There were some streets that had maybe 2 feet of water in them. I know this seems like an exaggeration but it isn't at all. We got to the Hogar only to find out that school was cancelled. The kids were ecstatic of course, and even I was a little relieved. I had some time to relax. We helped the kids do some studying because exams got moved to Friday, and the party that was scheduled was moved to Monday. Friday's classes went well. The first day without any major meltdowns in the Kinder. I had 9 kids and maintained order. It helped that Kevin didn't come until half way through. Though I was worried when I didn't see him. Even though he's a pain, I'm used to having him there. In English I gave a pop quiz. Something easy, just 20 words that they knew in English. Well they all groaned and it was just like I thought, they weren't actually absorbing all that much of what I have taught them. But I knew that, and was kind of waiting until Summer sessions start so that I can pass out binders and really start grammar. When I said to write 20 words, one of the Kids, Daniel whom I absolutely love, went and wrote 20 sentences. This kid is so smart and intelligent and sweet. He made me a bracelet today that you could tell he spent a lot of time on. He is one of the older boys and because of that hugs are not allowed ;), though I squeezed one out of him today for my bracelet. He is also the one that keeps bugging me about my shirt. On Thursday I made the mistake of wearing my Duke t-shirt. I didn't think anything of it and completely forgot what was on the back. Duke's mascot is the blue devils, so the back has a figure of a devil on top of the world. Well once I got to the Hogar all of the kids gasped and told me that I was bad. Whoops haha I kind of had a difficult time explaining that one away. That shirt is now relegated to pajama shirt I think. 

At the moment I am almost completely covered with an enormous rash. I have no idea what it is and discovered it on my arms this morning. It is simply a collage of little red dots, everywhere. They don't hurt or itch, but when I went to change into my bathing suit I found my stomach and back were three times worse. It isn't pretty and I'm hoping it just kind of disappears? We shall see about this one. I seem to be contracting the strangest things down here. We finally have internet in the house! Well kind of. It only works on half of our computers, but at least we can access the outside world. Once something breaks down here, it generally is out for good. First the Internet broke, then the hot water, now the toilet doesn't always flush, and the washing machine is on it's way out. But hey, we make do. Cristy brought in a TV unexpectedly so that is now a possibility. We are slowly settling in. 

Today was very fun. We took the kids out to the beach to run around. I didn't plan on going swimming because of my beautiful rash, but all the girls immediately ran up to me and gave me big, wet hugs. I did avoid being pushed in though. Natalie and Korey were not so lucky. We buried some of the boys in the sand and began a game of volleyball. When that failed, we changed to soccer and I got the most exercise I've had in awhile. Although I don't really know if it was exercise. I was simply completely out of breath. I'm not as terrible as I expected so it was kind of exciting. I'm also working on a few projects for the school; making profiles for all the Jungle School kids. No plans for tomorrow so probably will just hang out with the kids :)

For once there was order

For the first time, I felt like the Kinder class was almost under control. It was quite nice. Only two meltdowns; Kevin was one of course, and Danielito the other. We began the morning with practicing numbers and coloring. Later, when I felt that was all the practice they could take, I pulled out some craft supplies to make pictures. I felt so prepared because the night before I made an example of how to cut out a flower, glue it on some paper and draw a sun. Add to that a few stickers and the kids couldn't be happier. We had a nice break in the middle while the kids went to drink their milk and when they returned we went on a hunt for some leaves in the forest to glue on some paper and make bracelets. Unfortunately the second craft finished a bit earlier than I wanted, so I had to improvise and let them the play. Well I did learn to never just let the play. They need some direction. So after five minutes of chaos, playtime was over and I read them several stories, which fortunately is something they enjoy. I let them out 15 minutes early and then freedom for one day. Oh I forgot to tell you the other day about the abundance of lice everywhere around me. Yes, it is quite disgusting at times. We could actually stare at Keyla's head at wait about a minute, and sure enough an enormous lice would surface and then bury back in. It was fascinating, but I am quite terrified because I have a bad premonition that I might be sharing her fate soon. Goodness I hope not. We drew some family trees today in English, learning relationships between mother, father, brother, sister etc. It wasn't my best class but they were kept busy. Tomorrow is the last day of classes before vacation. No more kinder for 2 months! Tomorrow is also my last day of Spanish class. I'm a little bummed because class is the only time I really get to practice, besides with the kids. When I'm at the volunteer house, everyone speaks English so I'm not surrounded as much as I would like. I'm so impatient with myself and want to know everything now. But I'm realizing that it is possible to stay here and never learn Spanish, and I don't want that to happen to me at all. I want to be able to speak well and semi- naturally. I'll have to find some Honduran friends that I can hang around.

Every day I am here, I hear another story of another child that breaks my heart. Today was Genie. Genie is the brother of Paola, one of the girls at the Hogar, and he is graduating this year from the Jungle School. Their mother died years ago, and his father (different than Paola's) has never been part of his life. He lives with his grandmother and often has to work to make money. He is only 13 years old. Right now we aren't sure if he is going to be able to continue to study, even though he wants nothing more than that. He didn't pass the entrance exam for the school that some of the other kids have gone to in the past. Anna was talking with his teachers, and they said that he is one of the quicker kids and more intelligent than some of the kids who did pass. His teacher thinks it was out of sheer nervousness that he did poorly. Anna and I are both concerned; she is going to try to raise enough funds when she goes back to spain to pay for him to go to school, but isn't sure if that solution will work with the school. He came to the Hogar today to talk and try to figure out something to do, and you could tell he was very dejected and nervous. She is going to start tutoring him next week, but she is only here for one week more. I promised that I would help and do what I can, keep an eye on him and tutor him in the subjects I know. Even if he can't go to the school, he still wants to study, so if need be I'll teach him myself or find someone who can, or something...

Learning and teaching in the impossible

I got back to a normal routine today with a 5 o'clock wake up call and work in the kinder. It was Korey's first full day and she got to experience the entire school experience, including the line up in the morning where the kids all sing their national anthem. If we in the US ever thought saying the pledge in school was a nuisance, we have it so easy compared to their anthem. It is sooo long and repetative, and the kids sing it without any enthusiasm. It is so funny to watch as they repeat over and over, "tu banderrrrraaaaa". This week is exam week, the last week before the two month vacation. Since the teachers don't need to much help as the kids take their exams, we had 4 of the volunteers helping in the Kinder; Ethan, Korey, Anna (A volunteer from Spain) and me. Even with the four of us and only six kids it was still a project keeping them engaged. Every kid is at a different level, so while some have finished their work, others are just starting. We were successful in keeping them busy in the beginning, but as soon as they we ran out of papers for them to draw letters, we couldn't really keep them occupied. It is dificult to grab kids attention because there are always so many other things going on. The kinder room is smashed between the other two classrooms, which are both very noisy. In reality, it is almost impossible for any grade to truly concentrate. The school is desperately in need of the third classroom, which is in progress.It would be ideal if it could be finished by the time classes start again in January, but I don't think there will be enough funds to complete it. Something else the kids need, and David has plans to buy as soon as money comes in (which could be awhile), is a bus run by HHK. Right now HHK pays for a bus to take the Hogar kids to school, but the bus isn't obligated to stop for others who attend the Jungle school. Sometimes it stops and sometimes it doesn't, depending on how full it is. I didn't realize this until today when we were driving up the dirt road to the school and on the side were a group of the Jungle School kids in their uniforms waiting, but the bus kept on going. If the bus doesn't stop, the kids either walk to school, or don't go. It is so difficult to teach when the kids aren't there every day. So many things need fixing but at least there is something for now. Not to mention the hope of building a new Hogar soon because the rented house the kids are in is far to small for their needs, but that is another problem. 

So many things that happen here I am amazed at. Today while taking her exams, one of the girls had to take care of her one year old sister, so she was holding her with her arm while taking her exam with her other. When the baby started crying she had to stop and quiet her. Clara was working with the second grade today and she asked another of the girls why she would never do her homework. She responded that she couldn't because in the afternoon she has to help her mother work and wash clothing. Second grade. Others aren't able to complete it because they don't have light in their houses. These kids also need so much more than just school knowledge. They need to be taught manners and social skills. Today Lissy, one of the Kinders, asked to use the bathroom. I said yes of course, so she went around back to where the outhouse was. I went to check on her right after and was slightly perturbed to find her just squating in the dirt and using the bathroom, like it was no big deal which I suppose it isn't. I find this slightly worrisome though because right there is where all the kids play during their break, always rolling in the dirt and falling down. Nothing is exactly sanitary here. Kevin was so extremely frustrating today. We honestly all dread what each day will bring when he is around, but I suppose it is an exercise in patience? He has no manners and is difficult to discipline. He is seven years old and still in kinder, though he looks as if he is only 4 or 5. The majority of the kids look at least 2 or 3 years younger than they are because of such poor nutrition. Their growth is stunted, which contrasts with their emotional growth, which is exponentially higher than most kids should be because the kids have so much responsibilitly. All I can do is help in my own small way, let the kids know they are loved, and try to leave a tiny mark in the paths of their lives. 

It is Beautiful

I am always amazed at how beautiful this country is. It has so much natural beauty, the caribbean paired with the jungle is simply breathtaking. I spent the morning hiking through the jungle in the Pico Bonito reserve. We took a tour and hiked an hour and a half to a waterfall. I was so glad to get out and do something active, especially since hiking is one of my favorite activities. Plus, it's hard to beat the location we were at. The waterfall was of course stunning. The director before we left had told us we shouldn't try to go swimming because the rocks are slippery, so as soon as we got there we took our shoes off and carefully made our way into the spray. There wasn't anywhere to swim, but it was amazing and exhilarating to just sit under the water as it poured down on you from 160 feet up. The water was nice and refreshing after the hike, and I could not stop giggling. So pretty. As we walked back, butterfly's were fluttering around and we found a few lizards. I was quite happy. 

Nothing too exciting this afternoon. I am constantly making lists of things to do and things I need to buy. It's strange being here, because I am so much neater and cleaner than I ever am at home. I have been on a cleaning frenzy, and can't stop organizing things. I'm planning on tackling the floors and kitchen again but need to buy some cleaning materials. I cooked my first official meal today! Nothing fancy, just potatoes and onions and peppers, but still- I was proud of my initiative. I'm also being responsible and making a budget which I'm sure I will go over, and I'm busy planning lessons for english. On top of that I promised to help out with some sponsor projects so we shall see where my time goes. This is what I love though, having more things to do than I can ever finish!