Starting Anew

Feeling better! Around 85% which is pretty good in my opinion. I'm able to talk, able to eat more than liquid, and basically be normal; so yay for quick recovery's! Today was certainly long. I woke up early because I have temporarily moved my bed to the living room where we don't use air conditioning which is apparently bad for my throat, which means that I'm up when the first person is up. In this case it was pretty much all the group because everyone went to Cayos Cochinos, which they absolutely loved. How could you not? Tropical islands and the beach and crystal blue water. Ethan has come back with one of the funniest sun burns I have ever seen. It seems he decided to put sunscreen everywhere except certain parts of his body, which included half his neck, his upper right forearm and his left foot. Anyways, I didn't go because I thought it would be difficult to snorkel, plus my doctors bill from my previous trip deterred me from spending more money. Instead I took a trip to the Hogar to help out with preparations for the fiesta.

The original plan was to go out in the morning, buy some presents for the kids whose birthdays were being celebrated (all the kids who have a birthday in October), make some copies and stop by the bank- all by myself. Well that lasted about 5 minutes after I walked out of the house- by myself- and was called out to on every corner 'hey baby'. Needless to say I turned around, my bravery gone, went to the house, changed into longer shorts, grabbed my stuff for the Hogar and walked over there. I'm quite glad that Ethan came because no one has hassled us before until I went down the street myself. Aye. There was nothing really to worry about, but it was simply a comfort level thing. At the Hogar I spent the morning chopping vegetables, helping bake cakes, and doing whatever chores I could. The kids were busy putting up oddly shaped balloons and other decorations. They were all so excited and every five minutes would make sure that Natalie and Ethan and the other volunteer were coming to the fiesta, to which I reassured them for the 20th time that yes, they would be there at six. I headed back to the house at 4, and everyone arrived just after I got back. Ethan and I went shopping for Birthday presents with surprising luck. We found a doll for Ruth, a motorcycle for Joel that he didn't put down at all, and a toy car for Francisco. We gave Santos the soccer ball I brought and Rosa the promise to take her shopping. I'm so glad they loved them. It began to pour on us on our way back so we both made a dash for the house as my white dress got soaked, but all was well.

La Fiesta was very fun! It started out a little interesting, mainly because the entire city decided to go without electricity from 5:40 - 8:00. So we were eating by lamp light, which used a very clever system that David rigged to use the battery from his car. After dinner, the talent show began with dancing acts, and singing acts, and a few interruptions to pass out presents. Moises had one of the funniest acts I've seen. He has a specific dance that he always does, which consists of waving is hands rapidly from left to right, then slowly bring them down his body and clapping. Well he decided to pair this with a costume made out of palm fronds and some pretty nice shades. Together the combination was too funny to handle. Daniel and some of the other boys pulled together a skit which make me laugh also. It was mainly Daniels excellent acting as the town drunk, as he held his beer bottle and stumbled around. Later the skit revealed that he could be saved through Jesus so there was a purpose to it all. Sherlin was MC for the night. She really should be a talk show host because she loves the spotlight in front of crowds, and her humor is perfect for it, and she's good! At the end of the night they all pulled us in to dance and tried to teach us to 'punta' which is done by moving your hips faster than mine can move. The entire night was so much fun. The kids were so excited, and we did get light half way through! The fiesta ended about 12 and here I am back at home. Apparently preparations are ideas are already underway for the next fiesta!

When I miss my Mother

Nothing makes you realize that you aren't at home quite like being sick in bed somewhere that your mom can't come take care of you. It's one of the first things you think of when you don't feel so well, but she's not there to tell you it will be okay. It makes you feel very far away. Yesterday was lots of fun. My schedule looked something like, sleep, eat (I could only eat beans and smashed bananas because they are soft), sleep, have some medicine, sleep, have some tea, sleep, more beans etc. etc. My symptoms are mainly a strong sore throat and a very swollen bottom portion of my face, accompanied briefly by a fever last night but that seems to have dissipated. Needless to say, this isn't exactly the common cold. I think I'm keeping in good spirits though. All sicknesses pass and so will mine eventually. This morning though was rather painful. I woke up and couldn't even talk, everything was so swollen. Yesterday I could at least croak out coherent sentences, but today- nope. It was like my mouth was fused shut. Luckily, Cristy had arranged to take me to the hospital in the early morning to see a doctor, I think at the urging or my father. I would have stubbornly insisted that I was fine, but I'm glad we went. When I woke up I was counting the minutes until she was here. I can only communicate through writing on a little pad of paper next to me, so it was rather entertaining attempting to explain to the doctor my symptoms. She did the standard check up but when she tried to open my mouth, it opened up perhaps a centimeter. So swollen. Oh and did I forget to mention my tongue was blue? What was up with that? Anyways, I'll spare you the gross details but apparently I have an infection in my lymph nodes. A shot in the butt for swelling and 4 prescriptions later, I was out of there. I'm restricted to a liquid diet only so I foresee lots of soup. After taking my pain meds I feel quite a bit better and am hoping to be able to get back to work again Monday. I'm also hoping my voice makes a recovery. We shall see.

All news I have from the kids is second hand news. David took the older kids to the fair grounds on Tuesday night. Apparently Venancio got electrocuted for a good 10 to 20 seconds. Ana, one of the Spanish Volunteers, told me about it. She was apparently watching him and when he grabbed onto a bar she thought he was just being hyper, and it took her awhile to realize that he actually had electricity coursing through him. Ha! I can only imagine him waving wildly as she watched him there, unknowing. Poor kid but I've been told he is fine. Natalie and Ethan have been enjoying teaching my kinder class. Apparently they're having even more trouble, if that's possible. Natalie called Kevin a terrorist which sounded about right, and apparently his sister Lissy is the same. Natalie reported that the entire classroom was a huge mess. Ah, gotta love the kindergartners. Korey should be here soon which is exciting. I shall write a big sign out, 'Hi Korey!' on my little note pad. Hahaha. Missing everyone, and not to worry, I shall be fine!

Sickness

All teachers who have ever come to school sick, I forever give you my complete and total respect. It is not an action I would like to repeat, as today was not quite enjoyable. Not to say I didn't want to be around the kids; it's more that when you are sick, every problem seems like it is compounded and you have much more difficulty remaining patient. Especially with the kinder kids, because they are always moving, playing, fighting or getting into any manner of trouble. So much energy in a small little bundle. I have decided that Kevin is a menace, and worse than that- an intelligent menace. He is the biggest of the kinder kids, and I have difficulty engaging him because he already understands everything I am teaching to the younger ones. So he decides to go off and do his own thing, make messes and hit people with empty coke bottles. I walk into class and he woos you with his big eyes and smile, but as soon as he doesn't get his way, off he goes making trouble. However, when you do something that captures his interest, you couldn't have a better pupil. I attempted to take his bottle away when he commenced in hitting me with it, but of course he didn't listen. Instead he decided to bite me, albeit lightly, and as I didn't know the word for bite, all i could tell his was "don't be a shark". Effective. Although he did settle down when he saw I was unhappy with him. Later in the day, I asked for one of the new volunteers to help me because I started to feel worse. It really wasn't a wise decision to go. I felt bad I couldn't be at my best. Especially during English, when once class was dismissed the kids wanted to stay to learn more, and I was simply exhausted. They understood though. I fell asleep on the stairs, and later at the Hogar. Daniel carried my backpack for me, the perfect gentleman. I think I'm going to tutor him in English separately, because he is so far ahead of everyone. Moises nearly fell out of his chair with how big his smile was when we read him Harpers response to his letter. If anyone has any ideas for fun afternoon activities with all the kids, let me know! I want to maybe get some workshops going so that they can be occupied. My thinking cap is on :)

How the Storm Hit

To the acute disappointment of Natalie and Ethan (who spent the entire night recording a song about the arrival of Richard), Richard indeed passed us by untouched. Only a mild amount of rain came in the night, and even that was not extraordinary. So all of our preparations, which included pulling out flashlights, charging electronic devices, and closing windows were in vain. And we were left without any plans for Sunday, which turned out quite nice despite the forecast. We spent our free time well, id say. 5 hours strait in Wendy's eating frosty's and fries. That's almost an accomplishment to stay in a fast food restaurant for so long. I feel like I should check it off on my bucket list or something like that. Don't worry though, there was greater purpose to us being there for so long. One word; Wifi. So all of the pictures, blogs, etc that you are seeing are complements of our great effort. It is quite inconvenient that we don't have wifi , because you will be reading this perhaps several days after it is written, but so it is.

Even though Richard passed us by, a different type of storm still hit us. Natalie first, and me soon to follow. Natalie's ailment was a case of Monetezuma's revenge. On Thursday after our first taste of balleadas, she began having certain stomach issues. Ethan did as well, but by the next morning Ethan was cured, while Natalie's stuck with her. She stuck it out, hoping that it would soon disappear, but by Sunday we decided that 4 days is enough to be cramping up in pain. Cristy chided her for not taking it sooner, but her resolve broke and she took the pill. Ciproproxin, the pill that flushes your entire system clear of all bacteria, to take in only the most dire cases. Well she did, and the pain got worse, but this morning upon waking she did feel slightly better! She still is not 100 percent, but at least she isn't clutching a pillow in the fetal position any longer. We have, unfortunately, decided to blame the balleadas, because although they are some of the most delicious creations, I can't vouch for the sanitation in the road side shops. It was either that or the lack of us washing our hands before eating (after touching children and all manner of things at the school) that caused it... we shall blame the balleadas. My case is slightly different. I have a case of 'gripe' also known as the common cold. Playing with the little one's all day certainly takes it's toll. My weakened defenses couldn't handle it, and so I contracted this terrible illness, which comes with a constant headache, swollen lymph nodes and a sore throat, as well as a stuffy nose. Thank goodness for modern day medicine, because my pill popping has kept me feeling relatively okay.

Today I stayed in bed until nine, while the other two toughed it out and got up at five. I vaguely remember asking Ethan when the alarm went off what I should do, but was only able to speak in a tiny squeak, because my voice was compromised. He told me later that I sounded absolutely awful, so he said go back to bed. Two volunteers from Spain arrived yesterday so David picked them up at 10 30 and I went with them to the school, just in time for my English class. As soon as I got to the school I was so glad I went. The little kinder kids came up and hugged me and I carefully attempted to avoid passing on my virus. I missed them already after only one day of not seeing them. Just as I got to the top of the stairs the bell rang for English. I went to my second level class and attempted to call order. Key word attempt. My voice was so weak and frail, the poor kids could hardly hear me for the day. But they listened well enough to my scratchy voice, as we went over how to say the date, as well as the months, calendar etc. Once we were done, I went out to wait for the bus. Little Paola is the sweetest thing. Every day one of the kids says something that sends me spinning. Today Paoloa was asking me when Kylee was coming. I repeated "Abril" to her several times. Then she asked me when I was leaving, and again I said "Abril". So a confused look came over her face and she said (translated), "I wish April would hurry up because I want Kylee to come, but then I don't want April to come at all because I don't want you to leave". These kids have stolen my heart.

'Te Quiero Mucho'

We are currently preparing for the advent of a tropical storm and possible hurricane. I suppose the majority of preparation is mental, but there are a few actual preparations; closing windows, locking doors, charging lap tops in case the power goes out.. La Ceiba is in code red mode, so tomorrow most everything in the city should be closed. Honestly I'm a little, tiny bit excited to see how it will be. This is of course while the weather is still calm and the wind isn't howling. The weather today though was really nice, perfect temperature and humidity, and only a little bit of rain in the afternoon which we avoided perfectly. Right now we are listening to the rain, and sitting at the kitchen with the smell of freshly baked bread wafting around us. Yes, we made bread and calzones tonight! And let me tell you that it is perhaps the most fabulous bread I have ever tasted. Our resident chef, Eddy, gave us our first official Honduran cooking class. Such a simple, yet delicous recipe! Flour, yeast, sugar, salt, oil and a little garlic and peppers and that was it. 5 minutes to knead it, half an hour to rise, and half an hour to bake. We saved a little aside to use for calzones, flattening the dough and putting in red sauce and cheese; a side of sauteud zuccinies and we are officially spoiled. The three of us are going to come back able to legitamately cook. Oh i'm so excited.

So aside from our cooking today, we also did some cleaning. Clothes were washed, though still aren't dry. Apparently the humdity makes it difficult for them to dry? We also mopped all the floors, though there seems to be little improvement from before since our feet are still black. We had some time to explore La Ceiba today. We walked around the outdoor market, through the booths set up outside. There are no shortage of shoes and hand bags available here. We also found an indoor meat market that we for some reason decided to go into. I've been in markets like that before, with raw meat and animal legs hanging on both sides, but Natalie was the funniest to watch because she immediately covered her nose and ran for the door to the outside. Even Ethan, the only one who eats meat, was slightly grossed out. I bought a bag of Lychee, these little red spiny fruit, and I had my first one. Then we waited out the rain in Pizza Hut, which is definitely more upscale dining for Honduras. A short walk to the hogar, and we spent the afternoon with a few of the kids. Most of them were taking a nap but we helped Moises and Gerson write letters to Harper and Erica. When the other kids woke up, they all clamoured to write letters to their "preferia". Not everyone had time to write but hopefully more letters will go out soon. These letters absolutely break my heart. Why do these kids have to be the absolute sweetest things in the entire world? They remember everything so well, saying how much they miss their friends, and how they love them. You can see that it is true what they write. Moises hand wrote a letter to Harper, and included a picture of himself, as well as a package of cookies and two hard candies. He entrusted it to me to send to her and I will as soon as I can. It was so special to him. Even little Joel attempted to type out a message to Danny. It was so funny watching him, because he is just learning to spell. His complete and total attention was turned to the key board, carefully pressing each key and stringing together a strand of incomprehensible letters. I had to intervene soon to make some sense of what was said, so Danny didn't recieve Joeidenielemetedayqueiro.... which was cute nonetheless. Eddie and I will be working on keeping all the sponsors updated with the kids information, pictures, and letters. Sponsors, expect some more letters! The kids really appreciate what you do for them, and miss everyone they know! Well, we shall ride out the storm tonight and I'll let you know how it goes in the morning!

All grown up

La escuela no tiene classes hoy, porque ayer fue un dia ferriada. (Today there were not classes at the school because yesterday was a 'holiday'). So we rested up, slept in all the way until 8:30, showered in the cold water because the water heater is mysteriously not working today, and then headed over to attempt to draw money out from our Citi accounts that we purpously set up so they would work, but which do not. The citi bank in the center of town didn't have an atm, so we took a taxi to the mall. Once in citi bank we tried the atm. Our cards were declined and the people at the front said that we couldn't get cash from the citi atm, we had to go next door to an atm at a different bank. At this point we were quite dejected. Ethan had only 5 limperas left (the equivalent of about 20 cents). But we tried the bank next door and Glory Halleluia! our cards worked! Ethan kissed his money. Now why our cards worked at a different bank and not at our citi bank I can't tell you. Limperas in hand, we went shopping for some much needed supplies. I felt so grown up, dealing with all the money and going shopping; coming home and cleaning out the fridge and putting groceries away. I'll have to get used to this!

Eddie cooked some amazing pasta and sauce today! Spaghetti and home made tomato sauce. I don't know if I've ever tasted better. Oh and did I mention that he went to Georgetown? I thought that was a funny coincidence. Anyways, he is going to be the new sponsor coordinator for Helping Honduras Kids. I think that will be great. Already he has made little bios for each of the Hogar kids and is working on udating the sponsor list so he can send them to each sponsor. We are trying to centralize all communication for HHK so we shall get things going soon! 

We are launching a new program for the holidays to help raise some much needed funds for HHK and hopefully expose more people to what we do. It is called the HHK Give Challenge. We are sending out packets to all of our donors which include 4 Holiday cards with handmade drawings by the kids. A cover letter asks each sponsor to send these letters to their friends and relatives, asking them to donate to HHK in lieu of recieving a gift for themselves. Our idea is that every person has people who send them gifts that they really don't need. Think about it. Aunt Martha who sends the same yellow sweater every year... you know the type of gifts. We are challenging those who care about our organization to give up gifts for themselves and experience the true meaning of the holidays. For one season to truly give. I think it is an interesting concept, and I know that I'm planning on participating completely. If you want to get involved and send some letters out let me know! I can have a packet of cards made by the kids mailed to you to send out to friends and family. Then your friends and family can donate on line or send checks to you which you can forward to HHK. See how much joy it will bring :D . 

A Taste of La Ceiba

            I think I am going to enjoy teaching English more than the kinder. I am more comfortable with the older kids, who are used to listening and want to learn. I love the little one's but I don't know how able I am to occupy four year old minds. I respect my Kindergarten teacher so much more. Lumilla came to the rescue today. She does so well with the kids. She pulled out some modeling clay and they were fascinated with molding it and shaping it. Then she gathered them all around like little ducklings for a story. Soon it was break time and all of the kids went to drink their warm milk which is part of their daily ration. I decided to tackle organizing the library which they have in the back of the kinder. The disarray the books were in was quite impressive. There are two shelving units with four shelves each filled with books, now nicely stacked more or less be grade level. Previously, they were thrown together and obviously hadn't been in use for awhile (evident by the mouse poop scattered throughout). Hopefully the books will be easier to access now. By the time I finished that project, it was 11:00; our allotted time for English classes. I wasn't planning on teaching and was going to let Ethan and Natalie do it, but in typical Kyla fashion I took charge of the second level English class anyways. Natalie began with the first level, the kids who don't know any English. I spent my time trying to find out how much English my kids knew, and was pleasantly surprised. They can all introduce themselves and say where they are from. They know the colors and several verbs. And of course they loved to sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" which we did several times. It was fun and I think I will have fun teaching the class. After classes were over, we waited for the bus and Rosa and Mercedes decided to teach me the dance they know. Well I ended up with a broken sandal and so was forced to walk around La Ceiba, through the dirt and on the bus and to a taxi etc. without a shoe. Ha! They got a kick out of that. First falling into the mud, then breaking a sandal... Aye.

When I got back to the Volunteer house I walked in to find Carmen sitting on the couch and a house without electricity. We had a conversation for about an hour in my broken Spanish, hoping Cristy would come save us. Turns out the electricity company shut off the power because the bill was more than the automatic payment. Hahahaha, no power because of an unpaid bill! But Cristy came through, got it fixed and then she treated us to a movie. Movies are so inexpensive here! Only $3.00. Granted they are not the latest blockbusters but still. And I am happy to inform you that they  WILL be premiering Harry Potter seven in November! Happy days. I tried my first balleada today. These delicious creations are sold on every corner of La Ceiba and consist of a simple, melt in your mouth, handmade on the spot, tortilla filled with beans, cheese and meat or avocado if you ask. So amazing, and the best part is they cost about 40 cents each. Ah you gotta love it. I also learned about Honduran addresses. So the La Ceiba mail system apparently works with landmarks. People do not know street names, or have house numbers. You find a place by saying what its close to. For example, Carlos - A friend of Cristy's whom we met today - lives 'behind the soccer field, in a two story house across from the Pulperia' . And this is his address that he has people send letters to. Somehow mail miraculously is delivered to him! I am amazed. And on that note. The kids want all of their tia's y tio's to send them letters! I now have the official Honduras address for the Hogar de Amor. Ready? "Col Naranjal, Calle montecristo, atras de Gimnasio Nautilus, frenta a Mary's Castle, La Ceiba, Honduras". Mary's Castle is a bright pink house directly across from the Hogar, with a sign that literally names the house 'Mary's Castle". Hahah whatever floats your boat. Tomorrow there is no school, so we can sleep in! Buenas noches!

Teacher? Me?

We started bright and early this morning with a 5 am wake up call. The familiar sound of my old alarm woke me up, which I brought along with me. I don't know if that's quite the sound I want to remember from home, but that's how it is. A taxi brought us over to the Hogar, and we waited for about 15 minutes for the bus. The kids post look outs around the corner, and when the bus comes they all yell and start sprinting to the bus. It is the funniest thing to watch. On our way back it is the same way, except more worrisome because running to the bus consists of traversing a long, steep set of tire stairs which definitely do not follow any sort of safety regulations. Ahead of me on the way down was a little tiny girl in my kinder class, not more than five years old. She was keeping up with the older kids until one of the boys swoops down and throws her over his shoulder and away they go. I was caught up in the rush as well, afraid by the kids pace that if I come last I'll be left behind. Who knows.

Today at the jungle school was quite the experience. David had told us that we would be helping in the Kinder, but what I didn't realize was that we (and as it turned out, I) would be the sole teacher for the little ones. I'll say strait off that they are the cutest things I have ever seen. In class today were 4 girls and two boys all around 3 and 4 years old. We arrived at the school, and the director separated us each into grades. He sent Natalie to help in 1st and 2nd grade, Ethan to 3rd and 4th, and me to Kinder. Natalie and Ethan were each helping the teacher, but for Kinder I was the teacher. I sat down in the classroom, in a mini chair around the mini table, with 6 mini people surrounding me looking at me for direction and I was completely overwhelmed. What am I going to do or teach these little ones who trustingly call me maestra? So I started simple, with names. I later attempted to begin on the alphabet, but quickly gave up that endeavor. I finally settled on letting them draw with crayons and play with Lego's for the four hours I had them. When one got bored I transferred him or her to another toy, simply attempting to keep them occupied. I enjoyed moderate success, since it isn't too difficult to let a four year old entertain him or herself. They really are extremely cute though. Kevin is the troublemaker, but also very intelligent. Yolani doesn't speak a word, but she was copying her letters when none of the others were listening. Avi has the most adorable smile and Keyla loves to be read to. Tomorrow I shall be more prepared. I will brainstorm something hopefully. Along with my 4 hour lesson plan, I need to brainstorm with Ethan for our first English class! The director asked us to begin tomorrow and politely dismissed my request to start next week. Ha, it shall be interesting.

Britta, I think it might be a good idea for you to come down to visit soon. Sherlin is asking me when you'll be here and remembers that you said in December! They truly remember everyone who say they will return, so I hope most everyone can make it in April! Reina's presents from Alexis were a huge hit. She proudly showed her watch of to me this morning and was thrilled when it said the exact same time as mine. Daniel was stoked with his new walkie talkie set, and Paola happily took her princess set with knowledge it was from her "amiga especial" Kylee. At the hogar in the afternoon a clown came to entertain the kids. Natalie and Ethan told me about it, as I was at Spanish classes, but apparently the clowns were a huge hit. Moises was dressed up as a gorilla, and Daniel was "cut in half". I also heard that Joel is taking after Danny with his power ranger moves. It poured this afternoon, and Natalie and Ethan walked back to the Volunteer house. There sopping when I got home. Very funny. Well, I'm off to plan lessons!

Easing our Way In

I currently have no idea where Natalie and Ethan are. It is seven and I am not worried exactly... but slightly confused. Although Eddie is gone as well so I am going to assume that they are with him for now. I hope they come back soon because I am starving. It's strange being in the house all by myself, but it is kind of nice as well. I got back around 5, took my first Honduran taxi over here, and then immediately began to clean the kitchen when I went to search for a clean cup and they were all scattered everywhere. The state of the kitchen would make my step mother crazy. Even I was a little worried about sanitation, so I began to clean off the counters and cabinets, wash dishes and scrub the grease from the stove. I also emptied out several science experiments of who knows what that were left in various containers in the kitchen. I am leaving the refrigerator for another day when I have more time and cleaning supplies to tackle whatever smell is wafting from it. Or maybe I'll make one of the others do it... Just kidding :)

Today we had a late start, and some time to catch up on some much needed sleep. Hopefully everyone got enough in reserve for the rest of the week as well, since we have a 5 am wake up call to catch the bus at the Hogar de Amor with the rest of the kids. David was nice enough to pick us up today at a more reasonable hour (10:30, I felt spoiled) and drive us to the Jungle School to get us settled in. We watched a little bit of the classes, and I believe it has been decided that we will be teaching the Kinder. They don't have a steady Kinder teacher right now, because the Spanish volunteers left and Luzmilla, one of the older girls who normally helps, has been out for the past few days. So the little one's are wandering around the school with no where to go. Now I have no idea how to begin teaching a Kinder class but I'll see what I can do. Also, Jack, if you get a chance to read this, Rosa want you to write her another letter ;) .

I headed back to the Hogar with David, before Natalie and Ethan who took the bus back with the kids. I was hoping I could make it to my class in time, but I got there half an hour late anyways. It's all right. It is so funny because David loads his truck up with kids who bounce around as he goes down the dirt road. Then, when they've reached their stop, they pound on the roof and off they go. We got to the Hogar and the two littlest ones were, Joel and Lula, were waiting at the gate. Both of them are so smart and remember so much it amazes me! Joel showed me around his room and asked about Brian. I was surprised that he remembered Brian and Danny! I asked about Nate as well and he called out "Enfermo!" which made me laugh so much. Lula decided to look through my back pack a little later. I had completely forgot that I put Rachel's letter to her in my pack this morning. Lula pulled out the letter to look at what it was, and the smile that lit her face when she saw her name on it was absolutely, perfectly beautiful. She looked at me for confirmation that she could take it, and when I nodded she disappeared to open it. A little later I went to look for her and she had all of the pictures spread around her, and the few dollars clutched in her hand. So little means so much.

My last stop for the day was to the Spanish class I signed up for. My teacher is very nice, so hopefully I'll start picking up on the language pretty quickly. Natalie and Ethan's parents, don't worry. They are back now. They went to dance class with the kids. Well, tomorrow bright and early!

Bienvenidos a Honduras!

After months of preparation and accumulation of expectations, waiting patiently for the day to arrive, I am finally here! Sitting in the room that will be my home for the next six months, if all goes as planned that is. Ethan, Natalie and I all share a little room with three twin beds tucked next to each other. It's cozy but we think we will manage. The house has two other rooms, one occupied by Eddie, an extremely nice volunteer who is apparently a chef. We all decided that is going to come in very handy, though he doesn't know it yet. The third bedroom is taken by Robert. We have not met Robert, and are all three slightly scared to. He was first mentioned to us by Cristy, the volunteer coordinator, who said only that he was "interesting and on meds". More information later came out when we went to pick up our key to the house from another volunteer, Kim. She had rented a house and any mention of Robert sent her begging Cristy not to give him her number. Unfortunately for Kim, Cristy already had. Woops. So he is still locked in the third bedroom and has not come out for the night. We may even get away with not meeting him because he is leaving in the morning back to the states to "rest and get better". Hmmm. As I write, Natalie somehow managed to break the string for the toilet. She is walking around the house trying to find more string. Hah! Wait, Eddie to the rescue. He is going to be the papa of the house. We can tell already.

Our travels all went relatively smoothly without major hitches. When i arrived to LAX we had a few interesting problems checking in. First off, the woman at the check in thought I was 12 years old and needed paper work to fly unaccompanied. I mean, I understand being rejected from an R rated movie (twice) for looking young, but 12 years old? Then, she gave us some trouble because I had no proof of onward travel before my 90 day Visa was up, but in the end she helped me out by faking a return ticket before that time in case I had trouble at customs. My 12 year old charm must have worked. Natalie and Ethan were not even questioned about return tickets, but I made Ethan come up with a story in case he was asked questions at customs, because his return ticket was for longer than 90 days as well. He would be traveling by bus around the countries with Korey once she joined him. So when we did arrive in San Pedro Sula and walked through customs, I was slightly nervous he would be sent home. But of course the airlines are over cautious and the immigration officers didn't even ask us a single questioned. I'm convinced they looked at us and knew we spoke no Spanish, so thought it wasn't worth their time. We were two hours late into San Pedro Sula because of "mechanical issues" with our plane. I don't typically like to hear that our plane has mechanical issues, especially since we almost took of three times before turning around. So what was supposed to be a two hour plane ride turned into four.

Lenner is the single nicest person i have ever met. Let me say that right off the bat and emphasize it as much as possible. I don't think they make people that nice in the states. Lenner is Cristy's brother, and he picked us up from the airport at 10 and brought us to the Hilton. We all squeezed into his two person truck, and he rattled away about all the different things we should know in San Pedro Sula and in Honduras. He just seemed thrilled in order to have a chance to practice his English. When he heard that we were staying for six months, he became so excited. "Ah! Are you serious?!! And you guys are single, man it's going to be such a fun trip!" Which made us all laugh. He took awesome care of us, arranging for our room, luggage, breakfast, money exchange... literally anything we needed. And then after dropping us off at the bus station he wouldn't even let us give him some money as a thank you.

Cristy and Meily were just as helpful when we arrived in La Ceiba. They picked us up from the bus station, settled us into the volunteer house, and then gave us a little tour of La Ceiba. We stopped by they gym, ate some lunch, and then went to the Hogar de Amor. Everyone who went to Honduras last spring fell in love with the kids. We left a little of our hearts in Honduras, and when I saw their faces, my heart felt whole again. I walked into the Hogar relatively unnoticed. The kids were busy doing homework. I could see Joel on the couch with a book, and Rosa on the computer. Suddenly Rosa turns around to look at the new faces, and the biggest smile lights her face. At that moment, any fear I had of not being remembered was gone. She comes up and gives me a hug and asks me if I cut my hair. I told her that Jack said hi, and the blush that was so often on her face returned in a heart beat. Many of the kids didn't remember me, but when they heard a name that they new they became so excited, asking me when they were coming back. Reina asked constantly about Alexi. "Cuando va a volver, cuando?". Little Joel laughed while remembering Danny's flips, Carolina called out her old cry of "Chelby!" , and Mercedes asked after Harper. I was so happy to tell them they would be back soon. In April! A game of tag soon began, which perhaps was not my wisest decision, especially in flip flops. As I rounded the corner of the hogar, running from the clutches of Ruth, my feet completely flew out from under me and I fell butt first into the mud. Not 10 minutes into my visit and I was sopping and muddy, but laughing so hysterically I couldn't get up. I looked almost as bad as Nate when he purposely dove into the mud patch. Carolina and Lourdes took good care of me though, scolding me for falling, and taking turns washing me off with the hose. No harm done. The kids took Natalie and Ethan in just as easily as they accept any stranger into their hearts. Tomorrow we visit the school, and little by little we shall settle in!

First blog for Kyla in Honduras!

Kyla has arrived safely in San Pedro Sula. Just waiting for confirmation she as made it to La Ceiba. Next posts will be by Kyla! Good luck Kyla. Stay safe and healty!