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.