This is what I was told by a Honduran woman I teach English to. I was going over opposites with my group and one of the cards said "Fat, Thin". Sonia said "You are fat and I'm thin". I just laughed because I didn't know what else to do. Later Michelle told all of them that it's not polite to point out someone's size in the States, whether the person may be fat or skinny. That's not the case in Honduras though. Many people will describe someone as gordito/gordita which means "fat one" or flaco/flaca which just means skinny. They don't see that as being impolite at all. So, it's hysterical that some of you were commenting on me looking thin that same day. Oh, and when I was in La Ceiba one of our cab drivers asked me if I was going to have a baby. Needless to say I am definitely not thin, especially to Hondurans I suppose. Maybe by next June :).
I started teaching English to a group of Honduran adults last week. Although I was a little weary about it, I've found myself really enjoying it. I have four students in my group: Sonia, Yadira, Joe (Joseph), and a boy named Fernando. Michelle, Carrie, Anne, Lacey, Jeff, Andrew, and I all teach. Since Jeff, Andrew, and I don't know much Spanish we are in a group together with people who speak more English so we can actually communicate. The other girls work with the very low English speakers. It's suppose to be an intercambio thing where we teach them English and they teach us Spanish. Unfortunately so far it's been more us teaching English. We meet on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights from 5-7. This Monday I'm going to make sure I am learning some Spanish as well. Lord knows I need it!
My schedule has become so busy here as I knew it inevitably would. I can't seem to escape being busy no matter where life takes me. I guess I secretly enjoy it somewhat...
I start tutoring some of my students next week on Monday's and Tuesday's from 2:30-3:30, then I have intercambio Monday's-Wednesday's. On Thursday nights we have our OAF reflection meetings and now once a month I will have a two hour meeting with all of my students parents. Friday nights we get a group together to play soccer. On Saturday's I am going to start having Spanish lessons with Wendy one on one. After that I am going to start guitar lessons. There is a Japanese volunteer here who plays guitar and will give me some really cheap lessons. I'm starting to get really excited about it :)! Sunday's I go to mass in the mornings and volunteer at the orphanage after. So, my plate is very full but I love everything I'm doing! I would be bored if I just came home every night and sat in my house. I enjoy meeting the people of Honduras, making friends, and learning new things daily!!
This first week back to school has been a crazy one for sure. It was almost like starting school for the first time all over again. The students had a full week off from classes so it took a lot of patience to get them back on track. I have some very aggressive children in my class. When you add that in with 28 little bodies of 5 and 6 year olds, no comprehension of English, and an attention span of 10 minutes it creates some definitely behavior problems. I had a little boy punch one of his classmates in the stomach during P.E.. He was put on red for that offense, but then came back into the classroom and stabbed a little girl in the eye with his pencil, YIKES!!! He was then sent to the consejera and had his parents called. Boy oh boy do I have my hands full! I'm doing a lot of lesson planning this weekend and thinking of more ways I can make my class more hands on. If the kids are interested in what their doing there aren't as many behavior issues. I'm thinking of making a rap to sing when we need to transition to Math, a little jingle for English, and a chant for Science. I'll let you know what I come up with.
Here are some cute/funny things my kids said this week:
***Katherine who always has a smile and I love so much will come up to me and say "Miss King, my name is Guillermo esta hablando or my name is Idellyne molestarme". She's learned to say my name is...so she doesn't understand that she should just say "Guillermo or Idellyne". HAHA, it just cracks me up when she says that. I tell her to just say the name and she's getting better, but she still says it that way sometimes. Oh, and someone was not "molesting" her in class. The word molestar in Spanish means to bother.
***On Thursday the kids journal entry was to write about what they're scared of and what they get shy about. Ninety-five percent of my students can't actually write anything on their own yet, so these entries usually just consist of pictures. I'm trying to get them to at least write one word though, even if it is in Spanish. After they complete their entry for the day we have calendar time. I always make them discuss what they drew a picture of so they can practice their English. They were telling me different things and then Nelson says "Cow Meeeesss (that's what they call me)". I looked at him strangely and said "A cow? The animals that says moooo?" He shook his head with a look of terror on his face. It took everything in me not to laugh. It seemed so silly that he was scared of cows, but I guess numerous people who live here have been trampled, because they've accidently gotten in between a cow and it's calf. Who knew cows could be so dangerous? I guess I have a lot to learn.
***After giving my afternoon class a 15 minute lecture on not hitting, kicking, pushing, yelling, and being respectful I asked them if they understood what I had just said. One little girl shook her head yes and raised her hand to tell me. When I called on her she said "No Talking". OMG!!!! I wanted to laugh and bang my head against the wall at the same time. I'm constantly telling them to stop talking, so now at lot of them will say "no talking" to each other. That made it funny, but they obviously didn't understand a word I said and that did not make me a happy camper.
My days are filled with chaos, but teaching gives me so much joy! Sometimes as I'm helping one of my tater tots I look around the classroom and just smile at how cute they are. All of them are amazing little people who have so much potential. I feel blessed to be a small part of their journey to self discovery.
"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do" - Helen Keller
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Cayos Cochinos - Continued
These are pictures that were taken on Michelle's camera. She took some and I took some. Enjoy :):
These are my precious little babies. I enjoyed playing with these two. I told the little girl on the right (your left) to smile and that's what she did. Too cute!
Our rooms for the night. This is what the people on the island called "The Hotel". Pretty comical, but if you didn't stay here you stayed with a family for the night. So I guess in some ways it is a "hotel".
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover"
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Cayos Cochinos - The North Coast
Ahhh...Cayos Cochinos, what a peaceful place to spend two days!
I left early (6a.m.) Thursday morning to head to the North Coast for a few days. After traveling by bus for thirteen hours I finally arrived in La Ceiba, see map below:
We didn't have an underwater camera, so these images were taken off Google.
But, I've never seen so many beautiful fish! Some of them were HUGE! There was one that was blue and had these little neons dots on it that glowed in the water...it was my favorite. I tried to Google images of it, but I'm not sure what the name is. Snorkeling here made me want to go to the Great Barrier Reef to see all of the beautiful colors! Maybe one day.
The water was the most incredible thing I have ever seen. It was five different shades of blue and even in twenty feet you could still see to the bottom, amazing!
I left early (6a.m.) Thursday morning to head to the North Coast for a few days. After traveling by bus for thirteen hours I finally arrived in La Ceiba, see map below:
I live in Juticalpa, which is three hours outside of Tegucigalpa. La Ceiba is located right off the Caribbean Sea 12-13 hours from Juti. It would probably only take 5 or 6 hours to get there with normal roads, but since the roads are so bad it takes a lot longer! Most buses also stop multiple times to pick up new passengers along the way.
After arriving in La Ceiba Anne. Michelle, Carrie, Angela, and I checked into hotel Rotterdam. It was more of a hostel that cost us $6 for the night. The rooms were decently clean but there was no a/c so it was extremely hot in there. We just had enough time for some dinner and then went to bed for the night. In the morning we traveled to Sambo Creek, which is a city thirty minutes outside of La Ceiba. We grabbed our snorkeling gear and hopped into a boat that took us to the island...
The trip over was almost an hour and absolutely beautiful the whole way. Water for miles with gorgeous blue skies...
It was hot out but the wind and light splashes of water made for a pleasant ride! Our captain's name was Coto and our guide's name was Milton. Both were very nice but didn't speak any English. Luckily three of the girls I went with speak pretty fluent Spanish, so they were able to translate a lot for me. Here we all are on the beach in front of our boat...
From left to right: Anne, Captain Coto, Carrie, Me, Milton, Michelle, and Angela
We knew we were going to stay with the Garifuna people on an island, but we had no idea what to expect. Before arriving at the island we spent the night on we made a few stops. Here are a few pictures of our first stop...
After leaving this little island we cruised past a few more in our boat and then finally arrived at our home away from home...
This is the entire island. There is no running water and no electricity. They have a generator that runs every night from 7-9 p.m. There are around 90 people who live here. They have one kinder (pre-school) classroom and then all of the other kids take a boat to school, how fun! All of the men who live on the island are fishermen and that's how they make their living.
We didn't get very many pictures of the Garifuna people but many of them still dress very traditionally as seen here...
We were able to see some drummers and dancers in action our first day there. I didn't take my camera because I was scared it would get stolen, so I relied on Michelle, Anne, and Carrie to take all of my pictures for me. They were even nice enough to let me use their cameras to take some of my own pictures. All of the photos on this bog post are from Anne's camera. I'll post more once Michelle and Carrie upload theirs.
This is an up close view of what some of the huts looked like.
Here is the view from my window...
After we toured the island and got all of our things settled into our rooms we went snorkeling. I got to see the second largest coral reef in the world :)!! It wasn't as colorful as I thought it would be...
But, I've never seen so many beautiful fish! Some of them were HUGE! There was one that was blue and had these little neons dots on it that glowed in the water...it was my favorite. I tried to Google images of it, but I'm not sure what the name is. Snorkeling here made me want to go to the Great Barrier Reef to see all of the beautiful colors! Maybe one day.
The water was the most incredible thing I have ever seen. It was five different shades of blue and even in twenty feet you could still see to the bottom, amazing!
Here is a picture of our lunch from the first day...
I discovered that I don't care for Red Snapper.
I LOVED all of the little kids on the island, but some of them didn't love me, haha...
One little girl came and sat on my lap one afternoon and when I had to get up twenty minutes later to use the bathroom she cried. It was the sweetest thing. I have a picture of her and I on Michelle's camera.
The day we had to leave we got up at 4a.m to see the stars when the sky was the clearest. I wish I had a camera nice enough to capture that view. It was incredible to be able to see so many different constellations and planets. Oh, and I saw two shooting stars :)!
Since we were already awake we decided to stay up and watch the sunrise..
A wonderful time was had by all! I can't wait to go back someday. Maybe some of you will join me!
"ours is the pain of constantly pitching our tent and folding it up again, of befriending strangers and bidding them goodbye, of loving the world but never being truly satisfied with it, of pouring our heart and soul into a project others have begun and still others will finish. if we would not be torn in two by the tension of this truth, we must learn to live provisionally—to measure the road well. we need to make the most of the occasions when we can gather by the roadside to break bread and compare directions. joy must be discovered in the going as we never really arrive, not even in a lifetime." -kristine malins
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Beautiful Life
It's officially been thirteen years since my dad passed away! It's unreal to me to think that it's been that long. Sometimes it seems like it just happened yesterday and other days it feels like it's been twenty years. At this point my dad has been physically present for half of my life. I use the word physically because I know he's always with me and still guides so much of what I do in my life. It still makes me sad to think that everyday after today he will have been gone from my life longer than he was in it.
What an incredible life he lived though! I still have people come up and ask me if I was Pat King's daughter. To still have people asking about you and talking about you thirteen years later really says something about the mark you left behind. He touched so many lives with his wonderful sense of humor, kindness, peace, and deep faith. I remember Brigid saying once that she has learned more in the years since my dad's death than when he was alive, and I tend to feel the same way. He taught me more about life in thirteen years than some people's fathers teach them in a lifetime. From my dad I learned to kill people with kindness and turn the other cheek. I learned to give back to those less fortunate than I am and thank God everyday for the things he has blessed me with. I try to see Jesus in everyone because I know my dad always did. I learned how to play the most amazing pranks on people :). The biggest thing I learned though is that life is a precious and beautiful gift and we should enjoy every minute of it, because you never truly know how long it will last!
In the thirteen years since my dad has been gone, my mom has done an unbelievable job of being both a mother and a father. God couldn't have put anyone in my life more incredible than my mom! She is the most kind and patient person I know, and so funny :)!! She truly has a heart of gold and would do anything to help someone in need. So much of the goodness in me I learned from watching her! I can remember being little and coloring in a St. Joan of Arc coloring book. I never knew much about St. Joan of Arc but as I colored the pages in that book I also read about her life. At the time I can remember thinking how cool it was that my mom was named after her. She was such a brave and amazing woman. Now I think about how much that name suites my mom. There is no one in this world braver than she is or more beautiful (inside and out). Sometimes I just look at her and I can't stand how cute she is! I just think the absolute WORLD of her and I know I definitely don't deserve her! So, although God took my dad from me at a young age he had a plan, and he knew my mom would me able to do it on her own. She has not only done it on her own, but she's done an incredible job raising Emily, Theresa, and I. Thank you mom for the unconditional love and support you give all three of us! I know I don't say it nearly enough! I love you!!!
I am so grateful for my beautiful life! I hope to touch half of the lives I know my parents have!
Thank you God for the gift of an amazing father for thirteen years and for the gift of a mother I'll have for fifty more :)!
I want to leave you with one of my dad's favorite bible verses:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be." Matthew 6:19-23
"God saw you getting tired, and a cure was not to be. So he put his arms around you, and whispered, "Come with me." With tearful eyes we watched you, and saw you pass away. Although we loved you dearly, we could not make you stay. A golden heart stopped beating. Hard working hands at rest. God broke our hearts, to prove to us, He only takes the best."
What an incredible life he lived though! I still have people come up and ask me if I was Pat King's daughter. To still have people asking about you and talking about you thirteen years later really says something about the mark you left behind. He touched so many lives with his wonderful sense of humor, kindness, peace, and deep faith. I remember Brigid saying once that she has learned more in the years since my dad's death than when he was alive, and I tend to feel the same way. He taught me more about life in thirteen years than some people's fathers teach them in a lifetime. From my dad I learned to kill people with kindness and turn the other cheek. I learned to give back to those less fortunate than I am and thank God everyday for the things he has blessed me with. I try to see Jesus in everyone because I know my dad always did. I learned how to play the most amazing pranks on people :). The biggest thing I learned though is that life is a precious and beautiful gift and we should enjoy every minute of it, because you never truly know how long it will last!
In the thirteen years since my dad has been gone, my mom has done an unbelievable job of being both a mother and a father. God couldn't have put anyone in my life more incredible than my mom! She is the most kind and patient person I know, and so funny :)!! She truly has a heart of gold and would do anything to help someone in need. So much of the goodness in me I learned from watching her! I can remember being little and coloring in a St. Joan of Arc coloring book. I never knew much about St. Joan of Arc but as I colored the pages in that book I also read about her life. At the time I can remember thinking how cool it was that my mom was named after her. She was such a brave and amazing woman. Now I think about how much that name suites my mom. There is no one in this world braver than she is or more beautiful (inside and out). Sometimes I just look at her and I can't stand how cute she is! I just think the absolute WORLD of her and I know I definitely don't deserve her! So, although God took my dad from me at a young age he had a plan, and he knew my mom would me able to do it on her own. She has not only done it on her own, but she's done an incredible job raising Emily, Theresa, and I. Thank you mom for the unconditional love and support you give all three of us! I know I don't say it nearly enough! I love you!!!
I am so grateful for my beautiful life! I hope to touch half of the lives I know my parents have!
Thank you God for the gift of an amazing father for thirteen years and for the gift of a mother I'll have for fifty more :)!
I want to leave you with one of my dad's favorite bible verses:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be." Matthew 6:19-23
"God saw you getting tired, and a cure was not to be. So he put his arms around you, and whispered, "Come with me." With tearful eyes we watched you, and saw you pass away. Although we loved you dearly, we could not make you stay. A golden heart stopped beating. Hard working hands at rest. God broke our hearts, to prove to us, He only takes the best."
Monday, September 13, 2010
Care Packages
Some of you have been asking me what I would like to have down here.
This is my wish list:
***Hand written letters (I talked to Peggy and these can be sent to Rapido Cargo...just write attn: Padre Ricadro and then put: for Bridget King). You obviously wouldn't need to call and get shipping costs if you just send a letter. I overpaid for my boxes so that money would go towards any letters sent.
***Cute black sandals I could wear to teach in. I have these high shoes I've been wearing and they kill my feet! I can wear flat open shoes as long as they have a strap on the back. Like these for example:
I'm not picky. Just anything that has a very small heel or no heel at all. I'm looking for comfort. Oh, I wear size 8 and 1/2.
***Chocolate (It'll definitely melt on the way, but it'll still be SO good).
***Peanut Butter (I can buy it here but it's over 90 lempiras, which is over $4 for a small jar of it!) I only make $7 a day so it's not a luxury I'm willing to spend my money on!
***Any other kind of American food (CEREAL!!, trail mix, granola bars, fruit leather, etc.)
***Movies-DVD's. I thought there would be a lot here from previous volunteers but I was wrong. If any of you know how to burn DVD's that would be awesome! There are three or four burned DVD's in my house that work great!
***Speakers for my computer. I had a CD player at school but it keeps getting taken by other teachers. I would love to be able to bring my laptop in and play music for my students while they work, but my volume is so low you can't hear the music at all!
None of you have to send anything though!! You have all done more than I could ever thank you for! I'm only writing this post because so many people have asked me about it. I honestly don't NEED anything. These are all just wants.
If you do send a box, please follow these instructions.
1. Rapido Cargo
2154 N.W. 23rd Court
Miami Florida,33142
attention: Padre Ricardo - Juticalpa (Write this on all sides of the box!!!!)
2. Write my name beneath Padre Ricardo's ... for instance
attention Padre Ricardo
for Bridget King (Write this on the top of the box)
3. If you use UPS, FED X,USPO they will ask you to list contents. I would suggest writing " educational material and - or religious goods"
4. You should mail the package to the office in Miami and then phone them at 305-631-0686 to determine the cost (by weight) and method of payment. This is to get the box shipped from Miami to Honduras. Attach a note to the outside of the box somewhere with your number on it and write a note telling them to contact you when they receive the box. Sometimes if you don't do that it'll just get shipped here and then Padre Ricardo has to pay for it up front and I have to pay him back.
One of the volunteers here sent a big box to herself and Rapido just charged her $15 for shipping, so the bulk of the cost is getting it from Indianapolis to Miami. If it doesn't weight a lot it's cheaper to use a regular box, but if it's heavy it's cheaper to go with a flat rate. The large size of the flat rate costs $15 to send to Miami.
Love and miss you all tremendously!!!
"Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way." -Native American saying
This is my wish list:
***Hand written letters (I talked to Peggy and these can be sent to Rapido Cargo...just write attn: Padre Ricadro and then put: for Bridget King). You obviously wouldn't need to call and get shipping costs if you just send a letter. I overpaid for my boxes so that money would go towards any letters sent.
***Cute black sandals I could wear to teach in. I have these high shoes I've been wearing and they kill my feet! I can wear flat open shoes as long as they have a strap on the back. Like these for example:
I'm not picky. Just anything that has a very small heel or no heel at all. I'm looking for comfort. Oh, I wear size 8 and 1/2.
***Chocolate (It'll definitely melt on the way, but it'll still be SO good).
***Peanut Butter (I can buy it here but it's over 90 lempiras, which is over $4 for a small jar of it!) I only make $7 a day so it's not a luxury I'm willing to spend my money on!
***Any other kind of American food (CEREAL!!, trail mix, granola bars, fruit leather, etc.)
***Movies-DVD's. I thought there would be a lot here from previous volunteers but I was wrong. If any of you know how to burn DVD's that would be awesome! There are three or four burned DVD's in my house that work great!
***Speakers for my computer. I had a CD player at school but it keeps getting taken by other teachers. I would love to be able to bring my laptop in and play music for my students while they work, but my volume is so low you can't hear the music at all!
None of you have to send anything though!! You have all done more than I could ever thank you for! I'm only writing this post because so many people have asked me about it. I honestly don't NEED anything. These are all just wants.
If you do send a box, please follow these instructions.
1. Rapido Cargo
2154 N.W. 23rd Court
Miami Florida,33142
attention: Padre Ricardo - Juticalpa (Write this on all sides of the box!!!!)
2. Write my name beneath Padre Ricardo's ... for instance
attention Padre Ricardo
for Bridget King (Write this on the top of the box)
3. If you use UPS, FED X,USPO they will ask you to list contents. I would suggest writing " educational material and - or religious goods"
4. You should mail the package to the office in Miami and then phone them at 305-631-0686 to determine the cost (by weight) and method of payment. This is to get the box shipped from Miami to Honduras. Attach a note to the outside of the box somewhere with your number on it and write a note telling them to contact you when they receive the box. Sometimes if you don't do that it'll just get shipped here and then Padre Ricardo has to pay for it up front and I have to pay him back.
One of the volunteers here sent a big box to herself and Rapido just charged her $15 for shipping, so the bulk of the cost is getting it from Indianapolis to Miami. If it doesn't weight a lot it's cheaper to use a regular box, but if it's heavy it's cheaper to go with a flat rate. The large size of the flat rate costs $15 to send to Miami.
Love and miss you all tremendously!!!
"Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way." -Native American saying
Catacamas
Today was the best day I've had in Honduras so far! Jeff, Lacey, Michelle and I went to Catacamas to visit Oscar. We got to see his smoothie shop, eat a delicious lunch prepared by his mom, and see the caves. Catacamas is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I was able to see gorgeous mountains, amazing open fields, horses, cows, and some pretty incredible monkeys! I even got to teeter totter for a few hysterical minutes with Lacey. But the best part of my day was riding around in the back of Oscars truck. I LOVE riding in the back of trucks!! There's nothing like sitting in the bed of a truck with the fresh air hitting your face. I liked being able to scream "ADIOS" and wave to everyone we passed on the road. What a great day! I can't wait to go back :)...
"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine." - Anthony J. D'Angelo
"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine." - Anthony J. D'Angelo
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Feliz Cumpleaños A Mí
Thank you for all of the wonderful birthday wishes!! I had a great day...
My roommates planned a brunch for me this morning. We had potatoes, eggs, sweet bread (from a bakery down the road run by nuns), and watermelon. Jackie went into town and bought me some really pretty flowers too, how sweet! All of the volunteers except for Mary came to celebrate, which was so nice. After brunch I just lounged around the house and planned my four day weekend (more on that later). Tonight Andrew, Jeff, Lacey, and Maki came over to have a dance party, play "Things" (one of my favorite games), and eat baleadas. When I saw "The Game of Things" sitting in Maki's house I was ecstatic, so of course I requested to play it for my birthday. I was cracking up for hours and actually snorted at one point. Brie-when I snorted my friend Michelle said "Aww, one of your friends wanted to hear you do that. You'll have to tell her I heard it". Haha! Andrew has made a cake for all of the birthday's so far. He is the best cook we have here so everyone looks forward to eating something he's made. He had told me about a week ago that he already knew what he was going to do fro my cake. Well the poor guy got really sick yesterday and just couldn't make me a cake. I thought I just wasn't going to get one, but then Jeff surprised me tonight with a cake he'd made. Andrew gave him a recipe and he put together an absolutely delicious cake...what a guy! It was a Victoria sandwich with whipped cream and pineapple. I'll post of few pictures below and you can see the rest on my Picasa page. I'll also post pictures of the craziness that was "Dia del Nino".
Tomorrow we are going to a town called Catacamas. Oscar, our computer teacher at school, owns a smoothie shop there. He has been asking us to come and visit for weeks now, so tomorrow is the day. He's going to pick us up from the bus station (it's about a 30-45 minute trip) and take us to see some caves. After we're done seeing the caves we're going to head to Oscar's house. His mom is preparing a lunch for us :). Then we're going swimming in nearby lake and out for smoothies. Should be a fun day!
Last night after "Dia del Nino" we rode home in the back of a pick up truck, which happens frequently in Honduras. Andrew has been keeping a blog since we've been here and I find his description of this mode of transportation to be hysterical, descriptive, and dead on! Enjoy:
"It seems about time to talk about Honduran driving habits in a bit more detail. In particular the abundance of pick up trucks, and the even more abundant habit of riding in the back of them. You see it everywhere, and while this might not seem so odd, try to envision exactly what this form of transportation entails. You are sitting on the edge of the bed (nobody seems to sit IN the bed of the truck, and as a result you feel honor bound to follow suit, or else risk seeming like some cowardly gringo pansy), and you fly along a dirt road which is more pot holes than pavement...and by pavement I mean compacted dirt. The driver attempts to compensate for the Swiss cheesiness of the road by swerving suddenly to try and avoid them; a maneuver which often takes you into the path of on coming traffic!
Now, you want to try and look ahead, to try and prepare for the imminent swerving, bumping, and near-death experiences rapidly hurtling towards you, but whenever you look up you are blinded by all the grit and dust kicked up by the passing vehicles which the driver of this death ride has managed to avoid.
So now you are blind, hanging on for dear life, and wondering if it would have been a better idea to simply walk the five miles back home?"
"I count myself in nothing else so happy, as in a soul remembering my good friends."--William Shakespeare
My roommates planned a brunch for me this morning. We had potatoes, eggs, sweet bread (from a bakery down the road run by nuns), and watermelon. Jackie went into town and bought me some really pretty flowers too, how sweet! All of the volunteers except for Mary came to celebrate, which was so nice. After brunch I just lounged around the house and planned my four day weekend (more on that later). Tonight Andrew, Jeff, Lacey, and Maki came over to have a dance party, play "Things" (one of my favorite games), and eat baleadas. When I saw "The Game of Things" sitting in Maki's house I was ecstatic, so of course I requested to play it for my birthday. I was cracking up for hours and actually snorted at one point. Brie-when I snorted my friend Michelle said "Aww, one of your friends wanted to hear you do that. You'll have to tell her I heard it". Haha! Andrew has made a cake for all of the birthday's so far. He is the best cook we have here so everyone looks forward to eating something he's made. He had told me about a week ago that he already knew what he was going to do fro my cake. Well the poor guy got really sick yesterday and just couldn't make me a cake. I thought I just wasn't going to get one, but then Jeff surprised me tonight with a cake he'd made. Andrew gave him a recipe and he put together an absolutely delicious cake...what a guy! It was a Victoria sandwich with whipped cream and pineapple. I'll post of few pictures below and you can see the rest on my Picasa page. I'll also post pictures of the craziness that was "Dia del Nino".
Tomorrow we are going to a town called Catacamas. Oscar, our computer teacher at school, owns a smoothie shop there. He has been asking us to come and visit for weeks now, so tomorrow is the day. He's going to pick us up from the bus station (it's about a 30-45 minute trip) and take us to see some caves. After we're done seeing the caves we're going to head to Oscar's house. His mom is preparing a lunch for us :). Then we're going swimming in nearby lake and out for smoothies. Should be a fun day!
Last night after "Dia del Nino" we rode home in the back of a pick up truck, which happens frequently in Honduras. Andrew has been keeping a blog since we've been here and I find his description of this mode of transportation to be hysterical, descriptive, and dead on! Enjoy:
"It seems about time to talk about Honduran driving habits in a bit more detail. In particular the abundance of pick up trucks, and the even more abundant habit of riding in the back of them. You see it everywhere, and while this might not seem so odd, try to envision exactly what this form of transportation entails. You are sitting on the edge of the bed (nobody seems to sit IN the bed of the truck, and as a result you feel honor bound to follow suit, or else risk seeming like some cowardly gringo pansy), and you fly along a dirt road which is more pot holes than pavement...and by pavement I mean compacted dirt. The driver attempts to compensate for the Swiss cheesiness of the road by swerving suddenly to try and avoid them; a maneuver which often takes you into the path of on coming traffic!
Now, you want to try and look ahead, to try and prepare for the imminent swerving, bumping, and near-death experiences rapidly hurtling towards you, but whenever you look up you are blinded by all the grit and dust kicked up by the passing vehicles which the driver of this death ride has managed to avoid.
So now you are blind, hanging on for dear life, and wondering if it would have been a better idea to simply walk the five miles back home?"
"I count myself in nothing else so happy, as in a soul remembering my good friends."--William Shakespeare
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