Olimpiadas

After school on Friday was a busy day of dancing. I was so busy I actually missed lunch and ended up eating tortillas and a Pepsi. (I am already planning my first American meal in the Houston airport to make up for it.) I ended up having to borrow a red dress from one of the volunteers and shorts to go under it from a visitor. Two of the boys who were in our routine didn't show up until around 3:30, and we were supposed to be down at the school by 4:30. We had a major cram session, and then got all dolled up. I can't even describe to you the scene at the school. Each team had a huge flag, matching costumes they'd made, and props. My team (Cuba) had Che shirts they'd spray-painted and were dressed up as guerrillas. The tios and Armin had made two military trucks out of wood. Other teams had Mayan ruins and a volcano that shot out fire. I was really happy with how our dance went (I have video that I'll put on Facebook when I get back!) and got lots of compliments. I am thrilled to tell you that we won SECOND PLACE!!! Feels like first! (Name that movie!)

Saturday was a big day starting with a celebration of the word in the iglesia at 7:30. I also got to be a part of the NPH Honduras family photo for the year. We then headed down to the school with our teams. My team spent the morning competing in relay races on the basketball courts. I was really glad to have Anna (one of the new volunteers) on my team so that we could commiserate in English about this bizarre experience that is Olimpiadas. My favorite race was the one where you had to run with a balloon across the court, sit on it and pop it, and run back. I was actually one of the faster girls - I do well in sprints; I just can't expend too much energy over a long period of time. We had spaghetti for lunch and then did the circuit of activities around the school. The obstacle course was pretty hard. I guess I wasn't crawling through the tires fast enough because the big boys ended up just pulling me through! The two activities I had decided not to do I ended up doing. The first was a tug-of-war in a mud pit. I figured I'd probably never have the opportunity again, so I jumped in. I reached a new level of dirty!! I also played Quien es el Rey? They put a bunch of mats on top of a stage and tied them down, and you had to wrestle a person off. I'm not a big girl, but I was the last woman standing on my team. I was then promptly booted off by two Honduran girls. I didn't stand a chance, but I put up a good fight. My brother would be proud! The funniest part was the trivia section. My team had the good luck to draw the question, "How many states are in the United States?" I answered "50" and was told I was wrong!!! I threw an absolute fit and had everybody behind me; they ended up giving us the points, but I'm pretty sure they still think there's only 48 states!

There was thunder, lightning, and a torrential downpour last night. There was supposed to be a dance at the school where they would announce the winners. I made it all the way to the volunteer house, but got completely soaked and decided to head home. I was really tired anyway, but I'm bummed I missed it. Today, I just have packing, handwashing my disgusting clothes from yesterday, and mass. I leave for the airport around 8:30 a.m. My flight leaves at 12:00, and I get into SeaTac around 8:00 p.m. Hoping to see my friends and family soon after...give me a call.

Disgusting

You know you're ready to come home when you pull a tick off your body. I am so done with this quasi-camping nonsense! It's funny - I was really homesick during the day yesteray, but I've been so busy and happy today that I'm not sure I want to go. Funny, that.

Yesterday was Father Wasson Day, so we had a special mass and then an assembly and lunch at the school (no classes). I ended up going into Tegus with a friend last night. Erin, I thought you'd like to know that we ate Totino's pizza for dinner. It was like a little slice of home. ;) There was a big soccer game versus Costa Rica last night. We didn't even have to watch it because you could hear the entire city erupt with each goal. Today, we went running around all day shopping for Olimpiadas stuff. The kids on the U.S. team wanted to release balloons like during Obama's election, so we searched high and low for helium. We actually ended up renting a canister to fill something like 300 balloons. It is so bizarre to be in the city and see all the graffitti regarding the coup and the huge military presence. Yesterday, the protestors rioted and set fire to a fast food restaurant. We saw the burned out building today. So it was a crazy day, but we did have a nice lunch of crepes and fresh strawberry juice.

Remember how I wasn't going to join an Olimpiadas team? Well, when we got back to the Ranch today, I got suckered into joining one. Team 12 didn't have any extranjeros, so I am now part of Team Cuba. I volunteered to dance since that's sort of my comfort zone, so I'll be performing tomorrow night!! I just spent the last three hours practicing and choreographing as well. We're not even done and the performance is at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow. I'm at the school until 12:00, so it will be interesting. Apparently, that is sort of par for the course. And then Saturday is an exhausting day of playing games. I'm actually really glad I joined - I feel more connected to the Ranch that way. I'll probably post for the last time Sunday, after I have slept in and packed. Back Monday! :)

What happened alli?

That's my new favorite phrase! Everything is just fine here. Alina and I moved from the visitor house into a casita because a big surgical team was going to come in. They got in yesterday, and there's about 30 new visitors. The little house is really nice except for the lack of hot water. Not as refreshing as it was in El Salvador. Things are going really well in the school; the first grade teacher seems really happy to have me there. Alina leaves tomorrow, which I'm bummed about, but I'm sure this week will go by quickly. Wednesday is Father Wasson (the NPH founder) Day, so there's not school, but there's mass, a program, and a special lunch. Next weekend is Olimpiadas. All the kids and adults are on one of 18 teams. They have to do a dance on Friday and then compete in games on Saturday. I'm just planning on taking pictures. ;) Should be fun! I'm coming home next Monday...looking forward to seeing you all again soon.

Life on the Ranch

Everything is good here in Honduras. I have been working in the Montessori school every day, mostly with first grade. It is almost like a special education classroom because so many of the kids have been held back or have never been to school before. That means there are kids anywhere from 6 to 11 years old. Mauricio, Jessica, and Cesar really like having me there to help them with their little independent activities. The teacher, Kenia, is really good. I talked to Momo (wife of Reinhart, former national director) who runs the Montessori school and she said it would be great if I could come every year and even better if I could take a sabbatical and stay for a year! :)

The kids are wonderful, with the exception of a few girls who have been a bit nasty to me. They don't like being disciplined in school. I got the best greeting hug from Axel when I saw him for the first time this trip. Now all the San Pablo boys (the same ones from San Francisco last year) are cool with my again. I've also had nice conversations with Bryan and Maynor who christened me "Geisha" last year. One sad thing is that Carlos Santos, one of my favorite kids, has left the Ranch. He's in Tegucigalpa doing Lord knows what. The director is in contact with him, so we're going to try to arrange a meeting with him so I can talk to him.

The food here isn't too bad. I didn't think I would be able to do it after the first day, but now that I have Cornflakes for breakfast it's not so bad. My favorite dinner is panqueques. I was so upset when they put mantequilla on it!! Mantequilla means butter in Spanish, but here it's this weird sour cream, mayonnaise stuff they put on everything. So gross! I've also discovered that I don't like this fruit called a nanse (sp?). The texture is just disgusting. I would rather eat the leaves the girls in El Salvador fed me when we went on our hike. They were actually pretty rico. I have to admit that I have a serious hankering for Thai food!

It had to happen sometime...

Yep, the first vomiting of my trip. That's what I get from eating street food. More on that later.

So, teaching English on Friday went REALLY well. My friend Alina (she works for Friends of the Orphans in DC and was on the trip last year) serendipitously arrived on Thursday, so she decided to come with me to the school. Between the two of us, we were right on top of those kids and managed to have a good time. There were two kids in fourth grade who were pretty awful, but the rest of them tried really hard. I now have a list of about 4 girls who hate my guts because I don't let them get away with anything. They are so mouthy!

Yesterday, Alina and I went to the posa (swimming hole) and hung out with the kids. It was really warm, so they were all swimming (in all their clothes, which is so weird to me). The tios made tamales for snack, so we had this absolutely delicious hot corn mush! Several of the volunteers were leaving this weekend since their 13 months are off, so we all headed to Tegucigalpa (the capital city) around 4:00 for their despedida. It was sort of Intro to Honduran Transportation experience for me; Mom, you do not want to know about it. We ended up going out to dinner for comida tipica (hence the puking), then bowling (of all things!!), and finally out dancing. We came back after breakfast this morning. Between my hotel, transportation, food, and entertainment, I probably spent $30. So bizarre to me to feel so rich here!

Travel plans have changed yet again. I've been e-mailing with Donna, and she wants to stay in Mexico rather than go on to Guatemala. It didn't sound like such a good idea to go by myself to this particular NPH home, so I am staying here on the Ranch for another two weeks. I'll be here for the Olympic Games and then will head home on the 17th. Stay tuned in case things change, as they are so wont to do here!

Worst class ever

So yesterday, I observed second grade Montessori. I have never seen a more disobedient, disrespectful, out of control class. They didn't start off so bad, but by the afternoon the situation had completely deteriorated. I felt so bad for the teacher; she was really embarrassed that they were acting that way when I was there. The class was supposed to be going exploring for animals at the end of the day, but she made about 7 of them stay in the room and clean. I didn't think they should be left alone, so I stayed with them and tried to calm them down. They did clean, and we made an apology card for the teacher, but one of the boys (Arturo) managed to rile them all up again. When she got back and gave them the consequence of picking up trash, Arturo ripped up the card. He later turned on the water outside and sprayed his teacher with it. He and another girl, Scolin, were suspended. And, of course, they blame me. Not really excited that I'm already making enemies, but I'm not going to tolerate bad behavior just so they'll like me. I'm nervous because I'm going to sub tomorrow for the 4th, 5th, 6th English teacher. I observed them today, and they were so malcriado. I'm going to try a behavior system and bribe them with candy and hope I don't get eaten alive.

Good-bye El Salvador, Hello Honduras

El Salvador gave me a wonderful send-off. I forgot to mention that they got me a gift which I was presented with at mass: an NPH t-shirt and towel. Very fun! Loly, one of the girls' house director, made me a special dinner of pupusas Sunday night. I also got a delightful send-off from my little girls. They each wrote me a precious letter and drew me a picture. I received some of the nicest letters of my life from Susy, Roxy, and Gloria (older girls). If you think the art of letter writing is dead, visit NPH!! At night, each girl took turns thanking me in their own way. When it was time to say goodnight, little Deysi gave me a good long hug and told me to remember that the door to the NPH home is always open to me.

I was a little nervous about the whole bus situation, but it was fine. I left around 9:30 a.m. and arrived in San Salvador around 11:30 a.m. At noon, the bus left for Tegucigalpa. I was a little concerned about the border, but there was no problem. The police did board to check some bags, but I just had to show my passport. Apparently, I'm too cute to be a smuggler. ;) It turns out it was the Nicaragua/Honduras border that was the problem. The bus was a nice charter bus, and we watched several movies in English, which helped pass the time. We actually watched Speed...great idea to watch a movie about a bomb on a bus!! The bus arrived in Tegus an hour earlier than scheduled. I figured I would just hang out at the bus station until the NPH driver and visitor coordinator (Uli) arrived, but I was informed that the station was closing. Can I tell you how much I didn't want to wait on the streets of Tegucigalpa...with all my baggage...at night?!?! I called Uli, who told me to take a taxi to Cero Grande (the bus station lady kindly helped me with this) where I met up with them. I was safely within the confines of the Ranch by 8:00 p.m.

I had a meeting this morning with the school principal who remembered me from last year (she's new to the position but not the school). I went down to the primary school with her and met with Kenia, who is in charge right now. A lot of people are gone to Mexico for a big NPH International meeting, including the national director. I observed the pre-school, kindergarten, and first grade Montessori classrooms. I'll go to second and third tomorrow. Yet again, they're telling me I can do whatever I want. If I have my way, I'll be doing a lot of one-on-one work with the kiddos. But we'll see! I'm heading down to the boys' house this evening for dinner and to see my Axel!

Last day here...I think

Since there was no school on Friday, I decided it would be a good idea to wash my clothes. It is such a pain to wash clothes by hand! I don't envy the tias having to wash all the little girls' clothes and sheets...YEESH! Later, I spent about an hour with Dorita, who is the worst behaved of the bunch. We read together and kicked a ball around and now have a good relationship. She even gave me some of her cookies! I'm hoping it's something I can build on when I come back (fingers crossed).

I was wrong about the three-day weekend. They made up the day they missed on Saturday! What do you think of that, kids? I can't imagine anything like that ever happening in the states. We still had mass, and I got to meet Father Ron, who is wonderful. Getting ready for mass is sort of an ordeal. Everybody takes a shower and changes into their nicest clothes. It takes a long time to get the little girls' hair done. When I was finished getting myself ready, I came downstairs, and the older girls did my make-up, put earrings on me, and placed barrettes in my hair to match my shirt. They said I looked like a "coqueta." I looked that up and it says, "one who flirts." ;)

After mass, we went to the cancha to visit and eat dinner. I had one of the babies, Tatiana, in my lap eating an orange for most of the time. It was so cute because she wouldn't go to anybody else. She wanted to stay with me! :) We stayed until it got dark, and I had a lovely visit with Azucena. If I could, I would take her home in a heartbeat. She is such a sweet child! She always follows the rules and is content to play quietly by herself. Sound like anyone you know, Mom? I want to put her in my suitcase. Laura, I think she needs to be my godchild.

I've decided that you know you've been accepted when one of the older girls comes to you and says she needs to talk to you. I was so worried because she said the worst possible thing had happened. Considering these kids' stories, I was kind of freaked out. But, as it turns out, it was...a boy problem. Of course! It was great because I kind of felt like her big sister giving advice. Some of the older girls came to my room to watch a movie with me (usually, they've been coming by for help with English homework). Pretty sure we watched a pirated version of Inkheart in Spanish. Sigh.

I'm supposed to be going to Honduras tomorrow. I'm going to do some research on the political situation. Really hoping they don't close the borders!!

Mareada

Last night was the first time I felt a little sick. I think I'm doing pretty well since by this time last year in Honduras I had thrown up at least twice. No puking yet! I just feel a little dizzy - I think it might be the heat. We've had some respite from it in the evenings with some absolutely spectacular thunderstorms. I love the sound of the rain on the roof. It rains way harder here than in Washington, believe it or not!!

I've decided I must have had a deprived childhood or something. ;) Because it wasn't until I arrived in El Salvador that I learned to play jacks. I can't believe I'd never done it before. And I'm completely terrible at it but getting better with practice. I was also jumping rope with the girls yesterday afternoon. Come to think of it, that may be why I didn't feel good. You know I hate to exert myself.

So, I ended up visiting all the classrooms and then meeting with the director for discipline (kind of like the assistant principal) yesterday. We discussed my observations and suggestions, and she said it was a big help. I think she was just being nice because it was hard to give all my ideas in Spanish! But the school really doesn't need that much help. Except waking up the kids who sleep during class!

For those of you from Rogers, I heard from Desta Taylor, Jim Taylor's widow. I didn't realize she was involved with Friends of the Orphans, but she has donated 2,000 books to NPH. There's a little library in the girls' house that bears her name. Small world!

There's no school today because the teachers are on some kind of spiritual retreat. So I have three days of just hanging out. We have mass tomorrow with Father Ron, who I am looking forward to meeting. While my trip here has gone by quickly, sometimes the days seem to go by slowly. Life is just slower paced here. Kind of nice to not be running around all the time, but then again that's sort of my comfort zone.

Apparently, I'm not eating enough because one of the year of service girls brought me cereal, milk, and fruit for my room. I've been eating breakfast in my room because the kids get up at 4:00 on school days and eat breakfast in the comedor at 5:30, and as my sister would say when we were little, "There ain't no way."

I leave for Honduras on Monday! Can't wait to see Axel! E-mail me if you're bored...I miss you!!!!

Still got it

So, I just wanted to let you all know that it turns out I can still do ninth grade math. The ninth graders were working on it, and I was actually able to help...IN SPANISH!! Can I get a woot-woot?! ;) It was great because it helped me bond with Susy, who is one of the older girls who helps in Chicas Uno (the group of the littlest girls). We spent last night sprawled out in the hallway finding x and y.

I've been observing in the school for about three days now. I met with the assistant principal who deals with discipline, and she explained to me how their system works. It's not all that different from Zeiger's. The school is pretty together, and most of the teachers have good management. There are a couple of kids who are really difficult, so I'm working on some suggestions for the teachers for improving those children's behavior. It's hard because sometimes I can't express myself very eloquently in Spanish. And you all know how much I hate to make mistakes. So, I've had some frustration in that regard.

Some of my favorite memories so far are of my time with Chicas Uno. They are so precious! They really like for me to brush their hair after their afternoon shower. It's funny because, like my mother, I can only do two hairstyles, but they love it. I also taught them the song Mom used to sing, "I see the moon, the moon sees me, etc., etc." They already know "You Are My Sunshine," so we sing that all the time. I also like to sit with Chicas Dos at dinner, where their Tia Doris, the girls and I practice tongue-twisters in English and Spanish.

I'm in the office now, and I just spoke with Cecilia. She's going to purchase my ticket for Honduras, and I'll be leaving on Monday around noon and arriving in Tegus around 7:00 or 8:00. That's the plan for now!

As Shakira would say...

Estoy aqui. I'm here in El Salvador and loving it. It's REALLY hot and humid here. It makes those cold showers not so hard to bear. I'm speaking and learning a lot of Spanish. I've been told I speak well and that I DON'T HAVE AN ACCENT!!! WHAT?! Maybe they tell all the Americans that, but I'm taking it as a compliment.

My trip was fine except for a few obnoxious TSA people at the airport and a few delays. I got into San Salvador around 11:30 Friday, and the customs guy asked me if my dad was Salvadoran. Funny! I was picked up by Jose Juan. He's an ex-pequeno from Mexico, so his accent is much easier for me to understand, and we had great conversation on the two hour drive to NPH. He also hooked me up at the grocery store with some more familiar food and a calling card for the cell phone Donna lent me.

The accommodations at the Fundacion are really quite nice. (Better than Honduras, but don't tell anybody there.) I have my own little living room/kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. I'm right in the girls' house. They all have to line up for every meal, and my favorite part is how they argue over whose table I'm going to sit at. The food's not bad. The only thing I don't like is the tortillas, which don't taste like anything. You'd think it would be easier to choke down something that doesn't taste like anything than something that tastes bad...but you would be wrong. Oh, and they also make fun of me for how much water I drink!

I've been spending most of my time this weekend with the smallest girls in the girls' house (there's a separate baby house which I also visited). Their tia is Roxy and she's just eighteen. I absolutely love her because she always includes me and is totally willing to repeat or reword something she's said so that I understand. Her sister Gloria is a doll also. My favorite girls are Flor and Leslie because they always hold my hand. Sometimes I forget that these kids are orphans because they're so happy and full of life, but they've been telling me their stories. You wouldn't believe how many of them have seen their mothers killed right in front of them. I am blessed indeed to have my family! The girls and I went down to the river yesterday for a swim (I just waded...icky!) and had a blast.

Right now, I'm sitting in the office. I just had a meeting with the director's assistant Brenda and the school director Liliana. I'm waiting for someone to come get me and take me to the school. I'll be observing the little naughty ones today and then offering suggestions tomorrow. At least I think that's what we planned! ;) More later now that I know I have wireless in the office. Love you all!

It's about that time

I am sitting here at Mom and Dad's computer just about to leave for the airport. The kitties are here and are getting settled. (Buttercup takes 1 day, Hank takes 3). Right now, I am comforting my Hankie, as he has already been accosted by Eddie. Can't wait for little Elvis tp realize Hank has claws. I spent my day cleaning my apartment so it's nice when I get back and packing for my month-long trip. I fly to Houston overnight and then on to El Salvador in the morning. Should be there around 11:15 a.m. tomorrow. I'm supposed to have wireless, so I'll be "blogging it up," Ryan!

Just joking

Plans have changed AGAIN! But for the better! It is now safe to travel to Honduras, so I'm back to going to all three countries. I can't tell you how excited I am! Currently, I am planning to leave for El Salvador on Thursday, July 16th. (Which means I'll be here for the Harry Potter premiere - WAHOO!) I'll take a bus to Honduras somewhere around the 27th and then fly to Guatemala to meet with Donna around August 6th. That puts me back stateside around the 16th. That also gives me a little more time to get my classroom ready. Stay tuned...who knows where this rollercoaster ride will take me next?!

A change in plans

So, it now looks as if I'm leaving around the 20th of July for El Salvador. I'll join Donna in Guatemala for the first week in August. I hope to go on to Honduras from there if things calm down, but it doesn't look so good at this point. I'm thrilled to be going to the other countries as it looked at one point as if I wouldn't be going anywhere. So that's one good thing!

Political Unrest

It now looks as if there's a big question mark on my trip to Central America. You have probably seen on the news that there's been a coup in Honduras. We're not sure if I should be going for a few weeks or not. Donna gets back from Honduras tomorrow, and I should have more information by Thursday. This is really upsetting for me because there had already been a question about Guatemala and El Salvador before Donna left for Honduras. There is swine flu in Guatemala and violence in El Salvador. Honduras was supposed to be the fall-back safe place! It looks like I'm still welcome in El Salvador if I go with the knowledge that I'll need to be extra careful. (Nobody tell Mike Crossen!!) But my godson and my heart are really in the Honduras home, so I'm hoping things will calm down so that I can go. Think positive thoughts!