Well, just to let you know, that me, being as responsible as I am, let my password on my school e-mail expire, so if you haven't heard from me, that's why...I'll try to take care of that next week. I am at the office in Choluteca right now, in an hour or so we're leaving for Tegucigalpa where we'll spend the night, and then tomorrow we head home.
It has been a great week, I spent my days at school...all three days after school I gave English lessons to the teachers at the school, and it was so much fun!! Those girls are so funny, I laughed more in those 3 lessons than I have the whole rest of the time that I've been here...On Tuesday we did our rotation of teaching in all the classes at the school...it was mildly disastrous, but the teachers say that they learned a lot from us, so I guess that's good...Yesterday, my last day, the kids did a goodbye show for me...it was really cool, but it made me really sad...two kids did solos in English, and some other kids did interpretive dances to these really sad songs, and all the teachers gave me presents and stuff...and the whole school was standing outside and they sang me the Barney song in Spanish, it was so sweet!! They also sang my favorite song a couple of times, it was great!!..and it really made me not want to leave....but here I am, leaving...

Whoops, knife slipped!!

Well, I had a bit of a knife accident on Thursday morning...we weren´t going to leave for Tegus until like 11, so a couple of us decided that it would be nice to make cinnamon rolls...we had some of the canned dough kind in the freezer, which was a bit odd, but whatever...so, of course, when we got the can open, they were all frozen together, so I started cutting them apart...in our apartment we have no butter knives, only sharp ones...so, I got them all apart except for the last two, and since I was hungry and in a rush, I didn´t re-adjust my fingers, and slash!!! I lost part of my left index finger...it´s not really as bad as all that, but I did cut off about the upper right quarter of my fingernail and good chunk off the side/tip of my finger...a couple of us looked at it and decided that it was just a big chunk of skin, so no real damage done.....it was really bleeding a lot and blood was running all the way down my arm, so I held a washcloth on it and elevated it and after about half an hour, the bleeding stopped, and we bandaged it up..it was really hurting so I took a super large dose of motrin....when we got to Tegus, I hit it really hard on a plastic tub and it started bleeding again, so I re-bandaged it...as of right now, the chunk is in place, I didn´t completely cut it off, and the fingernail piece is still there too...I´ve been told that the finger will re-attach and the fingernail bit will eventually fall off, so we´ll see what happens..I guess I´ll just have a nasty looking finger for a while, but it´s mostly still usable...

Protest in Tegus

On Thursday when we were checking into the Marriott in Tegucigalpa, there was a huge protest..all of the government city workers were on strike and were marching in protest...being curious, I went outside to see what was going on, and I saw a TV camera man, and was like, oh cool, this is on TV...so, being the tourist that I am, I pulled out my camera and took a few pictures, then I turn my head, and the camera man is standing right behind me videoing me...I get a little excited/freaked out and move so that the guy isn´t right behind me, and he followed me!! It was crazy...I guess that I made it on TV, they were shooting live, but I wasn´t watching TV, so I don´t really know...then Heath came out and had the brilliant idea that I should march with the protest so that he could take my picture...so, I walk out in the street, and all the people started cheering for me!! Heath took my picture, then I left the protest, but it was really exciting!!! And, we went shopping and I bought a Honduran flag.

Copan Ruins

Well, we finally made it to the Copan ruins this weekend...Thursday morning we left San Marcos for Tegucigalpa, spent the night there, then departed for San Pedro Sula on Friday, and travelled to the ruins on Saturday. Today we travelled all the way back from San Pedro...it was a lot of bus time, but it was a great trip. The ruins were really cool, some of the best ones that I´ve seen, except for Teotihuacan in Mexico...Me and a few of the other kids went and climbed around on these little houses that the Mayans used to live in, it was so fun!!! It´s really hard to describe the ruins without pictures, but they were really cool, and I´ll have pictures when I come home.
We stayed in San Pedro Sula, and that was pretty exciting...they have a really cool plaza in the center of the city with a really cool fountain and a big catholic church...probably the best cathedral I´ve seen since I´ve been here. We had fun walking around and eating at Cinnabon.
We stayed at a neat hotel, Hotel Gran Conquistador, it was a little shady, but it was all right.

...

Well, today was a really exciting day at school!! A group is here from Houston, and they´re doing a VBS...and me and Samantha got to lead the songs for them this morning!! It was great, we sang for a really long time....I really enjoyed it, and all the Hondurans were impressed that I actually had learned the words to all of their songs. Also, today I talked to Carla about the teacher evaluations, as well as different classroom management strategies for the teachers to implement in the classrooms....we had a great discussion about methodology and different educational theories, I really enjoyed it!! Also, tomorrow is Matt´s birthday, but we are leaving for Tegus tomorrow, so the teachers presented him with a gift today....a cupcake with a giant candle and a hamburger!!! It was really funny...
Tomorrow we depart for Tegucigalpa and then on to Copan...at first I was the only definite to go to Copan, but I convinced 8 others to join me!! That really boosted my confidence in my persuasive abilities...

School Days

Well, the medical brigade is still here, but I am spending my days at school, trying to get some stuff done while I´m still here. On Monday Rachel and I started teacher observations...since they don´t ever really get evaluated or monitored, we are observing the teachers, and then I´m writing up reports on each one so that the director of the school can go over them with her teachers. Also, next Tuesday, I am teaching a lesson, a different lesson, in each of the 4 classes, so I´m preparing for that...Rachel is helping with preparation, but I will be giving the lessons...There is also a group doing a VBS at the school, so it´s pretty crazy this week....

Today, Sunday, was a really fun day too. Church here isn´t until the afternoon, so some of us spent the morning horseback riding at the ranch that Mission Lazarus owns. It was pretty fun riding through the mountains and grass and mud and little bitty creeks...I had a pretty nice horse, so nice in fact, that Heath´s man horse had a little crush on her...we tried to keep them separated as much as possible to avoid any awkard circumstances...
I´m a little sunburned from the past couple of days, but it´s really not that bad...I will survive.

Well, Thursday night I called to Jarrod to talk about our weekend plans, and needless to say, things didn´t exactly pan out as I had planned...a few of us got the idea that we really wanted to go to Nicaragua, so we went through a travel book and got online and got the whole trip planned out, but Jarrod didn´t really want us to leave the country...so, next weekend we´re going to Tegucigalpa and Copan, and yesterday we went swimming at a place called Tres Pilas. It was a really neat place with big rocks, waterfalls, and nature made pools - 3 of them. We had to climb down these rocks to get the water, and I slipped, but a rock caught my fall and I didn´t really get hurt...There were also rocks that we had to walk on in the water, and I again fell, and kind of got hurt, but not really..I¨m just a little scraped and bruised, but it was worth it - we had so much fun!!

Clinic in the Mountains

Well, the medical brigade from Kent´s church in Indiana also arrived on Sunday, and began their brigade up in the mountains at a hacienda in a place called San Juan. Monday I was at the school with Rachel, but I went up on Tuesday morning...I was assigned to translate for Nurse Julie...we saw many patients, most of whom suffered from headaches, stomachaches, diarrhea, etc...all caused by parasites... it was pretty interesting, since it was my first time to actually be working with patients...We were through seeing patients at about 3:30, so everyone left to return home except me, Bethany, Nathan, Samantha, Rebekah, and Kent...we decided to spend the night at the hacienda...I was previously told that we would get to sleep on hammocks, but there was only one hammock and it was pretty cold outside, even for me, so we set up army cots and slept on those. At about 4:30 our dinner was ready - eggs, beans, tortillas, and some sort of weird cheese, which none of us except Kent ate, and he paid for it at about 4 AM...inside the house it was pretty nice, except none of the inside walls went all the way up, eliminating all forms of privacy - mainly you could hear everything that went on inside the bathroom...I think that we all bonded a little that night...we just stayed up talking and playing cards, like a real campout, except we were inside and had cots and running water and an electricity generator...Wednesday I again translated for nurse Julie, and we saw more of the same thing...he wasn´t our patient, but there was a man who had a really large tumor growing on the side of his neck, sadly we couldn´t do anything for him, but a surgical team is coming in August and hopefully they will be able to help him..We came back down last night...it was a bit of an adventure - the intern mobile, called la tortuga blanca, died....so Leonardo had to drive us back in some other car....Today I went back to school and Milson´s house, it was so much fun!! They let the kids out of school early because they ran out of water...This weekend we are either travelling to the ruins at Copan or maybe San Salvador, El Salvador...

New Kid Arrived

Well, the new intern, Rachel, arrived on Sunday...she moved into the bed above mine, yes, we have bunk beds....it has been an adjustment now having 3 girls share a room/bathroom, but we are adjusting nonetheless...On Monday I took Rachel to the school in San Marcos, she is also a teacher, but speaks no Spanish, so I accompanied her to the school so that she could talk to Carla, the school director...they are planning a health fair to do at the school in July, so I helped them kind of get their ideas aligned....we also finished painting the mural in the cafeteria that we have been working on...Rachel is a nice girl.

Well, I just posted my beach story in little bits...start at the bottom and read your way up....I´m still having a blast and loving Honduras...I´m off to the ice cream shop!!

Finally, we made it back to the mainland, and once again loaded up in the truck...of course, it rained a little bit, but not too much...as we were driving, and getting fairly close to Choluteca, we saw a gas station, and Samantha asked Kent if he thought we should stop for gas, and he was like, ¨nah, we can make it¨...right as we made it to the driveway of the gas station, the car died, out of gas...luckily we made it to the pump, and filled up...the truck was also overheating, so Bethany generously gave her drinking water to the truck...we finally made it back, and went to Pizza Hut for dinner, which isn´t my favorite, but I was starving!! By this time, it was dark outside, and little foggy and rainy...as went further and further into the mountains, it got foggier and foggier, until Kent couldn´t see anything!! It was crazy and impossible to see...it was like there was a cloud wall...it seemed like we would never make it back, but we finally did.....it was quite an adventure!!!

Well...once on the island, we went up to the only restaurant that was open to get us some lunch...they had 3 basic choices of food: shrimp, big fish, and giant fish...we never did figure out what kind of fish that they were....not being a seafood eater, I joined Bethany and Nathan and ordered only a plate of rice and beans, like any crazy gringo would do...after we ate..we went for a nice stroll along the beach, then it started to rain again, so that didn´t last too long...we hung out for a couple of hours, then boarded our trusty sea vessel once again...the waves were even bigger than they had been earlier and it was raining again, so none of us felt too safe...we even almost capsized once, there was a giant wave, that almost completely overturned the boat...once the waters calmed down from that one, the boat man decided to tell us about all the sharks that were in the water...we were all terrified for our lives, and began planning whether or not we would try to swim with our backpacks and shoes on.....

We stopped in Choluteca to drop off Rebekah who was going to Tegus to pick up a new intern that´s coming in, and we picked up Osman, who was to accompany us on our journey to Isla Amapala...we finally made it to the port where we were to board the boat to the island...the boat was quite small and scary looking, but we all piled in...The boat driver handed us life jackets, which we gladly put on...So, we rode through some smooth waters and were having a nice time for about 15 minutes, then the waters became very choppy as it started to rain again....the rain didn´t last too long that time, though...we we chopped for about an hour to the beach that we wanted to go to, Playa Negra...however, it was very choppy and stormy near this beach, and the waves kept tipping the boat and it was too dangerous to get close to shore...By this point, the boat was filling with water, so we gave trusty Nathan the bucket to start bailing water out of the boat...turns out, Nathan isn´t so trusty, as he threw the bucket out with the water, so, in the midst of wind and waves, we went back for the bucket in hopes that we wouldn´t sink...we got the bucket, and made it to another beach, Playa Grande...by the time we reached sore, we were all a bit queasy...but we made it alive!!!

Isla Amapala

Well, yesterday, Saturday, was beach day. I awoke with alarm at a brisk 7AM..and laid in bed as I waited for Bethany to finish in the shower...I kept hearing these gurgling sounds, and was curious, but continued to lay in wait, soon I heard a desperate shout for help...Help!!!...I went to see what was the matter, and the water in the apartment had run out...you see, the power was out, and we had used up all of the water in the pressure thing...anyway, Bethany was covered in shaving cream, without any hope of water, so I brought her a cup of our precious drinking water so that she could rinse off...needless to say, I did not shower yesterday morning...we couldn´t flush the toilets either, but luckily the water left us at a time when no one was plagued with diarrhea...So, we all got dressed and loaded the truck to go to the beach...we have quite a weak vehicle, I think it has to do with horsepower or something, and with 10 of us piled it, it was slow moving...and with about 5 people riding in the back, it started to rain!! Oh, what a glorious start to our beach day!!

The other night in our house we had singing night, and I was all excited, ´cause sure, I like to sing, who doesn´t?? I was all ready for a fun night of karaoke style fun...but, oh boy, was I wrong...turns out, I´m the only intern who hasn´t had a formal singing education...Like, seriously, it was like being in the middle of the best world chorus, and I was the kid that they just let in because they felt sorry for me...I tried to have fun with it, but after like 2 hours, I was bored, and feeling very inadequate...they all took the singing so seriously, and weren´t really seeming like they would appreciate me busting a tune with my lovely vocal talent...it was kind of disappointing, but what do you do....
Yesterday we were walking to Milson´s house, and I tripped on the rocks like at least 5 times...
I´m having trouble thinking of more stories right now, but we´re going to the beach tomorrow, so I´m sure something fun will come of that...
Chau, que les vayan bien...

Frijoles

Guess what?!? Today when I was at the pulperia I was asking if they had any beans that I could cook for dinner, and they did...and they came in a bag..oh, you may be thinking, ¨what´s the big deal, beans in a bag?¨...but they were refried beans, in a bag..it was so neat!!
Yesterday I went to the clinic for the first time and helped sort pharmaceutical items, like pills, that was fun if you like counting...
At school we are now painting a mural in the cafeteria...Matt and I traced it on the wall on Wednesday and yesterday some of us starting painting it...it is so much fun, I love the creativity of it all..and I love getting to go to the school, it is really fun, and the kids are incredible..they are so sweet, and they can´t really remember my name, so they keep calling me ¨Gringa¨...it´s fun, I like it...Also, in the kindergarten class, the teacher has kind of made me her special helper, so I get to help pass out papers and crayons, and tell kids when they´re drawing their letters and numbers wrong..it may not seem like that big of a deal, but I´m loving it...
Next week a medical brigade is coming and I get to go camp out in the mountains and sleep outside in a hammock...I am so excited!!

Well, here I was, about 5 hours ago, typing away for like 30 minutes, and BAM! entire system goes down...so I´m back, but instead of writing a million words then trying to post, I think I´ll try to break it up a bit...
Today has been a weird, but relaxing day, a few of us woke up early this morning and went to a fruit market - I know, you´re thinking, but you don´t eat fruit, and yes, as a general rule that´s true, but I´m trying to branch out and partake of nature´s goodness while I´m here...we bought some bananas and pineapples, and avocados and potatoes and onions and cucumbers and carrots...now that I list that stuff, I guess it was more like a vegetable market...anyhow, it was fun, I suppose...
After that we went back to the house to wait for our ride to Choluteca, but due to circumstances, it never came, so I wandered out to the internet cafe, where I have again wandered, and some other stuff....went shopping for a toy car for this kid Milson, and when we were walking back with the car, a whole bunch of kids starting following us asking if the car was for them...it was crazy!!

Oh, to be in Honduras

Well, yesterday, Monday, was my first day on the job. I went to the school in San Marcos- it´s little kids pre'k-2nd grade. When I first got there, the kids were just playing until the bell rang, then they all lined up according to their class-each class had one line of boys and one line of girls. Then, they stood in their lines for probably like 15 or 20 minutes and sang a bunch of songs...I can´t wait until I actually learn the songs, that is going to be a lot of fun!! When they were done singing it was time for breakfast. Each kid got a pack of cookies and a glass of milk - the milk was warm and had some sort of rice stuff in it. After breakfast the kids went to class. Samantha(another intern) and I took pictures of all the kids for a bulletin board that we are going to make. When we were done with that, we went to the preparatoria (kindergarten) class and helped them write. These kids had to write the word papa like 50 bagillion times...it was crazy!! Some of the kids were having trouble so we got to guide their hands and help them try to make all the papas. It was insane, after they finished a whole page of writing the word papa over and over again, the teacher would take it and give them another one!! I thought that it would never end, but finally it did, and they got a sheet to make the letter -I- a thousand times. After a while it was getting close to time for lunch, so we went to help the cook, Cristiana, get lunch ready...guess what we had to eat..rice and beans! It was good, we also had homemade corn tortillas...it was incredible, well, not really, it was school food, but it wasn´t too bad. Recess was after lunch, so we got to go play outside, that was pretty fun...after recess I went back to the kindergarten class, where we listened to this cd that they supposedly listen to everyday..it was crazy..the kids were like yelling-singing along with the cd..it was so loud, but it was pretty funny to watch them all because they had the entire thing memorized. I had a pretty fun day at school, it wasn´t what I was expecting, but it was still fun.
Today I am assigned to the office, where there is absolutely nothing for me to do except sit at this extremely slow computer and play. I have been here since 7 this morning and there´s a possibility that I may not get to leave until 4 this afternoon...I just wish that they had a couch so that I could take a nap.
This trip has turned out to be nothing like I expected it would be, and I´m still not sure how I feel about that. That´s all for now, I may be back before the day is over...

Honduran Arrival: A Success

Well, I made it. I survived the flights, and a 2 hour layover in Miami. While in Miami I ran into my dear engaged friends Bethany and Nathan.
We arrived in Tegucigalpa without a hitch....all bags and people made it through customs and immigration. We had a fun 2 hour ride to our destination town...there wasn't enough room in the truck, so Nathan and two other interns had to ride in the back of the truck...it's rainy season down here...so I guess you can figure out what happened....It poured for probably like an hour...man, those guys were soaked!! Everyone seemed so concerned, so I kept my laughter on the inside, I didn't wanna be the mean girl. It was funny...and all our suitcases got soaked!! But, they eventually dried out, so it was cool....
I met the other interns, they're all nice so far, but we'll see as time goes on.....
I'm sharing a room with Bethany, we have another roommate arriving next week. Hopefully she won't get on my nerves, I hear that she's a teacher too.
I had some beans today. They were awesome!!! They were a type of refried-black beans. I ate some on a tortilla, and some by fork.
I had fun playing with Sol today....we pretended to call Tia Boo on Sol's flip flop, it was way fun getting to talk to my friend through a little kid's nasty shoe. By the way, Becca, Sol's face lit up when I told her that Tia Boo was calling on the flip flop. And, I gave Jarrod their presents this morning.
That's all for now, we are about to go grocery shopping, yay fun!!!
It's really pretty and green here, and rocky and awesome.

Here I am, excited and ready to go!!

Green Beans

Well, friends, I have decided to start blogging again, mostly for my own ease and convenience. Tomorrow I leave for Honduras, and this is where I will be filling you in on Honduran happenings. I'm hoping for lots of funny stories, I aim to keep you all entertained. Also, please leave comments or shoot me an e-mail so that I'm not completely out of the loop when I get back.
Departure is tomorrow at 6AM...I eagerly await the ascent into the skies....