Well today was a day full of car sickness!!! We took our tour of Honduras today drove up to the North side of the city. The roads were paved, but they are the windiest roads EVER and the driving is so crazy you are constantly being swung back and forth. At one point, I noticed that the "highway" we were on didn't even have lane marks. Basically, if your card could fit then you would drive. There were people swerving in and out - Oh and they don't use blinkers...only their HORNS! It is seriously ridiculous! Luckily one of our principles found motion sickness meds in her purse and gave some to me!
We went to two sights today: 1) Valle de Angeles and 2) Picacho (home of the Big Jesus!)
Traveling to the places was not good for me but the sights were great! Valle de Angeles is a popular tourism area with the little shops and such. Picacho has a national park and a HUGE statue of Jesus! We saw the statue from the plane on our way in! But after all the driving, I was ready for some R&R this evening. So, I've been chillin on the couch and here soon I'll get up and make dinner. Tomorrow is our first ENTIRE free day! Plan is to FINALLY unpack my suitcases! And also try and hit the pool! We have a new fitness center that we get free access to! It's got classes, machines, a restaurante, 3 tennis courts, basketball court, 2 soccer fields, etc. It is a very nice facility! Looking forward to it!
Now, let me tell you about our friend(s). We are not sure if there is only one or two but we assume there are two and their names are Sodom and Gomorrah - because they are of the devil! Our neighbor has pet birds which live in their garage area (which is an outdoor area on the side of our house). These birds are literally the most obnoxious sounding creatures I have ever known! Their 'tweet' sounds like screeching tires but 10x's worse! And the bad part is, THEY NEVER SHUT UP! 24 hours a day they are making this God forsaken sound! We were warned by our previous occupants but we did not fully comprehend their displeasure until we heard it! And to add to it, Jenn heard a dog this morning on the other side of the house. We are surrounded by insanity! Here is the plan (thanks to my father) : We will buy some rat poisoning and dissolve it in some water. We will then buy birdseed and soak it in the poisoned water. Then one day, we'll mosey on over and kindly feed the bird(s). :) I think it's brilliant!
One thing I did not mention about the grocery experience from yesterday - things such as mustard, mayo, salsa, milk, sour cream, etc. that we normally buy in jars are sold in BAGS here. It's weird! Our mustard and mayo bags have spouts on them so it's fine, but the milk and sour cream you have to pour it into a different container - just odd is all, nothing I can't get used to.
Let's see, there were a couple other things I wanted to mention but they are slipping my mind at the moment.
If any of you are interested in SKYPING my name is Sierra Puryear. My phone number that you can call is 636-465-2910. This is a number set up through MagicJack so it is connected through my computer. As long as my computer is on I can make and receive calls. Otherwise, you can leave a voicemail and I'll get back to you when I can! I would love to hear from you all!
Have I mentioned the water deal? We have to buy 5 gallon jugs of purified water which luckily only cost about $1.50. However, the means to getting the water from the jug to a cup is tricky. The previous tenants bought a pump which is what we are using but it takes FOREVER! The other option is buying a stand which works as a faucet - but then you have to open the 5 gallon jug and flip it upside down and place it perfectly on the stand or else you have a freakin river flowin through the house! So I think we're stickin with the pump...but I say all that to say...BE THANKFUL YOU CAN GET WATER WHEREVER AND WHENEVER YOU WANT FOR FREE! IT'S A LUXURY!
AH! Get this! 3 out of the 4 toilets we have in our house are NOT working - including the one in my bathroom! Mine doesn't flush (button is broken), extra bedroom just doesn't have enough power to clear it out, and the downstairs bathroom has high water. Thankfully Jenn is kind enough to let me use hers. The really bad news is that they don't think anyone can come fix them until MONDAY! Are you kidding me? Great! Just great!
Funny story from last night: So we finished putting our groceries away and decided to wash our fruit (apples and grapes - both of which was on the DO NOT EAT list from my doctor). We had talked to a guy earlier that day who said he always used the tap water to wash his food so that was the advice I had on my mind as we washed our fruit. I figured if we rinse them and let the water dry, we'd be fine! Then later that evening I realized that our fruit do not have peels and therefore we should have washed them in clean water with soap...about that time Jenn comes up stairs with a handful of grapes, which she had already started in on! Immediately I said, Uh wait a second. Jenns face FROZE with a look of pure horror which I found outrageously funny. Once I stopped laughing I proceeded to tell her we need to rewash them (which was Jenns suggestion in the first place - oops!). Jenn then follows with the line, in all seriousness, "Should I start squeezing my butt cheeks now?" HAHAHAHAHAHA! I still crack up thinking of it. It was hysterical. I wish all of you could have been there! We have had several laugh out loud moments and I am looking forward to many more!
Well I am sure there are other things to discuss but I'm out of ideas for now. Hope everyone is well! Miss you! And seriously, skype or call! I am only an hour behind you!
p.s. weather has been great! A bit rainy for segments of the day but temperatures are phenomenal! That's right, be jealous!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Am I Dreaming?
Well I have officially spent over 24 hours in my new homeland of Tegucigalpa, Honduras! It has been quite the journey so far! After getting 3 hours of sleep I woke up on Thursday to make my 6 am flight. I was tired but anxious so I felt alright; until the security checkpoint! Saying goodbye to my parents was hard, but I felt like I handled it quite well...better than expected! And my mom did good too!
Our first flight to Atlanta was fine. Jenn and I did not sit together which for me, was fine. But Jenn got stuck by a jabber mouth who told a story of some bloody kid she saw and decided then she could never be a nurse...WEIRD! I however sat by a guy who has done a lot of traveling so we had some good convo! I also got a little nap in!
While waiting in Atlanta, I believe I walked up to at least 3 different women asking if they were Lindsey (another foreign hire who was supposed to be on our plane). I did not find her until after we arrived in Honduras! But the guessing game was fun!
Landing in Tegus was a piece of cake! We had heard horror stories but we honestly didn't even realize it was happening. BUT, it must be significant because it was the first flight I've ever been on that everyone started clapping and cheering after we made it! :)
Exiting the plane was interesting...buildings looked a little under code compared to the states. We had to take a long walk to enter the building. Customs and all was easy breezy. Our school staff greeted us immediately. It was very overwhelming as 7-10 new people were crowding around me and introducing themselves. I STILL don't know who everyone is. But they took us right to lunch and everyone started in asking questions and getting to know each other. The other two new foreign hires are GREAT!
The Staff has been very helpful and I am sure that this journey will be one of excitement and joy!
We got to our house and it was very exciting...until the school staff left and I lost it! Tears bursted out and I was ready to return home. Luckily my roommate, Jenn, was there to talk me through it! The house is all white and ALL TILE! Hard to explain, but pics are on facebook! It's not a home...yet!
My biggest complaint thus far is the driving and roads. I am already prone to car sickness and the driving here is SO AWFUL that within 30 seconds I'm already feeling ill. I hope my body just gets used to it but I have a feeling it's going to be a long adjustment!
Another complaint was that our house was not 'move in ready.' This was quite the disappointment. We couldn't find sheets, we only had two rolls of toilet paper, towels were smelly, we had NO WATER, and there was hair all over our floors! DISGUSTING! But we managed to take care of most of it.
Today (Fri) we had our first grocery shopping experiment. WOW! Even in Wal-Mart I was so lost! My biggest issue was that I just had no idea where to start. I mean, we had nothing in our house so we had to start from scratch! And then, I had to try and calculate the cost in US dollars instead of Lempiras and my brain was starting to hurt! Plus, there were TONS of people! Ugh! I hope that gets smoother. And the thought of doing that with a taxi freaks me out even more...but it's been done before so I'll work it! :)
Anyway, our first meal on our own consisted of Velveeta Shells and Cheese, ham sandwiches, and chips! I'll have to work on the cooking thing!
Anyway, I know this blog was super long but just know that it could have been MUCH longer!
Overall, I'm glad I'm here. I'll have my ups and downs, and I'm sure you'll hear about them all, but I will survive! As I laid my head down to sleep last night I started to cry...and then oh so softly the Lord whispered, "It's going to be okay" and the tears stopped. I slept great and was ready to go today! I'm in good hands!
Until next time!
Our first flight to Atlanta was fine. Jenn and I did not sit together which for me, was fine. But Jenn got stuck by a jabber mouth who told a story of some bloody kid she saw and decided then she could never be a nurse...WEIRD! I however sat by a guy who has done a lot of traveling so we had some good convo! I also got a little nap in!
While waiting in Atlanta, I believe I walked up to at least 3 different women asking if they were Lindsey (another foreign hire who was supposed to be on our plane). I did not find her until after we arrived in Honduras! But the guessing game was fun!
Landing in Tegus was a piece of cake! We had heard horror stories but we honestly didn't even realize it was happening. BUT, it must be significant because it was the first flight I've ever been on that everyone started clapping and cheering after we made it! :)
Exiting the plane was interesting...buildings looked a little under code compared to the states. We had to take a long walk to enter the building. Customs and all was easy breezy. Our school staff greeted us immediately. It was very overwhelming as 7-10 new people were crowding around me and introducing themselves. I STILL don't know who everyone is. But they took us right to lunch and everyone started in asking questions and getting to know each other. The other two new foreign hires are GREAT!
The Staff has been very helpful and I am sure that this journey will be one of excitement and joy!
We got to our house and it was very exciting...until the school staff left and I lost it! Tears bursted out and I was ready to return home. Luckily my roommate, Jenn, was there to talk me through it! The house is all white and ALL TILE! Hard to explain, but pics are on facebook! It's not a home...yet!
My biggest complaint thus far is the driving and roads. I am already prone to car sickness and the driving here is SO AWFUL that within 30 seconds I'm already feeling ill. I hope my body just gets used to it but I have a feeling it's going to be a long adjustment!
Another complaint was that our house was not 'move in ready.' This was quite the disappointment. We couldn't find sheets, we only had two rolls of toilet paper, towels were smelly, we had NO WATER, and there was hair all over our floors! DISGUSTING! But we managed to take care of most of it.
Today (Fri) we had our first grocery shopping experiment. WOW! Even in Wal-Mart I was so lost! My biggest issue was that I just had no idea where to start. I mean, we had nothing in our house so we had to start from scratch! And then, I had to try and calculate the cost in US dollars instead of Lempiras and my brain was starting to hurt! Plus, there were TONS of people! Ugh! I hope that gets smoother. And the thought of doing that with a taxi freaks me out even more...but it's been done before so I'll work it! :)
Anyway, our first meal on our own consisted of Velveeta Shells and Cheese, ham sandwiches, and chips! I'll have to work on the cooking thing!
Anyway, I know this blog was super long but just know that it could have been MUCH longer!
Overall, I'm glad I'm here. I'll have my ups and downs, and I'm sure you'll hear about them all, but I will survive! As I laid my head down to sleep last night I started to cry...and then oh so softly the Lord whispered, "It's going to be okay" and the tears stopped. I slept great and was ready to go today! I'm in good hands!
Until next time!
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