One Month Down...how many more to go???

I am SOOO sorry it's taken me this long to post again.  Fortunately I feel as if things have slowed down, however that means less cool stories to share with the blogging world:)  But crazy thing, I feel like nothing has happened since I last posted but then I went through all my pics and I've got LOADS to tell you!  So let us begin:
We are officially through our first 2 full weeks of school.  I have mastered ALL Of my kids names...this may seem minuscule to some of you bc it is expected to learn names when you are a teacher...but I'm talkin I've got 5 different Andreas in one class, loads of Marias, 3 Diegos, and others I still have trouble pronouncing...but I'm there!  It makes classroom management a little bit easier when I can call out a students rather than just saying "Hey...excuse me...you there!"  haha.  We are still working through kinks at school.  Our online attendance, grading system still isn't up for HighSchool yet which is really worrying me.  I'm seriously the MOST organized I have ever been since I've started teaching, but I know that it won't last much longer and I would feel much better if I could get their grades on the computer and not on a piece of paper which I am sure to lose at some point!
I have had several students tell me that they love my class and I'm their favorite teacher....not sure if they are just sucking up or not...but either way it makes me feel good!  One of my classes was CRACKING me up on Friday before our quiz.  They are SO different than my old students.  Literally 15-20 of my 6th period students walk into my class on Friday looking like they are about ready to cry...because they were so nervous for my quiz.  They begged and pleaded and bribed and bartered for their quiz to be changed...and I stood at the board seriously laughing!  I'm just not used to that...and it struck me in an odd way and they did not like the fact that I was making light of their math stress!  :)  I haven't graded their quizzes yet to know if they had reason to worry...but it's life!

Anyway, enough about school.  The other girls and I finally got our gym passes so we no longer have an excuse for being lazy!  Our first day at the gym went fine.  We wanted to pace ourselves...and get a ride home with Sarah so we only stayed for about 35 min!  One of the workers even noticed and commented...said next time we were to stay an hour and a half to make up for it!  This was us afterwards!  We were feelin pretty good about ourselves!  :)

We continued to go for 3 days and then our bodies were screaming at us to take a day off so we did!  But we've enjoyed the people there...and the classes they offer are great.  We did one called TRX and it uses straps that hang from bars and it's all about lifting your own body weight and stuff...FUNKY moves but So fun!  

One evening after the gym Jenn and I were pondering what we were going to do for dinner bc we had ran out of food...so on our way home from the gym (we got a ride from Sarah and her fiance) I made a joke about have a party at Sarahs house and they said...sure why don't you come for dinneR?!  So, it was perfect bc we went to Sarah and Nahuns (pronounced similar to 'noun') casa for dinner!  Nahun is a Hondureno so we were talking to him about the culture and such.  He informed us that if we were looking to get married here, one condition MUST be met before we are eligible...we had to know how to make homemade tortillas!  :)  Lucky for us...WE LEARNED!  So we are now officially ON the Honudran man market!  hehe.  Making them was super fun.  I got to knead the flour and Jenn got to start fryin em up.  We made close to 30 tortillas.  I LOVED IT!  

 Below is the final step to insuring the tortillas are done.  You have to 'poof' them up!  THis was the most fun part of the process!

 I thought I should try one before we made too many more!  

 The final product...and man were they tasty!!!

So, Nahun said he would keep his eye out for any single Honduran men between the ages of 24-32!  Mom, if you want me to come home...ever...then you better start prayin his search goes sour!  HaHa!  

After our lovely dinner at their house, we all went out for dessert!  Here we got to introduce Nahun to the American delight of French Fries dipped in Ice Cream!  Here is what he thought of it...

 HAHAHAHAHA!  So funny!  

But we quite enjoyed ours!  They have Chips Ahoy McFlurries here!

So that was our last Friday...which leads us into Saturday.  After writing a weeks worth of lesson plans for two classes we treated ourselves by going out with some friends.  Joan is an IT teacher at DelCampo who invited to show us around!  He picked us up and took us to a FABULOUS little place to eat...ON THE STREET!  Two funny things about this...he didn't even think about the fact that our stomachs have not yet adjusted (or more accurately MY stomach) so we were a bit nervous about this adventure.  AND this place is known for their meat...and Yasmine (girl from London) is a vegetarian!  So all around, it didn't seem as if this place was really what we all needed....BUT MAN IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!  I had carne asada on the stick with some beans, cabbage, onions, and cheese.  I knew I should have played it safe by NOT eating the cabbage but I couldn't help it...it was so good!  

This place is seriously set up outside these ppls house and it is one of the most POPULAR places to eat around here!  And the best part is that for my entire meal...it was less than $4!  There was a line from when we got there to when we left of at least 30 ppl!  Crazy busy. Crazy good!

After dinner we went to a place called La Cantina.  They had live music which was really cool.  It was just a chill place where we all just were able to sit around and chit chat.  We met some new people and had a lovely time!  Worst thing about it...the bathrooms!  I went to use the restroom, and NO JOKE there was pee ALL over the seat, the floor, and used toilet paper SPILLING out of the trash can.  I seriously am surprised I didn't throw up...it was SIIIICK!  

Sunday we went to church with Nahun and Sarah.  Nahun's father is an 'associate' pastor there.  I think it would have been INCREDIBLE but it was Mission Month so all they did was talk about different places they have missionaries...don't get me wrong that is amazing but it just wasn't the most interesting of services.  However, the kids did a miming thing which was really cute.  I think we will plan to go back to this church (the ppl were SO VERY NICE and they had an overhead projector so it's easier for me to follow!) but we will wait until the Mission month is over.  

Our next big adventure was our trip to get water.  This was our first time to go get water on our own.  And literally we went ON OUR OWN!  Kristi lent us her car to go get it (bc she was supposed to take us and couldn't).  So I let Jenn drive bc I didn't want to be responsible for wrecking it!  haha.  The water place wasn't far from the house...but it was still a bit nervous.  It had been almost a month since either of us have driven...

Not that I didn't trust her...but...  haha.  Anyway we got there with no problem.  Had to wait in line but we got our three 5gallon tanks of water!  Well we were heaving them to the car when one of them we discovered was leaking!  SO, we had to lug it back to the counter and ask for a new one.  At this time, it was Jenn and I, and about 7 Honduran men.  We were definitely livin in CODE ORANGE!  Guards were up, but for your peace of mind...everything was fine!  We made it back to the car safely...with a new water jug...and trekked home.  It was exciting, bc we felt so independent!  Very satisfying!

Later in the week (thursday) Sarah had a birthday!  The same day as my wonderful brother!  So it was a day full of Happy Birthdays!  Jenn and I made Sarah a cake and a sign for her classroom!  I was quite impressed with my sign...thinkin about makin myself one even though it's not my birthday!

So after school we got together and cut the cake and enjoyed a little taste of heaven!  Haha!  Some enjoyed it more than others...

This is Lindsey...she seriously had icing on her nose, surrounding her mouth, and all over her hands!  Quite a sight to see!  During the day though I had a fantastic time bc I got 4 out of the 5 classes to sing Happy Birthday to my brother and was able to send him the videos for his present!  It was quite the fun gift to give!  They are on facebook if you want to see them!  My kids were so great...and excited to do it.  They asked on Friday if he liked them...they were so sweet!

Anyway, that leads me to this weekend.  Friday I went to a dance class at the gym and it was AMAZING!  Afterwards Jenn and I spent an hour looking for a phone number to some pizza place but never found it.  So we took our chances and called a taxi, hoping they would know where the place was.  We made it...and then had to wait 30 minutes for it to cook.  In the meanwhile we got to watch a gecko on the wall of the restaurant scout his prey and then    ATTACK!  It was the coolest thing ever!  We definitely looked like crazy Americans because were were jumping, clapping, shouting and cheering for this little gecko.  It was like watching the discovery channel...LIVE!  :)  Haha.  We finally got our pizza, called the taxi back and got home to eat.  By this time it was already almost 9o'clock.  Long evening!  So we put in a movie, ate, and relaxed.  BUT we couldn't stay up too late because we had Open House on Saturday morning at the school.  BOOOO!  It actaully went very well.  I only had about ten parents show up, but they were all very nice and supportive.  I was expecting more parent involvement since it is a private school....but the others said that was typical...especially in HS.  Jenn had all but 5 parents show up so some were more successful than others!  We only had to work from 7:30-12 but it totally took away our Saturday.  We got home and I graded papers and Jenn napped.  But before we knew it it was 6 o'clock in the eve and we had to to go Sarah's bday party!  Unfortuantely all of our parent teacher conferences are on Saturdays so that won't be the last wasted work weekend!  :(

Sarah's birthday party was a BLAST!  We met some of her friends from her last school and met more of Nahun's family!  Once everyone got warmed up to each other...the dancing began!!!  Haha.  Bascially it was Nahun's family and me dancing in the living room while everyone else sat outside and chit chatted.  But i couldn't sit still so I just jumped right in!  It was awesome!  I was a hot sweaty mess by the end of the night.  Luckily, Jenn jumped in later and we both went crazy!

A little merengue action!

The girls arrived a little later and we had a welcome treat for them...by the look on their faces, it's safe to say that our jello concoction went bad...oops!

But that was soon forgotten when it came time to BUST OPEN THE PINATA!!!  That's right, folks, there was a pinata.  And from this day forward any party that I throw WILL have a pinata!  :)

It was classic to see grown adults fight over the candy spillage!  It was so much fun!  And it's inspired me to make a project out of it for my classroom.  We will paper mache (sp?) pinatas and relate it to finding surface area...or something!  I think it's a great idea!!!  Anyway, the party was a huge success! We even got to take some food home which is fabulous!  

Jenn and I did not make it to church this morning...but I really needed the time to work on school work...even though all I've done this morning is blog and check facebook...ooops!  hah.  Well, I'm about to start school work...

Later we have dinner with Venita (my old principle) and hopefully a trip to PriceMart (costco).  Alright...well I hope you enjoyed the catch up.  Nothing as exciting as previous posts but it's life...ups and downs.  OOOH!  

I just remembered...so after we ate the street food...I was cursed again!  Sunday night I woke up around 1:30 with the same dreaded stomach pains as my first week here.  After an hour of horrendous cramps I finally woke up my roommate and asked her to pray with me.  And I kid you not, the Lord heard our prayers and the pain subsided and i was able to go back to sleep and wake up feeling well enough to go to work.  It was miracle and I was sure to share it with others!  God is so good and has been so faithful to us here.  I can honestly say that the Lord is changing me/molding me for something and I am so excited to see where he leads!  Thank you for all your prayers!  Trust that they are being heard and answered.  I miss all of you so much!  Feel free to message me anytime and fill me in on life in the US! 

OH YEAH...another thing!  haha.  My classroom!  It is finally ALMOST done!  haha.  I had to work really hard to finish decorating before the parents showed on Saturday!  So, here is the 'finished' product.

 The back right has photos of all my students.  The orange is a bit blank bc I still have one class to photograph!  Its my crazy class of 31 so I don't find a lot of extra time to snap pics!

 My desk and such is set up on the right side at the front of the classroom.  It took me a while to get all this arranged. I do think my room is one of the smallest rooms in the school!

 My pretty CEREAL boxes used as their 'hw turn in trays.'  Another teacher showed me that recycling trick!

 And my Dr. Suess quote behind my desk.  LOVE IT!  Thanks to my lovely roommate who took the time to cut all the letters out for me (on her cricut machine...not by hand!).  :)  

Okay...NOW i'm done!  Have a good week everyone!

Never a dull moment

OH MY GOODNESS!!!  I wish I had more time to blog because I don't want to leave any of these crazy happenings out...but you get what you get.

Well, school started last week on Wednesday.  Luckily it was half day so each class was only 25 minutes long.  Oh, but did I mention that Tuesday night I got word that my schedule had changed and was teaching an entirely NEW class!  That's how things work in Honduras!  It may not make sense, and it may not be fair, but they can do what they want!  Not only did teachers get new schedules, but they didn't get student schedules changed so from Wednesday to now...I don't even know what students are supposed to be in my room.  I just take who shows up and go with it!  All that said, Wednesday ended up being successful...simply for the fact that I walked out alive! 

 First day of school pics!

Thursday was interesting - in good and bad ways.  There is a tradition at DelCampo that Seniors get a special entrance!  So it starts by them getting to sleep in.  Then all classes get stopped so that we can all go to the entrance of the school and watch the Seniors parade in.  Supposedly this was one of the BIGGEST and BEST entrances ever!  This is also DelCampos 25th anniversary so it had some other perks as well.  Anyway, it first starts with a helicopter that flies over the school with our school logo on it in celebration of our 25th year.  Then Seniors begin coming in....on horses, motorcycles, old classic cars, SUV's, trucks, you name it!  It was pretty crazy!  Then they had a live DJ set up outside with a stage for the seniors to dance around on.  It was hot, so all of us were dripping in sweat (or just me because I'm a freakin sweat mess!)  Regardless, the hype was quite fun.  And it meant one less class that I had to teach!  

 Helicopter entrance...

 Moto entrance...

 Cool car entrance...

And then the big shabang with their motto!  

The pictures don't even begin to represent the excitement of this event.  Family came to see it, last years Senior came to watch, and everyone from 1st-11th grade was there to watch!  Crazy!  After the entrance it got a bit boring...Seniors jumped around on stage and a few of them gave speeches...

Then the owner of the school spoke for a bit about the 25 years and blah blah blah.  

Ending the hoorah was awful...because we technically ended during 3rd period (which is my plan).  However, I get to my room and students start piling in.  I asked them what they were doing and they were told to go to 4th period.  I wasn't sure what to do but hey...it's Honduras so you go with it.  So I get everyone sat down and then someone knocks on my door and announces that all students should be in 3rd period.  REALLY?  C'mon!  Make up your mind people!  So for 10 minutes, they leave and then report back for 4th period.  After is lunch - and this was my lunch duty day, yeah for me!  I had no idea what I was supposed to do, and it was crowded and hot in the lunch room so I left and went back to my room.  I had to prepare for my class of Seniors coming in after lunch.  Well, nothing could have prepared me for them!

Mind you, this was the Seniors first class of the year and of the day and they just came in from their big entrance.  Not to mention, my roster had 19 students...and 32 students showed up!  AHHH!  Minor freak out made by me!  Seriously!  So I walked out of my room (to find another teacher to help me) and I had a sworm of 10th graders looking for my room because they were supposed to have class with me!  WHAT!?!  Something is terribly wrong right now!  In these moments, the super/principal comes walking down the hallway and looks at me as if I have caused this mad mass of students.  I gave him the skinny and he began to take care of it.  He took half the seniors out and I started class.  I got all the left over seniors to get name tags made, etc...and Mr. Rinaldo comes back with the students he had taken minutes earlier and said that he needed to switch some kids out.  So I go from expecting 19 to getting 32, then back to 19 and by the end of the hour I had 26!  So, with the 26 seniors (one of them standing because I only have 25 desks) and only 15 minutes left of class, I had to do something.  BUT I COULDN"T becasue all 26 seniors were using their 'outside' voice and speaking in Spanish.  I got their attention and told them, 'i understand this is your first day and you're excited so I'm not asking you to do work today, but I need you to speak English because that is a schoolwide policy.'  They all agreed and .5 seconds later all 26 were blabbering Spanish again.  After getting on to them at least 3 times, I finally had to take away their talking privileges.  Literally, for the last 8 minutes of class I did not allow them to say a word!  They all left wishing I would get sick and not show up ever again...it was awful!!!  

BUT, God is good and hears the prayers of the needy!  Friday came sooner than I could have imagined. Most of my day went well.  Then lunch came (which meant Seniors were coming shortly).  I was uncontrollably nervous for this class bc I had no idea how I was going to handle them again.  So, I literally prayed through my entire lunch period - laying hands on all my desks asking that God would grant me patience, and grant them understanding....and He answered!  It was so great!  Granted, my mindset was better and I attribute most of Thrs craziness to the first day of school excitement.  It did help that I rapped for my classes - which I think won over a few of the 'harder' students!  It seriously ended on such a great note!  It reminded me why I teach!  :)

Friday after school the foreign hires and I got an invitation for a day trip on Saturday to a beach complex owned by Mrs. Facusse (school owner).  I had planned on spending my entire weekend planning for the next two weeks (since lesson plans were due Monday) but I couldn't pass up a free beach weekend!  So Saturday morning we packed up and took off!  

I THANK GOD FOR CREATING PEOPLE WHO CREATED DRAMAMINE!!!  I would not have survived the 3 hour bus ride on the worst roads ever without that drug!  And I didn't even sleep but for an hour of it!  It was incredible seeing the land on the way to the island!  Totally different than Tegus.  Roads were worse, houses were sad, people were walking up hills barefooted carrying 20 pound bags of food on their head...just unbelievable sights!  And then what an immediate change when we hit the private property of the Facusse family!  Paved roads and beauty!  Welcome to our weekend paradise!

The pool practically spilled into the ocean.  Granted the ocean was kinda nasty, but the pool made up for it.  There was a 'pool' house there on the left with a TV, couch, hammocks, bathroom, and such.  Straight ahead was just a 'dining/social' area.  And the to the right was a bar and more tables...and the kitchen with a full staff!  :)  We were seriously in paradise!  I could go on and on and on but let me tell you my absolute favorite part (aside from the view, the being waited on every moment, and relaxing waters...).  On Sunday we were layin around the pool and Fabricio (guy in charge) noticed I was lookin a bit bored.  So he offered to give me a ride on his moto around the island!  (There is a side story to this...Sat night he was tyring to fix some things in the house and Jenn mentioned that Fab  and I should date so that way we could come here all the time...I told him this but I think my Spanish wasn't as good as I thought it was...we may or may not be dating now???  haha.  jk).  Anyway, so he took me out on this ride and we went to another mini island.  Here Fab started asking me if I had a boyfriend back home, what my type of man was (all in Spanish mind you!) and I was beginning to feel a bit nervous that I was on an island by myself with a man I didn't know and well...yeah.  (Sorry Mom!  The girls knew what I was doing so I was fine!)  Anyway, we had a nice conversation - and I'll leave it at that.  ;)  Anyway on the rest of our tour around the isle we saw...a HUGE lizard, deer, monkey, turkeys, peacocks, and I'm sure more.  There were talking parrots who would say HOLA and ADIOS; it was SO FANTASTIC!!!  Except the part where my foot got attacked my ants and Fab had to touch my nasty feet to get them off!  *a sign of true love!  hahaha.  Anyway it was a fantastic trip!  Definitely won't forget that weekend!  Didn't get any lessons written but OH WELL!

Oh yeah.  Can't forget our colorful friends who hung out with us all weekend long!

Anyway, the weekend came to an appalling halt when we got back home and had NO WATER!  ARG!!!  We were waterless until tonight (Tues).  And they will have to replace our water system so that will take several days and who knows how many times our water will stop in the meantime.  Ahh crazy life in Honduras...how I love you!  P.S. We showered at the other house so don't think we went 5 days without a shower!

Well, this is our first full week with students.  Schedules are still screwed up but I'm learning to deal with it.  Students are great!  So many of them remind me of my old students which brings a smile to my face!  Several of them are SO goofy and others SO smart!  They are absolutely great!  Tomorrow is a half day so that's always good news!  I'll keep you all posted as much as possible!  Love you all!

Go figure...it's Honduras

Well I hadn't realized how long it had been since my last post so allow me to catch you up to speed.  I did get to go back to school on Wednesday after being in bed all day Tuesday.  I didn't feel like I had much choice because ALL the teachers were coming that day.  Us new teachers had to be introduced!  So we met everyone and it was overwhelming, I still didn't feel great so I didn't really talk to anyone - they probably think I'm some snotty American.  Our first meeting was with all High School teachers which is crazy to me because there were only like 15 of us!  It was a moment of realization that I'm not in Kansas anymore!  There are a few HS maestros that I can see myself hangin out with...I am definitely one of the youngest!  Anyway, we had more meetings throughout the day and then we got time to work on our classroom.  So, I went and started decorating my room...until an admin came in and told me to stop.  I wasn't sure what was going on.  She then informed me that I needed to switch rooms.  It SERIOUSLY took every fiber in my body not to just burst into tears.  For real?  I was given the choice to pick a room and I picked THAT one...and now you're saying I don't have a choice and I have to move...but then I had to think to myself...of course I have to move because I'm in Honduras and things are ran SOOO different here.  Next week they'll probably tell me I have to teach a computer science class instead of math...(I hope I didn't just jinx myself!)  So, my new classroom folks...

And you'll LOVE this next one!

These bad boys think they're going to be my class pets but after 30 seconds of straight ant killer, I think they got my message!  

My new room is definitely smaller than the first and I don't have an office...but I'll make due!  :)  

I still haven't received ANY room supplies yet so it is very boring.  I'm not even sure if I'll get time to decorate before the year starts, which kinda sucks!  But then again it's HS and the kids will get over it!  

OH - something that happened that morning...I woke up and got ready to get in the shower and I discover WE HAVE NO WATER!  Again, Honduras do you hate me?  I had been sick and hadn't showered in a couple days already and now I can't shower on the day I meet my entire staff?  Great, just great.  The only solution we had was dry shampoo that Jenn generously let me use...

It's a good look I think!  haha.  So, I made due and sprayed myself down with perfume and I don't think too many ppl noticed!  

Thursday was a good day because it was our ONE WEEK anniversary!  We started with more meetings and ended with working in our room.  I thought I was being productive by looking through books and trying to plan but the next thing I noticed it was 3:30 and I had nothing to show for my 2-3 hours in my room.  I hate that!  But, the evening was good because Jenn and I made a celebration cake for our first week and we took it to the other house and chilled for a bit!  

Friday started rough because the reality hit that next week school started and I still had NO IDEA what I was doing.  We met as a math department (3 HS teachers and 2 middle school) and seriously spent 2 hours deciding on our grading scale!  Ridiculous!  Then we met again later to talk about curriculum and in this meeting I just about lost my cool because I was drowning in all the paperwork I had to do.  And the thing is, some of us are teaching the same thing, so why are we all creating our own documents.  Can't we share?  Don't get me wrong, the dept head has done ALOT and given men ALOT but I still feel lost and confused.  At the days end however good news came!

Our cellphones were ready for pick up!  Granted from the time of that announcement and the time we actually GOT our phones, a few hours had passed - but who's counting?!  And on top of that more good news came...the rest of our boxes finally arrived!  

This was Jenns biggest box that carried pretty much her entire life.  It was muy grande!

And my boxes were a bit beat up but I was still happy! Now I have clothes and cookbooks!  :)  

Our boxes pretty much absorbed the rest of our night.  Jenn ended up staying up until 2 putting everything away.  I was too tired and stressed to care that much so I just piled stuff up and went to bed.  Saturday started well.  I woke up early and deleted over 950 emails!  The unfortunate thing is that is the only thing I did all day!  We have cable now and it has already taken over.  NOT GOOD!  I haven't had TV for over 3 years so I'm like crazed now.  Once Jenn got up we did take a walk to Casa Campo which is our fitness center about a mile away from the house...but we only went for coffee - don't be fooled!  ;) When we got back we were going to clean up and have Sarah take us to the grocery store.  And Honduras surprised us again with NO WATER!!!  Are you kidding me?  Twice in one week?  So we called a few people and they were sending guys over to look at it.  And before they showed up our water was back on!  However, the pump is now leaking so there is obviously a problem.  The bigger problem, however, is that the fixer guys don't speak English so they were telling me what was wrong and how to fix it but I couldn't understand it all so I just got frustrated and shut down.  But basically, there isn't anything we can do...except convince someone to buy us a new compressor which knowing what I know of Honduras...we'd be lucky to get it before we move back to the states!  So I suppose everytime we go to shower, use the bathroom, wash, it's like we're in a casino taking a gamble if the water will work or not!  Fun, no?!  

Well, we did get to the grocery store eventually.  Jenn and I set a budget of 2000 lmps (approx $100) and we only went over by $3!  We had to put off some things until later but we'll survive!  The experience was still awful...too many people, different prices, weird layout, etc.  Hopefully some day I'll get used to it!  We came home from there, put away our groceries and sat on our butts for a while longer!  We did eventually get around to getting ready and we decided to go out!  A fellow teacher was having a bday party so we made plans to stop by.  Jenn, Kristi, Edwin and I went out to eat first at a really nice restaurant (you def get what you pay for) and enjoyed the company of each other.  We then hopped over to a salsa dance/restaurant for the party.  It started a bit slow bc the dance floor was empty.  I really wanted to dance but I was in a strange place and wasn't about to approach a stranger and ask him to dance.  FINALLY Edwin volunteered to take me out there!  We danced for quite a while and then I finally found some other dance partners!  Jenn got asked to dance and she got out there!  I was so proud of her!  She even made a friend and exchanged emails (phone number was a little much...good decision Jenn!)  

Edwin and Kristi enjoyin some Mojitos!

The night was fun.  I'm glad we got out of the house and saw the other side of the city.  The drive out there sucked bc I felt sick (again!) and the roads had so many pot holes that we were swerving all over the place.  The way home was even worse.  Their street lights kinda suck and it gets DARK here so we couldn't see all the pot holes...well that totally sucked because we ended up hitting the largest one ever and blew two tires!  TWO people!  And get this, she only had one spare - which didn't fit!  So, Edwins sister had to meet us and bring us one of his tires.  Then a kind gentleman stopped to help and we tried his spare but it was too small.  We were running out of options and wasn't sure what to do.  Then we called Sarah and woke her up and asked if her and her fiance could bring us their spare.  Kindly, they agreed!  They showed up around 2:15 and it worked!!!  So we finally made it home around 3 this morning.  The first thing I did was drink two bottles of water.  I was dying of thirst at the club but didn't want to pay for a bottle of water so I thought I could wait til we got home.  But we didn't make it home for another 2.5 hours so I was THIRSTY!  But I do thank the Lord for keeping us safe and providing us with two tires!  He is good!  

Edwin worked VERY HARD jacking up the car and replacing the tires.  And Kristi was very calm during the process...I would have been a mess.  Both tires looked like that.  It was awful.  

Jenn was a trooper by trying...but Edwin had to take over!  

Needless to say we chose not to go to church Sunday morning because we wanted to sleep!  Today has been a productive day.  It's been quiet.  Both Jenn and I sat down and forced ourselves to work on school work.  I got about 3 weeks of lessons done (for one class...only 2 more to go!) and Jenn got posters made and folders named!  We fixed spaghetti for dinner and now we're being lazy!  I still have syllabi to write tonight and then tomorrow back to work.  No students until Wednesday but the nerves get stronger every day!  I'll keep you posted on progress!  Thanks for tunin in!  Good Night!  

When it rains, it pours (in more ways than one)

Oh boy!  Where do I begin?  Well, Saturday night all us "gringas" got together for pizza at the other foreign house!  We introduced our British and Honduran friend to a lovely game of Phase 10.  Neither of them fully grasped the concept, but they still managed to do okay!  It provided lots of laughs.  Edwin is a local who used to work at DCIS.  He is absolutely one of the most entertaining persons I've met.  He's totally in his own world at all times; very rarely does he tap in to what is happening around him (we at DC would call him Code White).  Absolutely knee slapping.  And add to that Yazmine which is one of us from Britain - if I had to live on an island with only one person she would be who I pick because she can come up with the greatest ideas out of nothing!  And she's bloody funny (said in British accent of course!)!  I must say DelCampo picked a FINE group of foreigners this year - they will surely miss us when we're gone.  However Jenn (my roommate) is already making plans to make home here.  The other morning we were strolling down our street and she says to me, "Sierra, when we BUY a house here, I'd like it to be turquoise!"  I was like WOAH - slow down!  It's all good and such but I'd like to at least make it one week before I plan on uprooting my entire life for the rest of my life (you're welcome mother!).

Let me tell you about Sunday morning church!  I figure it's going to take a while to find one I really like so I thought I would start looking right away.  My principal goes to church so I asked her if I could tag along.  We went to a Honduran Pentecostal church.  Las personas son muy amable!  And they were definitely not lacking energy!  At one point, they introduced all the visitors and Jenn and I had to stand up.  Then all of a sudden we were flooded by a rush of people showering welcome and blessing on us!  It was quite nice, actually!  Then the real excitement happened.  We got to one song and man the place got fired up.  I've seen praise dancin but I can't say that I've seen gray haired folk praise dance like these Hondurans do!  It was great!  Entertaining and refreshing!  A missionary spoke (aka white man) but it was still in Spanish!  I was actually quite impressed with how much I could understand (with the help of Venita{my principal} filling in the gaps!)  Now, again I don't mean disrespect by the following comment: Sunday evening Edwin was asking about our church experience.  He asked if they were speaking in tongues.  I replied, "Honestly, I couldn't tell because right now it all sounds like jibberish to me!"  Literally at one point, 95% of the congregation was praying out loud and I was 'lost in translation!'  It was quite and experience.  I would definitely go back but I'm gonna look around some more first.  I would really like a church that has a projector so I can at least read the words to the songs...it will help me learn!

As we got ready to leave church we noticed it was raining really hard.  Well, we had no idea.  Driving home we saw this:

Granted it wasn't like this the entire way...just a certain spot or two but MY WORD! When it rains it pours...and obviously floods!

Sunday afternoon was pretty chill.  Jenn and I just hung out at the house.  Sunday night our other house invited us out for PUPUSAS!  I love pupusas...there is a place close to my old apt that sold them and I loved them.  So I was so very excited to join the madness.  I had just finished emptying my suitcases so it was perfect.  We went, and as our food is delivered Kristi, the returning American states that this is what made her so sick last year because they are served with cabbage and that is a big NO NO!  Well, we all looked around and thought, should we eat it or not?  Guess what we decided?  LET'S DIG IN!  

This is me hoping that I am a lucky one and don't get sick from the delicious cole slaw mix!  We'll See!

Monday we started at school with seeing our classrooms!  I got my key and was real excited.  I was hoping to be instantly inspired with themes and ideas and when I opened my door...

Not sure if you can really see it but my floor and desks are COVERED in sawdust.  I couldn't work AT ALL because everything was such a mess!  

This is my teacher desk...really?  I have two drawers and they don't even open!  Wake up call folks - I am not in America!  

And my stained white board with NO markers or even a place to put markers.  Deep breath!

The only cool part to my room is that I have a secret hide away office.  I will be sure to duck and take cover in here quite often!  

Other than seeing our classrooms on Monday, we also had a security briefing.  We learned all the different color codes for our states of awareness.  White - no fear, no worries; Yellow - aware of surroundings but calm; Orange - alerted because something isn't normal; and Red - DANGER ROY ROBINSON!  And then of course code BLACK which means mad chaos and you have lost control of the situation.  We are having quite the time making fun of this system.  We also learned how to look to see if someone is armed.  Oh and get this - if we have a dangerous situation at school we are to call the office or security immediately...but we don't have phones or intercoms or ANY communication device in our classrooms.  GReat!  :)  

We did have a rather intersting/entertaining talk about Honduran culture and DCIS culture.  Key things about Honduras: Friendliest people you will ever meet but know no such thing as personal space!  Honduran time is MUCH slower than US time.  *one of the more frustrating points for me!  Also that Honduras has the 2nd most corrupt politics in the WORLD and is the 4th most dangerous country in Central America.  Yeah, that's my new home boys and girls!  Who wants to visit???  We have an extra bedroom!  

Also on Monday we went off campus to set up our bank accounts - which only took 2.5 hours to do!  Luckily we had a Dunkin Donuts next door so that we could reward ourselves for good behavior! :) 

By the time we made it home from the bank, I was not feeling well at all.  The car ride was enough to push me over.  And then as we were pulling in to our complex, Jenn gets a call from the bank that she has to come back and sign some more checks...so we went back.  By this time I wasn't so sure I was gonna make it back clean.  I felt awful!  We finally made it home but unfortunately the evening only got worse.  So I was feeling car sick (the worst so far since being here) and as soon as I walk in the house I plop on our couch and just sit to calm my body.  In the meantime I get out my computer and come across an email saying that my principal has resigned.  At this point I burst into tears!  I'm sick and my one contact at my school is leaving!  What's a girl to do?  I only wish it stopped there.  My roommate and I watched a movie before going to bed and I had started to feel a different kind of ill.  But I figured I would sleep it off...until 1 in the morning.  From 1 am to about 5:30 am I was glued to the toilet experiencing things that I will not give detail on here!  But I think you can imagine.  I was in horrendous amounts of pain, I could not sleep, I could not stand, I could not do anything but rock back and forth and pray that it would be over soon.  Finally around 5:30 I fell into a very light sleep until 6:30 or so.  I woke up to again, excruciating pain.  I had my roommate run to the other house  (bc we still have NO phones!).  She then proceeded to knock and throw rocks at the windows until someone finally woke up and came to our rescue.  

So, as Jenn finished getting ready for work, Kristi and Venita came over to comfort me until the doctor could come see me.  The doc was suppose to be there by 8, but again, Honduran time....so she showed around 9 or 9:30.  They ended up taking me into the school clinic which really pissed me off because all she had for me there was a little bed (made for 5 yr olds I felt).  I was to 'rest' until my medication came.  So I had to lay there uncomfortable, frustrated, and sick for 2.5 hours until the meds got dropped off.  She prescribed me with four pills, gave me two injections, and forced me to drink two bottles of this disgusting electrolyte drink.  Once I got home, I could finally sleep!  I was off an on until around 5pm.  By then Jenn was back so we sat together...both of us having had AWFUL days.  We eventually made some LIGHT dinner bc both of us are afraid to eat anything now and we watched a movie.  

I am hoping I am feeling well in the morning so I can report to work.  Tomorrow all teachers show and I would like to meet them.  So, if you feel like praying here are my requests: That I recover quickly and catch up on missed work AND that God completely heals me of car sickness...bc that is a serious issue for me here!  Thank you!  

I've been through alot these last few days...but as Jenn and I say "we'll make due!"  Things aren't as we would have them, but they aren't impossible either.  Despite the sickness and frustration with school issues, I feel strongly that the Lord is still in control!  I miss you all so much!  I'll post my address soon in case any of you want it.  Good night.  

Dulce Suenos!