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!