It's been FOREVER! I apologize from the bottom of my heart that it has been so long since my last posting. It is impossible to catch you up with everything you've missed so I'm gonna skip most of it and get to the recent.
Since my last blog, I've traveled back to the states to see my family and some friends for the Holidays. It was THE BOMB!!! Although I took 3 days off of work in January (to extend my break), time still flew entirely way too fast! I was fortunate enough to see family and travel to KC to see friends. I do send my regrets to those I did not get to see...I'm saving you for summer!
Upon my return to Honduras, I felt okay. I wouldn't say that I was excited to come back, but I also wasn't dreading it either. I would say that was pretty optimistic compared to what I could have felt! :)
It was great seeing my students again and getting back into the routine. School has proven to be a bit more draining this semester primarily because we have NO BREAKS until Spring Break which gives us nothing to look forward to in the short term. However, we have found ways to keep ourselves busy! We have started making frequent visits to a place called Sabor Cubano - an establishment that prides itself on Latin music (salsa, merengue, bachata) and dancing! It's been GREAT getting back into the swing of dancing! Our first weekend there a few weeks ago was INCREDIBLE! Let me tell you why. Jenn and I invited a friend of ours and her husband to get dinner and then go by there for some music. Well, we then made a few more calls...and by the end of the night we were sitting at a table with 15 or more people! The gloriousness of this information is that WE HAVE FRIENDS! Jenn and I had one of those moments where we looked at each other and 'yipeed' a lil bit inside - twas a good feeling!
Since then, we've returned a few times meeting up with different people and enjoying every bit. This last encounter I was able to approach a local and ask to dance with him. After some small talk (in Spanish of course!) I found out he knows a few people that are associated with my job! Tegus may have a lot of people, but it really is a small city! I'm hoping I now have a permanent dance parties on Friday nights! We'll see! (Don't worry mom...NO RING!!!) :)
Last weekend we did a lil something out of the ordinary! Jenn had a parent offer to take us to their second home about 30 minutes away for a fun get away day! The house was out in NOWHERE but surrounded by beautiful land! The father (of her student) took us for a little hike around their land. They ordered a mexican taco stand to come to the house for fresh tacos! They were delicious! I had 7 of them...that's right...SEVEN! And one of them was definitely lengua (tongue for you non spanish speakers!) It was a first and it wasn't near as gross as I thought it would be...a bit chewy but decent flavor. For the remainder of the afternoon, we all sat on the back porch and sang karaoke! Ana (the mother) has a brother in some band. So him and a member or two of his band brought some of their equipment and we had the whole set up! We used laptops for words, and we had the huge speakers and microphones to belt out into! We had SUCH a good time! I started things off with some Alanis Morisette and over the course of the 3 hour song-athon we had everything from Guns and Roses, Village People, Mana (spanish group), and who knows what else. We had it all! The only unfortunate part of the day was all the bug bites Jenn and I came home with. Now, I count my blessings because my bites were the normal annoying itchy ones...Jenn however had some kind of bad reaction to them and her entire leg/foot swelled up and caused her much dismay! Another unfortunate find was the nasty little tick we found on her leg...and mine! YUCK! Overall, we had a great time with each other and the family.
Now, let me catch you up to LAST NIGHT! There is an event here in Tegus called Agafam! It's a rough equivalent to a county fair in the states. We saw some cows and some horses! We also ate some tasty food! I must say I like county fairs better because you can get any kind of fried food you desire...here there was pretty much tipical food and no sweets! SOOO disappointing! We tried some cotton candy but NASTY! I'll never do that again! There were those different games you see in a fair like pick up the duck and see what number it is for a prize...OR yeah, whatever. Okay so down to the real story...
They had the typical fair 'rollercoasters' and Jenn and I htought it would be a good experience to try one out. We were headed for the ferris wheel UNTIL we realized that it would spin at a speed of 50 mph...and some of the carts were facing the wrong way and yeah, we didn't want to die. So our eyes found the Pirate Ship...ya know the one that swings back and forth and gives you a little thrill in your stomach. Well, we watched it go and it looked fun so we decided to give it a try. We wanted the top seat (for the biggest thrill) but there was a kid sitting there. So I kindly asked him if he would mind us sharing the seat...he was more than willing to scoot over. Now, note that this was my FAVORITE ride back in the day. And this particular ship was a small one so I didn't expect too much thrill. BOY WAS I WRONG!!! So the ship started to swing...and it only took about two swings to get us to the max but I kid you not we went upside down! And the bar that 'held us in' barely did it's job. I could not help but 'fall out' of my seat and seriously if that bar had malfuntioned in the slightest, I would have died and killed those I fell onto. This feeling TOTALLY freaked me out but was fun all at the same time. Jenn and I couldn't help but scream and laugh all at the same time. Well, it didn't stop. I think the guy running the machine found it entertaining and kept making it worse...now, if the sensation of almost falling out - and doing all I could do to stay in my seat and finding it absolutely impossible - wasn't enough to make the experience something to talk about...wait til you here THIS! The next thing I notice is that one of the hinges at the top of the ride started SPARKING...like FIRE! And the sparks were falling on/near us! That is when my 'this is funny and exciting and crazy' thoughts became 'OH MY GOSH I'M GOING TO DIE IN HONDURAS!!!!!!' I WANT OFF NOOOOOOWWWW! My explosive laughter/screaming went to the edge of crying! I held it in (since there was seriously a CROWD of like 20 people who had gathered just to watch the Gringas freak out) but I could not catch my breath for the longest time. My legs were shaky and I was in awe that I was still alive! YOu have no idea...you won't know how I felt unless you come down here and try it for yourself. I can't wait to take the new gringas next year! Haha! And as Jenn said, I'm sure it will be the exact same ship...no repairs made! Haha!
That pretty much made the night and everything after was overlooked! People watching was fun because Honduran women do not get what it means to go to a fair! They still wore their 6 inch stilettos and mini skirts...ridiculous! And their HAIR! The men had the CRAZIEST HAIR ever! We had Elvis style, comb over style, fluffy weird style...and the like. Weird! Anyway, after walking around a bit more, we called it a night. Jenn and I ended up slumber partying it at Sarah and Nahuns house. Woke up this morning and had some tortillas con quesillo for breakfast...DELISH! We then played some Xbox Kinect and then finally made it home. I should be lesson planning...but I haven't gotten around to it. Oops! And now it's time for the SUPER BOWL!
So, again, I apologize for the long pause with no updates but now I'm BAAAACK! Hope you enjoyed it. Talk to you all soon! Much Love!
Sierra
I'll try and post pics soon! Check out facebook!
