Best day EVER!!!

Okay, I'm missing my last two weekends but I will come back to them.  I have to tell you about today!  So, it started around 6:20am when I got up and threw on running tights, leggings, sweatpants, t-shirt, and a long sleeve shirt with two jackets, gloves and scarf in a bag!  I was beginning my journey to Cotopaxi (one of the tallest active volcanoes in the world)! The beginning of the trip wasn't all that interesting.  We met the others on our tour (I went with Michelle and Mridula from school) and headed for breakfast.  After that we bought chocolate (to help with the altitude...wonderful excuse!) then we drove to the parking lot of the mountain.  Honest.y at this point I wasn't feeling too great.  Those of you who know me know that carsickness is an often occurrence for me and here were winding up a mountain. I wasn't feeling up to a hike at that point but I couldn't turn back so onward I went.  Our hike started at 4200 meters above sea level (13,776 ft).  At this point there is already bits of snow and the wind was FIERCE! Most of our track was in loose gravel bits with snow here and there.  Our first hike was only 300 meters (984ft) but it took us a good hour and a half maybe? That ought to tell you something! I had to go a bit slow bc I was already feeling sick and the altitude was taking effect. I felt quite dizzy for those first 300 meters so I stopped frequently to take deep breath sand press on.  The majority of the time you couldn't see much other than a bit around you but then all of a sudden you'd catch a spot where the clouds moved and my word the view was incredible!  Breathtaking (literally ;) ! And then about 30 seconds later it was covered in cloud again! My face was being pinged with snow but my legs were working so hard they were hot.  The sensation was crazy. We lost a few of our group on the way up to the Refugio (no worries, no one died they just became sick or had seen enough and went back to wait in the van).  I felt incredible once we reached this point bc I really wasn't sure if I could make it.  Here we had a chance to warm up a bit with some hot chocolate and snacks.  Then after a bit a few of us decided we wanted more...

So there was 6 of us that decided to go the next 500 meters to reach the glacier of the volcano. By this time I was feeling MUCH better physically.  The trick at this point was watching your steps.  I only had my normal tennis shoes...not the snow boots I needed!  So there were definitely a few times that had our guide not taken my hand...I'm not sure I'd be writing you right now.  But all went well.  Our goal (of the group) was to make it to the 5000 meter mark which would have been a record for all of us and WE DID IT!!!  The last 15 meters were by far the hardest/scariest for me bc my shoes were not gripping to the ice/snow but again thanks to Pedro, our guide, I made it!  You can't imagine the view.  It was beautiful beyond words.  Of course I have tons of pictures but even then, they don't do it justice!  I'm telling you at this point I could barely talk solely bc I was so taken aback by it all. 1- I had just hiked up a snowy mountain without the right gear and reached an altitude of 5000 meters (16,400ft).  2-the view was unbelievable and 3- I was just so stinking proud of myself!  I felt like I could conquer the world...or at least another volcano!  And this wasn't even the highlight.  The best part about it all was going down...there was no easy way to get down...it was all ice and snow on a steep hill so what was the best way to go back? By sledding on our butts of course!  SOOOOO AMAZING!  We only went about 30 meters or so maybe but that was one of the funniest 20 seconds of my life.  We all ended up in a big dog pile at the end and we could literally do nothing but LAUGH!  It was such a moment filled with JOY and ACCOMPLISHMENT! The unfortunate side to that was the other folk were prepared with their waterproof hiking pants and I was not!  Needless to say, I went the rest of the day with a real wet backside! But totally worth it. So, from here we hiked back down to the parking area (going down was so much faster but quite a bit scarier bc you had no grip whatsoever).  Once we arrived to the van we geared up with helmets and jumped on bikes to continue our journey down the mountain.  This was actually quite scary to me.  We were riding down the winding roads that made me sick on the way up. The road is wet gravel basically and it's all steep downhill.  I LITERALLY was squeezing the break as hard as my hand would allow and I was still going almost faster than I felt comfortable going.  Praise God I didn't have any accident bc it wouldn't have ended well.  There were a few times I started to lose control but I was able to remain calm and gain back control.  Definitely an experience.  I originally didn't want to do the bikes but my friend did so I gave in.  Glad I did! 

And the day isn't over.  The last delight was on our way to eat. We loaded the bikes and continued the rest of the way in van.  Along the way we saw a rainbow.  Now most of you may be like 'whoopty doo, everyone has seen a rainbow' but NO!  Not like this one.  First of all the colors were brilliantly colorful and the best thing was the rainbow was on the ground right in front of us!  We saw the end on both sides...right there!!!!  It was the PERFECT ending to the PERFECT day!  I can't wait to upload the pictures but until then, here are some pictures of my pictures...

At 5000 meters!

At the bottom of the glacier...

Dog pile after sliding down the glacier!  

How I kept warm, part of our hike, and approaching the glacier!  

Honestly this week has been amazing and this was the the best way to end the week! 

Other highlights from the week...Wed i went to a language exchange and met new people and practiced my spanish- after that we celebrated Ladies Night by went dancing with some folk from school.  Thursday I went to a soccer match with my professor and then hit up salsa dancing that night.  Friday I had coffee with a local to practice my Spanish and was practically proposed too...part of the culture I haven't quite gotten used to yet.  After that we had another incredible night of dancing with a different group from school.  Saturday was nice and chill- got some souvenir shopping done and was able to rest up for today's adventure!  

I've got one week left and I plan on enjoying every second of it!  Believe I was born to travel! Lovin this!

Jungle Fever

Good news everyone!  Since I'm writing this it means I did not get eaten by an anaconda or cayman while living in the jungle!  Hooray! Let me first start by saying the jungle was AWESOME!!! We took an overnight bus (8 hours of not good sleep) to meet our jungle guide.  From there we had another 2 hour bus ride to get to the river.  And then we had a 2 hour motor boat trip down the cuyabeno river! I will admit that I was a nervous wreck on that dang motorboat! Every time we turned I thought for sure we were gonna tip and I would fall in and be eaten by some crazy exotic animal.  It took my friend Michelle talking me through it and about 30 minutes before I finally was able to relax and trust our motorist! The cool part was when we stopped to see some squirrel monkeys crossing the river by jumping from tree to tree...above our heads!  Soooo cool! We saw several monkey species, birds, and an anaconda (but it was a small one and it was cuddled up in a branch so there was no danger...unfortunately!) we arrived at our lodge in time for lunch and then we headed out to swim in the lagoon and take a nature walk.  Swimming was freaky bc the water is literally black.  You can't see a thing! But it was so refreshing! Afterwards we did a night walk to look for insects and such.  Mind you, it was pitch black by this time so all we had were flashlights.  We saw lots of insects and spiders! The guides are amazing at what they can spot.  So many of the creatures have such incredible camouflage that to any of us they were impossible to see but our guide was all over it!  We then had a moment where we turned off all our flashlights and just stood in the dark...wow.  I could never survive in the jungle.  We couldn't see a thing!  Talk about creepy! After that we headed back in to our lodge for dinner.  Our lodge 'supposedly' didn't have electricity (but we think they were hiding it) so everything was lit by candlelight. Two of the guides invited Mridula and I out in a boat to star gaze.  This was by far a highlight! The sky was FULL of stars...more than I've ever seen before! There were two hearts being formed which was cool and we saw a few other designs! 

Some of our other adventures consisted of another nature walk to identify plants that are used as natural medicines for the indigenous people living in the jungle.  We got to swing on some crazy tree vines like Tarzan and we saw some other animals/insects.  We also got to see some dolphins.  We really only saw the top of their heads but it was still pretty cool! We took one night to search for caymans.  There was one that basically lived under our lodge but then we were able to find another one out in the wild! Our next day was cool bc we got to spend time in an indigenous community.  The bad thing about this day was it rained the entire 1.5 hours in bus and even though we had rain ponchos, they were completely water proof so I was a bit damp to say the least.  In the community we had one lady who 'hosted us.' With her we went and picked Yuca (a potato like veggie) and then watched the process of how they make yuca tortillas all from hand!  The process is quite incredible and time consuming.  We only made about 5 tortillas(they were huge) but normally she does about 100 at a time and it will last them about a month.  Once I get pictures uploaded you can see the process there. I could say a lot about this experience but I'm running a bit long as it is so if you're curious, just ask and I'll tell you more on how they live.  

After time in the community we went and visited a Shaman (a healer of sorts). This is also quite an interesting part to their culture.  Basically the Shaman heals the people by either a 'spiritual cleansing' of song and ritual dance or he prescribes some medicine that can be found in the jungle.  The interesting part is that in order to do either of these, the Shaman drinks a hallucinogen so he can 'see into their spirits/body'. He does this about 3-4 times a week.  Anyone who wants to be a Shaman can try...it takes about 20 years in all.  They start their training around age 12. Basically through out time if they can drink the drug and 'control' its effects, they earn the title.  

Our last morning started super early with bird watching before breakfast.  Then we packed up and headed back.  There were definitely tarantulas living on the ceilings of our huts, big ones at that!  But they never bothered anyone.  We slept in mosquito nets but it was more to protect us from the spiders, frogs and whatever else that could have landed on us!  I actually slept pretty great every night in spite of the potential death by tarantula! ;) 

Overall, the experience was incredible!  So glad I had the chance to go.  I was hoping to see a few more cayman and a monster anaconda but it wasn't in the cards this time around!  Pictures to come once I've arrived back to the states! 

Thanks for tuning in! 

Altitude makes a difference!

Hey everyone!  I thought I'd fill ya in on the past week.  Last weekend was incredible! The fun started Friday night.  We set out to go salsa dancing with a family friend (of my host family) and a brother.  We were under the impression that these fellas could dance.  So we walk around a while looking for a good place and don't have much luck.  This was our clue that maybe they didn't do this too often.  So we finally decide on a place and quickly learn that not one of the 4 guys that was with us could dance. I give credit to Pablo (oldest and shortest of them all) because he was moving the entire time...I'm just not sure you could call what he was doing dancing!  When it came to salsa...whew...he was a chicken with his head cut off.  I totally loved his enthusiasm and passion and the fact that he was having fun; contrary to the fact that the others were just standing around.  So after a bit we kindly ditched them and went off on our own.  Due to the long night, Saturday was a day of rest!  I claimed a me day and it was perfect! I was pretty lazy u til noon.  I then headed to a nearby park area and was able to worship a bit and take a nap outside.  The weather was perfect...until the sky became dark and I trout I better pack up.  So I ended up in a little cafe, had myself a sandwich as I studied some Spanish! Came home, watched a movie, ate dinner, and then some of the girls in my house and I had a little pow wow of chit chat and such!  It was great!  

Sunday started off fantastic as well. We ate our usual breakfast of eggs and bread and then Michelle, Mridula and I started our journey to the teleferico (gondola). The teleferico takes you up a mountain to about 4250 meters above sea level! Then beyond that is an optional 3 hour hike (one way) to another mountain.  Well, I hate to report we did not make it all the way to the top but we hiked for about 2 hours.  We were quite content with the place we reached.  It was incredible how the altitude really effects your endurance.  There were times when we had to stop every 3 minutes to catch our breath just because our lungs felt like they were collapsing (due to the altitude...and maybe a bit due to the fact that we are out of shape but mostly the altitude ! ) the views were definitely worth the pain and suffering! We were able to see most of Quito- including Cotopaxi...a snow covered volcano! The way down was a bit more dangerous than the way up since our trail was steep and made of loose dirt.  There were several close calls where one of us slipped and the others gasped in hope all was well.  Luckily- no injuries for us! By the time we made it back home, we were filthy and exhausted! We were in for the night. 

Monday after classes a couple of us went to the museum of Guayasamin (Ecuadorian artist). Part of the museum was his house...SOOO cool.  He died in 99 but they have preserved his house wonderfully.  His house is full of work from other artists that were either gifts or purchases.  They have even kept his clothes in his closet! The house was absolutely amazing,  we saw the studio where he used to paint.  He also sculpted, designed, and many more talents.  A lot of his work captured pain and suffering of those he visited in other countries or the suffering he himself experienced as a kid.  The whole experience was super cool! Plus the tour was in Spanish so it was good practice! 

Tuesday was nothing special that I recall.

Wednesday was ridiculously horrible in terms of Spanish!  I was on the verge of explosion the entire 4 hours of class.  It was a combination of being tired and being overloaded!  For this of you who have learned Spanish- I'm studying the imperfect subjunctive formation and my oh my am I confused!  So, Wed afternoon I had chocolate therapy and Wed night I had dancing therapy! Sure enough, Thursday and Friday went much better! Tonight we are playing it it kinda chill.  Tomorrow is Independence Day for Ecuador so we have lots of activities todo tomorrow-concerts, museums, etc. all for free!  And here is the exciting part...I'm taking a week off from classes and going to...

THE JUNGLE!!!  I will be spending 4 days and 3 nights in the Amazon.  It has been forecasted that I will see caymans, anacondas, tarantulas (bigger than my hands), monkeys and much more!  Please pray for my safety!  I am so very excited! So, my next update will be about my crazy jungle experience!  Stay tuned...

Birthday bust but back on my feet!

Well, I thought I was getting better at this blogging thing but it seems as if I've dropped the ball for the last 2 weeks.  Allow me to catch you up...

The day of my last post happened to be my ecuadorian moms birthday.  To celebrate, all of us in the house went in on flowers, balloons and cake.  Well here in Latin America you just can't find your typical birthday cake.  So the cake we ate ended up being two layers; bottom layer was a really dry white 'cake' and on top of it was a weird (nice way of saying disgusting) gelatin substance.  Of course we all ate it out of obligation but no one liked it!  The next thing I knew, Monday morning (my birthday) I had stomach pain so bad that my body was involuntarily resorting to the fetal position!  I was in bed for the following 2 days!  I can't guarantee it was the cake but that's where I'm placing blame! So, due to that random stint of illness the week wasn't so productive.  However, good news is I finished the Intermediate level of Spanish!  To celebrate my professor took me around town on Friday and showed me good places to eat, shop, walk, etc.  it was a fun last day with Isabel (my teacher).  Friday night there was a decent group of us from school that decided to go out.  We were celebrating my birthday and the last weekend of two of our fellow students!  It was a night full of dancing! 

Since Friday night ran late (230 am) Saturday morning was nothing but rest in bed! Once we finally gained the energy to get out of the house, I went with a roommate and classmate to see the Basilica.  The Basilica is about 150 years old and its incredible!  The craziest thing is that it took approx 450 years to construct...and it's not even finished. You can climb to the tower and get a great view of the city but you have to have enough courage to climb the metal rod 'stairs'. But the view was worth the life threatening trek it took to see it! 

Sunday was quite a fun day for me!  I have an interesting connection here in Quito.  I went to college with a girl whose parents actually work at the Nazarene Seminary here!  And - those of you who know Judy Blair, her daughters husband is the son of this same couple! So, thanks to Judy, I was connected with them and went to church on Sunday.  It was a quaint little service (in Spanish).  We then went to a fantastic steakhouse for lunch! It was great to meet such a caring couple!  Carolyn (the wife) is a nurse so she's a good connection to have here! I'm looking forward to connecting with them again before I leave! 

This week in school has bee pen AMAZING!!!  I got a new teacher and I absolutely love her!  Her name is Estefania. She makes me talk the entire time which is very different than my last teacher.  I think I may stick with her for the rest of my time here! 

It's week has been good.  Monday I was able to go to a museum with some friends and we also saw a church where practically the entire I side is painted with gold leaf!  Unbelievable, really!  I was not allowed to take photos but I did buy a postcard.  It doesn't do it justice but its the only option!  Wednesday several of us went out dancing again and we had a blast!  Met some locals from the website couchsurfing so that was great!  Hopefully I'll continue meeting people so I can practice my Spanish! This weekend is a bit up in the air but I'll keep you posted!  

Thanks for waiting patiently for this post!  I'm missing home and can't wait to return yet I'm enjoying every second I'm here!  

Goodnight! 

Fui al Mitad del Mundo!

Good news?! Ecuador is getting better every day! These last few days have been exciting and quite fun...a bit lacking in Spanish but entertaining none the less.  Thursday at school we had 'activity day' where we took an hour making ceviche and sharing it with others and then we spent an hour doing a Zumba class (taught by one of the students!). For the ceviche, all the students were divided into three groups.  Each group made a different type of ceviche: 1-cevi(chocho) which is made with Lima bean type things, very popular here, 2- cevi(pollo) which was my group and we used chicken, and 3- cevi(camarones) which had shrimp.  Being completely unbiased, our groups tasted the best! ;). What I found interesting was that we used orange juice/soda and ketchup in our ceviche.  This may be normal but it seemed strange to me. Overall it was a fun activity! 

Friday afternoon several students and I went to 'old town' for some giant empanadas.  And when I say giant, I mean GiGaNtIc!!!  I would say they were the size of 7 hands.  Now, they were just  sugar empanadas with a bit of ricotta type cheese in them, but they were tasty...and HUGE!  We also tried some of the local liquor which is a cinnamon based hot liquor.  We had a blackberry flavor which was quite delicious! (No worries everyone, portions were small-no one was actin a fool) hehe. We continued to just walk around the area which was a bit touristy but nice.  We settled in a little cafe for coffee and then called it a night.  It was very quaint and refreshing! 

Saturday I was a super tourist as I walked on the equator line!!! Tis was really quite cool.  I was thinking while taking my many Mitad del Mundo (middle of the world) poses how amazing it was that I was there.  Had you asked me 10, 5, or even 1 year ago if I ever thought I would go to the equator, I would have given you a crazy face...but there I was! I am so thankful for the opportunities I've had in my short (almost) 27 years of life!  Anyway, we went to a museum while we were there which had several experiments that 'proved' we were on the real line.  I'm still not sure if they were real or rigged but either way, they were cool.  I was able to balance a raw egg on the head of a nail, I watched water swirl in opposite directions in the two different hemispheres, and was unable to balance due to the forces pulling me from both the north and the south.  (Pictures/video will be posted upon my return to the states). It was quite the fun filled day! And to top it off, me a few others went out dancing that night! I had a blast and fell a little more in love with this city!  

Today I was able to relax at home for a bit before venturing out to a mercado of artisan goodies! I didn't buy anything but got a lot of good ideas for gifts!  Yeah!  Today is also my Ecuadorian mothers birthday so the other girls in the house and I planned a little party.  We had balloons, cake, and flowers for her after dinner! I think she really enjoyed it!  

Anyway- that's the latest with me.  I'm heading into week 2 of classes.  I didn't switch teachers bc frankly I feel bad and the school automatically switches after 2 weeks so I figure ill be patient.  I did make some recommendations to my teacher though, so hopefully she'll take them to heart and change my class a bit!  Here's to hoping! 

I'll keep you posted on the days to come. Miss you all! 

Is it September yet?

So, I'm half way into my 3rd day in Quito.  I must admit, it has been a rough few days. Monday I practically was on the verge of tears all day long and at some points I couldn't hold them in.  I attributed this to the lack of sleep and the immediate start of 4 hours of intensive Spanish class. However, my third day isn't much better.  Granted I am controlling the tears a bit more but they're still there.  Why? I'm really not sure.  I do miss home (wish I could be in Mexico with my parents right now). Also, I'm not adjusted to the teaching method in the school.  We don't use books so its hard to practice the things I'm learning.  Also, my teacher talks a ton! Which is good and all for my understanding, but my biggest deficiency in Spanish is speaking, not listening! Now, contrary to popular belief, I don't have much to say most of the time, which makes it hard to practice speaking BUT this morning I was really excited to explain the dream I had.  So, I started class with that and it went well, however after, my professor shared a dream she had once...which took over 30 minutes!! (I may be exaggerating a bit but it felt like forever!) I kept trying to give signals that I was ready to get to the class material, but she kept talking...grrrr.  Also, I feel that when I make mistakes, she laughs at me! NOT a recommended gesture for a teacher! Another thing that makes me anxious to be home is the fact that I will be eating the EXACT same breakfast for the next 8 weeks...and I mean the exact same: 2 scrambled eggs, bread, coffee, and a blended fruit drink.  EVERY MORNING!  I will not want to eat eggs in a very long time! Anyways I am going to start focusing on the positive things bc otherwise these 8 weeks will be miserable! So, tonight there is a group from the school gong out - Ladies Night is what I hear.  Tomorrow, part of our class time will be used for making ceviche! Also, tomorrow night there are Salsa lessons and then time for dancing! Also, I'm hoping to do some sight seeing over the weekend! If things don't get better (Spanish included) I maybe wrapping up here earlier than I planned.  So please keep me in your prayers that I begin to enjoy my time here, I will learn a ton, and that my breakfast changes! :) thanks everyone! 

#2 was my #1!

Yesterday I did not post bc my roommates and I stayed up late watching a movie, so I didn't have my ritual blog before bed moment.  Yesterday was rather uneventful.  We did start the day off swell with real Crepes! I had a mozzarella/tomato/pesto crepe and a Nutella/banana crepe! Both were superb! Afterwards we traipsed off to the Gold Museum.  The museum was actually quite big...7 levels.  Unfortunately I was super tired so I didn't spend too much time reading all the explanations and history of it all.  I feel once I've seen one gold museum, I've seen them all (I don't mean to be insensitive to the different cultures and tribes...I'm just not into the history stuff!). We still spent a couple hours there, or so it felt, so I went back to the hostel and had a nice long nap! Then of course we got up and went to eat.  At the restaurant, there was a movie playing, Inside Man, so we all had the genius idea to watch it once we returned tour room.  My three roommates all have Netflix so we watched it from there. Chelsea and I snuggled up in one of our beds while we all watched the same movie on all our own devices...a little comical. Anyway, that leads to today. We didn't really have plans today-other than souvenir shopping! However it turned it to be a phenomenal day! Sunday is the day to be outside in Bogota! There we people everywhere! There were people on bikes, roller blades, walking; tons of dogs and kids...the weather was outstanding and we fund some decent artisan items! But he comes the best part of my day...as we were walking along, observing the various activities taking place (juggling acts, ppl singing, costumed creatures , etc..we came across a guinnea pig race! There were 6 pigs lined up and about 14 construction hats (with openings cut out) sitting at the other end.  It took us a minute to realize what was happening but basically you were to place money on the hat you thought the pig would run into.  So, in hopes to just get rid of the last Colombian coin I had, I placed 500pesos (around 25 cents) on hat #2.  Totally thinking I just wanted to see these creatures run...no expectation of winning...BUT I DID!  The first little pig he chose sprinted straight into hat #2! I totally freaked!  Could not believe it!  So, I got my 500 pesos back in addition to an extra 1900 pesos!  Woohoo!  I was on a high for lithe rest of the day!  I can see how people get addicted to gambling! Wow! But I was on cloud nine for most of the day after that!  Once I calmed down and the rest of us finished shopping we headed back home.  Chelsea and I snuggled up for another Netflix movie while the other girls slept.  After our ip movie we both slept for about an hour.  Then it was time to eat again before I hopped in a taxi to start the next leg of my journey! Our hostel hostess pointed out to us that all we did was sleep, get up and eat, come back for rest, then went out again to eat ...every day, same routine.  Oops! Hahaha. But we enjoyed every bit!  I was sad to say goodbye to my travel partners but I'm sure we will meet again! For now, it's time I get focused and learn me some Spanish!  Here it is almost 1 in the morning and I have to start school in the morning...yikes! Better get to bed! Night! 

Breaking it down in Bogota

By far, today was the best day yet! First of all, we totally slept in (some of them did-I did not). Then we went on a great adventure to find Crepes! However it took us over an hour searching to no avail, so we settled for another place - which happened to have Crepes. Little did we know, those Crepes weren't Crepes at all...at least not in the usual sense.  They were tasty, just unexpected. Later on in the day we realized the place we were originally looking for was only 5 blocks from our hostel...on the same street. Oops!  Anyhow, after brunch, we trekked it for the church on the hill! We walked about a mile (uphill) until we reached the gondola that took us up to an elevation of around 3500km! The church itself wasn't anything super spectacular but we still had a great time.  The view of the city was quite breathtaking! We stayed for a while just enjoying the scenery,  they had a beautiful gardened area with the stations of the cross which was also enjoyable to see. We came home and rested for a bit before heading to dinner!  We asked our host where he would recommend to eat and he told us the general area and said to look for the guy with dreads...we found him and boy were we glad! First of all, the place sold gyros which I found a bit strange. They also were playing reggae music.  Well the gyros were SO DELICIOUS and the music was jammin!  We found out there was a little raggae club underneath the restaurant so of course we made an appearance! We grooved it out for about 10 minutes before heading back. We would have stayed longer but it was already passed the safe curfew.  So we scurried home only to get ready for part two of the evening! Our host took us salsa dancing!  I am telling you, I haven't had that much fun in a long time!!! We had a group of 8 or so and we all had our time out on the dance floor! I was bustin moves I forgot I had! It had been so long since I danced salsa, I wasn't sure I'd pick it back up, but I felt Colombian right off the bat! Felt like home! I seriously cannot describe how much fun we all had! I even had the guts to ask a guy to dance with me,,,older gentleman with dreads...won-der-ful! Anyway, here it is around 2 am and we're just finishing up for the day! Overall, it was productive w a bit of relaxation and lots of exercise throughout the day! Love it! Time is flyin...Ecuador count down is less than 48 hours away! 

Buenos noches!

Sierra

South America or South Pole?

So we are here in Bogota, Colombia! We had an early morning, getting up at 5. We hopped on the plane and arrived safe and sound! Fortunately, we found a great taxista that helped us find our amazing hostel! My first impression of Bogota was not good-I actually wanted to head back to the smoldering heat of Cartegena. However, after exploring a bit of the city with Chelsea, I actually really like this city (despite the danger that lurks around every corner).  Our hostel hosts are AMAZING! (Shout Out to the Colombian Dream Hostel) Guillermo (host) took us to a place for some hot chocolate and bread and then helped me find the best deal for exchanging my money! After our walk about in the city, we decided to rest a bit.  Well that didn't go as planned. Seriously people, we feel (and look) as if we are in the South Pole swimming in the water naked. *by look I don't mean we are naked...I mean we are bundled in whatever we could find! Haha! Reminder that none of us brought warm clothes...we all have only 1 pair of pants and various t shirts to layer.  So, needless to say we did not rest well.  We requested extra blankets, which we received. My roommates found a burrito wrapping method w a blanket...I'll have to try it tomorrow night, if I survive! 

We did introduce the game of UNO to our hostel host and his brother! That was quite entertaining, but it went well. Then we were taught a game called Parques (similar to Sorry). That wraps up our evening and now we're wrapping up in blankets! Goodnight all you WARM readers! Don't take the heat for granted! ;) 

Sierra

Little bit of sun never hurt anyone...

Well, what a day I have had! It all started with breakfast of course...yum! Then we had plans to go see a castle with dungeons, dun dun dun! We began our journey across town in the smoldering heat only to find that the 'dungeons' were little souvenir shops that we had already visited! Who knew!? And the alleged castle was no castle at all but rather a military fort or sorts. (Haha, fort of sorts...sounds funny!) By the time we reach El Castillo de San Felipe, we were all pretty SOAKED from sweat (walking 20 min in hot sun), and we still had an hour or two to go in exploration of this place! Two of the girls headed back before entering but me and another girl ventured in despite the temperature and burning sun! *note that I did not put sunscreen on as I thought I would be indoors most of the day.  So, we begin our tour...completely in Spanish (which I am ashamed to say I didn't understand hardly ANY of it...:/). We had some great photo ops. But man was it hot...and I was sweaty! We were there for a good 2 hours, 80% of that being nearly 10 feet from the sun itself! (Yes, that is a slight exaggeration but I want you to imagine the pain I felt!) Anyway, the tour came to a close and even though we were tired and sweaty, we still opted to walk back, rather than hitch a taxi! The air conditioner was like heaven! Ahhhh...we cooled off for a bit and then decided to head out for a few last sightings in Cartegena! The night ended w some delicious pizza (authentic Colombian food, right?) and packing for our transitional move to Bogota tomorrow! Not really looking forward to the city, but definitely looking forward to the weather (mid 60s low 70s)! Oh yeah, after the fun in the sun today...my skin is looking a bit like my hair...RED! Oooops! Note to self, wear sunscreen at all times! 

Picture doesn't capture it too well but you can see the red glow on my nose and cheeks...

So, that sums up today! Check ya later! 

Sierra

Prick!

Well yesterday morning started off with an interesting sting...I got a yellow fever vaccination! Here's the back story.  One of the girls I met here in Colombia (Chelsea) asked me if I got my vaccines. I looked at her a bit puzzled bc I definitely had not even looked in to that...😳. So, we decided to look up if I needed anything.  Sure enough, Ecuador requires it IF traveling from Colombia! Just my luck.  And supposedly it has to be given 10 days in advance before entry.  Well, there's no getting around that bc I'm only in Colombia 8 days total and a few of those have already passed. I'm a bit freaked out as to what may happen at the airport on Sunday??? So, prayers would be appreciated in that regard! Anyway, I figured its better to have it for 6 days or so than none.  The bonus? Vaccinations are FREE in Colombia so there's the silver lining! No harm done; except the shot was just a tad painful.

After that exciting adventure we ate some great breakfast and headed to the beach! It was the perfect day for the beach bc the sun was out but there was a nice calm breeze that helped you not melt from the heat! Well, we had spoken to soon...not more than an hour or so after arriving we realized why it was such nice weather...STORM! Granted, we were already wet from the ocean but that didn't mean we wanted all our stuff to be soaked.  Needless to say, we packed up and headed back to the hotel! My roommate and I watched 'Our Family Wedding' in Spanish (good movie btw) and then after it stopped raining, we went exploring around the city.  We found a few churches that had great character on the outside, but we were unable to see inside😞.  That put a damper on our adventure but we still got some cool pics. 

We came back to the room and chilled for a few before heading out to dinner.  We found a cute little place women air seating which was perfect after the rain...nice and cool! We met a man from New Zealand who was spending 3 months in Colombia.  When I asked him why he chose Colombia his response was 'I'm running out of countries!'  What!?  I wish I had that problem! Granted he has 30+ years on me, so maybe I can catch up...? So cool though! Anyway, that was pretty much the day! 

We are heading into our last day in Cartegena, tomorrow we venture into Bogota. Updates to come! 

Sierra

What vacation is all about...

So, today was a wonderful day in Cartegena! It started around 930 for breakfast. I had a delicious plate of Colombian scrambled eggs and a large plate of pineapple and watermelon. Then breakfast was followed by 3 more hours of SLEEP! Ahhh...so relaxing! Our hotel room is nice and dark so it's nice and cozy.  Two of the other girls slept til about 4 so I think I did alright.  My roomie and I decided we wanted some exercise so we went for a walk. We had some nice photo ops and visited a little market. When we got back, I was able to FaceTime with my rents AND my beautiful niece! Best part of my day, for sure! Then I watched a lil Batman in Spanish before heading to dinner.  We had dinner on 'Bourbon Street'. Big open seating outside w multiple restaurants to choose from.  We ended up at a little pizzeria and enjoyed a wonderful dinner outside w a faint breeze and serenades from some locals. Overall today was just about perfect! Tomorrow we head for the beach! 😃🌊

Adios Honduras, Hello New Adventures

So, as most of you know, I have wrapped up my time in Honduras! It was a bittersweet goodbye as I have some very good friends I had to say bye to, but also exciting to start something new. What is that something new you ask? I'll get to that in a minute. First I want to sum up my time in Honduras-what I hope to take away from it all and such...
One thing that is undeniable about (most) the Hondurans I met is that they are selfless people who will do whatever is needed to help someone else.  This is how we should all strive to live as we share Gods love. I noticed many times that I was unwilling to do that-I didn't want to share my food to the person who may have forgotten theirs, I didn't want to lend my money to someone, etc.  Now, I may or may not have done it anyway but my heart wasn't right either way. The Lord has reminded me that it's not MY stuff anyway-it all belongs to Him and I should see how He wants me to use it.  Also, in the midst of moving back I had to sell/give many of my belongings.  Satan reared his ugly head in this as I felt I deserved all this money for my things and I became bitter when I didn't get as much as I thought I deserved...and once again I was reminded I am already blessed beyond what I deserve.  I said goodbye to many things I thought I HAD to have and I realize now, I can/will survive without them! There are many other things The Lord has worked on me with over these past two years and if you'd like to chat about, lets get coffee sometime!

Now, I moved home (with my parents ) last Monday. I got most everything unpacked and put somewhere just in time for me to repack and head back out for another 9 weeks! Which leads me to the now...I left yesterday(Friday) at 6 pm from kc, spent 3 hrs in Atlanta before heading to Bogota Colombia where I spent 4 hours (from 3am-7am) before making it to Cartegena Colombia.  Here I have met up with 2 girls I had the pleasure of  meeting last summer in Costa Rica! Our plan is to stay in Cart for 4 days and then head back to Bogota for 4 days.  After that, the girls return home while I venture on to Quito, Ecuador for an 8 week intensive Spanish Immersion program! Go me! My goal is to be nearly fluent as I return (IF I return...hahaha) to KC.  Upon my re entry to the states, my plans are the following...

That's right - I don't have any! 😱In reality, I plan on substitute teaching until something else comes my way...I will keep all options open until then!  Of course I welcome your prayers as I embark on this crazy next chapter of life! I'm excited to see where/what God has up His sleeve for me!

I will TRY and post updates along my way.  Unfortunately pictures will not come until I have returned in September, so be patient in that! Feel free to comment and give feedback along the way!

Abrazos y besos,
Sierra

Year 2 - What Was I Thinking?

Hello readers!  I know, I know...we haven't communicated in SOOO long.  Well, here I am so let's not focus on the past!  :)

I want to start by saying I had one of the best summers home even though it was only 3 short weeks!  I know I wasn't able to see all of you but unfortunately that's just the way the cookie crumbled.  But those of you I saw - you made my heart happy!  THANK YOU!  I spent time with the folks (even though they would argue that I was out of the house more than i was in), I got to see where my brother and his wife (and baby) live, my best friend from elementary school made a trip to KC to see me (Haley Paxson - I love you!), I went salsa dancing (believe it or not I danced more in KC than I do in Honduras...weird, right?), I had a wonderful trip to Wichita to spend time with Tiffani - my bff - and had the pleasure of grilling her boyfriend before I approved :), and I got to spend a few days visiting some wonderful friends with their ADORABLE little ninos/ninas!  I ate great american food and spent lots of time on the couch relaxing!  Those three weeks made it extremely difficult to return to my temporary home in Honduras.  But alas, I made it back and lifes routine kicked in quite quickly.

I arrived on Saturday, Aug 4 and teachers started meeting on the following Monday.  We had a fairly busy week not only with work but the gringa clan decided to start the Body for Life program which meant working out....IN THE MORNING!  Our teacher week was a good trial run to see if we could all actually wake up bw 5 and 6 to go workout - twas a success (we just finished our first month and haven't missed a day.  I'm down 5 pounds!).  Aside from school work and working out, we also had a big MOVE when we welcomed Lindsey into our home.  Lindsey worked with us last year but lived in the other school house.  Her roommate finished her contract last year and therefore left Lindsey by herself in a 4 bedroom home...and that can get a little creepy here in Honduras so she moved in with us.  I must say, we are all getting along VERY well compared to how we all thought it was going to be!  So for those who have been praying for a smooth living transition for us - it worked and I thank you - and God of course!

So on to the crazy stuff - school.  When I told people that I decided to come back and finish my contract, I told them it was because I believed it would be easier the second time around.  I knew what I was getting myself into, we have a new superintendent so things would be ran better, I knew the kids, etc.  WELL - silly me for thinking any of that!  I felt like I have had to start over from scratch...and I suppose the beginning of the year last year is too far in the past for me to remember some of the things I had to deal with...but I was reminded with a slap in the face again this year.
As most of you know, as I was flying back here to start my second year I had no idea which classes I would be teaching and no idea what classroom I would be teaching in.  I found out on the 2nd or 3rd day of teacher week that I would be keeping my old classroom (what a relief, right?).  Well, unfortunately the end of last year since we were told we would be moving rooms, we moved out ALL the desks and traded them for less quality desks.  So staying in my room meant that we had to move ALL the desks AGAIN before we could begin setting up the rooms.  Fortunately the school maintenance staff helped with this battle so it wasn't near as bad as the first time around!  I got my schedule the next day or so...it wasn't horrible...but I was a wee bit bummed because I would not have a lot of my students from last year (which I grew to LOVE).  But I dealt...until I was told that my schedule had changed and they took away the one class I was most looking forward to teaching.  So a few tears later, I adapted and began to prepare.  This second revision of my class (just days before students would be here) was actually quite nice because I had taught the classes last year so I wouldn't have to do any new planning!  I began seeing all the upsides to this new schedule (only 10th and 11th graders).  Well, the Sunday before classes started, I went up to the school to finish some things in my classroom.  As I was finishing up, the principle came to me and started a sentence with "Miss Sierra please don't be mad but we had to do it in order to make the schedules work!"  My stomach dropped and water began to fill my eyes instantly - I knew where this was going...
My ENTIRE schedule had changed (along with the other math teachers') and I am now teaching 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade!  Bye bye easy year and welcome back to having FIVE different classes to prepare for!  Now, I've taught the 10th and 11th grade classes so I shouldn't have to totally re-invent the wheel for them but the other 3...new challenges!  BUT the upside is that I've always wondered if I would like teaching middle school so now I get to test it out.  And I love the senior class this year so being able to teach them will be a delight for me!  SO - it wasn't ideal news for the day before school but we all had to deal and we're getting used to the craziness.
I'm exhausted at the end of each day because I teach from 8 to 12:15 with only a 30 min lunch break before my last class.  THe plus is that I have the last 2 hours of the day free - but by the time I get there all I can do is sit at my desk and stare at the walls!  :)

I did resume the position of STUCO Sponsor this year and I can't be more excited about the council this year!  We have some very motivated and creative kids!  They have already written a proposal to change a school policy.  We've got lots of creative ideas for events and such and I just adore all of them. The President is the BEST - He is SOOOO enthusiastic and happy ALL the time and he really does take a lot of pride in his school.  I really hope we can make some differences in the school this year with this team!

So - overall I have had my ups and downs for sure but I'm glad I'm back.  And I'm glad this is the last year!  Haha!  On a sadder note - because I am here I am missing some pretty major events back home.
My cousin Alyssa is getting married TODAY (the first female cousin to tie the knot) and my new baby niece is to be born this month - it kills me not to be home for these occasions!  Welcome to the real world I suppose.  Anyway, I miss you all!  But I am making some wonderful memories and wonderful friends!  I am still so very thankful for the opportunity to live here and I'm looking forward to the next phase (wherever that may be  ;)

Take care all.  Another month or two and I'll catch you back up to date!  Peace!

Siempre estoy reiendo!  (I´´m always laughing)

So much has happened since my last post.  Where to begin?  For the weekend, there was a group of 6 that headed for a ´nearby´ town; La Fortuna.  There they have an active volcano that we got to see (from afar of course).  Unfortunately it wasn´t as breathtaking as I had hoped but I still had a fabulous time.  While on our tour it rained virtually the entire time so that added some flair! 
Let me back up...I need to explain what our group of 6 consisted of...once I do that will explain in part why I had such a delightful time on my mini vaca.
#1 - me (US-25yrs), #2 - Chelsea (Canada-20), #3 - Dana (Germany-23), #4 - Melissa (Belgium-20), #5 - Felix (Switzerland-37), and last BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST is #6 - Detriech (Germany but has lived in Spain for the last 10 years - late 40s).

Please notice that we are all from different countries around the world which automatically makes for an intersesting adventure.  Also notice the girls are all close in age and then our ´father´ figures are along for the ride (they had no idea what they were getting involved with!) 

Detrich is one of the most rare types of human beings God ever created (MOSTLY in a good way) ;)  He was the main cause of most of the laughter all weekend long.  All the others just fed off of him and we literally did not stop laughing the entire trip (unless of course we were sleeping). 

Okay - so we traveled by bus on Friday morning (approx 5 hrs).  This was an experience of its own bc here in Costa Rica, just because the seats are all full, doesn´t mean they stop selling tickets.  It just means you´re gonna be standing in the aisle the ENTIRE ride!  So, on our way there, the bus was packed...and at one point Dana and I felt a little guilty we were sitting whie this old couple had to stand so we gave up our seats.  We got to ride Costa Rican style for about an hour and a half until other seats became available.  While standing, we got to witness an older Costa Rican gentleman use a cell phone for the first time.  How did we know it was his first time?  I´´m glad you asked...bc he was talking on it while holding it upside down!  NO wonder he couldn´t hear anything and he had to scream to let the person on the other line hear him.  It was HILARIOUS!  I was dying with laughter (which as most of you can guess, drew quite a bit of attention to the matter)!  You maybe had to be there but it was great!

We eventually made it to our hostel and got settled in.  Talked to some tour peeps and then ate lunch while discussing our plans.  We decided to go through our hostel for a volcano tour and they were gonna charge us $40 but thanks to Detriech we only had to pay $30!  One of the many reasons it was good to have him around!  Unfortunately the first half of the tour was nothing to get excited about.  It rained for most of the time so walking through the ´forest´ around the volcano was not so enjoyable.  BUT the 2nd half of our tour was something indescribable!  We went to a natural hot springs off the side of some road!  We thought it a bit shady bc as we exited the tour van the guides were very adamant about us not taking ANYTHING with us...not even shoes or towel or clothes...NOTHING.  They were quite forceful with it so we started thinking the worst - like they were gonna take us to these hot springs and leave us there to die!  But despite the uneasiness of the situation, we all left our things and walked down this ´path´ which lead us to some HOT water!  Once we got in the first pool one of the guides took us into a ´cave´ underneath one of the hot spring waterfalls while the other guide got out...so naturally we thought they were seriously leaving us there to die.  The positive note we made was that if they did leave us - we wouldn´t freeze to death!!!  Haha.  The whole deal worked out quite well and it was seriously an UNFORGETTABLE experience! 

The next day - after much searching - we found a rafting tour.  This too was such a FUN activity with our group.  The two guys were in the front of our raft as our ´leaders´ but the funny part about that was they NEVER did what our guide told them.  They were either looking at nature or rowing the opposite direction that we were told or rowing when we weren´t supposed to!  I was dying with laughter...i had to yell at them every time we received instruction!  haha.  After the rafting, we were taken for a delicous meal where we also received a taste of some homemade licour and fresh squeezed sugar cane juice!  SUCH A COOL TOUR! 

The next day we just took it easy and hopped on a bus back to San Jose.

MONDAY I talked to the school about changing my housing placement which they did with pleasure!  My new home is WAY more comfortable and the hosts are equally as nice!  

This week is my last week here...and then I will fortunately return to the states!!!  I´m leaving in about 10 minutes to head to a beach on the carribean side of CR...i´ll be sure to fill all the missing details when I get back!  Thanks for hangin in there....hasta pronto (I hope)

Sierra 

Day 2-June 25
Well, I survived my first day of school!  Yeah!  My day started with a gruesome oral exam...it was great at the beginning.  My examener kept marking 2´s (which mean I had mastered the topic) so I felt good.  But as the exam went on I was receiving 1´s and then towards the end he even marked a few 0´s!  Aiy!  I suppose that is why I´m here, right?  Well, my examener turned out to be my teacher also!  Which I suppose is an okay thing...I like him!  My class only has 3 people in it; Dana (Germany), Grant (Colorado) and me!  It´s quaint but allows for ´one on one´ type of lesson.  Unfortunately we are only reviewing things I SHOULD already know.  We all already know it but we don´t speak it with fluidity.  I am realizing that is my main issue - I lack practice in speaking!  Puchika!  Anyway, the students here are very motivated...rarely you will hear them speaking English to one another.  Por eso, I have the chance to practice more!  After classes I waited around for about an hour until dance class started!  YEAH!  It was a beginner class so I was a bit bored, but I´m not sure I´m ready for the advanced level so I made due.  After dance, we had an orientation meeting to go over the rules of Costa Rica and what not.  The whole thing was in Spanish and I understood 99% of what was said...that was exciting!  However, then mi padra tico (Costa Rican dad) picked me up and I didn´t catch half of what he was trying to say.  He is such a grandpa...I feel like he speaks in circles when he talks, which makes it hard for me to understand what he is trying to convey.  In the middle of his stories, he´ll stop and tell me how nice and adorable I am.  ;)  So fun!  He took me for an ´adventure` yesterday to the Latin University.

<pause>

Internet is a bit shady here so these updates are gonna be short and sweet....
So, let me keep it to the highlights...

School-all is well.  As I said previously, we are reviewing things I should already know so it´s frustrating that I´m not learning new things.  But on the other hand, hopefully I´ll be better with speaking the things I know.  I´ve met some people - we are making travel plans for the weekend!  And I´ve attended the schools dance classes the last few days and am enjoying that.  I think I enjoy it bc I´m the best one in their...I don´t say that boastfully but truthfully - no one else has ever danced salsa, merengue, etc before so they are starting from scratch and I have some experience!  I´m learning the ´´male´ role of the turns, steps, etc so that is fun! 

Home-I´m not sure what I am going to do for the next week and half when it comes to sleeping...last night i had to fold a blanket and put it beneath my hip bc I think a bruise was forming!  AND did I mention that there are NO OUTLETS in my room or bathroom?  So much for straigtening my hair!  Or charging my Ipad, Ipod, or phone...what´s a girl to do???  My family is super nice though.  I´m loving my mothers cooking...everyday for breakfast i get a plateful of fruit (mango, banana, and pineapple) plus two more plates of something...everything is so delicious but they serve SOOOO much!  I can´t finish and entire meal bc it´s so much!  But I can´t complain bc it´s food! 

OH-a positive that I noticed this morning on the way to school...NOOOO CHICKENS!!!  In Tegus, there are chickens running around everywhere and I hate them! Here, NONE!  WOOOHOOO! 

Another story - I got lost yesterday on the way to school.  I took a wrong turn and got lost.  Luckily after about 3-4 minutes I remembered what I was supposed to do and back tracked until I found my way...what a way to start a day! haha!  Anyway, there is a line of students waiting for the computer so I must bounce!  Until next time...

Another country to add to the list ;)

My first day in costa rica
June 24
I must admit I was nervous coming, knowing I don't have an abundant vocabulary in Spanish, but I was excited none the less. I couldn't have asked for a better start. I was picked up by a super nice lady, Isabella. We had a great conversation (in Spanish) for the 30 minute drive. Based on the roads/driving alone-I'd say costa rica is ten notches above Honduras! Everything looked cleaner too! Obviously I couldn't see it all from the highway but what I did see I liked! Arriving to the house was good. Definitely not the house I expected after being told they house college students and a granddaughter...but it'll do! My room is in the back of the house...def secluded. I mean, the house is not big anyway so nothing is considered 'far away' but I feel separated. I want a tour by they have an upstairs and I'm curious to know what is up there, or more importantly WHO is up there! Maybe time will tell? Anyway, after settling in, I figured I should make a good impression and go talk w my hosts...I believe I sat and talked w Jose Manuel for about two hours...I had moments where I followed what he was saying and then I had chunks of time where I didn't catch a dad gum thing! Haha! He spoke of past students they've had in their home, how their are thiefs here so I need to be careful, how costa rica is the best place to learn Spanish bc they speak slower and clearefr here than anywhere else.  He talked and talked and talked. My brain was shutting down! Luckily I was saved by the phone...and I snuck away while he answered. I went to my room but didnt have anything to do in there...I tried reading but I was uninterested.  I wanted to sleep but considering it was only 6 o'clock I figured it best I didn't give in.  So I just laid in bed for about half an hour and then went back out - for dinner!  The food here is typical of Honduras...rice, beans, and meat.  Tonight I had the aforementioned w chicken! While eating, I learned that the oldest son of my host family is a gay lawyer - learned it from reading the many newspaper articles that he was featured in...his mother is very proud of his picture in so many documents! Cute really.  Their daughter is married and they have another son studying business. Also, while eating, Dona luz' niece stopped by so I met her; very nice girl. She gave na,es of places I should visit while I'm here...if only I can remember them! After dinner, I decided to call it a night.  But first I presented my host family w a small gift - a Mayan vase.  They may have hated it, but they sure acted delighted! Jose Manuel asked for a hug and Dona luz also. It made me happy to see them so pleased! And that pretty much wraps up my day! Did I mention that I'm sleeping on wooden boards...with what I would describe as a crepe mattress on top! Two weeks of sleeping on this, I'll be due for a chiropractor, masseuse, and back surgery!   Oh and I don't want to forget that there is no air flow and there are TONS of these annoying bugs flying around...ahhh! Puedo hacer esto! Dedos cruzados!  Hasta manana!

11 months and 10 days ago...

11 months and 10 days ago I moved my life to Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  I can hardly believe it's almost been an entire year.  I have experienced days of pure gratitude to God because I have no idea how I made it this long without breaking down and moving back.  And then there are days where I am full of gratitude to God for allowing me to live such an exciting adventure!  I must say though - over the past year I have learned more than I could have hoped.  Let me share with you...

#1 Lesson "Importance of Communication"
Communication has been a huge obstacle for me in this last year and I am not totally referring to the language barrier (although that has caused some headaches!)  I owe so much of my growth in this area to my roommate, Jenn.  Neither of us really knew how our relationship would play out once we started living together.  I can't thank God enough for putting us in the same house - he definitely proved his omniscience in our lives with that arrangement.  But that being said, it hasn't been a walk in the park for us either.  Most of you know how it is to live with someone else.  If you are not in an open communication zone at all times, then things can spiral downward fast!  Unfortunately Jenn and I learned this the hard way - but we both came to our senses and were able to come to each other and really break down a barrier.  We have learned how to read each other, how to respond to each other, and how to confront each other (in a loving way).  Are we perfect?  We'd like to think so!  Haha...JUST KIDDING!  No, we still have our quarrels and our 'silent' moments...but man have we come a long way! I am so thankful for her patience and understanding this last year - she played a huge role in my survival!
*(there are many other instances that have taught me about communication - but I'll save that for face to face talks if any of you care to listen!)

#2 Lesson "Culture - It is what it is"
I've had conversations with some of you, so you've heard my frustrations and complaints and stories about my life here in Honduras.  I can confidently say that I have become waaaaaaaaay more tolerant of the culture here than in the beginning.  Some of the 'traditions' of the people I've come to love and others still cause me to grit my teeth but I've learned to hold my tongue!  Haha!  One way I relate well with the Honduran people is that they are some of the most affectionate people I've met.  I'm not sure that a day went by where I did not receive a hug from a student!  This took me a while to adjust to since it is such a crime in the states due to child laws and what have you.  But here, everyone is family and everyone loves everyone and it is wonderful.  I'm going to miss those kids over the next few weeks of vacation! And be prepared that if you see me over the summer - I WILL definitely go in for the Honduran cheek kiss - it's become part of me!  :) *I apologize for the awkwardness now! Ha! On the flip side, I can't stand the fact that when in the grocery store or in a restaurant or any place of business really, everyone takes their sweet precious time.  No one is ever in a hurry to get things done...UNLESS you're driving.  It's like getting behind the wheel of a car causes a bipolar personality to release and its like their hand is glued to the horn and foot is magnetically connected to the gas pedal. I literally fear for my life at least 5 times a week due to the driving technique in this country! (ask my mother how she felt when she was here!)  And the crazy thing is, everyone is in a hurry while driving - but you still never get anywhere fast!  It's such a mind blowing concept and it irritates my very core!  AAaaaahhhhh - just thinking about it makes me crazy!  WoW!  Anyway...

#3 Lesson "I still have a lot to learn..."
Compromise - it is necessary in ones life if you want to love others.  It's not always about me or what I want.  Unfortunately this lesson is taking me a little longer to grasp but I'm moving forward with it.
Choices - life is full of choices and I've made some bad ones living here, but I'm learning little lessons from each one of those encounters...
Church - I need it!  I need the people and it has been hard here.  I have found a church that I like, but I was not fully commited to attending bc it was a drive (which was a taxi expense), it was in Spanish (which I felt was a lot of work to keep up with), and lets be honest - none of these are good excuses.  So, my desire for next year is to try a bit harder to connect in church and really allow God to use me other ways here.
Commitment - as much as I miss my family and friends and it would be easy to come home and stay, I do feel like I owe it to my students and to myself to honor my commitment of two years and return in the fall.  There were days where I started packing my bags but then I realized that was the easy way out.  I didn't accept this job because I thought it would be easy - HA!  I accepted it because I wanted a challenge, I wanted to grow as a person and discover new things.  And i will continue doing that next year!  Your prayers and support will still be needed and very much appreciated!  I HATE that I won't be there for the birth of my niece, or to see some of my friends get married or have their own kids, and it crushes my heart to think I will go sooo long without one of my fathers' hugs - but I will do all I can to stay connected with everyone!

All said and done - it's been a great year!  I wouldn't trade it or change it!  Thanks for stickin with me through it all!

Now - on to the fun side of this blog!  This last week has been CRAZY!!!  Friday was graduation for Seniors.  I was excited to see those kids graduate and hear of all the cool places they are going to study.  Friday night, Jenn and I threw a "We Survived" party to celebrate the end of our first year!  Best part of the party was definitely the pinata!!!!  We had it custom colored with our favorite colors and filled that sucker as much as we could without it breaking from being too heavy!  We were able to celebrate with the people that have seen us through all year!  We are grateful to our honduran family!  Saturday was the senior prom - which is where I will spend the rest of this blog.
DCIS Prom is unlike any other prom I've ever been too or heard of.  First of all, it is not a school sponsored event.  The entire evening is planned, prepared, and paid by senior parents.  Now, each senior (or parent) must purchase tickets for their guests.  Guests primarily consist of family members - ALL OF THEM!  Haha.  You can only come if you received an invite and I belive tkts were around $50.  Well, one of my seniors used his "family" tickets to invite Lindsey and I to attend.  He said it was 'definitely something I need to experience' while I'm here.  :)  I was flattered.  Now, I wasn't about to go buy a prom dress so I began asking around to see if I could borrow one.  I wasn't having much luck, but I wasn't too worried about it...until I found out that going to DCIS prom was like walking down the red carpet in Hollywood...magazines and TV broadcasters would be there...and you had to look the part.  I lucked out when a student brought me some of her motehrs' old dresses!  PERFECT!  Long story short, got my hair done and when the time came to leave...I felt like I might fit in!  hehe.  Well, after arriving I realized I fit in as a guest...there was a signifcant difference in the dress of the guests vs the 'honored guests - SENIORS.'  The dresses were outstanding...absolutely beautiful!  Each senior got their time in the limelight as they one by one descended down a set of stairs where a group of about 7 camera men were snapping away.  At the bottom of the stairs, they met their parent and 'paraded' into the ball room.  Here they danced with their parent for a while and then exited the floor to be with family until all 99 seniors had been announced.  Then the dancing began...with a toast...for everyone!  Remember that this is not a school sponsored event - and the legal drinking age here is 18 (no that anyone cards anyone anyway) - so it could go without saying that these seniors had the real deal in their champagne glasses.  And that was only the beginning!  Each family had their own table(s) with their own server and basically their own bar.  So, it didn't take long for people to get crazy!  It was such a foreign thought for me...hard to take in...hard to not yell at the kids to stop.  Weird.  Anyway, the whole night consisted of dancing and drinking.  Oh, and LOTS of picture taking!  I kept a fairly low profile...just taking it all in really...I danced off and on.  I genuinely had a good time - but it was definitely a new experience.  The most shocking part of it all is that we were there til the end...4:00 am!!!  We went home after that...but the tradition for kids is that they all get hotel rooms and continue partying until breakfast really!  Quite unreal!  I've posted a few pics on facebook.  Needless to say, it was an unforgettable memory!

That pretty much sums up the excitement so far.  My last official day of work is tomorrow!  My next stop (before heading home to see all of you) is Costa Rica.  I'm heading there to a language school for two weeks.  I know what you're thinking...why do I need language school if I've been living in Central America for the last 11 months...well unfortunately my Spanish has not excelled as much as I would have liked...so i'm going to try and squeeze a bit more in so I can impress you when I'm home!  haha!  And I really wanna visit Costa Rica!  :)  So, I'll be back in KC on July 9th and will have 3 short weeks to cram as many of you into my schedule as possible!  Can't wait!

Thank you for readin til the end...and thank you for all your support and prayers over this last 12 months.  I hope you enjoyed the stories as much as I enjoyed the experience!

I may try and blog while I'm in Costa Rica...but don't hold your breath!  Haha!  :)

COUNTDOWN!

Well hello there old world!  How are things going?  Anything new going on in your atmosphere?  Here in my world things have been crazy.  FINALLY things are beginning to calm down but there won't be true rest until June 19 (last day of school)!  My fellow teachers know what I'm talkin about.  Well, let me try and catch you up...

A few events since the last time we chatted -

The gringas threw a little barbecue get together with some of our new friends.  Fortunately right by our houses there is a basketball court and grill.  SO, we invited some cool peeps and we played, ate, and talked.  It was so nice feeling normal and 'at home.'

 LOOK AT THAT FORM!  I WAS AWESOME!  HAHA!

 A few of our friends...

Edwin helped out on the grill, but believe it or not...I was telling him what to do!  

A BIG stresser that I dealt with in February was Valentines Day.  Now, don't start thinking that it was hard because I'm in a strange country ALONE with NO ONE to love or to be loved by...bc that was only part of it!  :)  If you didn't know, I am the STUCO Advisor at DelCampo and we decided to host a Valentine's Day Sale.  We sold roses, candy bags, balloons, cookies, and a few other things.  That doesn't sound so bad until the add in all the planning we had to do to buy the stuff.  The HOURS it took us to wrap the roses in the celophane and tie them, all the balloons we had to physically blow up, the candy bags we had to fill, the orders we had to organize and deliver....it was one of the most stressful days that I've had here!  I thought for sure that we were going to lose money on the whole deal too which made the efforts during the day seem completely pointless.  Well, by the end of the day we not only sold out of EVERYTHING but we also made almost 25,000 lmps ( = $1,315.00).  I'd say it was worth it after all!  I seriously don't know how we pulled it off.  I definitely owe most credit to several of my stuco kids because they were the leaders behind the whole shindig...I basically just did what they told me to do!  haha.  We did have a few orders go undelivered so we had to refund some money but overall I'd say we handled it well...and we learned a lot for next year!  

 Some of my crew!  The auditorium was a nightmare by the end of the day.  Rose stems, scrap paper, trash, order forms, money...a complete mess.

 Our food sellers!

 This is how we all felt at the end of the day!

My homemade shirt!  If you wore something that said "I <3 ..." STUCO gave you a free lollipop!

Another fun and exciting adventure happened when Sarah's father and brother came for a visit!  We spent a few nights at Sarahs playing rockband and I must say I might be ready for a REAL guitar or drum set after all that!  haha.  We also took a day trip to a town called Yuscaran!  Very quaint and friendly.  Not much there but they did have a museum which is where we spent most of our day.  Also we walked around the little town (getting lots of stares) and enjoyed the cozy feeling of a local town.  Supposedly this town has some HUGE parade of Giants in the springtime (see picture below).  I can't recall what they represent or how the tradition started but there was a cool story.  The museum has a lot of old artifacts...it is placed in an old presidential home if I remember correctly.  Luckily Sarah is fluent in Spanish otherwise I wouldn't have had a real idea of anything since the entire tour was in Spanish.  It was good practice though!  

 Can you say creepy?  Jenn was scared of them and didn't dare get close.  

 I however tried making friends!  haha!  There was an entire room just with Giant Heads!

 This was a mural they had showing the story of how it all started and where they are now...pretty cool.

 An old vanity of one of the ladies.  Jenn obviously would not have fit in well with this family...they probably would have put her in the parade!  hahahahahaha!  

 This was definitely a bathroom.  I must say, I'm glad certain things change as time passes!

 Just some old cameras they had on display.  They also had typewriters, newspapers, instruments, and more...

And a beautiful picture looking over part of the town.  It was a beautiful place!  

We did a bit of hiking, and what I call squeezing and entering...Sarah knew someone from the town that owns a hotel (no functioning) so we went to visit.  Once we got there we discovered no one was home but we squeezed through the fence and looked around anyway!  Then someone 'caught' us but in reality we think we 'caught' him doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing...but I guess we'll never really know.

Now keep in mind - we have had NO DAYS OFF since we've returned from Christmas which is why it seems like I'm actually doing some cool things here - we're tryin to spice up life so it makes it less miserable! haha!  So in those efforts, I called my friend David and asked him to show me around down town Tegus (not safe to go without a Honduran).  So, I taxied by myself downtown (which was an adventure in and of itself) and met up with David on some morning.  We went to a few museums and I was able to learn some Tegus history.  One of the museums was being temporarily housed in on official presidential home.  It was HUGE and BEAUTIFUL of course.  This tour was also in Spanish but if I had trouble understanding, David was there to clear things up!  I got to see where important legislative meetings were held, they had a lot of Tegus pics "then and now" which was insane to see how much it's grown over time...and how much hasn't changed at all!  It was a great day of learning and walking and experiencing 'my city.'  

 This was the room of espejos (mirrors).  

 Just a normal courtyard in the MIDDLE of the house!  How incredible.

 A view of Tegus from a balcony.

 This was like a rooftop patio.  If only I could rent this out for some huge party - it was SO SWEET!

And these were stairs to a watchtower on the roof.  We got to climb up and look around.  Seriously to be a kid living in this house would have been unbelievable.  A game of hide and seek would have taken DAYS!  hehe!

A different weekend we were invited over by the same family that took us to their second home and had a barbecue at their house.  The food was FABULOUS as always!  

We've spent several weekends relaxing and tanning/burning at the pool.  We went to watch the national volleyball team play in a tournament where I met up with a new gringa that I met in the airport.  Melissa (new gringa) has been a blessing.  She is here as a missionary but teaches English at a school here.  She has introduced me to a church which I am slowly falling in love with!  Last Sunday I went to service with her and went out to eat with some of the church family...i was exhausted by the time I got home because EVERYTHING (including lunch) was in Spanish.  Melissa has been in Honduras for over a year now and she majored in Spanish so she is completely fluent.  We are actually her first 'white' friends she has had here!  I look forward to hanging out with her more and maybe finally joining a church family!  

The school year is quickly coming to an end - Praise God!  But the bigger praise is that in 6 days my parents will arrive here in HONDURAS!!!  I can't wait for them to experience my life!  Hopefully we won't experience a day like today...waking up to NO ELECTRICITY!  Ahh!  I can't complain though because it has been a long time since that has happened.  My one hope is that they don't get sick from the delicious food here!  :)

On a school note: I only have my senior class for another 3 weeks!  Time has gone by sooo fast!  At this point I only have 17 parents that want to kill me for not passing their students!  :)  I'd say that's pretty good! haha.  We had our LAST parent teacher conference yesterday!  I only had 7 parents show up...usually I have 16-20.  The best part about our conferences is that as a fundraiser there is always super good/fatty food!  I had tamalitos y pan dulce y y hay pupusas pero no comi.  Sorry...switched to Spanish just for a sec...:)  Speaking of spanish...I'M GOING TO COSTA RICA!!!!  I have decided to go to San Jose Costa Rica for two weeks to study Spanish before returning home for the summer.  I am very excited!  I can't wait til I can walk around alone and experience a new culture and practice Spanish!  I have to admit, learning Spanish is not as easy as I thought it would be here...I am surrounded by too much English!  So immersion in Costa Rica will do me some good!  

Okay, well I'm gonna go nap or grade...we'll see what happens.  Hope you enjoyed this session!  The next will be telling you of all my Spring Break fun!!!!!  Vaya bien!  

SIERRA

Oh and Sarah (other foreign hire) was asked to make a webpage for potential foreign hires (which I found out we won't have any new ones next year...sad...) so feel free to check it out!

delcampoforeignhire.weebly.com