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

I know, I know...

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!

My Apologies

I am so sorry. I know it has been way too long!  I've even started writing several blogs but then I never finish them and forgot to go back.  So, my deepest apologies and let me catch you up real quick...

I went to La Ceiba, Honduras in September (pics on Facebook) and I had an amazing time.  Had my first canopy/zip lining tour where our guide tried getting us to eat termites from his hand!  We met other Foreign teachers that were also vacationing and in discussion with them I realize how lucky I am to be teaching at the school where I am.  Our hostel experience was incredible...had a cliff jumping spot into the river which, unfortunately gave the BIGGEST wedgie after jumping but it was SO fun!  I also white water HIKED which ended up being a personal highlight of the weekend!  One day we took a tour out to Cayos Cochinos - islands where people live with NO electricity.  The residents of the island have a history on how they came to Honduras (slaves but bc of ship wreck they ended up living there???)  but they have brought their culture to HOnduras and Honduras has accepted and adopted part of their culture as their own...one example The Punta dance.  On the island I was able to enjoy my first ever REAL, EYES ON PLATE, FRIED FISH.  Literally the creepies thing I've ever eaten and also the TASTIEST thing I've ever eaten!  Sometimes it is good to go outside your comfort zone.  Also on this tour I was able to hold a Boa Rosada (pink boa) which is only found on that island!  Our boat ride back to the mainland was breathtaking...we saw at least 4 tornado clouds hitting the water in the distance and then we were in a torrential downpour for at least 30 minutes!  It was insane!  Seriously check out the pics on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.542866829989.2034130.162800662&type=1&l=9d39c897dc

Since then, a lot has happened.  Let me see...

One of our foreign teachers returned home after being sick for sometime from the food and the stress 
of our job!  

Our superintendent/HS Principle is no longer working at our school (*reminder this is the 2nd HS 
Principle I've had since moving here...anyone sense that something isn't right here?)

I've made a few more friends from school!

We've had several more celebrations at school (which means less days of teaching for me!)!  

I went to a Honduran soccer game (professional and city league) which was a blast.  The professional 
game was between Tegucigalpas two teams, Montagua and Olympia.  This was an experience that I 
can't begin to describe and unfortunately I don't have photos either...bc it wasn't safe to have my camera out...shhh!  But these fans were like wild dogs who could not be controlled...scary but entertaining!  :)  
We got the tickets bc the owner of Montagua works out at our gym and Kristi has made friends with him!  It was nice!  I plan on going back!  I also went to a local game where Sarahs fiance, Nahun, was playing!  
This again was some good tastes of culture!  I stuck out like a sore thumb but I didn't really care...there 
were plenty of athletic Honduran men to keep me entertained...haha.  Just kidding!  I think I may be a 
soccer fan by the time I leave this country!  :)

Que mas?  

Animal Planet Honduras was at Wal Mart the other day so we got to see some cool reptiles!!!

Found a DELICIOUS Creperia to eat at...really helps with the diet!  haha.

There were more but I thought I would spare you...I don't want you getting too  hungry!  :)

Ate at a new Mexican restaurant Tacontento which was quite tasty...

This was all for me!  Ahh!!!

Just kidding by the way...there were four of us to share the big plate...but I was a main culprit in finishing it!  :)

As you can see, Jenn and I are bak to being our usual selves!  haha  AHH: funny story here.  Jenn went to the

 bathroomand after a LONG time, we were getting worried, thinking maybe she was sick, right?  So I go into the

 bathroomand check and at that time she is just walking out of the stall.  I give her a puzzled look asking if she is

 okay and she begins to explain that we was LOCKED IN THE STALL!  HHAHA!!!  She couldn't get the door open and 

she kept trying to ask for help but the other ladies in the restroom weren't responding...and Jenn was even trying to 

use her Spanish!  HILARIOUS!  We had quite the laugh after that one!

And now to almost the present...about 2 weeks ago we had a 3day weekend so Jenn and I decided to get

 out of dodge (aka Tegus) but we weren't sure where to go for such a short time...plus we needed it to be

 cheap.  So, we were talking to a coworker who is from La Ceiba and he was going there for the

 weekend...so we thought we would join him!  SO we went back to the beloved city we had visited just

 a month earlier!  We even stayed in the same hostel and it was so nice recognizing people and being 

recognized in return!  Some of the workers even remembered us!  So, our journey started at 4:30 am on 

Saturday morning when our taxi picked us up to take us to the bus station...Eew!  ha.  The bus ride was 

boring so I'll spare you the details, but from Tegus to La Ceiba (with one 45 min stop) it took us 8 hours!

  It was almost unbearable!  BUT we made it on limited spanish and no one tried bothering us!  The bus 

guy even tried making us put our backpacks down under with the other luggage and I got to argue with 

him, in spanish, about why we NEEDED our bags with us...I won!  We went to our hostel first thing to

 drop off all of our stuff.  And take a quick nap/rest since we'd been cramped on the bus for so long with 

crappy sleep!

Our room!  Same one as our last trip!!!  

THe bummer part to this trip was it was raining when we got there and pretty much didn't stop until our 

weekend was over, with the exception of spastic hours through each day.  Our first adventure was to the

 mall where we were able to have coffee, buy some clothes, and our favorite part - get our hair washed at

 the salon!  Only $3 to let someone else wash my hair...SO WORTH IT!  I then proceeded to get my hair

 cut because it was NASTY long!  haha.  I was scared but they did an okay job.  I was nervous trying to 

explain what I wanted in Spanish...not something I really wanted to screw up on...but i think i made my 

point clear enough.  After shopping/walking for quite some time our friend David called and picked us up

 for dinner.  We went and ate out and enjoyed some nice conversation.  We also went to see a movie.  

Jenn and I weren't really excited bc David picked the movie and it was Gigante de Acero (Real Steel) and

 we were thinking...robots?  Really?  He is such a oy!  Then when we get into the movie he tells us he's

 already seen it!  WHAT?  Oh well, too late now.  SO we watch...and literally within 15 minutes I'm captured...and turns out it was an AWESOME movie (in my opinion!)  And watching a movie in 

Honduras is a very different experience bc most ppl aren't that quiet...so when I was getting into the 

movie and talking back to it...I didn't get yelled at or popcorn thrown at me!  :)  Anyway, we had a good

 time together.  

Sunday we slept in...we were supposed to go get massages but nothing was open on Sunday so instead 

we walked back to the mall for coffee and then David picked us up again and took us to his house where

 we had the chance to meet his family!  And we had lunch over there which ended up being such a 

blessing because I haven't had a family meal since leaving the states...so it was nice to sit around a table

 with a home cooked meal and a family feel to conversation and such.  His mom is a principle at a 

Christian school in La Ceiba and his father preaches at the church that the school is associated with.  SO,

 his mother is bilingual and was SOOOO very nice!  We met his brothers and sisters and at one point we

 were playing guitar hero all together then we had an UNO competition!  OH and that afternoon we went

 to another Soccer Game which was fun...not near as crazy as my first soccer experience here but we still

 had a good time...

Victoria is the team we were cheering for...but they didn't win. :(  

After the game we toured the school and then went back to their house for a bit.  We weren't sure what

 else to do but then David and his brother Jimmy took us to a go cart place and we got to drive go carts.

  This was an exciting adventure.  The place only had 3 working cars...which should have been a sign! 

 haha.  So Jenn, David, and I were the three to start.  My car wouldn't start at first so I got a late start to 

the other two.  Then, Jenn traded cout with Jimmy and by that time I had caught up with David so I was

 trying to race him...well there is a part in the track that was still wet from rain and long story short...I 

whipped around the corner and hydroplaned which caused me to crash into the corner of one wall - 

projecting me out of my seat (bc the seatbelt didn't work) and throwing me into another wall which then

 stopped all motion of the car.  It was the scariest AND most exciting part of the night!  I was unharmed 

"Gracias a Dios" but it was pretty scary.  I took it much slower for the remaining time!  

This was before the crash!

After that is when we returned to their house for games and such.  Eventually David took us back to the

 hostel to get some rest before our bus ride back on Monday!  Our ride home was worse than the first.

 Luckily the first 4 hours the bus was next to empty so Jenn and I were able to spread out and sleep a bit

 better.  But when we had our stop...instead of 45 minutes - it was a 2.5 hour layover!!!  NOO!!!!!  So in

 waiting for our next portion, we made a friend and went to the upstairs of the bus terminal which was a

 huge mall/market place.  We found lunch and killed some time.  Our new friend only spoke Spanish so

 we had fun practicing with her.  She was super nice...heading to Tegus to visit her boyfriend...her ONE 

way bus was longer than the time she even had to spend with him before she had to return again...I felt

 awful for her.  Anyway, we reached Tegus at 7ish at night (which was DARK) and we really didn't 

know where we were.  We called for a taxi but everyone had cleared out pretty fast so here we were, two

 white girls, standing on the side of the street in the dark not sure what to do.  We remained calm, prayed 

a few prayers, and eventually our taxi came to take us home.  Overall we had a splendid time but we

 learned some along the way.  Next time we will take a DIFFERENT bus company to avoid the stupid 

layovers AND to save us money bc ours was more expensive than others.  Anyway, it was a successful 

weekend and we hope we can do it again sometime!  

Since then, it's been all work, little play.  The dynamic has changed not having our other foreign hire 

around so we are trying to do more together so noone gets lonely!  OH - the school called us foreign 

hires in after the one went home and we had a little heart to heart about how we were feeling.  We told

 the school how we felt and what things we needed changed in order to keep us all here...and I've actually

 noticed a difference!  So good things are happening.  One of those changes is that they took us shopping

 to buy things for our house...the most exciting being PAINT!  We have colored walls FINALLY and it

 totally changes the feel!  It's outstanding!  Our downstairs is a grayish purple and upstairs is bright

 turquoise!  It's very inviting!  We also got chairs for our patio and have already enjoyed a cup of coffee

 out there taking in the beautiful weather and scenery!  Life here really isn't so bad after all.  It's taken me

 a while to say that...but I'm finally fitting in.  

I continue to work on my Spanish.  I'm getting better but no where close to where I want to be.  It's funny

 how I expect all my students to do their homework overnight...and then I realize I haven't done any of 

mine!  Oops!  I suppose I should lead by example!  I'm finally adjusting to the ways of the school...there

 are still extremely frustrating days but I realize most things I can't change so I just have to deal with

 it...and smiling makes it a little better!  We found out we can 'rent' a driver for the weekends if we want

 to go places so we'll be doing that sometime soon!  

Not sure what will happen for Thanksgiving yet...possibly visiting Roatan (an tourists island :) bc some 

of our friends we met on our first trip will be there!  It will be hard being away from family...but my flight

 home for Christmas is only 44 days away!!!  YEAH!  

Well, thanks for catching up on my journey.  I apologize again for it's lateness.  I'll try harder next time! 

A few pics I forgot... 

Getting pampered at the salon!

This HUGE bump came out of nowhere in the morning.  Luckily it went away within hours but we were a little worried!

This was practically Davids front yard!  Amazing!

At the school/church

Rockin it out to rock band!

And this picture is for the sole purpose of capturing the kids shirt.  It says:

"Free Chorizo" with an arrow pointing down!  

WHAT MOTHER WOULD PUT THAT ON HER 4 YEAR OLD CHILD?!?!  

Well, that's all for now.  God Bless everyone!  Thanks for your prayers...God is faithful!

OH:  Had parent teacher conferences...of the 19 parents who came to see me - not one of them was 

mad at me!  I was awful nervous but it went very well!  Thanks to God!