Oh hey there, Thursday.

I cannot believe tomorrow is Thursday. So, let's see here. Last time I updated was right before I headed into the village to stay with the best Honduran family ever. Karin and I had such a wonderful time with them. My dream was fulfilled by living in community with Bictelia and her family. We stayed with them from Saturday to Tuesday. Saturday was spent with their family in Crucitas for a birthday party. It was nice to meet Bictelia's mom and her brothers and sisters and their children. Family here is so cherished. It was so neat to see the greeting of someone when they arrived at the house. They're just so friendly. Her brother and sister-in-law were just as excited to us, as they were to see their family too. We were given kisses on the cheek and hugs galore. Sundays with the locals are insane. Their church services are two and a half hours long. We went to one in Crucitas with their family and then again that night with Bictelia in Río Esteban. 5 hours of church in one day. Mondays are the only nights that they don't have church. In the absence of church those nights, Bictelia's family has what they call a reunion. They gather in their living room, share a short message and then sing and worship. This was probably my favorite night. Alfredo, the dad and Delmi started singing while Wilder and William were on the drums. We all started dancing and singing. Oh my goodness, just recalling that night brings a smile to my face. The church here disagrees with dancing but this family doesn't find anything wrong with it so they dance in their home without judgment from the outside. So so so fun. I was also able to spend some time with my favorite little babe, Brayon (their little rascal cousin). The food was incredible. My family will be surprised to hear that I've eaten meat with every meal. It's crazy how open I've become in new situations. Like how I was somewhat of a germaphob before I left and now, I eat with my hands, bath in the sea, eat fruit straight from the tree. I know, I know...wild woman.

I want to elaborate on my time spent with Bictelia's family but today has been SO exhausting. Our friend, Deibyn wanted us to go to this waterfall with him in Lucinda so we all were excited for the day. Deibyn told us it was like a 20 minute walk. Hondurans have no concept of time. 20 minute walk, you say? More like a grueling hour and a half hike. We made it half way with a big group and one of the girls with us ended up having to go back down because of her asthma, so a couple of us walked back down with her. The other person decided to stay down there so I hauled back up to the spot we left to meet Deibyn, who had so graciously waited. Now, I've said this before but I have the lung capacity of a 85 year old seasoned smoker. Ok, maybe not that bad but still... Anyway, I meet up with Deibyn and he's had to wait for probably 30 minutes so he's eager to get going and catch up with the others. It's so funny to me how scrawny the people here are but how much endurance they have. No one here is all muscled out but I guarantee you everyone could climb a mountain for 4 hours without rest or water. So I'm trying to keep up with Deibyn and we finally reach water and he's saying, "oh yes! We are almost there. I think I hear their voices. Oh yes, we are so close." (That was said in a thick Honduran accent by the way). That little turd kept telling me he could hear their voices for probably 30 minutes before I actually heard them too. The waterfall was phenomenal. We hiked straight up to the top (why not? we'd come this far, right?) to jump off. Standing on top of that waterfall was incredible. I told my friend Sam not to let me chicken out of jumping because, despite my new found wildness, my slight fear of heights remains. Fortunately, my fear did not get the best of me and I was able to jump. Two times, in fact. It was a wonderful day, filled with so much laughter, so much sweat and so many battle wounds from an unforgiving trail. I am spent. Tomorrow, we'll be heading to Las Niguas for the last time. I cannot believe my journey is coming to an end. I have had such an amazing time here. I will miss my new friends and my routine here so much. I'm excited to come home though to my sweet family and puppies and ice cream and cushy bed and friends. If I don't get an opportunity to update before I leave here, please be praying for safe travels on Friday and Saturday. I love you all!!!

Like that One Disney Movie says, "Sí se puede!"

I feel like a month has gone by since I posted last. So much has happened. Let's see here, I left off with the day of waking up at an ungodly hour to watch a sport I don't understand, correct? Oh psych. I just looked back and I didn't post that. Alright, so Wednesday, a few of us wake up at 4:30a to go to a friend's house to watch the Honduras vs. Chile soccer game. Surrounding the television, we all had orange juice and eggs in some sort of breakfast tortilla called a baleada. Unfortunately for the catrachos, their boys lost to Chile. Something I forgot to mention in my last post was that the government is enthralled by futbol. So much so, in fact, that the President, Vice President and entire Cabinet are in South Africa right now for the World Cup. For ONE month, there is no government in Honduras. That is just insane to me. Christi, the nurse, told us how crazy the government is here and some of the history behind that.

Anyway after the soccer game, we headed into Balfate to teach at the school for a little bit until a truck came to pick us up to go into the mountains. Little did I know then what the day had in store for me. I think there were about 4 of us in the bed of the truck going up this mountain. Mark my words, I will never complain about roads in Tulsa ever again (and if I do, I give you permission to slap me). There were incredibly deep divots in the road due to erosion from the rain. I have a few more bruises on my back from sloshing around in that truck to add to my ATV bruises. Honduran battle wounds!! Anyway, once we arrived at a stopping, we got out and hiked and hiked and hiked...and hiked. We went to about four villages atop that mountain. If you all know me at all, my physical prime was probably when I was 12 in gymnastics and my lung capacity since then has dramatically declined. So needless to say, the trek that day was a little tough but it was so worth it. At the top of the mountain, I got to watch an elementary school futbol game and play with some kids.

Thursdays are probably my favorite days here. We go with Dr. Don to various schools and then hike up to Las Niguas. One of the schools on the way, Margarita, is a primarily Garifuna school. There was an ADORABLE little girl there that was probably about 2 or 3 years old. She had the sweetest facial expressions. Aside from her sticking a pencil eraser up her nose, she was the cutest. I told Dr. Don, I was going to take her home with us. I didn't really end up taking her but I definitely thought about it. Las Niguas was fun as always. The kids there are so so eager. Yesterday, we went to La Ceiba to do some shopping, etc. The pace of life in Ceiba is SOOOOO different than in the villages, as you could probably imagine. Just an insane amount of traffic, all of the time and noises coming from every direction. We walked outside the mall at one point for lunch and had kind of a strange encounter. There was this man, whose growth I think was stunted, but he was holding up this paper that read, "Diploma," while harassing us to give him money. I later found out that the government gives some people, especially those with disabilities, authorization to be beggars. So strange.

Alright, now that I've got you up to speed, I have a HUGE story to tell you of what has happened to me this morning. I usually wake up around 5am to howler monkeys or geckos but most often, I just go back to sleep until about 7am. Today, I wanted to get up to switch my laundry, take a shower, and update this blog before I go out into the villages (oh right. I forgot to mention that I'm going to be living in the village this week). So I go into the bathroom and there is the biggest scorpion I've ever seen in the bathtub. I've only encountered two scorpions here prior to this one, and this was the biggest. I'd probably say about half the size of an unsharpened Ticonderoga #2 pencil (why I'm using this as a scale, I'll never know). Alright so my first reaction is, "oh shit." My second reaction is prayer. There was no one else awake to kill this scorpion for me so I knew I had to do it. God knows I could not have done that alone. I went outside and grabbed a flip flop and came back to the tub, ready for battle. I stood there for another 5 minutes just staring at this demon baby and praying for strength. Finally, God provided courage for me to hit the scorpion. I quickly realized, I had the flimsiest shoe I could have ever grabbed after I hit him and he scurried around the bathtub. So I just pissed off this little beast and have yet to kill him. Still no one else awake to take over for me. Again, I get the courage to hit him and I have to hit him not only once more, but 5 TIMES MORE. I think I should get a patch for my first grade Girl scout brownie vest or something. So after the deed was done, I scooped up the demon baby, put him in a bag and took him outside and burned him in the trash can. This was all before 6:30am, mind you. If this has been my morning, I can't even imagine what the rest of the day has in store. Karin and I are going to go live with Bictelia, Delmi and their family until Tuesday, I think. But I'm going back out there Wednesday to stay until my time is up here. I cannot wait to live in community with them. I adore their family and am so grateful for the opportunity to round out my time here with them. I probably won't be able to update for a bit. Mud huts don't have the best internet service but I'll be sure to update you once I make it back to the "real world." So I will update you soon. I love everyone!

P.S. Sorry I haven't had any pictures. During our ride to Río Coco, my camera got wet and I think sat on, because the screen is cracked so it won't turn on. That camera served me well but I'm still kind of bummed, I can't take any more pictures. So yeah, no pictures. Sorry charlies. I'll work on mooching some pictures off of the other people here.

No Shoes, No Shirt, No problem.

...Unless you're a member of the Honduran church. Today, Karin and I got the opportunity to hang out with a third generation missionary nurse. She was born in Mexico, went to University in the states and then moved to Honduras, where she's been for the past 11 years. She married a Honduran man and they have three of the most beautiful children I've ever seen. It was really interesting to hear her perspective of the church in Honduras. I know I've mentioned the extreme legalism of the church here before but I don't think I really delved into it that much. Church here is everyday. 7 nights. Christi, the nurse, said that the church she attends, starts at 7 and ends around 9:30pm. EVERY night! She says it's extremely difficult because her husband works throughout the day and by the time he gets home, it's time to go to church and when they get out, it's time to go to bed. Women in the church are more strictly held accountable. Women cannot cut their hair, wear makeup or jewelry. They also can't wear pants. Skirts. All of the time. Lindy, one of the girls we've been working with, at one point said she didn't know if she could be a missionary because she's seen some missionaries wear pants and that's not "Christian." I can't imagine having to abide by these ridiculous rules. And these crazy ideas have been ingrained in the minds of the younger generation. If you neglect to attend church or cut your hair or disobey any of their insane rules, you're placed on church discipline. Church discipline means that you're unable to publicly read the Bible or preach or have any responsibility in the Church. Christi mentioned that her mother, who grew up a missionary and lived in Mexico for about 30 years translating the Bible, came to speak at her church. Her mom had the typical short grandma haircut (no offense to the g-ma's out there). After her sermon, a church member approached Christi, saying that some of the members said they didn't believe her mom could actively follow Christ because she had short hair. How ridiculous is that?! I mean I struggle with my faith enough as it is. I can't imagine trying to juggle these rules that really don't mean anything. I'm sure that there's a plethora of long-haired, skirt-wearing, clear-faced, church-attending women who have no idea what it truly looks like to follow Jesus. Dr. Don once said that if he had to attend church for two hours every single night, he probably wouldn't be a Christian either. I just think they're getting away from the point. If they truly took to heart the Bible's teaching of love, compassion and forgiveness, the length of their hair wouldn't matter nearly as much as their character. I don't know. Anyway, just sharing again what I've heard and learned. I'm currently sitting in a hammock on the Rumbaugh's porch, overlooking the Caribbean, listening to some angry howler monkeys. There's a cool breeze and for once I'm not sweating. Instead of saying I never want to leave, I'm just going to leave this lame post as is and enjoy this weather. I love you guys. XoXo.

Don't Go Chasin' Waterfalls.

BAH. Ok I am outside right now and it's about 9pm here and I'm pretty sure some monkeys are dying or fighting or something. Sorry, that was a HORRIBLE sound. Anyway, weird tropical noises aside, I am having an incredible time here. Just in case you haven't picked that up in the past 13 posts. Yesterday started out with a church service with the local missionaries here. I also cherish that time because I really appreciate the way they hold church here. After worship, we form a circle so instead of preaching at people, it's a discussion amongst people. After church, we headed back to the casita for some guitar/piano practice at 2p but got an invitation to go to the waterfall. Dr. Don graciously let us back out of practice and rush down the hill to catch the land cruiser headed to the waterfall. Of course, once we started off for the waterfall, the sun disappeared and down came the rain. I won't dwell on the rain because I've read my Oklahoman stomping grounds have recently flooded. I just can't imagine what rainy season here is like. So we start off for the waterfall and about 6 people are riding on top of the land cruiser (not I though, no more vehicular risk tasking for me) and there are 10 of us inside. Soon the rain got to be to much on top so all 16 people were piled inside. Once we reached the waterfall in Río Coco, we all trekked behind the veterans and hopped in the water. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to bring my camera because I didn't want to chance it getting wet with the rain so I have no pictures to show for it. I also wish I could describe to you how incredible the view was but no words could do it justice. I've never seen anything like it. Being surrounded by jungle, I could have lived there. Just a female version of Mogley in the Jungle Book. I really hope we get the opportunity to return to Río Coco on a sunny day so I can attempt to capture how truly amazing the scenery is there. That night, I was invited to go to a church service in the village of Lucinda so Sam and I caught a ride there. Unfortunately, the power went out on our way there. It's not like when the power goes out in the U.S. When power goes out here, it's pitch black and there are tons of people in the streets. They still had the church service in this little turquoise building with a small lantern and a couple of candles. I love the passion of the people and how they pray. They pray with reckless abandonment. After the service, everyone in the church came up and shook our hands, extending their blessings. The sense of community here is indescribable.

Today, we began the day with training as usual before setting out into the villages. The original plan was that Adam would accompany Dr. Don up the mountain to Paraíso, Randy would stay back and work on I.T. stuff and the girls (Karin, Sam and I) would go to the bilingual school. I was bursting with excitement to see the kids again. Although I saw a lot of the kids in the village during their vacation, I didn't get to see all of them. Dr. Don then announced that one of the us girls should probably stay behind and do some administrative work due to the complications this past weekend with having 3 on the ATV. My heart sank because I knew that Karin was the only one to know how to drive the standard ATV and of course Sam would because she'd never been before so I just assumed I would have been the one to stay behind. In my selfishness, I was temporarily disappointed that I wouldn't get to see the kids I had long anticipated seeing. Then, Karin volunteered to stay behind and said that Sam could drive the ATV. All of this is irrelevant, I just realized but I'm not going to delete so sorry you had to read that. The point is that Sam and I ended up going out the school and once I got off that ATV, I was bombarded with tons of Honduran baby hugs and "I love you's." I just feel so at home here. I adore these kids so much. I can't say it enough.

After a wonderful day at the school, we returned to the casita for lunch and then headed out to our friend Lindy's house. Once there, we walked to a nearby pulpería for some ingredients to make pan de pan. The instructions sounded a little weird and the cooking process wasn't all that normal either. But I told Lindy and her sister that now I know how to cook it so I can take it back to the states so I should probably honor my word. While our pan de pan was cooking, Sam and I worked on Lindy's English. She started learning English two weeks ago and her pronunciation and comprehension has improved exponentially. The desire to learn here still baffles me. Soon, it was time to leave Lindy's house and head back to Loma de Luz. I forgot to mention that it was Sam's first time to drive the standard ATV and earlier at the school we had some trouble getting it started. I wasn't expecting the jump when it did start so I was taken by surprise when I my legs flew back and I almost fell off yet again (sorry again Mom! haha). Anyway, flash to leaving Lindy's. We were also carting 36 eggs for Mrs. Rumbaugh so I was worried about being able to carry them back on the ATV without breaking them. Sadly, the moto stalled yet again and we were stuck in the middle of the road, causing a traffick jam with about 30 Hondurans watching. It was just a hilarious situation and yet again, when Sam started the ATV, my legs went up a little but luckily I was better prepared this time and the eggs stayed in tact. Once we started going, along with our Honduran audience, we started laughing. I've been so grateful for the joy these past few days. I feel like I've just been laughing all of the time. I'm really enjoying getting to know the other people here and experience Honduras with them. Sometimes, I have to remind myself of where I am and the opportunities I've been presented with. It's hard to believe. I am just so incredibly grateful. I hope all of my Oklahomies are staying dry. Each day I'm here, I find it more difficult to realize that I'm going to have to leave soon. I miss anyone who's reading this and I appreciate the time you took to read about my weird adventures. XoXo.

Walk Of Shame.

More like ATV ride of shame. Before I get to that point, let me fill you in on the past couple of days. Yesterday, after English class, Karin and I headed to Delmi's house for some Honduran family time. I ADORE their family. Their whole family which includes almost the entire village of Río Esteban. I'll refresh your memory on the members of their immediate family. The mother, Bictelia, is the school director for the bilingual school and the high school. The bilingual school was her vision and I'm pretty sure it's the only private school in the area. She is an incredible woman. Her husband, Alfredo, is a rancher and a carnicero (a butcher). He has such a sweet disposition and a smile you can see from across the village. Deyni is a medical student in Tegucigalpa. She is so intelligent and super outgoing. Her English is extremely broken but she speaks it whenever she can. Delmi is a teacher at the bilingual school. She shares my love for kids and I'm pretty sure she's friends with everyone from Río Esteban, Lucinda and Balfate. She's not as outgoing as Deyni but once you get to know her, she's incredibly kooky and fun. Then they have a brother, Walter, who plays professional futbol for San Pedro. Then there's William who always has smile on his face. In fact, all of the boys inherited their father's smile. Wilder, the youngest boy, is a bit more reserved but just as fun-loving as the rest of the family. They live in a house next Alfredo's mom. Alfredo has four brothers and two sisters, all of whom, except for one sister, live right next to each other. Everyone is related. The families here are so large and they have an amazing sense of loyalty. A few of my favorite (well they're all my favorite) members of her family are probably her cousins, Marcos and Brian. They are ADORABLE. We hung out in their hammocks for probably a good 3-4 hours yesterday, playing with Marcos and Brian, and eating mamones. At one point, I looked across the road to see Marcos, dancing around in his underwear while taking a bath. His bath was just him splashing water on himself with the faucet in the yard. Once he noticed that he had an audience, he upped his dancing skills with some new hip moves. Pretty entertaining. His little brother is the definition of "a hoot." Brian is about 6 years old and has the only name I can truly pronounce correctly here. The great thing about Brian is that he loves to talk, so often times he'll just talk and talk and talk, without needing a response. Which is great because a lot times I can't understand what he says anyway, so we made great friends. Man. I love that little ornery babe. While we were in the hammocks, many of the men in the family were replacing the techo (roof) of the grandmother's kitchen right next to the house. It's a really extensive process but really interesting to watch. Apparently, they have to replace the palm roofs every year, especially when they're covering a kitchen. In this particular instance, their grandma uses fire instead of gas so the palms were blackened. Later that night, Bictelia fixed us some chocolate milkshakes which weren't completely unlike American chocolate milk shakes. We then had some pastels, which are pastry-like things filled with meat and other mysterious things, but still good. After dinner, we talked with Bictelia and had some Spanish-English lessons with her, Delmi and William. Our lessons consisted mainly of me learning new Spanish words by them going to get the object to show me. After lessons and chatter, we went to bed. I woke up around 2am to a dog incessantly barking outside and again at 5am to knives being sharpened and friendly banter outside. After laying in bed for 30 minutes, deciding whether or not to get up, I got ready for the day. Then I went outside to find about 20 people gathered around their hammock area (I don't really know what it's called) which had been transformed to a meat market. Turns out the four brothers slaughter one of their cows each weekend and sell the meat. The picture posted is one of a dog staring down the uncle cutting off some meat to meet (ha) the demands of hungry villagers. ALSO, this woman was nice enough to pick up the heart and lungs of the cow for a picture before she took them home. What she was going to with those organs, I don't know and I'm not sure I want to. During the meat festivities, Bictelia fixed Karin and I a meal unlike any breakfast I'd ever had. At 8am, we had a glass of Pepsi (I think it should be mentioned that I don't really drink pop and definitely not in the morning), corn tortillas, frijoles (beans), a block of cuajada (cheese), and steak. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious but it was no wonder why I wasn't hungry until 7pm tonight. Soon it was time to leave for the school. We teach music with a few kids every Saturday morning. I was so sad to leave Bictelia. We started calling her our Honduran mama. To which she responded with, "my American babies!!" Te quiero este mujer! She is just a big, precious, Honduran ball of sweetness.

Ok, sorry for being delirious, I think you'll understand once I describe the rest of my day to you. Also, sorry this is so long. Ok so after music class, we returned to the casita to unload some of our stuff. Then we headed back to Río Esteban to pick up Delmi to go to her brother's soccer tournament in Balfate. These guys are amazing athletes. As you can probably imagine, there aren't any gyms in Honduras. The people here are just fit. They play soccer all day, everyday (that's a lie but they do play a lot of soccer). A majority of the people here don't understand American football. They think it's somewhat violent with all of the tackling and honestly, I kind of agree with them on not understanding the game. Then again, I don't really understand soccer either but whatever. We were at the tournament for about 3 hours, when Karin realized she couldn't get the light to work on the ATV. We decided to leave, in hopes of beating the sunset, in order to get Delmi home. On the way through Balfate, Karin neglected to see a big pile of cow feces in the road. I was sitting on the back of the ATV and was DOUSED with cow poo. Whatever poo didn't splatter me on the shins, arm and bag, flipped up from the rear tires on the back of my legs. Seriously. Cow poop everywhere. It took a couple of seconds for the shock of the splatter to wear off and for me to tell Karin I was going to kill her and then for me to start laughing. Karin, Delmi and I were in hysterics on our way. Soaked in poo, laughing it up, we decided to stop at Loma de Luz to pick up Karin's headlight. The ATV we were driving is an automatic and it's really difficult to drive with three people. So heading up the hill, we went over a tumulo (speedbump) and the ATV just couldn't take the weight on the back. I told you earlier, too many tortillas. The ATV ended up flipping backward and we all went off. Don't worry (Mom), everyone was alright. We're fully aware those things are dangerous and even more aware now. And obviously, we won't be riding with three people in the future. Once it was established that everyone was alright, we were laughing again. Karin drove the ATV up the hill while Delmi and I trekked up by foot. On our way, we were trying to regain our breath and balance when we both just burst with laughter. It was just the ultimate walk of shame but not really shameful. Just smelly and hilarious. We arrived at the casita and Dr. Don decided to take Delmi back to Río Esteban and I decided to hose down and take a much needed shower. These past two couple of days have been quite adventurous. I still can't get over how wonderful this place is and how grateful I am for the opportunity to be able to experience it. (Pictured below is my buddy, Sheldon. He's quiet and intelligent and super sweet). Today, I realized I only have two weeks left. Again, I'm choosing not to dwell on that reality. I'll just deal with that when the time comes. I'm exhausted from today's events but looking forward to what tomorrow has in store. Sorry again for the long post. XoXo.

Naked Kids in the River.

Today was amazinggggggg. On our way to Las Niguas we picked up a couple of boys, Aniyel and Edwin (a Honduran version of Heath Ledger). There's a little joke here that asks: How many Hondurans can you fit into a car? The answer is, "one more." So we piled into the car and headed to Río Esteban to meet the rest of the gang. When we arrived, there was no one there and I was a little discouraged because Doris and Cristian had promised me they'd be there. Dr. Don was about to head up to the mountain instead of waiting for the rest when kids came flooding down the road. Marcos, Doris, Cristian, Delmi, Deyni, her friend, Agaza, Carmela, and so many others. I know those names mean nothing to you but just thought I'd give you an idea of how many people met up with us. Once everyone arrived, we began the trek to Las Niguas. For the most part, I walked with, Marcos (pictured below). He is the silliest, sassiest little boy. He LOVED my camera (which by the way, resurrected itself AMEN). Most of the pictures in this post were taken by the future photographer himself. The walk up the mountain to Las Niguas seemed much shorter with 15 people walking alongside, in front and behind you. I think the fruit on the way helped too. I've discovered the most delicious fruit, mamones. I forget if I mentioned this earlier but they're these little grape looking things and you just pop them open and eat the fruit around the seed. Very peculiar but very tasty. Before we left, Dr. Don told the kids that the gringos like mamones, so of course Marcos found bushels and bushels and shared them with me.

Once we arrived at Las Niguas, we started singing songs with the kids. Even the tiniest of the kids in the village came to sit and listen to the songs. They're adorable and from what I gather from Dr. Don, the kids of Las Niguas are often the "forgotten." Sometimes their teacher doesn't show up for class but they still wait for Dr. Don every week. After some time of singing songs, we went with all of the kids down the mountain to the river. A little girl named, Rosa, grabbed my hand right after Dr. Don announced we were going and led me down the hill to the river. There were already tons of kids when we got to the river. The sun was pretty brutal today so I was ready to swim. I was about to get in when I noticed Doris wasn't getting ready to swim. She told me she didn't know how to swim so we ended up having some swim lessons. I think she'll be swimming by herself in no time. She's a quick learner. And since it's summer here year long, practicing shouldn't be a problem. Soon, I ended up being the human launcher for the kids. I think Fernando started it and then other kids just got in line. There was one cute little boy that wanted me to throw him so we counted 1....2.....3! After three I was so shocked, because I realized that I had just thrown this naked boy. His bare butt was just flying through the air. Hondurans have no shame! After swimming for a couple of hours, we were able to go up to one of the huts and check on a week old baby with Dr. Don. Apparently the baby had some heart problems after he was born and wasn't expected to live. It was really incredible to see the little babe healthy and thriving. I was so sad to leave Las Niguas because it meant that this experience was coming to a close. I know there will be more experiences but I seriously had the time of my life in that river, teaching kids how to swim and how to do handstands. Dr. Don just gave Karin and I the opportunity to take a canoe with Deyni out to the islands for a youth retreat this weekend instead of spending the night with Delmi and Bictelia in Río Esteban (like we had originally planned). We still haven't decided what we're going to do. Both situations are opportunities to be immersed in the culture so I think I'll be happy either way. But if you don't hear from me for a few days, you can assume I'm on an island with the locals and if that's the case, please pray for me. I know my spanish speaking skills and I will need it. Thanks for reading. Xoxo.

Tortillas. Tortillas. Tortillas.

I mentioned last post that this week is La Semana de Los Estudiantes (the week of the students). All of the kiddos are just chillin' at home, watching cartoons and playing soccer. This week we planned to teach English at the school from 9-11 for Bictelia (the school director),Delmi and Deyni (her daughters) and any other students that wanted to come. After the first lesson on Monday, Karin and I went to Delmi and Deyni's house to hang out. We spent the entire day in Honduran community and I couldn't ask for more. For lunch we had rice, shrimp, a block of weird queso and fried plantains (which were heavenly). We also made some mango juice with unripe mangos and TONS of sugar. Hondurans LOVE sugar. The Tang (koolaid) packets here are jam packed with sugar. Unlike Karin, I didn't really help in the lunch preparation department. I chose, instead, to play with Delmi and Deyni's little cousins, Daniel and Marcos. These little boys are hilarious and so eager to learn English. We just went over flashcards and picture books the entire time. Daniel is probably about 5 or 6 years old and you'd think his attention span would be very short. However we spent probably four straight hours learning English. This little boy is incredible.

After lunch that day, I played with the kids some more and then Deyni insisted that we start on making tortillas. We walked around the village in search of pulperías that were open. Apparently everyone shuts down around 2-3 for naps so after a few failed attempts to find flour, we finally got our ingredients. Ok. Tortilla making is one of those things that looks easy but in reality, if you lack the slightest bit of coordination, ten tortillas are going to end up on the ground before you succeed. Fortunately, I think I got the hang of it. Which, lucky for me, I got to test my skills the following day. The other interns arrived in the middle of the night on Tuesday so there are now five of us. Tuesday, we headed out to our friend, Lindy's house in Balfate. She started learning English with Karin and I last week and has progressed incredibly quick. We went to Balfate to teach her more English and to make more tortillas. While we were there, we got to try some fruit off the neighborhood trees. I've become one of those people that will eat anything. I ate fruit last week in the mountains off the ground. I've also taken a strong liking to 'topohios' which are the Honduran equivalent of popsicles. They're basically like chocolate milk or strawberry frozen goodness in plastic bags. As you can probably gather, I'm not really losing any weight or hurting for food here. Hopefully, climbing all of these mountains and running after the kids is counteracting the carbo-overload I'm experiencing.But enough about food.

Today, we returned to the school to teach some more English. There were enough of us gringos there to be paired up with the kids/anyone who was there to learn. I was with, Doris, a girl from the oldest class at the bilingual school. She is so intelligent and her English is phenomenal for a Honduran 5th grader. During our lesson, she asked if her brother could come in and learn and I said, of course. So her older brother, Cristian came inside for his first lesson of English. I told Doris that she was going to be the maestra and teach her brother. We were in the middle of reading a story in English, so I had Doris read a few lines and had her brother repeat. I have to confess I got a little teary-eyed at the sight of Doris and Cristian. It was just a really sweet image of a little girl desiring to teach her brother so much and him just soaking up every constructive criticism she had for him. I am going to miss these kids so much when I leave. Ahhh I can't even think about it! Tomorrow, we head up to Las Niguas, a village in the mountains. This trip, we'll be taking the students from the bilingual school with us. I'm excited to witness to the interactions between these two groups of kids. I think that's all I have for now. I'll be sure to update after the trip tomorrow. XoXo.

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

Today was a day for the books. Whatever that means. Karin and I were originally supposed to accompany Dr. Don in Ceiba Grande to teach music for a little bit this morning. However, last night we asked some of the girls at staff housing if we could hang out with them after because it's Dr. Don and Mrs. Rumbaugh's 27th wedding anniversary. Long story short, we ended up heading out to the dump this morning with a few girls from staff housing. Every Saturday, they take a group out to La Ceiba (it's about an hour and a half away from Loma de Luz) to teach the kids various lessons, play with them and then feed them lunch. There are about 2,000 people living at the dump. These people literally live on top of trash, in and around trash. As years have gone by and the population has increased, they now have running water in the dump, electricity, an elementary school and a church. It is amazing how resilient and resourceful people can be. Outside the feeding station, where we were playing with the kids, you could see some guys stationed by an empty dirt lot. I was told that they wait for the dump trucks to drop of the trash and then sift through, seeing what things they can use, sell or recycle. They give a whole new meaning to dumpster diving. While at the dump, I was just heartbroken to witness a whole different kind of pecking order than I have experienced in the schools. The kids there were ruthless. I watched two boys rough housing, inadvertently bump into a little boy, causing him to spill his soup. The little boy was visibly upset and moved toward the wall, as not to be further disturbed by anymore horse play. I saw the same little boy moments later still eating his soup, but he was up walking around. It was almost as if the other boys viewed him as a moving target or something. I watched as a boy walked by the soup-eating babe and just knock the spoon right out of his hand. I wanted to cry for the little boy and then slap the spoon bully upside the head. Neither of these reactions seemed to be appropriate so I refrained. You might think I'm a horrible person for not stepping in but I didn't deem it socially or culturally appropriate for me to intervene in a situation that was being handled by the little boy's older siblings. Family loyalty here is amazing. What older brothers and sisters do for their young siblings is incredible. At some point, these children become the parents for their younger siblings in many situations.

After feeding the kiddos, we headed into town to run errands and do some grocery shopping. Life in La Ceiba is SO different than life here in the village. As you can imagine, city life here involves the hustle and bustle much like city life in the states does. Riding in a Land Cruiser through villages, herds of cows, motorbikes, barefoot bicyclists and fearless pedestrians is INSANE. The mall and grocery stores are crazy. And I'm still not used to the exchange rate here. In my mind, I know that 20 lempiras is equivalent to a dollar but still...seeing 96.00 on the cash register for a couple of coffees shocks you a little bit. After picking up mangos, tortillas and various other essentials in the city we headed back to our simple, lovely town (with a bit more appreciation for the calm, I might add). Right after our return to the casita, Karin and I headed out to the beach with Rachel, the girl who let us tag along with her to the dump. Let me tell you. Honduran ocean sunsets are incredible. Almost as incredible as a Honduran starry sky on a clear night. Everywhere you look, the views just (allow me to be cliché for just a brief moment) take your breath away. It's weird to think that I have made it to the two week mark. I have three more weeks to soak up this experience. Tomorrow another intern arrives, along with several other interns later in the week, adding a new dynamic to the group so hopefully the transition goes smoothly. Still trucking and still sweating...Xoxo.

Honduran Politics

We're talking serious business here. The kids at Río Esteban had student elections today. I'll get into the real legalism of Honduras later, but I have to tell you about these elections. Hilarious. The kids nominate others (and sometimes themselves) for the normal student body positions like President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. They also have positions for a minister of health (someone to be first on the scene if an injury occurs), a keeper of the garden (someone to make sure the tomato plants are always watered), a position for children's defense (if any bullying occurs, this person is supposed to protect the victim), security, sports administrator (in charge of organizing games, etc.) a mediator for the environment (making sure everyone picks up their trash), and a study buddy (makes sure the kids listen to the teacher and get out their books when they're told). Each kid got their votes in. Karin and I served as International Ambassadors to the election. Also, did I mention that the President ended up being a 6 year old little girl named Connie? She won by a landslide. There is a video of part of the election on facebook if anyone is interested. I wish I could've taped the whole thing. SO so funny.

Next week, the kids have the week off from school for "La Semana de Los Estudiantes." More like week of the non-students. Fortunately, Karin and I won't be too bored next week. Bictelia (the school director), her daughters, Delmi and Deyni and our friend, Lindy will be at Río Esteban to learn English from Karin and I. I also think a few kids from the older class expressed interest in learning more English so they'll probably be there as well. I am still astounded the eagerness to learn here. It's just incredible. When Karin and I arrive at the school, we start in the kindergarten class and usually every time, the first and second graders come into the class (with the knowledge that we'll be coming to their class next), not because they have to but because they want to. I wish I had that much zeal for learning. I just wonder how much more potential these kids would have given the right resources and opportunities. I was told the other day that a student can graduate in either two subjects: tourism or computers. TOURISM OR COMPUTERS. What?! I'd probably be laying in a hammock all day, munching on tortillas for the rest my life too, given those options! I see so much hope and passion in these kids though. We have English conversation time in the older class sometimes. And the other we asked them what they wanted to do when they grew up. Even though there were a few kids that wanted to be fishermen just like their fathers (which is fine, if that is what they really really want) but most of them wanted to be world travelers and inventors.

Is It Hot In Here? Or Is It Just Me?

Fact: I have not stopped sweating since I got here. Soy muy sudorosa. It doesn't matter how many ceiling fans the classrooms have, my shirt will be soaked by the end of the lesson. Oh well, there could be worse things. I'm saddened to inform everyone that I think my camera may have died today. I'm hoping it will resurrect itself but there was a neon picture then poof! off it went.

Throughout our time here, Dr. Don has given Karin and I different articles to read discuss. My perspective of poverty has changed since being informed about the mistakes many people make in their assumptions about poverty. A lot of people view poverty simply as a deficit, such as lack of running water, food, clothes, homes. While this is true for many, impoverished people are in their situation because of much more.
1. Broken Relationships-exclusion, labeling, etc. Even well meaning people have the mindset of, "oh these, poor people...look at all of their misfortunes." This mindset categorizes people and labels them as insufficient.
2.Misused Power-people use their power over others to benefit themselves. A lot of people give to others, not because they really want to help, but because they want to feel better about themselves or not guilty because they didn't do something.

Another thing Dr. Don has been enlightening us on is the adverse affects of short term missions. Having lived in Honduras for several years and seen short term teams come and go for weeks at a time, he's seen the aftermath. So many gringos (white guys) come here thinking they're going to save Honduras and its people. They hand out clothes, food and build them houses. But what these teams are blinded to is that by coming and building this house, they have taken jobs away from capable Hondurans and given them an attitude of, "why should we do any work when we could just wait until the gringos come down and do it?" Dr. Don's also witnessed parents tell their children to put on their dirtiest, rattiest clothes and then walk the streets when mission teams come through. No doubt that Honduras is a poor country. It battles Nicaragua for the second poorest country (to Haiti) in Central America. What people don't realize is that when they do things for people that can do for themselves, they impoverish them even more. Some people might say, "so are we just not supposed to help them?" Dr. Don practices an earn and reward system. If the schools he visits wants ceiling fans or books, he makes them learn the alphabet or numbers or stories, whatever so when they finally do receive the ceiling fan, Dr. Don didn't just give it them; they receive the fan as a result of their hard work. I also want to clarify that in emergency situations (like hurricanes or earthquakes), people can't do for themselves so of course they need help. But when we freely give away things, we create an inferiority complex in the people. That they're not good enough to provide for their own families and it causes dissension among family members, etc.

So yeah, sorry if none of that made sense or it seemed that I was going on a tangent. Just sharing what I've learned and thought was interesting thus far. Oh also, for those of you curious about the weather, we're fine. Apparently Tegucigalpa got hit with quite a bit of rain and is in a state of emergency but we're fine here in la Ceiba. I think the heat index was about 122 degrees today. A little rain would actually be welcome!! In summation, all is well, poverty sucks but so do some well-intended efforts. Whatever. Ok well I have to go teach English in a few so hasta mañana ó posible viernes? No sé pero te amo mucho!!

All Aboard.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a carpool of Honduran kids? I have. And today, I no longer have to wonder. Karin and I assumed yet another position as bus driver for the kids today. The bus that takes the kids to their different colonías has been broken for the past few days. So Karin and I took about 3-4 trips to and from the school. We managed to fit 6 first graders in the backseat (needless to say, vehicle safety isn't really a priority around here). The only mishap we had was two kiddos who were too busy schmoozing in the back to realize they'd missed their stop. I can't believe we made it through our first full week.

I neglected to post the past couple of days so I'll try and fill you in. Unfortunately, Karin and I were unable to go to the school on Wednesday due to a gang incident in the village (don't worry, mom). There was a threat to some kid at the high school or something. I'm not exactly sure. The only other exciting thing that happened that day was a lizard jumping on my leg. I'm slowly discovering there are 'incidents' of all sorts around here but you can never really discern the truth. The villages, much to my surprise, are really gossipy. Chances are if you bath with shampoo instead of soap, the neighboring colonía will know about it (horrible example but I think you get the point). Thursday was an insane day. Some missionaries from Morocco arrived on Wednesday and on Thursday, along with the missionaries, we followed/tried to keep up with Dr. Don. We first went to Lucinda, then to a garifina school in Margarita then to Río Esteban and then trekked into the mountains to Las Niguas, a small, small village. Our journey up the mountain included tons of river crossings, eating fruit from the trees along the way, donkeys and farmers. In the village, we were given mareñones (?), the fruit from which cashews grow. They were super juicy and just weird but not terrible.

After Las Niguas, we headed into the heart of Río Esteban to Bictelia's house. Bictelia has two daughters Delmi and Deyni. Delmi is a teacher a the bilingual school and Deyni is in her third year of medical school in Tegucigalpa. Both girls are around our age. Once at their house, we walked with Delmi about 2 minutes to the beach. I don't know how anyone could get sick of that coastline. Pictures really don't do it justice. My lack of photography skills probably doesn't help either. While on the beach we ran into a little boy that hung out with us for quite some time. When the fisherman came in, he was rewarded for helping them with his own fish. I just can't get enough of the kids here. I already miss them and I still have five more weeks here. Four? I can't remember. Anyway, I'm going to go practice piano and guitar (yeah, I know. Me actually playing instrument. Weird, right?). XoXo.

Language Barrier.

6 years. Maybe even 7 years of Spanish classes and what do I have to show for it? I had an incredible time at the school today but I'm becoming increasingly frustrated with my communication skills. You'd think after 7 years, I'd be able to communicate better but I'm struggling more than I would have expected. Fortunately, the kids have been patient with me and taught me all of their recess games today. One of which was a Honduran version of 'Little Sally Walker' but it had to do with proposing marriage with some leaves and a kiss on the cheek....yeah I'm not quite sure. The kids were much more open today. So many abrazos de los niños. It is insane how eager these kids are to learn. Karin and I started in the kindergarten class and so many first and second graders came over during that time, not because they had to but because they wanted to. The school is flexible, so sometimes the kids float from classroom to classroom when they have some downtime. I'll take some pictures tomorrow so you can see the structure of the school (it's basically a long, turquoise building with four rooms). We ended the day in the first and second grade class. I showed them picture cards of animals, which they had to first identify in spanish, then translate to english. The cutest little boy was trying so hard to say 'puppet' but for the first few times, could only say,'pluffet.' Also, instead of airplane, 'hairblane.' So adorable.

On our way back from the school, we stopped with Penny at a mud hut, inhabited by one of the poorest families in the village (according to Penny). The grandmother takes care of the home, children and grandchildren but unfortunately, her body is riddled with severe rheumatoid arthritis. One of her daughters recently gave birth so when we walked into the hut, there was the tiniest of babies lying on one of the 'beds.' Penny brought cots, so the kids didn't have to sleep on the ground. There were chickens, puppies and kids running around everywhere. I really admire the work that Penny and the Rumbaughs are doing in the communities here. They don't believe in giving anything to the people here. They've seen first hand the effects of short term missionaries coming in here and giving the kids new school supplies and locals, new clothes. It creates a state of dependence for the villagers, and diminishes their work ethic (I'll explain more about this in another post).

When we returned to the casita, some MKs (Missionary Kids) came down and showed us the way to the ocean. We walked down past the children's hospital, through the oil palm tree fields, banana tree fields and a forest straight out of Alice in Wonderland to get to the beach. I hadn't anticipated swimming but I soon decided I couldn't pass up the opportunity to swim in the ocean (that little dot in the picture to the left is me). It was salty. So so so salty. And sandy. I felt like I was thirteen. I realized that there was a certain technique for riding the waves. Luckily Karin, Jenna and Mikayla helped hone my skills so I'll be better equipped next time out on the water. Tomorrow, Karin and I will be on our own at the school. I feel so much better about the material and just better prepared so I think we'll do well. We also might have lunch with Bictelia, the school director, and her family at their house tomorrow, which I really hope happens. I want to get out in the villages and get over this Spanish funk I'm in. Adios amigos.

Hola Gringa.

Today was our first day at the school with Dr. Don. Just to fill in anyone that has no idea what I'm doing here in Honduras, I'll explain a little bit. My friend, Karin's parents has friends, Penny and John who work at the hospital here in Honduras. Karin was interested in a medical internship (she's wanting to become a nurse as well) and she pitched the idea to me, and as they say, "the rest is history." Anyway, we are staying with some other missionaries here, Dr. Don and Suzanne Rumbaugh, at their intern casita (pictured, to the left). They have been so hospitable and just the sweetest hosts I could have ever asked for. The hub of the ministry here at Loma de Luz is the hospital. So many of the missionaries here are doctors and nurses. Dr. Don, the one we're staying with, has a side passion of teaching at schools in various surrounding villages. He wasn't able to offer Karin and I a medical internship so instead our work here has shifted to helping him in the schools. I'm here to help teach English to the kiddos, develop relationships and possibly live in the village later on. We'll also have the opportunity to shadow John (a midwife) in his travels into the villages, helping women through their pregnancy, etc. So there's a short synopsis of how my time here will be spent. Today was our first day at the school. The school we will be interning at this week is a bilingual school. Usually, we'll be going to multiple schools in a day, but the bilingual school is short staffed this week so Karin and I will be serving as their maestras. As soon as we arrived at the school, I could feel my heart jump inside of my chest. We were introduced to the classes (there were 4 rooms, each with about 8 kids) and I soon as we walked in the room, a little girl shouted, "Hola, gringas!!" For those of you that don't know, "gringas" means "white girls." Thus, the name of this whole blog translates to 'A White Girl in Honduras.' Ok back to the kids. I seriously had to hold back tears at the sight of adorable Honduran kids running around. They're so incredible. The bilingual school teaches about 30 kids and we got to meet the director, Bictelia, who had the vision for this school. You know when you meet someone and you just know that they'll probably be one of the sweetest people you'll ever know? That's Bictelia. Dr. Don mentioned that his idea for this internship (or whatever you want to call it) is that we'll be able to live in community with Bictelia and her family in the village. I'm so thrilled with this opportunity. I really hope Dr. Don's idea comes to fruition. I would LOVE to live in community with the locals here, help them cook tortillas and laugh with them on the porch while swinging some babies in a hammock.


After we left the school, Karin and I came back to the casita for some lunch and rest. We ended up being distracted by the howler monkeys in the back. Ever since we arrived, I've heard them outside but had yet to see them...until today. I saw SIX. I want to bring one home. These are the cutest little monkeys I've ever seen. SO much better than the Tulsa Zoo.



After the new monkey sighting excitement wore off, Karin and I trekked up the mountain to the water tower. Below is a picture of the coastline view from the water tower. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. We climbed up the water tower and just sat at the top, soaking in the Carribbean, its breeze and the coastline. Today has been overwhelming and exciting. Tomorrow, we'll return to the school without the help and guidance of Dr. Don but fortunately Penny will accompany us to make sure no kids get injured in the process of us teaching them English. I'm just ready to get used to everything and actually know what I'm doing. Until next time..."Adios, gringos!"

The Beginning.

Picture this. Honduras. 2010. Sitting on a couch in the intern casita here at Loma de Luz. Karin and I are both blogging about our journeys thus far. The Carribbean breeze is blowing gently through the windows while howler monkeys are intermittently hooting and hollering. Before I get into how incredible this place is, let me take you back about 48 hours and fill you in on my trek to get here.

Ok, so it all started on Friday morning at 4am. I totally intended on waking up at 3am to make sure I had everything for my trip and do some last minute packing. Unfortunately, I slept right through my alarm and woke up to Ciara playing on my mom's radio alarm clock. So, essentially, Ciara saved me from getting to the airport late. I had a standby flight scheduled for 5:30am. To save some time, I'll just tell you I missed not only the 5:30am flight but I was also unable to get on the 10:57 flight as well. There was another flight scheduled for 12:45p and so I patiently wait, along with 2 other people flying standby. We formed a standby club of sorts in our time at gate 30. The counter then calls all three of our names. We have boarding passes, FINALLY! So I do some celebratory high fives with my standby cronies and wait to board the plane. It was a little delayed but we board. All the while I'm walking down the aisle, I'm thinking, "This is it. It's happening." No sooner than I sat down and got out my book, the pilot announces that the Atlanta airport has been shut down due to inclimate weather and that we should all probably deboard because we'd be much more comfortable in the terminal. My standby friend, Joyce and I turn to each other and start laughing. So we get off the plane and we didn't end up boarding til 4:45pm! I am in touch with Karin this entire day and she made her flight to Dallas and had quite the lay over until she boarded for Miami then to Honduras. Well after I get to Hotlanta, I get a text saying that she missed her flight too. Karin and I both just laughed about the situation but felt so bad for the Alden's who were trying to make arrangements to pick us up at the airport. Friday was such a crazy day but I had this weird joy all day. I was so jolly all day. I seriously felt like Santa Claus.

Finally, yesterday I got on a flight to Honduras and arrived at San Pedro Sula aeropuerto, where I was to wait for a couple of hours until Karin arrived. As soon as I stepped off the plane, the heat engulfed me and I could feel my hair start to rise. My days as Macy Gray/Ben Savage were to soon start again. After getting my luggage, I left baggage claim and entered into a whole different world. I guess my American mind expected there to be more English-speakers in Honduras. My spanish was quickly put to the test. A test, my spanish and I undoubtedly failed. I ended up struggling through my first spanglish conversation with a Honduran man who later in our chat asked for my phone number. So I'm in Honduras, alone and disconnected from anything familiar (my phone was out of commission and the SAP airport didn't exactly have internet). I ended up wandering around the airport, which took all of two minutes after I saw the Wendy's. I sat against a wall on my luggage and decided to journal. While journaling, I experienced my first cliché, "smiles are universal" moment. I smiled at these two sweet Honduran girls who came and stood next to me, smiling and staring. Thus began my second spanglish convo. I found that kids are much more forgiving of my terrible speaking skills. These two girls came to the airport for their mother/aunt with their entire family, including the cutest little Honduran boy I've seen. This little boy, urged by his father, came up to me, shook my hand and then gave me the biggest hug. He was about a year and a half and after that baby embrace, I knew I was going to like it here.

This is the most beautiful place I've ever been. It doesn't hurt that I can see the ocean waves crashing against the shore not even half a mile down the hill. We are surrounded by lush green trees and tropical flowers and plants. The houses here are straight out of a National Geographic magazine. Turquoise, yellow and pink are the top three favored colors for homes here. While driving into Loma de Luz from La Ceiba, I noticed that every single porch was occupied. People were cooking, doing laundry, laying in hammocks. I even saw some naked babies running around. The children here are incredibly beautiful. And no two are the same. Some of the people here have the palest skin, others, olive skin and then there are the garifinos (?) who have the darkest skin tone. Tomorrow's plan is to go into the nearest village, Lucinda and teach at a bilingual school. While I am kind of nervous because I'm a little unsure of what exactly we're doing, I'm excited to actually get to interact with the kids here. I guarantee you it will probably be the best Monday I've had in a long time.

I'm going to go take a much needed shower and probably sleep. It's been an exhausting couple days of travel and introduction to this new place. Thanks for bearing with me through my first blog attempt. And definitely kudos, if you caught my Golden Girls reference at the very beginning. XoXo.