Saturday, December 11, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Mr. GrassJumper
So I obviously haven't had the desire to write recently, but this last week something happened that I thought was blog-worthy.
This is how my class usually looks. I'm not the one taking the pictures, so they're actually looking at me. Here, I was telling them about a mean 3rd grade teacher who played a trick on us (well, on me.)
This was the prank. This is a dead grasshopper who was probably 6 inches long, formerly named Mr. Grassjumper. He was the 3rd grade class pet, but I gave that teacher so much grief for keeping him in a tiny jar for weeks and weeks. "He's just going to die!" I told her. I was right. Well, Mr. Grassjumper ended up on my projector, and I found him on Wednesday morning staring at me as I turned on my screen.
Well, when I told my kids about him, they naturally had to see. So I let them stand on desks to check him out. You can see the huge nasty beast if you look on the projector.
I convinced one of my "bravest" boys to get him down. My kids, though, weren't convinced thta he was dead.
You should have heard the screams when it flopped down onto the desk!
After the falling of Mr. Grassjumper came 2 or 3 minutes of kids trying to run away, kids screaming, and just crazy Spanish chatter.
We bagged the little sucker, and we returned him to 3rd grade. My whole class piled into that classroom and said "UGH!" at the teacher. The poor 3rd graders were confused, though, because they thought their pet had been buried. HA!
This is how my class usually looks. I'm not the one taking the pictures, so they're actually looking at me. Here, I was telling them about a mean 3rd grade teacher who played a trick on us (well, on me.)
This was the prank. This is a dead grasshopper who was probably 6 inches long, formerly named Mr. Grassjumper. He was the 3rd grade class pet, but I gave that teacher so much grief for keeping him in a tiny jar for weeks and weeks. "He's just going to die!" I told her. I was right. Well, Mr. Grassjumper ended up on my projector, and I found him on Wednesday morning staring at me as I turned on my screen.
Well, when I told my kids about him, they naturally had to see. So I let them stand on desks to check him out. You can see the huge nasty beast if you look on the projector.
I convinced one of my "bravest" boys to get him down. My kids, though, weren't convinced thta he was dead.
You should have heard the screams when it flopped down onto the desk!
After the falling of Mr. Grassjumper came 2 or 3 minutes of kids trying to run away, kids screaming, and just crazy Spanish chatter.
We bagged the little sucker, and we returned him to 3rd grade. My whole class piled into that classroom and said "UGH!" at the teacher. The poor 3rd graders were confused, though, because they thought their pet had been buried. HA!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
this is so honduras
[two posts in a week? don't get used to it. ]
it's been yet another crazy week. it's rainy season, which means that there are days when it rains and rains. it's also much cooler, which has been fabulous.
when sunday night rolled around, it'd been raining hard all day. the river that goes through our colonia was so high that it was splashing water over one of the bridges. if you've seen the news, this has happened elsewhere in latin america with this storm. when the rain stopped, we walked down to the bridge to check it out. it was crazy how powerful the river was and how fast it was moving. rumor had it that a truck had been taken into the river and was rushing down it not far from that spot.
we went back home to our roommate telling us we were being evacuated. our house is on fairly low land (especially low compared to other houses that IST owns), and behind our house there is a very steep dropoff that ends in that same river. the river was very high, and there was a threat of landslides, which at its worst case scenario, would have thrust our beloved house into the raging river. we evacuated our house and were put up in a very nice hotel. it sure was a swanky little vacation.
school was cancelled monday becuase of 'red alert' for the tropical storm, and it was also cancelled today. strangely enough, today was sunny and warm. some people think that the reason for school being cancelled today (and why it could easily be cancelled tomorrow) has to do with our friend mel. remember mel zelaya? last june, he was forced out of the country in his pajamas when a coup took over. he came back in... october? which resulted in many scary situations and a curfew that kept us in a house other than our own for about a week. anyway. people say he's on his way back. sweet timing, mel. i'm hoping and praying that this doesn't interfere with anything more than it has already; hopefully he has no desire to return, or that he can hold off til june 19.
the problem (well, one problem) is that school was supposed to be finished on friday. as it stands right now, we have to make up these two days that we missed next monday and tuesday. but it's so hard becuase in first grade, i've finished my curriculum last week, and was just planning on fluff activities to pull me through the week. it's frustrating because the fluff is being put off for at least 2 days. i just want to be done! i need closure for this year; i need it to end. i love my kids, but it seems like we're just putting off the end at this point. summer needs to start.
my consolation is that regardless of whether we're still making up these school days, i am completely out of honduras on june 18th!
it's been yet another crazy week. it's rainy season, which means that there are days when it rains and rains. it's also much cooler, which has been fabulous.
when sunday night rolled around, it'd been raining hard all day. the river that goes through our colonia was so high that it was splashing water over one of the bridges. if you've seen the news, this has happened elsewhere in latin america with this storm. when the rain stopped, we walked down to the bridge to check it out. it was crazy how powerful the river was and how fast it was moving. rumor had it that a truck had been taken into the river and was rushing down it not far from that spot.
we went back home to our roommate telling us we were being evacuated. our house is on fairly low land (especially low compared to other houses that IST owns), and behind our house there is a very steep dropoff that ends in that same river. the river was very high, and there was a threat of landslides, which at its worst case scenario, would have thrust our beloved house into the raging river. we evacuated our house and were put up in a very nice hotel. it sure was a swanky little vacation.
school was cancelled monday becuase of 'red alert' for the tropical storm, and it was also cancelled today. strangely enough, today was sunny and warm. some people think that the reason for school being cancelled today (and why it could easily be cancelled tomorrow) has to do with our friend mel. remember mel zelaya? last june, he was forced out of the country in his pajamas when a coup took over. he came back in... october? which resulted in many scary situations and a curfew that kept us in a house other than our own for about a week. anyway. people say he's on his way back. sweet timing, mel. i'm hoping and praying that this doesn't interfere with anything more than it has already; hopefully he has no desire to return, or that he can hold off til june 19.
the problem (well, one problem) is that school was supposed to be finished on friday. as it stands right now, we have to make up these two days that we missed next monday and tuesday. but it's so hard becuase in first grade, i've finished my curriculum last week, and was just planning on fluff activities to pull me through the week. it's frustrating because the fluff is being put off for at least 2 days. i just want to be done! i need closure for this year; i need it to end. i love my kids, but it seems like we're just putting off the end at this point. summer needs to start.
my consolation is that regardless of whether we're still making up these school days, i am completely out of honduras on june 18th!
Friday, May 28, 2010
brown day [green day]
today was green day at international school. this is a very much anticipated day (in early elementary anyway) that involves a hike up a nearby mountain and, of course, a dog show.
mornings in tegucigalpa have been wet recently, and this morning was no exception. i woke up to the sound of rain, and that sound continued on through mid morning, but stopped just in time for our walk. on the bus this morning, i predicted that 12 kids would show up today. the rain coupled with the hike up a mountain outside of the school scared quite a few parents off, but i ended up with 16 of my 23. of course, every single kid with any type of behavior problem was present. ... just saying.
the hike was MUDDY. there were parts when i had to pull a kid out of a place where his foot had been caught quicksand-style. there were parts when my little girls whined and cried. i had a girl who kept saying "this is the baddest baddest baddest baddest day ever." i had some girls who were really sad that they had bought new shoes and had chosen to wear them today. (uhhhh...) basically, my kids aren`t used to nature and that became super apparent very quickly. most of them were little troopers, though. and after my suggestion that we should rename it brown day, they instantly were busy thinking of better names for it, like coffee day. (that was my fave).
ohh and then the dog show. i sat with a bunch of my little girls, and we discussed whether each dog that we saw was pretty or ugly. we had a pretty striking debate when it came to the poodle. i just don`t know how so many people can think that poodles are good looking dogs. YEAH RIGHT.
3 weeks from today i`ll be in home.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
a typical day in our lives.
today, jenny and i took a personal day to go apply for a new passport at the US embassy in tegucigalpa. this was something that we've known we should do since we got our temporary passports in costa rica, and we were excited about missing school today to do it, as it means a 5-day weekend thanks to some honduran holiday.
when we got in the embassy, we were again pleased to see that being north americans, we had no line to wait in. neat.
but that's where our luck ended. we were talked to first about not having the proper official identification (note: we DON'T HAVE ANY). that problem seemed to resolve itself and eventually we got to the part where he let us apply for the passport. things were looking good, and he even let us sit down to wait for our interviews. but then just as he was letting us sit down, he pulled out a hole puncher and a stamp and mutilated our temporary passports. (note: as i mentioned before, we have NO OTHER identification)
we were slightly concerned about the state of our identification, but then we forgot about it for awhile as we were interviewed and told we could leave. but then we realized, without a honduran residency card, a united states passport, a united states driver's license, a birth certificate, or any identification at all, we're very much out of luck. the atm cards that are on our way? we can't get them because we need ID to be able to pick them up. residency cards? forget it--i'm doubting whether they will ever show up. we spent a good 2 hours in the bank trying to figure out how we could even access any of our money from our accounts. the answer? we can't.
it's so frustrating, because there seems to be no reason for killing our passports this morning. we paid good money for those, and they're still valid for about 8 months. people get new passports while having non-mutilated passports in their possession all the time. agh. i don't think the US embassy knows how much trouble they've caused.
here's a (censored) picture of my poor little fake passport.
(i can't figure out how to rotate it and i've just given up. turn your head.)
when we got in the embassy, we were again pleased to see that being north americans, we had no line to wait in. neat.
but that's where our luck ended. we were talked to first about not having the proper official identification (note: we DON'T HAVE ANY). that problem seemed to resolve itself and eventually we got to the part where he let us apply for the passport. things were looking good, and he even let us sit down to wait for our interviews. but then just as he was letting us sit down, he pulled out a hole puncher and a stamp and mutilated our temporary passports. (note: as i mentioned before, we have NO OTHER identification)
we were slightly concerned about the state of our identification, but then we forgot about it for awhile as we were interviewed and told we could leave. but then we realized, without a honduran residency card, a united states passport, a united states driver's license, a birth certificate, or any identification at all, we're very much out of luck. the atm cards that are on our way? we can't get them because we need ID to be able to pick them up. residency cards? forget it--i'm doubting whether they will ever show up. we spent a good 2 hours in the bank trying to figure out how we could even access any of our money from our accounts. the answer? we can't.
it's so frustrating, because there seems to be no reason for killing our passports this morning. we paid good money for those, and they're still valid for about 8 months. people get new passports while having non-mutilated passports in their possession all the time. agh. i don't think the US embassy knows how much trouble they've caused.
here's a (censored) picture of my poor little fake passport.
(i can't figure out how to rotate it and i've just given up. turn your head.)
Saturday, April 3, 2010
semana santa: FAIL(?)
this week has been the long anticipated semana santa, or holy week. schools have off, and so my housemates and i planned a trip to costa rica, thanks to wicked cheap airline tickets. sounds great, right?
we flew to san jose monday night and then rented a car tuesday morning to drive to the nicoya peninsula, which is about 4 hours away on the pacific coast. it was pretty enough--tropical with a beautiful beach. we packed our car up wednesday morning and headed to the beach. while we were parked there enjoying the waves and heat, someone got into our car and stole absolutely everything. well, not quite everything. but they got all of our clothes, except for kendra´s suitcase, all of our cards and money, except for bethany´s, and two passports. since it`s semana santa, all of the businesses and offices are closed until monday, which means that jenny and i can`t fly out today as planned, because we no longer have passports.
that day was just unbelievable. we had everything stolen, which we found out about by about 1:00. then we tried to get money wired to one of the girls who still has a passport, and then we hit the road. it took us about 12 hours to get all the way back to san jose, since we couldn`t get on the ferry we had been aiming for. then, while waiting in the line of cars for 2 hours to get on the ferry, a bird actually pooped on my leg. it was a thing. it happened. and it really worked to be a metaphor for the day.
basically, we havent had an amazing time in costa rica. we`re fairly jealous of our two roommates who get to go home this afternoon, while we`ll still be here for another several days at least. it doesn`t seem like a bad thing, and we`re going to do our best to make the most of it while also pinching colones and doing our best to not run out of money. we are considering a coffee tour which involves acting out the coffee making process. cheestastic? yeah, but it might just turn this thaaaang around.
one thing`s for sure. we havne`t been able to have taco bell yet because of semana santa businesses closing, but rest assured: we WILL have taco bell before we go back to tegucigalpa. probably many times.
we flew to san jose monday night and then rented a car tuesday morning to drive to the nicoya peninsula, which is about 4 hours away on the pacific coast. it was pretty enough--tropical with a beautiful beach. we packed our car up wednesday morning and headed to the beach. while we were parked there enjoying the waves and heat, someone got into our car and stole absolutely everything. well, not quite everything. but they got all of our clothes, except for kendra´s suitcase, all of our cards and money, except for bethany´s, and two passports. since it`s semana santa, all of the businesses and offices are closed until monday, which means that jenny and i can`t fly out today as planned, because we no longer have passports.
that day was just unbelievable. we had everything stolen, which we found out about by about 1:00. then we tried to get money wired to one of the girls who still has a passport, and then we hit the road. it took us about 12 hours to get all the way back to san jose, since we couldn`t get on the ferry we had been aiming for. then, while waiting in the line of cars for 2 hours to get on the ferry, a bird actually pooped on my leg. it was a thing. it happened. and it really worked to be a metaphor for the day.
basically, we havent had an amazing time in costa rica. we`re fairly jealous of our two roommates who get to go home this afternoon, while we`ll still be here for another several days at least. it doesn`t seem like a bad thing, and we`re going to do our best to make the most of it while also pinching colones and doing our best to not run out of money. we are considering a coffee tour which involves acting out the coffee making process. cheestastic? yeah, but it might just turn this thaaaang around.
one thing`s for sure. we havne`t been able to have taco bell yet because of semana santa businesses closing, but rest assured: we WILL have taco bell before we go back to tegucigalpa. probably many times.
Monday, March 15, 2010
you're welcome, 1st grade.
today while i was teaching kids about maps (think painful amounts of repetition and acting out bird's eye view), i noticed an especially blotchy kid sitting and looking hot (it was, after all, about 97 today, sources tell me). i ask the kid if he itches, and he says no. i ask if a bug bit him, and he looks at me all confused. then one of my good english kids threw out the spanish word for chicken pox. my itchy blotchy kid said, 'yeah.' and i just got confused. excuse me?! send your kid to school with the chicken pox? when you know he has them?! the other kids promptly moved away from him with scornful, "ayyy, eduardo!"s. then i asked the kids to raise their hands if they've never had chicken pox. most raised their hands. thinking it was a language misunderstanding (after all, most 1st graders have?) i changed it, "raise your hands if you have had them" and the other kids raised their hands. awesome. thanks, eduardo, for single handedly taking out half my class in the (very) near future.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
dead fish wednesdays
so i love wednesdays anyway, but today i stumbled upon something that makes them so much greater. today, my first graders played Dead Fish for the first (of MANY) time(s).
the 23 6- and 7-year-olds walked around the room, showing off their swishy/bubbly noises and rocking invisible fins. when i said "dead fish!" those 23 children dropped to the floor and were completely motionless and silent. it was unbelievable. and some of the positions these kids chose to drop in were hilarious! i had one little girl with her hands framing her open-eyed face. VERY risky move, those open eyes. but she lasted quite a long time. i had little boys piled on top of each other using their friends' arms as pillows. strangely enough, my most hyperactive and noisy kids were the best at the game. we will definitely be playing again. probably as soon as they come back from library.
the 23 6- and 7-year-olds walked around the room, showing off their swishy/bubbly noises and rocking invisible fins. when i said "dead fish!" those 23 children dropped to the floor and were completely motionless and silent. it was unbelievable. and some of the positions these kids chose to drop in were hilarious! i had one little girl with her hands framing her open-eyed face. VERY risky move, those open eyes. but she lasted quite a long time. i had little boys piled on top of each other using their friends' arms as pillows. strangely enough, my most hyperactive and noisy kids were the best at the game. we will definitely be playing again. probably as soon as they come back from library.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
gringas.
as white american females, it's fair to say that we get a bit of attention on the streets. walking anywhere will warrant kissing noises, vulgar comments, or just general "flattering" words. tonight we were walking back from the store and there was a 10ish year old boy with an adult. they were playing with a ball and they stopped to watch us pass. the older guy said to the younger kid as they stared at us shamelessly, "do you want to get a gringa? you have to study."
and that's why hondurans are staying in school.
and that's why hondurans are staying in school.
Monday, January 11, 2010
blizzard in tegucigalpa?
today at school, kids and teachers alike came to school bundled up for a cold that one would've thought comparable to blizzards in the states. kids were bundled up with long sleeves under their uniforms, leggings, sweatshirts and coats, scarves, mittens, and ski caps.
why the fuss over the weather? because it's 65 degrees! crazy hondurans.
i'm not one to talk; i'm freezing. :)
why the fuss over the weather? because it's 65 degrees! crazy hondurans.
i'm not one to talk; i'm freezing. :)
Thursday, January 7, 2010
back at it
today was pretty great. it was fun to be back with my kids. 7 were missing, likely because it's only a 2-day school week and parents are likely figuring on starting them up again on monday. we spent time talking about our christmas breaks. we talked a bit about the snow, and the kids were amazed with my (mostly made up) tales of the things i did in the snow. one of my little studs said in an extremely serious spanish voice, "it's always been one of my dreams to see the snow." his face was precious, and i really just wanted to take him to michigan for a bit. i showed them a drawing of a snowman becuase i was modeling what i wanted them to do. even though i made it very clear that i wanted to see what they did, i still wound up with about 15 snowmen drawn on papers. little liars. oh, and one little girl wrote that she went to el salvador, but she was very efficient in her translating and wrote that she went to "the salvador."
it's good to be back.
it's good to be back.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
suddenly it's almost december
The past month has absolutely flown. I'm teaching kids about American Thanksgiving, practicing songs for our Christmas program, and quickly becoming consumed in countless little things that have to be finished before Christmas.
Next week is a 3 day week thanks to Thanksgiving, and school has given us the following Monday off, as well. Things will likely get a bit sketchy as Honduras' elections are next Sunday. It's hard to tell what to expect for elections, and no one knows how bad things will get. Based on what we've already seen when Mel returned, it seems clear that this won't be a peaceful process. The Embassy and our school has said that anyone staying in Tegucigalpa should have an overnight bag ready in case of the need for evacuation. I probably shouldn't be writing this... sorry mom. :)
My roommates and I have decided to probably go to Guatemala for the break. We have 5 days, and we're goign to go to Antigua, and maybe explore a bit more around that area. It involves a huuuge bus ride, so that's a bummer. But from what we hear, it's worth it. We're slightly concerned about getting back into the country, as Sunday is election day and there could be border closings or difficulties getting back in or around Honduras. But our first day back in school after break is December 1. Awesome. :)
Next week is a 3 day week thanks to Thanksgiving, and school has given us the following Monday off, as well. Things will likely get a bit sketchy as Honduras' elections are next Sunday. It's hard to tell what to expect for elections, and no one knows how bad things will get. Based on what we've already seen when Mel returned, it seems clear that this won't be a peaceful process. The Embassy and our school has said that anyone staying in Tegucigalpa should have an overnight bag ready in case of the need for evacuation. I probably shouldn't be writing this... sorry mom. :)
My roommates and I have decided to probably go to Guatemala for the break. We have 5 days, and we're goign to go to Antigua, and maybe explore a bit more around that area. It involves a huuuge bus ride, so that's a bummer. But from what we hear, it's worth it. We're slightly concerned about getting back into the country, as Sunday is election day and there could be border closings or difficulties getting back in or around Honduras. But our first day back in school after break is December 1. Awesome. :)
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
a win and a fail.
win:
today i rented an overhead projector for the first time from the library. these can be rented for the entire year... it was mere laziness that kept me from getting one sooner. my kids' jaws dropped when i started explaining it and using it. i definitely held their attention all of math, although i'm not sure if it was me or if it was the pretty shining light. when i finished explaining whatever i was talking about with addition, i asked for questions, and i got "but mees, how does it work?" so i might have to reteach tomorrow. :) it was worth it for their faces.
fail:
this week my kids starting writing in their own agendas. this is something that up until now, my assistant has done for them. i decided they're ready to do that themselves. we have them write in their agendas in spanish, because most of the parents don't read english, and the kids... can't read. so i was in a hurry, writing their assignments in spanish on the board. i abbreviated things that i thought could be abbreviated. for example, in science, rather than writing "hoja de ciencias" for "science paper," i wrote "hoja." i was pretty sure this was fine; i'd heard it happen that way before. today i was super confused when i had quite a few kids bring in leaves from trees.
well, "hoja" also means leaf. i guess i'll have to be more clear. :)
today i rented an overhead projector for the first time from the library. these can be rented for the entire year... it was mere laziness that kept me from getting one sooner. my kids' jaws dropped when i started explaining it and using it. i definitely held their attention all of math, although i'm not sure if it was me or if it was the pretty shining light. when i finished explaining whatever i was talking about with addition, i asked for questions, and i got "but mees, how does it work?" so i might have to reteach tomorrow. :) it was worth it for their faces.
fail:
this week my kids starting writing in their own agendas. this is something that up until now, my assistant has done for them. i decided they're ready to do that themselves. we have them write in their agendas in spanish, because most of the parents don't read english, and the kids... can't read. so i was in a hurry, writing their assignments in spanish on the board. i abbreviated things that i thought could be abbreviated. for example, in science, rather than writing "hoja de ciencias" for "science paper," i wrote "hoja." i was pretty sure this was fine; i'd heard it happen that way before. today i was super confused when i had quite a few kids bring in leaves from trees.
well, "hoja" also means leaf. i guess i'll have to be more clear. :)
Saturday, October 17, 2009
can't wait til monday?
today has been one of the most comically terrible saturdays of my life. i am sharing not to complain, but rather to try to show how ridiculous it actually was.
first, today was saturday school. enough said. but things compounded to make it actually worse than a normal school day. or maybe it was just that every time i thought about how the rest of the school-attending world was in bed, i teared up a little.
after school, two friends and i went to the mall to watch a movie and eat sushi. as it was finally the start of the weekend, we were thrilled to go out and make the most of our few hours of saturday. we took a taxi to the farthest-away mall, which is also the nicest. on the way, our taxi got into a crash. the driver was going way too fast and slammed into a car that had already crashed with the car in front of him. he was going very fast on impact... we're thinking at least 40 mph. the car that we crashed into had already crashed with the car in front of him. our taxi's air bags went off, the windshield shattered, and our taxi's hood ended up completely under the back of the pickup truck in front of us. we ended up fine for the most part, and we were so blessed that no one hit us from behind as well.
the hardest part for me to think about now is how the taxi driver lost his job with that crash. i mean, there's a chance that he has mechanic friends who can help him out, but generally taxi drivers barely enough to gas their cars. we can get a ride completely across town for US$4. almost all of that $4 would go to gas. but now with his car smoking on the side of the road and the hood crushed under the back of a pickup, things aren't looking up for him.
fortunately, the elementary school assistant principal came by in her car and took us away from the crash. this was amazing because none of us had our phones, and so we weren't able to call anyone. she just happened to be passing by the place where we crashed. she made some calls and decided to bring us to the mall. she was so excited to help, because she was going to the mall anyway. :)
today ended up being fine, all in all. we ended up seeing a movie that i wouldn't rate higher than a 2/10. but it was great to sit in air conditioning and eat popcorn. tomorrow holds all of my hopes for an entire weekend's worth of work and fun. then the next day starts yet another week.
first, today was saturday school. enough said. but things compounded to make it actually worse than a normal school day. or maybe it was just that every time i thought about how the rest of the school-attending world was in bed, i teared up a little.
after school, two friends and i went to the mall to watch a movie and eat sushi. as it was finally the start of the weekend, we were thrilled to go out and make the most of our few hours of saturday. we took a taxi to the farthest-away mall, which is also the nicest. on the way, our taxi got into a crash. the driver was going way too fast and slammed into a car that had already crashed with the car in front of him. he was going very fast on impact... we're thinking at least 40 mph. the car that we crashed into had already crashed with the car in front of him. our taxi's air bags went off, the windshield shattered, and our taxi's hood ended up completely under the back of the pickup truck in front of us. we ended up fine for the most part, and we were so blessed that no one hit us from behind as well.
the hardest part for me to think about now is how the taxi driver lost his job with that crash. i mean, there's a chance that he has mechanic friends who can help him out, but generally taxi drivers barely enough to gas their cars. we can get a ride completely across town for US$4. almost all of that $4 would go to gas. but now with his car smoking on the side of the road and the hood crushed under the back of a pickup, things aren't looking up for him.
fortunately, the elementary school assistant principal came by in her car and took us away from the crash. this was amazing because none of us had our phones, and so we weren't able to call anyone. she just happened to be passing by the place where we crashed. she made some calls and decided to bring us to the mall. she was so excited to help, because she was going to the mall anyway. :)
today ended up being fine, all in all. we ended up seeing a movie that i wouldn't rate higher than a 2/10. but it was great to sit in air conditioning and eat popcorn. tomorrow holds all of my hopes for an entire weekend's worth of work and fun. then the next day starts yet another week.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
currently canadian
tonight i went out with a couple of friends, and we ended up at tgi friday's while several important soccer games were being broadcast on tv, including those of 6 different latin american countries. there were people up in the bar area getting very enthusiastic about an ecuador- uruguay game, to the point of singing, yelling, and cursing out people on the other side of the bar who were voting for the other team.
currently, honduras is playing the USA in san pedro sula in northern honduras. about 12 people from our group went to go watch, but i decided to stay back, along with several other people. we had even received an email from the US embassy in tegucigalpa telling americans that they were not permitted to go to san pedro for this game. that's not why i didn't go; i had decided to pass based on my general lack of interest in all things soccer.
when we were at the mall around game time, almost everyone we interacted with wanted to know if we were americans, because this game is such a big deal for honduras. we told everyone who asked that we were from canada. it was so interesting to see the responses of these people as we told them, too. it went from an anxious, curious, competitive stare to complete indifference. we didn't really tell people we were canadians because we felt unsafe, but it's strange to try to put into words the discomfort and unknown that comes from being against almost every single person in the country. seeing the passion that hondurans have for soccer is something that i can't even begin to in relationship to something like a sporting event.
i don't really know what's going on with scores or anything of the sort, but it definitely seems that this game means more to honduras than it does to the US. of course it does; the general population of the US hasn't the faintest idea that we're even playing tonight, whereas almost every honduran is wearing a soccer jersey. the mall was a sea of white and blue and face paint. i've never seen anything like it bring a country together. it seems that for hondruas, this game is much more of a way to unite the country again after its whole political crisis. hondurans are genuinely thrilled to be having this game in hondruas. a few weeks ago, it was highly doubtful that the US would even send its team to play. it seemed sure that the game would be moved to the US. but it wasn't, and as a result, i think that it means a lot to honduras. they need this win much more than we do.
currently, honduras is playing the USA in san pedro sula in northern honduras. about 12 people from our group went to go watch, but i decided to stay back, along with several other people. we had even received an email from the US embassy in tegucigalpa telling americans that they were not permitted to go to san pedro for this game. that's not why i didn't go; i had decided to pass based on my general lack of interest in all things soccer.
when we were at the mall around game time, almost everyone we interacted with wanted to know if we were americans, because this game is such a big deal for honduras. we told everyone who asked that we were from canada. it was so interesting to see the responses of these people as we told them, too. it went from an anxious, curious, competitive stare to complete indifference. we didn't really tell people we were canadians because we felt unsafe, but it's strange to try to put into words the discomfort and unknown that comes from being against almost every single person in the country. seeing the passion that hondurans have for soccer is something that i can't even begin to in relationship to something like a sporting event.
i don't really know what's going on with scores or anything of the sort, but it definitely seems that this game means more to honduras than it does to the US. of course it does; the general population of the US hasn't the faintest idea that we're even playing tonight, whereas almost every honduran is wearing a soccer jersey. the mall was a sea of white and blue and face paint. i've never seen anything like it bring a country together. it seems that for hondruas, this game is much more of a way to unite the country again after its whole political crisis. hondurans are genuinely thrilled to be having this game in hondruas. a few weeks ago, it was highly doubtful that the US would even send its team to play. it seemed sure that the game would be moved to the US. but it wasn't, and as a result, i think that it means a lot to honduras. they need this win much more than we do.
Monday, September 28, 2009
pain
Saturday afternoon at a church downtown that has many, many International School connections, the praise team was practicing for Sunday morning worship. One of the team members ran out to move his car because looters were going through the street ahead of a protest that was marching. A few men in motorcycles drove ahead of the march, and, seeing this man moving his car, pulled out a gun. He ran for cover in the church door, but was hit by a bullet as his family looked on. His family included his 6-year-old daughter who is my class. She saw the whole thing. She saw her dad bleed to death on the church steps.
The death was random; the shooters declared that he was a Micheletti supporter (there was no way they could have known). Later, the same shooters came back to take pictures of him and try to pass it off as the police killing a Mel supporter. This has unfortunately spread through the media as well, thus making this man's already tragic death an even bigger tragedy. Now he has been turned into a martyr for a cause he did not support.
But tomorrow I return to a class of bright-eyed 6-year-olds with the job of explaining that Marcela's dad is with Jesus and won't be coming back. But I don't want them to know about the world they're living in right now.
The death was random; the shooters declared that he was a Micheletti supporter (there was no way they could have known). Later, the same shooters came back to take pictures of him and try to pass it off as the police killing a Mel supporter. This has unfortunately spread through the media as well, thus making this man's already tragic death an even bigger tragedy. Now he has been turned into a martyr for a cause he did not support.
But tomorrow I return to a class of bright-eyed 6-year-olds with the job of explaining that Marcela's dad is with Jesus and won't be coming back. But I don't want them to know about the world they're living in right now.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
impact of the coup
I've been really thinking lately how the poverty here in Honduras must color this coup and this routine of curfew and rioting for so many people. A very large percentage of Honduras is poor; this is something that I've known for a very long time. Yet, what does it mean to be curfewed if you're homeless? How do you make your living if you're a taxi driver, barely making enough money, who has to completely stop working for several days and then risk danger driving? We have vendors who walk or ride motorcycles through our neighborhoods selling tortillas and fruit, and they had completely stopped until about yesterday. Not hearing them shout the names of the items they sell made a strange silence for the past few days. They say that for each day that Honduras is under a daytime curfew, (there were two last week), the economy loses US$50 million. That is an extreme hit to such a poor country, especially now that the US has pulled out almost all of its monetary aid. I read somewhere that Micheletti (the interim president) thinks that this country could survive 6 months on the food that it has, but that just isn't realistic at all; one day during the curfew, the stores were completely emptied out by Honduran shoppers. Each time there is a curfew, all of the borders close, not allowing any importation of food.
We have vigilantes who stand guard in our (and in most middle class) neighborhoods. They, like so many people in Honduras, are underpaid. But recently, I have realized just how dangerous their job is. The top story yesterday in one of the Honduran news websites was that people have been donating food to guards, especially those in the military. I can't imagine that they have been able to get home much over the past few days. But even if they had, I love that the people are showing their gratitude in that way.
The rich are suffering, now, as well, but in very different ways. International School has many families who are very well off, and with money comes danger. Many children get threats on their lives from people wanting their parents' money. There are threats of kidnappings; there were several actual kidnappings at the end of last year, one of which ended in the child's death. Talking with my teacher friends, there are a significant number of students preparing to leave the country, some of them due to threats of kidnapping and violence. I cannot imagine this life, either.
It's hard for everyone in Honduras right now, and I'm realizing how extremely good I have it.
Watch this video.
Please continue to pray for Honduras.
We have vigilantes who stand guard in our (and in most middle class) neighborhoods. They, like so many people in Honduras, are underpaid. But recently, I have realized just how dangerous their job is. The top story yesterday in one of the Honduran news websites was that people have been donating food to guards, especially those in the military. I can't imagine that they have been able to get home much over the past few days. But even if they had, I love that the people are showing their gratitude in that way.
The rich are suffering, now, as well, but in very different ways. International School has many families who are very well off, and with money comes danger. Many children get threats on their lives from people wanting their parents' money. There are threats of kidnappings; there were several actual kidnappings at the end of last year, one of which ended in the child's death. Talking with my teacher friends, there are a significant number of students preparing to leave the country, some of them due to threats of kidnapping and violence. I cannot imagine this life, either.
It's hard for everyone in Honduras right now, and I'm realizing how extremely good I have it.
Watch this video.
Please continue to pray for Honduras.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
worse than black friday.
as of this moment, we've been under curfew here in tegucigalpa for roughly 52 hours. most of this time has been passed at the house of some other north american teachers, which proved to be a lesson in humility, because we didn't have so much that we needed. we had some very gracious hosts, though, and now we're finally back in our house!! ever since monday at about 4, we haven't been allowed to leave, by orders of the police.
until today!
this morning we got an email saying that the curfew that was supposed to go through the day today would be lifted from 10-5 so that people could go shopping and get food. our school sent a bus to pick us all up, and we headed to the grocery store to stock up on essentials. i went more for the outing than for actual things, as i have plenty.
it was absolute panic-mode in the city. many of us commented that it felt like the y2k scare. everyone was out on the road; a trip that would have taken about 10 minutes any other day took over an hour. cars were backed up for miles waiting to get into gas stations. when we got to the store, people were stocking up on food like you wouldn't believe. people pushed 2 carts completely overflowing through the aisles. and there were so many people! i don't know that i had ever seen so many people in one store before. the checkout line wrapped entirely around the store, and was moving nowhere. in roughly 1 hour, we had moved 4 feet forward thanks to some type of sketchy merging going on further up. after about 3 hours of waiting in line, myself and three others decided to just give up and go out for lunch across the street. it ended up being a very good move.
throughout tegucigalpa, there was news of looting in supermarkets, of robberies in electronic stores overnight, and more. the news showed grocery stores that had been completely gutted and people fighting over food on the shelves. yet i'm not sure why the panic is so intense. even though the crisis isn't resolved, today showed just how unstable this situation is.
well, we are back in our house, which feels great. about 6:30 tonight we got the word that school tomorrow would be canceled again, but then at 8:30 we got a follow up email saying that administration had changed its mind. awesome. so we're back on. but those two hours had been enough for me to get completely out of any school-type zone i would have been in. tomorrow will only be a half day for students (full for teachers), but hopefully it's enough to again start to get into the groove.
until today!
this morning we got an email saying that the curfew that was supposed to go through the day today would be lifted from 10-5 so that people could go shopping and get food. our school sent a bus to pick us all up, and we headed to the grocery store to stock up on essentials. i went more for the outing than for actual things, as i have plenty.
it was absolute panic-mode in the city. many of us commented that it felt like the y2k scare. everyone was out on the road; a trip that would have taken about 10 minutes any other day took over an hour. cars were backed up for miles waiting to get into gas stations. when we got to the store, people were stocking up on food like you wouldn't believe. people pushed 2 carts completely overflowing through the aisles. and there were so many people! i don't know that i had ever seen so many people in one store before. the checkout line wrapped entirely around the store, and was moving nowhere. in roughly 1 hour, we had moved 4 feet forward thanks to some type of sketchy merging going on further up. after about 3 hours of waiting in line, myself and three others decided to just give up and go out for lunch across the street. it ended up being a very good move.
throughout tegucigalpa, there was news of looting in supermarkets, of robberies in electronic stores overnight, and more. the news showed grocery stores that had been completely gutted and people fighting over food on the shelves. yet i'm not sure why the panic is so intense. even though the crisis isn't resolved, today showed just how unstable this situation is.
well, we are back in our house, which feels great. about 6:30 tonight we got the word that school tomorrow would be canceled again, but then at 8:30 we got a follow up email saying that administration had changed its mind. awesome. so we're back on. but those two hours had been enough for me to get completely out of any school-type zone i would have been in. tomorrow will only be a half day for students (full for teachers), but hopefully it's enough to again start to get into the groove.
Monday, September 21, 2009
mel's back
Today was the first day back to school since the swine flu vacation of 2009. And what do you know?! School tomorrow is cancelled, as well. Great. If given the choice, I'd love to spread my days off out rather than have sooo many in a row. These little first graders need to do some learning.
Today was a significant day for Honduras. During school, we got word that Mel Zelaya had re-entered the country by sneaking into Tegucigalpa. We weren't sure if this was true; there were rumors that it was a rumor. There were some parents that came to pick up their kids from school reportedly due to concerns over busses having trouble passing through later in the day.
When we got home from school, we heard that Mel was indeed back. The Brazilian embassy let Mel in, and he's been there ever since. His whereabouts for the past few months have been very questionable, and no one has ever really seemed to know where he has been. Graffiti around the city shows support for or against Mel, and getting into any political discussion can be risky, as passionate supporters of both sides are everywhere. Within International School, we have been instructed to never talk politics, as many of our students are children of politicos, and their lives are very much influenced by who is--or isn't--in power.
Anyway, when we got home, we headed to the store in order to avoid being out around dark. After a bit of excitement on the way, we ended up back at a friend's house for the evening, where we are right now. We relocated due in part to a curfew that is in place until 6pm tomorrow. We are not allowed to leave, as if in a lockdown. The streets aren't safe due to Mel being downtown, as the police are all down there rather than throughout the city where they should be. Cars could be ticketed just for driving, and being out on the streets is dangerous. We don't have school tomorrow, and from what I've heard, school in the near future is not completely certain anyway, especially until something happens with Zelaya.
I have found that it is so hard to get an unbiased view of what is going on, as it is with any government. I realize as the elections get nearer, there could be more conflict within a couple of months until the new president is sworn in. Hopefully things do not stay this tense; I would love life to get a bit more normal. :)
Today was a significant day for Honduras. During school, we got word that Mel Zelaya had re-entered the country by sneaking into Tegucigalpa. We weren't sure if this was true; there were rumors that it was a rumor. There were some parents that came to pick up their kids from school reportedly due to concerns over busses having trouble passing through later in the day.
When we got home from school, we heard that Mel was indeed back. The Brazilian embassy let Mel in, and he's been there ever since. His whereabouts for the past few months have been very questionable, and no one has ever really seemed to know where he has been. Graffiti around the city shows support for or against Mel, and getting into any political discussion can be risky, as passionate supporters of both sides are everywhere. Within International School, we have been instructed to never talk politics, as many of our students are children of politicos, and their lives are very much influenced by who is--or isn't--in power.
Anyway, when we got home, we headed to the store in order to avoid being out around dark. After a bit of excitement on the way, we ended up back at a friend's house for the evening, where we are right now. We relocated due in part to a curfew that is in place until 6pm tomorrow. We are not allowed to leave, as if in a lockdown. The streets aren't safe due to Mel being downtown, as the police are all down there rather than throughout the city where they should be. Cars could be ticketed just for driving, and being out on the streets is dangerous. We don't have school tomorrow, and from what I've heard, school in the near future is not completely certain anyway, especially until something happens with Zelaya.
I have found that it is so hard to get an unbiased view of what is going on, as it is with any government. I realize as the elections get nearer, there could be more conflict within a couple of months until the new president is sworn in. Hopefully things do not stay this tense; I would love life to get a bit more normal. :)
Thursday, September 17, 2009
roatan
yesterday we got back from roatan. it was a great trip, and a fabulous way to relax for a few days. the island was gorgeous, and had a definite caribbean island feel, even though it's officially a part of honduras. the official language was english, which made it seem very much like jamaica.
good story. to get to roatan, you must either take a ferry or a plane. we took the ferry. on the way to roatan, we were given dramamine with our tickets. this seemed a bit strange, but nice. it was nice that they were helping us out like htat. turned out to be the worst 2 hours on a boat that i've ever spent. kendra and i sat on the top deck, figuring that it'd be best to get fresh air. it probably was. but it was almost impossible to walk around becuase the boat was moving so much. there were a few times when waves crashed onto the deck (we were on the 2nd level... that's a lot of water). and as we were on the ride, there were crew members handing out barf bags. let's just say many people needed them. it was a ridiculous ride. but worth it! and after such a terrible ride, i was expecting something similar yesterday morning at 7. but it was muuuuuch better, and i wished i hadn't even taken the dramamine.
roatan was very very hot and extremely humid. being back in tegucigalpa, i'm already very relieved at the much cooler weather, even though it's roughly 80 here. we snorkeled, relaxed on the beach, and just had a good time being on vacation. now that i'm back in tegucigalpa, it's time to get some work done for school, which starts back up on monday. until then, i'll just keep enjoying my very long weekend.
i have some pictures published here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2082326&id=15300570&l=924ac1f79e
good story. to get to roatan, you must either take a ferry or a plane. we took the ferry. on the way to roatan, we were given dramamine with our tickets. this seemed a bit strange, but nice. it was nice that they were helping us out like htat. turned out to be the worst 2 hours on a boat that i've ever spent. kendra and i sat on the top deck, figuring that it'd be best to get fresh air. it probably was. but it was almost impossible to walk around becuase the boat was moving so much. there were a few times when waves crashed onto the deck (we were on the 2nd level... that's a lot of water). and as we were on the ride, there were crew members handing out barf bags. let's just say many people needed them. it was a ridiculous ride. but worth it! and after such a terrible ride, i was expecting something similar yesterday morning at 7. but it was muuuuuch better, and i wished i hadn't even taken the dramamine.
roatan was very very hot and extremely humid. being back in tegucigalpa, i'm already very relieved at the much cooler weather, even though it's roughly 80 here. we snorkeled, relaxed on the beach, and just had a good time being on vacation. now that i'm back in tegucigalpa, it's time to get some work done for school, which starts back up on monday. until then, i'll just keep enjoying my very long weekend.
i have some pictures published here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2082326&id=15300570&l=924ac1f79e
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