Muchas Personnas, Muchos Lugares, y Muchas Cosas

It's been pretty eventful here ever since the group arrived on Thursday. If I'm not in la casa working or sleeping, then I've been with the group, taking advantage of being able to see my mom and also to get to go to some different towns nearby and meet some new people.
Saturday Jess and I went with the group to a church in a very small town nearby where they set up a clinic for the nurses on the team. It was pretty crazy and stressful for everyone, I think, but also very rewarding. There was a line of people waiting the whole time to complain of headaches, stomachaches, smelly ears, you name it. Anything to be given some medicina (i.e. tylenol or eye drops). It was kind of sad though, because all the people that came probably never get to see a doctor, and were just happy to get some attention. And there were at least a few people that probably needed some serious help, far beyond our capabilities, and therefore help that they most likely will not get. It was also pretty sad that where I was most needed was as a translator. Jess was the pick of choice, of course, and there were two other girls on the team that do pretty well with Spanish, but after them I was basically the go-to girl. It was really good practice for me, though.
Yesterday I went with the group to another small town nearby, near a river and over a somewhat crickety bridge. We just spent some time there entertaining the kids, and giving away things, and then we went to the house of a family with 3 deaf kids (which is why I wanted to go). When we got there I realized two of the three I knew already from Nazareth, Joel and Denis. But it was nice to get to see where they lived and practice my signing a little with them.
Today was a weird day at Nazareth, as so far they all have been, but I did get to start my clase de artistica. I made up a simple and fairly unimaginative dance to Stevie Wonder's Sir Duke, one which I thought would be simple enough for the really little kids and difficult enough for the older ones. I definitely overestimated the level of rhythmic capability of most of the children. There was really only one class of the four that I had today that were getting it, and that was the deaf kids! I'm going to have to do some modifying I think for the mas pequenos ninos. It will be easier to plan the more I get to know each child and their individual capabilities.
I guess that's all for now; expect a bunch of new pictures from this weekend soon!

Mi Madre Va a Venir!

I now somewhat officially know what my schedule will be like at Nazareth. And even though I really have no reason to be because my task at hand is certainly not an easy one, I find myself feeling quite relieved and much less stressed. Just knowing that there is a plan and sort of having an idea of what to expect each day makes a world of a difference. Up until this point I have been just showing up and wondering what I should be doing and in general feeling really awkward and out of place, which I suppose, does make some sense. So this is a good thing. However it brings me to my next challenge: if anyone has any ideas for teaching music, dance, and theater to special needs Spanish-speaking kids of all ages and abilities with basically no materials or anything to work off of, I'm open for suggestions! One thing I know for sure is that these kids are incredible and I am thrilled that I am going to get to know and work with every one of them.

Today was a very tiring day. For the first time I stayed for part of the afternoon session which is only the deaf classes, since I will be working with them as well. So basically I struggled (and I do mean struggled!) the whole day to communicate in two different languages, neither of which is mine. Even though I went home feeling exhausted, I also felt accomplished. I do believe that I'm learning more each day and more and more people are trying to communicate with me, which helps a lot. Last week I went and sat in the park for a little while and a man came and sat next to me and I somewhat carried on a conversation with him for a solid 10 minutes. He even told me that my Spanish was good! Needless to say it was an exciting event for me.

In other exciting news, I'm learning how to cook Honduran-style! Jess showed me how to make pupusas the other night (weird cheese called quesilla inside greasy delicious handmade corn tortillas) and they came out so good. And tonight we made baleadas which are flour torts with beans, queso, and mantequilla. Also very good.

The MOST exciting news is that my mom is coming tomorrow! :) She will be here for the next two weeks with a big group from church. She's going to love it I'm sure, and I'm so excited to show her around and get to hang out with her a little.

La Mejor Maestra? Creo que no.

This past Thursday as everyone knows, was Valentine's Day. For me it was a day of very mixed feelings, but definitely one that I will remember. It started off great, with hugs and compliments from adorable smiling kids on the bus (the teachers all ride the bus with the kids!). Several kids came throughout the day to bring me candy or handmade valentines. One from a fourth grader named Alba said, "Hy Miss Carls you are beatiful woman because you are teacher good." Another favorite was from a boy in the class I was subing for. "para Miss Car, de Victor. la quiero mucho Feliz dia de san valentin. te quiero mucho usted es la mejor maestra." This means: "for Miss Car, from Victor. I love you a lot Happy Valentine's Day. I love you a lot you are the best teacher." So those were some nice things about the day. However, it was probably the worst day to substitute on, because the whole school was bustling about candy and valentines all day. I had a very difficult time trying to control the third grade class I was in. The way children behave in schools here is very different from the way they do in the States. Not to say that kids in schools in the States are angels, but the relationships between children and adults in general is just very very different. At one point I yelled out (I was yelling the whole day just to try to be heard) "This is not the way children are supposed to behave! Do you know what the word "rude" means?" They definitely didn't know what I was saying. To me, rude is when you are writing something on the board, and while you are still in the process of writing a kid says "Excuse me Miss" because apparently you are in their way. Rude is when you are passing out something not that exciting like a piece of paper, and they run up to you and stick their hand in your face, clearly not understanding that everyone is going to get one. Rude is when you're trying really hard to make a new concept more understandable for them, and there are maybe two kids actually paying any attention to you. But I don't think any of those things are as inappropriate here as they are in the U.S. For these kids, I think school is probably the only place where there is structure and where they don't have to fight to get something because it's being handed to them and there is always enough for everyone. Nonetheless, my heart goes out to teachers, and after trying it out for two days, I can see pretty clearly that I'm not cut out to be one. Fortunately, Annie said that I wouldn't be subing anymore, that they needed me to work with the small groups. I'm happy about that, because I think I will be a lot more successful that way.

Tonight we all went to a birthday party for Christian, a fifth grader at Santa Clara. It was really fun and I'm so glad I got to be there. As soon as we got there all the kids were so excited and came running to hug and greet us. We danced with all the kids and ate a lot of food. They had a pinata and presents and a big cake. It's funny how similar birthday parties are no matter where you are in the world.

La Nina esta enferma

Was it the plantains from the night before? The water I drank two days ago? The apple I forgot to wash? The pink malaria pills I'm taking with the huge list of nasty side effects? Malaria? Cholera? Dysentery? The list of possibilities is endless I'm sure. All that I know for sure is that my body finally caught on to the fact that I'm not in New Hampshire anymore. Yesterday was spent in bed, in the bathroom, tracking my symptoms in the various health literature we have here in la casa ("Lonely Planet Guide to Health in Central America", "Where There is No Doctor") and consulting with my roommates. Needless to say it was not one of my finer days. It's fortunate, however, that it seems to have been only a 24 hour thing.

Tomorrow and Friday I'm substituting for two different teachers at Santa Clara. It's kind of weird to think of how different the standards are here. I'm 20 years-old with no prior teaching experience and I'm going to take on the power and responsibility of a classroom teacher for 2 whole classes and 2 whole days? It's also interesting to me that at the Nazareth school, which is such a wonderful establishment - a school for special needs children whom would otherwise stay at home every day - the teachers and administrators somehow seem so grateful to have me here. My biggest insecurity coming here was the fact that I haven't even finished college yet, and that maybe I wouldn't be able to contribute as much as I'd like to. But to be a teacher here usually only means you have a high school degree, and I heard the administrator tell the Nazareth teachers that I was studying in a University and so I would be able to help them with ideas to improve. Also I spoke with Padre Donahue - the priest in charge of the Universidad, Santa Clara, and Nazareth schools - tonight at our weekly dinner/meeting, and he told me about a woman he met who was severely abused by her husband when she was pregnant, and now has a child with serious speech problems. He told this woman that he knew someone who could help and told her to stop by my house. Now of course I am more than happy to try to help this child however I can, but it's just crazy to think of how far my very small amount of knowledge and experience is able to go here.

Un Buen Fin de Semana

Don't be fooled. The title of this entry is just about the only Spanish I can handle. I am currently in Juticalpa, Honduras (which is in Central America, for anyone who may shamefully not be aware) where I will be living and working until June. I arrived in Tegucigalpa, the capital, a week a ago, after flying for the first time by myself and staying overnight in a hotel in Houston the night before. Then I awkwardly and timidly maneuvered my way through customs and all that good stuff and was met at the airport by about 10 people I had never met before, mostly other American volunteers in the Olancho Aid Foundation, but also a few Hondurans mixed in the bunch. We immediately got in the bus and stopped on the way to do some shopping and get lunch before completing the 2+ hour ride to Juticalpa. Needless to say, it was extremely overwhelming.

Since then, I've made a lot of progress as far as adjustment. I learn something new everyday and it will probably continue that way for a very long time. The house that I live in is much nicer than I expected. I live with two other girls, Jess and Colleen, whom are both great. There is a little picture tour of the house on my picture page.

This week was very up and down. Monday Carlos took me around to three schools, Nazareth, Santa Clara, and the Universidad. Tuesday and Wednesday I spent at Nazareth, which is the Special Needs school that I will be teaching at Monday through Wednesday every week. It was stressful for me because the students were not there yet; it was a teacher's prep week. So I was there all day with all these teachers and not a single person in the building who spoke a word of English. The teachers are wonderful, though. They are all very nice and welcoming to me which makes it easier. Thursday and Friday I was at the Santa Clara school, which is the bilingual school where most of the other volunteers here work. It was incredible. They made me a list of students that are struggling and could use me to take them out of class for extra help. Friday however turned out to only be a half day because the school randomly had no electricity or water. Typical here. Friday night my roomates and I went to a karaoke bar with some of the Hondurans that work at Santa Clara. An interesting experience. We came home to find the most ginromous spider I have ever encountered hanging out in our shower. We're talking like the size of my face. Well not really but at least the size of my hand. Don't worry there are pictures. Today was a lazy day, and we just got back from game night over at the other volunteers; house, Kristi and Rob. We played charades and it was very entertaining. Tomorrow Jess and I are getting up at 5am to go on a retreat to Tegus with a church group. Hopefully it will be good.