Week 1: Getting used to Honduras

Day 1: August 8

I’d never flown alone before. I knew I’d get anxious at all waiting points. So my time on the planes was pretty peaceful, though a lot of people were traveling with babies. We left Richmond fifteen minutes late because the luggage belt was broken and they had to load it all up manually, so they waited instead of leaving behind our stuff, which I appreciated. My backpack didn’t quite fit in the overhead compartment, so I emptied out the two smaller pockets into the bag that had my computer. It made things very organized later on, as that had been my “simple” bag where I kept things I needed to get to quickly and it had no compartments to help re-simplify.

We were late in to Atlanta, they asked folks who had 45 minutes or more layover to stay put until folks who had less could get off, which I did. I continued my conversation with the nice man who’d been sitting with me. We’d talked on and off during the flight, about my trip and his two children, 9 and 11. He said he could see his daughter doing something like I was doing. The woman sitting directly in front of me had been listening to our conversation and said she had done something similar 39 years ago in Bangkok, Thailand. We talked about tourist travel vs. emersion travel. She was very encouraging.

When I got off the plane, I learned the beauty of following signs. I was looking for gate E04, and was in concourse B. So I followed the signs to the ground travel and got off when it called “E” and walked to my gate. No trouble, no hassle. I still had more than an hour to kill. I called mom’s phone, which I was impressed to discover I remembered without my cell phone. This was also the first time I’d used a phone card. I then got breakfast, a bagel with plain cream cheese, which I couldn’t bring myself to eat. I put it with the cracker I’d gotten on the plane that I couldn’t eat either.

I was already a minority in the waiting area, but most of the people were obviously bilingual, and it was fun to see conversations jump back and forth between Spanish and English. People were very nice about boarding the plane, letting other folks in front, as the “line” was more of a mass of folks spread in three directions all trying to get by the one man checking boarding passes and passports. I guess it helps to understand that the plane won’t leave until we’re all on it, so it doesn’t matter much.

Before take-off I chatted briefly with a man sitting on the Isle seat of my row (I had window seats on both flights) about his family in Honduras, and no I don’t have family in Honduras, I’ll be teaching (I’ve already been told a few times I could pass as Honduran, I just lack the tan and broad nose). The last passenger to sit was a beautiful woman with a beautiful baby, and she sat between the man I’d been talking to and me. I was a bit concerned about the baby, the whole air pressure change doesn’t usually go well with them, but he was amazing. Two months old, and only whined a couple of times. The last 5 minutes on the runway after landing, he cried, but other than that he was great.

I actually slept for half an hour on the flight, which couldn’t be said for the other one. I was awake when we flew over the Yucatan Peninsula though, that was cool. And the water was pattered with light blue/turquoise lines. It was beautiful; I assume it was coral. When we landed, I could already see the mountains. And the trees, which I love. The only river I saw during landing was very murky, but the mountains were gorgeous.

I looked out my window after we landed and could see them taking out our luggage. I was comforted to see my bag and noticed several uniformed officials standing around the landing area with semi-automatics. There was also a man who patted down and metal detected every person before they could handle our luggage.

I let most folks off the plane before I left. I was in no hurry to get to immigration. The airport was so much smaller than either Atlanta or Richmond. There weren’t many signs, but there weren’t really options. When you got off a plane, there was only one option, and Hondurans in uniforms standing guard around. So, I followed and dipped off to use the restroom before getting in line with the paperwork I’d filled out on the plane.

When it was my turn, it went much as Megan described in her e-mail. The woman hardly looked at me, and she certainly didn’t speak to me. She looked over my paperwork, stamped and initialed my passport, and took my picture. I then went to get my bags and they checked everyone’s baggage claim before letting us pass to the baggage x-ray. I was surprised I was not one of the people who’s bag they needed to look through; it’s just so full of stuff and I have some of my tools. But I got through without any problems.

Once I walked out into the lobby, I was surrounded by people. Many had signs with names. I was relieved not to see anyone with my name. Even though I had told Tito four times that I was going to take the bus, he had been pretty insistent that it was a good deal. Part of me had been worried that he would show up anyway. I went left to the Hedman-Alas bus station, which was still inside the airport. There were two men in line in front of me, so I scanned the waiting area for “the American who’s waiting for the bus” as Theo had told me in e-mail. He was supposed to land 20 minutes before me, but it was clear he wasn’t there.

I bought my ticket, with a lot of hand gestures and the minimal Spanish I know. One of the men in front of me had asked if he could keep his things behind her desk, which was in a closed off room. I gestured for the same thing, and she let me, locking the door after, which I appreciated. This left me free to walk without hauling everything around with me, or leaving it unguarded.. The lobby area was very small, there was a Starbucks and a Wendy’s. There were several men with wads of cash walking around. One of them came up to me, but I understood none of what he was saying, so I said “No, lo siento.” I had assumed they were beggers. I later learned they were money changers.

I only had the 40 lemps of change from when I bought my ticket, which I’d done with dollars. I went to Starbucks, as I was exhausted, but couldn’t wrap my head around the prices. It’s 18 lemps to a dollar, so 25 lemps really isn’t bad for a coffee, but I knew I’d be hungry later so I should really get food (I had made myself eat that bagel on the plane, but nerves were keeping me from being too hungry). There were no food prices, so I decided to go back to the bus waiting area and wait for Theo.

I pulled out my book, Modoc, and shortly after a young American man with 5 bags came up to buy a ticket. He obviously knew more Spanish than I did, but struggled with her some. His biggest bag was a huge duffle, that had split along one of the long seam lines. He asked her for tape and struggled to tape along the line, which wasn’t going to work. I was hoping he was Theo, but even if he wasn’t, I figured he could use a hand. So I introduced myself and helped him wrap the tap around and around the bag. His name was Brian, was going to teach in Tegus at the richest bilingual school in Honduras. He graduated two years ago with a degree in Theology, which is what he would be teaching. He had been in Honduras 8 months ago, with a program that sounded a lot to me like Big Siblings, where he worked as a role model for kids at an orphanage. He was really excited about seeing those kids again.

I helped him get his bags behind her counter, after she unlocked the door again, and then we went back into the lobby, talking about our respective schools. After all the stories I’d heard from Anna and Aaron’s school, I knew Mayatan was doing a nice job, but his school has everything together. Of course, it’s a private school for all of the richest people in Honduras, with all of the high political figure’s children. I think, even with the higher pay and relaxed conditions at his school, I’d rather be at Mayatan. Nothing I’ve heard about Tegus has been good, and Copan is gorgeous.

He haggled with the money changers, who at first wanted to give back between 10-15 lemps per dollar until we found one who was willing to give 17 lemps per dollar. I exchanged $40, so I would at least have money when I got to Copan in case I needed it, but left the other $60 in my bag because the bank’s rate is a little cheaper. Brian had an international cell phone, with very few minutes left, but he let me make a quick call home, so I called mom again and left a voicemail.

Two and a half hours after I got to the airport, the bus came. We loaded up and took our seats. It was about 20 minutes to the downtown station where we’d transfer to our buses. Brian tried to sleep, he’d been not slept the night before because he’d procrastinated on packing, but I just looked out the window at the mountains.

Brian continued to try to sleep in the waiting room at the downtown bus station, but I talked with one of the men who’s been in line ahead of me. He’d been drinking steadily since he landed, and talked all about Tegus (which he hates), his 25 years in America, how the system is cheating us (because airplanes and buses are always late), and the he’s back in Honduras to bring his deceased mom home. When he wasn’t ranting, he was very interesting to talk to. I was getting anxious about my bus, which was scheduled to leave at 3, and at 3:10 an announcement was made and the only word I heard was “Copan” three times. I asked someone to translate and they said that the bus was stuck in traffic.

I then introduced myself to two other American men who were going to Copan. Neither were Theo, which I had figured, since I didn’t expect Theo to be with someone. They were just going to visit Copan, because they’d never been there. One was from Boston and the other was from Nashville. Tom does some kind of analytical work for the Harvard science dept. We never got into much detailed, we just talked about editing, which he also does for their journals. Obviously, I talked about DPR, which they seemed to be impressed by. We talked about favorite books, grammar books like Eats Shoots and Leaves. Michael was quiet, but he seemed pretty out of it, which is understandable after two days of traveling.

Brian’s bus came, we exchanged e-mails and he gave me his cell phone number in case I need anything. Shortly after, our bus arrived. We left about 45 minutes late, which made me a little nervous about Megan waiting for me. I wasn’t sure if she’d heard from Theo either. I just hoped she’d still be waiting for me, because otherwise I had no idea where I was going.

I slept for about half an hour, which was great. I had taken less-sleepy Dramamine, which obviously didn’t knock me out since I only slept for a little bit. I was sleepy, but I’d also been up since the time equivalent of 1am and it was now 4pm. The bus ride was just over three hours. Once I woke up, I started looking out the window.

The mountains are unlike any I’ve seen. I love them, and the trees. The roadsides have a lot of trash, but I finally saw clear rivers, also very pretty. There are a lot of animals. There were horses everywhere, tied, not tied, in a fenced in yard, not in a yard. Dogs, too. The cattle were huge. Houses were anything from bricks of mud, to tarps over make-shift wooden walls. Lots of people were outside. At intersections, boys would try to sell drivers sunglasses, or to clean their windshield. There’s a lot of barbed wire and razor wire. Many houses, or at least house complexes have strong metal gates. I think the land is beautiful. I wished I had my camera with me on the bus, but I’ll have a year for taking pictures.

It was 45 minutes after I saw the first sign with “Copan Ruinas” before we actually arrived. It was uphill and very curvy. I was glad I had taken the Dramamine. I took out my “Off” wipes and covered myself with insect repellent, but it was still a while before we got there.

There were two American women waiting at the bus station. When I got off the bus I made eye contact and smiled, I walked up the stairs behind them, but they continued looked out at people getting off the bus. So, I asked if one of them was Meagan. The brunette was Megan, so we introduced ourselves. She had not heard from Theo, but also hadn’t checked her e-mail. The other woman was Tammie, a returning 5^th grade teacher. They helped me get my things and got a taxi.

We rode to my house which is called “Picame” because it’s right beside/behind the Picame restaurant. It’s not the 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom. Apparently too many girls didn’t want 4 roommates. Tammi has an apartment by herself. But this house is two story, and downstairs is a nice large living room, a kitchen with a nice refrigerator, a full bathroom, and a washroom. Upstairs is a bedroom/bathroom combo, a bathroom, and two other bedrooms. I chose the bedroom with the window to outside. The other rooms have windows that are still inside, just for ventilation, but my room was the coolest. I figure I can share a bathroom with one other person without any trouble.

My room is also the noisiest. I hear everything happening at the road and in the restaurant. I also think there are other apartments connected up on this second floor. Megan and Tammie mentioned that one of my keys leads to the roof, and when I look out my window, I can see a hallway and a stairwell that ends right beside the restaurant. My room also has a shelving unit with a place to hang clothes. I went pillow shopping in the other rooms and chose the pillow I like best. I’ve been trying out the fans, but I think I’ll stick with the one I have.

I like the house. It’s right in the center of everything. The girls took me to dinner at the teachers’ favorite place to eat. I met the owner and he charged me with getting all of the teachers’ e-mail addresses so he can send us updates of movies he shows on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights for 20 Lemps. In the town square I met the Mayor’s wife, shortly followed by the Mayor. They were very friendly. I also met one of my third graders. As soon as she learned I’d be her teacher he dropped eye contact and got very shy. It was cute. Megan also told me that at least one of the boys in my class can speak in complete sentences, which will be very helpful, I think.

When Megan got a chance to check her e-mail, she said that Theo had a voucher and would be coming in a day late. One of my house-mates, one other girl, and Theo should arrive today. Last night, I unpacked some, but went to bed in pretty short order. It was about 9:30, I woke up cold at 4 and used the big blue blanket they provided, though I could have turned down the fans, it felt too good (I had taken one of the fans from another room, just for the night).

Tammi will be here by around 10 so we can get some shopping down and to show me town. Tonight Megan will cook all the teachers who have arrived dinner. Tammi and I may wait at the bus station for them if Megan’s too busy. I have a 20 gallon jug of water sitting in the fridge. I took out both shelves to fit it in. I figured the girls might like some cold water when they get in. I filled up at cup and a bottle that previously had orange juice in it with water so I wouldn’t have to go downstairs if I was thirsty in the night.

Showers are warmer than I expected.

I like it here.

Day 2 August 9

I’m learning quickly. Especially hoe to ignore Honduran men who hiss or kiss at us. It’s never more than that and a few compliments I can’t understand anyway, so I don’t worry. Sierra is here and she’s awesome. She knows about as much Spanish as I do, wants to learn it too. She’s spent 2 months in Ghana, so she has more travel under her belt, and she just graduated with a degree in education and early childhood development. She’s also left behind a boy that she dated for about a year and a half. They agreed it was best to split it off for this year, but still care about each other. We can commiserate. She has a ton of teaching supplies and seems eager to share.

Theo arrived last night shortly after Sierra did. I informed him that I was disappointed he no longer has a mustache like in his facebook picture. He chuckled and said that it had been very short lived. Theo doesn’t talk much, but we often smirk together when Tammi and Sierra’s conversations become too girly. It happens from time to time, but I can’t deny that I’m the one with the most skirts.

I got a cell phone. It doesn’t have a good plan for calling to the US but it’s free if folks from the US call me. It’s best for keeping up with the other teachers, and should something happen we can call each other.

We walked to Mayatan, but the outside gate was closed. Our rooms should be open tomorrow, so we can see where we’ll be teaching. It took about 20 minutes to walk there and there’s a monster hill on the way, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. The bird park is only another 10 minutes so we went to the park.

Most of the birds are rescue birds, so some had damaged beaks, but all were beautiful. My fellow teachers have been good about putting up with me geeking out over insects and plants I see. The flowers and trees here are beautiful. The caterpillars are incredible. I keep noticing small differences between the insects here and the insects at home, which is fun. Tammi, Sierra, and Theo were impressed when I spotted a walking stick on the side of a tree as we walked by. I had to show the girls how it was a walking stick and not just a stick, and then I moved his front legs, and then he really looked like an insect. I was amused at how little he was willing to move, he only let his legs move as far as I moved them. I am a stick! Leave me alone!

One of the women who helps run Pichame is from Pittsburgh. We’ve talked about all sorts of things, including the politics of Honduras. She’s very helpful and friendly. She moved here after marrying a Honduran man, but she doesn’t seem very fond of him anymore. Her menu lists all of the things she does to make sure her food is safe to eat, which I figure will comfort my parents.

Tammi instructed me to rinse all the fruits I eat, unless I cook them, even if they’re peelable. She brought up the excellent point that even if you peel the surface, you’ll be using a knife that becomes exposed to the bacteria. Better safe than sorry. I just finished soaking my first batch of mangos (which Sierra and I bought without the help of Tammi translating, we’re very proud of ourselves).

My second roommate, Abby, should arrive on Tuesday. Her room is the least desirable, but both Sierra and I are willing to either trade or have a room rotation. The third room is smaller, hotter, and less equipped than ours. Sierra has the ‘master bedroom,’ but her toilet flooded the first time she used it, so she’s been using my bathroom until she can talk to the landlord.

I’m finally settled in to how I think I want the room to be. I’ve seen my first downpour, which was cooling. The stones in the streets make it look like a river as the rain water flows downhill. It was beautiful. I’ve also been exploring on the roof, which one of my neighbors has set up a hammock, but I’m not sure who. I’d love to get permission to use it. Sierra is a big reader too, and we’ve talked about how nice it would be to read up on the roof. The views of the mountains are just beautiful up there.

Before yesterday’s rain even started, the power went out. It came back on shortly before lunch today. I’m pleased to discover that my house has a water tank, which means when the power’s out, we still have running water. Theo has city water, which means when the power’s out, he does not have running water. He came over here to take a shower after the day’s explorations. We all got pretty sweaty, but that’s normal for everyone.

Tammi is a runner and has offered her route but 1) I’m getting in better shape just by walking right now and 2) I don’t have running shoes with me. Sierra wants to ease into running as well, so I think we’ll start with power walking and I’ll be looking around for decent running shoes in the mean time. Theo loves hiking and camping, so maybe we can get a group together to go hiking sometime. Tammi says just to ask around and ask which trails are safest for a group of Americans. She’s told us that all well trafficked streets are safe in daylight, and then which parts of town become big drug/prostitution areas at night. They’re on the outskirts of town.

I’m amazed how many Americans live here. I had expected the tourists, which are everywhere, but I’ve come across three business owners who are American. I know Judy is from Pittsburgh, and the man who runs the pizza place is from Texas.

I’ve put together some pictures that I’ll post of facebook the next time I go on line. Some are from Debby’s baby shower and most are from here.

We found we have a lizard friend who comes and goes by the door. Tammi says she likes it when lizards get in because they eat the roaches. I had been hearing a chirping sound, and later in the evening, I asked Tammi what makes that sound. I had just heard it, and was looking for a bird or bat, but it turns out that it’s the lizards. They’re so loud! I think it’s pretty cool.

The people are so friendly, they’re very patient with my Spanish. As Sierra keeps saying, “I can’t believe we live here.”

Day 3 August 10

I never sleep in here, but because it gets dark earlier, we go to bed earlier. Last night was the latest I’ve gone to bed, 11, because Sierra and I were up talking philosophy and religion. Usually it’s been 8:30-9:30 when I went to bed. Which is good, because around 4:30 the roosters in the chicken pen behind the house start sounding off, and by 5:30 the streets are busy. Car alarms go off a lot. I usually stay in bed until 6 or 7 and then get going for the day. I’ve had an alarm set for 9 everyday, but haven’t ever gotten close to waking up to it. I spent my mornings cleaning and reading up on the materials given to me about Mayatan and teaching strategies or Rosetta Stone. Sierra and Theo both have it too and we’ve offered to let Caroline (pronounced Carolyn) from Montreal borrow it. She arrived last night and was so full of energy for just having been through a day of travel.

The gas stove is fun. I’ve been teaching Sierra tricks to not get burned on it. I’m glad there’s someone else who’s at about the same experience level as me.

Today I met Natasha who is from southern England. She’s been taking classes in Costa Rica for the last year and a half. She’s headed home in September and wanted to travel as much of CA as possible before going back. Most of her trip have been with groups, but she had found herself in Copan without any of her classmates. Her bank had put a block on her card because of her traveling around, even though she called it in (just as Capital one has warned me that me calling it in does not mean that a block will never be put on me). So she was alone in Copan and had no access to any money. I got my computer and took her to an internet café where I bought us both drinks. She signed into her skype account, called her bank and set things straight. When she tested out the ATM, she paid me back for the drinks, plus 50 lemps for my troubles and wished me good karma. She was really nice and I had the other teachers with me. I was just glad I happened to be around when she was trying to sort things out at the bank.

I got to go on the school grounds today. It’s beautiful and so is the view from there. I met the three administrators we have the most contact with and they’re wonderful! They’re very sweet and helpful. As soon as we mentioned the leaks at my house, they called someone to fix them, and by the time I got back someone was working on the problems. Our repair man works security at Mayatan and talked with Sierra and me for a while, helping us with our Spanish.

The school itself was larger than I expected. There are many different buildings and each room is labeled. I’m teaching in “Third Grade B.” It was locked, but I should get my key tomorrow. Rumor on the street is that the second grade class last year was rambunctious, but they’ve split up “those boys.” I figure third grades will be energetic either way and I shouldn’t get worked up. I wish I’d been able to see my class, but the courtyards are cool. Especially by the kindergarten classrooms, the rocks are all painted beautiful colors and some are organized into shapes. The cafeteria is outdoors, which I hadn’t even considered. There’s one massive tree on the campus and I love it. The grooves formed by the roots are deep and it just looks powerful. I don’t often get to see old-growth trees like that.

Nash, Eileen, and Michael arrived today. Nash is teaching sixth grade with Caroline and it was fun to listen to them planning. Eileen majored in Spanish and loves insects. She’s agreed to help me with my Spanish if I teach her everything I know about insects. Michael’s quiet, so far what I know about him is that he’s taught in China for a year and has been dating Eileen for three.

Abby arrives tomorrow, apparently around three. Tonight Caroline is sleeping in her bed because her house is being fumigated. She didn’t even feel her bug problem was that bad until we found a spider resembling a wolf spider that was half the size of my hand. I’ve decided I really need to research the flora and fauna a bit because I’m used to knowing how many poisonous snakes and spiders are around me and what they look like. I’ll find an internet café tomorrow and take care of that. I’m also not sure what these wasps’ stings would feel like or much about scorpions. I haven’t seen any yet, but Tammi was stung last year. She was never treated for it, but the description made it sound….unpleasant.

I had my first baleada today and it was delicious. I’m disinclined to eat them at many places other than Pichame just because I heard they’re the best in town, plus I feel a certain loyalty to the restaurant that my house is named for. I sent mental waves of joy to Anna and Aaron and will continue to every time I eat one.

I had heard two American men walking by on the hallway next to my window (it’s outside, but roofed. The other apartments in the building have their doors along this hallway) and tonight we were walking home at the same time that they were. I’m fairly certain they’re Mormon missionaries. I tried to make small talk but they wouldn’t really engage us, just said “Nice to meet you” and went up the stairs. No names were exchanged, so I don’t really feel like I met them. Ah, well.

I was able to go online for a while today, instead of just the 5 minute stops I was getting before. I uploaded my photos and wrote a facebook ‘note’ with my first two days’ experiences. I think it’s the easiest way to keep folks updated. But it does leave out the folks who don’t have facebook. I also feel like these entries are way too long to just go e-mailing, but I’ll figure something out to keep them updated. I got to IM with my brother David for a while, so that was very nice.

I have my first one on one Spanish class tomorrow morning. I took the test today, which revolved mostly around conjugations not vocabulary. I did terribly. Now they know where I need to start. For Mayatan teachers, classes are about 100 lemps an hour, or $5. I figure I’ll take as many classes as I can manage this week since I have nothing on the schedule, and then next week I’ll have orientation and will have to back off. I’ll most likely start slowly with the classes once school starts, as I try to feel out my workload. Even for signing up for classes, they refused to speak English (not that I was begging, it was just something I noticed) and they made us say everything in Spanish too. I really appreciate that. Theo had his first class today, at the other language school, and he says they were really patient with him. Tammi says that both schools have an equal reputation, the price is the same, and both are run by Mayatan families. So, it’s a matter of where you live and Sierra and I live two blocks from Guacamaya Language School.

Wish me luck.

Day 4 August 11

Mango for breakfast everyday is wonderful. Also, I brewed my first cup of coffee since I’ve been here and it was delicious. The flavor is very different from coffee at home, but I like it. I sweetened it with honey, as I’ve been sweetening everything here. The honey has to be kept in a zip-lock bag to help avoid ants in the kitchen, but that’s a-okay with me.

The roaches are getting out of hand. I sprayed with Raid my first full day here, but I apparently didn’t hit all the hot spots. Tammi and I went in on the Raid together, but it’s just been passed around to everyone as they came into their new house. It’s certainly gotten 70 lemps worth of use out of it. I put all my vegetables and fruits in the fridge to make them harder to get to.

Class was a lot of fun. She speaks slowly and clearly and is very patient with me. I get frustrated with myself when I can recognize a word, but I can’t recall its meaning. I know I left the lesson with a few more words actually retained, many more written down, and more understanding of grammar. I’ve asked for the next lesson to be 2 hours instead of just one. I need to get my homework done for the next class, but it’s nothing difficult. Basically, they assigned me three pages in the work book that cover the same things we did at the beginning of class, except now I should be able to do it better.

I talked to Judy about the Steelers today, apparently last year she threw a Super Bowl party. I don’t know how much she keeps up with it here, but her heart is certainly in the right place. I also found out that she lives in the door next to mine. So of the 7 doors to apartments in this building, I know who live in three: us, the 2 Mormon boys who won’t really talk to us, and Judy, who helps run Pichame.

Judy also has the only puppy in town that I’ll pet. For one thing, it’s a pet. She hasn’t named the dog yet, but is open to suggestions. Sierra and Caroline have been petting “the sweet street dogs” but then they follow us. I tried to point out that we really shouldn’t encourage them but “they’re just poor dogs born into poverty, it’s not their fault.” I pity the dogs too, but that doesn’t change the fact that their disease ridden and can become aggressive if they feel possessive.

I got to see me classroom. I really like it. There are so older posters, similar to the ones I brought in the room. Everything has to be set up and cleaned, but hey, I’m good at that sort of thing. There’s a teacher’s break room for when Honduran teachers come in the teach my class. I wish Beth was here so I could start planning with her. We have the option of each taking one set of kids and teaching all subjects or splitting the subjects and trading the kids. Splitting the subjects leads to more consistency for the children and less planning for us.

We went to the bird park again, this time to go swimming. I didn’t because it had become overcast and I was really hungry. It didn’t get cold, but it simply wasn’t as hot as I’d like it to be if I were to go swimming, so I ate instead J. Megan noticed my interest in outsdoorsy things, and she knows an ornithologist in town. I had been talking about how I think I’ve only ever seen a ruby-throated hummingbird and here there are other kinds. That should be fun.

I showed Eileen and Michael the market and got myself potatoes, green beans, and cucumbers. It was the fruit stand Tammi showed me on my first day. She says they don’t try to cheat us just because we’re ‘gringos.’ The prices at this stand stay consistent and I’ve noticed that as they pick out the items I ask for, they sift through for the best ones, which I really appreciate.

Abby arrived today, she seems really sweet. We are now a completed house. All three of us are fresh out of college. Abby is from North Carolina and Sierra was upset when I described us as the “Easterners.” She’s from Ohio, but compared to all the teachers from the west, I think she’s east too. Abby is just as impressed as we are by the house and living situation.

Alan and Christopher also moved in today. Abby is dating Alan, which is cute. Tammi was the only blonde among us before, but Abby and Alan are incredibly blonde. There will be no blending in for them. Christopher has been doing a lot of hiking before he got here, he’s one of the four teachers from Oregon. Alan’s from South Carolina.

Sierra got nails that can go through our cement walls, so I finally got up the tapestry behind my bed and a mirror in the bathroom. My room is pretty much complete. I just want to fill in the wall in front of my bed with something. Blank walls have never been my thing. We’ve talked about decorating the living room with touristy things we by throughout our time here, that way it won’t be so bland, and we can just take home the items we buy at the end.

Almost all of the teachers are here. I’m not sure how many more are to arrive, except Ann, who taught here last year and Beth who will be teaching in Third Grade ‘B.’ I’m glad I arrived early so I could get to know folks gradually, as they come in. It must be overwhelming to be introduced to a new culture, living situation, and 14 people who all pretty much know each other. I really like the other teachers. Everyone has such a good attitude toward this year and that’s really encouraging. I’m also glad my entries are getting shorter, means I’m getting used to the place.

Day 5 August 12

A two hour lesson isn’t too bad. I learned I need to study harder, but I am catching on. Slowly, but surely. My homework after this lesson included coloring, which I must admit I enjoyed. I did my written homework while Sierra used my computer and tried to figure out how to blog. I read my Mayatan handbook and talked with Ever, who works at Casa Villamil, the closest coffee shop with free wifi. He speaks English with a thick accent and has been working his way through high school. Ultimately he wants to go to school in America to become an engineer. He asked me to try to rally some Mayatan teachers to watch the game at his shop because people usually go to the bars and he ends up watching it practically alone and bored, I told him I’d try.

I bought a Honduras jersey from a street vendor. I’m fairly certain I got it for the “you’re an American price,” but that’s okay. Mine was 200 lemps and an hour later she tried to sell one to Abby and Alan, both blonde, for 250. I wore it for the rest of the day and was constantly greeted with yells of “Honduras!” and thumbs up. I’m glad they take well to gringos supporting their team. It certainly made my grocery shopping more fun.

Sierra and I helped Abby get settled in, but she has two advantages to my first day here: Alan to explore with and the Spanish language. Vicki and Chris had everyone over for tea, and I was sad to learn that Chris will head back home on Monday until December. The little sandwiches they made were delicious and everyone was able to talk and get to know each other better. Every time someone got up, their chair was stolen by someone else and we turned it into a bit of a game. I’m glad every one has a sense of humor, though we’ve learned that Theo doesn’t get sarcasm. Nash and I speak the same language and have already had a fight to the death over my Spanish teacher (he tried to get my time & teacher, not realizing it was my time and teacher) but I won. There was no actual fight, he just ended up with a different teacher.

After tea, Abby and I went to tourist street where I bought a pair of earrings and a plaque resembling Mayan art to put up in my room. Should help with some of the starkness. I bought the earrings because I liked them better than any I had seen on tourist street, but the salesman was a twelve year old boy who knows his trade. He’s an expert at making girls feel pretty and handing them a mirror, letting them try it on, “hold this one, I made it myself.” His dad sits off to the side. It’s obvious people would rather talk to a kid than to a grown man, and this kid is good at what he knows. Necessity breeds motivation, I suppose.

Everyone met at Tun Club for the Honduras vs. Costa Rica game. Tun Club is run by a family from Florida. The son really wants to go back, and I think is going back in October. I asked people about our team, apparently Honduras is quite good. And tried to get into the rules of it. Our first goal didn’t count because the shooter was offsides, which I’m still unsure of, but will figure out as I watch more soccer, and our second goal didn’t count because we took down the goalie and he was injured. It was a very exciting game. I left Tun Club shortly before halftime and went to keep Ever company at Casa Villamil, but there were actually a fair number of people in there and he was busy working. I got a strawberry smoothie and watched the rest of the game. With a minute and a half left we were up 2-0. We scored another 2 shots, one in negative time which confused me a great deal. The streets came alive. Gladice, who was working with Ever, told me in Spanish about how people were now getting in their cars to ride all around Copan.

I went out to Central Park where we met up with the other Mayatan teachers. We cheered and hollered with the locals as cars, trucks, and taxi crammed full of people drove around as fast as they could without crashing into each other. Trucks would have 15-20 people crammed in the bed and hanging off the back, they created a human propelled hydraulics system, bouncing the cars as they drove. They looped around 7 or 8 times before cars began pulling over, but still they honked and chanted “Hon-dur-as! Hon-dur-as!” The intense celebrating continued for about 45 minutes, for there were still cars honking through town for hours. I’m sure the entire town was out and I was amazed at how many faces I recognized just from being in town this week. We stayed out celebrating, but to conserve money I stuck to a large bottle of water.

That was my introduction to Honduran futbol and it was awesome. ¡Goooooooooooooooool!

Day 6 August 13

I studied a lot more for class today, and she seemed pleased with my progress. I’ve been learning interesting things about the Catholic/protestant dynamic here. It’s worse than it is in the states, but not as bad as say…Northern Ireland. From what I can gather, protestants don’t drink alcohol, Catholics and non-practicing people do. There’s little in the way of restraint if someone is a drinker, so there are folks who are sober and folks who are drunk. It appears to be a society of extremes. Assumptions are made of a person if they are seem going into a bar or a particular church. However, if you go to any church, there will be someone to make assumptions, there isn’t any church that everyone in town will think “well, it could be worse.”

I’ve been eating amazingly good food. At home, cheap food is the really processed, mass produced stuff like McDonalds. Here, the cheap food is what is grown and made locally. I’ve been making grilled cheese sandwiches in the morning, I had fresh green beans sautéed in butter and fresh garlic for lunch. I think I’ll make home made fries with my potatoes. The only thing, is I only eat meat when I eat out, so I’ll need to find a protein source somewhere. Luckily, there are a few vegetarians among the teachers, so I can figure out what they’re doing and follow suite. (Not that I’m giving up meat, but it’s more expensive, not all of the meat being sold can be trusted, and it’s harder to prepare. The veggies and fruits are so quick! And, I don’t want it to go bad during on of the power outages.) I have learned to put up all the vegetables and fruits in the fridge at night, or else the roaches get them. I have a coconut right now because Tammi bought it to drink the milk and then didn’t want to take it home. It was the first time I’d ever had cocoa water from the fruit. I liked it. Only problem now, is I don’t know how to get to the meat.

I went hiking this afternoon with Tammi and Christopher. We went up a ways past Mayatan and the bird park and then went down to the river. I found a water bug that was everywhere, Christopher helped me catch them and we figured it was a water beetles, until closer inspection realized it’s a hemipteran. Apparently he knows his insect orders too. I tried to get some pictures of the leaf cutter ants on this large tree, but they just turned out blurry.

We talked about how I still haven’t done research on the local fauna. How it bothers me not to know by sight the poisonous snakes and spiders. At home, there were a handful of each and I’m sure the numbers went up when I moved here, or at Christopher said, “Or became a big question mark.”

Everyone met up at central park for a cookout at the Missionaries’ house, Billy and Mary from Arkansas. They were incredibly sweet and the food was great. The baked beans were made with bacon, which gave me a little taste of home. I had a large hamburger, so at least I have some protein in my system for now.

I got to learn about their farming projects, including helping the people in the rural areas in northern Honduras establish farms that take up less space, but produce more food over the years so they no longer have to burn down the forest to get good soil. They have a goat program and a bee program too. On my first day, Tammi mentioned she would suggest places to volunteer if I was interested/had time, but I think if I have time I’d like to work with them. I love farms, and this would be a very different experience than any I’ve had. Caroline and Sierra would like to as well.

I left fairly early and got to bed by 9:30. I’d been going to bed between 10-12, either studying or reading, or on the night of the game just hanging around with folks, but that gets hard when you wake up at 5 most days.

Day 7 August 14

Class went well. We’re conversing more, but sometimes I have to describe something in a very roundabout way (“El hombre con usted vs. esposo, which is a word I did know, I just couldn’t remember) or look it up in a dictionary if no description gets my point across. My verbs are a bit lacking, though. Many of my sentences end up “Me here is the reason.” But, all in all it’s progress. I’m sad I won’t have class again until Monday, but on the other hand I have so much I need to study so I have to weekend to do it.

I made fries for lunch. My roommates seemed impressed and kept eating them. I experimented with a few different things and now have a “healthier method” and a “tastier method.” I’m getting pretty handy at making tasty dishes with limited ingredients.

I learned how to do laundry here. Tammi still recommends that I just take my laundry to be done, but I can spend 40 lemps for many loads (I’m not sure how many yet, I’ve only done laundry once, but I know it was several pounds worth) as apposed to 9 lemps per pound. Abby brought yellow string that is now hanging in a strange, crisscrossed pattern across the laundry room, where ever nails were already in the wall, for hanging our clothes. I’m just worried the clothes won’t dry quickly enough and will end up smelling mildewy.

Eileen led a yoga session at our house. It was fun. There were four of us and she worked with me to help me stretch the area that a certain position was supposed to stretch (for some reason, nearly ever stretch was hitting my hamstrings, even if it wasn’t supposed to, who knew I wasn’t flexible?). Afterwards, we did some interneting and Sierra got to hear her man’s voice for the first time since getting here. She was really excited.

We had a girls’ night at Tammi’s. She made a great meal of spaghetti and homemade sauce, salad with homemade dressing, and bread toasted to be dipped in oil. We played a couple card games and got to meet the Honduran girls who work at the school. They were sweet and were patient as most of us struggled to speak to them in Spanish, but it was excellent practice. Then, we met up with the guys, who had been trying to organize a big pizza night until we told them it clashed with our plans, and sat and talked up on the roof of my house for a couple of hours.