Day 127 December 12
I woke up fairly early (before 7) and made breakfast before getting ready to meet everyone at the school at 8:45. I left a little late and walked quickly, but being in Honduras I still expected to be one of the first ones there. When I reached the bottom of the hill, I learned that this was not the case. The truck was loaded and I should meet it in town, so I turned around and went back. Apparently we were supposed to be there at 8:30, but all the other foreign teachers on Bingo set up duty also thought 8:45. I’m just amazed it started on time. We worked for 2 hours loading and unloading tables and chairs (I did a nice job of busting open a knuckle) and joking. We managed to have a good time.
I had wanted to help paint the library, which has been under construction for a while, but the paint didn’t arrive. I told Frankie and Norma that I would help them plant flowers, but by the time I was done setting up for Bingo, they were done at the library.
Linda had given me DVDs of the first season of house, and so I decided to watch a little before going to the internet (which wasn’t open yet, at least not my favorite spot.) I spent a large amount of time on the internet, but accomplished a fair amount while there as well. Before leaving Casa Villamil, I joined Vicky, Megan, and a fourth grade student in a few games of Uno.
I got home and got ready to go to Bingo night. In the beginning they had a game for “the first person to find…” and one of the items was a blue earring, which I handed mine to the first kid who took it from my hand (when the item was listed, 5 kids, none from my class, all looked at me so I just put one in my hand.) Someone else beat him up there, though. Frankie, Nilvio’s Dad, was Santa, and there were many gifts, so many games. They read the numbers quickly to keep things rolling so in a way it was good number practice (a skill I really thought I had down, but sometimes I’d second guess what I’d heard.) I stayed for most of it, but as I was not on the monitoring committee, I was on the set up committee, I was not required to stay. Since the event had started an hour and a half late, when I got tired, I headed home.
Day 128 December 13
I woke up at 6:45 to get ready to head out to the ruins. We met up in the park and walked over, which was pleasant. What wasn’t so pleasant was the 40 minute wait because, even though the list of teachers was in the building, and the guide is a father to one of our students, they wouldn’t let us in for the discounted price. Eventually, they did.
The ruins were beautiful and we did our tour in Spanish. I didn’t understand it all, but I understood enough to stay fascinated. He also told us about the trees around the area, how they related to the Mayans, and how they relate to today’s people. I think most of my questions centered around the trees, which were beautiful and huge. We also got toured around the museum, which is small and interesting because it breaks down the building by the underworld, then you can go upstairs to the present world, and look to the ceiling for the celestial world as the Mayans saw them, but it was nothing like outside. The only thing I didn’t like were the constant references to the movie Apocalyptica for comparisons and images.
After, we went to Picame for baleadas, as Jeane hadn’t ever had one (a girl we met in Antigua who traveled to Copan to see the sights and visit with us.) They were, of course, wonderful.
After lunch, I relaxed at home and cleaned up a bit before going to Casa Villamil to meet with Luis for research. There were some folks there with a camera who wanted to interview a local (they were from Tegus) and they interviewed Luis. I felt like a dolt sitting there and only understanding every other word, but they insisted I stay in the picture.
After Luis left, I stayed and chatted some, before going home to watch House and do laundry well into the evening.
Day 129 December 14
On the way to school, I saw the most amazing thing. I saw a man (get ready, Daddy) in a Pittsburgh Steeler’s cap. I’m almost positive that the cap means nothing to him, but it meant something to me (and I really needed the boost it gave, as I didn’t sleep well the night before and there was NO coffee at school in the morning. Some days tea just can’t cut it.)
The Christmas decorations on my door fell off, so the first mission of the day was to have the kids help me put it back up. With that done we got started with song practice with the school and then into lessons.
I’ve decided that short weeks are the longest weeks. Everyone is just waiting for them to end. The children become unmanageable, there’s nothing real to teach because anything new would be forgotten over the break, and we don’t focus on our lessons as well either. My kids and I are making the most of it by planning our Wednesday party during out lull moments.
After school I graded the science projects, which we presented to Miss Beth’s class today (went pretty well, most students were on task during the “Science Fair.”) I then walked home and finished my homework for class (which I haven’t been to in two weeks.) Class went well and we followed up with a Spanish tutorias session. After, we went for baleadas and talked in the park.
When I got home I saw a group eating at the restaurant on the corner and Jeane came to say goodbye, as she’s leaving Copan in the morning.
I spent the rest of my evening grading and bumming on my computer (which now has to be propped up for the screen to be visible.)
Day 130 December 15
With break being so close we can all taste, teachers and students alike, the day was trying. But I love my kids and tried to make it a relatively pain-free day for them. We had the easiest quiz I’ve ever given (which 8 kids got over one hundred percent on and 7 kids failed.)
In the morning I saw the first snake I’ve seen yet in CA, though it was dead and being carried on a stick my Chando. Later in the day I saw the second, when all of my kids jumped out of their seats to look out the window as Mario shooed the kinder students away from a snake in the yard. He got it on a stick and carried it off. I thought it looked pretty small but all my kids were saying, “Oh, es grande, Miss!”
At the very end of the day, after working out of my classroom to accommodate the 10th grader’s play, I learned that I would not have my beloved trouble-maker Francis at school tomorrow. Today was his last day as a Mayatan student.
I hugged him goodbye, but I really didn’t want to let go. I don’t want him to go, but he needed to say goodbye to other teachers and people from the school. I’m a teacher, not his mom, even though he often called my “mommy” (it became a joke among teachers because his dad is marrying his teacher from last year, so we just said, “He’s confused, he assumes all teachers become his new mother.)
Is the last day of school going to feel like this x20? No, thank you.
After school I had class, followed by tutorias. Because I work all day, I’m finding I don’t have so much time to study. I do my homework during school, but it’s not enough. Maybe after tomorrow I’ll have time for studying.
After tutorias, I headed to Casa Villamil. I wanted to make sure I hadn’t gotten any questions from my parents and check up on the world. I stayed a while, but got really tired really quickly. Kelvin called and met up with me there. When he got there, I logged off and we went home to talk until past my bedtime (9:30!)
Day 131 December 16
The party day: We started out with song practice followed by PE. We then went back to the room and I sent them by 3s to get changed out of their uniforms (which they need to wear to participate in PE, but I had told them they could wear normal clothes after.) Just about the time I was going to start up game stations, Nahomy’s parents came with birthday cake. We ate cake and went to recess. After recess, they had more food and I had them clean the room, clearing their desks, straightening their cubbies, and packing up any papers they didn’t want to throw away. Then I dropped them off in the library. While they were there, I distributed candies and food evenly for the class. When they got back, they each had a bounty of treats on their desks. When then played a sort of “White Elephant” game. I learned something valuable: kids just like to open presents. This version of White Elephant involved zero stealing, because no one wanted to. They did do some trading at the end. After this class, we went to lunch and right about the time I pulled them back in, unsure if Helen was going to come for Social Studies or not, the buses arrived (even earlier than our early dismissal.) Miss Megan came around and let me know that whenever I was ready I could let my kids go. I did, and there were many hugs and happy goodbyes.
I still miss Francis. His father came after school to settle up a few last, overlooked, details, and I helped him. I didn’t get to see my boy though. I stayed after school for a while, cleaning, organizing, and prepping for next semester.
I walked home and finished up my Spanish homework before class and after I recopied notes and studied for hours, right up until it was time for the parade around town.
The parade was fun. The first half was fine and dandy, but the plan was to repeat all the songs again and when we went for that, it was nearly impossible to stop the chattering of the kids. Plus, they were all holding lanterns with real fire, and while they were “safe” I put out a girl’s burning hair and smelling the same smell three separate times. Hmmm.
After the parade, I went home and made a quick dinner. I then watched TV on my computer for a while before going to bed.
Day 132 December 17
I woke up when the power went out because my fan went off and it made it both loud and hot in my room. I stayed in bed for a while and a little before 8, got a text from Luis asking if he could have the flashcards back that he had lent me, he has a new student this morning. I dressed quickly, used my hat to cover my bed-head, and walked over to the school.
When I got back, Abby was up and getting ready to leave with Allan to go see the Urban Promise summer camp (we spend a fair amount of time with them, but are always in school when they have camp, as the public schools are on a different schedule.) I decided to wash my face really quickly and venture into the day sin café.
It was a lot of fun to see how they ran things and kept the kids attention. It was also all in Spanish, but because it was gringos doing most of the talking, and it was slow, I understood most of it and picked up a few more words. I saw several of the kids I’d gone to the waterfalls with all those weeks ago and they all remembered me. I remembered faces, but not names.
We left around snack time and headed back home where I finished my Spanish notes before cleaning up the house and starting on my laundry.
At two, I went to meet Luis for an intercambio at Casa Villamil and then hung around the house a while longer. I did more laundry and more cleaning before heading out to dinner with Viki, her husband who just arrived back in town today, Eva and her family, Suly and her daughter, Megan, Allan, Theo, and Abby at Marina Copan. It was as expensive as I had heard, but also delicious.
Day 133 December 18
I woke up a bit before 8, again, and remembered that Allan and Abby had left at 6. With Sierra in Tegus until Wednesday when her parents arrive, I have the house to myself. I spent the day on an in-depth cleaning mission. I started in my room, dusting, organizing, and planning. I also worked on my heap of laundry that hadn’t been touched in too long. Downstairs I cleaned up the kitchen and the living room. During which I listened to loud music, watched movies and TV shows on my computer, and enjoyed the freedoms that knowing no one is going to enter the house allows.
I didn’t step out of the house until 7, after a dinner of steamed/fried veggies (the carrots and broccoli were boiled up, the onions, garlic, peppers, and potatoes were fried.) I then went to Casa Villamil to see if there was news from the ‘rents. There was.
Turns out Virginia is having a snow storm, everywhere. I’m still CCed on the camp e-mails and I read of people backing out of Christmas celebration plans which were to take place this weekend, nearly a foot of snow in Farmville, and bad news at the Richmond airport.
My amazing parents took every possible measure to ensure their arrival here, including driving to Richmond the night before so they wouldn’t have troubles on the way there in the morning. Keeping high hopes, there was nothing to do but wait until morning.
I did get to call my grandmother on her birthday, but mostly we talked about the snow and pending visit from my parents. I went home and met up with Luis for a while before bed.
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