Annnd they're off!
Almost got him!
Almost got him!
Sneaky sneaky...time for turkey dinner!
The 11th graders...they love each other so much, it's just adorable.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Thanksgiving Vids
Here are the Thanksgiving videos that I finally snatched from Carlos Eduardo (aka el polvo aka the turkey) from the 11th grade skit. Brief rundown: Every two or three class acts, the cartoon chase music would turn on, and out would come the 11th graders in all their glory. They are SUCH a funny class...namely a few of the boys that are just over the top. Jossue, Francisco, Franklin, Luis...SON LOCOS! They can make class a little difficult to teach, but when it comes to this stuff- there isn't anyone better for the job. Enjoy!
The 11th graders...they love each other so much, it's just adorable.
The 11th graders...they love each other so much, it's just adorable.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Turkey, Apple Bottom Jeans, and 4 Day Weekends
An unexpected 4 day weekend, 2 Thanksgiving dinners, one of the funnest nights out in Honduras to date, and a successful Thanksgiving school wide presentation. A good Thanksgiving holiday indeed.
Starting from the bottom up. As I wrote before, Abby, Mr. Bob, and I were in charge of creating a presentation for the whole school about Thanksgiving. Our creativity was at work and out came a great show, one like Honduras has never SEEN! Probably not that cool, but we were applauded for our efforts, and between you and me, I'm sure it had everything to do with my sweet emcee-ing skills. Not. But we can pretend. The celebration was very Honduran for several reasons. It was supposed to start at 11:00am, it started at 12:00pm. There was supposed to be food for all the students and teachers, they ran out when it was the teachers turn, and looked so surprised that there weren't enough mashed potatoes. Abby and I were quite upset with the lack of mashed potatoes and then made a bit of a spectacle of ourselves when we went over to all of the 1st and 2nd graders left over plates and began to scavenge for food. I'll give the credit to Abby though, she definitely had less shame than I did. But we both had less shame than Mr. Bob and Cid who were looking at the plates with drooling mouths but weren't doing anything about it. We're Americans, we need our mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving damnit!
For the celebration each class did some sort of presentation. I was in charge of working with the 9-11th graders on their acts, all of which turned out very well I thought. The 1st-3rd graders were adorable of course. They wrote what they were thankful for on a construction paper leaf and came up to the stage and placed the one the construction paper branches of our construction paper tree. The 4th-6th grades wrote poems and performed them for the school. The class who got the biggest cheer won a certificate of great poemness. Cid's 4th graders got robbed simply because they did not know the mechanics of cheering loud for your group. 6th grade came out the winner. The stealers of the show however were no doubt, 11th grade. I helped them come up with this genius idea that will go down in history at HEM school. To make a long story short, they had one of their classmates dress up like a turkey and every so often, in between the different class' acts, he would come out to this cartoon chasing music and be chased all around the auditorium by the rest of the class. It. Was. Classic. I am trying to upload a video right now, but it's not working. It will though, and then you will watch, and subsequently, love. What gave me the idea was actually some happenings that occurred at my beloved UofM. Not sure if this ever happened to any of you, but one day while in my Social Psych lecture, sophomore year, my classroom was invaded by the monkey and banana. Common figures seen in the stands at football games, these two guys, one dressed as a banana, one as a gorilla, would just randomly come into classrooms, public buildings, with the gorilla chasing the banana, with no explanation at all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF-n0LAu_SY&feature=PlayList&p=2F01212A2B1D81F0&playnext=1&index=78Genius
Also the famous pacman being chased by the chomper in the fishbowl.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyAUbtHD8SQ&feature=related
Oh college.
That night, had our first Thanksgiving dinner at Triny and Phil's house. Our turkey was fresh from the farm, as in Phil knew it´s name. Gotta love it. Not only did we have our first Honduran Turkey Day, but we also received the pleasant surprise of finding out that we had no school the next day. Or Monday. HOLLA! I was expecting no days off, and then we got two! Best Thanksgiving present ever. It was SO needed. I've had a Thanksgiving break ever since I was a wee thing, and not having one was going to be quite rough, so thankfully, the Thanksgiving gods were on my side. Woo!
Friday was our first day off since September and let me tell you, this was one of the best days I have had in Honduras. I really really needed this weekend. I have been kind of down and just really stressed out and these couple of free days really re-energized me and helped me be happy again about being here. Friday was a gorgeous day and I went to the park and wrote postcards for almost 2 hours. It was just lovely. I was able to take my time and just sit back and enjoy the happenings around me. Instead of being concerned about what papers I needed to grade and what I needed to plan for class, I got the chance to observe my surroundings and soak up my experience. I am living in Honduras for goodness sake! It is amazing how quick a new place becomes "home." You forget that where you are is completely foreign to what you are used to and know of as home. The rest of the day I just spent leisurely in a coffee shop catching up on this and that. That night was Dani´s birthday and one of the funnest nights I have had in Honduras. First we began low key at our favorite little chill hole in the wall, Cherros. Chris, Abby, Dani, and I all had a beer or two and then went on to our next hot spot, Cuates with live music and friends. We met a few of Chris´work friends, not to mention ran into one of my underage students. Oh Franklin, what a rebel. He was embarrased. Wah Wah. Being done with the live music, we traveled a couple blocks over to a venue of much more quality music, you guessed it, Manzanitas Karaoke. Hollaaa. Abby y yo attempted to sing our favorite Ranchero song, Estos Celos which we hear EVERYWHERE.
I would say every other time I am in a car this freakin song comes on the radio. It´s very catchy so its okay. That attempt went horribly wrong, but what would karaoke be without horrible happening occasionaly? We redemed ourselves with I Will Survive. Good times. See pictures. The night ended with us at Zots dancing the night away. It was so fun.
We were with about 12 people all from different countries- Germany, ChileEngland, U.S., Colombia, Bolivia, Guatemala, and more. It was so cool because we all were just speaking Spanish because it was the common language among all of us. We were all just in this giant circle gettin our groove on. The music was kickin, and when Apple Bottom Jeans came on, Abby and I GOT DOWN. Or should I say Low? We all know it isn´t the greatest song on earth, but it reminded me of summer dance parties in Ann Arbor, and just home in general. Who knew boots with the fur and reeboks with the strap could make a girl so happy. But really, the night was just perfect. Good people and good times. I honestly was having so much fun just dancing dancing dancing, I physically could not get the smile off my face. Like I said, this weekend really helped me remember how cool it was that I am living down here and experiencing something so different and important.
Saturday was our second Thanksgiving dinner where we went over to Mr. Bob´s house and had an absolutely delicious meal. Not to mention, I rode a horse, swung on a rope swing, held a baby goat, and saw 3 day old kittens. A productive day indeed.
They live on such a beautiful piece of land, must be nice. Oh, and we also played spoons! I insisted on bringing in the Kenney family tradish. When there´s family, there´s gotta be spoons. Interesting factoid: Mr. Bob´s girls have been homeschooled all of their lives, and their oldest daughter, Ashley is totally going all Mean Girls next year. She is going to the states to finish up high school as a senior. She has never been to regular school before and has grown up in this crazy random place...helloooo Lindsay Lohan anyone? Unfortunately it´ll be less funny and probably a lot harder. But, what doesn´t kill you will make you stronger. Hm.
The final two days of break were just spent relaxing, maxing all cool, shootin some bball outside of the school. When a couple of guys- they were up to no good! started makin trouble in my neighborhood. I got in one little fit and my mom got scared! She said your moving with your auntie and uncle in Bel Air. Boom boom ba dum dum dum Boom boom ba dum dum dummm.
One important thing did happen on Monday however, Election Day. But that didn´t really affect us. Our important thing was we made appointments to get massages. Holllaaaa. The excitment was overwhelming. The glorious massage will be discussed in a later post. Until then, I´m saying adios!
Starting from the bottom up. As I wrote before, Abby, Mr. Bob, and I were in charge of creating a presentation for the whole school about Thanksgiving. Our creativity was at work and out came a great show, one like Honduras has never SEEN! Probably not that cool, but we were applauded for our efforts, and between you and me, I'm sure it had everything to do with my sweet emcee-ing skills. Not. But we can pretend. The celebration was very Honduran for several reasons. It was supposed to start at 11:00am, it started at 12:00pm. There was supposed to be food for all the students and teachers, they ran out when it was the teachers turn, and looked so surprised that there weren't enough mashed potatoes. Abby and I were quite upset with the lack of mashed potatoes and then made a bit of a spectacle of ourselves when we went over to all of the 1st and 2nd graders left over plates and began to scavenge for food. I'll give the credit to Abby though, she definitely had less shame than I did. But we both had less shame than Mr. Bob and Cid who were looking at the plates with drooling mouths but weren't doing anything about it. We're Americans, we need our mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving damnit!
For the celebration each class did some sort of presentation. I was in charge of working with the 9-11th graders on their acts, all of which turned out very well I thought. The 1st-3rd graders were adorable of course. They wrote what they were thankful for on a construction paper leaf and came up to the stage and placed the one the construction paper branches of our construction paper tree. The 4th-6th grades wrote poems and performed them for the school. The class who got the biggest cheer won a certificate of great poemness. Cid's 4th graders got robbed simply because they did not know the mechanics of cheering loud for your group. 6th grade came out the winner. The stealers of the show however were no doubt, 11th grade. I helped them come up with this genius idea that will go down in history at HEM school. To make a long story short, they had one of their classmates dress up like a turkey and every so often, in between the different class' acts, he would come out to this cartoon chasing music and be chased all around the auditorium by the rest of the class. It. Was. Classic. I am trying to upload a video right now, but it's not working. It will though, and then you will watch, and subsequently, love. What gave me the idea was actually some happenings that occurred at my beloved UofM. Not sure if this ever happened to any of you, but one day while in my Social Psych lecture, sophomore year, my classroom was invaded by the monkey and banana. Common figures seen in the stands at football games, these two guys, one dressed as a banana, one as a gorilla, would just randomly come into classrooms, public buildings, with the gorilla chasing the banana, with no explanation at all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Also the famous pacman being chased by the chomper in the fishbowl.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Oh college.
That night, had our first Thanksgiving dinner at Triny and Phil's house. Our turkey was fresh from the farm, as in Phil knew it´s name. Gotta love it. Not only did we have our first Honduran Turkey Day, but we also received the pleasant surprise of finding out that we had no school the next day. Or Monday. HOLLA! I was expecting no days off, and then we got two! Best Thanksgiving present ever. It was SO needed. I've had a Thanksgiving break ever since I was a wee thing, and not having one was going to be quite rough, so thankfully, the Thanksgiving gods were on my side. Woo!
Abby with Phil and Triny's son, Pablo. Blond curls full of energy.
Friday was our first day off since September and let me tell you, this was one of the best days I have had in Honduras. I really really needed this weekend. I have been kind of down and just really stressed out and these couple of free days really re-energized me and helped me be happy again about being here. Friday was a gorgeous day and I went to the park and wrote postcards for almost 2 hours. It was just lovely. I was able to take my time and just sit back and enjoy the happenings around me. Instead of being concerned about what papers I needed to grade and what I needed to plan for class, I got the chance to observe my surroundings and soak up my experience. I am living in Honduras for goodness sake! It is amazing how quick a new place becomes "home." You forget that where you are is completely foreign to what you are used to and know of as home. The rest of the day I just spent leisurely in a coffee shop catching up on this and that. That night was Dani´s birthday and one of the funnest nights I have had in Honduras. First we began low key at our favorite little chill hole in the wall, Cherros. Chris, Abby, Dani, and I all had a beer or two and then went on to our next hot spot, Cuates with live music and friends. We met a few of Chris´work friends, not to mention ran into one of my underage students. Oh Franklin, what a rebel. He was embarrased. Wah Wah. Being done with the live music, we traveled a couple blocks over to a venue of much more quality music, you guessed it, Manzanitas Karaoke. Hollaaa. Abby y yo attempted to sing our favorite Ranchero song, Estos Celos which we hear EVERYWHERE.
My favorite English speakers in Honduras. Chris and Abby, rockin out to Karaoke, only as they can.
I would say every other time I am in a car this freakin song comes on the radio. It´s very catchy so its okay. That attempt went horribly wrong, but what would karaoke be without horrible happening occasionaly? We redemed ourselves with I Will Survive. Good times. See pictures. The night ended with us at Zots dancing the night away. It was so fun.
Chris doing the limbo at Zots. Fabulous.
We were with about 12 people all from different countries- Germany, ChileEngland, U.S., Colombia, Bolivia, Guatemala, and more. It was so cool because we all were just speaking Spanish because it was the common language among all of us. We were all just in this giant circle gettin our groove on. The music was kickin, and when Apple Bottom Jeans came on, Abby and I GOT DOWN. Or should I say Low? We all know it isn´t the greatest song on earth, but it reminded me of summer dance parties in Ann Arbor, and just home in general. Who knew boots with the fur and reeboks with the strap could make a girl so happy. But really, the night was just perfect. Good people and good times. I honestly was having so much fun just dancing dancing dancing, I physically could not get the smile off my face. Like I said, this weekend really helped me remember how cool it was that I am living down here and experiencing something so different and important.
See what I mean about the smile? This was me all night.
Saturday was our second Thanksgiving dinner where we went over to Mr. Bob´s house and had an absolutely delicious meal. Not to mention, I rode a horse, swung on a rope swing, held a baby goat, and saw 3 day old kittens. A productive day indeed.
Riding a horse for the first time in my life...I think?
Abby holding a baby goat...baaaaaah
Outside at Bob's house. Not sure if this picture does it justice, but it is so peaceful and gorgeous here.
They live on such a beautiful piece of land, must be nice. Oh, and we also played spoons! I insisted on bringing in the Kenney family tradish. When there´s family, there´s gotta be spoons. Interesting factoid: Mr. Bob´s girls have been homeschooled all of their lives, and their oldest daughter, Ashley is totally going all Mean Girls next year. She is going to the states to finish up high school as a senior. She has never been to regular school before and has grown up in this crazy random place...helloooo Lindsay Lohan anyone? Unfortunately it´ll be less funny and probably a lot harder. But, what doesn´t kill you will make you stronger. Hm.
The final two days of break were just spent relaxing, maxing all cool, shootin some bball outside of the school. When a couple of guys- they were up to no good! started makin trouble in my neighborhood. I got in one little fit and my mom got scared! She said your moving with your auntie and uncle in Bel Air. Boom boom ba dum dum dum Boom boom ba dum dum dummm.
One important thing did happen on Monday however, Election Day. But that didn´t really affect us. Our important thing was we made appointments to get massages. Holllaaaa. The excitment was overwhelming. The glorious massage will be discussed in a later post. Until then, I´m saying adios!
I'm Sorry.
Dear Friends, Family, Fans (the three F's if you will),
I am so sorry I have been a slacker and a half on writing my blog. There is a lot to tell and that is precisely the reason that I haven't updated because I have been so busy! Now school is over for Christmas break and I have three weeks of wonderfulness...aka (that's for you, Brent) no school. Unfortunately for all of you, I am leaving tomorrow on a two and a half week trek around Central America. Countries include Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. It's okay to be jealous, I understand.
I want to write a couple of posts before I leave to catch up a bit on the last few weeks, so we'll see what I can get done. Please forgive me for the lack of updates. It will all be covered at some point or another. Just remember, patience is a virtue.
I am so sorry I have been a slacker and a half on writing my blog. There is a lot to tell and that is precisely the reason that I haven't updated because I have been so busy! Now school is over for Christmas break and I have three weeks of wonderfulness...aka (that's for you, Brent) no school. Unfortunately for all of you, I am leaving tomorrow on a two and a half week trek around Central America. Countries include Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. It's okay to be jealous, I understand.
I want to write a couple of posts before I leave to catch up a bit on the last few weeks, so we'll see what I can get done. Please forgive me for the lack of updates. It will all be covered at some point or another. Just remember, patience is a virtue.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Hi, I'm Illegal
Blog Post dedicated to Miss Hailey Apter.
I have officially been in Honduras for three months. Actually, three months and one day. Not only is this my three-month anniversary with this crazy place, but also it is the date that my visa is expired. Today I am officially living illegally in this country.
In my blog I haven’t touched a ton on the frustration and inefficiency of this place where I am now living and teaching, however I know I have spoken to several of you about these minor and major problems. It’s really just one thing after another and isolated, these issues seem minor, but put ‘em all together and it they are a royal pain in my you know what.
Most recently, as you can guess, my passport visa has not been renewed. The school takes in foreign teachers every single year. You would think by now that they have got the whole “let’s not make our teachers be illegal aliens” thing down. Guess not. They had three months to extend our visas and we started reminded them a month ago. We realized our illegal status on Sunday night and gave Miss Triny a call. She said “Oh yeah. Bring your passports on Monday.” Oh okay. Were you EVER going to call us/tell us/get your act together? So now it looks like we are going to have to go to San Pedro Sula on Friday and miss school. Bummer.
The communication issues are probably the biggest problem I have. I have said it before and I will say it again, this is QUITE the test for an Organizational Studies major. Said simply, their communication sucks. Here are some recent examples…
A few weeks ago there was a teachers meeting after school of which we knew about a week beforehand. The day of, the last period, Miss Julie came to my classroom and said that Abby and I didn’t have to attend the meeting. Being told last minute- typical, but I can handle it. Why didn’t we have to attend the meeting? Apparently because the meeting was going to be about telling the other teachers what they are doing wrong, and we’re doing everything right. Oohhh okay. There are a few things wrong with this equation. Firstly, the idea that we do everything right is absolutely false. However, they will never tell us this because they a) do not like confrontation and b) do not want to “upset” the American teachers. We are treated much different than the other teachers, and it is totally and completely accepted. The idea that everyone should be treated equally is just not there. We’re American, so we deserve to be above the rules a bit. Miss Diana has her master’s degree so she can do whatever she wants. Just how it is- blatant and accepted. The second thing wrong with this is- wait a minute- what if we had a problem that we wanted to bring up at the meeting? What if we had something to say? This would never occur to the administration because they don’t understand the term “collaboration.” The school is an extremely disorganized dictatorship. Naturally Abby and I are the American revolutionaries, making it a point to not really care what the administration says, especially when things are completely unjustified. The Honduran teachers on the other hand; it is ridiculous how focused they are on the rules and bending these rules totally does not cross their mind. They may not teach, they may just have their students read out of the book day in and day out, not make lessons creative, require ridiculous homework from their students, but by God they will give tests exactly every two weeks, report every failing grade, and never drink coffee in the classroom.
Because Mr. Bob’s daughter, Anna, is at HEM School, we have a bit of spy from whom we can get the teacher chisma (gossip). One teacher, not coincidentally Miss Julie’s (in charge of all the teachers) brother, literally does not teach. He is a social studies teacher who probably couldn’t tell you anything about social or studies, not to mention past wars, geography, world leaders…you catch my drift. Apparently he assigns work in the book half of the time and the rest of the time he gives the kids free period and tells them to “keep it down so no one finds out.” Teaching at its finest! So he doesn’t teach, but has ridiculous expectations. Anna turned in homework on a lined piece of paper. Seems fine, right? Not so fast! He made her redo the homework, on a blank piece of white paper, making her draw an exactly one-inch border around the edge. WHY? WHAT IS THE POINT??? It is so clear that with some of these teachers, the focus is NOT on learning, rather presentation and memorization. No wonder they like the American teachers the most. It’s not that we’re amazing teachers…we actually give a care that they enjoy class, learn, have variation, and have fun. What a concept.
So I just went off on a major tangent there. Back to that meeting from which we were dis-invited. The next day we asked Claudia what we missed. A few things here and there and then she mentioned that we had to plan something for Thanksgiving. We, being the American teachers, aka me, Abby, and Bob. Additionally, my students were telling me something about something called Kermés that we had to plan. Huh? What is Kermés? When is Kermés? I’m confused. Well, we figured that they would tell us at some point what this might include. One week passes. Nothing. Another week passes. Nothing. Apparently there is something called Kermés happening on Saturday and there is a two-hour block put aside for something on Thanksgiving Day. And, in true H.E.M School fashion, we have absolutely no direction from anyone on what we are supposed to do. If it weren’t for Claudia casually saying something, we would have been completely in the dark about these festivities and our apparent role in planning them. (You may also be wondering- why the heck are they celebrating Thanksgiving in Honduras? My answer? I have no clue. Pilgrims? Native Americans? Plymouth Rock? May Flower? Turkey, Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry Sauce? It all just screams Honduras!)
After our next teacher meeting we brought this up with Miss Triny, Miss Gloria, and Miss Julie. It was a little nerve racking, but we’re a pair of mavericks, so it’s fine. What are they going to do? Fire us? No. Anytime I am thinking about bending the rules or doing something out of the ordinary (like using the library with my class- GASP! Going into the computer lab with my class! The Horror!) I always think- well, they aren’t going to fire me, and they can’t stand confrontation, so- might as well! This confrontation went fairly as expected. Miss Gloria, being the tyrant that she is…well…let me just give you a play by play of the conversation…
Us: We just wanted to bring up the communication issue to you all. We haven’t been told about very much at all from the administration. We only heard about Kermés from our students, had no idea what really was going on, and if it weren’t for Claudia, we would still be in the dark about Thanksgiving. We just wanted to bring this to your attention…
Miss Gloria: Yes. Yes. Certainly. You should know these things.
Miss Julie: (nods her head, says nothing)
Miss Triny: Yes. Well. What about the last meeting?
Us: We were told not to go.
Miss Gloria: Yes. Yes. They were not here.
Us: Yeah, Miss Julie told us not to go.
Miss Triny: oh. Yes. Yes.
Miss Gloria: You know, this is ALL Julie’s responsibility. She is in charge of the teachers and she should be doing her job better. As far as I know, you are being told these things. This is Julie’s responsibility.
Miss Julie: (stands there. Silent. Aawwwkkkwwarrrd)
Miss Gloria: I mean, I don’t want to wash my hands of this, but I mean, this is her responsibility. She should have told you.
It basically went on like this. We finally did get a “We’re sorry” from them and expressed our need to be informed. We'll see if anything ACTUALLY changes. 100 Lempira says no. Our friend, Chris, did a great impression of Miss Gloria after we shared this story with him. “I don’t want to wash my hands of this…but you better believe I’m going to…! And look at Julie’s hands…they are just filthy! Dirty dirty hands Miss Julie! Dirt, all over her hands- filthy!” It was funnier in person with his facial expressions and English accent, but you get the point.
Anyway, I could continue on and on and on about their communication skills, or lack there of, but it’s pretty exhausting to write, recollect, and read, I’m sure. The moral of this story is that adapting to a new culture is not all fun and games, lollipops and gumdrops. It is EXTREMELY frustrating because it just DOES NOT MAKE SENSE! My friend Kate who is doing the Peace Corps in Tanzania put it perfectly, “Nothing is normal here. Everything has to be ridiculous.” It’s so true. It’s like they are purposefully not making sense and doing things inefficiently.
About a month ago we volunteered for the relief effort after some nearby towns were hit really badly with flooding. Our job was to create care packages of food and clothing. Cid, Abby, and I started an assembly line at our clothes corner. As we all learned in U.S. History, we got some much more done in half the time. The other Hondurans could not get it! They just continued to do everything themselves, even when we were like “Here, why don’t you get in our line and it’ll go quicker!” They just looked at us, smiled, and kept doing what they were doing. It all goes back to the “time is money” efficient attitude of Americans, an attitude that I really cannot seem to get rid of, and honestly, don’t really want to let go.
There is good news however. Today does not just mark my 3 month anniversary and my visa being expired…it is officially and exactly one month until Christmas!!!!!! A few days ago a friend sent me some very much needed Bing Crosby Christmas music. I must say, even though I am in Honduras, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas here as well. Christmas trees in houses, ribbons on light posts, ornaments and garland being sold in the stores. Time may not be money here, but no matter where you are, Christmas is Christmas…and this, my dear readers, will never fail to make my spirits bright.
I have officially been in Honduras for three months. Actually, three months and one day. Not only is this my three-month anniversary with this crazy place, but also it is the date that my visa is expired. Today I am officially living illegally in this country.
In my blog I haven’t touched a ton on the frustration and inefficiency of this place where I am now living and teaching, however I know I have spoken to several of you about these minor and major problems. It’s really just one thing after another and isolated, these issues seem minor, but put ‘em all together and it they are a royal pain in my you know what.
Most recently, as you can guess, my passport visa has not been renewed. The school takes in foreign teachers every single year. You would think by now that they have got the whole “let’s not make our teachers be illegal aliens” thing down. Guess not. They had three months to extend our visas and we started reminded them a month ago. We realized our illegal status on Sunday night and gave Miss Triny a call. She said “Oh yeah. Bring your passports on Monday.” Oh okay. Were you EVER going to call us/tell us/get your act together? So now it looks like we are going to have to go to San Pedro Sula on Friday and miss school. Bummer.
The communication issues are probably the biggest problem I have. I have said it before and I will say it again, this is QUITE the test for an Organizational Studies major. Said simply, their communication sucks. Here are some recent examples…
A few weeks ago there was a teachers meeting after school of which we knew about a week beforehand. The day of, the last period, Miss Julie came to my classroom and said that Abby and I didn’t have to attend the meeting. Being told last minute- typical, but I can handle it. Why didn’t we have to attend the meeting? Apparently because the meeting was going to be about telling the other teachers what they are doing wrong, and we’re doing everything right. Oohhh okay. There are a few things wrong with this equation. Firstly, the idea that we do everything right is absolutely false. However, they will never tell us this because they a) do not like confrontation and b) do not want to “upset” the American teachers. We are treated much different than the other teachers, and it is totally and completely accepted. The idea that everyone should be treated equally is just not there. We’re American, so we deserve to be above the rules a bit. Miss Diana has her master’s degree so she can do whatever she wants. Just how it is- blatant and accepted. The second thing wrong with this is- wait a minute- what if we had a problem that we wanted to bring up at the meeting? What if we had something to say? This would never occur to the administration because they don’t understand the term “collaboration.” The school is an extremely disorganized dictatorship. Naturally Abby and I are the American revolutionaries, making it a point to not really care what the administration says, especially when things are completely unjustified. The Honduran teachers on the other hand; it is ridiculous how focused they are on the rules and bending these rules totally does not cross their mind. They may not teach, they may just have their students read out of the book day in and day out, not make lessons creative, require ridiculous homework from their students, but by God they will give tests exactly every two weeks, report every failing grade, and never drink coffee in the classroom.
Because Mr. Bob’s daughter, Anna, is at HEM School, we have a bit of spy from whom we can get the teacher chisma (gossip). One teacher, not coincidentally Miss Julie’s (in charge of all the teachers) brother, literally does not teach. He is a social studies teacher who probably couldn’t tell you anything about social or studies, not to mention past wars, geography, world leaders…you catch my drift. Apparently he assigns work in the book half of the time and the rest of the time he gives the kids free period and tells them to “keep it down so no one finds out.” Teaching at its finest! So he doesn’t teach, but has ridiculous expectations. Anna turned in homework on a lined piece of paper. Seems fine, right? Not so fast! He made her redo the homework, on a blank piece of white paper, making her draw an exactly one-inch border around the edge. WHY? WHAT IS THE POINT??? It is so clear that with some of these teachers, the focus is NOT on learning, rather presentation and memorization. No wonder they like the American teachers the most. It’s not that we’re amazing teachers…we actually give a care that they enjoy class, learn, have variation, and have fun. What a concept.
So I just went off on a major tangent there. Back to that meeting from which we were dis-invited. The next day we asked Claudia what we missed. A few things here and there and then she mentioned that we had to plan something for Thanksgiving. We, being the American teachers, aka me, Abby, and Bob. Additionally, my students were telling me something about something called Kermés that we had to plan. Huh? What is Kermés? When is Kermés? I’m confused. Well, we figured that they would tell us at some point what this might include. One week passes. Nothing. Another week passes. Nothing. Apparently there is something called Kermés happening on Saturday and there is a two-hour block put aside for something on Thanksgiving Day. And, in true H.E.M School fashion, we have absolutely no direction from anyone on what we are supposed to do. If it weren’t for Claudia casually saying something, we would have been completely in the dark about these festivities and our apparent role in planning them. (You may also be wondering- why the heck are they celebrating Thanksgiving in Honduras? My answer? I have no clue. Pilgrims? Native Americans? Plymouth Rock? May Flower? Turkey, Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry Sauce? It all just screams Honduras!)
After our next teacher meeting we brought this up with Miss Triny, Miss Gloria, and Miss Julie. It was a little nerve racking, but we’re a pair of mavericks, so it’s fine. What are they going to do? Fire us? No. Anytime I am thinking about bending the rules or doing something out of the ordinary (like using the library with my class- GASP! Going into the computer lab with my class! The Horror!) I always think- well, they aren’t going to fire me, and they can’t stand confrontation, so- might as well! This confrontation went fairly as expected. Miss Gloria, being the tyrant that she is…well…let me just give you a play by play of the conversation…
Us: We just wanted to bring up the communication issue to you all. We haven’t been told about very much at all from the administration. We only heard about Kermés from our students, had no idea what really was going on, and if it weren’t for Claudia, we would still be in the dark about Thanksgiving. We just wanted to bring this to your attention…
Miss Gloria: Yes. Yes. Certainly. You should know these things.
Miss Julie: (nods her head, says nothing)
Miss Triny: Yes. Well. What about the last meeting?
Us: We were told not to go.
Miss Gloria: Yes. Yes. They were not here.
Us: Yeah, Miss Julie told us not to go.
Miss Triny: oh. Yes. Yes.
Miss Gloria: You know, this is ALL Julie’s responsibility. She is in charge of the teachers and she should be doing her job better. As far as I know, you are being told these things. This is Julie’s responsibility.
Miss Julie: (stands there. Silent. Aawwwkkkwwarrrd)
Miss Gloria: I mean, I don’t want to wash my hands of this, but I mean, this is her responsibility. She should have told you.
It basically went on like this. We finally did get a “We’re sorry” from them and expressed our need to be informed. We'll see if anything ACTUALLY changes. 100 Lempira says no. Our friend, Chris, did a great impression of Miss Gloria after we shared this story with him. “I don’t want to wash my hands of this…but you better believe I’m going to…! And look at Julie’s hands…they are just filthy! Dirty dirty hands Miss Julie! Dirt, all over her hands- filthy!” It was funnier in person with his facial expressions and English accent, but you get the point.
Anyway, I could continue on and on and on about their communication skills, or lack there of, but it’s pretty exhausting to write, recollect, and read, I’m sure. The moral of this story is that adapting to a new culture is not all fun and games, lollipops and gumdrops. It is EXTREMELY frustrating because it just DOES NOT MAKE SENSE! My friend Kate who is doing the Peace Corps in Tanzania put it perfectly, “Nothing is normal here. Everything has to be ridiculous.” It’s so true. It’s like they are purposefully not making sense and doing things inefficiently.
About a month ago we volunteered for the relief effort after some nearby towns were hit really badly with flooding. Our job was to create care packages of food and clothing. Cid, Abby, and I started an assembly line at our clothes corner. As we all learned in U.S. History, we got some much more done in half the time. The other Hondurans could not get it! They just continued to do everything themselves, even when we were like “Here, why don’t you get in our line and it’ll go quicker!” They just looked at us, smiled, and kept doing what they were doing. It all goes back to the “time is money” efficient attitude of Americans, an attitude that I really cannot seem to get rid of, and honestly, don’t really want to let go.
There is good news however. Today does not just mark my 3 month anniversary and my visa being expired…it is officially and exactly one month until Christmas!!!!!! A few days ago a friend sent me some very much needed Bing Crosby Christmas music. I must say, even though I am in Honduras, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas here as well. Christmas trees in houses, ribbons on light posts, ornaments and garland being sold in the stores. Time may not be money here, but no matter where you are, Christmas is Christmas…and this, my dear readers, will never fail to make my spirits bright.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
My Thoughts Exactly, Keith
Couldn't have said it any better myself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnHyy8gkNEE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnHyy8gkNEE
Friday, November 21, 2008
Couch Surfing
When we first got to Honduras we were given a letter from the former North American teachers with several pointers about working at the school, living in Santa Rosa, and over all enjoying our next ten months. One thing that the former teachers suggested was that we sign up for couchsurfing.com, a networking website among travelers, backpackers, and the like looking for cheap places to stay and to meet fellow world explorers. Abby and I have taken the idea of hosting couch surfers to a whole new level. We are basically our own hotel. Two weeks ago we had four couch surfers in one week! They all came one after another…in and out- Belgium, California, Alaska, and Africa!
Now, many people will say, “Wait- so…you just let strangers stay in your house?” Well, yes. It is so much more than that though. Anyone who has traveled can understand this. There is this bond that happens between travelers and backpackers that cannot really be explained. A love of exploration, meeting new people, having new experiences, trying new things, and taking risks are all qualities that travelers, especially those in a much less touristy place like Central America, usually posses in some form or another. Not to mention, finding, as Anne of Green Gables would say, a “kindred spirit,” in a foreign place can be essential to ones sanity. Everyone we have met have not only been extremely nice, but additionally they have all been fantastically fascinating. From traveling to Antartica to growing up in Africa we have really enjoyed hearing all of their stories and making our world, just a little bit smaller.
Abby and I have been living in Santa Rosa for almost three months now (can you believe it!? Three months!) and have already had twelve couch surfers. Pretty impressive, I’d say. Not a ton of tourists come through Santa Rosa but considering we are the only people who are on couch surfing in this part of Honduras, we are the go to peeps. Not to mention we’ve been getting awesome reviews, so clearly, we are becoming a tourist attraction of our own. Abby’s secret dream in life is to own a hostel in Central America so she’s all about it and loves playing host, as do I. It’s really the perfect situation- we have two extra beds and an extra bathroom. Not to mention, we usually get a really good meal out of it! So, without further ado, I give you, our couch surfers!
Adam and David- Leeds, England. You already met these crazy Brits. But now, I have pictures from the infamous evening. Please see blog post of September 17 and then look at these pictures…a very VERY humorous night out.
Rebecca and Ryan- Toronto, Canada. Recently married couple, stayed with us for a couple of days. Traveling Central and South American for 10 months together. Rebecca is a jazz singer and sings with a big band! Aka…I want her job. They volunteered with us at the orphanage and even though they didn’t speak much Spanish, all of the kids fell in love with them. One of the sweetest images I have seen was from the moment we all walked into the orphanage, Rebecca and Ryan had little girls immediately all over them, holding their hands, wanting to be their friend. Later Rebecca entertained the kids with guitar and songs. They were great guests, really nice, genuine people.
Pasquale and Augustine- Naples, Italy & Mexico City, Mexico. These two best friends stayed with us for only about 8 hours, arriving around 7:00 PM and leaving at 4:00AM to catch their bus to El Salvador. Never the less, they entertained us with their stories and cooked us a fabulous, authentically made, Italian spaghetti dish. Their English was pretty good, but one cool thing about foreigners like them is that our conversations consist of at least three languages interspersed throughout. A fly on the wall may find it a little hard to follow- the SpanItalianish- but it works for us. Just another example of why couch surfing is so cool.
Laura- England. A friend of Chris, Laura stayed with us for a night. I didn’t get to talk to her a ton, but she was busy working in Costa Rica for a company that matches volunteers to different social projects throughout the country. She was really chill and gave us some great travel advice.
Danny- Buffalo, NY. We met Danny in Copan Ruinas during our Halloween extravaganza. He has been traveling in C.A. for about 3 months I think. He basically is staying down here until he runs out of money…which he hopes is never. Danny kept commenting on our very bare walls downstairs that are starving for some color and decoration. We came home the next day to a new accessory on the wall- a Honduran flag that Danny had signed. A great idea! Now we have two flags that all our couch surfers have to sign. A perfect momento!
Gregory- Belgium. What a loco! In a good way. He has been traveling for 2 years and 2 months throughout South and Central America on- wait for it- his BICYCLE. No joke. This fool is so cool. He is a little older, and I kind of deduced that this was maybe a really awesome mid life crisis adventure. He stayed with us for two days one of which he made us a DELICIOUS dinner…slaving in the kitchen for at least three hours. Ridiculous. Oh, and did I mention, along his trip he went to ANTARTICA?!? He showed us amazing photos from the trip. Anyone up for a vacation to the Artic? Cause I really want to go now. Check out his website. http://www.verdwaaldezwerver.be/ If you can figure out enough Dutch/German to understand that Fotos = Photos, take a look at his Antartica pics. They're pretty sweet. He is going to write a book when he gets back…I’d say there aren’t too many Belgian books about riding your bicycle through every country in South and Central America. I think he just might have a niche market there. Yeayyy Gregory!
Kevin- Oakland, CA. This kid gets the small world and best dinner-never to be topped- award. Firstly, he is from Nor Cal, grew up in Santa Rosa, CA and graduated from U.C. Santa Cruz two years before Abby. Not to mention, these two already had met each other on top of a volcano in Guatemala back in August. A funny guy, and a great chef, he will certainly be welcome back in our home any time. Get this- he made us chicken soup from scratch (which was muy rica) annnd an incredibly epic dessert.
Abby and I were doing work as he was cooking and all of a sudden I smelt chocolate, prompting me to say, “Is that CHOCOLATE?” to which he replied, “Yes, yes there may be some chocolate goin on in here…” The soup was very tasty and Chris happened to be over and was able to partake in the dining festivities as well. At one point, we were all remarking over the fact that this dinner was never going to be topped by any couch surfer. To which I, for some reason, very matter of factly, replied, “Well…it might be topped, it IS possible.” We all had a big laugh about that comment. Well, after our meal, Kevin brought out- wait for it- CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES. He made them, in our little kitchen. We were in awe. Definitely will NOT be topped. There’s just no way.
Brian- Alaska. Born and raised on a tiny fishing island in Alaska, Brian decided to go to Northern Arizona University for college. Despite the Alaska/Arizona reppin’ he was not in favor of McCain/Palin, but of course that was our first question. Brian was pretty chill, had some interesting stories about growing up on an island not to mention about the “interesting” couple he and his girlfriend met in La Ceiba who were on a raw food diet (this includes raw MEAT) and were planning to sail to Thailand. Apparently Brian and said girlfriend were planning on sailing with them until they found out the rules of the sailboat- Raw Food and Anything Goes…the latter referring to a 1960’s style of free love…if you catch my drift. To make a long story short, Brian is no longer sailing to Thailand and no longer has a girlfriend. Yeah. Wherever your mind is going right now, you are on the right track. He was nice but he didn’t sign our flag. LAME. He did however bring us two bottles of wine upon arrival…decent trade off I suppose.
Michael- Lempira, Honduras/Northern Indiana/Ghana, Africa. Mike is currently volunteering in La Campa and Gracias through some Menninite organization based in the States. He was a really nice guy who was basically just looking for a weekend away from his tiny little town. Mike also holds…or HELD the honor of having the first place position on CouchSurfing.com for Honduras as he had the most friends/references/vouches. However, he has since been knocked down to number three, while our association with him has brought us up to number ten! Holla…we’re like the Jeffersons…just movin on up! Mike had an interesting background- parents were Meninite missionaries and he grew up- Mean Girls style- in Africa. However, his family is originally from Elkhart, IN! Northern Indy…worrrrd.
We had some really deep convos with Mike about traveling, volunteering, and just life. Btw, I feel as though using the abbrev, “convos” demeans the idea that they were actually, in fact, “deep.” I have to admit though, during some of these “deep convos” I felt the three of us were being a little pretentious. Discussing our opinions on helping the third world, doing aid work, learning about a new culture…it seemed more of a platform to talk about all of the cool volunteer stuff you have done in your life and how this makes you a good person. After a while I just stopped talking about my volunteer experiences because I felt like they were being tarnished, as if I only did them so I could impress people who care about that sort of thing. Instead of leaving me more enlightened, the “deep convo” left me a little annoyed. Not a big deal, but I think it’s important for me to remember. Oh also, he is in the process of transferring colleges and wants to go to, gasp, Appalachian State. I wasn’t really listening to the conversation but all of a sudden I heard him say “…this college in North Carolina called Appalachian State…” and I let out a huge “Uahgahghhhhhahhahhh” Considering I was not at all in the conversation (it was an A and B conversation and I was C-ing my way out of it…4th grade jokes = la mejor), he and Abby were a little confused by my reaction. “What did App State do to you?” he said, and then soon remembered, “Oh. Yeah. They beat Michigan.” Gross. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVENWl8uBeg ...It's fine.) Anyway, we are definitely planning on visiting Mike as we really want to explore Gracias and the villages around. It’s about a 45 minute trip there, so not too bad and some really cool nature things to see like hot springs and the tallest mountain in Honduras.
This weekend we have no couch surfers…amazing! It’ll be nice to just be able to chill a little bit. This whole couch surfing idea is genius though. The best part is that we are forever connected with these people. Even if it is only in memory, they will have shared a little bit of themselves with us and vice versa. Even more cool is that I would feel completely comfortable contacting any of these people if I were ever in their neck of the woods. Abby and I may have to do our own world tour in a few years and visit all of our new friends. Who knows who else we might meet throughout this year...all I know is that they better sign the flag…it’s REALLY cool.
Now, many people will say, “Wait- so…you just let strangers stay in your house?” Well, yes. It is so much more than that though. Anyone who has traveled can understand this. There is this bond that happens between travelers and backpackers that cannot really be explained. A love of exploration, meeting new people, having new experiences, trying new things, and taking risks are all qualities that travelers, especially those in a much less touristy place like Central America, usually posses in some form or another. Not to mention, finding, as Anne of Green Gables would say, a “kindred spirit,” in a foreign place can be essential to ones sanity. Everyone we have met have not only been extremely nice, but additionally they have all been fantastically fascinating. From traveling to Antartica to growing up in Africa we have really enjoyed hearing all of their stories and making our world, just a little bit smaller.
Abby and I have been living in Santa Rosa for almost three months now (can you believe it!? Three months!) and have already had twelve couch surfers. Pretty impressive, I’d say. Not a ton of tourists come through Santa Rosa but considering we are the only people who are on couch surfing in this part of Honduras, we are the go to peeps. Not to mention we’ve been getting awesome reviews, so clearly, we are becoming a tourist attraction of our own. Abby’s secret dream in life is to own a hostel in Central America so she’s all about it and loves playing host, as do I. It’s really the perfect situation- we have two extra beds and an extra bathroom. Not to mention, we usually get a really good meal out of it! So, without further ado, I give you, our couch surfers!
Adam and David- Leeds, England. You already met these crazy Brits. But now, I have pictures from the infamous evening. Please see blog post of September 17 and then look at these pictures…a very VERY humorous night out.
Drunkette, in all her glory.
"You are very pretty for me"
"Far across the distance, and spaces, betweeeen us, you have come to show you...go OOnnnn"
Large and scary man who was unofficially (officially in his mind) our body guard for the night.
Rebecca and Ryan- Toronto, Canada. Recently married couple, stayed with us for a couple of days. Traveling Central and South American for 10 months together. Rebecca is a jazz singer and sings with a big band! Aka…I want her job. They volunteered with us at the orphanage and even though they didn’t speak much Spanish, all of the kids fell in love with them. One of the sweetest images I have seen was from the moment we all walked into the orphanage, Rebecca and Ryan had little girls immediately all over them, holding their hands, wanting to be their friend. Later Rebecca entertained the kids with guitar and songs. They were great guests, really nice, genuine people.
Pasquale and Augustine- Naples, Italy & Mexico City, Mexico. These two best friends stayed with us for only about 8 hours, arriving around 7:00 PM and leaving at 4:00AM to catch their bus to El Salvador. Never the less, they entertained us with their stories and cooked us a fabulous, authentically made, Italian spaghetti dish. Their English was pretty good, but one cool thing about foreigners like them is that our conversations consist of at least three languages interspersed throughout. A fly on the wall may find it a little hard to follow- the SpanItalianish- but it works for us. Just another example of why couch surfing is so cool.
Pasquale and Augustine...oh and my awesome roommate.
Laura- England. A friend of Chris, Laura stayed with us for a night. I didn’t get to talk to her a ton, but she was busy working in Costa Rica for a company that matches volunteers to different social projects throughout the country. She was really chill and gave us some great travel advice.
Danny- Buffalo, NY. We met Danny in Copan Ruinas during our Halloween extravaganza. He has been traveling in C.A. for about 3 months I think. He basically is staying down here until he runs out of money…which he hopes is never. Danny kept commenting on our very bare walls downstairs that are starving for some color and decoration. We came home the next day to a new accessory on the wall- a Honduran flag that Danny had signed. A great idea! Now we have two flags that all our couch surfers have to sign. A perfect momento!
Danny is on the left, Phil is on the right, another compañero we met in Copan. Discussing to which continent Central America really belongs. There are many arguments and it is QUITE a mystery.
Gregory- Belgium. What a loco! In a good way. He has been traveling for 2 years and 2 months throughout South and Central America on- wait for it- his BICYCLE. No joke. This fool is so cool. He is a little older, and I kind of deduced that this was maybe a really awesome mid life crisis adventure. He stayed with us for two days one of which he made us a DELICIOUS dinner…slaving in the kitchen for at least three hours. Ridiculous. Oh, and did I mention, along his trip he went to ANTARTICA?!? He showed us amazing photos from the trip. Anyone up for a vacation to the Artic? Cause I really want to go now. Check out his website. http://www.verdwaaldezwerver.be/ If you can figure out enough Dutch/German to understand that Fotos = Photos, take a look at his Antartica pics. They're pretty sweet. He is going to write a book when he gets back…I’d say there aren’t too many Belgian books about riding your bicycle through every country in South and Central America. I think he just might have a niche market there. Yeayyy Gregory!
Kevin- Oakland, CA. This kid gets the small world and best dinner-never to be topped- award. Firstly, he is from Nor Cal, grew up in Santa Rosa, CA and graduated from U.C. Santa Cruz two years before Abby. Not to mention, these two already had met each other on top of a volcano in Guatemala back in August. A funny guy, and a great chef, he will certainly be welcome back in our home any time. Get this- he made us chicken soup from scratch (which was muy rica) annnd an incredibly epic dessert.
Kevin and part of his master piece.
Abby and I were doing work as he was cooking and all of a sudden I smelt chocolate, prompting me to say, “Is that CHOCOLATE?” to which he replied, “Yes, yes there may be some chocolate goin on in here…” The soup was very tasty and Chris happened to be over and was able to partake in the dining festivities as well. At one point, we were all remarking over the fact that this dinner was never going to be topped by any couch surfer. To which I, for some reason, very matter of factly, replied, “Well…it might be topped, it IS possible.” We all had a big laugh about that comment. Well, after our meal, Kevin brought out- wait for it- CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES. He made them, in our little kitchen. We were in awe. Definitely will NOT be topped. There’s just no way.
Brian- Alaska. Born and raised on a tiny fishing island in Alaska, Brian decided to go to Northern Arizona University for college. Despite the Alaska/Arizona reppin’ he was not in favor of McCain/Palin, but of course that was our first question. Brian was pretty chill, had some interesting stories about growing up on an island not to mention about the “interesting” couple he and his girlfriend met in La Ceiba who were on a raw food diet (this includes raw MEAT) and were planning to sail to Thailand. Apparently Brian and said girlfriend were planning on sailing with them until they found out the rules of the sailboat- Raw Food and Anything Goes…the latter referring to a 1960’s style of free love…if you catch my drift. To make a long story short, Brian is no longer sailing to Thailand and no longer has a girlfriend. Yeah. Wherever your mind is going right now, you are on the right track. He was nice but he didn’t sign our flag. LAME. He did however bring us two bottles of wine upon arrival…decent trade off I suppose.
Michael- Lempira, Honduras/Northern Indiana/Ghana, Africa. Mike is currently volunteering in La Campa and Gracias through some Menninite organization based in the States. He was a really nice guy who was basically just looking for a weekend away from his tiny little town. Mike also holds…or HELD the honor of having the first place position on CouchSurfing.com for Honduras as he had the most friends/references/vouches. However, he has since been knocked down to number three, while our association with him has brought us up to number ten! Holla…we’re like the Jeffersons…just movin on up! Mike had an interesting background- parents were Meninite missionaries and he grew up- Mean Girls style- in Africa. However, his family is originally from Elkhart, IN! Northern Indy…worrrrd.
Michael, legit couch-surfing
We had some really deep convos with Mike about traveling, volunteering, and just life. Btw, I feel as though using the abbrev, “convos” demeans the idea that they were actually, in fact, “deep.” I have to admit though, during some of these “deep convos” I felt the three of us were being a little pretentious. Discussing our opinions on helping the third world, doing aid work, learning about a new culture…it seemed more of a platform to talk about all of the cool volunteer stuff you have done in your life and how this makes you a good person. After a while I just stopped talking about my volunteer experiences because I felt like they were being tarnished, as if I only did them so I could impress people who care about that sort of thing. Instead of leaving me more enlightened, the “deep convo” left me a little annoyed. Not a big deal, but I think it’s important for me to remember. Oh also, he is in the process of transferring colleges and wants to go to, gasp, Appalachian State. I wasn’t really listening to the conversation but all of a sudden I heard him say “…this college in North Carolina called Appalachian State…” and I let out a huge “Uahgahghhhhhahhahhh” Considering I was not at all in the conversation (it was an A and B conversation and I was C-ing my way out of it…4th grade jokes = la mejor), he and Abby were a little confused by my reaction. “What did App State do to you?” he said, and then soon remembered, “Oh. Yeah. They beat Michigan.” Gross. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVENWl8uBeg ...It's fine.) Anyway, we are definitely planning on visiting Mike as we really want to explore Gracias and the villages around. It’s about a 45 minute trip there, so not too bad and some really cool nature things to see like hot springs and the tallest mountain in Honduras.
This weekend we have no couch surfers…amazing! It’ll be nice to just be able to chill a little bit. This whole couch surfing idea is genius though. The best part is that we are forever connected with these people. Even if it is only in memory, they will have shared a little bit of themselves with us and vice versa. Even more cool is that I would feel completely comfortable contacting any of these people if I were ever in their neck of the woods. Abby and I may have to do our own world tour in a few years and visit all of our new friends. Who knows who else we might meet throughout this year...all I know is that they better sign the flag…it’s REALLY cool.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Down By the Bay...Where the Watermelons Grow...
Back to my hoooome...
I dare not goooo...
For if I doooo...
My mother will saayaay...
Have you ever seen a dead horse's carcass being eaten to the bone by vultures?
Down by the bay!
A few weeks ago, Abby informed me that on our usual route to school, there was a dead horse, just chillin there, that someone, I guess, had dumped, or even sadder, just left to die. In conjunction with this new addition to our morning school trip, was the overwhelming presence of black vultures spread out along our road to school. Finally, I put the two together. When I at last saw the dead horse's carcass it was, yes, in fact, dead and completely covered with vultures eating it to the very bone. This would have been a fantastic time lapse episode of Planet Earth. Every day we go by the body and every day there is less and less of it. First the skin was all gone. Then, the meat, and now it is just a skeleton. I've never seen anything like it.
Nature at it's finest.
I dare not goooo...
For if I doooo...
My mother will saayaay...
Have you ever seen a dead horse's carcass being eaten to the bone by vultures?
Down by the bay!
A few weeks ago, Abby informed me that on our usual route to school, there was a dead horse, just chillin there, that someone, I guess, had dumped, or even sadder, just left to die. In conjunction with this new addition to our morning school trip, was the overwhelming presence of black vultures spread out along our road to school. Finally, I put the two together. When I at last saw the dead horse's carcass it was, yes, in fact, dead and completely covered with vultures eating it to the very bone. This would have been a fantastic time lapse episode of Planet Earth. Every day we go by the body and every day there is less and less of it. First the skin was all gone. Then, the meat, and now it is just a skeleton. I've never seen anything like it.
Nature at it's finest.
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