So camp is winding down! It's been a bit of a stressful week, trying to think about all of the things we need to do to to conclude camp, but also thinking about flights (multiple flights in my case--one stop in Panama City before I make it to Argentina), and packing as well! In any case, I've really enjoyed this last week. I got a bit stressed last week; the kids were pretty badly behaved and I was not sure how to handle it. But this week, they've all been so sweet. It's been great to see how certain ones really have improved in behavior, etc. They're so sad that I'm leaving and keep asking me to come visit! I really will miss them!
Off to Argentina on Saturday para viajar con mi hermano! Can't wait!
Short post, sorry, got to go shower before all of the volunteers eat baleadas at Don Wil's house. The best baleadas will be happening soon.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
A Couple of Opportunities to Drown...
This weekend has been great! I've really had a good, relaxing, fun, exciting weekend.
On Friday, a group of us went to play soccer. After playing for a bit, it started to rain, which is not really an unusual occurrence or a problem. So we kept playing, and it started MONSOONING. Our shoes were drenched, so we started playing barefoot. The water was pooling on the field so every time you kicked it (as hard as you could), it would go like 4 feet max. After attempting to play like this for a while, we slowly but surely started all leaving the game to run and slide down the field or cartwheel, and just run around being crazy. It was so fun! It really was an awesome afternoon.
I was also told at one point, "I was going to say that you were the least graceful person I'd ever met, and then you did those cartwheels and redeemed yourself." Me, laughing: "Do you realize I'm a ballet dancer?" Apparently my dancing skillz leave me graceless on the futbol field. :)
On Saturday morning, we left around 7 am to take a bus to Lago de Yojoa. We split up into 2 groups: one for a long hike, and one for a shorter. I was on team short hike. We ended up roaming around a beauuuuutiful archeological park near the lake. It was great, but we were all tired. We came back to our hotel at the D & D Brewery, a really cozy place run by an American, and took naps. I was staying in a cozy little cabin with 3 others, but they were all on the longer hike, so I had the place to myself. I ordered a freshly made limonada, some nachos, and read my book. I then took A HOT SHOWER. It was amazing, really. When team long hike got back, they all showered, and we stayed at the brewery, just hanging out. It was a really cool place. They made all of their food and drinks, so everything was tasty. They had different flavored homemade sodas, strawberry, rasberry, and apricot beers, and lots of other deliciousness. A man who has a bar in San Pedro also led a game of trivia. My team lost in the tie-breaker, but we still got a consolation prize! We only had so much success because of a Honduran named Rafael who joined us at our table. He knew many answers because he had played regularly at the bar in San P! He was also successfully creepy.
If you ever find yourself in Lago de Yojoa, you should stay at the D & D Brewery. Great prices, great people, and a great time is destined to be had by all.
This morning, we had a great breakfast at the brewery, then left to head to the Pulhapanzak Waterfalls. TERRIFYING, BUT AWESOME. We literally climbed up into a waterfall. The water was pouring onto you, so you couldn't see anything. The guide was somewhat of a comfort, but it really was terrifying. We also got to jump into the water from rocks at various heights. At one point, we jumped either 25 feet or 25 meters, the guide had a translation moment and told us both. Awesome, but scary. There is no way this would be advertised/recommended in America for tourists. So scary, but so awesome.
Tomorrow begins the last week of camp! Dinosaur themed! Also, 5 days til I head off to Argentina to meet mi hermano! Shout out to my big bro, who turns 22 on Tuesday!
On Friday, a group of us went to play soccer. After playing for a bit, it started to rain, which is not really an unusual occurrence or a problem. So we kept playing, and it started MONSOONING. Our shoes were drenched, so we started playing barefoot. The water was pooling on the field so every time you kicked it (as hard as you could), it would go like 4 feet max. After attempting to play like this for a while, we slowly but surely started all leaving the game to run and slide down the field or cartwheel, and just run around being crazy. It was so fun! It really was an awesome afternoon.
I was also told at one point, "I was going to say that you were the least graceful person I'd ever met, and then you did those cartwheels and redeemed yourself." Me, laughing: "Do you realize I'm a ballet dancer?" Apparently my dancing skillz leave me graceless on the futbol field. :)
On Saturday morning, we left around 7 am to take a bus to Lago de Yojoa. We split up into 2 groups: one for a long hike, and one for a shorter. I was on team short hike. We ended up roaming around a beauuuuutiful archeological park near the lake. It was great, but we were all tired. We came back to our hotel at the D & D Brewery, a really cozy place run by an American, and took naps. I was staying in a cozy little cabin with 3 others, but they were all on the longer hike, so I had the place to myself. I ordered a freshly made limonada, some nachos, and read my book. I then took A HOT SHOWER. It was amazing, really. When team long hike got back, they all showered, and we stayed at the brewery, just hanging out. It was a really cool place. They made all of their food and drinks, so everything was tasty. They had different flavored homemade sodas, strawberry, rasberry, and apricot beers, and lots of other deliciousness. A man who has a bar in San Pedro also led a game of trivia. My team lost in the tie-breaker, but we still got a consolation prize! We only had so much success because of a Honduran named Rafael who joined us at our table. He knew many answers because he had played regularly at the bar in San P! He was also successfully creepy.
If you ever find yourself in Lago de Yojoa, you should stay at the D & D Brewery. Great prices, great people, and a great time is destined to be had by all.
This morning, we had a great breakfast at the brewery, then left to head to the Pulhapanzak Waterfalls. TERRIFYING, BUT AWESOME. We literally climbed up into a waterfall. The water was pouring onto you, so you couldn't see anything. The guide was somewhat of a comfort, but it really was terrifying. We also got to jump into the water from rocks at various heights. At one point, we jumped either 25 feet or 25 meters, the guide had a translation moment and told us both. Awesome, but scary. There is no way this would be advertised/recommended in America for tourists. So scary, but so awesome.
Tomorrow begins the last week of camp! Dinosaur themed! Also, 5 days til I head off to Argentina to meet mi hermano! Shout out to my big bro, who turns 22 on Tuesday!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Only a week left of camp??
I just finished the third week of camp!
It was a bit of a long week. The kids were especially crazyyy. One student, who is particularly adorable, is also particularly crazy. She actually told one student that she would get her dad to kill him because her father has no problem with killing. Pretty terrible, and a sign of some problems!
But there are the good kids that make up for these issues! One of my favorites is Jasson Alberto. He is ADORABLE, and absolutely gives the best hugs. Have some sadness? He will hug it away.
Today was fun Friday, and so we played water games, basically throwing water all over each other and the students. Fabiola and Irma are (I believe our 7th grade?) helpers who are godsends!!! And Fabiola particularly loves to throw water all over me, which is also fantastic since it's so hot! And since I obviously don't care one bit about my appearance down here.
I'm going to be so confused when I leave Honduras. I'll be in Argentina, where it's winter (and therefore colldddddd!). I won't be sweating all the time! I won't be in exercise clothes all the time! And I might care ever so slightly about my appearance (maybe?). When I get back to the States, who knows what I'm going to do with all the air conditioning! It will be weird to leave! And I only have one more week left in Honduras!
In just a bit, I'm going to play soccer, yay! I've been told that defense is my calling.
That's right, I'm super athletic.
No but seriously. Offense freaks me out. My self-analysis tells me that this is because I am spacially challenged. When someone passes me the ball, I don't know how to see where I am relative to all the people on my team and make something happen! It's stressful. Howeverrrr, on defense, I have no problem holding back and just running at the person with the ball. And I've been told I can kick pretty hard.
That's right, be impressed.
Tomorrow, we'll head to Lago de Yojoa. Google it; there are some BEAUTIFUL pictures on google images. Maybe I'll be able to capture a few while I'm there.
It was a bit of a long week. The kids were especially crazyyy. One student, who is particularly adorable, is also particularly crazy. She actually told one student that she would get her dad to kill him because her father has no problem with killing. Pretty terrible, and a sign of some problems!
But there are the good kids that make up for these issues! One of my favorites is Jasson Alberto. He is ADORABLE, and absolutely gives the best hugs. Have some sadness? He will hug it away.
Today was fun Friday, and so we played water games, basically throwing water all over each other and the students. Fabiola and Irma are (I believe our 7th grade?) helpers who are godsends!!! And Fabiola particularly loves to throw water all over me, which is also fantastic since it's so hot! And since I obviously don't care one bit about my appearance down here.
I'm going to be so confused when I leave Honduras. I'll be in Argentina, where it's winter (and therefore colldddddd!). I won't be sweating all the time! I won't be in exercise clothes all the time! And I might care ever so slightly about my appearance (maybe?). When I get back to the States, who knows what I'm going to do with all the air conditioning! It will be weird to leave! And I only have one more week left in Honduras!
In just a bit, I'm going to play soccer, yay! I've been told that defense is my calling.
That's right, I'm super athletic.
No but seriously. Offense freaks me out. My self-analysis tells me that this is because I am spacially challenged. When someone passes me the ball, I don't know how to see where I am relative to all the people on my team and make something happen! It's stressful. Howeverrrr, on defense, I have no problem holding back and just running at the person with the ball. And I've been told I can kick pretty hard.
That's right, be impressed.
Tomorrow, we'll head to Lago de Yojoa. Google it; there are some BEAUTIFUL pictures on google images. Maybe I'll be able to capture a few while I'm there.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
A Brief Beach Weekend
I have just returned from the beach!
On Friday evening, we stayed in Cofradia, playing an intense game of soccer (my bruise--proof of fierceness--grew larger). That evening, we all took it easy and just hung out, and a few of the year-long teachers for SJBS (who arrived last week) came over to the house to join. I was INCREDIBLY tired, so I went to sleep incredibly early, about 10. Actually, 10 hasn't been that early here. Because the sun is so bright so early in the morning, and because I have to wake up early for camp anyways, I generally go to sleep around 10:30. In any case, I was especially tired on Friday, and learned later (around 2 am) that it was because I was sick.
Before anyone throws me a pity party, don't worry. Having some sort of stomach problems in Honduras has become the norm. We're used to stomach problems of all sorts. But my brief sickness did lead to an uncomfortable Saturday, a loss of appetite, and an uncomfortable bus ride to the BEACH!
On Saturday morning, we left at about 8 am to go to Tela, a beach city a few hours away. After arriving (and after Natalia and Maddie roamed around to find one), we settled into a hostel, put on sunscreen and bathing suits, and went to the beach! The sun is incredibly bright in Tela, so it was very hot. Despite sunscreen application, we all got at least a teensy bit burned. The water felt greeeattttt though. And I LOVE THE BEACH and swimming too¡ (This mac just changed languages and so the punctuation just got a bit funky. I apologize for any confusion this may cause¡)
At one point, a group of us walked down to the pier and ended up jumping off¡ It was great¡ The Hondurans that were jumping too thought it was pretty funny to have some random gringas come join in, which added to the humor. As we walked back down the pier (and when I say pier, imagine one that looks like it might fall apart at any point while you walk down it), a guy in the water yelled, :No No NOO¡ If you leave, I;ll be bored¡: in perfect English. (again, sorry for the punctuation problem¡) He continued by asking for our numbers as we walked away. Later, he walked by our towels on the beach and asked for our numbers again.
That night, we all went out to dinner. We split into 2 groups, and I went with half to a seafood restaurant. I wanted to ear fried shrimp so badly, but due to my recent stomach problems, I (sadly) opted for some pasta...which was still delicious. The beachfront restaurant took FOREVER, so I ended up leaving it with Maddie and Megan to go straight back to the hostel and sleep, rather than joining some others to go out for a bit.
We went back to the beach this morning, then took the bus back to Cofradia. To leave and to come back from often involves a bus change at the terminal in San Pedro Sula. Which happens to have a food court. Which happens to have a pizza hut. I realize that this is not the most intelligent thing to do to a sensitive stomach, but I got a personal cheese pizza, and it was DELICIOUS. Seriously good stuff. So far so good with the stomach issues and cheese pizza¡
On to the next week of camp¡ This week is underwater themed. I;m thinking we;ll be watching Finding Nemo at some point¡
On Friday evening, we stayed in Cofradia, playing an intense game of soccer (my bruise--proof of fierceness--grew larger). That evening, we all took it easy and just hung out, and a few of the year-long teachers for SJBS (who arrived last week) came over to the house to join. I was INCREDIBLY tired, so I went to sleep incredibly early, about 10. Actually, 10 hasn't been that early here. Because the sun is so bright so early in the morning, and because I have to wake up early for camp anyways, I generally go to sleep around 10:30. In any case, I was especially tired on Friday, and learned later (around 2 am) that it was because I was sick.
Before anyone throws me a pity party, don't worry. Having some sort of stomach problems in Honduras has become the norm. We're used to stomach problems of all sorts. But my brief sickness did lead to an uncomfortable Saturday, a loss of appetite, and an uncomfortable bus ride to the BEACH!
On Saturday morning, we left at about 8 am to go to Tela, a beach city a few hours away. After arriving (and after Natalia and Maddie roamed around to find one), we settled into a hostel, put on sunscreen and bathing suits, and went to the beach! The sun is incredibly bright in Tela, so it was very hot. Despite sunscreen application, we all got at least a teensy bit burned. The water felt greeeattttt though. And I LOVE THE BEACH and swimming too¡ (This mac just changed languages and so the punctuation just got a bit funky. I apologize for any confusion this may cause¡)
At one point, a group of us walked down to the pier and ended up jumping off¡ It was great¡ The Hondurans that were jumping too thought it was pretty funny to have some random gringas come join in, which added to the humor. As we walked back down the pier (and when I say pier, imagine one that looks like it might fall apart at any point while you walk down it), a guy in the water yelled, :No No NOO¡ If you leave, I;ll be bored¡: in perfect English. (again, sorry for the punctuation problem¡) He continued by asking for our numbers as we walked away. Later, he walked by our towels on the beach and asked for our numbers again.
That night, we all went out to dinner. We split into 2 groups, and I went with half to a seafood restaurant. I wanted to ear fried shrimp so badly, but due to my recent stomach problems, I (sadly) opted for some pasta...which was still delicious. The beachfront restaurant took FOREVER, so I ended up leaving it with Maddie and Megan to go straight back to the hostel and sleep, rather than joining some others to go out for a bit.
We went back to the beach this morning, then took the bus back to Cofradia. To leave and to come back from often involves a bus change at the terminal in San Pedro Sula. Which happens to have a food court. Which happens to have a pizza hut. I realize that this is not the most intelligent thing to do to a sensitive stomach, but I got a personal cheese pizza, and it was DELICIOUS. Seriously good stuff. So far so good with the stomach issues and cheese pizza¡
On to the next week of camp¡ This week is underwater themed. I;m thinking we;ll be watching Finding Nemo at some point¡
Thursday, July 14, 2011
A Gringa Plays Soccer With Hondurans
So I've now played soccer 4 times. For a non-soccer player to jump in and play with Hondurans and various other gringos (almost all of whom played at least in high school) was bold. Really. I've played 4 times now. The first time was a fail. I ran around the field in a state of confusion and fright.
The second time was even more of a fail. You know that desire to be perfect? Well, it really sucks when you've got that desire and you are TERRIBLE at something. And then even worse, your frustration gets in the way. Well that was me on attempt number 2. Not only was I confused about the rules (I don't think we even got to offsides in my YMCA soccer team...I quit by the age of like 8), but I was also frustrated by being so terrible. And then I got mad at myself for being so frustrated about being so bad. Haha, not fun. But everyone was encouraging, and I finally got back in the game and wasn't quite so caught up in worrying about being terrible.
Times 3 and 4 got progressively better! Now I don't worry about getting in the way...I just run and go for it! I have a few bruises to prove it.
And what better way to avoid going for a jog? My exercising options here are: running, Gillian Michaels workout video (possibly the most ridiculous human being ever), and soccer. Unfortunately, I have to go for a jog today. But Natalia and I go together, and occasionally a little boy on the street runs with us, which is really cute. And encouraging...when a 6 year old is about to beat you, you need to pick up the pace.
We're almost done with the second week of camp! Megan and I definitely have a system now. And our 7th grade helpers Irma and Fabiola are lifesavers. Today, one girl, Pabely, gave me a plastic orange flower ring, and another girl, Kyara, gave me a pink beaded bracelet! So precious!
Not sure what the plan is for this weekend...maybe Cusuco, Lago de Ojoa, or Tela? We'll see, but I'm sure an excellent blog will follow!
The second time was even more of a fail. You know that desire to be perfect? Well, it really sucks when you've got that desire and you are TERRIBLE at something. And then even worse, your frustration gets in the way. Well that was me on attempt number 2. Not only was I confused about the rules (I don't think we even got to offsides in my YMCA soccer team...I quit by the age of like 8), but I was also frustrated by being so terrible. And then I got mad at myself for being so frustrated about being so bad. Haha, not fun. But everyone was encouraging, and I finally got back in the game and wasn't quite so caught up in worrying about being terrible.
Times 3 and 4 got progressively better! Now I don't worry about getting in the way...I just run and go for it! I have a few bruises to prove it.
And what better way to avoid going for a jog? My exercising options here are: running, Gillian Michaels workout video (possibly the most ridiculous human being ever), and soccer. Unfortunately, I have to go for a jog today. But Natalia and I go together, and occasionally a little boy on the street runs with us, which is really cute. And encouraging...when a 6 year old is about to beat you, you need to pick up the pace.
We're almost done with the second week of camp! Megan and I definitely have a system now. And our 7th grade helpers Irma and Fabiola are lifesavers. Today, one girl, Pabely, gave me a plastic orange flower ring, and another girl, Kyara, gave me a pink beaded bracelet! So precious!
Not sure what the plan is for this weekend...maybe Cusuco, Lago de Ojoa, or Tela? We'll see, but I'm sure an excellent blog will follow!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
First Week of Camp and a Weekend in Copan!
Well, I survived the first week of camp! On Monday, the children arrived, and Megan and I were shocked into action. Really, we had some figuring out to do the first day. We had anticipated about 25 children (some from San Jeronimo--in Cofradia--and some from Vida Nueva, a school that BECA is just starting to work with), but instead we had a few more than 35. And because Vida Nueva had just begun its bilingual program, these second graders (making up about 25 of the 35 students) speak NO english. Our plans of speaking only English went down the drain pretty quickly, when the kids were begging me to go buy a snack at a nearby pupuseria, but couldn't understand why I said no, I gave in and responded in Spanish. As the days went on, we realized more and more how to handle such a large group of students, with so few understanding English. Gone was our total dedication to the weekly themes (space last, safari next), although we have still followed as best as possible, and gone was our dedication to English only. We also realized that because simple instructions were hard to follow, and because the group is so very large, that we'd need to take all of our plans down a notch.
The week got progressively less crazy, although we are definitely very worn out by the end of every camp day (9-12:00). Before camp, we have a walking caravan of volunteers and students going to school. It's cute, and so are the kids, but it takes a while because the kids are so slow, and we get to school already quite sweaty! After camp, we have an hour break, and someone (I think a mother of a student) brings the volunteers delicious food. Lots of rice, beans, egg, vegetables, tortillas (soooo much better than the US version), etc. From 1-3, we tutor various students. I'm tutoring a 6th grader in math and english and a 4th grader afterwards in math and english as well. It's interesting tutoring these kids. They really need my help, and it's nerve-wracking to know that I am the one who will come up with the lesson plans for Michael to learn long division and that I am the one who will figure out a way to help Efferson work through his speech impediment to pronounce English words. The speech especially worries me. I will do my best, and I've told Efferson's mother that I will help him, but I have no speech therapy training. At all.
After tutoring, the walking caravan returns home, usually meaning that I'm back around 4. The day continues with things like a run with Natalia (and Nolbin, our 8ish year old friend who sells bottles on the street and likes to race us down the boulevard and back), a Gillian Michaels workout video with Maddie, preparing for the next days camp and tutoring, and preparing and cleaning up dinner.
It's a full day. And after waking up around 7 every day, I generally crash around 10:30.
This weekend, a group of us took a break from the heat of Cofradia and traveled up the mountains to Copan. We stayed in a fantastic hostel for just under $5 per person the first night. Sarah Hamilton and I had our own room, and the shower was nearby. We went to dinner at a restaurant right next door (oooh, a restaurant!), showered, changed, and went out for the night. Copan has a fun nightlife--very different from the nonexistent one in Cofradia, since it caters much more to tourists because of the ruins.
The next morning, we woke up early to go eat pancakes at Max (SJBS graduate and general friend to Cofradia's gringos)'s cousins house. The pancakes (with mantequilla and honey) were great, but we were all going off of about 4.5 hours of sleep, so we weren't particularly talkative. At Max's cousin's house, we met a peace corps volunteer who is living with them, engineering a water system for Copan.
We then went to the Copan Ruins! They were beautiful, and well worth the visit. It was interesting to learn about the culture and religion of the Mayans that lived there. Rejjie and I decided to pay the extra to see the tunnels that show some of the temples that are underground--Mayans would cover the temples to preserve them after a ruler died. All very cool!
After the ruins, we made the last minute decision to stay one more night in Copan! Max's cousin invited us to stay at her house; her hospitality was limitless it seemed! So that night, we checked out the hot springs about an hour and a half from Copan. Kyla, the peace corps volunteer, let me and Sarah H borrow bathing suits! Ben, BECA's administrator, met up with 4 of us to go. He was in Copan visiting a friend from college. On the back of a truck, we went up the mountain to the ridiculously named Luna Jaguar Spa Resort. It was incredible. The ride up the mountain was beautiful, and the area around the springs was as well. There were several different springs. One was a mud bath, one was a natural foot massage, and most of the rest varied in heat, from luke warm bath water all the way up to a far far too hot bath water. I didn't make it into the hottest! It really was relaxing though, and because we were there for the 2 hours before they closed, it emptied out, and we were the only people there...enjoying the hot springs in the darkness! After not having a hot shower for a week and a half, it was wonderful!
On the ride back down the mountain, we got to watch lightning light up the whole sky, and it was beautiful! When it started to rain, though, it became less ideal!
When we got back to the house around 9, we were EXHAUSTED and cold from the rainy ride down the mountain. I showered in a shower that had heat! Apparently, Max's cousin's boyfriend's aunt (complicated, I know), had designed the house to be very American, so it had space for a washer and dryer (they didn't actually have one) and had hot water! We had a big group dinner with homemade tajadas (plantain chips), and after, I was so tired, that I fell asleep right next to a speaker playing Justin Timberlake. About an hour later, everyone else was tired as well. Kyla let us borrow t-shirts to sleep in, and we all went to sleep on several mattresses on the floor of the living area. Kyla was so nice, and insisted that this was totally peace corps style!
We woke up early again this morning to catch the 7 am bus back to Cofradia! The heat difference is amazing in Cofradia--it's so much hotter because we aren't up the mountain! Nevertheless, it's starting to feel like home!
Now on to planning next week's camp!
Sorry for the extremely long, extremely detailed account of camp and the weekend. I try not to bore my wonderful readers, but sometimes, it happens.
The week got progressively less crazy, although we are definitely very worn out by the end of every camp day (9-12:00). Before camp, we have a walking caravan of volunteers and students going to school. It's cute, and so are the kids, but it takes a while because the kids are so slow, and we get to school already quite sweaty! After camp, we have an hour break, and someone (I think a mother of a student) brings the volunteers delicious food. Lots of rice, beans, egg, vegetables, tortillas (soooo much better than the US version), etc. From 1-3, we tutor various students. I'm tutoring a 6th grader in math and english and a 4th grader afterwards in math and english as well. It's interesting tutoring these kids. They really need my help, and it's nerve-wracking to know that I am the one who will come up with the lesson plans for Michael to learn long division and that I am the one who will figure out a way to help Efferson work through his speech impediment to pronounce English words. The speech especially worries me. I will do my best, and I've told Efferson's mother that I will help him, but I have no speech therapy training. At all.
After tutoring, the walking caravan returns home, usually meaning that I'm back around 4. The day continues with things like a run with Natalia (and Nolbin, our 8ish year old friend who sells bottles on the street and likes to race us down the boulevard and back), a Gillian Michaels workout video with Maddie, preparing for the next days camp and tutoring, and preparing and cleaning up dinner.
It's a full day. And after waking up around 7 every day, I generally crash around 10:30.
This weekend, a group of us took a break from the heat of Cofradia and traveled up the mountains to Copan. We stayed in a fantastic hostel for just under $5 per person the first night. Sarah Hamilton and I had our own room, and the shower was nearby. We went to dinner at a restaurant right next door (oooh, a restaurant!), showered, changed, and went out for the night. Copan has a fun nightlife--very different from the nonexistent one in Cofradia, since it caters much more to tourists because of the ruins.
The next morning, we woke up early to go eat pancakes at Max (SJBS graduate and general friend to Cofradia's gringos)'s cousins house. The pancakes (with mantequilla and honey) were great, but we were all going off of about 4.5 hours of sleep, so we weren't particularly talkative. At Max's cousin's house, we met a peace corps volunteer who is living with them, engineering a water system for Copan.
We then went to the Copan Ruins! They were beautiful, and well worth the visit. It was interesting to learn about the culture and religion of the Mayans that lived there. Rejjie and I decided to pay the extra to see the tunnels that show some of the temples that are underground--Mayans would cover the temples to preserve them after a ruler died. All very cool!
After the ruins, we made the last minute decision to stay one more night in Copan! Max's cousin invited us to stay at her house; her hospitality was limitless it seemed! So that night, we checked out the hot springs about an hour and a half from Copan. Kyla, the peace corps volunteer, let me and Sarah H borrow bathing suits! Ben, BECA's administrator, met up with 4 of us to go. He was in Copan visiting a friend from college. On the back of a truck, we went up the mountain to the ridiculously named Luna Jaguar Spa Resort. It was incredible. The ride up the mountain was beautiful, and the area around the springs was as well. There were several different springs. One was a mud bath, one was a natural foot massage, and most of the rest varied in heat, from luke warm bath water all the way up to a far far too hot bath water. I didn't make it into the hottest! It really was relaxing though, and because we were there for the 2 hours before they closed, it emptied out, and we were the only people there...enjoying the hot springs in the darkness! After not having a hot shower for a week and a half, it was wonderful!
On the ride back down the mountain, we got to watch lightning light up the whole sky, and it was beautiful! When it started to rain, though, it became less ideal!
When we got back to the house around 9, we were EXHAUSTED and cold from the rainy ride down the mountain. I showered in a shower that had heat! Apparently, Max's cousin's boyfriend's aunt (complicated, I know), had designed the house to be very American, so it had space for a washer and dryer (they didn't actually have one) and had hot water! We had a big group dinner with homemade tajadas (plantain chips), and after, I was so tired, that I fell asleep right next to a speaker playing Justin Timberlake. About an hour later, everyone else was tired as well. Kyla let us borrow t-shirts to sleep in, and we all went to sleep on several mattresses on the floor of the living area. Kyla was so nice, and insisted that this was totally peace corps style!
We woke up early again this morning to catch the 7 am bus back to Cofradia! The heat difference is amazing in Cofradia--it's so much hotter because we aren't up the mountain! Nevertheless, it's starting to feel like home!
Now on to planning next week's camp!
Sorry for the extremely long, extremely detailed account of camp and the weekend. I try not to bore my wonderful readers, but sometimes, it happens.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Staring
Have you ever wondered why Americans find it inappropriate to stare? I mean really...you could analyze so much more if it was okay to just stare at a person. In Honduras, they don't find this to be a problem, PARTICULARLY if you're a gringo. It's kinda funny how much attention you get. Envision a car driving by with an entire family. Literally every person in the car is staring right at you, right into your eyes, without the slightest hesitation. They might even be doing so hanging out the windows. They also might start making kissy noises if you're a gringo. They might say, "I love you forever, baby." They might say, "Bye-bye!" My particular favorite has been, "hola muneca (insert squiggly line over the n)!" A muneca is a doll, by the way. I've never felt so popular in my life!
Really, though, it's funny. And it isn't threatening, so don't get worried. The kissy noises aren't exactly appropriate, but the staring really is just like "oh look, gringos, let me analyze them."
I haven't ventured out alone yet, but if/when I do...and if/when I do so wearing an outfit that doesn't scream gringo (i.e. running shorts and tank tops), I wonder if I'll get as much attention...just because I've got dark hair, not super pale skin, and dark eyes. Maybe it's believable that I'm not a gringo? We'll see...
On another note, it's hot as hell. Right now, I'm sitting directly next to a fan, so I'm doing okay, but if you go an hour without sweating, it's a good day. Cold shower every day=heaven. I do always think of Charlotte in the Sex in the City movie whenever I do shower. There's a scene when she goes to Mexico and is SUPER paranoid about the water. Just as she's enjoying the shower, she opens her mouth and drinks a bit. She proceeds to have serious(ly hilarious) stomach problems. It also is kinda sad, though, when you shower and watch your tan go down the drain....i.e. all of the dust that has piled up on your skin. :)
But seriously, these aren't major complaints. It's great here! I mean, it's hot, but my body's getting used to it! And why do we always need to look so clean in the states anyways? Who're we trying to impress?
We started doing some major planning for camp today. I'm working with Megan Fernandez with one of the first and second grade groups. Supposedly, this age is the best if you want to improve your listening ability with Spanish, because they'll be speaking spanglish. Our camp theme is Camp Adventure, and this next week will be space! Good thing I took astronomy and learned so much about the planets!
We're going into San Pedro Sula tomorrow to buy some supplies and check things out. There's a water park there (not super fancy, but I love water parks!!), that no lie, I really want to check out. There's also a big carnival in San P that apparently has a rodeo to end things this weekend.
I'm about to head out to play my first game of Honduran futbol with some other counselors and some Hondurans!
Sorry for the long post. Hope it was entertaining. :)
Really, though, it's funny. And it isn't threatening, so don't get worried. The kissy noises aren't exactly appropriate, but the staring really is just like "oh look, gringos, let me analyze them."
I haven't ventured out alone yet, but if/when I do...and if/when I do so wearing an outfit that doesn't scream gringo (i.e. running shorts and tank tops), I wonder if I'll get as much attention...just because I've got dark hair, not super pale skin, and dark eyes. Maybe it's believable that I'm not a gringo? We'll see...
On another note, it's hot as hell. Right now, I'm sitting directly next to a fan, so I'm doing okay, but if you go an hour without sweating, it's a good day. Cold shower every day=heaven. I do always think of Charlotte in the Sex in the City movie whenever I do shower. There's a scene when she goes to Mexico and is SUPER paranoid about the water. Just as she's enjoying the shower, she opens her mouth and drinks a bit. She proceeds to have serious(ly hilarious) stomach problems. It also is kinda sad, though, when you shower and watch your tan go down the drain....i.e. all of the dust that has piled up on your skin. :)
But seriously, these aren't major complaints. It's great here! I mean, it's hot, but my body's getting used to it! And why do we always need to look so clean in the states anyways? Who're we trying to impress?
We started doing some major planning for camp today. I'm working with Megan Fernandez with one of the first and second grade groups. Supposedly, this age is the best if you want to improve your listening ability with Spanish, because they'll be speaking spanglish. Our camp theme is Camp Adventure, and this next week will be space! Good thing I took astronomy and learned so much about the planets!
We're going into San Pedro Sula tomorrow to buy some supplies and check things out. There's a water park there (not super fancy, but I love water parks!!), that no lie, I really want to check out. There's also a big carnival in San P that apparently has a rodeo to end things this weekend.
I'm about to head out to play my first game of Honduran futbol with some other counselors and some Hondurans!
Sorry for the long post. Hope it was entertaining. :)
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