Want to Meet Them?

Ruben, a charming 6-year old in my class. He waves to me with one finger and is constantly smiling. I caught him with a half empty bag of something at Recreo the other day. I asked what he was eating and he poured a pile of sugar into my hand! haha. He always wears this Mickey Mouse hat too :) I thought this picture was great...because they boys were throwing their oranges to the cow after they had finished. The cow LOVED them....

The boys. At Recreo, they all gather around this barbed-wired fence. They hang on it like it's no big deal and are constantly sneaking under it to run around in the open field below on the other side. I heard they had been throwing rocks at the cow this day....BOYS!

The girls. Lined up and ready to go inside. Carolina and Erica (the two school teachers) have all the kids line up outside before class starts and they check their hands and fingernails everyday. I think to make sure their nails are short and their hands clean?? Not sure.

One of the older boys eating his orange under the tree. Love the foggy background in this pic.

It has been quite a challenge teaching. It is, thus far, the hardest "job" I have ever had. I am sure the language barrier and the malnourishment amongst the children has a little something to do with the difficulty...but it is TOUGH. The little ones need a new activity every 15 minutes or so. But when they can't read or write you have to dig deep into your creative self to come up with fun ideas. I have now learned my vowels twice in the past month and a half. Teaching A, E, I, O, U (mayuscula and minuscula) to both my class in Guatemala and my class here in Honduras. There are only so many words in Spanish that begin with the letter "O" that I can draw. Ojos (eyes).

I often sit back, frustrated, watching the room. It is like a sea of movement. Constant movement. They do not understand the concept of being still. I looked over once to find Marko's feet where his head should be. I couldn't help but bust into laughter. You have to laugh. They are 5 and 6 years old. And while I can't fully remember myself at that age...I know my hyper ADHD self probably acted in the same way. I remember my father always telling me as a child: "Leigh, quit flitting around! Be still." Impossible.

So, everyday...I must remember my small self and look at these kids and remember to smile....not reprimand. And I must remember that this 4 hour and 45 minute morning may be the only time in their day that they get to be a kid. Just a kid. And I must try and be creative, put all I have into planning, and make class FUN for them.

I'm trying....

Time to Reflect

Alana, Kate, Karla, and myself.

Once known as "The Core Four"...not sure what nerd made that up ;)

Silvia, mi casa-madre in Colonial Candelaria, Antigua. I barely fit through that door behind me ;) It was like when Alice drank that liquid and grew HUGE in Alice in Wonderland and had to stick her arm out the window just to turn around.....yeah....kinda like that.

My roommates: Troy (32) and Nicole (30) -- Canadians. At our last BBQ. They gave us chicken buses as a token souvenir and goodbye present.

Also at a Friday night BBQ...the chicas :) I have no muscles to show off.....so I didn't...

Doreen, Nancy, Karla, Alana, and me....Howie, I was teaching "out, cock, down" ;)

This post may seem a bit late....but instead of doing tarea de espanol (my spanish homework), I feel like reflecting on my time spent thus far. Particularly in Antigua, Guatemala. I don't feel as if I could ever paint the real picture for you. It would surely come out incomplete and kind of messy. And as much as I treasure my photos, they can not even begin to exude the true beauty that is Antigua. I am going to try to do it justice though...one last time.

Let's start with the kids.

I miss them SO much!
Now, do I miss:
The yelling: Seno, Seno, Seno...ALL day long -- no.
The blank stares when asked to do something -- no.
The constant rushing to finish a project or assignment JUST to get a sticker: no.
Do I miss:

The never-fading smiles--YES.
The affection, hugs, and kisses -- YES.
Their grimy little hands all over my face and in my hair -- ABSOLUTELY.

I just miss THEM. You wouldn't think you could fall so hard so fast for SO many....but you can and you do.

I need to see them again. (The plan is to go back to Antigua for a few days at the end of my travels in April...when Chris comes to visit-he will get to meet them!).

And the people:

Karla - my first friend on this adventure. A fellow American and an East Coast resident nonetheless. A tiny bit timid, but it's only really in her voice. An amazing listener and so welcoming. More afraid to speak broken Spanish than to jump off a slippery rock 30 feet in the air and into a freezing cold lake!

Kate - my first "International" friend in Guatemala. Kate and I taught the Kindergarten class together. A cool 25 year old blonde Aussie. The opposite of a nerdy traveler, Kate has been on the road for months. With a great sense of humor and def no head torch in sight...she travels light and without expectations. I was so thankful for her positive attitude, quick wit, and previous teaching experience ;)

Alana - another Australian buddy! Alana has the most BEAUTIFUL skin I have ever seen. She also has this calm about her...not much ruffles her feathers. And her travel wardrobe is SUPERB. She knows how to let it "hit her," how to "take it all in" and get the most out of this experience that she can. She is open. She has enjoyed her time thus far so much...that she has post-poned Uni (college) to stay in Guatemala a couple more weeks and also try and get down to volunteer on the project in Nicaragua. I hope to run into her again there :)

Troy and Nicole (my roommates) - an adventure loving "team". A young married couple out of Canada. Troy exudes this incredible energy and spirit, always thinking positively. And Nicole...well...we are a lot alike (except she is way more fit and really hilarious). We found ourselves on the same page A LOT. This kind of bothered Troy ;) Their relationship was and is an inspiration. The way they truly respected and cared for each other was so nice to see and be around.

Santiago and his beautiful family. Doreen and her fixed smile and infinite patience.

And while I can't mention them all, the other volunteers (around 30) all brought something interesting and different to the table. Eighteen year olds and beyond (some WAY beyond) all here for the same reason. Very cool place to be...

Did I ever mention the BBQ's??

The GVI interns/employees opened up their house to all the rowdy volunteers for a night of too much food and drink. Everyone was meant to bring something...like contributing to a dinner party. It became a pot luck of sorts, with chicken on the barbie as a constant. Karla and I made fresh guacamole 3 out of my 4 BBQ's and form my last I brought 12 packages of Chocisitas cookies...a tienda favorite among the Santa Maria crowd. With every BBQ came goodbye's, speeches, and dancing. YES, dancing. Picture this: a large circle of people all dancing the same dance (you pick it up rather quickly actually) and then at a break in the song...."FREESTYLE....LEIGH!!!!" And I have to jump into the middle of the crowd and...well...freestyle! So hilarious and so much fun. It is like this every week....a unifying experience.

And the city....

One of the most beautiful old cities I have ever been too. Cobblestoned streets (bad for flip flops)and colorful buildings. Gorgeous flowers and pretty parks. And the DOORS!!!!!!!!! I know I haven't put any photos up of the doors in Antigua...but hopefully you will get to see them (I am working on a little project with the photos). They are truly magnificent. I was mesmorized. The others thinking I am crazy, stopping every couple feet to gawk and snap away. The knockers as well....copper faces and hands. And you can't miss the views of the volcanoes...especially in the morning on a clear day. Another something you won't miss...the Chicken Buses. Basically brightly painted old school buses discarded from the U.S. that carry hunderds of people and their wares. Yes, chickens too. They roar down the streets puffing out CLOUDS of black smoke. But they are part of charm :)

My time there has expired and now I am into my second week in Honduras and it is totally different. More on that later. I can't believe I am at the halfway point in my travels! Thank you again to all that supported me attempting this journey and supported the projects I am working on. I wish you could all be here to see the way that you have helped. I will be posting pics of my Copan kids within the next couple of days....so that you can meet them too.

Comer (koh-MEHR)

TO EAT.

Breakfast in Monterrico, made by the woman below holding up the fish.

Lunch at the Earth Lodge (an avocado farm) in Guatemala

Veggies at the market in Antigua.

Feliz dia de San Valentin

jam session ;)

Eric and the eldest (16) playing jumprope...some of the other volunteers brought the jumprope up the last time they visited. BIG hit.

the littlest in the bunch...drinking coffee

their house

Today was such an interesting day...

I started my morning with an awesome yoga class at 7:15AM. Back home for breakfast at 8:30AM (pancakes) and then to meet the interns for a trip to an "orphange" high up in the mountains.

We walked out of Copan to a woman named Ellen's house to wait for two of the boys that live there. Ellen met this family a little bit ago and has fallen madly in love with them. She likes to take visitors up to see them and to donate money if they wish.

The boys had been in town buying plates for a memorial they are having this evening for their recently deceased grandmother. I didn't quite catch if she was a grandmother figure...or blood related. Since the boys do not know how to tell time....we waited at Ellen's for over an hour and half before taking tuk-tuks up to their home. When they finally arrived around 11, we piled into two tiny "taxis" and headed (slowly) up the mountain. The ride was beautiful and real bumpy. We stalled out a couple of times trying to make it up some steep areas. The ride up took close to 40 minutes.

Upon arrival..in the middle of nowhere...we were greeted by two other children and two women. They hugged and kissed us and were all smiles. At this point, I am still super confused as to wear we are and what we are doing here. The "family" made us feel so special and welcomed us with homemade tamales! They were quite good actually and it was so sweet of them to feed US...with the little that they have. They were preparing hundreds more for the memorial service later.

We played jumprope with the kids and the eldest (16) played the guitar and sang for us. There were horses, chickens, cats, and dogs running around....it was all very surreal. I, thinking that we were visiting an ACTUAL orphange, brought along stickers to share with the kids. I gave the sheet of Cars stickers to the littlest boy...about 6 and the Princess stickers to the little girl...probably 9. The little boy could not quit STARING at them and smiling. It was crazy! He was so happy to have them....and just kept looking up at me with a huge smile on his face. Wow. The things that make these children smile....

We hung around a bit for fire roasted coffee and some "volleyball," each made a donation of 100 Lempira...or $5US, and then headed back down the mountain by foot. It took us about an hour and a half to get back to town and the views were amazing.

I am not really doing the day justice with this post...but I am not really sure I could actually explain how it felt...or what it was really like....

GVI Phoenix Blog Post, Dom Williams

I stayed in Guatemala an extra day to be able to witness this amazing celebration in Santa Maria. All of my kids' families were there....and some of my kids too. WHAT a day. It was beautiful and so heartwarming. Dom used many of my photos for his blog post...but they didn't copy into mine. Read below.....

Plan Fertilizante in Santa María de Jesús, Guatemala -- Saturday, February 7th, 2009

This past weekend GVI Phoenix conducted its second annual Plan Fertilizante (Fertilizer Plan) in Santa María de Jesús, an alternative to micro-credit, where no actual money is involved, rather physical products.The agricultural areas our families have to grow crops is of a very poor quality and need constant additions. Not only in the past 2 years have crops failed two times out of three, though when the harvest does yield, it is of poor quality.Obviously, in times gone by, the families used chemicals to enhance the soil, which is neither sustainable and the prices have doubled over the past year, leaving the soil in a worse state, and no income.For soil sustainability and recuperation, and indeed, better crop yields, we opted for an organic fertilizer from Amatitlán. Informal trials have proven that this fertilizer gives a considerable extra growth to the crops.Our Plan Fertilizante distributed 600 pounds (275 kilos) to each of our 135 families involved in the GVI Phoenix school, or to put it in bigger terms, 81,000 pounds (36,818 kilos) or 36 tonnes of organic fertilizer.This is not a handout, as the families have to comply with a couple of rules to enforce parental responsibility. The first and foremost is that their child or children must be in the school with us every day.The second is that, in exchange for the fertilizer, they must give some products for the Plan Ancianos (Old People's Plan) which we run, which include cooking oil, pasta, beans, rice and sugar on receipt. Furthermore, after each successful crop, they must repeat this, thereby helping towards the Plan Ancianos, and also "repaying" the fertilizer. It was a great day, and with crop yields dwindling due to poor soil, this can restart the local agricultural region, whilst providing the families with a little extra income with better crop yields whilst also contributing to the Plan Ancianos. Sustainable development is just that, kickstartng the local economy, though also keeping an eye on the future, whilst maintaining responsibilty for the present with all parties involved, GVI Phoenix, the parents and the children.

Back to Basics

• Being sentimental...stinks.
• Everybody's feet look awful....it's fine.
• No matter where you are or how much it costs, you still want to talk to your mother when sick.
• "Doing nothing" is different when there's a view.
• Women are stronger here. As are the kids...
• Not having a closet full of clothes choose from makes getting dressed at 5AM SO much easier!
• There are few things as calming as sitting in the sun while a child plays with your hair...
• Life DOES exist with out cellphones. You just have to plan ahead and be timely.
• Plethora of fresh fruit=heaven.
• Construction workers and truck drivers are the same everywhere.
• Souvenir schmoovenir. Use your camera.
• Teaching is mentally and physically EXHAUSTING.

Nigel No Friends

(Dedicated to Kate, who coined the phrase...)

I thought these bottles were so pretty! The kids standing next to the truck thought I was nuts!

Mi Casa. (In front, a Tuk Tuk...their form of taxi)

Not sure why..but it came out twice???

Rosita...my only friend.

So, as I mentioned...I am the only volunteer here in Honduras at the moment. After school each day, I stop off at mi casa for a homemade lunch prepared by Loly, have a quick chat with Rosita (the very large parrott living there...she whistles at me a lot), and then head into town to explore. I usually stop into a small cafe's, order a liquado (fresh fruit blended with water) and do some emailing, lesson planning, Spanish homework, reading or a little writing. I have signed up for 12 more hours of Spanish lessons and also a Yoga class twice a week. The studio is outside and there are only three of us in the class so far.

Tomorrow Lyndsey and Marko arrive from Antigua.... :)

Copan Ruinas, Honduras

I said goodbye to Antigua yesterday morning at 4AM and arrived here in Copan around 9:30AM. I can NOT believe it has already been a MONTH!!

The town is much smaller and more tranquil than Antigua. Not very touristy AT ALL. It is SO warm and has a tropical feel to it...even though in the mountains. Beautiful, beautiful place.

I am living right in the middle of town with sisters, Loly and Mercedes. They share a beautiful yellow house on the corner next to the Spanish School (where I will indeed be signing up for more classes!). My room is neat and small with it's own bathroom!!!! Totally different host family experience than living with Silvia in Antigua. Loly has sat with me at ever meal so far, either just staring...or trying to communicate. I NEED more Spanish.

Breakfast is at 6AM. EARLY. I am the only volunteer here in Honduras at the moment--minus the interns on the project--Eric and Pam (32 and 29, married couple, from Boston). Traci (intern in Antigua) is here to help this week too. Lyndsey and Marko, volunteers I met in Antigua will arrive next week. YAY! We need the help.

We hop in the back of a pick up at 6:30AM and ride up the mountain to the village of San Rafael. The school there is much more "developed" and has a more organized and set curriculum. There is one teacher (Carolina) for over 100 children. That is why she needs us! I have been placed in the third grade classroom which is shared with the kindergarten/1st grade class. They are GREAT kids. SO calm compared to the children in Santa Maria (Guatemala). School starts at 7AM and ends at 11:45AM. They are offered a fruit break and "merienda" (afternoon snack) after school which consists of rice and beans.

There is Secondary School that comes at 12:30. These are high school age kids and GVI volunteers do not work with them. However, we will be helping out with an English speaking class once a week and an Adult Literacy class once a week in the afternoons.

After school, we head back down to Copan for lunch with the host family. Dinner is at 6PM and I am meeting up with the others tonight to get some help with my lesson plans for tomorrow. Matematicas tomorrow. EEEK!

Adios!

Cumpleaños Felices

Happy Bir TAY Lindz and Laur :)

Muy Frio

Tiny Melinda

Guicho, got a headstart running and planted one on me!

The love hearts....thanks Seño Kate :)

And Yuri....the clinger....I totally fell in love with her.

The past couple days in Antigua and Santa Maria have been freeeeezing! Now, I know I shouldn't say anything, as I hear NY is getting hit pretty hard with the wintery weather.But as a result of the cold and packing for tropical climates...estoy enfermo. And so is everyone else. Major head cold. I am hoping to kick this little bug in the warmer climate of Honduras. I leave on a 4AM shuttle on Sunday.

Thursday was my last day at school and also Music Day. (I wish I could upload the video of the kids singing...) Kate and I planned only a couple of lessons/activities and then she had them all make "love cards" for me. (Most of them took theirs home with them ;)

At fruit break the twins pulled little envelopes out of their dresses and handed them to me. Their big sister had written:Gracias Seno Li por encenar a mis hermanas y ostros ninos y ninos te extrano Seno Li temando muchas veror y saludor.

The girls colored the page. So sweet. The older sister is in the afternoon class and had told me the day before how the twins came home and told her how sad they were that I was leaving...
At the end of music, I sat on the end of a table as all the kids in the school lined up in front of me. One by one I received hugs and kisses from each of them. Some of the boys tried to plant one on the lips!! Haha. My class was last to go and I am actually not sure that they all even understand that I will not be there on Monday as some of them said: "Hasta Lunes Seno Leigh".

Seño Doreen pulled me aside to tell me more that she had learned about the home life of some of the children. She said I have a very "special" class. One child has an alcoholic father...who will not share the meals. Another a father who refuses to work. One whose mother has died. One whose father left them. The tears were not spared. I couldn´t help it. I just think about them coming to class everyday laughing, smiling, jumping around. Never complaining. Never tired. Never crying.

I just wanted to hug each of them and make class even that more fun and an escape for them.

I am seriously going to miss them SO very much. I cried when the last clinger let go (they are like tiny monkeys...they cling). Kate and I were their first ever teachers...

What if I never see them again???