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???