School News, Nice Weather, and Jimmy Durante

Holiday Party:
On Saturday, Dec. 8, the staff from our school went to a holiday party. It was organized by the founder of our school, Graciela, for the Tela Chamber of Commerce and Industries so in addition to our school, all the leading business professionals were in attendance. It was held in the banquet hall at the Telamar, Tela's largest, most expensive hotel. The school did not give us the option of attending, it was an obligation. The dinner was 500 Lemps ($26) and luckily the school paid half which left us still paying the outrageous amount of 250 Lemps ($13) for a dinner. You can go to a very nice restaurant here for less than half that.Everyone was very dressed up and the room was elegantly decorated with silky tablecloths, silver platters, and cloth chair covers. It looked ready for a wedding reception. The dinner was good: sweet rice with raisins, a sweet salad, steamed vegetables, turkey (none for me), rolls, coconut cake, and wine. There were a few speeches, an award, and a raffle (we didn't win). Then they brought out the entertainment. First there was a dance troupe. There were 8 dancers, split evenly by gender, that performed 4 separate dances. In true Honduran style, after each song, they changed costumes, each progressively skimpier than the last. One was similar to Las Vegas showgirls with the extravagant headdress and all. The final dance involved torches, ahh...fire! You can see a part of their dance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68HdAF7VZ5o
After the dance extravaganza, an older, hefty woman in a sweater emblazoned with sequin wreaths and Christmas trees, came out to sing. She had a well-trained voice and did some full-throttle Spanish covers. We left during her fourth song.

School News:
Last week we went to watch the school perform in a choir competition against other bilingual schools. They all had fancy choir robes and wore Santa hats. Some even wore white gloves even though it was 85 degrees F. Each school got to sing a few songs and then the judges gave out awards for singing and outfits. Our school didn't win any. This week the kids are taking their second quarter exams. For the week, they come to school from noon until 3:00pm. They take 2 -3 exams each day with recess in the middle. Unfortunately, once the kiddies leave at 3:00pm, the teachers still have to stay until 5:00pm. Even if we finished grading and planning, we still cannot leave. Oh...woe is me! My terrible life. The kids are doing excellent in science, math, spelling, and grammar with most getting A's and B's. Reading, of course, is a whole other issue that we are still working and struggling with everyday.

Once again I want to thank all of you that were able to donate books and money for shipping. I don't now what I would have done without them. The kids read them everyday and have been checking them out to read at home. I have even gotten kids from other grades excitedly rushing to my room asking if they can check out books too. With my glee barely hidden, I eagerly show them how the books are organized and how to check them out. I even caught a kid trying to steal a book he had hidden inside another (although all I did was explain he could only check out one book at a time so as not to dissuade him from reading). Yippee! I hope their motivation lasts all year. The school claims to be building shelves so Christina and I can put together a real library for all grades to use. With any luck it will be done by June so at least we can feel like we left some sort of lasting impression on the school.The students are also practicing for the school Christmas Concert. I am teaching my students Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. They really like it, especially with the additional lyrics ("like a light bulb" and such). We have also been collecting toys for orphans. Next week: On Monday our school will take a field trip to deliver the toys, Tuesday and Wednesday we practice for the Christmas show (they said we will not teach all week but maybe I can find a way to sneak some in) and Thursday is the performance and party. Then Friday, Christina and I head home to California for 2 1/2 weeks.

Oh, and the school gave me a stack of mail on Monday. I got 6 letters post-marked between Oct. 23 and Nov. 26, about 2 - 7 weeks for it to reach my hands. Remember, there is no delivery service here, you gotta go to the post office yourself. So I think since the school doesn't get much mail, they only send someone to the post office once a month or so to check their box. Well I appreciate mail late than not at all so thank you to those that have used your precious time to write. If you are so inclined to send me a letter or something, here is the address (also on blog titled "Write to me"):

Sara Burgin
Escuela Bilingue Blanca Jeannette Kawas
Barrio Venecia
Tela, Atlantida
Honduras, Central America

Isn't it weird how there are no numbers or street names? The electricity bill that is perilously stuffed in our gate has our address as Barrio Venecia, casa verde, al lado del campo (green house next to the soccer field). When we pay our Internet bill, we tell the lady our name and for casa verde in Barrio Venecia. One day a girl was at our gate looking for her friend who said she lived in la casa verde in Barrio Venecia. I explained it must be another casa verde beacuse she wasn't here. When my friend, Kristen, lived here, she didn't know how to direct the taxi drivers to her house so she would just say "el edificio rojo" (the red building, it was large and well-known) and walked from there. Maybe streets and house numbers are actually a useful idea, huh?

Nice Weather:
The nice weather has persisted and I have been able to go to the beach on the weekends and for 2 hours each morning before work. This is probably the coolest the water will get and I can still walk right in with no hesitation and swim without goosebumps. Thus not really cold at all. For some reason there have been real waves too, although still too shallow for you surfers. Here is the underside of the palapa we usually lie under:As mentioned in the last blog, there are often fishermen about. Click on this link to see one trying to net in some fish from the shore: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOuypClPQqY
The air has been 85 degrees F, warmer enough that I no longer have to boil water and have resumed taking delight in cold 'showers'. I sleep with the windows open and only a sheet covering me, as even at night it doesn't get below 68 degrees F. I wear tank tops, skirts or shorts, and flip flops morning till night with no chill. It seems winter is over and spring is upon us. It will be a cold shock to step off the plane into icy, 45 - 60 degree F, San Diego.

Jimmy Durante:
While riding our bikes around aimlessly, since sometimes we get bored, we met the most adorable, Jimmy Durante-esque, man, Manuel. He works at the Gran Central Hotel, an indeed grand but pricey hotel (250 Lemps - $13). He told us how much he loves the "great band era" (Big Band era) and he even sang us a few versus of an old Bing Crosby tune and began reciting lines from Casablanca. He said he was 84 years old and his birthday is Dec. 31. He has lived his whole life in Honduras and he has 5 kids, the youngest is only 15. That's right, at 69 he had a child. He makes me miss my grandpa.
Disco:
We have been invited by some co-workers to go to the disco on Saturday. I do not like to dance but we have heard there is a lot of wild things to see there. I am sure it will be quite an experience. I will let you know all about it.