Thursday, December 20, 2007

Disco and School Christmas stuff

Disco:
We were invited to go to Tela's main disco, Iguanas Discotec, by some co-workers, Lemus and Carlos. It is only open on Fridays and Saturdays at 9:00pm and doesn't have a specified closing time. Christina and I told them we would go with them on Saturday. That night we got all ready. We even put on make-up. I wear make-up in San Diego almost everyday but it is usually so hot here it would just melt off your face so we don't even bother with it. The only other time I wore make-up here was for our fancy holiday dinner. Christina even went to the trouble of straightening her hair. By 9:00pm, we were ready to go. Unfortunately, after waiting and waiting, our co-workers flaked on us. One claims he was sick and the other was stuck out of town with no cell-phone reception. Vanessa, another co-worker, came to our rescue. She felt it was unsafe for us to go unescorted so she offered to take us.

By the time she got to our house, it was already 10:45pm. She forbade us from bringing our purses saying there were a lot of iffy people at this club. We just put our keys and money in our pockets instead and thus I have no pictures. Admission was 80 Lemps ($4.20). Inside, the club was covered in neon paint lit by black light. There were two small bar areas, a few tables scattered around, and a dance floor. There was a surprisingly wide range of ages to be found, from young 20-somethings to 50 year old married couples. The clothing also varied: a few nicely dressed, some scantily clad, some 50 Cent wannabes, and those in between, like us with jeans and t-shirts. The music was at a decent level where you could still converse and mostly hear each other.

Once we sat down, we were immediately pursued by men. It was a constant barrage until we left. Most were nice enough, but others wanted to stay and chat for much longer than my interest held, especially with a few sketchier characters. Christina ended up dancing with a few different guys and she was surprised but grateful to find they were all very respectful, keeping their distance and not being grabby. I don't like to dance but enojyed just people watching. It was an okay experience but I don't think I would really return unless there was a large group of people going, which would presumably act as more of a barrier.

School Christmas stuff:
On Monday, I gave the students their graded exams back and had them make a mini-report card to give to their parents. Most kids were pleased with how much they had improved.

On Tuesday, we went on a field trip to deliver toys to children in the hospital. The school used a mini-van for transportation. Each child had to bring 10 Lemps for the ride. Since it was small, the bus could only take one grade at a time. It would drop off one grade at the hospital and then return to school to pick up the next grade, etc. We had to return back to school in the same fashion. At the hospital, we were led into the waiting room and gave out toys to the few children there. Then we were led into the pediatrics ward and gave toys to children in various rooms. The hospital looked like a regular American hospital, very sterile and cold with tiled hallways and ominous glass doors under signs directing you to different sections. On Wednesday, we were told we were not allowed to teach and the kids were to practice all day for the Christmas concert. Yeah, right, we are going to make the kids practice the same song repeatedly for 5 hours... I don't think so. None of this really matters since no one ever checks on us anyway. Needless to say, I did not have my students practice for 5 hours. Instead, I demonstrated how to properly brush your teeth, we made a chart to check off for brushing in the morning and night over winter vacation, and I gave them each a toothbrush (donated by my awesome dentist in San Diego). Then we made antlers to wear while singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. To throw in some math and art, the kids wrote multiplication story books and illustrated them. Then all the classrooms went upstairs to the auditorium and had a rehearsal for the Christmas concert. Most classes sang Christmas songs but a few, the 5th and 6th grades, danced lasciviously to reggaeton music. It was very inappropriate and you could tell even the students dancing seemed uncomfortable. At home that night, we baked chocolate chip cookies and brownies to give to those at the school who have been especially welcoming and helpful to us.

On Thursday, we didn't have to go to school until 3:00pm. The show was to begin at 4:00pm and then a small party was to follow in each classroom. Well, we got to school at 3:00 and, of course, we were the first to arrive. My students began to materialize slowly and I had them paint their noses red and don their antlers for the performance. I had almost my full class and their parents/grandparents in attendance. (Some of my students are being raised by their grandparents as their parents are working in other countries, mostly the US, but 1 mom is in Spain and 1 dad is in Switzerland.) The show began at about 4:20. They sang very well and then we headed down to the classroom for cake. The party lasted until 7:15pm. It was a very nice send off for our vacation. Here is a video to a portion of them singing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RknHiGG8cck
On Friday, we will get a taxi to the bus to another taxi to take us to the airport in San Pedro. Looking forward to replenishing my quickly dwindling supply of books, oatmeal, graham crackers, and cheddar cheese, having my clothes, sheets, and towels machine washed and dried, eating in delicious restaurants, and of course, seeing family and friends. Not looking forward to the cold weather. I am kinda worried about it actually. It rained here all day on Monday and Tuesday and, although it was still in the 80's in the day, it dropped down to 67 degrees F at night and I was freezing (maybe I was too quick in announcing spring). I put on socks, a thermal shirt, long pants, and a sweatshirt. Even after getting bundled under my sheet and 2 small fleece blankets I was still shivering with goosebumps. In San Diego the high temperature has only been 65 and the low is 43. My body is going to go into shock. I know this sounds ludicrous to all of you, especially those where it snows, and I am probably making you roll your eyes or giggle a bit but I am dreading it.

I hope you all have wonderful holidays. The next time you hear from me, it will be 2008!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

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.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Living in Honduras

More small stories about what life is like in Honduras. And for those of you who complain about the lack of photos of myself, well, I included some.
  • Water- There are few places in Honduras where you will find potable water. In order to drink water, once a week Christina and I trade off walking down the block to our local mini-super (our small grocery store). We give them our empty water bottle and they unlock the case and give us a new full one. It costs about 24 Lemps ($1.25). Then we lug the heavy bottle back to our house.
  • Propane Gas - Although most houses here are connected to electricity, they do not have gas lines. We have a gas stove so we have a propane tank under our kitchen sink which connects by a rubber hose to the stove. We will run out of gas about once a month. When this happens we have to call Vanessa, our school volunteer coordinator, and then she tells one of her brothers or her dad. They come by, take the empty propane tank, and bring and hookup a new one. At the beginning of the year we had a little row about who should pay for this: the school said they had never paid for gas for previous volunteers, we argued that they stipulated they would pay all bills associated with the house (electricity, etc.). Both parties finally agreed to each pay half. The tank is 205 Lemps ($10.80). They also have a delivery service where a guy will bring a tank to your house on the back of his scooter.
  • Stove - As for lighting the stove, we have to turn on the burner and light it with a match every time we want to cook. The oven is a bit scarier as we have to remove the bottom plate and reach our hand in to light it. Immediately there is a big burst of flames and Christina and I are lucky to pull our hands out burn free. We both dread it each time.
  • Electricity bill- since there is no mail pickup or delivery service here (you have to go to the post office), once a month Christina or I will discover a tiny, paper electricity bill stuffed into our front gate. What if it rained or blew away? Then we give the bill to the school to pay. For the Internet, we have to ride into town to their office by the 5th of each month to pay.
  • Grocery shopping - Luckily we have a mini-super (a small grocery store) only a block away. Conveniently, the guy who owns our mini-super was born and raised in Queens in New York so he speaks fluent English. In most small barrios and colonias, they will have only a few mini-supers.We do most of our shopping at our local mini-super. They have everything we need: cereal, syrup, butter, beans, tortillas, OJ, peanut butter, bread, eggs, Top Ramen, pasta (but only tomato sauce, no alfredo), cream cheese (when we're lucky) , and even soy milk! (Did I mention that milk, soy milk, and eggs are kept on the shelf - not in the fridge and refried beans come in a bag?) Sometimes our mini-super has fruit and vegetables but most times we have to ride our bikes to the nearest stand for those. Pulperias (tiny shacks that sell items you would find in a 7-11. You don't actually enter a store, per say, but you purchase items at the walk-up, outdoor, window counter) are everywhere you look. It seems like every 10th house has one built out front. The only thing we really buy from them are bags of water when we are biking. That's right...I said 'bags' of water. Lots of stuff here comes in bags. As for big, American-like grocery stores, you have to go into the center of town (interestingly, when you checkout, you bag your own groceries and they charge you 2 Lemps ($0.10) for each bag!). Even these stores are still much smaller than anything you would find in the states. Oh, and only half the store is food, the other half is clothes, shoes, and toys.
  • Rambutans - Speaking of food... there is a delicious fruit grown and sold everywhere here. It is called a rambutan. They are small, round balls with stiff hairs poking out all over. I have seen them in red and yellow. You have to first bite a piece of the skin off and peel the rest. Then you can eat the white part inside (doesn't it look like a little brain?) but watch out for the seed. They taste a bit like grapes. (I previous labeled them lychees ("LEE-chee"), which are in the same family. Everyone here calls these lychees and if you asked for rambutans they wouldn't know what you wanted but they are, no less, rambutans.)
  • Trash - Littering is rampant in every part of Honduras. While riding on the bus I have seen grandmas, mothers, children, elderly gentlemen, every kind of person throwing their trash right our the window with no feeling of guilt or shame. There are some trash cans throughout town but everyone just drops their trash on the ground. The ironic thing is when people actually use the trashcans, the trash falls out of it and it blows away anyway because all the trashcans here are just strips of metal with gaping holes between each piece. Consequently, there is a lot of litter everywhere. In front of each house is a wire box (with giant holes) to put your family trash in. Then a trash collecting truck comes by randomly and hauls it away, dropping 50% of it on the ground in the process. We try to put our trash in plastic bags and tie it before placing it in out trash box but somehow it always gets all over anyway. Oh, and people here get rid of yard waste by burning it.
  • Billiards - There are many places to shoot some pool here in Honduras except only men play. There are never any women in these places and, even when just walking by one, we are harassed. Speaking of...
  • Harassment - Women here are constantly harassed. Every time Christina and I walk out the front door, some guy (anywhere between 8 and 80 years old) begins the process. It continues until we get back into the house. Almost every guy we pass feels the need to say something to us: "Oh, mi amor", "My love", "I love you", "muy guapa", "muy bonita", "hey baby", Kissing sounds, etc.
  • Hard Workers - The people here are extremely hard workers.
    • There is the "hamburguesa" man that rides his bike all over the city everyday starting at 6:00am hawking his burgers.
    • There are government employees who shovel, sweep, and haul away all the dirt that piles up in the streets with wheelbarrows.
    • The women constantly gather all their family's dirty clothes and scrub them, rinse them, scrub them, rinse them, and hang them to dry. All by hand.
    • The custodian at our school, Carol, sweeps and mops the entire school and cleans the bathrooms all day without ever stopping or sitting and she is always smiling and giggling.
    • The people (mostly women) who work at the food stands making dough, cooking, selling fruit and vegetables, from early morning until late evening. This woman is frying up plantains to eat like french fries, chicken, beans, and tortillas. We buy baleadas (like bean burritos) from them often. The blue pot has dough balls in it. The red jar is filled with pickled onions. Each baleada is about 6 - 9 Lemps ($0.30-0.48) depending on what you want inside it. Here is a link to a woman cooking our tortillas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ShxqkV1w-I
    • The Garifuna people, including very young children, who walk up and down the hot sand balancing tubs on their heads filled with pan de coco (sweet bread), machete and coconuts in hand to offer up fresh agua de coco (coconut juice), or asking if you want trenzitas (to braid your hair), even when the beaches are empty.
    • The ice cream men who push heavy carts around the city and on the sand.
    • The men who must cut the always growing grass, weeds, and plants. They are hunched over with only their machetes hacking away all day.
    • The construction workers who are lifting, climbing, hammering, mixing, etc. for the never-ending buildings going up.
    • All of these people do all this while the hot sun beats down on them and most of them wear button-up collared shirts, long pants, and full-coverage shoes.
  • Television - Just a reminder... we have no T.V. in our house. That's right, we don't watch any T.V. We can watch movies we brought on our computers but that's it. I am fairly certain we are the only people living here that do not have a T.V. and cable. Just like in the U.S., everyone else here seems addicted to T.V., even people living in one-room shacks.
  • Oh, and did I mention the lovely beach? - We rode our bikes to town on Sunday (Dec. 2nd) and it was a beautiful day. I think this was the first time since mid-October that it has been this nice. It was warm, sunny, and everyone was enjoying the beach. It was a tiny bit windy, thus the waves. Strangely, most Hondurans swim in their clothes. The guys don't even bother to take off their shirts. Maybe they are just more modest or possibly they can't afford bathing suits, I'm not sure of their reasoning. Here is a video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GayX0NtkyeE It has been so nice here we have started going to the beach in the morning for a few hours before work. Riding our bikes to the beach we pass many pulperias, horse carts, munching cows, construction sites, taxis, other bikers, and cool houses... Here I am arriving in paradise... And of course I am always reading... And I can't resist the gorgeous water for a swim... And there are always a few fisherman about, swim faster little fish...
  • Animals, always - these horses were right outside our kitchen window one morning just munching away. As I mentioned in a previous blog, there are animals to be found everywhere you look. At night, barking dogs, crowing roosters, and chirping crickets lull me to sleep. While in the morning I am greeted with singing birds, loud cars, and more barking dogs.
See, it ain't so bad here. For those of you who are under the impression that I am roughing it, well, judge for yourself. I personally think those of you who live where it snows are demented. Although, I do admit the snow is very pretty... but only in photos. This is so far the most stress-free, relaxing year I have had since I was 5. Except for missing my family and friends, it has been an amazing time.

School has been going well. This week is just a review week. The students take exams next week. My students are doing well and I hope it shows on the exams. This year is really flying by but I am cramming as much learning into their heads as is possible.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

The People I Work With

Yeah, yeah...I know the title is a little Mr. Rodgers Neighborhoodish but these are the people I work with. Everyone at the school has lived their whole lives in Honduras. Almost none of them have ever left the country. And none of the have any teacher training.

Introducing...
Mr. Lemus. His first name is a mouthful so everyone just calls him Lemus. He is the Social Studies teacher for 1st-6th grades. He doesn't speak one word of English which is fine since Social Studies is required to be taught in Spanish by a Honduran. He is a bit shy (at least around Christina and I) and is only 20 years old.Mrs. Pacheco (Mirtala). She is the computer/technology teacher for 1st-6th grades although most times she just does art with the kids or has them play solitaire. She doesn't speak any English. She is silly and the kids seem to love her. She is always laughing and trying to make others laugh. I like her even though I don't really know anything about her except she rides a motorcycle and has a 2 year old son.Mrs. Calix (Suyapa with red scarf - in photo with Paola, a high school teacher). She is the Spanish (which also must be taught by a Honduran) and calligraphy (handwriting) teacher for 1st - 6th grades. She doesn't speak any English. She always seems kinda stressed out and exhausted. The kids walk all over her, poor lady. She has a daughter in 4th grade. Mr. Lacayo. He is the P.E. teacher for 1st - 11th grades. He doesn't speak any English. He is very nice. He went with us on our bus trip to Copan. Mr. Mejia (Marlon- without the tie). He is the 1st grade teacher. He is supposedly fluent in English but is actually far from it. He has a strong accent, poor pronunciation, limited vocabulary, and his grammar needs work as well. What a great model for establishing a good English base with the 1st graders. He is very sensitive and naive and you often find yourself suddenly very busy when he is approaching. He has a big heart and is always trying to help or give you things but they often end up not being helpful or wanted at all. His entire family is living in New York. He lives here alone in a house his mother bought. He dreams of going to the states and teaching there.

Mr. Cabrera (Rafael- with the tie). He is the aide for 1st grade. He is very fluent in English and is very motivated to become a better teacher. He is even enrolling in the University to get his teaching certificate (It takes 3 years) and thought up a whole plan to create his own "summer school" program for the really low kids. He gives me the impression of being truly genuine. He is 20. Mrs. Mejia (Claudia - not related to Mr. Mejia). She is the aide for Prepa (prepatoria). Prepa is the Honduran equivalant of Kindergarten (confusingly, the preschool class is called Kinder in Honduras). Claudia is great. She has a daughter in my class, Khenemla, and a daughter in Christina's class, Claudita. Their father lives in Miami, Fl. She speaks a little bit of English. She invited us over to dinner at her house one night and made salad, delicious tacos, and salsa. Then she gave us nail polish. She is very sweet. She is 28. Mrs. Marla. She is the prepa teacher. She speaks English very well. She is a very calming woman that makes you feel like you should slow down a bit and not worry so much. Just standing next to her gives you a relaxing sensation somehow. Mr. Palacios (Carlos). He teaches grammar and math to the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades.
His classroom management strategy seems to be asking the students in a loud, booming voice, "Why are you talking?" I hear it all day long. He speaks fluent English. Although he was born in Honduras, he moved with his family to Miami, FL when he was 4. He lived there until just a few years ago when he returned to Honduras. His family and 3 kids are still living in the states. He is funny and likes to joke around a lot. He is always in a jolly mood. He was in the hospital for a week for his stomach and his doctor told him he has to only eat healthy food but he doesn't listen. He is 31 .Vanessa (Mrs. Velasquez). (There is a picture of her on the Copan blog.) She is the Literature teacher for 4th, 5th, and 6th grades (their science teacher is her brother, Hector - age 19). She is the founder of the school, Graciela's, daughter and she is also the volunteer coordinator. She helps us with everything we need. She is usually very helpful but sometimes a bit dramatic. She lived in Boston, MA for 8 years and just moved back to Honduras 2 years ago. She has a 3 year old son, Anthony, who attends the Kinder class. His father lives in the states. Needless to say, she is extremely fluent in English. She is 28.

Miss Vallecillo (Cynthia, on the right - her little sister, Olga, is in my class) and Danira, on left. These are the two, 17 year olds that are now (well, until December break) teaching the 7th - 11th grade literature and grammar classes. They are both fluent in English from attending bilingual schools. Cynthia is really nice but I don't know the other girl. Since Christina's students are a bit of a handful, Cynthia has been assigned to help out in there in the afternoons.Vilma (Mrs. Mendez) (in photo with Marlon). She is the principal of the elementary section of our school (1st-6th grades). She doesn't speak any English. I am not really sure what she does all day. She doesn't even show up until halfway through the day. I think her main job is to make up holidays for us to decorate for and sing songs about. Sometimes she is nice and other times I get the feeling she thinks it is a hassle having deal with us since we don't understand much Spanish. She has a daughter in the kinder class and another in 7th grade. Carol. She is the custodian. She is the cutest, most adorable woman ever. I want to take her home with me. She doesn't speak any English but I speak to her in Spanish. She is incessantly sweeping and mopping. I have never seen her sit down and I have never seen her without a smile. She often brings her 3 year old son to work with her. He went to the kinder class for a week or two but it was too expensive for her. She is the hardest working person at the school and they won't let her kid go there for free or a discounted rate! Anyway, I adore her.Dontonio. He is the security guard. Why are you laughing? Doesn't he look scary? He is very nice and jokes around with the kids. He only speaks Spanish so I speak Spanish with him. He is like an adorable grandpa. I think his only job is to open and close the gate for people. He said he has 3 kids and 2 live in San Pedro Sula and 1 lives in the states but he doesn't know which part.
And these, of course, are my lovely students showing off the xmas decorations they made. They really are the best class at out school. I love them and I think they feel the same about me. They are wearing their P.E. uniform. Everyday they have to wear their regular uniform (white blouse with a blue tie and boys- blue slacks, girls- plaid skirt with knee-high white socks) except on the 2 days they have P.E. Then they have to wear this and bring a ball, a small towel (sweat rag), and a water bottle. By the way, all the balls here are made of hard plastic and do not bounce. I feel bad watching them play with these. So even for all the times I might complain about the frustrations at the school, I really do like it. The staff is friendly and the students are fun.