Sunday, September 18, 2011

Settling In

Oh.. the life of a missionary is so hard

      Well, tomorrow I will have been in Honduras for exactly one month. That's the longest I have ever been in a foreign country or without my parents. So far I am doing okay. I have been to the market twice and can ask how much things cost and give the correct amount of money. I have marched in the annual independence day parade. From this experience, I can tell you that moving a parade takes forever. Also, people do recognize the USA flag and if you hold one, they will shout out USA or estados unidos.
           It turns out that lighting a gas stove or oven is not really that frightening and it is best to not be in the midst of a shower when the power goes off. If you happen to have a roommate that will discreetly put a flashlight on the toilet, the experience is much improved. If you ever wondered why there is a Mother's Day and Father's Day but no kids day, you are living in the wrong country. Kids day or dia del ninos has been hiding out in Honduras for years.
           Finally, teaching is very hard but very rewarding. At the end of the day all my kids want to do is get out that door and teaching them is only marginally successful. However,  I am the most awesome teacher at recess just because I know a couple common clapping games. My kids tell me they love me all the time, and the parents are wonderful. Just this week a parent took us up to their second house so we could eat, swim, and relax by the pool.
           One month down, 9 months to go, and they're going to be awesome.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Animals Animals Animals

Random Cow
There are many animals I am not used to seeing here. For example, there are a few cows who walk by the house just as free as you please while they graze.
Sherwin
There are dogs everywhere but even if they are not strays I have only seen two on a leash. A frog who has been named Sherwin sits at our gate begging to be let out every time it really rains. Finally, we have little geckos in our house. One has a gimpy leg... thus I have named it Nemo.


The first week of class is done and I am glad for it. Trying to impart new information and yet hold a class's attention without actually giving them something to do is a challenge. I have taken to having even my 3rd graders copy a bunch of notes from the board so I don't lose them when I'm talking. I have purchased a whistle and I have started assigning worksheets. This week drastically improved from Monday. I hope this week improves on last week.
There is a gecko on the corner