Sunny Day

We had a nice break from school today. The kids from the other school in San Pedro came over to the house and we had a whole day of fun, games, and plenty of sun. Some of the kids played soccer, some swam, and after taking a bunch of pictures I got in a game of volleyball. It was a dangerous operation trying to take pictures of the kids in the pool because of all the water everywhere. If I didn´t get wet from them jumping around they would make sure that I did by splashing water right at me and my camera.

I´m so excited! I have the whole off next week for what they call Semana Santa. After teaching for 2 1/2 months it will be nice to have a break and I´m looking forward to seeing more of the amazing sites in Honduras. I may even get to see some Mayan ruins!

Visit to the World of Trash

Behind the Guifarro's house you can see a steady cloud of smoke rising from the hills. I was told it was burning trash but I had know idea how much trash until yesterday. Mr. Guifarro had to dump some brush from the back of his truck and aksed me if I wanted to come along. We drove down a long, winding dirt road until we reached the largest mountain of trash I've ever seen. It was like another world. Vulchers were everywhere. People were there too for different reasons, some to find parts that they could sell later in town, others to sell things to the people that worked there. I saw some kids and a man that each looked like they were living under some scraps they had found in the pile. I wasn't really sure what to think. I've seen alot of different standards of living here from rich to poor but this was the worst. I'm trully thankful for the many opportunities and blessing I have. I've questioned many times in my life why I was born how I and where I was, with so many good things, but when I start playing the comparison game I realize that you can always find someone in a better or worse situation than you are in. None of us deserve anything that we have. Instead of wondering why I have what I have I remind myself that I can be thankful for it just like everyone else can no matter who they are or where they live. Instead of dwelling on the fact that life is unfair and wondering why I'm not living in the trash heap, I've found it better to spend my energy helping others out with the blessings I've been given. Praise God, one day we'll all be walking on streets of gold and no matter where we used to live here will seem like a trash heap compared to eternity. But until then, if we have a smile, the least we can do is pass it along.

Dinero de Honduras

If you've ever wondered what the money looks like in Honduras here it is! Like a lot of other countries it's much more colorful than our plain green money in the US. The exchange rate is about 20 Lempiras for every American dollar so the numbers can get pretty high even when you're just buying grocieries.

How can time slow down?

On Sunday there was a couple that came over to the house for a visit. The husband is from here in Honduras and his wife is a nice Caucasian lady from the US. While her husband was working on setting up an Exel document for Mr. Guiffarro, I had a good time chatting with his wife about the unique experiences of learning a new culture and language. We talked about some of the different things they do like pointing to things with there lips, or the snapping sound they make when they do that hand shake thing a lot of spanish people do. She's been here about 3 years now so she can speak fluently and she even has a spanish accent when she talks in English. I wonder if I'll have an accent when I come back, that would be pretty cool. Anyway, I asked her about their plans for the future. She told me they're thinking about moving to the US but there not sure because her husband has a good job at a clothing company and they can live very comfortably here with the income that they have. If they moved to the United States it would be more difficult to have the same standard of living and they enjoy the slower pace of life in Honduras. It's true, life really does meander along at a slower pace here and I love it. It makes you feel like you have more of a quality life and more time to enjoy it. Since people here don't expect you to work 24/7 there is more time for other things. Things like sitting around and talking, reading, plenty of solitude if you want it. I'm so glad I have the opportunity to experience another way of life. It has opened my mind and relaxed my body. When I think of the flood of school work that will meet me when I return, I'm glad I have another 8 months here. Even though life moves a little faster back home, I think I'll be ready for it when the time comes. My time here is changing me in ways no other place could. Which makes me wonder, how much does the place you live have an affect on you. If a sudden change of location can have such a big impact on someone's life such as mine, what does staying wherever you're at do to you? You probably get so used to it that you're not fully aware of how your surroundings help to shape who you are. In any case, I believe a slower change of pace for a time can be healthy for anyone, no matter who you are.

One Big Zipper

I don't know about anybody else, but this is the biggest zipper I've seen in my life. One of the kids was asking me to help them zip it up and I was like, "Zip what up!?" I don't think it's the most practical zipper in the world but it sure is down right cool.

Elias Howe, inventor of the sewing machine, was the first person to patent what he called an "Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure" in 1851. However, it wasn't until about 80 years later that this device, known today as the zipper, was marketed and made popular by the clothing industry. Now they're everywhere. On shirts, shoes, stuffed animals, purses, suitcases, you could probably think of a million things. It's amazing what a huge impact certain little ideas have had on our lives.

Fish in the Sink

I didn't grow up eating meat. My family has always been vegetarian. The people here find that difficult to imagine since meat makes up a big part of the Honduran cruzine. It was only a few days ago that I found out the family I'm staying with became vegetarians the day after I arrived. Wow! What a sacrifice. For them it really is. The twins, Orieta and Ester like to tell me about all their favorite meats and how much they love it when they get to eat chicken or something. Even though they made such a big switch, the vegetarian food their mom cooks tastes amazing and they are more than taken care of. Still, they like their meat. Today, I went to rinse out my glass with water like I usually do before I get the clean water from the fridge and I freaked out. There were a bunch of fish flopping around on top of each other trying to catch a breath of fresh water. The twins thought it was pretty hilarious. I'm just not used to seeing fish in the sink. I felt so bad for the poor guys, they didn't stand a chance. They just kept opening and closing their mouths trying in vain to breath. Anyway, I won't be having them but I'm sure the family will enjoy them down to the very last tail.

21 Years Ago I was Born

Well, I can officially say I've had my first birthday outside of the US. It was really nice. To celebrate, the Guiffarro family took me out to eat at Pizza Hut, one of the authentic Honduran restaurants in town. I had a some good pizza, a yummy dessert, and to top it off, the workers sang me their special birthday song. I wish you could have heard the tambourine they used, it was pretty kickin.

Check out that awesome dessert!