Happy Valentine's Day!

February 14. Valentine's Day. A holiday that you either love or hate, I have yet to meet anyone who is just neutral about Valentine's Day. If you aren't keen on the idea of a holiday centered solely around love and hearts and gooey things, maybe you'd love the Spanish take on it. Día de amor y amistad-- day of love and friendship.

Dia de Amistad with these crazy kids? Yes please.

We started out this holiday season with our "John 3:16" bulletin board.

        "For God

                  so loved the world

                       that He gave His

                      only

               begotten

                      son so

                         that whoever

                    believes

                        in Him shall

                   have everlasting

                                 life."

Followed by many talks about how God is our very best valentine.

Our Valentine's Day craft.

Multiple reading buddy classes were spent creating various valentines and telling people reasons why we love them. We really focused on verbalizing our feelings of appreciation for each other as well as making sure our actions mirrored our words. Trust me, there were many, many discussions to be had about loving each other.

Crosswords. Please note this concentration.

The big day finally arrived and the students came to school ready to party. Ropa de color and everything. I spent the morning with my Grade Two's and we spent the first two classes doing our real work-- Language and Reading class. Let me tell you, one would have thought that I had 21 students all getting root canals. They were so unhappy to be having to do "real work". The 8:50 recess bell rang and the students went crazy knowing that the rest of the day was a party.

Mr. Cristian came to play with Grade Two.

Enter the room after recess and we filled the rest of the morning with Valentine's Day crosswords, Kiss the Lips on Miss Valentine, and soem heart related crafts. Lunchtime was spent chowing down on Pizzeria Cantonese and pastel. Enter-- sugar high.

Games with Grade Five.

After recess, I had the joy of hanging out with my rambuctious Grade One's. I lined them up and sent them up to Mr. Cristian's room. Grade Five's came down to hang out with me and we played about fifteen minutes of games before we rotated again and Grade Four graced me with their presence. We enjoyed fifteen minutes of random games before our final switch.

Girls versus Boys race in Grade Four.

Grade One's came back and we played some Bingo before heading outside to blow off some steam. Which quickly went sour because Mr. Cristian was having a water balloon/ water gun fight with his Grade Four's and I made my students watch. Worst. Teacher. Ever. I got lots of nasty comments including being called "Señora Aburrida". All afternoon. Especially when the Grade Four's doused me with some water, I shot them with some water guns, and I still made my students stand back and watch. Señora Aburrida, in the house.

Grade Four water fight.

Mr. Cristian versus Senora Aburrida. Holla.

Awfully unimpressed with me.

Lauren's class of Grade Five's met us in the comedor for our last class and led us in some wonderful games of Duck, Duck, Goose, Simon Says, Follow the Leader, and Red Light, Green Light. 23 out of 25 of my students LOVE hanging out with the big kids and were having the best time with the Grade Five's. The other two? Well, they were spending quality time with Miss Caitlin. In the classroom.

Elementary English staff.

And there you have it, my Happy Valentines Day 2013.

Still Alive And Kickin'

I promise, I promise, I promise. I am still alive and well. Things have been wild down here in Honduras since coming back from Christmas vacation. We've finished up Parcial 2 and moved into Parcial 3, I played tour guide to my father while he was here visiting, Grade 1 and 2 took their 'viaje educativo' to San Pedro, and we've been cramming the weekends full of adventures.

Fancy Dinner:
Sarah and I got the bright idea to be super domestic one Friday night and cooked dinner for Daniel, Hector, and Cristian. The catch was that they had to dress in their finest formal wear. Lasanga? On the higher end of above average. Garlic bread? A little crispy. Salad? The high point of the meal. Apple pie? Should have made sure I wasn't using corn flour first. Have you ever eaten a piece of cornbread and an apple at the same time? That is exactly what this pie tasted like. Not exactly a high point.

Looking so fly.

 Joya Grande:

Sign me up for this zoo adventure. We spent more time taking pictures with random flags and dinosaur statues than doing anything else. Best part of the afternoon was when Sarah and I launched into a perfect rendition of "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" at the lion cage.

So diverse.

Daddio's Visit:
Pilgrim makes a trip down to Sigua every January/ February which is how I ended up falling in love with this town in the first place. Due to hearing me sing it's praises and the fact that I was now living there, Dad came down on the trip this year. We spent the week eating baleadas, ice cream, and Los Rancheros as well as shooting off fireworks and taking him to the scary playground. Dad really jumped into Honduras with both feet. And fell in love. It was a little weird at first having my two (very different) worlds collide, but I kind of loved it.

Oh, did I mention that he spent two days with Grade 1 and 2? What a trooper.

Hanging out with Pops in Comayagua.

Viaje Educativo to San Pedro:
Every child loves a field trip and I think that every teacher dreads them. Nonetheless, I boarded the bus at 5:30am (!!!) to endure a 2.5 hour busride up to San Pedro with my little angels. They were surprisingly well behaved and had an absolute blast. Not to mention the fact that we sang "Who Stole The Cookies From The Cookie Jar" Spanish verison for at least 3 of our 5 hours travel time.



Any and Lorena on our field trip to the Children's Museum.

J Biebs and Usher in the House:
For the Grade 9 final projects, the students have to create a music video. Therefor the teachers have to make an example video. We busted a move "First Dance" by Justin Bieber which no one of us had ever heard before, but quickly learned all the lyrics to. Don't worry, the big movie release is coming soon.

 

100th Day Of School:
Thursday marked the 100th day of school and due to an ill-prepared teacher, we celebrated on Friday. The students made glasses featuring the number 100, a worksheet where they had to color 100 items, a picture of themselves when they are 100 years old, and we had a discussion about what they would want to have 100 of and what they wouldn't want to have 100 of. Highlight of Grade Two's 100th Day of School? One student telling me she would want to have 100 people praising Jesus. Highlight of Grade One's 100th Day of School? Mr. Cristian made a guest appearance to help them with their art projects.



Any and Isai celebrating the 100th Day of School

El Nacimiento:
Another weekend adventure. Lauren and I made some sandwiches, brownies, and fantastic pasta salad and loaded up Cristian's car to go to El Nacimiento. Which is apparently the mouth of some river. Apparently. The water was crystal clear, the weather was perfect, the company was great. I spent most of the day thinking "Oh my gosh, this is actually my life. I actually live here." Hector tried to get us to go fishing. Which was successful. For him. He caught four fish throughout the course of the day, Cristian caught one, Lauren and I-- zero, and Daniel didn't even try. Our bait for fishing included leftover pieces of turkey and ham from our sandwiches. At one point in time, Cristian combined a little piece of bread, a little piece of cheese, and a little piece of ham to the hook creating a little sandwich for the fish. Sadly, the fish ate the food without getting stuck on the hook, but we were killing ourselves laughing over "fish sandwiches". There was also a rope swing that we had to try out. I chickened out and couldn't do it from the highest point and didn't have enough time to work through my fears. Guess that just means that we'll have to go back sometime.



Crystal clear waters.

One month summed up in a few quick bullet points. There aren't enough positive words or pictures to explain how much I love living here.

 

We're The Five Best Friends That Anyone Could Have.

I've said it once and I've said it again-- I have made some of the BEST friends while being down here in Honduras. Sarah and I have discussed, many times, about how awkward it is to just put yourself out there and made friends. Here we are, in our early 20's worried about making friends. But it's so true. It is not comfortable to go up to people and say "Hey, I don't know anyone here, will you please be friends with me?" But in the end it can be so, so worth it.

Case in point? Hector, Daniel, Cristian, Sarah, and myself.

At one point in time, we didn't know each other. We saw each other in passing and our conversations centered solely around teaching and our students. But then one day someone took that awkward step, someone reached outside of their comfort zone, and an incredible friendship was built.

I thank God each and every day for placing these wonderful people in my life. Multiple times a day I find myself thinking that I am so blessed to have such incredible friends-- both here and in the States.

After spending two long, treacherous weeks apart, the five of us decided to head on up to La Ceiba for some much needed R and R. And vitamin D. We left Sigua after school on Friday afternoon and stayed until Sunday mid-morning. I don't think we stopped laughing the entire time.

The highlight reel.

The weekend was filled with flat tires, sand sculptures, baleada eating on the beach, trash talking, and name calling. We listened to "Call Me Maybe" more times than I could count and more times than any of the guys would care to admit. But it made a perfect weekend.

La Ceiba from our hotel, Art Deco Hotel.

I love my friends. I love Honduras. I love this Honduran life of mine.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.

Christmas has slowly started taking over CEE. All of the classroom doors are decorated with various Christmas paraphernalia, as well as the comedor and library. Sarah's gone all out decorating each of her classroom and, not to be left out, we've done our fair share of decorating in Grade 1 and 2.

Grade 2 got the ball rolling by decorating paper Christmas ornaments and hanging them on the Christmas tree on our giant bulletin board. We also colored Christmas stockings that are now hanging throughout the classroom. Just to lift our holiday spirits some more, we did all this while listening to Christmas music. Which included listening to "Feliz Navidad" on repeat. Over and over and over again. Just a little bilingual fun at the bilingual school.

Grade 1 quickly followed suit by making paper plate snow globes and strings of paper Christmas lights with their names written on them. They've been begging me to decorate Christmas stockings and Christmas ornaments, so that's on this week's agenda.

Reading Buddies has been a HUGE part of our Christmas festivities as they've really helped my kiddos with all their Christmas crafts.

Each day we read a little bit of the Christmas story and then talk about the real meaning of Christmas. No presents here, these kids are all about Jesus. And fireworks. Christmas and fireworks go hand in hand down here in Honduras.

Our Christmas party is coming up this week and I just cannot wait to celebrate with my Grade 2's. As much as we all love each other, we're all ready for a break.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...

...that's what my Grade Ones are made of.

 

I adore my Grade Ones. We've had weeks worth of struggles and there are certainly still days where we are all staring at the clock, counting down until 2:15. But that doesn't mean that we don't love each other. Drive each other crazy? Yes. Love each other at the end of the day? Yes.

My cuties.

But it has taken us a long time to get to this place. We've put in weeks worth of routines and butting heads and tears before finally reaching this place where we actually enjoy being together. I wanted to share some of my joys, as well as struggles, with everyone here at CEE, so Cristian and I decided to switch classes for one class today. He taught my Grade Ones while I taught his Grade Threes. Hands down Grade Three is the easier class. Poor Cristian had no idea what he was getting himself into when he agreed to this.

 

So I teach two classes of Grade One before Cristian comes into my room. I explain to my Grade Ones that I had to go somewhere, that Mr. Cristian would be their teacher, and that I expected them to be on their verrrrrry best behavior. I walk out the door, smirking to myself, and head on up to Grade Three.

 

Easiest 40 minutes of my life. The kids were engaged, they were quiet, they participated. We made a little deal that if they could all get to "Terrific", I would give them each a Siguabuck. We finished class a little early, so I gave them about three minutes to talk to each other. They chose not to. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I almost wanted to shut the door, teach through recess, and let the kids go home early at the end of the day. It was incredible. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for Mr. Cristian's experience in Grade One.

 

While I wasn't there and can't say exactly how the students behaved, I can say that my Grade Ones weren't exactly at the top of their game today. Not exactly the best day for a guest teacher and certainly not showcasing off their best behaviors. I definitely received a negative report from all teachers involved and a firm "I am NEVER doing that again!" from Mr. Cristian.

 

Despite the fact that it was a nice, easy break in my day and the fact that my Grade Ones were downright dreadful, I was glad to return to the classroom after recess. They were nowhere near as calm as Grade Three, but they're mine. My precious, rambuctious, wild Grade Ones. Who are funny and goofy and really, really smart. They've got a tough exterior, but crack through that and the tough exterior actually seems worth it.

 

Mr. Cristian might not be coming back to Grade One for a long, long time, but that's okay. Because I couldn't imagine giving them to anyone else.



Dive In And Explore Grade One And Two!

Pretty catchy title, huh? It works wonderfully for my underwater bulletin board and my sad attempt to have an underwater themed classroom.

I know it's hard to believe, but I am actually living in Honduras because I am working here. I'm not just here taking a nice little vacation, hanging out with friends, and traveling on the weekends. But I promise you-- my Monday through Friday is a whole different sort of enjoyable.

My Grade Ones are improving each and every day. They can now recite our class rules to me without any prompting-- thank the Lord. We're working on actually being able to follow the class rules, but as of this week, they have been able to tell me that I moved their clip down because they broke rule number 3. While I'm not a fan of how I'm a slave to the clip chart these days, it's working for my kiddos, so I'll put it up with it.

Grade Twos and I are kind of at a stand-still right now. We aren't doing terrible, but we certainly aren't on a roll or anything. Between the cold temperatures and overcast skies and the fact that Christmas vacation is just too far out of reach to be able to count down to it, we're all a little antsy. Their attention spans are short and my patience is even shorter. We're making it work, but no one is absolutely loving it.

I feel like I say this every time I talk about what is going on at school, but there is ALWAYS so much going on! In the month of Novemeber we had the CEE Anniversary, the Spelling Bee, a couple different birthday parties, and some fun activities in Grade One.

Since pictures can explain these events better than words can, I've uploaded some of the winning shots for your viewing pleasure.

CEE Anniversary

The Spelling Bee

Grade One Science

PANACAM-- Where the Scenery is Beautiful and the Guests are Cranky.

Disclaimer: Personally, I loved this trip. I had an amazing time with my friends and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I was with my some of my closest friends here in Honduras on top of a beautiful mountains. While the weekend did have it's ups and downs, I would give it a positive rating overall. My tone in the following play-by-play doesn't exactly convey that, but it's true. The weekend spent in PANACAM was filled to the absolute brim with adventures, laughter, and memories as well as a lot of crankiness. Mostly memories though.

 

Another weekend, another set of travel plans, right? Absolutely right. This weekend we packed up and headed up to PANACAM which is a forest (rainforest?) with great hiking. Our entourage consisted of myself, Sarah, Cristian, Hector, Daniel, Ricky, Ricky's friend, Lauren, and Erika. We had a bit of a late start while leaving (shocker) and arrived at PANACAM around 6:15ish. In theory.

 

Yojoa from PANACAM Lodge

Weekend Adventure #1. We were in the final stretch of our drive to PANACAM. Quite literally in the driveway to the hotel we were staying at, about five-ten minutes from our final destiantion. It's dark and rainy and there was a giant delivery truck blocking the road. As in, it was horizontally across the road making it quite impassable for us. So we turn around, find out there is no other way up to PANACAM Lodge, and wait for something to happen. And wait. And wait. And wait until we finally got a hold of the people at PANACAM who said they would drive down to the truck and then walk to meet us. We could leave our cars at the pulperia where we were waiting and get them in the morning. Sounds like a legitimate plan, correct? Except it was raining and dark and we all had our backpacks and blankets and it was at least a 45 minute walk. Idea vetoed. We eventually found some people who would let us park at their house, drive us to the truck that was blocking the road, and then the people from PANACAM would drive us the rest of the way. Honduran people have such big hearts.

 

 

We arrive at PANACAM Lodge, get settled in to our college dorm room/ camp cabin, and make our way to the restaurant for dinner. It's about 8:45pm at this point, so I think it's safe to say that the restaurant staff was less than pleased with us. We ate some dinner, played some cards, moved to a table outside, built a fire, played some more cards, and finally quit when we were all cheating so badly that we couldn't actually finish a game. That was around....2am.
 

Despite the nights adventures and the intense card gaming, some of us still couldn't fall asleep once we got back to the room and ending up having some intense teacher bonding. It was needed and successful, don't even worry.

 

 

A late breakfast and some hummingbird watching before starting on what turned into a treacherous hike. The hike itself was diffcult, but managable. I survived and enjoyed it, but it was certainly tough. But EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. of us was wearing our cranky pants. Cranky. Cranky. Cranky. It was too hot, the hike was too far, we were too hungry, we were too thirsty, we didn't know this is what we were getting ourselves into, the hike was too hard, we were too tired. If there was something to complain about, I can certainly guarantee we complained about it.

 

 

We finish the hike, shower, all ready to go back to Sigua. Oh wait, the truck that is supposed to drive you down the mountain to the pulperia isn't here, just wait over there. Fine, done. OH WAIT. You have to wait TWO hours. Now let me tell you, out of the five of us who completed the hike and were waiting to drive back to Sigua, there were ZERO people who dealt with hunger well. You can only imagine the crankiness and nastiness that ensued. We were not pleasant people to be around. We finally made it to the pulperia and stopped for dinner at the lake. After consuming some tasty, tasty fish, we were back to our normal selves.

 

At the top. Hot, sweaty, and so cranky.

Roll into Sigua late on Saturday night and I was asleep the second I touched the bed. Oh PANACAM, you provided me with more 5 Year Perspective stories than anything else has in a long, long time.