"I am going to echar agua to you, meester!"

This is the phrase most often used by Moises, the boy with whom I am currently living, and it is Spanglish for "I am going to throw water on you, meester." Meester is the accented pronunciation of Mr. here is Honduras.  He is a roudy boy and has endless amounts of energy. My nickname for him is chancho, which is a slang term for pig. Why do I call him this you ask? Because of the way he eats. Moises is 8 years old and can eat like it's his job - but not one of those jobs you would want to watch someone do. It is probably to most disgusting display of human ability I have witnessed in person. We begin with a tamale, best pictured as a solid hot-pocket. It is made of corn--i know, you're surprised--some sugar, salt, water and oil all mixed together and cooked inside of a corn husk. They come out as these very thick, very heavy hot pocket looking things. They are awesomely tasty. The common way to eat them is with this crumbly cheese that smells, and tastes like smelly feet (us gringos call it the smelly foot cheese) and a sour cream/butter/salty cream called mantequilla. You average person would take about 20-30 minutes to eat 2 of these; they are extremely filling. Moises manages to down both in about 7-10 minutes, all the while smothering them with this cream stuff and forcing it into his face. What's left at the end is a chubby little boy, exhausted with white cream and crumbled cheese in a messy arrangement on his face and shirt. One word: CHANCHO (pig). Maybe you will all be lucky enough to see a video of this at some point this year.

I finished up my first week of practice teaching and I am feeling positive. I had an "ah ha!" moment today while finishing up my lesson: kids learn so much more when they discuss it together.  You can really teach them into you and they are blue in the face, and they won't understand and you will have a blue face. But today, in 15 minutes, I salvaged a lesson I attempted yesterday and I am pretty sure they will remember it simply because I made them explain it to each other.

I have been lucky this past week because our practice class is mainly 5th graders. If I haven't told you yet, I will be teaching fifth grade, and this has given me an opportunity to both teach and observe them as students. I can already tell who I am going to have trouble with and who are going to be the allstars and I am writing it all down. Also, 5th graders are tiny. I guess that's what happens when your country doesn't use growth hormone on every other kid, and most professional athletes.

That's all I really have for you today. This weekend I am moving into the apartments and I couldn't be happier. I hope you enjoyed this post and held your food down; you only had to read the description, I have to watch it and eat at the same time. Looking forward to some comments or feedback. Have a good weekend everyone. Go Braves!

Up to the Mountains/I'm Actually Teaching?

Some of you may have noticed, and some of you may not, but I posted pictures from the first two weeks here in Honduras. I hope this gives you a glimpse into what the school looks like and where I spend most of my time. The second half of the pictures are just a few snapshots from the team's weekend trip up to Buenos Aires...and no, not the one in Argentina.

We were looking for something fun to do and a bunch of people had mentioned going to Cusuco National Forest about 30km away from Cofradía. Confradía is the jump off point to visit this reserve and so there are fairly regular transportation options from the town square. Did I say options? What I meant was fairly irregular trucks to hop into to go up there. The reason for such transportation scarcity is that the town just below the reserve is a small one, and the road leading up to it is very rocky. So we did as my guide book said and as a friend of the school told me and found someone heading up to Buenos Aires and paid a hefty 35 lempiras a person to go (35 lempiras = $2). The journey lasts about 2 hours but we only traveled 16 miles.

We settled into a very sub par hostel up there and got acquainted with the town by searching out food. The funny thing about restaurants in Honduras is there is generally no menu. You just sort of ask for dinner and, depending on if they were expecting people, it can take any where from 15 minutes to 1 hr 30 minutes to prepare. That night it took the latter. It was worth the wait because we got a well sized plate for about $2.50--oh yeah! that included a coke. At this very same dinner we got a guide to take us into the forest and lead us to a waterfall the next day. Just show up when we want to go and he will take us.

Our guides name was Ibis. Ibis' family ran the restaurant we ate at and owned a coffee farm just below the actual reserve. So basically he led us to an amazing waterfall on his property, stopping at his house along the way. He only uses this house during the harvesting season, and it is also where he prepares coffee to shipped directly to an exporter. He exports through a company called Honducafe. on our hike to the waterfall we passed through many of his coffee fields and learned a little about the process of growing and de-shelling coffee. His family does pretty well for simple farmers. Coffee is Honduras' primary export, and because he sells directly to the exporter, there is no middle man taking a cut (YEAH FAIR TRADE COFFEE).

All in all it was a great weekend getaway. I have a feeling I will be revisiting Buenos Aires often to go hiking and explore the reserve. next time though I will probably camp out in the forest and pay the entrance fee to go check out the ecolodge.  We ran into a bunch of British scientists who were there studying different parts of the reserve. Some studying monkeys, others birds, and others were study the people studying. Word to the wise: British scientists do not make friendly travelers.

Another point of note is that I began teaching yesterday. The way our orientation is structured goes as follows: We receive two weeks of teacher training. Then 2 weeks of practice in the classroom at our "summer academy." Then two weeks of vacation/final preparation.

The teacher training is where we learn everything from how to make lessons, to how second language learners acquire a new language, to classroom management strategies, to how students from poverty learn. The Summer Academy is when we break up into two teams and teach on a rotating basis to gain experience in the classroom before the real year begins. Yesterday was our first day, but today I will be teaching my first real lesson--wish me luck.

Only two weeks after I arrived I am becoming less nervous, and feeling quite positive about teaching. The students really do bring an energy that we haven't had yet, and I can't imagine what the school year must be like. I'm not sure if I have said this yet, but I am ready to move into my apartment. The homestay  experience has not been terribly positive; then again, how could anyone replace Claudia and Alfredo from Buenos Aires (Argentina, that is). I am just tired of living out of a bag and ready to not have to plan every minute of my day so that I have everything I need in 5 different places.

Don't forget I posted pictures to my picasa site. If I am successful at placing a link on my blogs main page, you will see it. If not I will figure out another way to share it.

It's been great talking to you all. Things are all swell in Honduras.

When It Rains, It Pours!

I have not taken many pictures yet, because most days I do the same exact thing. Something else that happens everyday is rain.

You might think that I mean rains like it does in Florida every day at 4PM. This is a little different. Cofradía has some amazing views just outside of town. By appearance the city is surrounded by mountains that every day are clustered by the biggest clouds I have seen. And these clouds can be both good and bad. I will explain:

Big white clouds are usually good, they protect us from the super hot sun and generally when the clouds are fluffy and white, the humidity is not as bad. They also make for a great backdrop to the mountains around school giving the landscape that quintessential image you may or may not think of when you think of the central american landscape. These clouds are usually present in the morning. Sometimes it is a little more gray and then the humidity skyrockets so that when the sun pokes through the clouds, the heat is immobilizing.

Around 3:30 PM or so they real clouds start to roll in. The wind picks up and cools things off a bit (but really not a whole lot) and you can start to see the approaching storms. The humidity and wind start to battle it out for supremacy at which point the wind wins and then it becomes a game of will I make it home for dinner or will I have to wait out the storm until my computer is safe.

You see it rains here everyday. Another interesting anecdote is I have yet to use my rain jacket. If you think that is strange, you are correct. Let's review. It rains here every single day, and by rain I mean it comes down for a solid 2 hours or so. I have also never needed to use my rain jacket. I too am surprised by this. I have been trapped at the apartments, in a convenience store and at school, but never had my rain jacket.

Some other interesting things that happen when it rains are the electricity goes out. This make for a very interesting time especially when the water then gets shut off. The water thing I don't quite understand. During a torrential downpour, I don't think anyone should be worried about running out of water. So here we are at the apartments, with no electricity and no running water. The next step is getting home. You may want to consider the raging river that has just formed on the streets below and how you plan to cross it. As I mentioned, Cofradía only has two paved roads. These paved roads do not come with a sewer system and so the water just flows within the curb like a...oh yeah, river. If you are lucky enough to live on the paved road, your biggest obstacle is crossing without a bridge, if you live off of these roads avoiding the giant pools that have formed and the potential for moving earth underneath your feet should be your primary concern.

I promise to take some photos in the coming days an post them to my picasa site. Though I wouldn't want the 1st Street stream to run away with my camera. Until then, stay dry.

One Week In

So, I am one week in.

Things have started to become routine here, and I feeling at home around town. Yesterday we went to San Pedro Sula, which is the business capital of Honduras, to "see the sights" and get a feel for what goes on there. We spent the majority of the day walking around and seeing the different sections of the city. It turns out you can buy a ton of used American clothing there and pretty much anything else that we export. I was actually pretty shocked to see so many familiar brands and stores, but with a Central American twist.

During our sojourn to the city I passed by 2 separate bike shops and yes, I obviously went inside. The first one was pretty disappointing. It was a bunch of knockoff parts and the only variation in the bikes was the color and size. Needless to say, this is what I expected based on bikes I see around town. The next shop I stopped into was a bit more legit; as in they sold spandex with real teams on them. I chatted with the owner for a bit and he told me he rides 100K every Sunday with his father. I need to figure out a way to ride with him. He also had a pretty sweet mountain bike that I was oogling over for a good minute.

After this stop we went to the mall. The mall could have been transplanted from the US. The best part about it was the A/C. Another interesting point of note was the number of duplicate restaurants in the food court. The choices were 90% American and there was even variety amongst those choices. You could have Popeye's, Chruch's, or KFC. Also Subway and Quiznos were available. We walked around there for a while before heading back to Cofradía. All in all it was a useful trip, as I am sure I will be making it a number of times, and it was good to get out of town for a bit.

As far as everything else goes, I am staying very busy. We are in the thick of planning our first lessons while at the same time planning for the practice teaching academy and continuing to learn how to teach. At times it can be overwhelming, but I just have to focus on one subject at a time and then it flows a little better.

I am getting hungry so I am going to get something to eat. Sorry to cut this one short but there will be plenty more to come. Feel free to comment or send me emails. It's also nice to hear what is going on back home.

Two Days of Spanish

The past two days have been spend almost entirely in Spanish. There have been some requests to hear what my regular day is like so I thought I would tell you a bit about my schedule here in Honduras and how it will not be like this ever again.

The day usually begins at around 6 AM when I wake up because the sun is already high in the sky or because there are dogs barking, or because there are roosters crowing, or because the baby I live with runs into the furniture in his rollie-walkie chair. I try to sleep for a while and then end up getting up and out of my room by 7:45 to eat breakfast and walk to school. School is where all of the training takes place and it is about a 15 minute walk from where I live. At 8:30 we start Spanish class. This is less as like a class because I am not learning anything new but rather informally discussing whatever I want. After this we take a quick break.

From 10 to 11:30 all of us either work on lesson planning or organizing material or have individual meetings with the teacher trainers. In these meetings we get ideas, talk about things we are nervous about, get questions answered, etc.

At 11:30 we have lunch. Lunch has been AWESOME. Lots of vegetables and variety. I wish I could take lunch and make it dinner. Dinner has been bland. But such is Honduras. The from 1 until 5 we have teacher training with the occasional break. After that we are free to do whatever.

We usually head back to town and scatter to some degree. One of the girls has an amazing homestay. When I say amazing i mean, A/C, a real oven, always running water, and...yes...wait for it....A POOL. So we go and hang out in the pool. This is 1 of 2 pools in Cofradía.

Then at some point after that I eat dinner, shower, go to the apartments to work on lesson plans and other stuff and then go to sleep usually before 10.

That's a day in the life of us volunteers. Things are getting much better here. I getting used to the schedule and familiar with the team. I finally have a roommate so that should be fun. I am also becoming a lot busier and keeping myself occupied. So things are looking up from this end and I am still taking small steps of improvement. I imagine once I move into the apartment I will experience another huge leap forward. Thats all for now. I will post again soon about some common themes I see and some foods I have been eating. But I will keep you all in suspense.

¡Hasta Luego!

Better Shower = Better Day

I am not certain I will update this blog everyday as I am doing now, most likely I won't, but I felt after yesterday's post and as everything is still new I will post more regularly during these first couple weeks.

Today was a much better day, and I imagine the next few weeks will be an emotional roller coaster. Last night I spoke with our program administrator about my bad shower experience and she offered some "peace corps seasoned" advice. To explain a little more: Google the word "bucket." Find an image and select it. That is what I use to shower. The shower head works (surprisingly) but the water pressure is so weak that this method would be more ineffective. So instead I rinse off with the shower, cut the water off, and turn on the spigot below to fill the bucket. With a smaller bucket I can then rinse off the soapy regions of my body. This will take practice, but already I am improving. This is how most Hondurans in underdeveloped regions shower.

I have also already learned something about myself: I definitely need human interaction to remain up beat. Last night all of us volunteers met up at the apartments to play board games and socialize. This was a great way to spend the night and also a good bonding experience. This time limits the amount I spend alone which is when things become a bit "down."

Orientation is going well. There are two professional teachers who are here to train us from another bilingual school near Tegucigalpa. The classes are very interesting and informative. We often learn in the style that we sill teach--very effective. The classes can at times be motivating and daunting. We just got a hold of the curriculum binders from last year's volunteers and it is a ton of material to go through and organize, re-learn, and create lesson plans for. By the way, did I mention I then have to teach it while preparing for the next unit. I have a newfound respect for teachers (shoutout: Mel). Your job is not easy.

I am again signing off for now. I am bringing my camera tomorrow to take some pictures of the team, the school and maybe some kids. Baby steps...my new motto.

My First Day

Well hello everyone, or at least everyone who is paying attention, and welcome to my new blog. I have decided to go with a new one considering I had troubled getting into the old one and other assorted issues, so here I am new and hardly improved. But enough about the blog, let me tell you about Honduras and update you on the goings on here.

I arrived yesterday to begin a year of volunteer service with an organization called BECA (you can find out more at www.becaschools.org). Over the course of the next few weeks I will be training to be a 5th grade teacher at a bilingual school here in Cofradía, Honduras. Along with 13 other volunteers, I am an everyday instructor, teaching in English. My services are voluntary, meaning there is no pay, but my housing and food are covered. If you want to know more you can check out the website or email me and I will be happy to explain.

My first impressions are heavily mixed. Unlike my trip to Argentina, I was feeling incredibly more nervous and less excited this time. I am undertaking a huge responsibility and the conditions are not as nice. My attitude has since remained the same. Much of my new experiences are eye-opening and I remain a bit on edge where ever I go. To translate that bit, I am not the normal carefree, sarcastic Josh, there is definitely a hint of fear in my eyes. Not fear for my life or well-being, but for my ability to enjoy my experience here.

The first three weeks I am living in a homestay with a family that seems to have no end; I meet a new member by the minute. The conditions are very basic, though they do have TV and cell phones, but they are very friendly and accommodating. There house is small, 2 bedrooms a kitchen/dining area, and a living room all about 1000 sq. feet, maybe less. They will be hosting 2 of us for the 3 weeks and the other teacher has not yet arrived. So this family is all staying in one room in order to house the two of us.

Last night I officially took my first bucket shower. The water here does not run regularly and I was forced to fill up a bucket and shower the best I could. This will not be like this forever, but I have to master this as I sweat constantly. During the day we have teacher orientation and training which we have jumped straight into, no hesitation whatsoever.

I do not want to make you worry though, I am keeping my spirits up. I recognize that this is all new and I am heavily dependent on the other volunteers and our time together to make the adjustment easier. In the next few days I hope to bring you some photos and some more positive information.

My goal for THIS blog is to be informative and realistic. This experience will not be like Argentina and I will be exposed to many new challenges are hardships. My aim is to keep you all informed about my life as it happens and realistically illustrate the condition in a country like Honduras. So for now I am signing off. I miss home tremendously.