Last Day was a memorable one!

For my last day in Honduras, I stayed in Roatan and had some pretty amazing experiences!  I started the morning with a delicious breakfast of banana pancakes, Honduran coffee, and freshly-squeezed passion fruit juice at a local restaurant called Rudy's.  Rudy (the owner and cook) had a few pet birds out back that were fun to watch.  After breakfast, I grabbed my snorkeling gear and took the 30 minute walk along the beach to West Bay (a more expensive town with amazing beaches).  The coral reef there was very close to the shore, and there were "lifeguards" making sure people stayed away from the shallow areas.  Coral is very sensitive to human touch and can be destroyed easily.  I swam over some pretty amazing fish and coral and even encountered in entire school of fish that quickly scattered when they saw me.  I had accidentally wandered into the shallow area, and although I didn't touch any coral, was asked to leave that area by one of the guards.  I had left my bag with everything in it at a tourism guide stand, so I didn't want to be out in the water for long.  After snorkeling, I headed to Gumbalimba Park and got a personal tour through the park.  I learned some history about the island and got to see and hold some pretty amazing animals!


Roatan is the only place in the world where the black "spiny-tailed" iguana lives.  

This male macaw left his mate to be with two red macaws (the national bird of Honduras).  Unfortunately, military macaws (like this green one) mate for life, so his mate sits perched all alone not too far from where he flies around.

 The white-faced capuchins at the park love to swing from branch to branch and jump from shoulder to shoulder.  They are very friendly with visitors.  This one actually had her baby on her back and was climbing all over me.

 This spider monkey is not as friendly with visitors.  He can get frisky with the ladies, so they keep him tied up when visitors are around.

When I left the park, I headed back to West End to return my snorkeling gear, and I grabbed lunch at a great little place called "Monkey Island."  The restaurant/bar is owned by a former Texan who took the time to chat with all of his customers.  After lunch, it was off to Anthony's Key Resort for my dolphin encounter.  Although a bit expensive, this was one of the highlights of my trip.  I got to spend 30 minutes with a 2-year old dolphin named Tilly.  She was so eager to please and enjoyed the attention.

This was Tilly's mom doing some tricks for us.






I ended my evening with some souvenir shopping, dinner back at "Monkey Island," and packing everything up for the long day of travel that was ahead of me.  I was sad to be leaving Honduras and all of the wonderful experiences I had there, but I am already beginning to plan my next trip back next summer.

Wednesday was a long day of traveling.  I left my hotel room at 6am to get the 7am ferry ride back to the mainland.  From there, I was picked up by Rafael and brought to the airport.  My flight to Tegucigalpa was late, which made me nervous as my flight out of Tegucigalpa was less than an hour after my scheduled arrival time.  When I got off the plane in Tegucigalpa, I saw people boarding the Delta plane that I figured was my way back home.  Rather than get my luggage (as this was a separate ticket, not a connecting flight), I ran up to the plane and told them I still needed to get my luggage, check-in, and pay my airfare tax.  They told me they would wait but they I would have to hurry.  While inside, I was trying to talk to a security guard who didn't know how to speak English.  I nice woman with her little boy was trying to get to the same flight I was but stopped to help translate for me.  Somehow, after I got my luggage, I ended up in front of her at the check-in, and wished her luck while I went to pay my tax.  I was running through the airport with my luggage and made it up through security (which luckily was a short line).  I made it to the plane with minutes to spare, but I never saw the lady and her son board.  He had been crying at one point because he needed to use the bathroom, so I worried that they were still in the airport.  I mentioned it to the flight attendant, and he said he would check.  I never saw them get on, but I hope that all worked out well with them.  I watched a movie on the flight to Atlanta, grabbed my first real meal of the day at the airport in Atlanta during my layover, and saw an HF-L family getting on the plane with me to head back to Rochester... such a small world!  I opted to take a seat in the emergency exit row and was rewarded with no seat in front of me!  That's right - my long legs had a nice spacious flight back to Rochester.  I landed just before midnight and was greeted at the airport by my mom and sister.  All of my luggage made it back safe (with the exception of the stone Mayan calendar I bought, which ended up in three pieces).  I didn't pack that well enough!  Stay tuned for posts about my reflections of this experience and my plans for the future, as my work in Honduras has definitely not come to an end!

My first wild monkey and a trip to Roatan

Yesterday was my last day in La Ceiba, and what better way to spend it than kayaking through a lagoon looking for monkeys! After spending about an hour trying to find an ATM machine that would take my MasterCard (taking Visa next time), I jumped on an old school bus (the most popular mode of transportation in La Ceiba) jam-packed with Hondurans and headed out to the small village of Cacao. From the main road, it was a 2km walk down a dirt road to get to the village. Joel accompanied me until we met the lagoon guide (who didn't speak any English). He grabbed his homemade wooden paddle, and we headed for the lagoon. On the way, he climbed up a cacao tree to get a fruit down for me. The cacao seeds are used to make cocoa. The fruit tastes nothing like chocolate but is quite sweet. 

The "kayak" ended up being a hand-carved canoe, and the guide sat in the back and paddled for me. Unfortunately, it was a bit late in the morning, and it was quite windy, so the monkeys had all retreated to trees further from the water. However, I got some great pictures and did get to see a small monkey family looking for food, some interesting birds, and a creepy looking spider. According to the guide, if you go to the lagoon at night and shine a light on the shore, you will see snakes slithering along and crocodiles surfacing. 

I have to interject for one moment because as I am sitting here writing this blog entry, this creature walked right in front of my chair and startled me. Apparently, I am sitting right in front of his home. He didn't realize I was sitting here, and I think he was more startled than I was. 

After my trip to the lagoon yesterday, I headed to Dunkin' Donuts for A/C and lunch and then off to the mall to get some final souvenirs. After dinner, I packed everything up and hung out with the other volunteers I have met while in La Ceiba. 

This morning, I bade farewell to my host family and took a taxi down to the harbor for my ferry to Roatan. It was a bit of a bumpy ride, but I soaked up the sun and enjoyed the cool breeze. I chatted with a headmaster from Tegucigalpa. He got to practice his English - and I, my Spanish. Once I arrived at Roatan, I was picked up from the ferry by the hotel staff for a 30 minute drive to West End where I am staying tonight and tomorrow night. Lost Paradise Inn is a beautiful place on the outskirts of the town near the path to West Bay (which is famous for its amazing coral reefs). I have my own little building right on the beach, and it's a quick walk to several restaurants and stores. 

I rented some snorkeling equipment in town and took a swim out to the coral reef. It was quite a ways out, and being by myself, I didn't want to stay too long. I did see some really colorful fish and coral, though. My plan is to snorkel some more at West Bay in the morning. I also want to try out the dolphin encounter and check out a park with exotic birds. 

Dinner was at this neat place over the water called "the Barking Monkey." I was the only person there, and they were playing a song on repeat the while time, but the coconut shrimp was delicious!

Well, it's off to bed soon for me so I can get an early rise and take advantage of what should be a great day tomorrow! 

Buenas noches!

Last day of classes and a long hike

Yesterday was my final day at the school with the kids. In the morning, I read a story to the kids in Spanish about a man who wants to cut down trees in a rainforest and the animals who beg him not to. I had the kids draw the animals around a tree and write the names in English. I got a chance to talk to some of the little ones during recess and found out one of the boys has a father who lives in the States but he never gets to see him. Another little boy became very attached to me and counted the number of hugs he gave me - I think he made it to 17.  The 2nd grade teacher was very interested in my lesson today and was even taking notes herself. I left her with the book I read the kids in Spanish as well as 4 copies in English. She gave me her contact information, but she doesn't know any English, so I wasn't really sure why. 

I presented each afternoon class with a bag of supplies, read them a letter I had written to them in Spanish, led them in dancing the Hokey Pokey one last time, and feasted on apples, bananas, cookies, and juice that I bought for them. They were very excited about the new soccer ball and didn't even want to use it yet. Unfortunately, the electricity was out at the school, and the 6th grade classroom didn't have air conditioning today. I always looked forward to that class after getting all sweaty playing soccer during recess. The kids were all asking when I would be coming back. I definitely want to return next summer and even try to spend more time down here. I feel that I could be much more effective if I spoke Spanish better and had more time with the kids. 

After leaving school for the day, Rafael, Logan, and I headed up to the landfill to deliver treats to the kids.  We brought a 3 liter bottle of Coca-Cola, a few dozen small bags of churros (chips), and I had some juice and fruit left over from the party. It was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. Kids were coming out of the woodwork for a chance to get a small refreshment - something sweet and something salty that they don't usually get. I was pouring the soda for the kids, and they were so thankful and full of smiles. 

After dinner, we headed to a local Italian place for a pizza and some drinks with Luis, a guy who is working with the Chamber of Commerce in La Ceiba and has a background in tourism. He is very knowledgeable about local attractions and speaks pretty good English. We also met up with some volunteers from France who are working at a local orphanage. 

This morning, I headed to the school to see the kids one last time for their Lempira Day celebration. They had kids dressed in traditional clothing performing dances, singing, and telling the story of Honduras's independence. The schoolyard was packed with kids from all 6 grades and some families as well. It was awesome to see some cultural history in action. I wished the kids and teachers farewell, so sad to be leaving after a short period of time with them. 

Later this morning, Stephanie, Logan, and I headed to Pico Bonito national park with Joel (the guide who organizes all of our trips) for a hike. It ended up being an extreme workout as we hiked to a waterfall in the park that was absolutely amazing. I don't think I've sweat so much in my entire life as it was quite hot and humid and not an easy hike. However, the view of the falls and of the city from the falls was definitely worth it. We isn't get to see as much wildlife as I was hoping, but we caught sight of a few colorful butterflies, lizards, and a small snake (and a ton of strange looking insects). We also walked by the den of a "mountain pig" which sounds like a huge wild boar. Joel was very knowledgeable about the animals and plants in the park. 

When we got back down to the road, we headed to the river to cliff jump and swim for a bit. I would have like to stay longer, but at that point I was starving. We got dinner at a private resort because Joel's uncle and brother work there. They have rooms pretty cheap and offer a great view with a nice pool. Although I have grown to like some of the Honduran cuisine, I opted for a BBQ cheeseburger with fries and an Oreo cheesecake for dessert. It was delicious!

When we returned home, Fania was celebrating her birthday with friends and family. Although we weren't that hungry, we ate with them and got to practice our Spanish a bit. They sang Happy Birthday in English (which seems to be a tradition down here).  I learned how to dance either salsa or merengue - I'm not really sure which one. Tomorrow will be my last full day in La Ceiba, and I am planning on heading out to a lagoon to do some kayaking. I understand you can see and hear lots of monkeys and birds as you paddle through the lagoon, so I am really looking forward to that. I have to plan my day in Roatan for Monday and Tuesday, and then I will be heading home on Wednesday! It has gone by so fast!

Spanish word of the day - "sudar" which means "to sweat" - I did a lot of that today!

Sorry for the delay! Last day at the school today :(

It has been a crazy week! Because I couldn't work in the schools my first week down here, I did double-duty these last three days. Wednesday was by far my most difficult day here. In the morning, students in grades 1-3 are in session. The teachers only work half days. I started in the third grade classroom. After waiting a few minutes for the teacher to get the kids quiet and settle some arguments, I began with basic introductions and asking what they already knew in Spanish. Every seat in the room was full - about 35 kids. It was difficult to keep their attention and the teacher kept yelling at them. At one point, she left the room, and chaos began. I generally don't raise my voice when I am teaching, but I definitely had to with this group. I switched gears and had them drawing instead as I taught them different parts of the body in English. 

During recess, the teachers sat in a corner and chatted while the kids had free reign over the schoolyard. There were countless fist fights and arguments. At one point, I saw a kid with blood on his shirt chasing after another one with a rock. He was bleeding from his head because the kid had thrown a rock at him. I had to physically restrain them so they would stop fighting, and I brought them over to the teachers to tell them what happened. They said something in Spanish that I took to mean "it happens all the time" and went back to talking. After that, I became weary of walking around the schoolyard trying to break up and prevent fights. One kid chased another out of the gate and down the road tackling him to the ground. A nearby adult yelled at them. One of the kids came back, grabbed his backpack and stormed out of the school. I don't even think the teachers knew what happened. When I went in the classrooms, the kids were tackling each other, throwing stuff around, and just had no discipline. I can imagine the teachers get tired of yelling at the kids, but I think they would benefit from some good behavior management classes. 

After recess, I went to the first grade classroom where the kids were adorable and so excited to say words in English. I couldn't rely on writing words like I could with the other grades, so I switched to a strictly oral approach singing songs to learn the numbers and the days of the week. This teacher seemed to have pretty good classroom control, but she walked around with a ruler in her hand. She was, however, protective of her kids when the older kids were around. 

The second grade class was a bit of a challenge as well with a few arguments or "fights" during the lesson, but there were some really bright kids in the class who were catching on to the English quickly. The teacher stayed in the room, thankfully, and spoke to a few kids when they were misbehaving. 

After Rafael picked me up for lunch on Wednesday, his car overheated on the way home, and we were stranded at a fried chicken joint. A taxi driver friend of Rafael's came to help him, and I grabbed some food and lots to drink. I think I forgot to mention that it was the hottest day here yet, and there wasn't much of a breeze. 

I returned to school for the afternoon, already drenched in sweat, and had some great lessons with the kids where they acted out various action words. I also did a lesson with the 6th graders on question words. I witnessed an extremely unsanitary cleaning of the schoolyard, but all of the kids were helping out. Some were collecting trash. Others were scrubbing the bathrooms with the same brooms they use in the classrooms (including the toilets). Then, they rinsed their hands in this giant barrel of water that, as far as I can tell, had been sitting there for a while. None of the kids complained, and they all chipped in. It was great to see such teamwork. 

When I returned home, I met up with Stephanie at Dunkin Donuts with a new volunteer from Los Angeles. Logan is a med student and is volunteering at the local hospital. His Spanish is very good, so it has been nice to have him around to help translate. After dinner, Stephanie and I walked down to a supermarket to get some treats for the kids on my last day. I picked up a bunch of apples, bananas, and cookies. Apparently, the store is owned by WalMart, and I saw an RGIS inventory tag in there (the company my dad retired from and I worked for during college). 

Thursday was a long day as well. I started with an interview for the volunteer organization I came down to Honduras through. They videotaped me talking about my experiences in Honduras - including my host family, the Spanish classes, and the volunteer work. I headed to school after, and the kids were much better behaved today (although there were still several issues during their recess). I taught the kids how to talk about their feelings (happy, sad, angry, etc), and they learned words for the colors along with some animals. While waiting to be picked up, I was sharpening and handing out pencils to the little kids, and they were so excited! I headed back home for a quick lunch (which was still more than I am used to getting!). 

Logan decided to volunteer with me in the afternoons at the school, and he helped me with a "healthy living" lesson for the kids. We talked about all the important things to do to lead a healthy life, and I shared with them photos and sentences my students back home had done for extra credit about healthy living. They were excited to see my students and to find words they knew in English. The 6th graders were able to translate pretty well using the pictures as context clues. Of course, I played soccer again during recess. I get so tired and sweaty, but the kids love having me play along. 

When Rafael came to pick us up, he got a flat tire, so we found a nearby repair shop who took care of it in less than 10 minutes. Then, we headed up to the landfill so Logan could get a view of the city. Once again, we were swarmed by little kids shouting "Gringos! Gringos!" They asked us if we could return tomorrow with some treats for them. We told them to meet us back there at 4 o'clock on Friday. 

Then, it was off to a local supplies store where I spent the money that had been donated back home. I had 200 dollars left and got a ton of classroom supplies for the kids. I put together one bag for each of my afternoon classes and a general bag for the school. The store closed while we were in there, but the employees were all very helpful and thankful for the business. We also stopped to pick up chips and soda to bring to the kids near the landfill. 

When I returned home for dinner, Argentina had not come home yet, so Stephanie and I headed up to the mall to grab a burger, add minutes to our local phones, and pick up some drinks for Friday's fiesta with the kids. It was so hard to believe that I only had one day left working with the kids. I only hope they learned something from my time there and that they will continue to get instruction in English in the future. This has been the most rewarding experience of my life, and it will be tough to leave the kids after such a short time with them. 

Spanish phrase of the day - "prestame" which translates to "may I borrow that?" I hear this one a lot from the kids at recess time because I bring my bag of sports goodies every day. 

Last day of Spanish class

Today was my last day of Spanish class! I have learned so much about the language and can comprehend a lot when I read. It still takes me a while to understand when someone is talking, but I am improving. I need to continue practicing even when I return home so I don't lose the progress I've gained. 

Class with the kids went well today. I taught them several verbs and how easy it is to conjugate in English as compared to Spanish. We played a game with a kickball where they had to complete various actions with my commands. The 6th graders are really taking to the language instruction well. I was giving commands at random during class such as "stand up," "clap," or "wave," and they remembered most of the words. One boy named Samir is learning very quickly and loves to talk to me in English showing off his skills to the other kids. 

This Saturday morning, the 6th graders are having a party at school and have invited me. As far as I can tell, they have been saving up money and will wear special costumes, dance, and eat food. I learned today that the 4th grade teacher is only 19 years old and just finished her schooling a few months ago. The 5th grade teacher was not there today, so the director was subbing for her. I presented one of the classes with the donations I had brought from home, and they were very excited. I am going to pick up the rest of the donations tomorrow with the money I collected. 

There are more volunteers and students for the Spanish classes showing up every week - from England, Canada, Atlanta, Los Angeles. It's great to see so many people reaching out to help and sharing in this amazing experience with me. 

Tomorrow, I will spend the whole day with the kids at school. In the morning, I will work with 1st-3rd graders, and after lunch will be back with the usual students. I am looking forward to meeting some new students and teaching them a little about the language before I leave. 

Spanish phrase of the day: "no te preocupes" which means "don't worry about it." Argentina has been using this with me a lot lately when I struggle to understand what she is trying to tell me!

Chillin' with the Mayans

Yesterday was absolutely amazing! I'll give a quick run-down of what we did along with some amazing pictures. 

We stayed in a quaint, welcoming hotel called Don Udo's - if anyone ever visits Copan, I would highly recommend staying there. Great location, reasonable price, friendly staff, nice rooms, and a delicious breakfast! 

After breakfast, we headed out to the ancient ruins. It was a quick 15 minute walk, and we arrived before they opened, so we walked a bit further down the road to the sepulturas (grave sites). There were a few guides out front chatting in Spanish, and they asked for our tickets. We said we hadn't picked them up yet, and one of the guides asked if we understood Spanish. We told him "un poco" (a little), and he started telling us all about the site. We got about 50-60% of what he was saying and decided to let him take us in a tour. About 2 hours later, we had learned a lot about the Mayan way of life and seen some amazing remains of their homes. The "grave sites" are actually beneath their homes, so we really got a tour of the  residential area. Here are some shots...

And of course, one of me curled up in a gravesite. The Mayans were very short!

After we ended our tour, we headed back to the main area for the ruins. I'm glad we did the sepulturas first, or else it would have been a bit of a disappointment. On our way in, we were stopped by a bilingual guide who was eager to tell us all about his services. This ended up being a blessing, because the rest of our experience in Copan was spent with Mauricio - from the horseback riding to dinner and a showing of Monsters University to coffee this morning before we came back to La Ceiba. He was an amazing guide and became a friend and someone we could trust to show us around the city. 

Without going into too much detail about the ancient Mayans and what still remains today as evidence of their culture, I'll post some of my best shots with captions. 

Statue of a god with hieroglyphics beneath

A stadium where events were held

The Jaguar who, according to Mayan beliefs, swallowed the sun at night and protected it in the underworld only to spit it back out the next morning. The statue faces the east and the sun would set behind his back. 

An amazing view of the pok-a-tok court (a game played for human sacrifices)

A picture in a tunnel beneath the above ground temples where archaeologists have found earlier temples. This is a bird whose beak is missing. 

The hieroglyph staircase - it tells the story of the last Mayan king. The first 15 steps were found intact, and archaeologists had to put the remaining steps back in place as they had fallen. 

The captain of the winning team of the pok-a-tok game was often the one who was sacrificed; it was a great honor for him. He was beheaded on this stone at the foot of a statue. 

The place the king would stand to address his thousands of subjects

The only statue in Copan found with its original paint still on it

After our tour, Mauricio set up a tour by horseback of a local hacienda in the mountains. He planned to pick us up at our hotel at 2. We grabbed lunch with Dale and Sara, who are spending the week in Copan taking Spanish classes. We saw this little guy in the central park:

It's a baby armadillo!

Yesterday was my first time on a horse, and I had a blast riding! He was pretty tranquil, and Mauricio had a 12-year old boy named Eduardo assisting him, so anytime he slowed down or wasn't responding to me, Eduardo would help out. Eduardo's dad owns the horses, and he was a very helpful assistant! He didn't speak any English, so I was able to practice my Spanish with him. 

View of Copan from the mountainside:

We met Mauricio and his brother, Fredy, for dinner and a movie. Fredy is actually an anthropologist with a lot of experience in Mayan history and is finishing his studies at the University of Michigan. He just happened to be home in Copan visiting for a bit. I got his contact information, and he said we could try to set up a visit to my classroom sometime next year, as my 5th graders will study the ancient Mayans. I picked up some great souvenirs to share with the kids as well. We met some awesome people in Copan, including a coffee shop owner named Katya. We met Mauricio at her shop to have coffee with them this morning. They serve the best chai frappe I've ever had! Katya also has a spa in the mountains nearby where her family grows the coffee for the shop. 

It was sad to say goodbye to Copan today, and I definitely plan on visiting some time again. It was a very safe place, full of friendly people, and amazing sights. 

We arrived back safely in La Ceiba, and I have my last Spanish class tomorrow. The rest of the week, I will be volunteering mornings and afternoons at the school. From what I can tell, I will have 1st through 3rd graders in the morning. 

Spanish word of the day: "cheque" meaning "alright?" or "is everything good?" To which I would reply "todo bien" (all is good).