Photo: Baby in a hammockThursday and Friday last week there was no school so I just stayed at home and studied Spanish. It was actually really useful because without studying you can only learn bit by bit, by studying grammar you can learn a whole lot in a short space of time. Speaking in the past tense is now alot easier as I can say what I really want to say rather than saying something incorrectly and hoping they understand what I mean.
Friday night I went out with Gustavo and some of his friends to a new club in Tegus. Was good fun, they were trying to teach me merengue and I kind of got it if I looked at my feet but as soon as I looked up the feet would rebel and do their own thing. Feet will be feet I guess.
On Sunday I went to Valle de Angeles and Santa Lucia with Oscar. We met up with two other volunteers there, including the Canadian who still can't speak Spanish and I kind of get the feeling shes given up a bit. Only being here for 3 months really isn't enough to grasp the language. So we walked and ate and chatted, nice relaxing Sunday.
Monday morning was a bit different. Mario was going down to the South of Honduras (Langue) to pick up his brother, who is blind, to bring him back to Santa Lucia where he's studying. He asked if I wanted to go along and as I didnt have classes until 2pm I thought why not? His brother was staying at thier fathers farm, its actually right on the border of El Salvador. I saw El Salvador! Looks just like more of Honduras to me but what do i know? We didnt have time to stay there long but it was really pretty and I enjoyed the heat and absense of rain! I had walked past this hammock a number of times before I realised that it wasnt empty and there was a baby inside! See photo above! Not exactly sure who's it was but it was obviously content to swing in the wind...
Monday afternoon I got back in time to teach my English class. Only two students turned up but that meant they recieved some intensive teaching and it meant we could play naughts and crosses with a twist, they loved it! I thought of the game on the spot as well, well proud of myself.
Last night I went to the gym for the first time in about 6 months! Wow! It was quite a pleasant gym actually, really nice people and relatively cheap. First time I've been to a gym and got attacked by mosquitos though! Although I'm probably unbelievably unfit I didnt really notice much difference apart from how much my bum cheeks hurt bouncing up and down on the running machine! I hadn't even realised i'd put weight on there! :-( I think i will have to sign up and start to go regularly if I want to fit back into that bridesmaid dress in September!
Get that- Im volunteering in Honduras and I go to the gym? In fact it is because of things like this that I have become a joke amoung the volunteers...
* Ok so firstly I bought a HUGE suitcase with me to Honduras, most of the others bought backpacks, I have no idea how they managed that!
* Another thing is because I live in the city, I get to do normal things that I would do at home like go to the cinema, go shopping at the mall, go clubbing etc
* I am extremely lucky in the fact that I live in a house where I dont really need to do anything. For example I dont need to clean, wash my clothes, drive or cook. There is help to do that. Although in my defence I do cook when I am home alone or fancy eating something at a non-meal time. I have actually been called a doll by some people at work because thats what they call people who dont do anything. As an aside I AM actually a doll because Carlota's cousin's daughter has named her barbie 'Kat' because it has blonde hair and pale skin like me. I am quite flattered because lets face it Barbie is HOT! Wasn't quite so flattered when she was being waved around out the car window the other day! :-S
* I coped without a hairdryer and straightners for the first few months but I may have got my boyfriend to bring them out to me when he visited in May. So now I have hair products. yey!
* I tend to 'do coffee' with my friends on a regular basis, i'm now going to a gym and finally the fact that I occasionally go with Carlota to get a manicure and pedicure really does not help break the stereotype.
So perhaps I am not your typical volunteer, but whos to say what typical is? There is no guide as to what a volunteer does or does not do in thier free time and so can anyone really point and laugh? I think not! I would also like to point out here that besides all of the above I am still volunteering, still working to help the people and only receive enough money to cover the travel costs! So you did not pay to send me on holiday!!!
Today I am a bit frustrated because I couldn't teach my classes because there was no-one to take me. And I didnt find out until I'd been waiting for ages! CEM-H and their lack of communication really annoys me, plus its worse because if theres no classes it means working in the office and its sooo boring! Never mind I am going to talk to Elly at ICYE this afternoon to discuss the situation. I'm still hoping to change projects when my english classes finish and I also hope to swap wednesdays at cem-h for wednesdays at the school. Vamos a ver...
1 comment:
I reckon they are just jealous Kat!
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