a mundane week

Photo: This is where I teach my English classes - yes the whiteboard has still not been attached to the wall but hey, least I have one! And there were more students in the beginning but there are now only about 5 or 6 regular students on both mondays and tuesdays. Maybe one day i'l get a photo of my teaching too!

So after alot of talking and weighing up pros and cons I still dont know what Im going to do when my english classes finish in August in terms of what project. However things are perhaps looking up a little in CEM-H because I've now moved to another department -political women as opposed to -young women. Me and politics do not mix well but the ladies who work there are soooo much more friendly and they actually look for things for me to do. Im only working with them when im in the office which only equates to 2 days a week but its already much better than before. I've been busy :-O

In the school its been more of the same but its good fun. The other day the older students had a class on hygiene, I felt bad because the proffessor kept asking what I do or how many times I do stuff and I kept replying with the wrong thing! For example I said I shampoo my hair twice but she then told the kids its better to do it 3 times! Haha Im clearly not a good example! In my defence we never had classes at school to teach us stuff like that! My mum didnt tell me how many times either! :-(

Last weekend I went with two other volunteers for a trip to Valle de Angeles but this time we stayed over in a hotel! They dont speak much Spanish so we were speaking English the whole time, but I refuse to feel guilty! I dont feel so much pressure to speak spanish now that I already pretty much can. I did find out some interesting things though. One of the girls says that the anti-malarial drugs give her night terrors, I was a bit sceptical at first because im on the same thing and im fine. I sleep pleasantly even through earthquakes apparently. But the saturday night I woke up to find her crying her eyes out after experiencing yet another nightmare! I really feel sorry for her, they must be pretty strong drugs, oh and im on them for a whole year woo!

And I dont think theres much else interesting to talk about this week, seems to have gone past pretty quickly. Have been to the gym and few more times and went to extend my visa today - had to do all my fingerprints and everything! Oh and the lady taylor made me a little top, love it!

I have the ICYE mid-term evaluation camp tomorrow for 3 days....in spanish too, so better go pack....

Volunteer [vol-uhn-teer] - noun: a person who performs a service willingly and without pay

Photo: Baby in a hammock

Thursday 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...

Two little monkey shaped mistakes

(Manuel, Anna and Carlota on Sunday with our lunch of pupusas and champagne!)

I had another fun weekend this week although it was a bit less action packed than the one before so I had some time to rest and to .....think.

I have been thinking about my blog recently after starting to follow a number of other blogs more religously. Including the one by American Jess which is always an inspiration, not just because of what she does but because of the way she writes, well she is a writer after all so i guess it comes naturally.
I've also started following the Wimbledon 2009 blog in my attempt to feel more connected with England and the rest of the world, plus ever since I lived in Putney for a year and went to see some of Wimbledon 2007 it became alot more interesting!
Anyway its made me realise that blogging only once a week means I only have time to describe the events of the week and not add many thoughts or musings of my own. Which is really what blogging is all about! So I am going to try to blog more frequently, although I make no promises.

Friday night as you know I went out with Gorkiana and her friends to celebrate her birthday. We went to Ruby Tuesdays for cocktails and then on to a club called Kabbalah for ALOT of dancing! I had a great time and apart from the fact that I was trying to dance like a latino and talking Spanish, I almost forgot I was in Honduras. Its because there are some places here so smart and modern looking that you just dont expect them to be in a developing country!
I stayed over a Gorkiana's house that night and in the morning we got up early to go visit Chiminike, a science museum for kids. Usually you are not allowed in without a child but we went with a huge group of college students because Gorkiana's father is a professor at the college. I really enjoyed the museum it was alot of fun, there was even a section where you could learn about and SMELL different body odours! haha! However I did have trouble understanding alot of it, as you can imagine the vocab was quite advanced or at least wasn't the kind of stuff you'd use everyday!

Saturday afternoon/night was well a bit of a disaster, it was just one thing after another. I laugh now looking back on it, it was quite funny.
* It all started when the weather turned for the worse with torrential rain and thunderstorms at about 3pm...
* ...this meant that when Carlota got back from the shops she was so busy rushing in not to get wet that she forgot to turn the lights off on the car...
* ...this meant that when we went to try to take Carlos back to his house the car wouldn't start because the battery was dead...
* ...this meant waiting around while a man came to fix it, he then left the engine on so as to charge the battery...
* ...but then of course that meant using up fuel so when it was done we had to pray we would make it to the gas station on virtually no fuel. Anyway we managed it and all was right again with the world as we took various people home. Then we stopped at Manuel and Anna's house as it was thier daughter's birthday. But we didnt stay long as it was getting late and we needed to take Mina home too, (the old lady who lives with us). So its still raining as we get back in the car and head off home, but we dont get far before something happens. At the time i didnt know what all I knew was that I was heading for the roof of the car! Quite scary! Felt like we'd hit something. Carlota pulled over and we realised we'd exploded a tyre. Dont know how though as there was nothing obvious on the road that could have prompted it. So we had to wait on the side of the road until Manuel came to rescue us. We all got drenched changing cars before realising this car too had a flat tyre! Oh my goodness! I wont bore you with the rest of the night but we eventually got home and the next day the car was fixed too. Phew.

Sunday we didnt do much apart from 'do lunch' at Manuel and Anna's house. Champagne and Pupusas. Pupusas are a typical Honduran food, its kind of like tortillas with cheese but its not really, i'm just the best at explaining things I know! ;-) Anyway they are the kind of thing you hate the first time then after 5 months of eating them you start to love them! Why is that?

I had both my English classes this week so I am very pleased. Things are getting a bit more complicated as we are starting on verbs! Still keeping my fingers crossed that no-one asks me to list the irregular english present tense verbs! :-S

Monday after work we went again to the lady taylor who had finished my skirt! Yey! I love it! Its too nice really to wear in Tegus becuase of all the dust and dirt. Maybe for my birthday party, we'll see.

Yesterday was Carlota's birthday so after work Gorkiana and I treated her to dinner and the cinema. We went to see A Night in the Museum 2, which afterwards we realised wasnt the best choice because Carlota hates monkeys and there are two in this film!! Ooops! But I enjoyed it, it was a laugh anyway.

It's wednesday today and I really dont know what I'm going to do tomorrow and friday as the school is closed this week! I might study some spanish, yes its still necessary!

Where to start?

(above: Me and Lidice at her party sat night)

I literally do not know where to start these last two weeks have been a bit of a blur, I have been really busy. I had so many invites to different things last weekend I got to choose the best ones! haha! And there wasn't much time to sit in my bedroom and mark off the days on my calendar, so today I had the great pleasure of crossing off almost 2 weeks in one go! :-D

One of the most exciting things happened in the early hours of last Thursday morning. You may have heard about the earthquake? It hit 7.1 on the scale, killed 6 people and caused large amounts of structural damage up north.....and I slept right through the whole thing! Kind of disapointed in myself. So I still dont know what it feels like apart from my go on the simulator in the science museum! In fact the first I even heard of it was when I was woken at some horrible hour in the morning by a text from my mum in England to ask if I was ok!

My time in the school these past 2 weeks has involved picking nits out of little girls hair, threading needles for them to sew on buttons, dancing and singing. All very strenuous work! haha no actually i had a great time!

In CEM-H I managed to teach one english class this week, which was alot fun, we made so much noise playing number bingo we disturbed the computer class!! But on the tuesday no students turned up to my class so I used my initiative and used the time to sweep the whole buiilding, it needed it!!! I was quite disturbed to find a condom until I remembered they'd used them for the march we had the previous week for women's health day!

Last friday evening I met up for coffee with Leo, my friend from the educational centre for the blind in Santa Lucia. He was with a new volunteer from Canada. She only just arrived about 2 weeks ago and cannot speak Spanish. It was really cool because I had to do the translating and it made me realise just how far i've come since I was like her and I had to get my ICYE contact to ring up my mum for me. She says that my accent is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo British and its weird that it completely drops when I speak Spanish. Ahhh what a complement! Yey I speak spanish with a spanish accent, apart from the fact that I still can't roll my r's! :-( Coffee turned into drinks as some other friends of Leo joined us, Mario and Oscar.

I can't even remember what we did on Saturday as we seemed to be here, there and everywhere! I do know that we went with Chi to a lady taylor who makes Carlota's work clothes for her. They said that I should get something made because I've never had anything made to my specifications and measurements before! So I choose a very nice skirt design and a fabric and it should be ready very soon! SO excited! Yet another thing that I did not expect from my volunteer experience in Honduras! haha!

Then in the evening I went to Lidice's birthday party (my work colleague at cem-h). I didnt know very many people and felt a bit like a lemon but then I got talking to a few people and had an alright time. Met this guy who is 19 and already owns and runs 2 businesses! Later Gustavo turned up and it was better as we get on really well, then he took me and some others home. I found it hilarious that he got stopped and breathalised using the policeman's hat! Like 'breathe into the hat and i'l smell it' kind of a test!! What is that about? It was fine as he doesn't drink, like alot of young people here actually, I think England could learn a few things from them!

Sunday I went walking in La Tigra national park with Mario, Oscar, Atonia (the canadian volunteer) and some more of their friends. Almost 3 hours of exercise! I felt a bit bad for Oscar as everyone could and was speaking English because of Antonia, except for him who didnt understand a word! Like being a foreigner in your own country! On the way back Oscar's car kept breaking down which was rather funny. People here literally keep their cars until its nothing more than scrap metal! Soo many taxi's now i've been in that have broken down or run out of fuel!

Talking of cars and funny moments, on monday evening Carlota managed to lock the car keys in the car! HAHA! Just like my mum in England!!! ;-) Luckily the window was open a little so we eventually wound the window down bit by bit with a stick.

And tonight i'm off to a girly birthday party which is cool as I dont seem to have many female honduran friends. Most of my female friends are other volunteers! That will probably change soon though as they're all pissing off back to thier respective countries soon those 6 monthers! Not like us hardcore 12 monthers! (well ok 11 and a bit). Just before my birthday they're leaving as well! Grr...

I can't get any money out because my mum isn't here to take me to the bank!

I actually said these words out loud today, I didnt even realise what I was saying until it was too late and then I felt shocked at myself for just how dependent i have become! There are some things you just dont expect from a volunteer experience abroad and losing your independence is one of them!

Here is a nice photo of a view of Tegucigalpa which has nothing to do with anything i'm going to talk about:

Last weekend was an interesting one. On friday night I went partying and had an ok time but not good enough to make up for the following hangover! Oh my goodness, I cant remember the last time I felt that bad! So bad that I have decided to stick to weak beers for the rest of the year! ...with maybe the odd margarita or two ;-) What?

It was unfortunate that I was ill on Saturday because Maddy, another English volunteer who had been working in Mexico, came to visit me for the weekend. In fact she will be getting on a flight tomorrow to go back to England, im a little jealous i have to admit! She doesn't have a mobile so we had arranged to meet in central park at 11, anyway there was no way I was going so Carlota had to go for me to find her. When she still wasnt there at 11.30 we were a bit worried, however not having many other options left Carlota kept waiting and they eventually found each other about 12ish! Phew! I had planned for us to go to Santa Lucia that day where I have a few friends at the blind centre and was really looking forward to a nice lunch too. But alas it wasnt going to happen and it was already late by that point. However I did have a good day doing the only thing I could, chatting, and catching up with Maddy. Was fun to hear about her experiences and how Mexico and other central american countries differ from here. I was still in my pajamas at 5pm that day! Luckily I felt better that evening and Maddy and I went out to Ruby Tuesdays with another volunteer here that i havn't seen since the beginning. She's from England too! We chose to talk in English although we probably could have got by in Spanish, just its nice to have a break once in a while. So that was fun.

On Sunday Maddy felt a bit ill so we stayed in the house again chatting and interneting and watching Grey's Anatomy which I refuse to become addicted too! HA!
She left Monday morning and I went off to work, only to find out that there would be no English class because there was no electricity in the building! Boooooooooooooooo! It was the same for Tuesday aswell so I have a slightly above average level of frustration! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! It's because there has been a dramatic change of weather here this week. These days it is hot and sunny in the mornings and big dramatic thunderstorms in the afternoons with torrential rain! Now I see why everyone drives these big 4X4's, to drive through the puddles!

Since there was no english yesterday I went with the others to the city centre, never quite sure what we're going to do till it happens here! Anyway there was a big anti-smoking protest, (or should that be smoking protest?), and although we weren't getting involved with that we used to opportunity to collect signatures from the hundreds of people there. The signatures were in favor of facilitating the use, production and distribution of the emergency contraceptive pill, so that victims of sexual abuse etc would be able to terminate their potential pregnancy. Now imagine trying to explain that in Spanish, now imagine they dont agree and you have to try and persuade in Spanish! ummm yer so i'l just look after the bags then shall I? I might have had a chance if i'd been briefed beforehand but as it was I was I felt completely useless! But it was still interesting to watch! What i found really funny was that after the crowd had dispersed three of my colleagues lit up cigarettes!! HAHA! Honduras.

Today we were preparing for another activity we have tomorrow in celebration of World day for action of women's health or something like that. I designed an information leaflet which looks very impressive until you start to read it! I left them making alterations to it this afternoon as i went to visit Chi. Carlota is away with work this week so I have had to amuse myself. while going to visit an 80 something year old might not appeal to everyone I really like Chi and our conversations. Plus I think she was really pleased that i'd made the effort to see her and not just because Carlota was going to see her! I had to leave quite early though to catch a taxi before it got dark.

So tomorrow I will not be in the school but in the city centre handing out my leaflets. I can only hope no-one has any questions!

So thats the week almost over and almost the end of May! So nearly time for Wimbledon I'm thinking? Wonder if I can follow it here so I feel like I know something about whats going on back home. Wonder if they have pimms here? Oh wait no I forget im only allowed beer and margaritas! hmmm wonder if that will last?

Mixed Emotions; the Honduran cocktail

Once again I am living the roller coaster of life.

On the one hand everything is great and I feel really happy here now. I'm still really happy with my home and 'school' life, but I'm also now much happier at CEMH teaching English. My Spanish is getting better all the time and I am planning exciting things to do in the coming months so everything is looking pretty good.

On the other hand so many bad things are happening to people around me and I am worrying for them and slightly too for my safety.

However life in Honduras will go on, and then so must I!

Last thursday I saw sandra again (the lady from the school) and we spent a (weekday) afternoon (LOVE IT!) making cakes and then took then back to the school in the evening for all the children. Was really cool to be there in the evening, was alot more exciting than the day and it was only the children that actually sleep there as the day lot had gone home. However I found out a couple of sad stories. One of the young girls there, who is only there because her brother is blind and needs looking after, her dad died when she was really young and her mum died whilst giving birth to her baby brother! She is so lovely though, even Dave thought so! Im going to get a photo album for her and print some photos before I leave I think. The picture above is of her with her brother, and the other boy is called Christian. Also there's another girl who is blind and has trouble with mobility, she was found one day in a box left outside the school gates, at about 3 years old too! :-(

The lady who cooks in our house, also called sandra, made me porridge for breakfast on saturday! and even added vanilla pods to it! Although it was a bit runny for my liking and lacking in raisins, but it was delivered with the best service so I will go back to that restaurant again! hehe

Finally made a skype call to my parents so got to see them for the first time in 4 months! Was really good...once they got the hang of the new age technology! ;-) hehe love you really!

I booked my other return flight to Honduras (because i am coming back to UK briefly for a wedding in sept) so I will be leaving Honduras for good on the 19th of December and arriving in UK on the 20th! Just in time for the much missed christmas roast dinner! hmmm.

We have sorted out the dilemma of how to get me to the centro de capacitacion to teach english now. They changed the dates of the computer course to be the same as the English and so Gustavo, the son of my 'boss', drives there and I can go with him. Phew thats a relief, and he's a good laugh.

And finally I found out that they dont have guinea pigs here, no-one even knows what they are even after being shown photos on the internet! So Cousin AL, if you're reading this, i can safely say that what you told me about Honduran's eating guinea pigs is NOT TRUE! Hmmm unless all the guinea pigs have been eaten and there are now none left? But it would have to have been several generations ago for the memory of guinea pigs to be completely forgotten! Probably the Mayans. Guinea pig sacrifices. I need to get some sleep now I think!

The Post Holiday Blues

(See also post below about the holiday)

When Dave left life was hard for a couple of days. But things improved by Friday becuase it was Honduran Mothers Day and we had celebrations at the school. So we danced and sang and ate alot of food and there were presents for all the mums. I got talking to one of the mums, called Sandra, and she was really excited by what I was doing and where I was from etc that she wanted me to go to her house and meet her family and everything. So that afternoon we went to her house, very nice, and she said I could use the internet and act as if it was my house but genuinely meaning it! Strange! Then we went out to meet her husband at a clinic because he's a doctor and he was really fun as well, then we went to have dinner and I didnt get back to the house until gone 9pm! Its amazing the things that happen when you're a volunteer, so many experiences and opportunities.

This week my English classes started for CEM-H so I have been busy. I have to say they went surprisingly well and I even enjoyed the second class! I am now teaching one class on a monday and one on a tuesday with different groups of women (young and not so young) for 12 weeks provisionally. It depends how they go. Its great to finally feel like I'm doing something to help at last! I knew 6 months wasn't long enough in a country - the volunteers who are leaving in August only have about 7 or 8 weeks of work left! If that was me I'd feel frustrated because its not long enough to really be of help. However there is a slight problem with the location of the clases because they are in a centre which is outside of Tegus and to get there I have to take a bus, a public bus, and alone. Anyway Carlota really really doesnt like this as she says its dangerous so we're trying to figure out what to do. For the mean time her son is going to acompany me there but he has university so its far from an ideal situation. I spoke to the other volunteer at CEM-H and she says its always a problem with the host families but they have to realise that i work as a volunteer in a charity to help underprivilaged people and in its very nature its going to involve working in potentially dangerous situations. Lots of the girls from CEM-H take the bus alone to the centre and say its absolutely fine nothing to worry about. I think its probably alright too and its not as if it's after dark, but then I have to accept this is Honduras and I left 'indepence' and 'freedom' behind in England.

So tomorrow I plan my next class of English. I hope there are no tricky grammar questions!