Art Party

Several of the Americans plus one Canadian and an Irishwoman:
one big happy family of foreigners in Copan this year.

Someone decided we should have an "art party" and share our creative talents with each other. It was a great idea, and this is exactly the kind of event I'm famous for attending (since I love music and other art forms) but strictly as a spectator!

But I promised to sing a duet with one of the other teachers, so I had to dust off my neglected guitar skills and try not to totally embarrass myself.

In high school, I spent a lot of time performing on stages, but there's really no thrill in it for me. I'd rather be behind the scenes or in the audience cheering!

Like A Kid Again

When the weather is perfect, I want to be out in it!
Even if I do nothing more than sit with a cup of tea and then sway in a hammock for a while, I'm satisfied.

The perfect 73-degree fall weather that has been missing from Alabama and Tennessee for the past several years:
I found it in Honduras!

For a few weeks now, we have had a break from temperatures in the 80s.

Fall is my favorite season, and the current weather here is like a dream. It is warm at times (but not hot), and it is sometimes cool (but not cold). Seems to me life hasn't felt like this for a period of more than a couple weeks since I was in elementary school.

It's true these green mountains don't have the slightest trace of fall colors, but Copan's soft temperatures and beautiful breezes have transported me right back to the wonder of my childhood autumn days!

It's funny to admit it, but the situation has me literally marveling at weather. There are days when I leave work and cast aside all afternoon plans knowing weather so nice is not to be wasted!

Little Things Mean A Lot

Sometimes tiny little gifts have a way of making a greater impact.

I'm grateful today for God's goodness to me this week. He knew there was a bit of turmoil in my life, and I believe He sent a few small gifts that were just the bright spots my day needed.

Specifically...

-Arriving at this afternoon's tutoring session, I found not just one but two tutorees waiting. My student was accompanied by a classmate who wanted help preparing for tomorrow's test. I was happy to help and certainly happy to collect a few extra bucks!

-In recent weeks, I have taken a liking to the naranjas in Copan. (nah-RAHN-hahs - oranges) After receiving a few from one of my language exchange partners, I wished I knew a good place to buy my own. Would you like to guess what I stumbled across during the walk home from school today? That's right - a lady was selling really good looking oranges!

I asked her, "Tiene naranjas todos los dias?" And she let me know that I can, in fact, find her           selling oranges in that spot every day.

-A random conversation at the cafe left me with personal-life-saving information. Someone with more international experience than I have revealed the secret of the internet VPN (Virtual Private Network). Because of this, I'm now able to access sports coverage that had been blocked since I arrived in Honduras!

Another little gift from God that gives me a lift:

seeing this green, white, and blue mixed with rays of golden sunshine.

Bueno/Menos

My day was good.

Bueno: Tears came out of my face today. The reason — I was laughing just that hard after a story from one of the teenagers!

We had finished covering the day’s material, so I followed one of my weird impulses and started a game of “tell the class an embarrassing story from your life.” I went first and told not just one but TWO of my best stories. Then everyone else had to take a turn.

As an educator - whether working with kids, teens, or college students - I am always glad when there’s some sort of opportunity that allows the teacher/student wall to come down in an appropriate way. I think it’s good for us to see each other as nothing more than fellow humans from time to time.

Some of the other foreign teachers, sporting their school shirts:

Today, I had a few good laughs with my students, but the ladies pictured above are some of the adults I count on for much-needed comedy on a regularly basis.

Menos: Both of this week’s tutoring sessions were canceled, so I’ll be heading into the weekend with a little less cash than I had planned.

Tutoring only pays a few bucks for an hour, but that money can really come in handy! If my funds run out before Monday, people in Copan might hear me say, "Hoy no tengo pisto!"
(I have no money today!)

No Cheating!

I looked out the door of my classroom to learn that one of the other teachers really did not trust that his students would complete their test without sharing answers.

"Welcome to the event -- can you be in charge of it?"

My friends, the word for today is "adaptability".

Of course it's true that anyone who moves to a foreign country needs to be adaptable. And by God's grace, adaptability is one of my strengths.

When I arrived at school this morning for the school-wide Spelling Bee, adaptability came in handy as the coordinator asked me to sit on the panel of judges!

The last time I attended a Spelling Bee, I was a 7th grader. The picture above was taken moments before this week's Spelling Bee at the bilingual school, moments after I found out I would be judging it.
Obviously, the surprise of it all was not enough to prevent me from having a quick daydream.

This year's winner was a 5th grade student, but the real winner was me. I cannot even tell you how it delighted my soul every time I heard the letter "w" pronounced in the accent of a Honduran elementary schooler!

Surviving Honduras

I think spending a year here in Honduras is quite a blessing. I also think it can be hard at times. Though I don't choose to dwell on all the uncomfortable or nearly impossible parts, they do exist. But one thing helping me get through the year is this:

Georgia Bulldogs football and Crimson Tide football simply thrill my soul!

Bueno/Menos

I have tried not to complain too much about the rainy days we've seen in recent weeks, but I have no problem at all with the perfect fall-like weather that arrived days ago!

Fall is my favorite, but I feel like it hasn't been itself in the south for a couple decades.

For this reason, I am happy to say the past week has transported me right back to the wonder of my childhood autumns.

My day was good.

Bueno: I survived a rollercoaster of progress and setbacks and finally will be able to move to the apartment I was hoping for! The truth is, I tried to be a trooper and stuck it out as long as I could in my current place, but I have realized the wise thing to do is move out and get rid of the stress this whole situation brought to my life.

Menos: My trusty Droid cell phone - currently serving as nothing more than my alarm clock in Honduras - did a number on me today. Sure, it woke me up for work at 4:45am like normal. But it also "fell back" one hour automatically due to Daylight Savings Time coming to an end in the states.

I was on my way out the door before I caught what had happened. I've never been so thankful for the school's weekly Monday morning assembly! If not for that custom, who knows what my first period students would have decided to do for the first 25 minutes of the school day.