I'm Ready

No one loves a vacation from work more than me. I spent the past week mostly wrapped up in my introverted little arts-related hobbies - activities involving stringed instruments, reading material, pads and pens for writing, great movies, and digital photography.

What's also great is the fact that sitting here finishing up lesson plans for the new work week that begins tomorrow, I'm filled with the feeling of being ready to "get back to it." After all, teaching is what I was born to do...plus my teens are pretty fantastic.

It's such a blessing to look forward to time away and then also look forward to returning.

Reflection

I have nothing to lose

That's worth failing to choose You.

In reality, I own nothing...and nothing should own me. 

Just What The Doctor Ordered

Time for Spring Break - let vacation begin!

Hard To Resist Her

When the lady teachers pressed me to find out about my taste in women,
they said, "For example, if a guy has a motorcycle, that's a turn-on for us. So what's something that's like that for you with girls - not her looks but something a girl can have that you would like?"

My answer:
If she has a net worth of one million dollars.....that'd be hot!

Is This The End?

School chums and teacher.

If you're familiar with the writings on this blog, you have some idea of how very pleased I've been with my life and work in Copán. Such a satisfying experience.

I'm a changed man because of it.

Honestly, the path of my life has been full of experiences that can be characterized the same way. And during each of these fantastic little rides, I feel grateful without feeling I need the experience to last forever. My posture along the way involves knowing I've got it good while remaining readily able to give it up.

So lately, I've been thinking it might be time for a new chapter beyond Copán Ruinas and Mayatan School. I can't help but wonder what it would be like to try a new town in Honduras and work at a different bilingual school...especially if the whole prospect involved a better opportunity for working on the primary goal of growing my Spanish.

Hiring season for schools is dawning, so stay tuned to see what happens.

Fridays Are For Ice Cream

I went a little ice cream crazy for a while here, then decided to limit my intake
to once (or twice) a week. The fact that I don't really miss the difference is just another example
of a lesson life keeps bringing up lately: we humans can get used to new things and adapt more easily
than perhaps we would expect.

A Life Without Challenges Should Not Be Called "Living"

Random moments come up sometimes and put me in a challenging position in Copán.

All of a sudden, I'm hit with the need to express something I feel strongly but lack Spanish for.
Call me crazy, but I would be happy if these moments happened more frequently.
How else could I discover language or adaptability within me that never was called on previously?

Even tonight, I needed to give explanation when asked what I was daydreaming about in the cafe.

Language emerged somehow to describe my thoughts on the duty of a husband to serve his wife*.





* Don't ask me how such things managed to drift into my daydreams. Heaven only knows!

They Say Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe

During the week, I got to feeling a little off kilter...like something was out of balance inside.

Fortunately, I came up with an accurate self-diagnosis:
I needed a break from my beloved solitude.

For someone in my shoes - geeky introvert requiring a combination of solitude and social time while living in a land where the locals speak a foreign language - finding the right social outlets can be challenging. Fortunately, I was able to schedule some time with one of the other Language Arts teachers from the states - a fellow southerner with a laid back personality.

We ended up hanging out with two other introverted American friends for an evening of nerd cinema, nerd board game, and nerd online personality tests. When we realized what a stereotype we were for the evening, we had to laugh at ourselves!

Kiddos dressed up for Nerd Day during Spirit Week at school.

Weather's Gray, But At least It's Saturday

Poolside at the school board member's hotel today.
Not really playing, though - I'm half daydreaming about Spring Break later this month
and half working on interview question answers. I sent my resume to a bilingual school
in another Honduras town...

"Assume The Position, Students"

Facing a room full of sleepy-looking kids who have no energy in class?

Click below, then click the image on the new page to see what I had my teenagers do today to wake up:

Body weight squat holds - 30 seconds 

The Beauty Is In The Process

Races used to seem like kid stuff. But now, things like 5Ks and marathons are normal adult activities.

After I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, I realized how popular these races have become.
Clubs and communities for runners abound in a place like Nashville, and people are always training.

Here in my small town Honduras version of television's Mayberry, things are a bit different.
Exercise commonly takes the form of pedestrian travel, but some people do run, hike, or bike.
Limited race opportunities, however, doesn't mean there's no training going on.

My friend Frank likes bike riding. This is something I've never tried, but life has me currently training
for a different kind of performance. When it comes to training, what's always interesting to me is the way
the right process both enhances and exceeds the beauty of final victory.