Sunday, December 26, 2010

Christmastime is Here

Here in Honduras, Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) is a bigger deal than Christmas Day, so I was quite busy on the 24th. After breakfast and chores, we all headed down to the courts for games. I helped out with a game called El Dulce that is so classic Ranch it’s ridiculous. Here’s how it works. First, you go to the kitchen and get several blocks of this brown sugary substance. Then, you put it in the middle of a sack in a space marked out in a field. You then take a child, blindfold him, and hand him a MACHETE. (I wish I was joking). Whatever part of the giant sugar cube he hacks off is his to eat. No, seriously. In the late afternoon, I got to talk on the phone to several of my precious girls on their internship in the city. Then I got pretty because Deysi told me on the phone that I had to andar guapa. So I decided to go Honduran or go home and wear the dress I bought at the secondhand store three of my girls worked at. It was definitely a big hit on the Ranch, although Quinn might punch me if I wear it at home. In the evening we had the pastorela, which was a video of the kids acting out the Christmas story. We then all headed down for dinner in Buen Pastor. We had nacatamales, empanadas, and fruit that we hardly ever get (apples and grapes). They put on a movie for the kids, but I mostly hung out with my mara by the bonfire. The best part was having little Natalia (new to the Ranch, completely adorable, and desperate for affection) fell asleep on my lap. That night was kind of like New Year’s in that you stay up until midnight and then everyone gives hugs and says, “Feliz Navidad.” It felt really good to get hugs from so many people…sort of a physical manifestation of the relationships I’ve made with pequeños and grandes here. We headed back to hogar around 1:00 a.m., and I had signed up to do turno (spend the night in hogar). It was basically a big sleepover, and we ended up watching movies on my laptop until 6:30 in the morning. Totally ridiculous and really fun. By the time I actually got to my bed, one of the girls was already asleep in it!!

Christmas Day was good too. We finally dragged our sorry butts out of bed at 10:00. I had played Santa and put their presents on the girls’ beds next to their sweet little sleeping (most of them) heads. The girls were so grateful for the bolsitas I’d put together for them, and many of them were using their soaps and lip glosses, wearing their earrings, and eating their treats that day. They were really excited about the mirrors I bought for the two bedrooms – definitely a good choice. Even though we got up so late, there was still food by some miracle, and we were able to have breakfast. Afterwards, I headed down to the Buen Pastor to deliver gifts to my monton of ahijados (a chess set for Axel and framed pictures for the others). I was able to get a quick nap in before I went back to hogar. Momo and Reinhart invited me to lunch at their house, and we had a really nice time. I feel like they’ve kind of adopted me. In the evening, we lined up outside Casa Suyapa for a candlelit procession into the church. It was decorated beautifully, and mass was really nice. Natalia fell asleep on my lap AGAIN, but mass involves lots of sitting down and standing up and I was in heels, so that was more of a challenge. Each hogar was assigned a part of a poem to read or, más bien, memorize. I had two of my girls say they would do it and then back out, so as mass began, the little slip of paper was passed to me. I spent most of the first part of mass memorizing the poem with Natalia on my lap. But it went fine. I loved the music and was tickled to recognize a song I’d learned for Christmas in flamenco classes. I went back to hogar for dinner and then bowed out as soon it was reasonable to pass completely out in my own bed.

I really miss my family and friends and was so glad to get to talk to some of them on Christmas Day, but I’m not as sad as I thought I might be. As I said to my girls at breakfast on Christmas, being my first one away from home, I was so glad to get to spend it with them. Here, there is no shortage of love and affection, and I am so grateful for this experience.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas


Or at least feel like it. It's been really strange to sit under the sun and realize Christmas is in two days. But then I look around and see the Christmas trees, swags, nativity scenes, and lights, and I remember. The tíos really did an incredible job decorating. Tuesday was my last day off, and it was lovely. I watched Beauty and the Beast while I wrapped presents and put together bolsitas (little baggies with treats and small gifts - sort of like stockings) for the Pilares. My consentida came over around 11:00 to hang out. I made her french toast, and we played with her friend's puppy Clifford. In the evening, we had the Christmas dinner for Talita Kumi (all the girls). All the tías and volunteers wore red and put on Santa hats. Mine lit up, and I got a ton of attention for it. We all know how much I hate that. Dinner was so good. We had pork marinated in some kind of sauce with dried cherries, scalloped potatoes (!!!), salad, and flan. There was a bonfire, music, and I showed a PowerPoint I made of photos I took of the girls in El Salvador. When I got home and sat at the picnic table, my friend Juan Luis (who is a university student that I met on my trip last year and I haven't seen in months) popped by. He was quite taken aback by how much my Spanish had improved and gave me the best compliment ever - that I'm now speaking like a Honduran! These last few days, I've begun my role as tía. It's really easy in Pilares because they get themselves up, do their chores without much reminding, and head off to work while I hold the fort in the hogar. Pretty easy so far. Tonight is the volunteer Christmas dinner. Tomorrow will be a busy day - Christmas Eve is a bigger deal than Christmas Day. Estefany offered to give me Christmas Day off since she's leaving me alone and in charge when she goes to visit family the 26th-30th. I thought I might be lonely, but Tía Momo invited me to Christmas dinner at her house. So I'll be just fine. And I just might be filled with the Christmas spirit.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Vacation in Amapala


According to Lonely Planet: "Amapala is a quiet fishing village on Isla del Tigre, a 783m-high inactive volcano island. Founded in 1833, Amapala was once Honduras' main Pacific port town, before the port was moved to San Lorenzo on the mainland."

Here's how my vacation started: Leila and I left for Tegus early Friday afternoon to do some Christmas shopping. It was absolute madness there. We picked up a cake for Max's birthday and met up with the other volunteers to share it. At the bar we were at, we met several expatriates who knew Amapala well and offered to help us out. Later, at we headed to the Honduran equivalent of a farmers' market, where I ordered a torta (the Honduran equivalent of a sloppy Joe). We followed that up with a night of dancing at Mister Marino, where we encountered the entire Ranch (exaggerating a little bit, but still awkward).

In the morning, we met up with the expats in Parque Central. They guided us to the shadiest bus station ever in Comayaguela (the most dangerous neighborhood in Tegucigalpa, the most dangerous city in all of Central America). I was definitely freaked out when I was warned by one of my Pilares who is working in the market on empleo and who I ran into, my Honduran friend Chele who was to accompany us, and some random lady, that it was really risky for us to be there. Eek. I felt much better when Chele arrived and we were all safely on the bus. After four hours, we finally arrived at Coyolito. From there, we took a fishing boat to the island. The daughter of one of the guys we met was going to meet us and help us with a place to stay, but she was far away from the beach, so we went with Chele's suggestion that we stay with a woman who had always offered him a room. After walking for what seemed like forever, I started to think negatively. As in, what if there is no food and shelter because this is not the United States and I just sit down and die? Sometimes I'm a bit dramatic. Well, I shouldn't have doubted Chele because at the end of Playa Grande was a small hotel with its own restaurant run by the incomparable Doña Digna. It was literally right on the beach, and as soon as we girls got our stuff in the room (the boys opted to camp on the beach), WE SWAM IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. As a native Washingtonian, this was just so counterintuitive for me. We finished up the night with fried fish caught fresh that day.

We woke up to the boys playing soccer on the beach with the locals. After a lovely breakfast, we set out to...relax on the beach. We drank out of a coconut and I got a ridiclously awesome tan. Digna's son Javier offered to show us Playa del Diablo. We went on a little hike, and from there the bad decisions began. To get to Playa Diablo, you have to jump off of a tree on a cliff into water of questionable depth. Which I did. After another short hike, the group decided to swim across the bay to an island. I've always been warned against swimming unknown distances because it's always longer than it looks. I am an extremely poor swimmer (not so much with the floating), but Pete and Tiffany offered to be my personal water wings, so I went ahead and did it. I'm pretty impressed with myself and how I'm pushing myself physically this year. I don't think I'll be afraid of anything after this. We headed back to Playa Grande and decided epic three-way chicken fights were in order. Jason and I reigned supreme, due to his brute strength and my willingness to play dirty combined with an insatiable desire to win. We headed into town that night and found a little restaurant on the water. Patricia and I shared a plate of ceviche (raw something-or-other that lives in the ocean) and camarones al ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce). The shrimp was by far the best food I've had in Honduras.

We left Amapala early this morning. The girls rode in a motor taxi as much for the experience as the desire to never walk again. The bus ride was much more unpleasant this time, as most of the group had to stand the whole time. A nice gentleman eventually offered me his seat. When we got into Tegus, I finished up my Christmas shopping and went and visited three of my girls in the store they work at in the center. I hung back when the rest of the group headed up to Cerro Grande so I could have coffee with another girl, but she wasn't able to get off work. Walking around with so much stuff always freaks me out. I'm convinced I'm going to get robbed. It's not entirely unfounded since it recently happened to two of our volunteers. I was relieved to get up to the Cerro and find the rest of the volunteers, Momo and her daughter Camila, and several others from the Ranch. But that also meant that they hadn't gotten on a bus yet. EVERYONE was in Tegus today, and the buses were so full people were hanging out the doors. Fortunately, a friend of Momo's passed by in a relatively empty van and took us all the way to our doorsteps on the Ranch. What luck!

Now I'm here and getting settled in for the long haul that is Christmas. Christmas dinner is tomorrow night, and the tíos and tías leave the next day. Each hogar is assigned a university or high school student or two to be in charge (volunteers are there as a support). But not mine. It's just me and one of my girls, Estefany. I'm looking at 11 days as Tía Kimmie. Wish me luck.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Interim Visitor Coordinator

That’s me. I live in fear of hearing “Kimmie, adelante” on the radio. Not really. Since the school year is over and I’m back from El Sal, I’ve been asked to step into Marie’s shoes while she’s on vacation. I decided that would be a good change of pace from teaching and preferable to vacation courses down at the school. My job involves andaring with a radio and two cell phones, escorting visitors to and from the airport, showing them around and orienting them to the Ranch, arranging transport, being in charge of Agua Azul (purified water – muy importante), checking my e-mail and organizing (yay for Internet access during the day), and basically being pendiente of all visitors here. It’s not too bad, actually. All the directors have my back and are really excited to have me helping out. I’ve already won over the founders of the surgery center who are here visiting and are bringing a medical brigade in January that I’ll be helping with before I head home for a short visit. We’re currently planning room assignments, schedules, and meals. This week, there’s been a newscaster here from Germany. She’s filming in order to pitch a project that would potentially air on a telethon and could get us a lot of money for NPH, so she’s a VIP. She’s really laid back and nice. I took her to the airport yesterday, and she invited me to come visit her in Germany. She said I could stay with her and she’d take me on a tour of the country. Definitely some perks to this job! I’ve been working pretty much non-stop since El Salvador, so I get Wednesday and Thursday off. All the volunteers have the 17th-21st off since we’re on lockdown at the Ranch after that for Christmas. Some of us are heading south to Amapala – really looking forward to it!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Top Ten Signs You’ve Been Ranchified

1)When someone hands you a plastic bag of liquid, you immediately bite off the corner and begin sucking it out in order to drink it.

2)You know the Our Father and Rosary in Spanish, and you’re not Catholic.

3)You fervently believe that hot sauce can make anything taste better.

4)You spit out orange and watermelon seeds on the floor because you know they will get mopped up later.

5)You say any of the following Spanglish phrases: “¿Oh, sí?” “Es tan easy.” “Otro feeling.” “Que big (insert adjective of your choice).”

6)You wear shorts and a shirt over your bathing suit because you have pena about it.

7)You point with your lips.

8)You have a brood of ahijados and consentido/as.

9)You complain about lukewarm showers because they just don’t get you as clean as a cold one.

10)Nothing is more annoying to you than someone ensuciaring your newly mopped floor.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

El Salvador


Seeing as soccer is the national sport of every country other than the United States, it’s seems only natural that Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos would have its own international soccer tournament. This year marks the fourth annual torneo, and it was held in El Salvador. Teams from Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Mexico all compete (we have 4 other homes which don’t participate for one reason or another). Since I went to NPH El Salvador last summer, I’d been begging to be taken along for weeks so I could see my goddaughter and my other friends there. Last Tuesday, Stefan finally gave me the go ahead. Here are the highlights (although maybe I shouldn’t call them that, since they include the good, the bad, and the ugly):

Bus Ride: You would think that 47 people plus luggage riding in a school bus for 44 would be pretty awful, but I actually enjoyed myself. It reminded me of a band or a dance team trip. On account of being a skinny-mini, I got voted to sit three to a seat. But it wasn’t too bad - lots of listening to iPods, playing travel games, and sleeping on each other’s laps. The best part was when I finally figured out why the boys kept calling the folding paper map a “hay-pay-essay.” That would be GPS in Spanish.

Soccer: I watched a lot of it. What I didn’t see a lot of was my team winning. Turns out backing the NPH Honduras teams is sort of like being a Seattle sports fan. The girls played really hard all four games, but didn’t manage to win a single one. They were all real heart-breakers, too. It wasn’t for lack of talent or effort; it just wasn’t in the cards for them. The last game was the worst; they were neck and neck until 3 goals were scored by El Sal in the last minute. The poor things had just given up, and we ended up in last place. The boys fared marginally better. They tied three games and lost one, which put them in the semi-finals. They were up 2-0 the first half, but gave up two goals in the second. It came down to penalty kicks. After NINE, we finally missed and lost the game. They didn’t even try to win third place in the last game and ended up in fourth. It was really hard to see my kids lose. I felt a strong mama bear righteous indignation about the whole thing (including throwing a minor fit when one of my kids got pulled out of the game).

Azucena: My precious 10 year-old ahijada was one of the best parts of the trip. She was as sweet and affectionate as always, and a little less timid than last time. She was thrilled to have me there and glued to my hip whenever she got the chance. I loved bringing my consentida from Honduras to meet her. She told her how pretty she was and asked her where she got her headband, knowing it was from me. That’s the two of them in the picture.

El Salvador Girls: Roxy was so surprised to see me, and I got the best hug from her. I was reminded of what a dear person she is when I attempted to hand wash my clothes. She walked me through it, did some of it for me, and then hung my clothes up next to hers. She took them down the next day, folded them, and put them in her locker for safe-keeping. I know she took care of her brothers and sisters for a long time when her mom died, but it just impresses me when a young person like that has those skills as well as the desire to care for others. It was great to cheer on her sister Gloria in the games (I got in trouble for being at all the Honduras games and missing hers, so I had to make time), even though she had to go to the hospital with a sprained wrist. Susy was shy with me at first, but eventually opened up and we fell back into our old level of comfort. Doris gave me a hard time for writing to the other girls and not her, so I made sure to give her all my contact information. She’s leaving for a convent in a few weeks, but I guess even nuns have Facebook. I had a lovely visit with Juana, and Tía Silvia was delighted to see me and wrote me a lovely letter. My Chicas Uno called my name wherever I went, and my favorite part was reading to them in their jammies on my last night there.

Honduras Girls: I really got then opportunity to form new relationships with girls I didn’t know too well and strengthen those I already had. I painted fingernails, held hats and jewelry during games, encouraged reluctant girls to dance for the noche cultural, and took girls on their first water slides on our excursion day. When you’re in close quarters with 20 women and girls, you learn to share a lot. I shared my iPod, camera, clothes, comb, nail polish, nail clippers, lotion, chapstick, ponytail holders, barrettes, you name it. The other volunteers seem surprised that I get things back, but I trust the girls (although I am pendiente of my things).

Glenda: On Tuesday, we received the sad news that one of the pequeñas in Santa María Reina (the special girls’ house on the Ranch) passed away. She was unwell in the morning and taken to the hospital, but there was nothing the doctors could do for her. Father Phil said a special mass for her, and all the Honduras delegation attended. Stefan was able to go for the funeral and return on Wednesday.

Dinner Out: On Wednesday, all the adults were treated to a dinner off the foundation at a house on a lake. It was just beautiful, and the food was delicious. We even had tiramisu for dessert! That night really helped me get to know the tías and tíos better. My Spanish was really on that night, and I felt like I could really be me. It felt great for me to feel funny in another language!

The trip had its ups and downs; it definitely wasn’t all sunshine and roses. I’m grateful that I got to go, but I definitely had some hard times. My emotions were running pretty high, and I felt alone at times. I was always included, but I didn’t quite feel like I belonged. I wasn’t a pequeña playing soccer and visiting my friends from other countries and I wasn’t a tía there to take care of the girls. I loved seeing my El Salvador friends, but they were busy running the tournament. Deysi, one of my Pilares, was my safety net this trip when I felt lonely, and she was always at my side making sure I was okay. I have to admit, I did get really homesick at one point and had some tears. I’ve been doing really well and this was supposed to be really fun; I wasn’t expecting to feel what I felt. But what I’ve realized here is that even though the lows are really low, the highs are that much higher. And I just have to remember that.

Friday, November 26, 2010

5 Cardinal Sins for Montessori Teachers


As the school year comes to a close here in Honduras, I thought I would share these, written all in good fun and with mucho cariño for my colleagues.

1)Getting one’s secret pal something other than exactly what she said she wanted.

2)Failing to sufficiently clean one’s mop.

3)Wearing shoes, shirt, accessories, and eye shadow that do NOT match.

4)Creating material or decorations that are in any way imperfect.

5)Throwing away ANYTHING that may be of some use at some point in some capacity.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Event-tastic

1)Retreat: Last weekend, all the volunteers went on a retiro to Santa Lucía, a charming little town a half hour outside of Tegucigalpa. We stayed in a lovely little hotel, all the girls bunking in two different rooms and the boys in another. The first night, the retreat organizers made us a lovely dinner and we played Ranch Cranium, whose specific clues were written by current and former volunteers. I laughed so hard I cried full on crocodile tears at Leila’s Pictionary rendition of my tattoo. I’ll just say no one guessed and leave it at that. The next day, we headed out on a hike, and yet again, I surprised everyone by being in the first group to arrive at the top. I now kind of get the “top of the mountain” feeling the boys were talking about and the desire to achieve it. It’s almost like I’m growing as a person or something. ;) We did some fun activities and reflection up at the top until it got really windy and cold! At dinner that night, we all voted for certain volunteers in different categories of “Most Likely to…” I won “Most Likely to Know All the Pequeños Names by December.” I was also nominated for “Most Likely to Stay at NPH Honduras Forever” (sorry, Mom and G’Ma). That day, I learned that I have had a big impact on Max as a teacher and that Leila thinks my superhero power would be coercion of counter-forces (disciplining the other side into giving up). As our closing activity Sunday morning, we did a “blind” activity. Everyone sits in a circle with their eyes closed. The leader picks three people at random and gives a description (i.e. someone who is a hard worker); those people then go and touch or squeeze the shoulder of the person who fits that description for them. You continue until everyone’s had a turn. It was through this activity that I found out that people admire me, enjoy seeing me with the kids, and think I’m “really freaking cool.” Some delusional person also thinks I’m humble. But seriously, there is something about having something lovely thought about you and being touched in appreciation and friendship that makes you feel really special. The retreat overall helped me renew some friendships and relationships that are really important to me. So yeah. Me llega.

2)Graduation: This night was among the happiest I can remember. Several months ago, Bryan asked me to be his godmother for his 9th grade graduation from talleres. I was absolutely thrilled. Well, I found out later that his sponsor from the States decided she was also going to come. I asked Bryan how he felt, and he said he wanted us both. I wasn’t too thrilled about sharing (I completely recognize my own selfishness), but it turned out just lovely. I got all decked out in a little black dress I bought at a secondhand store in Tegus and some fabulous heels. Bryan and Saravia were the MCs, and they did a fabulous job. When it came time for Bryan’s name to be called, he came and retrieved the two of us, and we escorted him up to get his diploma, shake hands with the directors, and take a picture. I was so tickled when it came time to announce the honor roll (Bryan was first in his class), and he came and asked just me to escort him up to the front. I have to give it to the kid; he’s got my number, and he knew exactly what to do to make me feel special. Pretty impressive for a 16 year-old boy, especially considering it was his special day. Afterwards, we had dinner, and Bryan, being the gentleman he is, brought us our chairs and our dinners. We did gifts and then there was a short dance afterwards. I took some amazing pictures; my Pilares (almost all are graduating) looked so beautiful, and I felt like such a mom and really a madrina to them all.

3)Quinceaños: In Latin America, the 15th birthday is a really important event. It is celebrated with pomp and circumstance with a party called a quinceaños. Here at the Ranch, everyone who turns 15 that year celebrates theirs together. It’s a huge event; the school auditorium is decked out by the staff, and the sewing workshop makes all the dresses. This year’s color was gold. Hallan, who I dance with in Danza Moderna and is Saravia’s cousin, recruited me to choreograph a dance for all the quinceañeros, so I’ve literally been spending every free moment rehearsing them. As of Wednesday, I hadn’t been asked to be a madrina. In some ways, I was relieved because I’m so broke this month and didn’t have money for another present anyway; but another part of me was wishing I had the whole madrina hat trick (talleres graduation, general graduation, and quinceaños). Well, at graduation Wednesday night, Hallan told me his grandma wouldn’t be able to make it on Friday, and asked me to step in. I was sad for him, but thrilled to do this for a kid I absolutely adore. So Friday, all the quinceañeros showed up at the gate to San Vicente for pictures looking like a million bucks. Each one entered the church for a special mass (given by Father Phil, the head of NPHI) with a madrina or padrino on their arm. They were each presented with a rose from Stefan (National Director), a crucifix from Pati (House Director), and a kiss of blessing from Reinhart (former ND and head of NPHI Family Services). After mass, all the padrinos and quinceañeros loaded the bus to get taken to the school (really the royal treatment). It was at this point that the only mar on my night occurred; Hallan somehow managed to delete all my photos on my camera. Fortunately, I had just uploaded the graduation ones to my computer, so I only lost the pics before mass, and those I can mostly get from other volunteers. We got to school just in time to get rained on and soaked! All the tables were set up with centerpieces, and we were served a lovely dinner with real lemonade. Stefan gave the brindis, and we toasted with sparkling cider (the kids were fooled into thinking it was champagne!). They had two huge cakes, and we all sang “Las Mañanitas.” The rest of the Ranch came down to the school at that point, and we were announced as couples and made our grand entrance on the red carpet. Following that, we all danced a waltz with our quinceañeros; lucky for me, Hallan is a superb dancer and we make quite the couple! The kids then performed their routine with me sitting in the front giving hints about which steps came next, just like Miss Patty did for me when I was a five year-old topsy-turvy flower. It was followed by the classic Ranch junior high-style dance. Hallan was completely charming all evening and told me a zillion times how much he loved me. I am so glad I got to participate in this and be there for him. I know it wouldn’t have been the same as a spectator, and I’m so glad I will have this memory.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Just Another Awesome Night in Hogar

This is why I’m here. This is why I’m here. This is why I’m here. I LOVE my hogar. I adore my tías and my girls. I rushed home from last weekend’s retreat (more on that in a future blog) to get back to the Ranch and spent my evening off on Sunday hanging out with my hogar just because I wanted to. We had talked at the retreat about the appropriateness of asking kids to tell their life stories. I felt that as volunteers, we should let the kids approach us. On Sunday, two of the girls shared with me. One of them had just returned from a family visit. She came back with a photo of her mother’s funeral. She was only two when her mom died in childbirth, losing the baby too. Later, at the evening bonfire, I sat next to another girl who had asked me advice. It led to her telling me how she lost her parents. Just 5 years ago, the whole family was in a car accident. The kids and mother were thrown from the car in time to see the car explode. Her mom died a week later in the hospital. This young lady is such an amazing, resilient person; I held her hand, cried alongside her, and told her how proud her mom would be of her. I was so touched that she trusted me enough to tell me that I’m even reluctant to post this, but it just completely embodies why I’m here. Hogar is my absolute favorite place on the Ranch to be. Whether Saravia is telling me how much she likes that I now speak “puro catracho” or Sheila measuring my waist to make sure I’m getting fatter or crawling into bed with Magda to whisper secrets, this place just does something to me…and it’s magic.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Adventures in La Tigra


Yesterday, on Saturday morning of our descanso weekend, Pete, Bryan, and I set off for La Tigra National Park. We left the hotel in Tegus early and arrived at 7:30 for an 8:00 bus that never came. Fortunately, a group of Honduran teenagers came to our rescue and told us that another bus would come at 10:00. So we started our journey just 2 and a half hours late. No big deal. We arrived in the quaint town of San Juancito around 11:30 and stopped at a little comedor for lunch. The hike up to the hostel is long, steep, arduous, and generally godawful. So we decided to spend the 220 lempiras to have the owner come down and get us and take us up. Unfortunately, his truck wouldn’t start. So we had no choice but to scale this mountain. It was easily one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in terms of physical exertion. Pete gallantly offered to carry my backpack for me, but it was a point of pride for me. An hour and a half later, we arrived sweat-soaked but with a grand feeling of accomplishment. We stopped in time to unload, appreciate the view from our room, and take a victory picture (see above) before we set off for a hike in the park. We took a path up to a waterfall, and it was absolutely picturesque. It’s much colder in La Tigra than the Ranch, and it was completely freezing. So naturally, Pete decided to get in the water at the base of the falls. I knew Bryan would do it too if I got in, so I did. Then the boys dunked themselves completely, and not to be outdone, I followed suit. We headed back down, teeth chattering, and ran into our friends from the bus. Waiting for us at the hostel was a delicious dinner of Indian curry with garbanzo beans, rice, and some kind of fried potato deliciousness prepared by our delightful German proprietors. After hiking for at least 10 miles (most of that uphill), it wasn’t hard to fall asleep. This morning, we had fresh squeezed mango juice, coffee, toast, and a lovely spread of toppings from tomatoes to cream cheese to homemade orange and berry jams. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard as when Bryan mistook the cut up butter slabs for pieces of cheese just as he took his first bite. Heading down was much easier than up, as one might expect, and we were back in Tegus by 1:30. I have to say, we made a great team, and I had a wonderful time. Can’t wait to take Quinn, Krista, and Corey there in April!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Useful Ranch Phrases and Their Meanings, as Interpreted by Yours Truly

Phrase followed by definition

Cheque. Ok.
Vaya pues. Alrighty then.
Nada que ver. Nothing to do with it/Whatever.
¿Qué pedo? What’s going on? (Note: pedo also means fart. One can imagine my confusion at the beginning.)
¿Qué onda, mara?/¿Qué hongos, banda? What’s up, peeps?
¡Qué barbaridad! What barbarity! (Just going to leave that one as it is.)
Macizo. Awesome.
¡Qué big fresa! It’s so cool!
Es tan easy. It’s so easy. (You probably figured that out on your own.)
Me da colera. It makes me so angry…that it gives me cholera.
¡Nambre! No, man!
¡Puchica vos! Darn you!
Sí, ¿va? I know, right?
Ya. Done/Enough/Knock it off.
Hacer relajo. Cause a ruckus.
Hacer caso. To pay attention or listen to or generally give you the time of day (usually in reference to a child who is not doing it).

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Why I Hate Honduran National Exams

1)The proctor assumes I am not an equal to the Honduran teachers.

2)She only brings 16 tests for our 19 children, so we just don’t test 3 of them.

3)Some of the kids get parts of the reading test (text, questions, multiple choice options) read to them. Sort of defeats the purpose of a reading test.

4)Even when you set the expectations very clearly, the kids still shout out the answers. They don’t stop until you totally lose your patience and yell at them.

5)The kids ask you if their answers are correct no matter how many times you tell them you can’t say because it’s a test.

6)My students are so dependent. They ask questions when the directions have already been given and refuse to simply put their own common sense to work.

7)They get help when they don’t understand (or don’t want to try to understand) – but not from me, mind you. I’m all about helping when I’m teaching, but an assessment is supposed to measure what a child can do on his or her own. On these tests, they were given clues and had questions explained to them. After all the rules for WASL and MSP, I just couldn’t deal with it.

8)I have to suck it up because this is not my country and this is not my culture. There are some things I cannot change.

I just don’t understand the complete lack of logical and reasoning amongst my students. And I don’t know how they end up that way. Montessori teaches them to be independent; they work at their own level and choose their own activities. I am grateful for the fact that the tests were easy and that our expectations in the classroom and what the students are doing are above the national level. But I would love to get some more of the constructivist philosophy into the classroom, and I think Montessori is conducive to that. I’ve been talking to Momo, and we think I’m going to move up to second grade next year (in February – the school year is different here) because the group is so difficult. But we’d also like to start a gifted and talented program; a few days a week, I’d be pulling out kids for enrichment, and that’s really exciting to me. I can’t change the way a whole country thinks about education, nor do I think that’s my place, but I can maybe help a small group of children to be more analytical thinkers. We’ll see.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Birthdays Pilares-Style


Every Saturday morning of my work weekend, I join my girls in some kind of work around the Ranch. God bless Tía Delmy because she understands my loathing for chapearing (using a machete to cut down grass) and has pretty much said I never have to do it again. At worst, I have to rake the chopped monte. Fortunately, yesterday I went with 4 of my girls to the kitchen to make bread. This involves putting ridiculous amounts of fattening ingredients into the mother of all KitchenAid mixers and attempting to prevent your girls from losing their fingers. Also mandatory are mini-flour fights and making fun of your volunteer for not knowing how to make perfectly round balls of dough. But the best part is what we do with the leftover dough. Yesterday was María Girón’s birthday, so I fashioned a bread-cake out of dough (a pizza-like circle with her first initial in the middle and little pelotas all around the edges). I also made a little house, hearts, and a kitty face. Deysi made a little man whose arm and head were later secretly eaten by two culprits who shall remain nameless (ahem, Kimmie and Saravia). We then put our 14 trays of rolls and one tray of treats (doused liberally with sugar) into a huge ancient oven that looks like something out of an old Welsh village (she said from experience). I came back from mass early to celebrate with my bread-making friends and the birthday girl. Ensue hilarity. We made fresco with two kinds of Zuko (Honduran KoolAid) and all drank out of the same used Pepsi bottle (small wonder we all get sick, huh?) and took lots of photos and videos with my camera (I wish I could upload them from here, but you’ll have to wait until January – we made a special one for you, Mom). My tía was so tickled with how well it had gone that she wants me to do it every time we have panadería duty. We worked really fast and even the girls who complain about it had a good time. She even told me I could leave early because I’d worked so hard that day. Nice! I didn’t leave early, naturally, as that would be out of character for me. But it was nice to be appreciated for something that really didn’t feel like work at all.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Apologies for the Blog Lull…or Blull (teehee)…

but I have recently been afflicted with a heinous trifecta of sinusitis, bronchitis, and flu. I’ve been feeling badly since Sunday, but it wasn’t until I spent the feriado (day off) Tuesday in bed and then vomited after getting ready for school on Wednesday, that I finally decided to go to the clinic. I got nebulized and am now on a ridiculous amount of medication (which may help to explain why I find things like “blull” so very funny). I hate being sick here because 1)it’s really boring and leaves me alone to do too much thinking and 2)I feel doubly guilty for missing both school and hogar. So upon realizing that I would not be able to fulfill my responsibilities, I was immediately attacked with ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts – thank you, Mom). I kept worrying about how lazy people would think I was and what an awful evaluation they’d be giving me. And I felt exceptionally bad because it was my hogar’s saint’s day, and I was supposed to make a cake. I had a lot of good pep talks from home and was reminded that I am a volunteer for heaven’s sake and that I would feel much worse if I got all the kids sick. That was able to tide me over until I got ahold of Mom to talk some sense into me and deal appropriately with my neuroses. Turns out I worried for nothing and that there is something about people being really nice to you that allows you to stop freaking out enough to actually get better: from Bryan refusing to let me do kitchen duty to my girls bringing me a box a food from the special dinner to Marie making me tea and meticulously picking the seeds out of my watermelon to Kenia being incredibly understanding to the doctor Merlin telling me I simply could not work for two days or more if needed (and I could be provided with a note) to volunteer nurse Laura buying and then making me chicken noodle soup to Tía Mirna telling me to take another day due to the “clima” to my boss’s husband telling me I look terrible and to go back to bed. Well, maybe not actually that last one. I felt well enough to go to work today and at least fake it. Hopefully, I’m on the mend!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Top Ten Reasons I Love My Hogar

10)My tías. One of them wants to go visit Comayagua with me, and the other is taking me to her dad's sugarcane plantation. I'll be the first volunteer she's ever taken.

9)Going to rosario together. It's really lovely, actually.

8)They share their food with me. When I first arrived, they were all understandably concerned with my weight. It's been their goal to fatten me up, and they take really good care of me.

7)Teaching them English. Sheila can now say, "Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite."

6)They are all mostly in the sewing taller, and they happily fix things for me. Those in belleza braid my hair.

5)I feel perfectly comfortable lending them things(nail polish, flat iron, etc.) because I know they will take care of them. They are so grateful that they make me want to do special things for them.

4)I never have to seek out company. I feel welcome and completely at home.

3)They confide in me about school, boyfriends, and their families.

2)They want me to stay. My tía says they're going to go to the airport to keep me from going. Saravia wants to introduce me to her cousin on Día de Visitas so I can fall in love, marry him, and stay in Honduras forever.

1)They give the best hugs and say the sweetest things. "Andas muy bonita." "Sueña con los angelitos." "Te quiero mucho."

Vos

I have a confession. I love being vosed. If you’ve studied Spanish, you know that there are two forms of addressing a person, each with its own verb conjugation: tú and usted. In Honduras, Ud. is used almost exclusively. Vos is WAY more informal than even tú. So far, I have learned the conjugations for the present, past, and imperative. The kids use tú with me a lot because it seems to fit our relationship better, and they’ve had experience with other volunteers using that form. At school, I require them to use Ud. The people who use vos with me thus far include my co-teacher Kenia, the girl I’m closest with in hogar, and my año familiar and university friends. Some volunteers consider it disrespectful, but for me it means I’m “in” with that person. And I'm sorry, but when you're rolling on the floor laughing after doing an impression of one of your students or telling embarrassing stories about bodily functions (fun for all ages), you just have to use vos. Plus, it just sounds better sometimes. ¡Apuráte! ¡Vení! ¡Decíme! Yep, nothing I love more than a good vosing.

Dude for a Day

Sunday was my day off, and as I was walking to lunch with the boys (read: volunteers of the male persuasion), they asked me if I would like to go “exploring” on this 2000 acre ranch that we call home. To everyone’s surprise (myself included), I acquiesced. Our goal was to find a waterfall “the back way.” Little did I know this would involve vigorous (by my standards) climbing, getting slashed by a thorny bush (chicks dig scars), hacking my way through Honduran forests, and losing my footing and my bearings multiple times. Even though they admitted to me that they weren’t sure exactly how we were getting there, I felt safe and was able to appreciate the adventure. I quite enjoyed being regaled with movie quotes and the boys’ impressions: everything from Monty Python (“She turned me into a NEWT…I got better”) to Man vs. Wild (exceptionally relevant given the circumstances). We were quite the group: Climby Jason, Hoppy Bryan, Reasonable Pete, and Dragon Lady (that would be me, seeing as I’m Asian and all. We have apparently all lost any shred of political correctness we might once have possessed). And at the end we found a waterfall, joined up with the actual trail, and headed to the represa for a nice swim! After dinner, I was invited to join Guys’ Night, which involves being manly and watching war movies. I almost got kicked out for being a jerk, but I think that actually qualifies me more (that’s the bitter spinster in me speaking). Poor Jason is my substitute Bobby. He was making pancakes, and when I asked if I could have a bite, he had the nerve to say no. So, of course, I took the most perfect bite out of one and put it back on his plate. ¡Qué big necia! Anyway, I really enjoyed the last two episodes of HBO’s The Pacific, and I can’t wait for next time (unnecessary parenthetical note here).

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Dancing Fool


So I show up to Danza Moderna practice on Wednesday after several weeks of missing practice and, of course, find out that we have a performance on Saturday. There is going to be a competition between all the hogares; one boy and one girl from each corresponding hogar (same ages) have to dance. It’s all based on Bailando Por Un Sueño, sort of the Honduran version of So You Think You Can Dance or Dancing with the Stars. Juan Bautista (the group leader) is one of the judges, so we’re not competing, just doing a special presentation. As with all things on the Ranch, we are doing this last minute. So we start a brand new dance and have extra practices from 1:00-4:00 Thursday and Friday. Awesome.

My girls (and Tía Delmy) have been hinting all week that I should dance for the hogar. I initially declined because I thought it should be one of the girls. Eliu, one of my favorite kids and the elected dancer from Discipulos, asked me on Friday if I would dance because no one from Pilares wanted to do it. And we all know how good I am at saying no.

So I show up Saturday thrilled that I don’t have to do manual labor because I get to make up the dance with Eliu. And I’m thinking I’ll do one song – easy peasy lemon squeezy y ya está. But no. Apparently, the rules are that we have to do four styles of dance – punta, bachata, reggaeton, and merengue. So here are my responsibilities (and keep in mind this is for the same night): get Eliu’s tío to let him come practice, find four songs for each dance style, create a remix of said songs, burn onto a blank CD which I don’t have, choreograph, and practice. I manage to do all this between the hours of 9:00 and 11:00. Yes, I am magic. I get the music from my laptop, some of my girls, and volunteers. Our assistant director Ross (also a friend from Puyallup) finds me a blank CD. Laura, who hates doing remixes but is the only one who can do them, agrees to do one for me. I nominate her for sainthood and pay her in bars of chocolate (they are great currency here on the Ranch – sort of like cigarettes in prison). The choreography and practice part are easy because Eliu happens to be a great dancer. He’s one of the few kids who knows how to dance with his face, if you know what I mean. Not a problem for me – thank you, dance team.

I run back home after lunch to get ready for mass. Running around barefoot and stressed out, I somehow manage to trip and take off a chunk of my foot (right from my beautiful dancer’s callous). Good thing I don’t have to dance on it or anything. Sona dumps on some iodine (I scream like the big baby I am) and bandages me up. I call Juan Bautista who informs me that we are practicing after mass because he has added ANOTHER SONG. I tell him I plan on punching him, but dutifully show up to practice in talleres. Afterwards, we get kicked out so they can set up the sound system. I offer the salon of San Vicente, and we head that way while Juan goes to find a missing dancer. On the way, I find out Eliu is looking for me. I track him down and tell him to meet me in half an hour because the remix is not yet done (at this point, we’ve only practiced to the songs separately). I’m back at San Vicente in a blink, borrow the keys from Lauren, and somehow manage to LOCK MYSELF IN. I scream from the window and am rescued by some of the volunteers because my fellow dancemates are too busy laughing hysterically. We practice, and when Eliu shows up, I run out to grab the remix. Once I’ve finished with Danza Moderna, Eliu and I run through our dance a few times before I have to get ready.

When I show up all dolled up to my hogar, I am greeted with screeches of delight from my girls. I get lots of “¡Qué guapa andas!” to my personal favorite via Sheila: “¡Qué big sexy!” I shove some food down and head down to talleres with my tía, who I have now officially and completely won over. Both dances go extremely well, but it is with my dance with Eliu that I am most tickled (that’s us dancing in the photo). Before I go on, everyone from my little Casa Suyapans to my girls in Pilares to my favorite año familiars tell me they are going to support me. I fully admit that I love attention, and I felt like a rock star having my name chanted by people who love me. Eliu starts out by grabbing the microphone and explaining that the style of punta we’ll be doing is different from other groups because it comes from the Garífuna people of the north coast and can only be danced by people of “sangre negra.” Eliu is beloved by all the Ranch, and they erupt in cheers before we’ve even begun. The dance goes spectacularly well and is the most pure, unadulterated fun I’ve had in a long time. I pull out all the stops and proceed to kiss each judge on the cheek during our exit (it also helps that they’re all guys I’m friends or acquaintances left). Everyone loves our dance; even Jason (one of my substitute little brothers) accidentally gives me a compliment he can’t take back. We get 5 out of 5 from judge Dagoberto and 145 out of 5 from Juan Bautista. Mauricio’s score is secret. After snack, the winners are announced. We end up getting first place in our category (albeit out of two couples) and are rewarded with two pieces of pizza each, which I proceed to share with my consentida. SSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Things That Help Me Get Through the Bad Days

1)Holding up Gabi and, cheek to cheek, having an impromptu science lesson while watching a spider devour a fly it had caught in its web, then hearing her sweet voice through her endearing underbite say, “Kimmie, la quiero muuuuuuucho.”

2)Having a first grade boy do his English project on pink construction paper because it’s my favorite color and then writing both our names on the front: Jeison + Kimmie.

3)Getting to hold a 14 year-old’s hand while she went on an escalator for the first time.

4)Hopping up my favorite 5 year-old on a granita de café and then having her lapse into a sugar coma on my lap on the bus ride home.

5)Making lists (tongue firmly in cheek).

6)Knowing I can totally do this for another 10 months.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Vacaciones



Due to Independence Day, we had two days off school. I changed my work weekend so that I could have a four-day weekend. This also means that I will not have another day off until October 3rd, but I think it was worth it. On Thursday, a group of 8 of us headed up to Lago de Yojoa. In the process, we were schooled by at least six forms of Honduran transportation. We made reservations to stay at the American-run D&D Brewery. Along with being the first microbrewery in Honduras, it is set up as a little hostel with cabins, a restaurant, and pool. We spent all of Thursday in transit, so Friday was our day to play.

We first headed up to Pulapanzhak, which is a beautiful waterfall. An elderly lady at the hostel had suggested we do the under the falls tour. We found a guide and talked him down to 70 lempiras a person (about $3.50). Now, I thought this would be a lovely little walk behind the waterfall where we would get a light mist; after all, if the old lady could do it, so could I. Little did I know that we would be fully under a really powerful waterfall. It is probably the most dangerous thing I’ve done in my whole life. I fell twice and was rescued twice. The spray was so strong, and we all know I’m not a good swimmer (floating is a little challenging for me). At one point, I couldn’t see in front of me, so the guide scooped me up and carried me through waist-high water. When we arrived at our destination, he told me to duck my head and breathe through my mouth only when necessary. We ended up in these caves with water up to our shoulders. It was so cool, but I also had a claustrophobic, I-feel-like-I’m-in-the-Titanic moment. And, of course, we were completely soaked by the time we were done.

We then headed back toward our hostel and grabbed lunch. We had the famous fried fish. It’s literally a whole fish that’s been fried. Ours had everything – eyes, teeth, fins, the works. I think Dad would be pretty proud that I ate it. Afterwards, we decided to rent a boat to take out on the river. The lady with the oars convinced us that the 7 of us who wanted to go would definitely fit. That was seriously called into question when we saw the boats, but we did it anyway. I ended up in the bow as the figurehead, the guys noting that no one in their right mind would expect me to row. It was slow-going at first, so two of our boys decided it would be a brilliant idea to get out and swim while pushing the boat. Turns out they were more like anchors, although we gave them props for effort. Somehow, to the great amusement of passing catrachos, we made our way through a highly questionable marsh/jungle. We ended up at a lake and took turns jumping off the boat and swimming around. All in all, the day was great bonding for our group. I was very proud to be elected tribe elder/matriarch on account of my tenure upon the earth. We’re coming home with all kinds of inside jokes and “gringos cheat death” stories, all of which I will not share here for benefit of my mother, grandmother, and former students. Don’t try this at home, kids.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Dia de Independencia




Today, we celebrated Independence Day. We took the WHOLE RANCH to the nearby town of Talanga. And let me just say to Puyallup that the Daffodil Parade has nothing on Talanga. I got up at 5:00 to make up the little girls who were going in costume. In the parade, NPH was represented with two carrozas (cars done up as floats), a group of little and big paleonas (baton twirlers), a colorguard, a percussion group, pompom girls, and each class from Pre-K to 6th grade was assigned a different theme such as Flora and Fauna or Heroes of Honduras. We had "Etnias" in first grade, so all our kiddos were dressed up as campesinos and indigenas. It was so precious! It was so hot and the march was pretty long. When we arrived at the end of the parade, we all had ice cream cones (the director nicely ignored that I bought one for my darling ahijado). We like to do a lot of "hurry up and wait," so while we were waiting for the bus, I ended up sitting on the dirty sidewalk with Gabi, Moises, and Carlos asleep on my lap. We got back at 1:00, and I was so upset because we were going to have to go back to school to work in Montessori. But we ended up having a lovely lunch of spicy Italian pasta, salad, and chocolate cake. It was a despedida for Iris, who is going to Casa Suyapa to be the coordinator there. I was in training to take her position, but fortunately I get to stay in first grade with my little sweeties. I think Momo is pulling for me to stay more than one year. Don't tell my mom. Here are some pics of the parade for your viewing pleasure.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Godparenting

Here at NPH Honduras, we have godparents for just about everything. Each child can have up to 9 godparents who sponsor them through a monthly donation to the home. The children also need godparents for important events such as confirmation, quinceañeras, and graduations.

I have two sponsor children: Azucena in El Salvador and Axel here in Honduras. I met Axel on my first trip to the Ranch and was immediately smitten (I don’t think it’s a coincidence that his last name Enamorado means “in love”). He is now 12 years old. When I came this year, it took him some time to get over his shyness with me. I think he’s finally realized that I’m really staying. Normally, after 3 weeks, I would be gone already. He’s not a super high maintenance godchild, and he’s always good for a hug. On one of my free weekends, I decided to go hang out in his hogar for an evening. He asked me if I could play chess, and I said yes (meaning that I know how the pieces move, but we all know strategy is not my forte). He completely destroyed me but was really sweet about it. I only managed to take one of his pieces, and he piped up, “At the very least, you got a rook!!” One day, when I was having a bad time, I realized I was walking around with a piece of candy in my pocket. I went in search of my godson because I knew putting a smile on his face would put a smile on mine. I went to his hogar, and they told me he was in percussion class. I walked over to talleres, called his name, slid the candy across the floor to his feet, and off I went quite tickled with myself.

Two boys have asked me to be their madrinas for graduation. Fortunately, the graduations are on different days. Very early on, Yeremi asked me to be his godmother for sixth grade graduation. It was actually more like told me than asked. I asked as to my responsibilities, which he said were to show up to school and wear a pretty dress. Done and done. More recently, I was chatting with Bryan (one of my absolute faves at the Ranch) and his visiting godparents from the States. We met two years ago when he was 14; he was one of the boys who called me Geisha. He’s grown up into a great kid who has done really well in school. It actually brought me to tears when he asked me to be his madrina for his ninth grade graduation. He’ll go on to his internship in December and January and then come back to the Ranch for a year of service. From there, he’ll go to high school in Tegucigalpa. I’m so proud of him. It’s traditional to give your godchildren gifts for graduation, and I want to come up with something really special.

Now all I need to complete the set is a godchild for quinceñeras! Somehow I don’t think that will be a problem.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

School

I have 19 monsters. Imagine a classroom full of 19 (fill in the name of wildly naughty child here)s, and that’s what I have. It’s not surprising, given the background of these kids. In 8 years of teaching, I have never been struck by a student; here at Escuela Rancho Santa Fe, it has happened FIVE times. Most recently, a girl was bothering a boy who was working. This somehow erupted into a fistfight, which I proceeded to break up. The boy calmed down, but I had to forcibly remove the girl from the room, at which point she hit me twice and also pinched me. This was the third time with the same kid, and I was livid. I had her suspended for a day and also took away her privilege to have Proyecto Familiar. This is the time once a year when the kids come to the volunteer house to cook dinner and have time with their biological brothers and sisters. It was a serious consequence for a serious offense. I had the full backing of Montessori and several of the tías, but I know there were others who didn’t agree with what I did. After a good talk with Mom, I knew I was doing the right thing. And my strengths in discipline are why they brought me here. When I explained to the little girl her consequence and why I was doing it, she said nothing but started to cry. And this is a tough kid who comes off really strong. Today, she gave me the biggest hug, apologized, and worked really hard. I couldn’t have asked for a better reward. It was an awful experience, but I’m so glad I stuck to my guns.

It’s not really true that they’re all demons. I have 4 or 5 who really love to learn. There is one boy in particular who I absolutely adore working with. He was taken from his home due to “riesgo social.” His family let him wander around the city unsupervised, and before he got to the Ranch, he was hit by a car. He still has serious scars on his legs that make me cringe every time I see then. But his attitude is wonderful, especially given what happened to him. I love showing him new activities because he always tells me how much he likes them. We’re able to joke around too. One time, he teasingly refused to let me into the religion classroom until I knocked appropriately. Our relationship reminds me of the one I have with a certain munchkin I had at Zeiger who shall remain nameless.

One thing I always enjoy at work is the people I work with. Montessori is Momo’s baby. She is an ex-pequeña from Mexico who is married to the former director and founder of NPH Honduras. She is all about the constructivist school of learning, and so am I. I love how child-centered and development-oriented Montessori is. Momo is also flexible enough to let us start a behavior system with our group of first graders, even though it isn’t very “Montessori” of us. I came up with a system where the kids can earn 2 stamps each day. I made the chart by hand (oh, how I miss the teacher store). In the morning, half the kids do math activities with me, and half do Spanish (reading and writing) with Kenia. After recess, we switch. They get a stamp if they work hard and respect the teacher and their classmates. When they reach 10 stamps, they get to choose a ticket for a special privilege like an extra PE, time on the computer, etc. I thought it would be better to reward with an experience rather than something material. It’s working pretty well most days. We still have our “bombas” that explode, but things are really improving.

It looks like I’ll be getting my own classroom just for math. I’m excited to have my own space, but it also means I’ll have to clean it myself and set up an aseo chart for the kids and then enforce it (oh, how I miss Larry aka the best custodian in the world). I’ll also miss being with Kenia every day. She’s such an awesome person, and my Spanish is improving so that we can really joke around like girlfriends. Whenever we have a specialist, we go to the cafeteria together for baleadas or tortillas con quesillo and a Pepsi. She invited me to come have lunch with her family one day in Talanga (her husband is a tío in Casa Suyapa), and I should get to meet her 3 year-old daughter tomorrow. All of Montessori is going to a park (with TWO swimming pools) tomorrow for El Día del Niño. There will be games (I made Pin the Tail on the Donkey…by hand), a delicious merienda as well as lunch(we are killing two pigs especially for the occasion), and surprise gifts (sandals, barrettes, and socks for the girls and boxers, gel, and watches for the boys). I can’t wait, even if I do have to wrangle 19 little devils.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Daltónico

On Friday, I helped diagnose one of my kids with colorblindness. He came to the Ranch in March. His mom passed away just a few weeks ago. In May, his teacher reported to the psychologist that he was having trouble with his colors. Because there are so few staff members to help with this sort of thing, he was just now tested with the volunteer occupational therapist. She came to talk to us today to tell us that he did indeed have trouble with his colors. Several teachers had been working with him over the past few months on this skill to no effect. Having known three colorblind people (a student, my great-grandpa, and my physics lab partner in high school), I suggested that the problem might be visual instead of mental, especially given that he has no other issues beyond trouble reading. We took the child back into the therapy room. He had to go through a series of obstacles and then choose a ball of a specified color from a blow-up kiddie pool. He struggled especially to find pink at all even though there were several. With other colors, he would have the right one in his hand and then put it down. I could tell he was really embarrassed. The therapist got out a puzzle where he had to match things that were the same color. I remembered going to the Pacific Science Center with Grandma as a kid and taking the test for color-blindness. There was a design made of dots in red and green. There was a nine in red surrounded by a background circle of green. Grandma explained that colorblind people wouldn’t be able to find the nine because they couldn’t distinguish between the two colors. Sure enough, this child tried to put together the red and green items. On Monday, I’m looking forward to talking to him about it. It’s not something we can fix, but I want him to know it’s not his fault, he doesn’t have a learning problem, and he can learn coping skills to deal with it. I’m also going to make sure there’s a note in his file so his future teachers know about it and don’t think he has some kind of deficiency (e.g. he shouldn’t be docked points in English class for not knowing the colors when he can’t distinguish them). Neither the therapist nor the other teacher had ever met someone who was colorblind before, so today I felt really useful and like I helped a child.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Weekend


I feel a little guilty that this post isn’t about the orphans, but I feel compelled to write about my weekend off because I wrapped it up with this wonderful feeling of being settled. So, I get every other weekend off, and as with most descanso weekends, I headed into Tegucigalpa with friends. I am getting really good at managing my own transport, from buses to colectivos to rapiditos to taxis. We had a very fun and productive time in the city. We went out dancing both nights, did our grocery shopping, ran errands (I finally bought an umbrella), ate baleadas in Dolores, stayed in the Hotel Granada, took a cab up to the big fancy mall and felt like we were back in the States, and hung out with our Honduran friends. There wasn’t anything particularly special about it except that I felt really confident. Not in a cocky I-couldn’t-possibly-get-robbed kind of way. I’m very much aware that Tegus is the most dangerous city in Central America, and I’m very careful. But I feel like I’m getting around much better. I remember thinking during our tour of the city that I’d never figure it out, but I feel more and more ubicada each time I’m there. It helps that my Spanish is getting better every day as well. I’m quite pleased with it if I do say so myself. I tend to take a backseat when someone is with me who speaks better Spanish than I do, but everyone has been so complimentary and encouraging, that I’m speaking up all the time. And every time I’m successful, it feeds that confidence and makes me want to practice more and more.

We came back from the city Sunday afternoon in plenty of time for our cena amistosa in the volunteer house. Every few weeks, we have a potluck dinner all together. People pair up and sign up for different dishes. Sometimes we have a theme, and this particular dinner was Italian, as dreamed up by Laura. I was really tired, so Leila let me take a nap while she prepared our pasta. When I woke up and headed out my room toward the kitchen/dining area, I felt like I was walking into Vince’s ready for dinner with Grandma and Grandpa. Lauren had taken the lace curtains out of her office to use as a tablecloth, Dean Martin was playing, and someone had taken empty wine bottles and put taper candles in them for ambience. We had bowls of chopped garlic with olive oil for dipping bread and Jessie made gnocchi from scratch. There was pizza, salad, bruschetta, and red wine. We topped it all off with chocolate cake and ice cream. It was so lovely to share an evening with this group of people. We have all meshed so well, and on nights like these I really feel like we’re a family.

I’m happy here. It’s not that I don’t miss home. I definitely do. But on a day-to-day basis, I’ve really come to cheerfully accept that this is my life. I love walking around the Ranch and hearing my name called or getting hugs from precious children, I love sharing the company of an awesome group of volunteers, and I think I love this country.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Olimpiadas

The only way I know to explain Olimpiadas is Field Day on steroids. About a month before the event (which occurred this weekend), we start meeting in our teams. There are 18, and everyone (from kids to teachers to tíos to volunteers) is on one. You end up with 6 adults as coordinators and about one kid from each hogar, so everyone has various ages of kids. Each group this year was assigned a place of interest in Honduras and a virtue. We had Pulapanzhak (a waterfall) and peace. We’ve been meeting twice a week for four weeks for two hours a pop. Each team has to do a presentation on Friday night and plays games all day Saturday. There are prizes for the top three teams in each. So we’ve been working non-stop creating our t-shirts, making props for the presentation, getting a remix for the dance, designing costumes, practicing our cheer, and making our mural and flag. My role has been in choreographing the dance for Friday night. Turns out you can take the girl out of dance team, but you can’t take dance team out of the girl. I full on put in a basket toss and a ripple line!

So this was the big weekend, and the reason I haven’t been online in ages. We left school early on Friday to meet with our teams and practice the dance incessantly. Then we all went down to the school at about 5:30, and I got ready and put on make-up with the girls who were dancing (we also managed to get 5 boys, including my godson). Our presentation went really well. I got lots of compliments on the choreography and was told that our team was really together. I knew we wouldn’t win, though, because we didn’t have very good props. One team created a huge cruise ship, and Copan recreated the ruins and did a mock Mayan sacrifice. It was pretty amazing.

On Saturday, we started out with a really nice mass that ended with the lighting of the torch. We then spent an exhausting day playing games. We did an obstacle course, answered trivia questions in one of the classrooms, crossed dangerous bridges with balls being thrown at us, ran down a slip and slide to throw balls in a basket, had a tug of war in the mud, and got soaking wet passing giant sponges filled with water over our heads. After lunch, we had relay races on the basketball courts. My favorite was the one where I had to dress up as a clown, and there was a relay race filling my costume with balloons. I got picked because there would be a lot of space for them. Yeah. The judges then proceeded to pop all the balloons on my person to make sure they were all there. I still have red marks. I don’t know if it is Honduran culture or Ranch culture, but cheating and accusations of cheating run rampant in Olimpiadas. It’s like no one even listened to the sermon about sportsmanship and brotherly love. Whatever. That night, we all headed down to the school. They announced the winners, and my team actually won second place in the games! We get to go to the city for pizza and cake. Second place last year in presentations and second place this year in games – pretty good! And then I danced the night away with one of my favorite pequeños.

Pictures and videos forthcoming on Facebook (next weekend when I go to the city).

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

El Dia de Padre Wasson

On August 12th, we at NPH celebrate Padre Wasson Day. It is the anniversary of the death in 2006 of the founder of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos. William Wasson was an American and a Catholic priest in Mexico. One day, he caught a young orphan stealing from the church. When asked why, the boy explained that he was hungry. Instead of pressing charges, Father Wasson asked for custody of the boy. The judge agreed and sent him back with 7 more boys. That was the beginning of NPH. From there, Father Wasson opened more homes. The Ranch here in Honduras was second. We also have homes in Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Bolivia, and Peru. All our homes are based on Father Wasson’s tenets of unconditional love, hard work, and education.

Last week in school, the kids wrote poems and drew pictures in remembrance of Father Wasson. On the 12th, we had a special mass and breakfast altogether. Today, we had a special (2 hours – ugh) presentation including songs, skits, and the presentation of awards for the best poems and pictures. We spent the afternoon playing games, and I’m currently totally exhausted. WWPWD? Probably not complain. ;)

How to Make a Fresco Ranch-Style

1)Climb one of the trees in the courtyard of the school.
2)Jump up and down on the branches so that the ripe berries fall.
3)Have your friends gather up the fallen berries.
4)Find a used soda bottle in the trash.
5)Fill said bottle with berries.
6)Add water.
7)Agitate vigorously.
8)Pour in ridiculous amounts of sugar.
9)Enjoy.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Helium Hand


As is my wont, I have signed up for more activities than are really humanly possible. Here they are in no particular order:

1)Proyecto Familiar: Brothers and sisters here on the Ranch don’t get a lot of time together, so a volunteer a few years back organized Proyecto. A few times a year, all the families here get an opportunity to come to San Vicente (the volunteer house) to cook dinner and dessert and to eat and play with each other. Most of the volunteers take one or two families a month. I just had my first Proyecto on Thursday. We made spaghetti and white cake. It’s amazing how much fun you can have with a red balloon and a swing. Fernando (who is also in my first grade class) had me in stitches in his little hat and pretend cell phone – I had to share that picture!

2)Danza Moderna: After two practices, I got conned into performing last Friday at the culminating extra curricular activities presentation. I totally wasn’t ready, and when I showed up, Juan told me he forgot to teach me an entire song (the whole remix was already something like 10 minutes long). We managed to find a costume to fit me, and I ended up dancing in front of the whole Ranc. I was completely faking it, but most everybody was complimentary and impressed that I learned the routine so quickly. At the end of the night, I turned in my costume, and Juan had me mark it with my name for next time. I’m looking forward to the next session because I’ll be able to do the routine perfectly and also a bunch of girls told me they’re joining because of me!

3)Grupo de Apoyo: I also expressed interest in helping out with the support groups for our HIV positive kids here at the Ranch. I don’t know which group I’ll be with (they’re divided up into chiquitos, boys, girls, and teenagers/photography group), but I went to a whole group activity on Wednesday, and it was really fun. The kids learn about health, eating, taking their meds, and just have an opportunity to talk to people. I already know most of the kiddos, and I got some pretty good laughs by talking to a bug. The poor thing was dragging its dead friend around, so I gave it a “jalon” (hitchhiking) on a leaf. Pretty sure they think I’m crazy. Pretty sure they’re right.

So between all my activities, plus work, hogar, and Olimpiadas meetings, I am a busy girl. Just how I like it!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Mi Cuartito


Just a quick post to say that I finally got to move into my permanent room. I wanted to post a pic so you could get an idea of what my little space looks like. I am sharing a room with Marie. It’s kind of like living in the dorm, although we have our own bathroom and a little walk-in closet. I am just relieved to be settled and to have everything in its own place.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Despedida

So we went into the city this weekend for the going away party for the 3 outgoing volunteers. We started out with a yummy dinner at Pincho Loco. I was there for just a few seconds when I saw an adorable black kitten. I picked her up, and she immediately started purring. She played with me and then fell asleep in my lap. Leila and I begged to be allowed to take her home, but to no avail. :( From dinner, we went out to sing karaoke, which was highly amusing. We sang everything from "Don't Stop Believing" to "Baby One More Time" to "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." One of the locals decided to perform Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On." Pete and I did an epic junior high school slow dance that morphed into a ridiculous waltz. I thought it would be a really good idea to try the lift from Dirty Dancing. It was pretty much a total fail but really, really funny. From there, we went out dancing at Castillo until 3:00 in the morning. So tired today, but excited for moving day!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Amazing...

how one great day can cancel out a bad one. I had a really negative experience at hogar last night. My tías had asked me to bring my laptop to help them with their Plan Operativo Anual (POA). I spent two hours on Monday typing it out, and I used my only 2 hours of free time to get it printed yesterday. I had shown the girls some pictures of my family, and the tía brought out a flash drive so the girls could see pictures of themselves. We didn’t end up having time, so I brought it again yesterday. I showed the girls more photos and some videos (me dancing and singing karaoke at the end of the year assembly at Zeiger). When the tía asked me to put it away, I did. She pulled me aside later to tell me that showing the girls pictures and videos on my laptop is strictly prohibited. She was really harsh, and it really upset me. The girls also pulled me aside rather protectively and told me not to bring my laptop again because it made the tías mad. I apologized profusely to the tías, but they still called their supervisor and mine. I was totally shocked. It was an innocent mistake, and I had the best of intentions. I guess I should have asked first, but I thought it was a pretty major overreaction. I spent about an hour bawling my eyes out. I’m sure everyone who is reading this knows what a perfectionist I am and how hard I am on myself. I did have some great conversations with friends and with Lauren (the volunteer coordinator), and I felt very supported. Lauren told me that my love for the kids is apparent, and I really tried to take that to heart. My friend Laura is here visiting, so we had a sleepover and I got to have a hot shower this morning.

So I was feeling better until Kenia (the first grade teacher I’m working with) called to say her daughter was sick and she’d be late. I was really worried because our class can be really malcriada. I also haven’t been feeling like I’m really a teacher. Well, the other day, Kenia decided to split up our duties so that I’d be teaching math and she’d be teaching Spanish. I was delighted with this and have been feeling much more useful. But I wasn’t sure how it was going to go with just me and Jorge (our año familiar). It actually went really well. If it was my classroom at home, I probably would have been horrified, but these kids are so different that it really felt like a success. I managed that Montessori classroom just fine, thank you very much. The kids are learning to use “please” and “thank you” and how to talk to me respectfully in order to get what they want. Kenia came with about an hour left in class, and we had a great talk about my experience with the tías. She used to work in Casa Suyapa, so she totally understands. She told me she wanted me to know how much she loves the way I work and the way I discipline the kids. She said I come into the classroom with a sign on my forehead that says, “I’m a teacher.” Best compliment ever! Normally, I eat lunch with the Montessori teachers, and I’m pretty quiet. Today, there were only 4 of us, and it was so much fun. They were teaching my Honduranisms and helping me with homophones (I had an embarrassing experience when Kenia told me to look for something next to la llave. Turns out that means faucet as well as key.) I understood their jokes and even made them laugh (Ryan, your "estoy haciendo ejercito" story was well received), and it felt really good.

This afternoon, I went to the dance class that is run by Juan Bautista (another año familiar). I had seen his group before and mentioned that I enjoyed dancing, so he invited me to a practice. It was really fun, and I think I'll go again. I went to hogar tonight. The director of the house pulled me aside and I also talked to my tia, and all is forgiven. They felt really bad that I was so upset. All in all, a really good day for me to cancel out yesterday's yuckiness.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

My Girls


I am in love with my hogar. These girls are so completely wonderful. Being with them makes me forget everything else – my frustrations at school, my personal issues, everything. I have never been told that I look pretty so many times in one day as yesterday at mass. I put on a dress, make-up, and bright pink nail polish, and the girls were delighted. Before the evening activity (a singing competition), they took my hair down and brushed it because they like it suelto and lent me earrings that matched my dress. They are so patient with my Spanish, explain things when I don’t understand, and teach me new words. They encourage me in my hopeless attempts at chapearing and thank me just for trying. They make sure I get enough to eat and worry about me getting eaten alive by bugs. They show me their photo albums and letters from their godparents. They give me hugs and kisses and lean their heads on me when they’re tired. And they trust me enough already to tell me things they’d never tell their tias. I feel like I have 16 new little sisters, although most of the time they are the ones taking care of me.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

And the winner is...

Hijas de Pilar! We got our hogar assignments yesterday, and I got the 18-20 year-old girls. I am really excited because they are just one up from my favorite hogar, Inmaculadas. I actually didn’t get to visit Pilares during my hogar tour. Both those hogars eat together in the upper girls’ house, and several of the Inmaculadas will pass to my hogar in January. I ended up getting this hogar because I am one of the oldest volunteers, I have experience with girls that age (when I coached dance team I learned a lot of good lessons), and I was confident in my ability to have boundaries with the girls. So I’m feeling pretty good about that. I had dinner with them last night, and I loved the conversation. They asked me about my family and told me about theirs; it was wonderful. I think I’m on good terms with the tias already, and I’m looking forward to my work weekend with the girls.

We also finally got our Olimpiadas team. I’m on Team #1. The theme is places of interest in Honduras. We got Pulapanzak, which is a waterfall, and our virtue is peace. I’m so excited for my team. We have the cutest little ones, Dulce Milagro and Benjamin. I get to be with Magda from my hogar, and she’s a sweetheart. Also, por pura suerte, my godson Axel is with me! Last year, I got to be with Laura’s goddaughter Rosa Lilian, and we managed to be together again. Juan from Discipulos was on our team last year too, and when I walked in, he said, “Kimmie’s on our team! We’re going to win!” (At the presentation/dance, not the games, of course.)

Other good news: I am rooming with Marie, and I have turno (weekends off) with Leila!!

Today, we celebrated the Day of the Indian at school. This means a significant amount of instructional time has been wasted creating elaborate posters and historically and culturally inaccurate costumes. I will post some on Facebook for your viewing pleasure.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Sick

So I have been sick for about a week now. I completely lost my voice at one point; that got better, but I still can’t shake this nasty cough. I feel really tired and just plain icky. And, of course, I’ve been running around as if I didn’t have anything. I finally dragged myself to the clinic for a consult with the visiting doctor. She listened to my breathing, and my lungs sounded clean. That means no antibiotics. That’s really fine with me because I’m pretty sure amoxicillin doesn’t work on me anymore anyway. She said it was a bronchitis without the infection?? She gave me a prescription for a cough suppressant that Marie is going to pick up for me when she goes to the city tomorrow. I also got Atrovent on the nebulizer 3 times at 20 minutes a pop. All in all, I was there several hours. Volunteers are generally seen first, but I had to wait. It was okay because I would have felt bad about cutting in front of the baby. Another thing it could be is the return of my asthma. I will be so annoyed if it has lain dormant for the past 10 years only to rear its ugly head during my year abroad.

So how better to treat an illness than to spend a day working outside? We have a few cases of dengue here at the Ranch. Once volunteer has it for sure (the hemorrhagic variety, at that) and one has a suspected case. So today was our War Against Dengue cleaning day. Seriously, they cancelled school for it. I don’t understand how chopping down grass and dragging branches into a pile is going to help. Seems to me we should be getting rid of some of those pools of standing water, but what do I know? Fortunately, I was assigned to work with the littlest kids, so none of the work was too hard. Even then, I didn’t help out that much. What with being sick and hating physical labor and all. It’s frustrating to me not to be able to show my talents. I physically can’t do the hard labor, but I know I have gifts to share. But here, I feel like they’re kind of useless. I’m hopeful that will change, but at this moment in time I am sick and feeling sorry for myself. And I kind of feel like me getting dengue is a forgone conclusion because I am covered in bug bites despite valiant efforts at putting on repellant.

One good thing was spending time with Gabi, the cutest little girl ever! She has an underbite and a speech impediment, and I love her. Her giggle is absolutely infectious. I buddied up with her to move planks of wood because we’re about the same strength level (she’s sick, so yeah). At one point, she lifted up my shirt and saw my tattoo. Tattoos are strictly verboten here on the Ranch because in Honduras it means you have a gang affiliation. (I am in a hippo gang, apparently.) Anyway, when she saw it, she said, “Un dibujo! Un chancho!” Roughly translated, that’s, “A picture! A pig!” As far as she’s concerned, that’s exactly what it is.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Out and About in Tegucigalpa

I am so proud of us. A bunch of us newbies decided to go to Tegus for the weekend since we had it off. I am pleased to report that no one was attacked or robbed. Success! We got on the bus from the Ranch at about noon yesterday, got off at Cerro Grande, and hopped a colectivo to the Hotel Granada. After we dropped off our stuff, we walked back to the center to run some errands and do some shopping. We found an amazing pastry shop, and I came home with a cream puff today as a treat for later. Some of us headed to Dolores to get some super cheap baleadas (flour tortilla with eggs, refried beans, and mantequilla - I like to add avocado). From there, we took a taxi to the Metromall (it's an actual mall - fancy that). I have to say, I am getting pretty good at negotiating with taxi drivers. We did a bunch of shopping. I bought a cute dress at a Forever 21-ish store for going out that night. I also had Little Caesar's for dinner at the food court. We went back to the hotel, took hot showers (so rico), and got ready to go out dancing. Today, we ran some more errands and went out to eat. Marie and I went to have Cokes with our friend Chele while the rest of the crew went grocery shopping. I had to laugh because Chele asked me if I'd gotten skinnier since last year because he remembered me being a little more gordita. I don't think anyone has ever used that word to describe me in the history of...ever. I explained about my heartbreak, and he was righteously indignant on my behalf.

I feel like my Spanish is getting better. Whether it is making phone calls, talking with Honduran friends, chatting with the tias, meeting people on the bus, exchanging witty banter with cab drivers, or ordering food, it is getting easier and easier. I have high hopes that I will be completely fluent after 13 months, and that is an exciting prospect indeed!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Tortilla House


As part of our orientation, we had a day around the Ranch. New volunteers were working in the gardens, the kitchen, the farm, etc. Leila and I were assigned to the tortilla house. I hadn’t worked there as a visitor, so I was kind of excited. We started at 7:00 a.m. and finished at noon. We took out the soaked corn in batches and washed it until the water was clear. Doña Gloria (who has worked at the Ranch tortilleria for 16 years) put the soaked corn through a machine to make the dough. We kneaded the dough, put it through the tortilla maker, put the tortillas on the grill, flipped them, made tortilla towers, then finally counted them out and bagged them. Now, you all know how much I like finding things I’m not good at (sarcasm font), and the tortilla maker is way harder than it looks. Eventually, I figured it out, but I was still slow and lots of mine turned out ugly. Alana (the adorable año familiar who works there) told me I was a quick learner, but she also spent most of the time saying, “Te ayudo, Kimmie?” I was so not designed for hard labor, but I did enjoy working with my hands at least for one day.