Let there be LIGHT!

I left the "cave" and am officially in my new house! I moved almost an entire block. I am actually so close that it was easier to move my bed and table (my only furniture, still) by hand rather than load it in a truck. Actually, I recruited a couple of boys to do it for me since those things are bit awkward for one person. I am really excited about the move despite giving up several wonderful things in the old house. Of course, "wonderful" is a relative term. Here is the low down:

I Gave up... fruit trees (mangos, limes, oranges, I don't miss the nances and if you don't know what they are you aren't missing anything. I think the smell like vomit yet Hondurans love them.)

"tanque": aka running water in the bathroom

A land lady who would feed Bello if I left town for the night or a few and he didn't have to go anywhere and had 2 other dogs to play with in the shared backyard.

A porch in which my hammock hung.

An extremely awkward floorplan where you had to pass through the bedroom to go from the living room to the kitchen.

A nice bathroom but it was outside.

Built in closet/shelf thing.

Wood panneled ceiling which insulated but added to the darkness.

Virtually ZERO natrual light.

I now have... 0 trees or desireable plants, just a few weeds.

to bucket shower and bucket-flush the toilet. Except Monday and Friday mornings when water comes, usually.

My OWN space! I'm still on good terms with the old landlady so Bello can go visit. We now don't have untrained dogs interferring with our "rigorous training schedule" (or something like that).

No porch, just a slightly more central locale with MUCH more traffic (mostly foot, cow and horse, still a few pigs.)

Great floor plan that feels more like a normal home.

Bathroom inside! Although, privacy is limited since the "door" between the living room and bedroom is a curtain and the bathroom door (to the bedroom) is glass, clear glass! Good thing I live alone.

Wonderful neighbors who starting looking after me from day one. One of them even mopped the house for me before I moved in!

No where to put my clothes. As a result, I am completely unmotivated to unpack and am once again living out of a suitcase.

A metal roof which will NOT be plesant once dry season hits.

An eleven year old neighbor girl who likes to just come hang out and tell me how nice the house is.

NATURAL light!!!! I definitely prefer waking up to the light and dog than the old landlady's birds sqwaking.

I definitely miss a few things (a flushing toilet and cold shower) but am extremely pleased with the move. It is also good motivation to take Bello for walks/runs since he no longer has a lap dog to play with. It was like a stuffed animal that plays back.

Thanksgiving was good and I think it will continue to be. Instead of not celebrating, I am doing it twice. The Passionist volunteers, their boss and her husband, another PCV and I had a traditional turkey dinner last night and enjoyed some family games and speaking English. Saturday, I plan to celebrate again in Siguatepeque with some other PCVs and some bilingual school teachers. Thanksgiving day was good, despite not spending it with family. Playing "pass the phone" definitely helped as I was able to speak to several family members and was filled in on the goings-on. It's always hard spending holidays away from the family. It's never quite the same but as with all of life, we make do with what we have.

Work wise, I am still working on my world map kids and starting a few youth groups. School is out for the year so I am trying to stay busy during the vacation and am enjoying working with the girls who want to show up. I am posting a picture of WorldMap girls but every time I start working and forget to take pictures. Baseball continues with both teams. It is frustrating having a different group of kids every week and that increases the challenge to make progress. There is a small core group of kids who come almost every week but a large portion varies greatly. While consistency and progress can be difficult, it is wonderful being able to reach more kids and offer them something new. If they like it, they will come back.

Speaking of baseball, if anyone has a few old gloves they would like to donate, my sister is coming to visit just after Christmas (I am volunteering you, Marta) and equipment is always appreciated. While my team has enough equipment, Peace Corps is trying to start as many teams as possible and many of the other teams only have 9-11 gloves, or fewer for their entire group. Just let me know and we will get them distributed to expand the project.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Doorjambs are for Shelter

Growing up on a faltline in the Northwest, I clearly remember earthquake drills and learning about the safest places in the case of an earthquake. If you cannot get outside, away from buildings or other tall objects, a doorjamb is supposed to be one of the sturdiest places. Wednesday night, I discovered that doorjambs also serve as a suitable shelter from firework shells.
The past week Talanga has been celebrating the town’s patron saint San Diego. Wednesday was the big night including mass and a fireworks show! Although firecrackers are extremely popular, (especially between the hours of 4:00 and 5:00am) fireworks, you know, with pretty colors, are not common. I have now seen them twice in my 16 months in this country; last time was for Independence Day during training. My first Honduran firework experience was one of shock and awe. Not because of the number of fireworks, or how big they were but because of the proximity. Explosives were set up in the street between the Catholic church and the cancha (cement court) in Parque Central. The distance between the two is the width of a two lane street, without a shoulder. The entire town crowded to the edge of the street. The fireworks literally went off above our heads. Until this second show, I forgot about the one thing that made people back up a bit. The first firework finally went up in Talanga, “Oooh!” Expression of awe and beauty from the crowd. Immediately followed by, “Ooh!” Expression of surprise and fear as a shell landed within two feet of me. My three host siblings and I took quick cover in the only thing available, a closed doorway. The house we stood against didn't even have overhanging eves. The four of us hudled close for shelter as we watched the lights in the sky and the shells falling in front of us, some still attached to 2-3 foot sticks. Needless to say, safety standards here just wouldn't hold up in the States. Sometimes, this can be appreciated, even enjoyed (think climbing ridiculously steep stairs/ladders to un obstructed views at the top of Mayan ruins). The utter lack of people waiting to file a law suit is beautiful. At the same time, I don't dare climb aboard a carnival ride here. Well, I may consider a man powered ferris wheel as Kyler did. Seriously, man-powered, as in, a guy reaching up and pulling the rungs to make it move. Oh, I love Honduras.

Other than ferria, I have been BUSY! hooray! I am working on a World Map project with 6th graders. We spent all week painting the wall and drawing the world on it. We are almost done and should start painting the countries tomorrow. This project has provided an excellent opportunity to get to know the kids a little better and I am having fun but it is extremely frustrating as well. Most of the frustration is my fault and I am now motivated to do the project again with a different group of skills so I can put my hindsight to use. First, never try to draw a grid on an uneven brick wall, especially with sixth graders who are unfamiliar with the process. Second, check their work constantly. It looks like the get it, and are doing well, only to find out after a good start, they proceeded to cram three squares worth of map into one, TWICE! Also, work in small blocks of time with small groups of kids. Their attention goes so quickly. In the end, I did a lot more of the work than I would have liked. Now I know.

Photos include the frequent siting of cattle herding down the highway, my 6th grade world map kids working away, the same kids playing in the school yard (they have no toys so a few abandonded 4x4s became teeter-totters) and photos from the Copan to Cabañas (Rachel's site) hike. That was a great time and it was good to see friends again. I will try to update more frequently but my communication skills have been lacking lately.

PS: I HAVE A REFRIGERATOR! I know, that sounds strange but yes, I have been living with out one for the last year and bring a little baby one home today. I finally caved.