Week 2

It's hard to believe that I've been here for two weeks already! Things went really well this week. I taught Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. On Wednesday after school we went to a Garifuna village called Triunfo de la Cruz to work in the nursery. The Garifuna are the descendants of shipwrecked slaves and Honduran natives. They have a lot of the looks of their African ancestors. They're a fairly poor and marginalized community, but really rich in culture and history. Working there was so much fun! We played some games and took the kids to the beach. Most of them spoke Spanish, but some of them spoke Garifuna.
Thursday and Friday I really got a chance to practice my Spanish as the team leader. We all take turns doing that, and I really lucked out on the school I got. Basically, the team leader grades all the quizzes, then walks around to make sure all the classes are going at the same pace. Usually there is someone there that speaks Spanish to talk to the school's directors, but the day I was doing it there wasn't so I got to do that too. The school we were at was way up in the mountains, very very rural. There were pigs and chickens and dogs all over the schoolyard. The director has a three year old son, Tony, who stays after school with a 1o year old boy that goes to school in the mornings, Sancho. Sancho told me he stayed at the school because someone was trying to adopt him. I would assume he means the director, because he and Tony seem very close. It was kind of sad, wondering what kind of home he has to go back to, if any. Anyways, they were my assistants, walking around to each class with me whenever I needed to and in between showing me around the school. I don't think there's much better language practice than hanging out with a 3 year old! One of Tony's favorite things to talk about was his girlfriend, Sofia, who he was going to marry tomorrow. I was lucky enough to meet her Friday, at which point the wedding was still going to be tomorrow. (I have a feeling it's been tomorrow for a long time) Friday two of Sancho's friends came with their younger brothers, Tony's age, and we all played together. It was really fun actually spending enough time with some kids to get to know them.
This weekend has been great. Saturday we had a tour of Punto Isopo, then went back to the Garifuna village and to its beach. We've seen the Garifuna before on the beach in Tela, selling pan de coco (coconut bread) and we got the chance to go see how they make it. It's quite a set up! I took pictures that I can put up when I get back. Today we did some beach cleaning at another Garifuna village called Miami. After we finished and had lunch, (for which I had a fish that came whole! Tail, fins, head, and all. Aren't you impressed?) we had some time to spend on the beach. It was absolutely beautiful there. The water was very cool and clear, you could see all the way to the bottom really far out. Once we finished swimming, there were hammocks hung under a palm shelter to lie in and watch the waves. It was a perfect way to spend an afternoon.
The next few weeks should go really quickly. Friday morning we leave for a long weekend at Copan, a city of Mayan ruins. The week after that, we're only home for two days before we leave for our homestays. I'm really excited to get to see some other parts of Honduras and get more of an authentic Honduran experience. I hope everything is going well at home and I look forward to seeing you all again!
Meredith