Mayan Ruins in Copan!

This past weekend we had our last 3 day weekend :( We all decided to go to Copan, Honduras to see the Mayan ruins! On Friday we went to some Hot Springs and relaxed the whole day after a long morning of traveling (7 hours!) I didn't bring my camera so I do not have any pictures to show!

Saturday, me and two other teachers went to go see the Mayan Ruins! We got a tour guide to show us around. IT WAS AMAZING! Being a total history buff, learning about the Mayans in Honduras was so neat.

This is the highest temple in Copan!

On the 1 Lempira bill, there are some ruins....well, we found the exact spot! So cool!

My friend Shelby and I

 

Now...5 1/2 more weeks left of school. Wow, time has flown by!

Semana Santa in Nicaragua!

Semana Santa : Nicaragua (March 27th-April 6th)


For Semana Santa (Holy Week/Spring Break) we all traveled down to San Juan Del Sur, Nicragua. After about 16 hours of travel in one day we finally made it! We relaxed by the beach, the pool, soaked up the sun, and enjoyed some well needed time away from La Union and our students. After 12 weeks of no breaks, we all needed a little TLC. We spent about 3 days in San Juan. On Thursday, me and three other others made our way to Granada. It was such a cool looking colonial town!

Below are some pictures and more explanations!!

Our first day in San Juan! Soaking up the sun by the pool at our hostel!

The sunset over the pacific ocean. We had dinner on the beach the first night..what a view!

We found a cute little cafe in town!

Falafel shop! I think we went here to eat at least 4 times throughout the week!

The group with our matching Nicaragua shirts!

Granada!

Colonial church in Granada!

In Granada!

With my friend Kate

I love palm trees, so had to get a picture with one!

Ride back to La Union...these chicken buses are PACKED FULL of people...

At the boarder of Nicaragua and Honduras waiting for our passports

The life of a sixth grader

Everyone remembers being in sixth grade, middle school, the beginning of the most awkward, hormonal years of your life; the tweens. Now, I get to live it again, everyday. Although this time, I'm teaching these kids. Over the past 7 months I have witnessed many tears over boys, girl drama, dramatic break downs in class, a student being in a perfectly good mood before lunch and when he gets back its like a flipped switch, and the constant wearing of perfume, cologne, and way too much lipstick. There is one thing I have realized throughout all of this: this stage? It's completely universal. Here are just a couple examples of what I mean...


1) There was about a week in December where I had about 7 of my students cry over the course of a week due to the opposite sex. 4 girls were upset because a boy in class was teasing her about a crush she had and was embarrassed the whole class knew about it. 3 boys were upset because their alleged girl crush found out he liked her and did not return his feelings. Oh boy.
      "Ms...I can't go back in class and see him...I just can't"
      "Ms...why doesn't she like me?

2) Cologne and perfume can go a long way, but in the eyes of a sixth grader? It goes way...too... far. I cannot even begin to count the number of days I have walked into class or stood right next to a student without my eyes tearing up or throat closing because of the smell of wayyyy too much cologne/perfume. I will occasionally catch on of my sixth grade girls holding a mirror in the middle of a lesson and applying makeup/lipstick. As I am rolling my eyes in my mind, I walk over to her, hold my hand out and as they place said mirror/makeup/lipstick in my hand I whisper to them "you're beautiful just the way you are". And yes, I really do say that to them. Now they forget this very quickly because immediately after the lesson they come up to my desk and beg me to give them back their materials. I don't..until the end of the day when they're going home. HA.

3) There was a day when a group of best friends (3 to be exact) were all the sudden super mad at each other during my math lesson. I'm teaching how to multiply decimals and I see the three girls hunched over their desks, crying. I have no idea what's going on so I keep on teaching, knowing I'll talk to them after class. A student precedes to raise his hand and tells me "Ms. they got in a fight and now they're crying". Oh okay, here we go. I finish my explanation then give the class some problems to work on while I took the girls outside. They tell me they were fighting about how one girl didn't let her use another girls newly colored pen and the other girl wasn't on her side. You've got to be kidding me? All that over a colored pen!? Seriously, tween girl drama is no joke. Goodness.

4) I tried to take a picture of my class during Fiesta Tipica (a Honduran festival, which I will blog about later) in their costumes. I get out my camera and half the girls are "Ms. NOO I look so bad, Ms. nooooo please." I tell them they all look great, but no, that wasn't enough. They are "too cool for school" to take a picture all together in their typical Honduran outfits. Sigh.


If one thing is for sure after a year of teaching tweens....no two days are the same. I never know what I am walking into. Teaching middle school is a whole new level of teaching.

Halfway there

 It's hard to believe I have only been here six months and I only have five more months to go. There is something that comes with living in a different country for a year that is very hard to explain unless you do it yourself. Today was the first day in about two weeks where it was sunny and warm and not rainy and cold. Let me tell you, it felt so incredibly good to feel the sun. My friend Shelby and I decided to go on a spontaneous hike/walk around the town and we eventually made it up to the La Union tower, where I took this picture. Nothing beats it. Just look at that view. The fact I only have about five months of this is crazy. Up here-looking out over La Union-I can do nothing else but thank God He as brought me here for my first year after graduating college. He knew how this experience would change me--and I will be forever grateful.

Welcome back to Honduras...

I have been back in Honduras for a week now after being home for Christmas! Let me just tell you all, it is so nice to be back. Yes, I absolutely loved the time I spent with my family and friends, but I honestly missed my students! I have picked up a new class to teach on top of my 6th grade classes (Reading, Language, Math, and Science) and my 9th grade geography class. I am now teaching 12th grade Business Math. Now most of you are probably laughing right now, and as did I when my boss first told me, but I have enjoyed it so far! Those 8 12th graders are very smart, nice, and really easy to teach...and yes, I understand the content (although I do have to study sometimes the night before!!). I also walk into my classroom this morning and find out I have a new student, and the school just "forgot" to tell me. Teaching here definitely keeps you on your toes!

Being home for two weeks has made me really appreciate what I have taken for granted and being in Honduras has made me appreciate my family and friends so much more. There have been so many moments the past week that the only explanation I can have is...welcome back to Honduras.

1) After we all arrive from our flights in San Pedro Sula, we take the 3/4 hours ride back to La Union....and when we get there, there is no power. Apparently the Catholic priest was driving and his breaks weren't working correctly so he slammed into a telephone pole, knocking the one tower that holds all the power for the whole town down. Of course...he had to crash into that one! (no one was hurt) We weren't able to text our family and friends that we made it to La Union safely until the next night.

2) Everything is dirty again. My hands, feet, shoes, clothes. No matter how hard I try to stay clean in school, that red dust somehow makes it onto me.

3) I have taken only one warm shower since being back. Oh showering at home was so nice; the water pressure was so great and the water was actually warm/hot..now it is back to cold water and little water pressure.

4) As much as I missed my students, I however did not miss their constant tween whining, "Oh Ms...no Ms...it's to hard Ms..no Ms....please Ms. nooo." Seriously, teaching middle school kids is teaching on a whole new level.

5) Waking up to very, very, very, very loud music outside our house around 5 am a couple mornings a week. Oh how I have missed that... I am pretty sure the only music Honduras play here are slow Spanish love songs, spanish pop music, or Celine Dion.

6) The weather. I am loving it. It is currently freezing and snowing back in Michigan and at home, but it is about 70-80 degrees here in La Union..definitely not complaining about that one!!

Here are some pictures that my housemates took for our Honduran Christmas Card :)