Living day to day

One thing that's very interesting in Copan is that advance planning doesn't really exist, at least not socially! That wouldn't quite work at school! I don't know why it is, but life happens in the moment. I kind of like it. This fits my personality type, I think.

I was thinking about this as I was walking home from school today. I was walking with a friend and we were talking about what we were doing tonight. I came up with my typical response, "I don't know, I haven't really thought about it". I decided maybe I should figure out what I am going to do for dinner. Dinner and cooking are quite the event. Partly because all I have is one pan, one pot, one dish, one plate...catching on to the pattern??? Oh, I do have a two burner stove. Actually, living here is kind of like camping. My fridge is so small I can't fit much in it, and the door doesn't close tight so I can't really have long term plans for any food that I purchase anyway!

Then there is the adventure known as the market. The town market takes place down by the central park. It is always a little crazy. First of all, it smells BAD! The smell comes from the meat venders. Yes, there is meat just sitting out on a counter, no refrigeration, no rack, just on the wooden counter being sliced for the taking. It's gross, I haven't been able to bring myself to buy meat yet. I'll let the restaurants deal with that, I don't want to know all the details! Also the market is very crowded. It's not that there is a lot of people, but venders are crammed in and there is hardly any room to walk. I also don't get the flow of traffic, or the lack of flow. People just stop in the middle of an walkway...saying excuse me doesn't work, so the only other alternative is barreling through, and I always manage to have my backpack on.

Weekends are pretty relaxed. I usually devote one day to cleaning and one to planning for school. I also have to take my laundry to the lavanderia and go to the market. Saturday is the big day at the market. Then I have to squish in there my time on the internet. It's interesting, even though there is not a lot of planning there are a lot of routines established.

The the great things about Copan!

I feel like I am quite often complaining, and I know from talking with my parents, many of you may think that I am not enjoying myself. At times, this may be true, but for the most part, I love Copan.

Copan is a very quaint town. The people here are lovely. I feel like most people work hard and enjoy their lives. As an obvious outsider in the town I feel welcomed by all; granted, most are aware that I am a teacher at Mayatan School, which does come with some prestige and recognition. None the less, I rarely feel like I'm on the outside. I love that people are very helpful. Most people know very little, if any English, however, they are all very patient with me as I try to muttle through Spanish.

Copan is in a beautiful part of Honduras. Surrounded by rain forest there is a surplus of areas to hike. I have yet to visit the ruins, but I can't wait. Right up by the school is a great bird park, full of Macaws, Tucans, and other tropical birds it's cool. There are coffee plants growing all over. It is so different from home. I am always amazed by the beauty.

So you see, I do love that I am here and what I am doing, even if daily events often frustrate me and get me down.

A day in the life...

I hope this isn't permanent, but I seem to coming into a period of writer's block. EEEKS! Maybe it's just because I am so busy with school. Who knows.

With that being said, I am going to stray from the creative and just walk you all down an average day in Copan...at least in the life of Kathy Lowrie!

On school days my alarm goes off at 5:10. There isn't really room to hit snooze too many times, so with maybe one snooze under my belt it's up an at em! Most days I do shower in the morning, unless of course there is no water. This has only happened a couple of times, thank goodness!

I typically try to be out my front door by 6 at which time I am met down in the driveway by Esmeralda (my former landlord). She promptly offers me coffee and bread (typical Honduran breakfast...for kids and adults alike!)

I then leave for school and hustle off up the hill. It is actually a very nice walk. I always meet three gentlemen as I start heading up the main street. Usually at least one of them is carrying their machete, off to their day of work. They always smile and say hello. School is about a 20 to 25 minute walk. There are several different hills along the way and depending on the weather during the night before, they can often prove to be a muddy challenge. The other day I barely skated down one without a graceful slip into complete muddiness! The best part of the walk however, is the last hill before school. I say this with much sarcasm! It is impossible to make it to the top without breaking into a complete sweat! Oh, and then there is always at least one bus that passes me on the way, so I am greeted by multiple students running around the school grounds.

Classes start at 7 and we are off and running. I won't go into school details today, maybe that will give me something to write about later! Classes end for kids at 1:45. We are required to stay until 2:30 at which time we walk home. The temperature seems to be dropping a bit so the walk home hasn't been too hot lately. There for awhile, I could barely make it home without collapsing! Between the heat and the humidity, it was pretty unbearable; which then lead to a prompt and cold shower (if there was water, which it seems was less likely during the afternoon).

Afternoons consist of multiple things. There is always the trip down to use the internet, then quite often I go to the market to find something for dinner. Many of us will often meet in the park to find a place to go for dinner. Lately we have been getting together at least once a week to eat, watch a debate, or something...
Mostly afternoons are just running around.

I love life in Copan. It is hilly and quite often there is no power or water, but it has it's advantages too. Life is simple. We live day to day, and for the most part, we enjoy it. I already have some good lessons to bring home with me! I don't know how long they will last in the fast paced life of home, but we will see!

Living la vida sola...

I have finally moved into my own apartment! It's great. It is a cute little studio that I can call home.

The crazy weather continues here. Yesterday afternoon we had a severe rain storm. The kind of rainstorm that sends rivers of water careening down the hills of Copan. Yesterday was the first time in a longtime that I have actually been prepared with an umbrella! About an hour after the rain quit the power went out. Fortunately, I had purchased candles earlier. Power outages seem to be part of life here. It's kind of funny because the power goes and and suddenly the town appears out on the street. I don't know if people don't have TV or if it is just their way of socializing. It's great! Every evening as I walk home I see the same people sitting on the same corner watching people walk by or talking to one of their neighbors. I don't always feel comfortable talking with people because of my limited Spanish, but I always say "buenas" and smile and it is always reciprocated.

School is still my greatest challenge. Teaching second grade isn't the issue, it's the language barrier. I feel like I am performing non-stop. At this point I am pretty much eating, sleeping, pretty much living school. One of the huge challenges is that we don't have a copy machine at school so if I have some brilliant idea mid-day I am out of luck, and for any of you who know me, some of my greatest thinking happens mid-day!

At this point my only plans for the near future are to survive school and settle into my apartment.

Oops...

Okay, so I have been slacking off! Sorry to all you avid readers.

It's amazing, I always feel very busy, yet I sit down to write and nothing comes to mind. No, that's not right either. It comes to mind, just all at once and kind of jumbled. Bear with me as I wander through the chaos of my thoughts.

School has been getting progressively better. I feel like the kids are finally starting to grasp the concept of listening (it's been a tough one). It's nice to look at their lovely faces and see something other than a blank stare. I tell you, for a while there I was doing some serious self reflecting to see what was wrong with me! As it turns out it may have only been partially my fault! For the last two weeks we spent about 40 minutes practicing marching every morning, getting ready for the local Independence parade. I can now say with much relief, the parade has passed...let the learning begin. We have been on a long (5 day weekend)! Independence was Sunday, so they gave us the following two days off and today is teacher's day, so they gave us today off! This week is going to be rough, Thursday and Friday. I think I can handle it!

This weekend 1o of us went to the town of Tela, a small town off of the eastern coast of Honduras. We arrived Sunday evening after a long day of travel, about 6 hours by bus. When we arrived the town seemed kind of abandoned. I don't know if it was because of the holiday or what...

We (six of us girls, the two married couples stayed in Tela) spent the first night at a small town outside of Tela in a small Garifuna village. It was pretty cool. Our hotel was literally on the beach, the roof was thatched grass and felt pretty authentic. We walked down the sand road to get something to eat. At first I was afraid. It was dark and the houses around us were small cinderblock homes, none of which seemed to be occupied. We found the restaurant our hotel owner had recommended, i can't remember what it was called, but it was a cultural experience in itself. It was solely inhabited by local Garifunas ( a group of African's that finally settled on the coast of Honduras after being relocated several times by different governments ). Anyway we arrived at the restaurant, which was kind of like an old fashioned drive-in without the cars or the parking spots. The kitchen was in the center of the hut with a large porch surrounding it. There were picnic tables with benches dotting the porches. I think there were a couple people working, but it was hard to tell who the actual employees were because everyone was in and out. When we arrived we were quite the spectacles, we were the only tourists, as well as the only white people around and we stuck out! At first it felt as if people were leering at us, but I think it was just my heightened sense of awareness. As we settled in and ordered it felt a little more relaxed. People started dancing at random times and in random places (there is a local dance called the Punta that the Garifuna's are famous for). The head cook fired up the...man, I don't know what to call it... not a barbecue, or a fire pit...anyway the outdoor contraption that cooked using wood for fuel and made us fried chicken and fried plantains that were pretty delicious. It was great sitting there eating and taking in the local culture. The locals seemed to be talking in two different languages. One was a form of Cajun English that was really hard to understand and the other was Spanish. I really enjoyed the experience.

The next morning all of us girls went down to the beach and swam. The ocean was like bathwater. It was incredible. I don't think that I have ever swam in such a comfortable temperature of water. A young group of local boys was also swimming and as time went on they seemed to come closer and closer to us. When they finally started to interact with us, they gave us a whole pile of sand dollars that they had been collecting. They were very cool. I had never seen a live sand dollar before. We all swam and laughed together for about an hour and a half and managed to get completely burned. It was well worth it and was the best part of the trip.

We then went into town to find a hotel for our second night. Tela is not a pretty town. The streets are dirty and there is just a non-welcoming feeling. I felt very much on display, and not in a good way; in the way that I felt like a walking dollar sign. It was very violating. Then later in the evening when my friends were walking to get a taxi, they were approached by a young man who pulled a gun and took their purses with their valuables. It was horrible. They all had credit/debit cards, one was carrying her passport, they all had their phones, keys, etc. Yes, Tela was not impressive. It all feels very overwhelming right now. I feel like we have rehashed it, been over it so many times. If only..., what if..., none of which takes it away or makes anything better.
I have now returned to Copan, grateful for this small town of friendly people. I am now however, quite homesick for Portland. I know that this is a passing phase, but right now, in this moment, I would love to come home.

First Week of School

Many of you have asked for more pictures. I sure hope that you don't mean pictures of me! I was going to take the customary first day of school pictures, but at 6:00 AM, I'm afraid I'm not worthy of a photo! I have been trying to add pictures, but the internet connection has been very slow and I keep getting disconnected before I can upload them. I will try again!

The first week of school has been a challenge! I must say, I wasn't prepared! The kids don't speak very much English at all! So simple instructions take forever and I am exhausted after acting them out. I feel like I am putting on the Kathy Lowrie show! Look out LA, here I come! I don't know if I have staying power though.

School days are long. I try to be out of the house by about 6:05. It is a 20 minute walk to school, ending with a large hill up to the school grounds. It is lovely starting my day with a film of fresh sweat! The other difficulty with arriving at school is that no matter how early I get there the kids beat me there! Honestly! Each morning I arrive at my classroom door and there is a handful of little monsters hanging out, ready to greet me with a "Hi Miss!" Oh well, they're growing on me.

We had a parent night last night. I had about half of the parents in my clas show up. Not bad. Next week is "dia del nino" (day of the child), so "we" (they) had some planning to do. Oh my gosh. They are sending cookies and cakes and pop, as well as gifts. Thank goodness that we don't have to teach anything! Kids come from 8-12 and we aren't expected to have any lessons! I could get used to this.

Nature at your front door

I just had to do a quick blurb about the animals of Copan. Like Mexico, Copan has many stray dogs that wander the streets. Unlike where I was in Mexico, Copan also has numerous other animals that wander around. For instance, the other day I went in to use the restroom at the school. No big deal, right? I closed the stall door and tahdahhhh, behind the door on the wall was one of the largest frogs I have ever seen. I have to admit the frog wasn't the only one hopping that day...I decided to wait until I got home to use the bathroom!

Thursday morning as I was walking to school at around 6:45am, and low and behold, right in front of the gates stood a rather large cow! I don't know where she came from or who she belonged to, but she wasn't going anywhere! It took some swift maneuvering to get around her! I have also seen random horses wandering around up by the school, its crazy. Cars just make their ways around them, people just ignore and walk by, I, of course am the gringo that stops to stare! I believe at that point I become the attraction.

I feel I have to pay homage to the other animals of Copan as well. There are multiple cats, the domestic dogs, which don't always look better than the ones on the street, random chickens, and the horses that are ridden around town. I have chosen not to include the creepy crawlies that I seem to encounter every night I get up to use the restroom! Ick!

Nature is everywhere you look in Copan!

How many ways can you say hello?

Honduras has to be one of the friendliest places on earth! Maybe I should clarify and say that Copan Ruinas is the friendliest place that I have ever been. Almost everyone you meet on the street nods, smiles and says in some way or another, hello. In high school we learned "Hola", and then there's "buenos dias" (good morning), "buenas tardes" (good afternoon) and then "buenas noches" (good evening/night). Okay, arrive in Copan...add to those just plain "buenas" or "adios", the only problem with all of these is that no matter how hard I try I always manage to say the wrong one...

It is exciting, I am starting to recognize people that I say hello to. I am happy to say that everyday Copan feels a little more like home.

Back to school

This seems a little premature since the kids don't start until next week, but for teachers the fun begins tomorrow! I guess I can call it fun because it isn't yet 5:30 am, when my alarm is set to go off. School hours here are 7-2:30, teachers are usually there by 6:45, eeeks! So far in Copan my days have been starting around 8 followed by few hours up at school. Then home again to grab my computer and head to the cafe to chat, email and drink the ever-flowing granitas! All of this hard-work is followed by a siesta in the afternoon! Man, life has been tough!

It will all change tomorrow! Actually, I am looking forward to the change. I am ready to establish some routines. It seems like most afternoons I am searching for things to do. It's really too hot to walk around and explore. I am already sweating more than my fair share!

All Mayatan staff has now arrived. This morning a local businessman (previously from New York) put together an awesome breakfast for us. It was great to finally be altogether. We are quite a diverse group; ranging in age as well as experience.

Oh Victoria!

Well, once again I've embarked on a few new adventures! Last night I had the privilege of helping Esmeralda make baleadas (Esmeralda owns the house that I am living in). Baleadas are a probably the most popular local food. They are flour tortillas filled with refried black beans, cheese (a white, tart cheese--nothing like at home) and sometimes eggs. They are delicious, in fact I have heard that several of the teachers at Mayatan have lived on them in the past. I don't think it would be hard to do, they are quite tasty (also very inexpensive about $2.00)!

We also had the most incredible rainstorm yesterday. I don't think I have ever seen it rain quite like that! The thunder was so loud that we thought there were bombs or power breakers blowing, we couldn't find any, we're pretty sure it was thunder. It was crazy! We were running around the house trying to shut windows to keep the rain out. It didn't really help, I swear it just kind of seeps through the walls! About halfway through the storm the power went out. It was pretty fun, making the baleadas by candle light (fortunately the stove is gas). The power stayed out for about half an hour, then the lights came on, we ate, then sat down to watch "Victoria", Esmeralda's favorite novella (soap opera)! It was pretty entertaining, I understood about 50% of the words, but still completely got the storyline, who's sleeping with who, the younger man who is desperately in love with Victoria and the woman who is trying to keep them apart...it's great!!! It was funny as the show went on people kept showing up at Esmeralda's house. Her nephew Jorge came, then her daughter and her husband showed up, pretty soon there were 5 of us watching...I think it's quite the phenomenon!

So much to say...

At this point in my journey everything is new. I didn't want to over do it with the blogging, but I am afraid I am going to forget something!

Friday was my first experience with the power. Apparently it was a scheduled blackout. The power was out when we got up in the morning and was supposed to be back on "around" 4. Didn't come on at 4, but by 5:30 fans were working and could relax a little. Although I think the thing that struck me most was that it was no big deal. Some restaurants and stores didn't open, others just did all their work by hand (money, register, etc.) and the more affluent shops and cafes had generators. I was sitting in a city completely without power drinking a cafe latte, and chatting on my computer...how crazy is that?

Today was awesome. I went for a hike with Megan, Zach, Eva (a Honduran assistant at Mayatan) and her family. We hiked up a mountain for about 45 minutes. The trail was undeveloped and completely beautiful, however, it was treacherous! I think I lost about a gallon of fluids out of my pores on the way up!

When we arrived at Eva's mother's house I was amazed. Eva's mother lives there with Eva's sisters and one of the sister's three kids. Their home was made of wood, mud, grass, cardboard and some cinder block. The floor was dirt and the stove was an amazing concoction of mud, wood and fire. I was left speechless by it. Not because of the poverty, or the raw construction, but by the welcome we received. There were no apology's or shame, just the open invitation to share what they had and come be apart. It was amazing.

I think I am going to like living here. There are definitely some sacrifices. At times I feel like a spoiled princess. I want to have it both ways. The luxuries of home and the simplicity of Copan. I don't think it's possible. Oh well, I will learn from what I don't have and be grateful for what I do!

Wow, deep thoughts today!

Travel and Day 1

I finally made it here! After and 18 hour travel day full of flying and questionable Honduran highways, I arrived last night around 7pm. My host family (Esmeralda, her daughters and her adorable grandsons) is wonderful. After inspecting my room for scorpions and bedbugs all was found satisfactory and I got a fairly good night sleep. After a night full of heavy rains, it is a beautiful morning. The sun is out, and it's not too humid...yet! I'm sure that will change. From what I hear the rain is pretty much like clockwork and arrives daily at 3:00.

Copán is quaint, very hilly with cobblestone streets. There are lots of motos (local taxis) and you have to be careful not to get runover, as slippery cobblestones, large hills and three wheeled taxis can prove to be quite dangerous!

I am a little overwhelmed by the Spanish. I am telling myself that it's normal...it will pass, this is just cultural shock...I feel like everything I want to say or ask has to be processed and reprocessed as I don't want to say the wrong thing...or make someone think that I actually know what I'm talking about!

Countdown: T-2 days

Days are getting away and the good-byes are getting numerous. Tonight we did the family thing. All of mom and dad's siblings came along with Stuart and Molly, Ken and Trina. It was a great evening filled with family reminiscing and wonderful food!