Sunday, February 18, 2007

Venting

Hope everyone had....ooo, wait, the song Ïn the city, city of Compton, keep it rockin', is playing at the internet. And the guy next to me is singing along, a WASP(my guess). Never know how it's going to be here in La Esperanza.
aNywho, as I was saying, hope everyone had a Happy Valentines Day. It was Wed. and Beto had already returned to La Esperanza becasue he teaches a class Wednesday that's only one day a week.
Amber and I left her house(my former, sniff,sniff) at 10 and picked up my document, and now remembering I already wrote this, I arrived later that day to La Esperanza, so half the day was spent on a hot bus playing spanish preachers most the time, after having to listen to a traveling bus preacher for about an hour. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against preachers, but I don't appreciate the one's that get on the bus and have to yell so that those in back can hear, and i sat in front, and take advantage of the travelers because they have no where else to go, and at the end ask for money, but at least this one did it by selling pens with an attached calendar. Don't ask me how that happens, I had my head out the window trying to fight the motion sickness.
The two days at school were sort of hectic, mostly becasue I got a little upset at being told to relax. One parent actually complained to Dr. Troy that his son/daughter is learning TOO MUCH! I lost sleep the last 3 nights mulling over a plan to get back at these parents, like not teaching anything, or actually giving MORE work to those in tutoring which their parents won't help them with but making more problems for them in the future. I know, maybe I shouldn't be admitting this, but I won't go through with any of my plans against the parents because only the students would suffer. And I know Dr. Troy doesnt want any problems with the parents, but it also seems like he'd not mind if i did give 80% or higher to each student, because after all, that's why they pay the big bucks.

On another topic, the weather has been frightfully cold the last 2-3 days, unusually cold for this time of year. It's overcast and drizzly which keeps the amount of dust down, thankfully. yesterday the school had it's first anual "Tarde Alegre", or Happy Afternoon. We actaully had a pretty good turnout considering the weather. Since I was gone most last week and unable to plan, (it was a fundraiser and each class sold some type of food), two mothers, one happens to be the owner of the school, the other a teacher, took over and had about 60 chocolate popsicles made, which Beto and I sold every one of. We make a good team. Good trial for our future bookstore (hopefully!).

May God bless you with His peace and Spirit...Romans 15:13

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Back from the capital

Last Sat. Beto and I left for Teguc., staying with Amber. We had to get documentation saying we´re single from our respective embassies, for the wedding, and then get them authenticated in two different offices. We had been told numerous times what we had to do and where we had to go, but until you actually go through the process, you´re clueless.
Monday morning we get up at 6, leave the house at 7, get to the embassy at 7.30, but they won´t let us in till 8. We go down to the corner for coffee, come back, enter at 8. See someone in the office at 8.40(it´s the US embassy, but still in Honduras. Like being in two cultures at once. very strange). After the lady finally decided it was time to get to work, I got the document in 5 minutes, after paying $30 of course, for 2 sentences saying I´m single. I couldn´ve told you that! Then I go into a little interview room with the vice consulate, hold up my right hand, and swear I´ll tell him the truth about why I´m in Honduras. After leaving there we walked up to the Honduras Migration office which had relocated. We pay 70 limpira to go to the new location on the opposite side of town. We walk into the zoo where there´s no signs of anything. We find someone not busy and she tells us we want the office by the courthouse, on the other side of town(we could walk to it from Amber´s house). We get there and literally this is how it goes...yes, we need to get this authenticated...they point, over there...thanks
in the next office....yes, we need to get this authenticated...they point down, down there....
we walk down there...yes, we need to get this authenticated...they point up, up there....
we go up there...locked! and I had just joked to beto that they would say they´re unopened on Mondays...out of the blue a nonofficial looking man comes walking by and tells us to follow the path around back. Thank God for him. It would´ve been too hard to put a permanent sign up. We walk around, up some stairs, ask a passerby with a badge...yes, we need to get this authenticated...she points out and down and across...we walk down, out, and across...
yes, we need to get this authenticated....they point up and around...we walk up and around...FINALLY!!! they throw a paper at me(not literally) ¨Take this to the bank, pay 150 lempira, and come back. It´s going to be ready Wed. morning¨ We walk to get a taxi, it´s like 100 degrees out. We pay the fee and return the paper. For the day we´re done! So I had to stay till WEdnesday. At this point we had taken5 taxi´s at an average of about 50 lempira each. Oh! How could I forget our trip to the Guatemalan embassy??? It´s literally in a house! The lady at one of the two front desks says first off, ÖH, we don´t do that here. You have to go to Guatemala to have that done.¨ I´ve never seen Beto mad, but this was rediculous. ¨What? Excuse me? Go to Guatemala? Look, it´s two sentences!¨ She has the consulate rep come up from the basement and she tells us they can´t because they don´t keep any records. HELLO??? We asked her what good her embassy was and left. Beto was more frustrated than me, which was maybe a first! And the thing is, the latin american countries are now supposedly united, CA.4, but apparently it´s just on paper and political but doesn´t make any difference, except that the foreigners have to go even further every three months to renew their visa´s, to a country that isn´t in the ca.4.

Tuesday was a nice down day relaxing and hanging out with Amber. Beto went back home to teach his class on Wed. that he only teaches that day each week. Wed. morning we picked up the paper and went to the last office to get it authenticated for the 3rd time. I ran into an old friend that I taught with last year. Very cool. We get directions to the last office and long story short it is in an old masonic lodge building that hasn´t changed it´s sign to say government office. They said it wouldn´t be ready till the next day and I said no, you´ll have it done today becasue i have to get home. They had it ready at 1 and i was on the bus to go home at 2.

Today I was called in by the principal...ooo..and told to do him a favor and relax, and give some tutoring, which i´m totally against here because i´m tired after schoo, so are the kids, and it doenst do any good for those who don´t do anything in class anyways. and it´s basically just a buffer for him so that when the parents go to him to complain about me and their kids´grades, he can say, well, we´re doing everything we can, including tutoring, what are you doing? the rest is up to you at home. right. if it´s not happening now...

so at least now i get to relax and tutor..wait,what?...what did i just agree to???

Fun in second grade




No, this wasn´t happening on Jan. 1, 2004. Sorry about that error. I´m working on it.
A few weeks ago I was eating bread in the room with Beto(he took these). It´s shaped like a pin wheel. I broke off the edges and used them as teeth. Can´t resist putting fake ugly teeth in my mouth.
Here are some happier times in second grade, not that times aren´t happy now. Their personalities really come through in these.

Arrival and hair dresser




The picture of the taxi was taken last month when I arrived back after Christmas vacation. Beto went to the airport to meet me and on the bus later that day we ran into our friends from Belgium who teach at the school. Crazy! When we arrived in town we saw a former school bus driver who is now a taxi driver. He insisted that he could take all of us and our stuff in one trip. I thought it was so unbelievable, hence the photo. He´s also the same one that fit 8 of us into his car when Amber came to visit, then put 4 of our boys in the trunk. Good times.
My first hair cut to a human, well, my second, but my first was to L.Heida when she donated her hair and then I wasn´t really paying attn. too much to style, I just chopped it. Beverly wanted it short but not just chopped. I think I went a little too short but she was a good sport about it. She wasnt even scared when I told her that all of my Barbie´s ended up bald when I played beaty salon.

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Sunday February 4th

School has been great lately. I am trying not to stress and take one day at a time. Last week some friends and I were talking and they all said what a hard, long week they had, the longest for them yet, and I said it was a super fast week. I'm just enjoying it.
The bookstore is still in the works. IF YOU CAN, I really need lot's of Spanish books, preferably children's paperbacks. My mom already sent my 37 pounds of books, but we'll see when they get here because they had to be sent by boat, or train, I don't know, perhaps by donkey. When I feel I have enough books and we're ready, we'll begin looking for a location. Please keep this in your prayers.
Also please be praying for us as we try to get all the paperwork in order for our wedding here in Honduras, and as we prepare now to apply for Beto's Visa in July/August for him to go to Cali in December. It's difficult and there's a lot of requirements. We're praying that we go with as much as we can to the appointment and that God puts a person with a soft heart prepared by Him there to interview us.