Welcome to Honduras

July 15: I have arrived safely. I feel like I am in another world. When I got here last night I was so exhausted that my brain felt like a glazed donut. I didn’t sleep the night before and after getting to the airport and waiting for my bags and struggling to make my way out, I probably could have slept a day; however, sleep was not the first item on the agenda. After I was met at the airport by some people from the Hogar, we went to eat and then moved a family, which took the entire afternoon. The poverty has not surprised me, but the contrast is so stark from what I have just left, that it awes me. The family we moved fit all of their belongings in a few boxes, and their bed and table on the roof of the truck. The bed frame was made of wood and hay twine that had been tied together and stretched from one end to the other. While we waited to leave, stray dogs and a few chickens meandered in the street and children came to watch. The roads to this house, which was located a few minute’s drive from the main streets of San Pedro, were like riding rocky swells. One minute we were high and the next we were plunging into a giant hole and bouncing out again. We all packed into the truck, all eight of us, and headed to Santa Barbara, where the Hogar is and where we were moving the family to. I had to struggle to keep my eyes open on the two hour ride. When we arrived and I got out of the car, I was apprehensive. Kids lay sprawled on the steps and others sat on the porch. I felt like I was the new kid at school. A few of them immediately ran to hug me and help me bring in my bags. The rest was a blur. Names and ages and faces all fused together and before I knew it, I had a girl clinging to me. After a hasty tour by Amanda, we went to evening devotion. I met quite a few of the kids, but there are still many who I do not know. Finally after unpacking and chatting for a while with Amanda, I was able to take a shower. Showers here are cold, but it was so refreshing I wouldn’t have settled for hot. I think I am paranoid, but I already felt like I might have contracted lice, and so I practically saturated my hair with tea tree oil and some kind of repellent that my mom sent with me. It made for a greasy mess this morning, but I’d rather look like I have poor hygiene than have bugs crawling around in my hair.
When I finally lay down to sleep, I couldn’t. The fan sounded like chattering teeth, which of course is a ridiculous sound in this heat, but it kept me awake for awhile. Lizards chirped outside and eventually after some tossing and turning, I finally slept. This morning I woke up at 5:30, which gave me just enough time to wash up and get ready before devotions at 6. After singing and a story, we made our way to breakfast. Breakfast consisted of sweet and milky oatmeal, watermelon and rolls with jam. After that I played my guitar for awhile and then decided to take a short nap because it was still early and I was tired. The kids head off to school at 6:45. The other helpers are all or mostly gone during the morning teaching, but so far I have not been given any clear responsibilities. I am going to the Infa, a daycare downtown, soon to see what it’s like and learn how to take the buses. It is going to be quite an experience. The kids here need so much love and attention. There are some that love to hug and be close to you, but there are others who are distant and come from emotionally or physically abusive backgrounds.

July 19 [Today]: The weekend has been a welcome break. We get to sleep in, which means getting up at 7 instead of 5:30. Today we washed clothes, supervised chores and had some time to relax. I'm still working on learning everyone's name. Tomorrow I teach my first classes. I'm going to be teaching 1st through 3rd grade as well as Kindergarten. I need to make my lesson plans. I'll try to write more soon but I need to get some stuff done before bed.