Speaking of that apartment - here's a picture of it... And one of my bedroom too. :)
Life here so far feels like a mixture between working camp and my last trip to Honduras... As I've ridden on a bus between the city and the school up on the mountain, I have really been reminded of my love for this country. It's incredible to see the gorgeous mountains and all of the buildings that literally feel like they are built on top of each other and wedged into the landscape. I am once again a little overwhelmed by all of the commercialism and the fact that I can only read and understand a few words on all of the signs. I am praying that my language skills develop very quickly...
There are 17 new teachers here... The vast majority are girls and most of us are in our lower to mid twenties. I guess that's why it feels like camp. You are joined together with a bunch of young people from all over the place, and even though you all start out as strangers, you are called together by the Lord for His common purpose, and you know that you will soon become like family. Actually, I am the only real southerner in this group of new teachers... One girl is from near Daytona Beach, FL - but I'm not sure Florida is very southern. The rest are from places like Indiana, Chicago, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Phoenix, and L.A. - so not only do I not speak the local language, but my accent also stands out in this crowd!
Last night we had a dinner together as a welcome to Pinares and to Honduras, and then we were just able to go back to our apartments and houses to rest. I slept extremely well, praise the Lord! I woke up a few times this morning and when I realized I didn't have to get up yet, I smiled and went back to sleep. We had breakfast at the high school principal's house. They served us tortillas, scrambled eggs, sausages, refried beans, and lots of fruit... I think I had watermelon, pineapple, mango, and grapes. Of course, I skipped out on the refried beans. I imagine I'll have to deal with them at some point while I'm here - I just didn't want that to be today. :)
We went to church together at a church called Impacto down in the city. The school expects all of us to attend a church each week, but it doesn't matter where. They provide transportation to this particular church each week because it is a solid evangelical church (Mrs. Osberg said she thinks it's Baptist) and they offer headsets to translate everything into English. I really enjoyed the church, and although the head pastor is out of town for the month of August, I am really excited to meet him at some point because apparently he's originally from Birmingham! I don't know if I will call that church my home away from Brook Hills, but I'm willing to give it a shot.
So now I'm just back at my apartment for the afternoon. I will probably take a nap, and then at 4:30 we are taking a tour of the school with both of the principals. I am so excited to see the classrooms and to begin envisioning the upcoming year in a more concrete way... I may try to take some pictures, but I don't want to look like a silly tourist, so I may hold off on that until later. :)
Tomorrow we have lots of different new-teacher orientation sessions before lunch, and then we will spend the afternoon in the city shopping at a plastics store and a mall that apparently has a store similar to Walmart and a department store... This will be our only chance to get anything we need until we go back into the city on Friday to the teacher-supply store. Grocery runs are every Saturday, so I need to start learning to plan ahead and really and truly learning to cook from these Honduran ingredients. Don't worry... I'll keep a loaf of bread on hand just in case, and I think Pizza Hut may even deliver... :)
Wow - that's all more than enough for now... Thank you all again for your prayers as I settle in here. :)
7 comments:
So there is a Pizza Hut there? Do they have similar pizza to the ones in the U.S.?
When you learn a tasty Honduran recipe you must share! I love to learn new recipes!
I also must ask...what are the tortillas like? Are they flour ones like we think of or are they potato or egg?
i think you should update as much as your heart desires and i'll be here to read it! :)
Amanda - Yes! The pizzas are the same... In fact, the Pizza Hut that we went to in San Pedro Sula when I came with Brook Hills was huge and so nice compared to the ones in the States.
I'm not really sure about the tortillas. They're definitely different somehow, but I didn't ask and I'm not exactly sure how to describe them. If and when I find out, I'll let you know. :)
How blessed you are to serve our God in such a powerful way. Teachers at VES started today and You were one of them one short year ago. Thanks for the informative update so I can share with you little friends when I sub at school.
I am glad to hear that you are loving it...just like I knew you would. I am praying for you and I am confident that God will use you and grow you in mighty ways. I love you...and selfishly miss you. :) Keep in touch.
Um, Jamey Benton...that is my bedspread! And according to the picture on the packaging the brown section goes at the foot of the bed!I mean, you do whatever you want, but I'm just saying that when I finally get to Honduras do not be surprised if you find that its been mysteriously turned around...
Sarah... I LOVE that we have the same bedspread! Hahaha... But here's my thinking with turning it upside down... The blue part is rougher than the brown part, so I would rather have the brown part by my face. Simple as that. :) But - if and when you come visit... I'll be so happy to see you that I'll probably just let you do whatever you want. Hahaha.
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