See? I told you I met the president...

El Presidente

I was sitting at the very large table in the back of my classroom reading a book with a small group of students and attempting to monitor the behavior of the rest of the class when I heard a commotion outside of my classroom. Children were running and screaming (which is actually nothing new for our fifth grade classes...) and being quite disruptive. Then I heard them scream the reason for their excitement. It came out in one very unexpected word.

"Micheletti!!!"

"What or who is a 'Micheletti'?" you ask?

Oh, that's right. He's the current president of Honduras.

When they arrested their president for violating the constitution, and kicked him out of the country in his pajamas in the middle of the night last June, this is the man that was sworn into office just hours later...

This is the same man who stood up against the Organization of American States and pressure from the Obama administration to step down and reinstate the ex-president.

This man is now a huge part of Honduran history.

And he came to our school today.

One of our third graders has a parent who is some sort of government official. This parent arranged a field trip for the third grade class to visit the presidential palace. They visited this Honduran equivalent of the White House yesterday, but the president was not there. How did he make it up to the kids? By visiting them at school the next day, of course!

At first I didn't believe it, but when I saw the guards and men in full military uniform standing around strategically, I realized that the screams and cheers were justified.

As could be expected, my students were hard to contain after hearing that the president was somewhere nearby. They all darted for the door when I told them to line up for PE. Of course, being the mean teacher that I am, I sent them all back to their seats to "try again" to walk to form a line. Along with that, I tried to impress upon them the proper behavior that should be shown to a person in a position of importance. I attempted to remind them that silliness and hyperactivity were not the best way to greet a president, and I even threw in, "Don't embarrass your parents!"

While they were in PE, I went with Erika to basically become one of those annoying onlookers who stand around the outskirts of a frenzy and just watch it all happen. At that point, he was in the third and fourth grade building signing autographs and taking pictures with kids and teachers. All of our administrators were there, looking overjoyed. They knew he was coming all along. They just didn't tell the teachers!

Because of the wild popularity of the idea of meeting the president, they arranged for him to walk around the school visiting classes and taking pictures with students. I feel like he shook the hand of, kissed the head of, or patted the back of half of the elementary students at Pinares today. It was obvious that it turned into a publicity event, but it was exciting for the students to meet someone that they called a "national hero" before he hands the office over to the newly elected president.

Our entire grade was arranged in picture formation outside as he finished in the kindergarten building and approached our end of the campus. (I secretly and sometimes not so secretly enjoy seeing others deal with and struggle with our students. It reminds me that it's not just me...) The students cheered wildly as he rounded the corner and came toward our group. He greeted everyone and shook my hand. Then he lead the children in cheering "Viva Honduras!" and he climbed into the middle of our group for the photo-op. He requested that the teachers also step into the center of the group to stand with him. That was awkward because the students were packed together so tightly. As the people with cameras stepped back to prepare to take the pictures, I assume that someone told the kids to my left to scoot in more. All I know is about fifteen kids got pushed closer to the center, and I (being the same size as a typical fifth grader) also got bumped and had to catch myself from falling literally right in front of the president. He said, "Be careful."

I didn't have my camera with me today, but I will try to get copies to share...

After the pictures had been taken, and after he shook my hand again and kissed me on the cheek (the traditional Honduran greeting) our students started swarming around him to hug him or shake his hand - anything to touch the president, and I went into bodyguard mode, pulling them off one kid at a time saying, "Go! Go upstairs! Leave him alone..."

Of course, with a class that is often uncontrollable on a regular day, there was no hope of getting them to re-enter the classrooms and return to their desks. The entire grade lined up along the railing of the second story of our building where our classrooms are located and proceeded to cheer the entire time that Micheletti took pictures with the sixth grade class on the blacktop down below. At one point, Kirsten and I were just shrugging our shoulders and smiling at each other when some of the kids from her class started yelling a Spanish word down the line to the other students. Neither Kirsten, nor I, had any idea what they were saying until we saw it in action... Essentially it was,

"THE WAVE!"

Yes. That's right. The fifth grade did the wave in honor of the president.

And then they sang the national anthem. Many of them don't actually know the words yet (because it's sooo long) but they sang with gusto.

And what did he do?

He looked up, waved, and put his hand over his heart as they sang...

It pretty much made their day.

It also provided a wonderful teachable moment to talk about famous people and the temptation to idolize them... Our class had a good discussion about the acknowledgement that it was a huge event to meet and touch a man who has made so much history in Honduras this year but to remember that he is just a man... It would even be okay to wash our hands again after touching him... :) Then we reflected on our hypothetical reaction if Jesus came to school tomorrow. Would we scream and cheer and dance? Would we rush to touch Him? Would we sing for Him and do the wave?

Just some questions to ponder in fifth grade... :)

And today makes three...

Today is our third cold morning in a row, but I've finally gotten smart. I brought my heater fan from my apartment! After all, it's small enough to fit into my backpack, and it feels great blowing on my feet when I'm sitting at my desk. The door and windows are closed (or at least, as "closed" as they get here with this style of window), but I still don't think this heater has anything on this room. Poor kids... Maybe the sun will come out and it will warm up quickly today.

I had a weird dream last night about being at "home", but it was the people that made it home - not the place. My parents were helping me figure out which car to drive to go somewhere with my sister and two other people, and we ended up taking the car that I had when I was 16. I remember my sister getting really mad at me at one point (Yep! Just like home!!!), and I also remember passing a lot of Party City's (Party Cities?) and saying, "Wow. This culture must like to party! We have Party City in Honduras too..." (We don't...) I don't know... I have no explanation. But last night, I was with my mom, dad, and sister - and I didn't want to wake up. :)

Today, one of the PE teachers is starting 5th and 6th grade intermural soccer during recess. 5A kicks it off playing against us (5B) and then 6A will play 6B. This is the talk of the school, and it's nice because we (the teachers) get to choose who is eligible to play based on behavior, turning in assignments, etc. This is really working out in my favor, and I hope it will motivate some of them to be more responsible...

Okay... I need to go. We're about to start division with two-digit divisors for the first time in their lives. It's a big day in 5th grade!

Hello and welcome to Monday...

I know... I KNOW. I have no right to complain about the cold here in comparison to the temperatures in the States right now. [Do you feel it coming? That key transitional word like "but" or "however"??? Yep. It's on the way.]

However...

51 degrees in Honduras is downright chilly. It's enough to make your hands numb and your nose red - even inside the classroom because, oh that's right, the temperature outside is the temperature inside!

Welcome to the land of no heat, no insulation, tile floors, and only cold water at the sink...

So this is what I looked like at school today (although I'm not sure why I'm not wearing my gloves in the picture...) I greeted many people with this image this morning via email and facebook...

One of my students said I looked like a Sumo wrestler. You think he was calling me fat? Yeah - probably. But whatever. Fifth graders are dumb. Haha...

Behaviorally, today was a little rough in 5B. From what I hear, that statement is true for the whole grade. But like always, good or bad, 3:00 came around and I rejoiced... (Have I mentioned that I love leaving school at 2:55 and being in my bedroom by 3:00?) I snuggled up in my bed next to my little heater fan and read the Southern Living that I brought back. (Yes, that's right. I'm secretly 47, and Southern Living is my favorite magazine.) Then I actually fell asleep for a little while before taking a hot shower and calling my mom.

This week, in the radical experiment, our church is praying for Africa. Today specifically, we are praying for the war-torn areas... Talk about a dose of reality about suffering and complaining as I sit here on my bed eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch that I brought from home, enjoying the warmth of this cheap little heater fan, and watching Friends. It may take all year here for me to learn and to grow, but I certainly hope that I do...

Boasting in my weakness...

It's been a rough week in quite a few ways. As for the crazy sickness around mid-week, I thought I was recovering well until today when I started feeling sick again. There is a possibility that I will try to go to the doctor soon just because someone threw out the word "parasite" a few days ago and kinda' freaked me out. It's scary to think of going to the doctor here just because I don't have any idea where to start with that. I don't know where to go, and I'll have to take someone with me to translate. Then I have to figure out this crazy Honduran insurance and all the forms that have to be done just right to get reimbursed. Ugh - I would love for the Pepto Bismol to kick in and take care of all of it to save me from uncertainty and sub plans.

My emotions have been pretty raw and my tears have been easily triggered this week, and it's definitely become part of a vicious cycle. As upset emotions grow in longing for another life, guilt grows for being weak and discontent.

In the last few days, bits and pieces of many verses have repeatedly come to mind. I looked a lot of them up this morning and was shocked to find some other important messages in their surrounding contexts that freshly convicted my heart:

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:37-39

"Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done." Matthew 16:24-27

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26

"But on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses... But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:5b, 9-10

Any of you who know me very well already know that I do not like to be weak. I do not like to be bad at what I do. Most of the time, if I know that I will not be really good at something, then I will refuse to do it at all. I'm sure it's just another aspect of my issues with pride. So in realizing that part of me is holding onto life at home and wanting to be a quitter and just go after my own desires, it's tempting to just keep it all to myself so that none of you see how weak I truly am. However, I can also be pretty much honest to a fault - so holding it all in isn't really an option either. On the bright side, I know that my honesty about my weaknesses in dedication will only point to the faithfulness of my Father as He sustains me and gives me strength to finish His tasks in the next five and a half months.

I feel like any strength that I did have to hold me here by my own will has run out. Yet, I know that's good because He's all I can cling to in those moments, and His strength is infinite...

During the Lord's supper this morning, as I was reflecting on Christ's sacrifice for us, I realized how small these short months truly are in comparison... My righteousness is as filthy rags...

I know that many people are praying for me and fighting for me, and I am so thankful... I have faith that He hears all of them and is working in me to increase my faith and give me strength and peace.

In other news, the weather here has gotten a little crazy. I've noticed a pattern this year that pretty much means a cold front on this mountain equals crazy amounts and gusts of wind. Weather.com says that the wind in Tegus is at 28 mph with gusts at 36, and I'm tempted to believe that the gusts are even stronger here because the city is actually a bit like a bowl surrounded by mountains all the way around. Weather here at the school is commonly different than that in the actual city, so I feel like we just never actually know if those predictions and reports include us or not.

Besides just missing my family and friends intensely, one of my biggest struggles this week has been the fact that my crazy, busy holiday schedule of traveling and visiting with family and friends came to a halt on Monday night as I returned to this life of school and home and little else. There is a drastic contrast between my social life at home (which I once considered to be completely lacking) and life here inside these gates. This weekend has been a little better because we've all made intentional efforts to spend time together by playing games, cooking, and watching movies. I even got off the mountain three times: for grocery shopping, for a pedicure, and for church.

Please pray for all of our teachers. Many are struggling with the same things as me...

I'm praying that I will be able to hang in there despite these stomach ailments because we're starting a girls' Bible study tonight... A bunch of us are going to start getting together every two weeks to go through the beloved Esther study, and I'm really excited. Of course, since the videos are all on my computer and I was the one who organized all of it, I really don't want to have to miss out!

Okay... I'm obviously not going to feel much more comfortable anytime soon, so I need to just suck it up and clean my room/walk up to my classroom anyway.

I covet your prayers for my health!

Just searching for someone to talk to...

I just can't leave that sickness post up as the first one on the page for very long... Frankly, it's depressing and kinda' gross.

I'm feeling stir-crazy after a very LONG day in bed. I could definitely go for some good conversation if only I had the energy and mental clarity to hold up my end of that bargain.

I was finally able to get comfortable enough to sleep for a little while this afternoon, and that was a huge blessing. I took some Tylenol and that really helped with my headache and fever. Now I'm seriously debating having a few Wheat Thins. I'm guessing I need to see if I can hold food down before I commit to a day at work tomorrow.

I'm a little sad about the way this has impacted me mentally and emotionally. I'm really trying to be positive about being here and teaching, and yet the last 24 hours have just made me wish for home more than anything else. After all, you're supposed to be at home with your mom taking care of you when you're sick, right? I'm not at all excited about a return to school tomorrow, and I'm sad that I'm missing a perfectly good Alabama snow day!

Self diagnosis...

What are the Symptoms of Food Poisoning
Food poisoning will usually occur within a few minutes to about 8 hours after you have ingested the culprit food. The symptoms could include one or more of the following.

--Abdominal cramps
--Nausea
--Vomiting
--Sudden and severe diarrhea
--Sudden unexplained fever usually accompanied by some other symptom
--Aching muscles
--Feeling very weak and tired for no apparent reason
--Severe headache

Yep. You might as well place a check mark next to all of those symptoms. I'm hoping the most severe of them have passed because I haven't thrown up since 4:00am. Unfortunately, such a horrendous night has left me feeling exhausted, achy, cold, and miserable... I know I need a shower, but 60* temperatures outside = 60* temperatures in our bathroom and that sounds like the worst idea ever. All I want to do is close my door, turn on my heater fan, and burrow down into the blankets on my bed.

So now the question becomes, to eat or not to eat? I've had lots of water, some Tang, and a friend of mine brought me Gatorade to sip on. However, the thought of food kind of makes me want to cry.

I hate that I essentially gave it to myself. I guess I won't be eating chicken again anytime soon...

So now the question about tomorrow looms in my head. I have no idea who ended up with my class today, and I'm wondering if I will have the strength and stamina to return tomorrow. Seeing as how standing up makes me dizzy now, I'm not feeling very confident. However, I'm trying to figure out the lesser of the two evils: being sick at work with these crazy children or trying to figure out another day of sub plans...

Update: I just read online (really - who needs doctors anyway? especially Spanish speaking ones in a strange country...) that you should avoid anything but liquids for at least two days. I guess that may answer the question about food. :)