back online....

Ok, this is offically the longest I've gone without posting.  I'm a bit scared of how long this post will be.  j/k ...I'll keep it short.

The horse show in Teguz was not the greatest of events....but we did aprovechar to do a little sight seeing...check out Iglesia La Merced...beautiful!

The ENCA is officially on vacation.  Graduation was this past Friday...the ceremony was a real outdoor gala.  The decorations were out of control...and it makes me a bit upset because I know that most of the budget came from the students' pockets...which I feel was totally unnecessary.  I'm starting to understand why kids that have dropped out of school here mention money as the number one reason.  Public school is expensive!  The ceremony had all of the city's politicians, news media crews, and a ton of family/friends.  We actually had two graduation ceremonies, each with about 300 students.

My proposal for my TEAM English classes was approved! Yay! A local NGO will be funding two courses, one in my site and another in a nearby community.  I was suppose to have a second induction meeting for this new community but it was canceled last minute.  I am definitely getting excited about this project for next year but know that I will need a lot of energy to keep up with everything.  

I ended up sending five scholarship applications for the USAID SEED program.  I am very excited about two of the applicants.  One of the girls has a challenging life.  She is pretty much on her own.  Her mom  lives in Belize because of work, she never met her dad, her extended family can only provide for the basics.  She sells artwork to have some cash and help her nine year old brother with school essentials.  In hopes of having more competitive applicants in the future I offered the first year students the opportunity to form a volunteer group.  They need to create some extra-curricular activities to gain leadership skills and extend their community work.  

Yo Merezco has its ups and downs.  I had low attendance one session but have had much better participation overall.  The girls from the hogar definitely need some guidance.  Two of then were caught in some risky behavior.  They had a new addition join the group....a nine year girl pulled out of her home because she was suffering sexual abuse by several neighbors.  The mom recently passed away so the authorities took action.  She is still adjusting to the new environment and demands a lot of attention.

I joined a committee dedicating to reviving the community's culture.  The have been inactive till recently when they were asked to organize the New Year's eve activities.  From what they were told, the nation's president wants to join the community for the ringing of the bells at midnight New Year's eve. I'm not sure what my role will be but I'm learning a lot about my community.  

I spent Thanksgiving in a La Paz.  The local volunteers organized a lunch for an orphanage.  There were about 20 volunteers helping cook/prepare a huge Thanksgiving feast....three turkeys, stuffing, mashed potatoes/gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, jello, fruit, salad, corn bread, cake......the works!  The ~20 kids and guests loved it!  

The kids ~20 kids are supervised by one lady, the nun at the table. 

Being veggie has been on/off since in Honduras...this was definitely an off moment.

I hosted a dinner for the Youth Development volunteers at my apt T-day weekend.  It was such a pleasant experience having the YD familia over...everyone was super considerate.  Gracias!  We made finger foods and had yummy cornbread/mashed potatoes/corn chowder.  We spent the next day sight seeing, shopping, and went out dancing....LOTS of fun!  Most everyone left Sunday but the rest of us made some amazing pad thai and a Vietnamese salad....mmmm!

Comayagua is officially celebrating the town's fair.  They lit the Christmas tree at the central park this past Fri.,had the queen coronation contest last night and the festivities will continue thru Dec. 19th.  

Desfile de caballos walking through town while we were having lunch at the central park...I couldn't resist!

The girls were teaching me how to dance punta. =)  LOL

I am so thankful for my beautiful site assignment, great friends, and hard working counterparts!!!