Lesson plans are ready and my bags are packed! I'm ready.

My week of lesson planning and preparing for work was a huge success.  I'm planned through the midterm and found a ton of resources.  I still need to make the rotulos (posters) and models but I'm going to wait for when I am given the materials in early February.

I met with my counterpart and we presented a new action plan for our collaboration.  I'm very happy with his proposal.  He would like to see me get involved with the "senior" project to help promote workshops/events focused on leadership and community involvement.  Perfecto!

We also met with the school director to present him with this new plan.  Plus, we needed to ask for his help finding a physical education professor interested in attending a baseball training in the States.  Turns out the P.E. teacher was not interested.  Lucky for us, the director had served as the P.E. teacher for over 20 years.  He'll be attending the workshop where he'll learn the technical side of baseball in hopes of starting our own school teach to compete in the Annual National Peace Corps Baseball Tournament.  FUN!  

We also met with the representative from the school district.  We finalized the class details.  I will be teaching two groups of 30-40 upper elementary teachers in Comayagua.  She plans on getting us a really nice classroom...air conditioning and LCD projector/screen! 

I helped out with the tutor dinner at the CDI on Saturday.  Yanira and the kids cooked up a feast.  It turns out the pastor invited church members in hopes of generating their interest to become more involved with the CDI.  Yanira presented a PowerPoint presentation while the group and I served dinner.  We were really fancy!  LOL  They had appetizers at the table, soup to start, pasta salad/veggies/chicken for dinner, coffee & cupcakes for desert.  We all had a lot of fun...plus had a lot of great leftovers.  I jumped in several times during the presentation to emphasize some points.  The CDI is in huge need of adult volunteers to help supervise and manage some of the extra-curricular activities.  I'm considering inviting the students from the Normal to volunteer on Saturdays.  I have a huge list of students that are interested in learning about ways to volunteer and serve the community. =) 

I visited my host mom earlier this week.  We had coffee together...one of my favorites at her house.  Yanira also stopped by for breakfast.  I always have a great time at their house when I visit.  Plus I know that they love to have me over.  I'm going to make a bigger effort to visit them more regularly.  So far, I'm thinking Sunday afternoon for lunch.  I think it would be fun to take turns cooking.  My host mom loved the idea.  I'll have to work in a free sugar free deserts for don Porfis (my host dad).  

As I said earlier, I'm packed and ready for my visit to the States.  I leave this Friday and return Monday the 24th in time for our training workshop and Reconnect with the Youth Development group.  We'll all be back in our first site...Valle de Angeles.  It's so beautiful out there....so many reasons to look forward to this trip.  I am very excited to catch up with the H17-YD familia.  

Sorry no pictures for now...I'll add them soon, promise!

For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future. John F. Kennedy

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!  I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season! 

I wish I could share all the pics.  I would go over my internet limit so you’re going to have to read about it.  :D

  

The reparto de regales (gift giving) at the proyecto was a success.  We got positive feedback on how much more organized it was (how could I resist).  And, if you know me, you’ll know that I am already thinking of how to improve for next year as I would have worked out a few kinks.  I had a lot of fun helping out...check us out below.

I’ll be honest….I was a little sad waking up on Christmas eve.  It took a phone call to snap me back into reality….as I was told, if I plan to continue a life abroad I will need to be comfortable with spending Christmas (& other holidays) in different ways. 

I spent Christmas eve with my host family and counterpart’s family.  Three of the girls from the casa hogar joined us.  I made an apple, pear, cranberry crisp for the dinner (mmm!).  BTW, I had a Salvadorian dinner (my host family is half Salvadorian) for my Christmas in Honduras….a huge Chicken sub. =) Like I said, it’s best if I get used to spending my holidays in a different way. 

Christmas day I was in Lamani, a friend’s site nearby, for their toreada.  The tiny picturesque town can been transformed with the magnitudes of traffic, people, and french fries stands…LOL.  As it turns out there are actually two bull fighting stadiums, a smaller one that belongs to the municipality (all funds go to the local government) and a “monumental” one that belongs to the association of ranchers (all funds go to their projects?).  As I sat watching the show, I was stuck in some kind of déjà vu because I was feeling as though I was in Mexico with my familia, a feeling I was longing for the previous day. 

I ended up in Teguz for a PC doctors visit on Monday.  I took advantage of the trip to enjoy brunch at Denny’s (opened a few months back).  They didn’t have French toast that I was craving but the waiter made up for it by bringing out a ton of free breakfast favorites with my Grand Slam meal.  Of course, how could I leave the capital without topping it off with a visit to the Multi Plaza mall….and yup, one of my favorites…sushi! 

I returned to site in time for the cultural meeting.  The ladies had made huge advances on the New Year’s eve celebration.  We were all getting really excited about it.  I had an early New Year’s eve dinner with my sitemate Andrea….yummy pasta with salad…plus a double tomato bruschetta I made and torrejas from our tia China. 

The park was looking amazing when I showed up.  My coworker’s daughter and I were in charge of the VIP lounge greeting the artists.  The ladies from the committee were waiting their grand entrance dressed up in costume representing the traditional Comayaguense dress.  The show was a huge success and televised internationally.  I was told I appear smiling at the camera while dancing.  

The actual campanadas at midnight was a beautiful experience….ringing church bells, flying fireworks, blaring music, screaming people, and the confetti bazooka! 

A surprise visit stayed the night Sunday.  A group of volunteers (10 people total) was on their way back to site from New Year’s in the north coast.  I wish I had a picture of the sleeping arrangements! LOL  We can work wonders in my little studio so long as everyone is considerate and organized with their stuff. 

Bueno, this week has started off strong.  I’ll be sitting at the laptop lesson planning in preparation for my upcoming visit to the States.  It’s hard to believe that my trip is just around the corner.  SO EXCITED!