North Carolina, come on and raise up

I've always considered North Cakalakey to be a quiet state, unloved by those outside of it's state limits. We North Carolinians pride ourselves on being famous for our great beach and Nicholas Sparks constant shout outs in his one hundred novels he has written. We've got two sky scrapers we can call our own and John Wall, Michael Jordan, and James Taylor would call NC their home. Petey Pablo even wrote a song about us. But, for whatever reason, most people from the states find Texas, California, Colorado, or New York more interesting.
Well, jokes on you guys, because these Hondurans know where the party's at. Every time I tell a taxi driver, a store cleark, or a volunteer that I am from NC, they somehow have some connection to the state. THey lived there, their ex-wife lives there, they have a cousin there. I am telling you, I dunno where all these Hondurans are hiding, but they are busting at the seams in North Carolina. It's gotten to the point that all the Expatriates I know have noticed my state's fame. Whater, USA, hate on NC all you want. But it's the place to be and one day, you'll look back on your life and regret not appreciating what you had right in front of ya.

itsokayitsokayitsokay

There is this boy I have fallen in love with. His name is Enrique. No, his surname is not Iglesias. He is an 11 year old boy who lives in the orphanage I work in. He and I have become besties. He always gives me the best hugs, asks me to play with him, and only lets me tutor him on his homework. Seriously, I think I want to adopt him as my own. Sorry, NC State, make room for one more in the ol' dorm room.
He does have one flaw that has almost been fatal. Here is the thing about kids: they absorb everything they watch on TV. For Honduran kids, that means they absorb the weirdest or most annoying English phrases and cling onto them for dear life. One kid, Michael, every time he sees me says "Hello, baby. I love you, baby. What's your problem, man?" Another, Edgar, says "I've had the time of my life and I owe it all to you-you-you...dirty bit". Yet Another, Cesar, says "whitowski"...still trying to figure this one out. He says it is Chinese for "pregnant woman". I find that hard to believe.
Enrique says "its okay its okay its okay its okay its okay" in a rapid pace. Messes up on homework? Its okay its okay its okay its okay. Wins a game of ping pong? its okay its okay its okay its okay its okay. Sitting down to lunch? Its okay its okay its okay its okay its okay.

It has almost ruined our friendship. I think he has started to notice that when he says it though, my tears are real. We are working through this difficulty. Im loving him through it while wrestling him to the ground and tickling him till he screams every time he says it. The kids gotta learn some way.

cayos cochinos: dankest.

Alright, so here we go with a long chain of blog posts that I should have written a while ago, but haven't had time. Slash, that's kind of a lie. I have had time, but the fact of the matter is that I didn't do it because I knew I would be in an airport by myself for two hours with nothing to do today. So here I am, in the airport. Watching a cat walk around the dining area. Day in a life, my friends.
I went to Cayos Cochinos this weekend. Some of you are asking yourselves: what is that place? And some of you are pretending to know. Well, to all of you I say: Cayos Cochinos is a chain of very small islands about an hour's boat drive away from La Ceiba. It has crystal clear water, beautiful straw huts, it's own language, and part of the second largest coral reef in the world. I truly think that my corner of heaven will have these things: Jesus, Dunkin Doughnuts, Pizza Hut Honduras, and Cayos Cochinos. Oh, also Pooh Bear. Sorry that I momentarily forgot you, pooh.
Anyways, I went there with my peeps, Amanda, Sarah, and a new volunteer I met named Bridey. We spent the day snorkeling, holding boa constrictors, and eating whole fish. It was the most fun. Literally though, whole fish. I had to pick around the bones. Which I thought I would hate, but since they caught the fish two hours before I ate it, it was the most divine thing I ever did taste. But, the main part I want you kiddos to know about the trip is a a guy called Josue.
Josue came with us to Cayos through a tourist company. None of us knew him, but oh we got to know him. First of all, he told us he only knew a litle bit of English, but then proceeded to join in on every conversation we had in English, perfectly. Then he was THAT snorkeler. You know the one who doesn't know how to breath properly or direct himself with his flippers. We spent the majority of the day making sure his breathing rhythm wasn't due to a heart attack, telling him to stop standing ON THE REEF, and trying to get him to stop kicking us in the face with his dang flippers. Needless to say, Josue unknowingly gave us some precious memories that I will laugh about for a long time to come.

#11-#15: gratitude

And the list goes on. This week, I am thankful for...

11. Having daily confirmation that I am exactly where the Lord has called me to be.
12. A little boy in desperate need of some love in his life has chosen me to become friends with in the school I work at.
13. Living alone this past month. The Lord has become a true friend of mine because of it.
14. The sheer look of terror on a kid's face when you're chasing them in a tickle war.
15. My chocolate frosty today from wendys. It was my first taste of ice cream in my two months here.

In other news, sorry I've been behind on the blogging. I probably will continue to be this week. But, no fear, I have three hours by myself in an Internet cafe on saturday to make myself catch up.

warm fuzzies

I mean seriously, how could you not get warm fuzzies when you read this:
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23

Or this:
"For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come." Hebrews13:14

Or this:
"Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me." Micah 7:8

All I'm saying is that Jesus is cool. I'm a fan of him. I'm also saying that I can't figure out if fuzzies is spelled with a "y" or an "ie", it looks weird both ways. Languages these days.

deep fried everything

So, I thought that maybe the North Carolina state fair was bad. Deep fried Oreos, deep fried snickers, deep fried pickles, deep fried coke, deep fried kool aid, and the list goes on. But, ladies and gentleman, NC State Fair has met its match. Hondurans love them some deep fried...everything. Yesterday I had spaghetti cooked in manteka sauce, which is, I've been told, straight lard. Delicious. Seriously though, when I work at the orphanage three days a week, I eat like a true honduran. Meaning, starches, sugars, and a pound of salt, all thrown into lard. Needless to say, I think I'm gaining the pre-freshman 500. However, I've started to eat healthy at home and I work out every day. I'm hoping that will take away from all the instant death I consume three days a week. But, I might have taken a giant step backwards by teaching the cook today how to cook deep fried Oreos. Oops.

#6-10: gratitude

For those just tuning in, I have started to make a list of five things a week that I am grateful for. Now that it is nearing the holiday season, I'm so glad I started this.
6. Today began my favorite month of the year, so much holiday cheer and thankfulness.
7. I have a family that is constantly fighting for the Lord's glory, individually and together.
8. I've hit the point where not speaking Spanish is weirder to me than speaking it regularly.
9. I wore my hair down today (rare occurrence), and two little boys at school told me I looked pretty.
10. Seeing the sunrise on the mountains three days a week on my way to work.