new teaching style

Today was my last day of language school. Gloria a Dios! So grateful I don't have any homework anymore in this country, done with school for the year. Yes, I'm aware of the harsh reality I'll be facing in college next year, but ya gotta live while you can! Anyways, it was a weird day. All was normal till the last hour of school, when she pulled out...her laptop. That's not the weird part. She pulled it out, went on YouTube, pulled up a Spanish Christian song, and yes ladies and gentlemen, we sang along with the song I didn't know. I literally had no choice after I realized saying no ten times just wasn't getting through to her. It was the most awkward. Moral of the story: when your teacher asks you your likes and dislikes on the first day of school, she WILL use them against you.

on a lighter note

So, i've discovered that the laws in Honduras are not so much preventive. Here are some laws for driving: you must have a license plate (respectable), you must have your seat belt on IF you are in the front two seats, and in your trunk you must have in your possession four traffic cones and a fire extinguisher. Why you ask? well logically, guys, you need the traffic cones if you get in an accident in the middle of the street and you have to redirect traffic and you need the fire extinguisher for, well duh, in case of a fire. So, i guess the thought process here is: why prevent the worst case scenario, if you can prepare for it?

in other news, i realized today that i had forgotten that seat belts are supposed to exist in cars. maybe i should be concerned, but i take it as one more step into the culture.

and that's the problem with used appliances

well see, i am staying by myself for the week due to shannon abandoning me and going to an exotic honduran island. did i mention that already? anyways, it's been going great all weeks of course everything bad needed to happen on the same day. to start, school happened. there is only so many conversations you can have with a tutor you've hung out with one on one for 36 hours over the past week or so. literally every conversation has about two lines and then...it ended. afterward, on my way home, with Donal the taxi driver, got into a little bit of a fender bender. apparently, the taxi behind us, just didn't think we were going fast enough, logically, hitting us and making Donal have to check his bumper made everything go way faster for him.
so, i get home and head to the fridge for lunch but, oh wait, it's broken. the thing is, i don't even know how to fix a fridge in my own language. so yikes. good thing mr. clow, a part of the Mission to the World team, came over to help. Turns out, the freezer was just taking a little rest and after us touching nothing, it decided it was time to start working again.
And you think that's where it ends. Some of my children came again today for food. I had five boys hanging out while the whole fridge thing was going on. The thing is that these particular boys have discovered just how much of a language barrier there is between us and they use it to their advantage. And i don't know how to discipline in Spanish. You tend to lose your authority when you stumble over your words, i've come to discover. SO, i had to kick them out and that was just super hard. I don't like having to enforce rules to kids. especially kids who have barely anything in this world.
long story short, i experienced some culture shock today. And it was difficult. But, my family came to the rescue via Skype and so did Jeffrey, one of the really kind boys. So, it turned out alright in the end. Maybe not so much now though because i have to go write a two page paper (at least) in spanish. oof. Satan sure knows how to hit ya where it hurts.

a mother and friend

So, this week my roommate Shannon abandoned me and went to one of the beautiful islands of Honduras. We are not on speaking terms, mostly being because she has no internet. Anyways, I am taking care of the house on my own. That also means that I am taking care of me and Shannon's children as well. Yes, I cook for them, I clean the house, I wash the dishes. Just your regular house wife type. But, really, I might actually have switched my 18 year old, just graduated high school life for a domestic, loving motherly one. I don't know how it happened. Honduras does some crazy stuff to a person. Sometimes, it makes me laugh to think that next year I am going to be a freshman in college. How do I play those get to know you games? Hi, my name is Caitlin. IN this past year, I lived in a different country for 7 months learning a different language and parenting 8 to 9 young boys. Not a big deal, just call me ques. But really, I'm loving this part of my life. Wouldn't give it up. Now excuse me while i go answer the doorbell for the 15th time today,

without a question

As i said in the previous post, we went to the mall yesterday. Kevin, Ever, and Jeffrey had cleaned Shannon's car earlier that day and so they had each received the equivalent of a 1.50$ for their work. Well, when we got to the mall, there was an ice cream shop. Of course all three boys jumped at the opportunity to use their own money to buy some ice cream and they raced to the front of the line. Jose, the other boy who came to the mall with us, just stood beside me and shannon since he had no money to buy some.
Jeffrey was the first to get his ice cream and he smiled ear to ear as he savored the banana flavor. It only took him a minute to realize that Jose had no money and without a word of advice from Shannon or me, Jeffrey pulled out the remainder of his money and gave it to the very grateful Jose, to buy some ice cream.
I seriously almost burst into tears watching this. I mean literally these boy have nothing of their own and having any type of money at all is a huge treat. The fact that Jeffrey could give away his money without thought, truly reminded me of my own selfishness. It's so difficult for me to offer money to others and I have more than enough to share. I can't explain how a little boy with no money can be so generous outside of the gospel and it's constant display in all of our lives.

you know you are family when...

So, I took a shower last night and I did the usual debate in my head: to shave my legs or not to shave my legs? Sorry to all you boys out there who think we girls live for that type of thing. We most certainly do not. I made the decision that I'm not trying to find a man friend here and there's no one I want to impress so, what the hay, noshave-tober it is.
Well, Shan, Kate (future roomie), and I went to the mall today with the boys. The mall here is called "el mall", clever. The roomies went into a store while I stayed out with the four boys who were eating ice cream. All was going well till Jeffrey looked at me and said, "why don't you cut your leg hairs?" yes, he used the verb you use for GRASS. Then, they all proceeded to rub my legs and giggle and make disgusted faces at me. I mean sheesh, their moms don't shave their legs ever and I just took a day off. Lesson learned, never will I ever choose laziness again in this country. I don't want little Ever treating my leg hairs as a punchline ever again.

the gringas unite!

Let me set the scene. i'm told by shannon that she is going to a church service tonight with her friend heather and i am more than welcome to join. naturally i asked what it was like. she responded, "i mean like a service, we sing, we have a talk, it's like youth group, but for older people." So, i think to myself, sheesh, i'm gonna need to wear a skirt and look nice. see ya gym shorts.
So, we are on our way, or trying to be, but we were stuck in the traffic jam of the century and wind up being 15 minutes late. We begin to walk towards the group and i think to myself, hm, a lot of people wearing blue tonight. We all joke that it's embarrassing that we are showing up late and we are gringas so we stand out an extra amount. little did we know, that was the least embarrassing thing.
Turns out, it was sports team themed night. we were going to be playing volleyball. all. night. the most dressed up person besides us was a girl wearing a soccer uniform with a bow in her hair. NOT IDEAL. So, we didn't have a team, or the right clothes, or the right language. we were destined for success. we somehow threw together an impromptu team, got our behinds handed to us, and left the court with our white faces held high.
The irony of the matter is that all of us were wishing as we left the house that we could be in our gym shorts. but who would want to be THOSE gringas who went against the honduran flow. hah, touché Honduras, touché.