KB in Honduras: A busy first week of service!

My pretty blue room! :)

My host-dad and some of the kids eating birthday food.

Birthday celebration in the living room.

The power went out for a little while, so we sang and cut the cake in the dark.

Our cook and my host-mom in the kitchen.

The view of San Vicente from across the valley and up another mountain.

Part of my town

Pictures do not do those mountains justice.

The center church.

Almost the whole family! Omar, David, Xiomara, and Manuel

David's birthday :)

Throughout this first week, I was busy running around between ChildFund, the school, and the municipality. I helped ChildFund organize their next youth training that we are hosting on Tuesday. I observed all of the classes in the school, in the morning session which is grades 1-6 and in the afternoon session which is grades 7-9. In Honduras, it is fairly common for students to stop going to school after 6^th grade, but in my town a large percentage attend all the way through 9^th. Then if they choose, they can go to school for a specific area for anther three years. Right now there are student-teachers in the school who are technically in 11^th grade and when they graduate after 12^th grade, they will be actual teachers. That seems crazy to me since I went to another 4 years of college to be a teacher.

On Friday, I attended a meeting in the morning with all of the school directors (principals) and the director distrital (superintendent). It was neat to see how things are run, but a little boring. But now I have met all the directors which will be useful in the future! The meeting was in a tiny little aldea up a mountain and across the valley from my town. We drove as far as possible but then had to park and walk the rest of the way because there were no roads. There were some great views along the way!

Tuesday was my little-host brother Manuel’s 12^th birthday which we celebrated with cake and presents and he had a few friends over. (But no piñata, he is too old for that.) There was a town celebration on Friday, September 30 in honor of all the national holidays in the month of September. (Flag Day, Day of the Children, Independence Day, Day of the Teachers). There is a big parade at night and all of the students, led by the marching band, carry colorful torches. Manuel plays drums in the band, and at the end of the parade everyone gathers in the big town hall building. Children performed various traditional Honduran dances and there was a really creepy mime. The night was really fun and afterwards we went home and had more cake because it was my host-brother David’s 20^th birthday! I have loved every day in my new site and am excited to continue work here because I think I will be very happy!