About time, huh?

A few pics to start:

My kiddos ;)

All dressed up for Spanish presentations

You better know I won that war! SICK!

I was so geeked about all the movies I brought back!

Our weekly tradition of ultimate frisbee on Sundays. :)

Well my house is a mess and I’m actually home so I figured I better update before another week passes me by again. I can’t believe I’ve been back 4 weeks now! It’s incredible to think how fast time has gone. So what have these weeks held for me?
LOTS!

One of the best things in my life right now has been a new addition since returning and consumes many hours of my day each night. I signed up for DANCE CLASSES and I’m in LOVE! I tend to go 1-3 hours a night depending on the instructors and type of class. It definitely has been me beat some days, but I usually can’t stop smiling and enjoy the time to say the least. The classes aren’t necessarily to teach how to dance. It’s more like aerobic dance with salsa, bachata, meringue, reggaeton, and some hip-hop music.

In our first week back, President Mel Zalaya decided to increase minimum wage by 60%! Can you imagine. Basically it went from $189 to almost $300/month. Still nothing comparatively and still isn’t much here, but thousands lost their jobs because companies, especially small ones, can’t afford to employ them anymore. Thus, on the announcement of this news the town went on strike. We were quickly shipped home after school to ensure that everyone would arrive home that night as people were non-violently striking by being in the streets and basically shutting down circulation. I’ve only seen the effects first hand as school is making cuts on budget areas and we now have to pay our neighborhood guards a lot more each month.

While being back in Teguc, I’ve adjusted pleasantly so. I’ve found little things to help besides just dance like buying a cell phone and buying real milk now. What a difference. I can make calls from my cell phone but I’m going to prefer to leave it for more an emergency and out and about contact need here. It just cost so much more to call the USA from it then it does from my skype that I already pay monthly for. Nonetheless, I’m extatic about having that ease of communication. Technology is such a blessing and something I take for granted.

Random info if you wondered: Tegucigapla is at 3,250 feet above sea level supposedly. We’re up in the mountains I tell you! It’s definitely a lot nicer here than at home, but it’s about 50-60 in the am and in the high afternoon it’s 80. Not scorching hot yet thankfully. It sure is dry and dusty though and I believe it only gets worse and fires start. Also, Tegucigalpa has about 1.25 million people.

Well, last week was a week full of half days to prepare for a new marking period that we are full blown into already while still trying to wrap up last marking period’s grades (or as we call them partials). This week has consisted of morning assemblies for Spiritual Emphasis Week. We have had interesting mornings of worship reggaeton.  Last week I also got to have the pleasure of having a Calvin College from the group that was visiting help in my room for the week. I was dreading it at first afraid my kids would embarrass me and just make the week more of a headache. Rather I totally enjoyed having Dan in my room to have someone shake their head with me and laugh at them, or also say, “Wow. They don’t shut up do they?” Ha ha. It also made me feel old and wonder how the heck did I get on this end of things already? I’ve spent so much time in other people’s classrooms and it’s my turn already to host and mentor someone within my own? WOW! It was an enjoyable priviledge.

On a totally different note, 2 weeks ago our new president was also inaugurated and us Americans got together to watch it. What an experience. I felt very proud to be American. I feel Obama is a great speaker and what an empowering speech! I hope he turns out to be the president that seeks justice as much as he promises. I honestly feel that so often our white presidents are stuck in a position of what we call white priviledge. They can not remove themselves from the lack of understanding of others positions nor can they remove themselves from the position they are in and the stereotypes that come with that. I hope that he truly can be a voice for so many others who don’t have a voice. I’ll continue by just quoting a few of the things he touched on that just wowed me.

“Starting today we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”

“All this we can do. All this we will do. There are some who question the scale of our ambitions who suggest that our system can not tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short for they have forgotten what this country has already done. What free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined with common purpose and necessity with courage.”

“We are ready to lead once more!”

“To those leaders around the globe who seek to solve conflict, your people will judge you based on what you can build not on what you destroy. To those who claim power through corruption and deceit know you are on the wrong side of the fence of history but we will extend a hand if you will unclench your fist.”

“We can no longer stand indifference of those outside of our borders.”

“It is ultimately the faith and determination of this people on which the future of America lies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levies break, the selflessness of the worker who would rather cut their hours than see their friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke but it’s also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child that finally decides our fate.”

Can I get an Amen? Wow. Older generations, have you ever seen so many people at an inauguration addres? Amazing. If you didn’t get chance to see the address visit this address. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjnygQ02aW4 My wonder is what the newspapers at home said. Did the headlines really say First African-American President or are we past that? Is that the focus or not?