Coninuing

I am finally back on track with my writing. I know it's been almost 3 months since my last post, but i have been very busy with teaching and just generally, settling down, that it to some extent, has discouraged me from putting anything down on paper. I feel like today is a good day to resume my blog and start bringing consistency to my writing.

So, just to catch up on things. Since my three months in Honduras, this has happened:

1. I began teaching 9th grade writing, 10th grade English, 11th grade English and 11th grade Psychology.
My students can be a little too much sometimes, incessantly screaming "mister, mister!" in my year, but they mean good. The difference in culture has a lot to do with heir classroom behavior.

 My classroom. The room has an open ceiling, so it gets super hot during mid-afternoon. We don't dare to turn on the fan. Also last week we found a family of racoons living in the corner of the roof. Unfortunately our discovery was during the class-period. You can guess how that lesson went.

2. I've settled in my one room kitchen/living room/dining room studio apartment, made friends with the house gecko, fought off waves of festering ants and cockroaches, got used to cracked pots, frequent water and power outages, and sleeping though various external noises (like my humming refrigerator) during the night. On a week day, it gets dark quiet yearly, so i go to bed around 9pm and wake up at 5:30. Or more like, i get awoken by local roosters, birds and the hustle of an early-bird city.

3. I've made friends with the city and countryside of Copan; the cobblestone streets, the red rooftops, the magnificent view of the mountains. I am a gringo, but the people in town know that we (teachers) are here to stay, and treat us differently from tourists.

The cobblestone streets of Copan

Lonely Planet writes about Copan Ruinas: "It feels as if all roads lead to this charming hill-perched colonial town just 1km northwest of Honduras most famous Mayan site."And indeed it is a very charming, hill-perched and colonial. The town itself has a very small population, of about 10,000 people, making it the perfect place for local gossip and 3rd cousin intermarriage. My experience in Copan so far has been positive. Having lived in Chicago and Moscow, two big metropolitan cities in the world, I think Copan offers me something that i have not experienced yet before, a quiet yet scrutinized life in a small town. Kindheartedness and friendliness here are common. Everyone greets you with a big smile on their face, usually followed by a row of missing teeth, but a good smile nevertheless. Power and water outages are very common and happen as much as one time a week. So it's better to get used to taking a shower either at someone else place or keeping a bucket of clean water to wash yourself at night.

 The mango season has just come to an end. It's unfortunate because i love mangoes. I will miss not being able to get (or make) a delicious mango smoothie for a while.

The valley of Copan as seen from La Pintada

We were by a corn field

The last month has brought heavy rains. We are entering the rainy season in Honduras, and the fact that the town is in the valley of high altitude mountains, doesn't really help the situation. It rains almost every day. The rain pours hard and fast, flushing the dirt out of cobblestones on the road. Last week we lost a whole school-week, because the killer rain washed all of the bus roads in town. Despite the promises of the local politicians (which we met during a sort-of protest), the roads are not finished and have not been fixed to where we can take a normal bus ride to school. So we have been walking to school with our children, pretty much escorting them for 20 min up the hill. I need to buy rain boots to stop getting my shoes so dirty.



4. Two months of school have flew by. I like teaching here, but with constant holidays and unexpected events, that either disrupt the flow of school or make us loose days in general, it has been frustrating trying to keep students focused and productive. I think that this week has been the only week in two months when we had an actual full, five-day, school week. The students have just returned from their unplanned holidays (due to the washed-away road) and they are stubborn to do any quality work. To be honest, so am I. But I know that this new week will be different.

Road to Copan

August 13 - 16

After spending the night at the hotel Las Cascadas, having a whimsical dream and early hearty breakfast, I have resumed my journey through Honduras, moving closer to my final destination of Copan Ruinas.

With my little Spanish, I was able to tell the taxi driver to take me to the local bus station that offers rides across the country. The taxi driver, a man with a thick build and a low voice, told me in broken English “Okay” and we continued our car ride. There were no seatbelts in the car and with the way people drive in the country, I was flying all over the back seat. We passed the city square that was full of iconic American enterprises such as Applebee’s, McDonlands, and Hilton.  We passed the poorer parts of town, where half-dressed children run barefoot on the streets, chasing the passing flow of cars. When we arrived at the Hedman Alas bus station, I gave the thick taxi driver a tip of four dollars over the fare. He looked at me with a glow in his eyes, said “Gracias senor”, got in the car and left the parking lot, jumping in his seat like a little kid.

I got my ticket and proceeded to sit in the waiting are – sipping on my plastic bottle of water for it was hot- until my bus boarded. While trying to collect my mind on the road ahead and looking around, I hear “You speak English right?” coming from a side. A white woman in her early 50’s looked at me with a perplexed face.  The wrinkles around her blue eyes formed into a pleasant portrait of ____________. “You are an American?” she asked me, to which I replied “Yes. And you are too?” All of a sudden the lady’s eyes lighted up and the wrinkles around her eyes took a different shape. “This is wonderful, she said. I’ve been looking for someone to talk to in days!” I smiled. I was overtaken by joy of seeing someone from home. At the moment we were united in being two strangers in a foreign land. In life moments like that bring people close together. We tend to stick together to survive. At this point our minor differences, about which we bicker non-stop back home, cease to be meaningful. She wanted to know if I was going to Guatemala, and whether I knew how to get there by commuting. I was going to Copan Honduras, which is a stop or two earlier than Guatemala. I told her I was sorry but I did not know anything about the bus changes since I was in the country for only a couple of days. She said okay and we began chatting, and one thing led to another, until she told me the story of her son.

Her son, whose name I will not identify due to woman’s request, has been an avid backpacker and a photographer all his life. Being currently 37, he has traveled the winding spine of the world, seen many cultures and met many people. The woman spoke proudly of her sons adventures. How we traversed India and traveled in Europe. “Everything seemed to have started when he was out of college and decided to go backpacking through Europe. After that he was never to be seen at home” she said with a smile. But not all of her son’s adventures were as successful. She told that that one time, while traveling on a missionary trip through Central America, he was assaulted and kidnapped by a group of local criminals. He was beaten, humiliated and held captive as a prisoner. His captives made numerous demands to his relatives, who had to contact the FBI. “But what would FBI do in this situation? What could they do?” she asked. Invade a country for one person? Sent a task team to rescue him? Everything seemed to be going against her and his odds. The woman told me through how much pain she had to go during this whole period. I can’t even imagine it. The situation escalated to the point where the abductors would have killed him if he did not find a way to comply with their demands. Then the woman smiled and looked at me. “He escaped” she said. “What?” I said “How”. She turned toward me “One night when their leader left, he was left only with the girl and the other guy who had to watch him. I don’t know how, being in the emaciated and exhausted state that he was, he managed to fall back from a chair, tie loose, and engage in a fight with his captors. He told me “Ma. I fought with all my strength. My life dependent on it” and think about it. The adrenaline must have saved him.” “So what happened next?” I asked. “He, again somehow, ran outside, screamed in the face of the traffic and got rescued” “Oh my God. I bet he is done backpacking now” I said. “No.” she answered curtly and with least effort. “What do you mean no? After that how would he be able to go?” the woman looked at me and said “He loves people, he loves what he does. He said, he would not be able to do anything else. This was his life”

Soon Soon

Just a month until my trip. My summer has been treating me fair. I bought some items for my stay in Honduras, such as a powerful flashlight, in cases of power outage, a mini toolkit, for common repairs, a night light for reading, a Kindle, so that i won't have to drag kilograms of my favorite books through customs, and other various appliances that will come in handy when living in a third world country.

My mother has passed her final state exam (NCLEX) for becoming a registered nurse. I am very proud of her. She came from a completely different country, learned English, became an active American citizen and received American Education at the age 40.She is a strong willed woman, and i am proud to have been raised by her.

Here is a post by David Herrington from Escuela Mayatan about the end of the year at the school (taken from Mayatan Foundation Website)

June 3rd was the final day of the 2010-11 school year, and today, June 10th, was the annual promotion for those kids moving onto the next grade. It is a particularly special day for 6th graders, who will be graduating into secondary school. I also think that 9th graders will be excited for the transition next year into high school, where they can trade in their plaid pants and skirts for khaki, Most of the kids are clearly excited for the vacation to begin. While many of the teachers are also happy to have completed a year, there is a mix of feelings among some of the volunteers. Eight U.S. citizens, including 6 teachers, will be returning to volunteer next year, but some of the volunteers who won't be returning are feeling sad about saying goodbye.
We hope everyone has a terrific vacation, and we wish safe travels to all of those who are going to other countries for vacation or to return home. Thanks for a great year!

This summer should be easy

Just another two months until my departure. The time has been passing faster. I've been having too much fun. For the past three weeks I have been moving between Champaign and Berwyn (Chicago), visiting family and friends, and having a blast hanging out and having a good time. So now i think it is a good time to begin my preparations to go to Honduras.

I got myself a Rosetta Stone software to learn some basic Spanish before i leave for Honduras. I feel a little embarrassed about my knowledge of Spanish. Two Hispanic girlfriends and many good friends and i am still struggling with how to say "I want a chicken taco with no mayo please."  haha. Hopefully this thing will work. I head it makes magic.

All of the new teachers that are going to be teaching at Escuela have formed a Facebook group, and now slowly are getting into contact with each-other. We are trying to figure out if we can find a way to travel together or meet up before we leave. I think it's a great idea. Everybody seems very cooperative and excited. I can't wait to meet all of my future colleagues and friends.I found this short documentary on my school's website. It is about a small village community in Honduras called "La Pintada" or "Painted" that's located in the neighboring municipality with Copan. It is pretty cool and gives you a little perspective into the life of the rural areas in Honduras and their culture. Check it out.

Apparently, as an American citizen that i am now, i don't need to get a visa to go to Honduras. All i need is the returning ticket to prove that i will come back to the states. The principle of the school promised that he and the administration will handle all of the legal work for renewing my visa once i am in Honduras, since i will be staying for more than 6 months, which is the maximum limit of how many days you can stay during one entry. I'm relieved that i won't have to bother with all of the paperwork. After moving from Russia, and applying here, i really want to take every opportunity to avoid dealing with immigration :)

First Post

I can't express how happy I am to begin writing my blog. I know that it's still 3 months (August 15) until I ship out to Honduras, but like all of the future plans, it doesn't hurt to begin preparing early.

Right now, I am sitting in the basement of the Berwyn public library, doing some simple research on life in Honduras, demographics, etc. It is about two hours till the end of the world (ET or CT?), as predicted by Harold Camping, a religious radio broadcaster, who believes that at 5pm on May 21st, the world will come to an end. Based on his theory, 2% of the world population - who have been goodie goodies - will "rapture" and go straight to heaven to meet their makes, where they will probably live in eternal happiness, eating muffins and drinking sweetened coffee for the rest of eternity. Unfortunately, the rest of the world will meet a less happier end, portrayed as a fiery mash of earthquakes, death, murder and wait, zombie apocalypse? I wonder if Mr. Camping over here watched little too much of zombie flicks. And doesn't Jesus love Zombies too?

Anyway - If i manage to survive the Zombie attack, - I am planning to gather some basic info about traveling, working and living in Honduras. I will be living in Copan Ruinas, a town located an hour east of Guatemala border. From what some of my friends, who lived in Copan, told me, it is one of the more safest towns in the country. It is composed out of small communities that thrive of farming and tourism. Since the town is located near world-famous Mayan Ruins, it  attracts a lot of travelers and archeologist who enjoy the beauty and the history of one of the oldest civilizations on earth. Due to the size and reputatoin of the town, the crime rate here is significantly low. This is good to know, knowing how common kidnappings in Central America occur.
I have always been fascinated by ancient history, especially Egyptian and Mayan, so to know that I will be living withing walking distance from these gorgeous temples brings me a lot of joy and excitement. It also provides me with reassurance that if zombies migrate, I will have a fortified ancient structure to serve as a zombie-proof shelter :) Oh and also, the town is beautiful and is the home of many exotic birds.

I am thinking about the time when I came to this country. I was 14 and I came, more or less, not by choice, since my mom remarried and I moved with her from Russia to US. The move gave me some insight into living, growing and becoming part of multiple cultures. Now that I've lived in a foreign country for 8 years, I see some of the things that one ought to consider when before traveling to another country.

1) If you are an American, Register with the Department of State, STEP program. In case anything bad happens to you while you are living, traveling or working abroad, US government has information about your whereabouts which makes it easier for them to track you.

2) Make sure you find out information about the main modes of transportation within and outside of the country, so that when you get there you won't look like a complete idiot, ending up riding a donkey for 7 hours.

3) If you are getting ready to work somewhere abroad, talk to your sponsor, manager, boss, about living in that country. It is important that you know what you are getting in. Don't romanticize your trip. Yo want to make sure that you have clear, and realistic understanding of what your life is going to be there. Thinking that it's going to be a Disney film is alright, but be ready for major dissapointment if it's not. Be smart. Research and get to know as much as you can, from first-hand testimonials and other credible resources of what you are getting in and make the decision if that place if for you.

4) If you can, try traveling with somebody. It's always funner and safer to have a company than travel solo.

5) Try to lower your expectations. Before you leave, try to keep an open mind. Living and working in another culture/country can be a life-changing experience. Be prepared to stretch the limits of your worldview and understanding of others. People grow in contact, not in isolation.

6) Plan, spend a day in the library (like me), only without the threat of the global apocalypse if you can, looking into the history and the culture of the country you are going to. If you are not excited to learn about their culture, then ask yourself, why am i doing it? Is it worth doing? Remember, you are going there. They are not coming here.

7) IMPORTANT. Try to learn some of their language. I don't mean like the whole language. That will come naturally after you've lived there for a while. I mean basic knowledge, just to get around. Challenge yourself. You will see, people will treat you more kindly and respectfully if they see that you are trying to learn their language and be a part of the culture. Don't be an American, expecting people to speak English when you get there. That's rude and it won't get you far in terms of making friends and building bonds.

8) As I've mentioned before, be ready for a life-altering experience. In my view, we all have that adventuring spirit inside of us. If you observe carefully, children exhibit that spirit at a very early age. When children are small and can't walk, they crawl on the floor, and the end of the carpet can seem like the edge of the universe. When they learn how to walk, they begin exploring the ins and out of their house. They go in the attic, look through every bookshelf, under every table. And even through they may be afraid of the dark, or what is in the closet when they fall asleep. they will grow, and it's only a matter of time until they discover that there is light in those places. As they grow older, they venture outside of their house and into the world. They meet other children, from other households. They play on swings, go into the woods, drive cars, fly airplanes. The process continues. . .so enjoy, don't get eaten by zombies . . .the world is your playground . . . . :)