Day 3

It's so hot here that sometimes I think my nose is running but it's just sweat dripping off my face.

The weird thing is, no matter how hot I am, a cold shower still feels like a cold shower. My neck is starting to hurt from straining to get my hair in the water and keep my body out. But not to worry, the second the water goes off, I'm sweaty again.

Luckily, there is a lovely breeze on the beach and the water is heavenly. My friend Monika and I went there yesterday and laid under a palm tree (it's too hot to lay in the sun) and swam in the sea. Afterwards we went to the hotel and got a drink and swam in the (really nice) pool there, which is free when you buy a drink. Ironically, we met the Honduran woman who wrote the English books that my program Honduras Children uses. She was there with a volunteer (who is staying with her) and we randomly asked them a question and started talking and made the connection. She had good things to say about the program and said there are 2 Swedish girls and 1 girl from New York arriving next week!

I'm hoping to go to El Porvenir today to meet the people I'll be working with, but I'm waiting to make sure I can get a ride there from Rafael, the director here. In true Hondurian fashion (or so I hear) he is taking his time with making the arrangements.

I am really excited to start working with the kids. I really like my English classes but I have all afternoon free and it's not enough structure. Especially since I don't feel comfortable going places by myself (for safety reasons). I'm also looking forward to meeting the other volunteers there, as there are only a few other people here at the school that I can have a conversation with. I feel really lucky to be moving on because Monica is supposed to be working at a school here and will stay with the same host family for 2 months. They are very greedy and always want to borrow her things and they sometimes don't have food for her. She's pretty positive about it, but I wouldn't want to be in her situation! She also hasn't started at her school yet because Rafael is arranging it for her and, like I said, he is not hasty when it comes to getting things done.

I am still studying a lot and although I'm having trouble processing the info and forming sentences, I am really starting to remember verbs and vocabulary and understand how it will all come together.

I still can't pick up on what "abuela" (my host grandmother) is saying so we can't really talk to each other. Abuelo, however, doesn't even try to speak to me, he just says teases me by saying "Buenas dias" at night time and "buenos noches" in the morning. Neat.

Both grandparents sit at home all day and watch soap operas. They are awake watching TV when I leave in the morning and are awake watching TV when I go to sleep at night. They will prepare a meal, put my plate on the table, and take their own and sit in front of the TV. It's great because I'm really learning some important vocab and phrases from these quality shows.

I am enjoying the lack of vanity here. The family I'm staying with lives so simply and it seems to make life easier. However, (stop reading here if you're squeamish) When laid my head on my pillow last night I felt something in my hair. I started swatting at my head and a cockroach flew out and landed on my bed and then scurried away. I'm cringing as I recall this horrifying experience, but I was very brave and reminded myself how much bigger and scarier I was than the bug and went to sleep.

La cucaracha la cucaracha, I'm NOT so sad to see you go....