Honduras
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HondurasPage 1 - 2 - 3 | |
After six and a half weeks of language study (during which we didn't learn much Spanish), we moved into Casa Feliz. The first week there we just hung out and played with the kids and did random stuff around that needed done. After that we got certain jobs that we were to do. We were tired of standing around without knowing what we were supposed to do. Nikki and I helped make breakfast in the morning. Near the beginning we helped fold laundry, but since the older girls all knew what went where, it was easier just to let them do it. The guys had projects that they work on. Nikki and I help them whenever we don't have things to do. For example, we painted the building the guys stayed in, inside and out. That was the main project. The guys also chopped the grass with machettes, put in a basketball hoop, fixed the swingset, and put up a tire swing.
As far as lodging was concerned, the male half of the population slept over in a separate building. AJ, Brent, and Derek were all in a room together. Nikki and I shared a room in the main building with Mayra. The guys' building didn't have electricity. There was a stalemate between the administrator of Casa Feliz and the electric company where she thought they were charging too much. And we don't have a light in our bathroom. But that was easy enough to get used to. Stuff like that made life interesting.
The food was good, though some of it got repetitive. The kids had to finish everything on their plates. Which means, as good examples, we had to as well. Even if we didn't like it. And as a result, I like coffee now.
And in this next section, when you read the kids' names, remember to give them Spanish pronunciations, otherwise some of them seem really weird.
AJ, 23: Yes, I know he was one of our team members, but he was worse than they were sometimes. For a while there he was chasing some of the 12-15 year olds around and snapping them with damp rags. So Eduard and Georcy started doing it to each other. Only they got in trouble for it.
Angel, 13: He's the class clown type. He provides amusement, but those in authority aren't always appreciative of it.
Chantelle, 13: Before I left she (with a couple other girls) tried to convince me to leave my hair there for her.
Claudia, 11: Oldest sister of Lilian and Miriam. They came on March 5th, while we were there. Before they came, their mom would desert them for months at a time, and Claudia would be left doing laundry for the neighbors to make money to buy food.
Daysi, 12: She was really friendly. She talked to me a lot. Sometimes I could catch most of what she said, but she talked pretty fast. I usually ended up doing the smile and nod thing. Towards the end I could understand more.
Dalila, 17: She was pretty quiet. Okay, really quiet. But still friendly.
Eduard, 10: I didn't get to know him too well. He liked to be off by himself a lot of the time.
Georcy, 11: He and I played tic-tac-toe a couple times. Sometimes I let him win. And one phrase he knew in English is "It's mine." So he said it a lot.
Hector, 4: He was adorable. Most people can't understand him when he talks, though. And he was also a rascal. When you tried to tell him not to do something, he'd grin and watch you react as he continued doing whatever he wasn't supposed to do.
Hortencia, 15: Sometimes she'd tease us by poking us or something and then she'd say, "Yo no fui, fui mi mano." (It wasn't me, it was my hand.) They say that a lot in Honduras. Gets sort of irritating. But whatever.
Iris, 16: She was nice. She was one of the few that was there when we got there. Most of the kids were with families yet. So she helped us out the first couple days.
Jesica, 18: I think she was the most girly girl there. She seemed to think everything is funny. Which wasn't a bad thing. It was just a good source of entertainment for me.
Josue, 7: He was one of the cute little boys, too. He called me "Lizzy Maguire," (like the show on the Disney channel) instead of Lindsay to tease me, because he knows it's not my name. Little stinker.
Lilian, 4: Her and Marvincito became fast friends. The one day he was pushing her on the swing and it was the most adorable thing to watch. She had those little boys wrapped around her little finger. They'd follow her around and obey her every bidding.
Marvin, 8: He still sucked his thumb. He wasn't supposed to. He also had this thing with chasing the chickens. He wasn't supposed to do that either.
Marvincito, 4: He's a cute little thing. The first thing he did when Nikki and I got here was run up to us and hug our legs.
Mayra, 17: We shared a room with her. She was mostly paralyzed. You want to hear why? Two years ago, she was living with her sister. Her sister was living with a man that was married to another woman. His wife found out what he was doing, and hired someone to go into their house and kill them. So in the middle of the night, they were all sleeping, and someone came in and shot them all. Mayra's sister and her lover both died. Mayra was shot 7 times, but lived. So now she's at Casa Feliz. She's slowly improving.
Miriam, 2: Just plain adorable. She'd sit so nicely and calmly with anyone who happens to be holding her. Towards the beginning, I'd talk to her in English because she wouldn't respond if you'd talk in Spanish anyway.
Nahúm, 4: He's a little rascal, let me tell you. He got blamed for a lot, even if he didn't do it. But he did bite me the one day. By the end he would have been my favorite, if I had one.
Nolvia, 15: She gave me two pictures that she drew and a bracelet or two. Her and I had a little conversation on the swings the one day where she told me about her family. Other than that I didn't talk to her much.
Norma, 16: The dogs really liked her. Mostly because she fed them. Everytime she went outside, they'll jump up on her. Her and Jesica were the two that were in charge when none of the teachers were around, like at night.
Olga, 12: She knew most of the common English phrases, and kept wanting to know more. She'd always say "hi" or "good morning" to us instead of "hola" or "buenos dias," just to practice.
Olvin, 12: Him and Brent became pretty good friends, I think. He did a lot of work around Casa Feliz, since he was one of the oldest boys.
Rosa, 15: She came at the same time the three sisters did. She had been here before. All I knew about her is that last time they had some problems with her trying to run away. I didn't really talk to her at all.
Page 2 - Some Stories
Page 3 - Pictures (Sorry, they have yet to be updated.)