Finally in Honduras

Let me give you an idea of what life in Santa Rosa de Copan, Honduras is like:

1. The principal of the school I work at told us she would pick us up from our house at 8am this morning. She arrived at 8:45. Then she drove down the block and went to the bank for 30 minutes while John, Sarah, and I waited in the steaming hot car. Why didn't she go to the bank before picking us up? She was already 45 minutes late to pick us up, its not like she needed to get to us as soon as possible, we already knew she was late...

2. We get to school around 9:30. The principal leaves to do whatever it is she does, which seems like nothing most of the time, though she always appears to be busy. Then we sat for 4.5 hours doing nothing. When I say nothing, I really mean, we sat at school and did nothing. So WHY did I have to go to school today? I don't know. The administration of the school also doesn't know. The principal also doesn't know. (This is "orientation week" for the teachers; classes haven't started yet)

3. Speaking of classes not starting yet...I asked 3 times when classes start. The first time I asked the principal said, "Monday, I think....I don't know." This was a week before school was supposed to start. You would think the principal would know. The second time I asked she told me Monday. Then I heard from one of the Honduran teachers that we start Tuesday. So I asked again. This time she told me Tuesday. The mystery is...when will classes actually start? Who knows? not me.

4. In addition, it is now Thursday night. None of the teachers, including myself, know what we are teaching or what grades we are teaching. Classes start Tuesday, or Monday, or sometime next week anyway. The people at school seem to be fine with the fact that we will have no idea what we are doing the first couple weeks of school. If they are ok with that, I'm ok with that.

5. We got driven home by the principal. I went to my room and cleaned for 6 hours. Why did I clean for 6 hours, you may wonder. Because there is 10 years of accumulated dust and dirt on everything in my room. And what did I clean in those 6 hours? Half of a closet and I also dusted a table. I also killed a couple cockroaches in the kitchen during my breaks from cleaning my room.

6. Its 9pm, i'm on my housemate Sarah's computer writing this blog. I still dont have my computer because my packages from the States haven't arrived. They can't be shipped to my house. My house has no address. Well, it does. It's this: Barrio Santa Teresa entre 4 y 5 calle, frente de Muebles Lopez. Translated: Santa Teresa neighborhood between 4th and 5th streets in front of Lopez Furniture (the furniture store across the street from our house). Anyway, only letters can really get to Santa Rosa de Copan. As such, my packages have been shipped to San Pedro Sula, the biggest city closest to us (2 hours north). The principal's husband is supposed to pick them up tomorrow. But, you know, "tomorrow" in Honduran time might mean two weeks from now. We'll see.

So, this all may sound awful or frustrating or like i'm not having a good time. It is sometimes frustrating, but its a learning experience, and I am learning how to accept and live in a different culture (and a very different culture it is). I am, in fact, having a wonderful time. This town is very quaint and lively, the people are nice, the town fair has been going on all week which has been exciting and firecracker-y. Sarah and John, my housemates and fellow foreign teachers are awesome and really nice. My room is slowly getting clean. Honduran food is...wow, fucking amazing. Pupusas, pastelitos, empanandas, baleadas (my fav), its all so good. The country and the town are beautiful. Volcanoes, mountains, palm trees, lizards, blue skies, siggghhh. Its great. One of these days I may actually find out what I am teaching and I KNOW I will love the kids. I am SOOO excited for the first day of school, whenever it is, monday, tuesday, whatever.