I still have a blog!?

Sooooooooo....... yup, back in Honduras. (probably why you haven't seen me in the states?)  Wish I was better about writing, it's just nothings really new and I think I've gotten lazier in my old age.  Anyways, I'll try and split this up and put some pictures since I know you need to know about my life.  So I'm back in the same house, and this time when I arrived they actually took me for dinner!  Have a new roommate since Mandy did not return, so there's also not as many pictures, oooppppsss, but roommate is from Canada, and the smallest teacher at school, which I'm pretty sure they did on purpose but she's great.  The kids this year are different than last and have a little more respect.  It's also easier because it's not my first year teaching, and I'm a returning so I think that gained me some street cred too.
     Here are a few pictures of my new classroom, which I think I like better, probably because last year's teachers left me a bunch of stuff so I have more resources.

 Threw in a couple of the school in case you've forgotten.....

So school's going well so far.  At times the kids are insane and I have to remind myself they're children.
    Some more things about school before I go off and talk about my free time, which sometimes consists of more than just laying in bed.  (which, sidenote, I did on Thanksgiving, literally only left bed to feed myself or steal some paprika from upstairs cause I had a calling for deviled eggs, so I climbed through their window to get it.)  ........... The school actually took us on an outing to the ruins.  It was pretty cook, but since I went last year with the kids, it wasn't that interesting this year.  Not really all about looking at stones and what not, but I got to keep up with my tan haha.  We had Dia del Nino again, well they always have it, soooooo..... Anyways here's a few pictures from that, we got pizza this year so that was pretty exciting!

 Here's everything for the kids. Pop, cupcakes, bags of goodies, almost like a birthday party; and then the kids do secret friend where they exchange gifts with each other.

 I was in charge of the chalk station.....yea not coincidence, you know I picked that one since all I had to do was sit there and watch them draw with chalk.

 The kids got to come in street clothes....they're definitely more fashionable than me

 the boys pinata fell off the hallway, and of course they fall down with it to get the candy

 the girls are a little better at getting all the candy, but it's still a fight

So then we had Independence Day, same as last year, marching through the streets in the hot weather, here's a few of that......

this is just them lining up....

 My student last year, she was Indian Bonita the year before

     So after that like 15 teachers went to the biggest waterfall in central america, or the second biggest? it's only 70 feet smaller than Niagra Falls...Pulhapanzak, and it's like an hour outta San Pedro.  It was awesome.  some of the teachers...by some all but me and another, went in the waterfall, I wasn't feeling very daring, and I'm still a little scared from scuba diving in Roatan over Semana Santa in the Spring, so dangerous waters, not really a fan, and I don't regret it, especially looking back at these pictures.

 So here you can kinda see the teachers down by a pool of water they had to swim through to walk up behind the waterfall...basically if they slip, they die

 I got to be in charge of all the cameras......idiots.....but to their defense, it was still only the first month, they had no idea I would do this on all of them hahahahaha.......

So that was our first outing together, the teachers this year are different than last, most of them are older and have lived in another country or studied/volunteered in another country at one point, so it's cool to hear all their stories.  After the waterfall we went to stay at a brewery which was really cool.  They brew their own beer, which was delicious.  And the cabins we stayed in were nice too, I got to stay in a newer one with it's own bathroom because the boys didn't want to share beds, so they switched with my group of girls for the room, suckerssssss....their bathroom then became outside and they slept in bunkbeds in a tiny room, but it was clean, I think it's called the D&D Brewery?  Something like that.  And then it was for a night, we had Mon and Tues off since the parade was Sat, it was considered a work day, so they gave us Tuesday too, silly Honduras.  So basically I had a week off school because that was the week I flew home for Katie and Tim's wedding!  Which was exciting and fun and I'm glad I went home for it!

When I returned it was games qualifying for the World Cup, and of course Honduras is in it to win.  We got to watch a couple of games, the Canada game, which was a blow out, was cool because there's a few of them here.  In Feburary Honduras plays the states here I guess, so that'll be great!  It's the second round....surprising for the states, who didn't even go to the Olympics.  Then it came time for my birthday.  It was great because this year I didn't have free periods before the end of the day when we're allowed to celebrate, so the kids tried to tell me I couldn't go to the room because it was so much better outside (which is was a glorious day), so I played soccer with the boys in class while the girls set up.  Of course there was pie to the face, but this time instead of them putting it on my face, they basically asked me to just put my head in the cake, but it was edible this year!  haha, so I kinda caked myself.  But both classes worked together and I was thankful to have such wonderful students celebrate with me.  And of course the party with the teachers was a blast, we did trivia, which is always so fun!


This is post cake-ing myself, the girl who took it can write things on pictures, and this is what came up haha

So let's see, I'm finally to Octoberrrrrrrrr......the spelling bee happened!  5th grade did not win, but they did a very good job, I was so proud of them!  Here's a few of those, with all the kids crammed into a small space, yeaaaaa pre-kinder all the way to 12th grade in that little area.  (the kids are my 5th graders this year).

So the Spelling Bee was pretty much a wash of a day, so they made a half day......yea here they can just do that.

Halloween.....hmmmm this year we didn't do anything.  No dressing up, it kinda just snuck up on us.  But that's alright, because now I'm to November!

So we had conferences, which when we didn't have our translator, and even when she was in there, I think I did a nice job talking to the parents.  Definitely can understand just about everything, but the talking just keeps getting me because in English I talk so fast, so in Spanish I wanna talk fast because my brain is going fast, but I'm not there yet, so I think that's what gets me hung up.  But usually if people talk slow with me I can respond easier.

So now it's the last day of Thanksgiving Break, (even though they had on the calendar it's next weekend because our boss who makes it is Canadian and doesn't know haha.)  I'm trying to cherish it, even though I didn't really do anything cool this weekend.  Some of the teachers went to Antigua in Guatemala (what I did last year), some went to La Ceiba (and almost dies white water rafting, thank god I passed on that trip), some tried to go to El Tunco in El Salvador, but the border told them they'd deport them because they're technically, all of us, are here illegally and haven't left for 90 days or something like that, so they came back to Copan.  But we randomly ran into them in Chiqimula in Guatemala, about an hour and a half away from Copan, me and a teacher with her brother and friend went Friday for the day so I could get chocolate chips. It's just a bigger town with a mall.  But it was a pretty relaxing weekend, with nothing getting accomplished except cleaning....went a littleeeee crazy with bleach and now my hand hurts, but everything is just so clean!

3 weeks, this Wednesday exactly, until I fly home for Christmas!  I'm getting excited for that, it'll be a nice break.  I don't really think there's much else, facebook has more pictures of course.....I'm still enjoying my time, and the Hondurans keep talking about next year when I teach here haha, so they've already got it and think I'm staying, but it's too early to tell, not comepletely ruled out, but it would be nice to go somewhere and make some money....of course in Central/South America, or Mexico even.  O! and I've become quite the little cook, I made homemade macaroni and cheese last night and it was EXCELLENT!  My own sauce and everything.  I'm just becoming so domesticated....I need to get a hobby......which I guess will be soccer coach for the older girls, starting tomorrow, provided there are enough girls to house a team....and me and another teacher might play on a women's team in a couple weeks, maybe, we'll see, it's Honduras so some things are just talk.  But don't worry, I still find plenntttyyyy of time to watch/read the Bear's games, that's one thing I keep up with, and will never fade away.  Hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving, with lots of food and pie....any extra pie you can mail down here, mails been faster now that rainy season is pretty much over, so like apple pie or something would last I think haha.  See you all in a few weeksssssss!