The real life.

      Gracias, Honduras. That is the nice, beautiful, friendly, safe, and small town I live in. Before moving to Gracias I had been to Honduras, twice to be exact. I was aware of what to expect from this gorgeous country, I was aware of the poverty, and I was aware of all the headlines. So when I moved to Gracias and got settled in and used to the great neighborhood I live in, my thoughts and opinions did change a little bit. Prior to living here, I volunteered in small villages outside El Progreso where these villages were not all that safe. We always had guards with us, we traveled in packs, and I was with a well known organization. While I always did feel completely safe, I knew if I was not with such a well known and respected organization I probably would not be feeling this safe. However after moving here, I had the exact opposite feelings. I did feel safe without guards, I can walk around town by myself, the town is practically my family. There is something so magical about Honduras, Gracias especially, that I get lost in its beauty and sometimes forget where I am. Or simply the fact that I am in fact living in a third world country. Except today, today I was reminded so much that I was in fact in a struggling country, in a country that needs help, a country that is not well educated. 

     Today after school we decided to play some soccer with a family that goes to our school at a local field. We went their house to meet them and they soon led us to the field. Instead of taking the long way, we took the short cut of a well walked path through a few hills and over some rocks. Along the way one of my co-workers noticed some biohazard waste bags in some ditches. She asked the father of the family who was with us, what exactly these red bags were. He informed us that they were in fact exactly what we thought they were. They were biohazard waste bags from the local hospitals. You know, just some bags that in the states we take very seriously about disposing of properly (not like they might contain needles or blood or anything!!!) Seeing all these bags just piled into a ditch was eye opening and heartbreaking. On the way back home, I stopped to get another look and to see if they really were items from a hospital or just a few dirty diapers (wishful thinking I know). But that wasn't the case, they were from the hospital. I saw old cotton balls, blood sample containers, needles, gloves, the list goes on. It was in that moment that I was so quickly reminded of where I am. Yes, I am in a very nice neighborhood and town, yet at the same time I am still in Honduras. I am still in a country where the fact that just throwing out a biohazard bag on the ground means nothing to them even though that is illegal, I am still in country that needs help and some educating. 

     Aside from that eye opening experience today, I am still in love with my life and my job. I have never been more happy to live life. My kids are awesome! Yesterday was teacher's day so the kids were not shy of showing you love and I got a cute little bracelet and earrings from a student today. I love waking up in the mornings and knowing I get to see those bright and shining faces! So aside from a more "sad" post, I do love where I am, what I am doing, and who I do it with! 

Night y'all! Miss and love you all mucho! 

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day from Honduras! This past week was a fun filled with custom tailored shirts, lots of band practice, hot Honduran sun, a parade, and one of the most hectic weeks to date. This past week of school was pretty crazy if I must say so myself. It started on Tuesday when we celebrated Day of the Children. This is a day where the kids are allowed to show up wearing normal clothes (not their typical uniforms) and basically think they can do whatever they want. The kids also got cake and pop in celebration of themselves and received an extra long recess. The day was fun in a sense that we got to see some personality in how the children dressed themselves, however giving children cake and pop as a snack is always a great combination. Needless to say the children were a little bit nutty.

One of my favorite 5th graders, Roberto. He might be the next Rico Suave. 

One of my little guys, Harvis on "colors" day.

The rest of the week consisted of getting ready for the Independence Day Parade that would be happening for the whole town on Saturday morning. Each day of school we would take the whole school and practice marching around the block. And if you have ever worked with children before you know that any slight change to a child's schedule leads to a crazy day. My kids took full advantage of that too. By the time we were done practicing, we had about 15 minutes before "Snack time/Recess Time" so I hardly had anytime actually teach last week. However, the madness only lasted a few days and it was a really fun experience to see how they prepare and celebrate their own independence. 

     Bright and early, all us teachers woke and met on Calle Principal (our main street) to wait for our wonderful students to arrive. It was really cool to see all the hard work start coming together, the students looked awesome on all their different themed costumes and all the kids were so excited to show off their hard work. We paraded down the main street and into the main park. Like I mentioned before, it was a fun experience and Honduras loves to show off their pride. I have attached some pictures from the parade. 

Most of us teachers with our custom tailored shirts that we had made for us, and we only had to pay 20 Limperas (about 1 American dollar). Yes, they look kind of similar to a waitress/flight attendant shirt. 

Little Miss Independencia, one of my girls from my class.

Handful of trouble, if I say so myself, not really but just a few of the Prepa boys before the Parade started.

Some of the drum line. 

I don't really remember what the theme of his costume was but all I know is that he was adorable. 

Google's homepage yesterday, the countries bird flying an Honduran flag in his mouth. I found it to be pretty neat!

As a reward for our busy day Saturday, we have today off! So today, I am going to enjoy my day off doing laundry and lesson planning! 

xoxo,

Carly 

"Miss...Miss...Miss Carly"

About one week ago, I sat in a friends classroom as we scrambled to put our finishing touches on our classrooms when I came across my favorite book, Oh the Places You'll Go! by the one and only Dr. Seuss. There was not a more needed moment in my life for that book to come back into my life! If you have not read that book anytime soon, go pick a copy up and read it real quick...talk about a pick-me-up. As I read the book again, as I always do when I am down, worried, stressed, or just want some motivation in my life, a few lines from the book stuck out to me more than usual. It said:

 "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know and YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go."

This is practically the theme for these children in this school, they are the sole deciders of what, where, when, and how they are going in their future. So as the days closed in and the nerves began to overwhelm me, the first day of school was about to start whether I was ready for it or not. I wasn't scared about the teaching or behavior management aspect but to be honest the language barrier was the scariest, enough to make me feel sick. However, like mentioned before the first day was set in stone and the time was not about to stop because I was a little nervous. So first day began and there it was, I was the teacher to 17 beautiful children and this time I was no longer the student! I was officially: Miss Carly! Miss! Miss! Miss Carly, all the kids welcomed me with wide open arms and huge smiles on their faces! I was shocked at how welcoming, loving, and touchy the kids are here; however, I reminded myself that it was a cultural thing and definitely a cultural thing I could get used to.
    So after the first day and the first "real" day filled with work (second day) came to an end, I sat in my classroom waiting for some of my kids parents to pick them up, I was reminded of why I came here in the first place! All the fears, nerves, and anxiety I had prior to school starting, left. It was such a sign of relief to know that the kids are excepting of this crazy blonde headed girl coming into their classroom and speaking only in English! It was such a sign of relief to know that my kids are smart, talented, and so much fun! It was a relief to know that my co-workers are so supportive and all so creative. It has been a crazy ride to get to this point but it finally hit me on my beautiful walk home today, I am living my dream (as of now) and it feels awesome!
    So there is my first day (and second day) update. School has started and things are very different than when and where I went to school but none of it is in no way shape or form bad. Change is good. Change and difference is something that everyone should try! I cannot wait to see what the school year has to offer, how much I will learn and grow, but most importantly see how much my kiddos grow and learn! I know the year is early and there is still a lot to come but I have a great feeling and I am happy with everything right now!

Attached below are a few pictures of my classroom! 

xoxo,

Miss Carly

Blessed!

I LOVE MY LIFE! How cliche is that? Super cliche, I know! I wake up every morning around 6 am, get ready, and walk 10 minutes to school. On my walk to school, it never fails me! Every single day, I am so in love with my walk to class! I walk down the cobble stone roads with the pastel colored houses on both sides, moto-taxis honking and zooming by as background music, and green, luscious mountains in the distance. How could I ever be upset about having to walk to to work? I can't. I remind myself everyday how blessed I am to have this wonderful opportunity. Like today, we went to run some errands and grab a paleta (Honduran Popsicle) from this lady named Diana, who makes so many awesome flavors! (They are bangin' but that is a completely different story) and as we were sitting there enjoying our paletas trying to wait our the rainstorm we here so many honking horns and yelling. We go to look outside an there is a huge political parade happening down the main street. This year is election year and get this, they have seven candidates in the running. So this parade is just first of many for the next month or so. The rain had let up and we decided to walk back home before it started up again and there was so many people in this parade. It felt like the whole town of Gracias was in the parade! They were blaring their horns, waving flags left and right, yelling, all up and down our main street. It  was wild. They crammed at least 20-30 people in one bed of the truck! It was really neat to experience. It's simple moments like that, that remind me of how awesome and cultural it is to be living in Honduras.

    I think it has finally hit me that I live in Central America, in Gracias, Lempira, Honduras. It took some time but I finally feel like this is my home and that I am no longer just someone visiting. The local fruit stands are getting used to our frequent stops, the moto-taxi drivers are starting to realize that honking at us will not get our attention, and I finally have accepted the fact that I will never NOT sweat, no matter what or how far I go. So living here, yes that has hit me but the whole job thing-no. For the past 2 weeks we have been working on decorating our classrooms, lesson planning, and just preparing for school. However, the actual fact that I no longer am a student yet instead I am the teacher and this is my job, a full time 40 hours a week job has yet to sink in. Tuesday is the first day of classes and words cannot even begin to express the emotions I am feeling. Ecstatic? Nervous? Ready? Scared? Anxious? All the above, I feel it all. I can't wait for the first day of school! So that's my life now it's your turn go outside and enjoy the beauty of life and the world!