Thing's I've Learned, Volume 1

• Funerarias are open 24 hours.  You can buy a coffin day or night.
• Getting caught talking on your cell phone while driving only costs about $30 here as opposed to $255 in Ontario.  That is if you even get caught.
• A bus full of teenage boys who have spend all day playing soccer in +40^oC is stinky (but fun!)
• If you want to find someone, just shout their name until they come.
• Your status is measured by how many keys you have – I only have four so I’m not cool.
• The sun is always there and 9:30am is a perfectly good time to get a sunburn… on your ankles…
• …The term “Community Driving” which means that you actually have to care about the other people on the road or nobody will survive.
• A ratio of 1 teacher to 100 children can still make for a successful morning routine.
• Grab on to the back of a truck if you need a ride up the side of a mountain on your bike.

Happy Easter!

Semana Santa (Holy Week) means “spring break” in these parts.  All the regular teachers have the week off and many of the children have gone home to spend the week with their families.  The younger girls have gone to spend the week at the older girls’ residence in Santa Lucia and about a dozen boys from the Technical Institute and the Agricultural School have come to spend the week at El Hogar.  The campus is “quiet” at about half capacity.

The Celebration of Semana Santa started last Friday with a procession around the property to stations where a few children would read a part of the Easter story.  The priest from St. Mary's came to share and Profe Heyser led the procession with music. 

On Sunday, when most of the kids were getting picked up, a young boy came running up to me with his backpack bursting at the seams and told me excitedly “Profe Erika, voy a salir a mi casa!”  He was one of many who were looking forward to spending the week at his house.  Later that afternoon, I saw the same little boy walking over to the line up for dinner without his backpack.  At the same time, two other boys, one with tears in his eyes, came over and wrapped their arms around me and told me that they couldn’t go home.  I could only imagine the hurt and disappointment they must have felt and it made me more cognizant of the essential work that El Hogar does to provide a safe and loving home for these children.

The teachers on duty for the week made sure to fill the days with fun activities for everyone.  There was soccer, lego, bowling, colouring, swimming, movies and more soccer to keep everyone busy. We even had a pizza party (and the 15 pizzas arrived on the back of a motorcycle).

I took part in all of the activities, but also helped the administrator catch up on some paperwork (I do love data entry!)… which I was happy to help with as it meant I could take a break from the blazing sun…  Many rumor that this is the hottest week of the year and although I only have six weeks of experience, I agree with that already.

On Wednesday, I joined the older boys on a hike at La Tigra National Park; the first national park in Honduras.  It is just under an hour outside of Tegucigalpa and we drove along roads that made me happy I was wearing a sports bra...  We hiked for about four hours.  It was cool and humid, with beautiful views.

We stopped for a short break for lunch at the cascada (waterfall.)

I swear, the whole four hours was uphill…  And this isn’t one of those “we walked to school uphill both ways in the snow in our dad’s pyjamas” type exaggerations.  My legs today (yes, three days later) speak for themselves.  I thought the 10km Gran Maraton was hard!

Better Late than Never!

A 4:15am wake-up call, a breakfast of frijoles, pan y café, loading vans with t-shirts, signs and people and we were off to Villa Olimpica for the Grand Maratón.

Hundreds of people arrived at the start line, and there was a flurry of last minute participants.  The staff of El Hogar got everyone registered and assigned a bib number. About 25 children from El Hogar, and another dozen or so from the Technical Institute and Agricultural School were sponsored to run as well.  (Photo courtesy of El Hogar's Facebook Page)

Eduardo Bennett led everyone in a warm up, and then we were off.

Ten kms through the winding hills of Tegucigalpa, I would find myself happily running down a hill, but then remember that I would have to run back up it eventually…   I finished with a time of 1:17.  Nothing to write home about, but considering I had no training, I’m pleased enough!

The gates of El Hogar were open as everyone crossed the finish line. 

The atmosphere was exciting as the Folk Dancers danced and the Marimba Band marimba-ed. 

Claudia, Lazaro and Matt handed out the trophies to the winners of each category.  Two boys from El Hogar came second and third in the 2km catetory!

We even had some extra protection…

The staff have worked overtime for the past few weeks promoting and preparing for the marathon, and got a much deserved day off the Monday after.  Mucho tiempo libre and naps for everyone!  (Mine may have been 2.5 hours...)