School's In......

So last night Julian and I, after a dinner of quesadillas, walked down to Jim's Pizza. We saw a bit of the game but only stayed for a couple of drinks before heading home. He had to be up early for his bus and once again I was tired. I think the travel day from before had caught up.

This morning’s (Monday) breakfast was at 7am. Pancakes with syrup and papaya. Sara and Ernesto grow much of their own fruit...bananas, papaya, lemons, oranges and more. Sara also buys tortillas from a little girl that comes every morning to the house. Her name is Concepcion and she told me that she gets up at 3am every day to make them so she can sell them in the village. She is adorable and her talent for carrying her basket on her head (like many of the Honduran women) astounds me.

Concepcion;

After breakfast Julian left for Santa Rosa. I was a little sorry to see him go....as he was also a student his Spanish was slower than the norm and we could converse well. I struggle to keep up with the conversation in the house as they talk so fast (normal speed for them). I find myself saying "otra vez, por favor"....again please.

 I was at Ellen’s house this morning by 8am as we were headed to the village of Carrisalon. Marel, Ellen and I squished in to Marel's toyota and we were off. It's only about 25 minutes from Copan but the road we went up once we left the main road was unreal. Marel put the four wheel drive on and we basically climbed a cliff face. I still can't believe we did and Ellen told me "just wait...this was another good road. Along the way we came across a little boy wearing a shirt and no pants or shoes....Not sure what the thought process is in giving him a shirt rather than shoes or pants. We stopped so Ellen could give him one marble (they are a prized possession here for the boys and there are some hard fought marble games)!

The look on his face says it all; 

As we were on the rough road we picked up three men who climbed in to the bed of the truck…a normal mode of transport. One of the men, Geronimo (for real), is the leader of the village. We spent about an hour at the school. It was the children’s first day so not all the kids were there. They were washing the furniture (what little they have) and getting the classrooms ready. Some of the students have to stand as there aren’t enough desks or chairs. Also, each classroom is a separate building and there isn’t enough space for all the children. Ellen was there to see if an expansion to two of the buildings was possible. She is struggling with this though. This school although poor does at least have some books and a well-used blackboard. She told me that tomorrow we will visit Boca del Monte and Sinai. These are two of her poorest communities and the children often go days without food. They don’t even have the most basic of school supplies. She also has five schools that are waiting for bathrooms. When a school doesn’t have a bathroom, the children just go in the fields or woods and have nowhere to wash their hands. Of course this spreads very unnecessary disease. So, she has to decide if she helps the community of Carrisalon with improving their buildings or, for the same amount of money, she can build bathrooms for five schools. Not a decision I would want to make. Some of the children happily posed for a photo and were all giggles when I showed them their picture on the camera;

 As we walked back to the truck, Geronimo brought over two widows. There are seven widows in their small village and I’m told their husbands were either murdered (common) or died of sickness (also common). Ellen gave them out notebooks and crayons for the children. By law every child is supposed to wear a uniform and have a notebook and pencil before they are allowed to attend school. The government doesn’t pay for this and for people who struggle to put food on the table, 50 cents (which is what a notebook costs here) is beyond their means. In the campesinos (rural communities) like Carrisalon there is nobody to enforce this so many kids don’t have either.  We were back in Copan by about 10:30am.  When I got home I found out I could switch rooms. I took the one that Julian had. It has a TV so I can try to watch some Spanish television at night. And, I actually prefer it. More shelves.  Lunch was a delicious soup of rice, potato, peppers, tomatoes and chicken. It was beyond good.

 Then it was time for school……My lessons this week are scheduled from 1:30pm to 5:30pm. I had just enough time to pick up a coffee (great coffee and stupid cheap) and head to class. It's about a ten minute walk from my homestay. I think I mentioned the tuk tuks. They are every where and I'm told never to pay more than 8 lempiras to get anywhere in town (that's about 50cents). I prefer to walk though. The steep hills keep me honest and you get to interact with the many people that are out and about.

Tuk Tuk;

or if you prefer.....

After a quick introduction at the school, I was asked to write an entrance exam to see what level I was and I then I my teacher Delmy. She is 60 years old and taught at the local college. Seems very nice and patient. We chatted for quite a while then she went through some oral questions. I must have done OK as I was given the workbook for advanced students!! We had a 25minute break in our four hour class which I really needed. It also gave me time to get back to the same coffee shop and buy my $1.20 latte. Our entire lesson was based around questions on the exam and led to various other conversations. While she is very nice she is quick to correct me. I have her as my teacher all week but beyond that I don’t know if they will switch teachers on us. From what I can tell there are about 8 other students who have classes in the afternoon. Can’t say how many for the morning. The school is located in a fairly modern building and the classrooms are all outside in small covered areas. My first impression was positive and the director Enrique seems very accommodating. I was especially happy to be able to borrow my favourite verb book (501 Spanish verbs) which I hadn’t brought as you can probably guess from its title, is big and heavy. Class ended with homework assigned from my workbook. Tonight I will get up close and personal with the Imperative…..

Guacamaya School;

I can tell you now (as I’ve just  done my homework) that the Imperative is not a tense but a “mood”. It is used to express a command and I‘m sure that you are now as happy as I am knowing that fact!! I don’t know that I will be able to keep up daily posts as my homework tonight took me a couple of hours. I have plans to go with Ellen tomorrow and Wednesday but then may have to sit out a couple of days to make sure I pay enough attention to my studies. It is the reason I came here and I want to make sure I take every opportunity.

Estoy cansada! Out….

Bienvenido a Copan Ruinas....

Welcome to Copan Ruinas…..That was the first sign I saw as we entered the limits of the town. That was about three hours ago. It’s now 8:30pm (its one hour behind here) and I’m in bed in what is to be home for the next three weeks. It was a long day getting here. Here is a picture I took out of the aircraft window…my first visual of Honduras.

It is such a green country made so obvious by the bird’s eye view as we flew over. The mountains are spectacular and palm trees abound. I got to see some of the villages as our aircraft got low and I could already see the poverty experienced by so many here. Our flight was a little late landing. Sleeping Beauty hadn't bothered to fill in his landing and immigration card so started to try to do it as I was waiting to get out of the from the window seat. I think he took the hint when I stood up with bags in hand.

Marel was there to meet me as promised along with his lovely wife and their two adorable kids. It was a fun ride back..if fun is the correct word. Basically think of every rule of the road as we know it and then throw each one completely out of the window. Quite simply there are no rules here when it comes to driving. Combine this with the fact that everyone who gets behind the wheel loses all patience well then maybe you get the picture.

It’s about a three and a half hour ride but the traffic was horrific getting out of the city so that slowed us down a little. We stopped part way for a snack and I tried something that Marel likened to banana bread. It was much moister and needed to be eaten with a spoon. Wow it was good….sign me up for more of those.  As we zipped up the mountains getting closer to Copan and careened around hairpin bends I could hear my dad telling me to make sure I insisted that he (Marel) drove carefully. Well we made it here in one piece is all I can say!

We arrived in Copan at dusk so I didn’t get to see much. From what I did see I knew I was going to like it. Cobbled streets, steep hills and men wearing sombrero’s clip clopping on horses along the street on horseback. Arriving at the home of my host family, Sara and Ernesto Vega, I was also met by Ellen Finn of Project School Supplies. It was so nice to finally meet her after months of emails. I was shown to my room which was clean and comfortable. I have my own bathroom off my room. It’s hard to describe the setup of the house. The student rooms (they can accommodate several students) are located off of an open breeze way. There is also a nice veranda on the second level which will be nice as a place to sit and study. We sat around the dinner table with another student from Quebec City, Julian. He speaks little English and as my French is virtually non-existent Spanish is the language of choice. Julian is in his mid 50’s and is on his travels for two months. He leaves tomorrow for Santa Rosa, a nearby town then is working his way through Central America to Costa Rica where he flies home in March. I settled down to my first dinner of tortillas, scrambled egg with red onion, fried plantains and black beans. All delicious and I was hungrier that I thought.  Sara and Ernesto speak virtually no English and all of the conversation was in Spanish. As tired as I was, Sara corrected me a few times. I don’t think she will let me get away with any poor grammar which is why I am here.

It was a fairly early night for me as I was exhausted. I unpacked then went straight to bed with only a little time to start this blog. Some pictures of my room.....

Day 2….Climb every mountain…..

I slept like a log and awoke at 5am to the sound of the cockerels. I snoozed again and was up at 7am. After a quick shower and breakfast (toast, bananas and oranges), Julian took me over to Ellen’s which is just a few minutes away. I was tagging along with Ellen for a trip up the mountain to visit the Ramirez children, Maria, Isaiah and Alex. Ellen has somewhat adopted them. They are three children that were orphaned about 4 years ago when their grandmother died. They have struggled to get by but with a little help from Ellen’s fundraising efforts, she was able to build them a new house about two years ago. We took a tuk tuk (taxi) up the side of a mountain to reach their house which is on the edge of a small village. 

View part way up the mountain (excuse the quality)..

Ellen and Isaiah told me the name but I forget it now. We went with another lady Anna and a student Reign also from Canada. Ellen had baked a chocolate cake for Isaiah as it is his 19^th birthday today. The dirt road to their village is, they tell me, in good repair, but I thought it was rough. Many rocks and gulley’s where the water has eroded the road. The views though are magnificent. We were given a warm welcome and I can see why these now young adults have stolen Ellen’s heart. I played football with Isaiah (he lives for his football) and then we all went for a walk through the village. Isaiah proudly showed us his coffee plants which he is growing on the hillside above his house. After it was time for cake. I had brought them all a few gifts. Thanks so much to Sandy and her sister (you know who you are). They had put together some toiletry bags for men and women and filled them with soap, face cloths, hair stuff, toothbrushes etc. They were all excited but Maria especially was overwhelmed. When she saw the colourful hair things included her excitement was catching. It is also the first facecloth they have ever had.  I had also bought them some maple fudge and for the boys work gloves and Maria kitchen mitts so she wouldn’t burn her hands. She cooks over an open flame in one corner of the kitchen which is the second room of her two room house.

View from the Ramirez children's house....

The studio where Maria makes pottery and sells to tourists for $1.

                                                      

 Their house;

We returned to Copan by about 11:30am and after grabbing a few things I headed in to the centre of Copan to find Café San Rafael…which is where I am presently downing my second “Imperial” beer. The café is gorgeous and I'm sitting in the shade on the patio out of the sun (weather is stunning). It also has free Wi-Fi and I wanted to send a few emails to let everyone know I got here and to update the blog. I will leave here to take a stroll around Copan then head back to the house. There is a super bowl party tonight so I will make an appearance at “Jims Pizza”….not very Honduran sounding is it?

Cafe San Rafael;

Main street leading to the Square in Copan:

Anyway…that’s it for today.  My first impressions of Copan are very positive. Everyone has told me that that town is exceptionally safe even at night. The people here recognise the value that tourists have and work hard to maintain their traditions and the integrity and safety of their town. Once I am a little more familiar I will post some photos of the town.

Hasta manana….

In Transit.....

Well, as I type this, from seat 29F, I can still see the Miami coast. We just took off from Miami bound for San Pedro Sula. I mention my seat number because I caused minor confusion first sitting in 27F. This of course caused a domino effect. It wasn’t until the third person who was going to be forced to sit in the wrong seat insisted on the seat she had been ticketed for. Finally all eyes glared at me as the culprit and I apologetically moved to my correct seat. It sort of reminded me of when I am at the grocery store and I start to walk off with someone else’s trolley! You feel bad about it at the time then laugh about it a minute or so later.

But let me back up……yesterday was a whirlwind. I repacked one case as I figured I could save 1Lb by switching suitcases.  Along with my clothes I am taking a ridiculous amount of school supplies and toys. Yesterday I must have been on and off the bathroom scales a dozen times. I knew, as Brent took me to the airport this morning, that I was slightly overweight (in my luggage that is…save the snide comments).  We arrived at the airport at about 4:15am but even then the place was packed. My plan, if they tried to charge me, was to open my case right in front of all the other passengers and loudly declare that I was giving away crayons and pencils etc. as I couldn’t take them with me to give to the poor children……I hoped this would at least make American Airlines feel bad. I figured even if it didn’t help, it would at least make me feel better. A very nice agent came up to me in line and helped me with my tags. I made an effort to be extra nice and inquired as to how her morning was going. As my first (and lightest) case hit the scale….bingo…50lbs exactly (phew). Then it was the one I was dreading…..52lbs…2lbs over….the same very nice agent said “not to worry, I’m not concerned with 2lbs…..Note to self…Be nice to people!

 I then spent a ridiculous amount of time waiting to clear US customs. Finally at 5:40am it was my turn to approach the agent. I tried again to be extra nice as by now I was getting tight for time. I raced up to the guy (trying to give the impression of….”I’m really in a rush here” – my flight had started boarding). Obviously it didn’t work and my niceness was lost on him. He told me as I smiled and tried to hand him my declaration card, “put it on the counter and I’ll get it when I’m ready”. He then proceeded to slowly pour himself a coffee from a flask he had behind the counter, took great care to screw the top back on and took a sip. Finally he picked up by documents and passport and gave me the all clear. I threw my bags on the belt, raced through security and down to the gate. A quick trip to the ladies as they were making the last call for the flight……Hence my good intentions to post from YYZ while leisurely sipping on my Second Cup coffee didn’t materialise. The flight from Toronto to Miami was uneventful. I was so tiered I snoozed most of the way. Miami wasn’t much to write home about…. Quick sky tram trip to the right terminal and just enough time to buy a snack. However, sitting in the departures lounge at Miami it slowly started to sink in about what is ahead of me. I was one of only a few non-Hispanic passengers. All the signs and announcements were in Spanish and English and most of the conversation around me was in Spanish. It was even more evident when I boarded. All PA’s in Spanish and magazines in both languages. In a way it a nice transition from the English to the Spanish. On a side note I wish I had stayed in the wrong seat. The late 20’s something young lady next to me in row 27 was in the throes of telling me her immigration problems. Her husband (who turns out to technically not be her husband, legally that is, got caught by U.S. immigration and turfed back to Honduras). They have three kids, one which is hers from another relationship (or whatever) and two that she has had with her un-husband. I even got to see pictures on the laptop before I had to retreat to my correctly assigned seat. Now this couple is next to me and the guy is irritating. We haven’t actually spoken but he started to annoy me shortly after take-off. As I’m at the window seat he kept trying to see out of the window and by doing so was entering my seat space. Now he has fallen asleep (good job or he’d probably try to read this) and is taking up the entire armrest also in my seat space. Perhaps his arm will slip and he will wake up with a “jolt”. I can only hope.

So we land in about one hour. My plans are slightly different than from what I originally posted. I am getting picked up at the airport by the assistant of Ellen Finn (of Project School Supplies). It means I should be in Copan by about 6pm tonight. I don’t know when I will get the opportunity to post this as I don’t start school until Monday afternoon.

Out for now……

Deb.

P.S. Sleeping beauty was really leaning so I did the accidental bump combined with the “Oh Sorry”…..

Once upon a time.......

After studying Spanish for four years I decided that 2011 was the year to try an "immersion" type program. As I'm determined to become fluent I figured this was the next step. My decision to go to Copan Ruinas, Honduras was made after much research on the internet, countless hours reading personal reviews from other travelers and wanna be students that have made similar such trips.

Why Copan Ruinas and where is it?


View Larger Map

Copan Ruinas is a municipality in the Honduran Department of Copan. It is located in the western part of Honduras, about 12km's from the Guatemalan border. Until I began researching Spanish schools I knew very little about Honduras and had never heard of Copan Ruinas.

I had thought at first that I would choose a school in Antigua, Guatemala having been there briefly for a day while on a cruise with Brent (husband). It's a stunning town but the more I researched, I realized that there are over 80 schools in Antigua. It seems that hearing English in the plaza's, restaurants and bars etc could be quite common and I knew this was not the experience I wanted so kept on looking.

I stumbled across several reviews for two schools in Copan Ruinas. The town, population of about 6000, seems to offer everything I want. With Mayan ruins nearby the town does cater for tourists. It appears to have some restaurants, internet cafe and hotels. That being said, there still seems to be the need to have to speak Spanish with the locals as many just don't speak English. I'll write more about Copan itself when I'm there as I'll be able to speak from first hand experience. The reviews for both schools are excellent and I don't think I could have gone wrong in choosing either. Finally though, I selected the Guacamaya School (http://www.guacamaya.com/). Some very recent and great reviews cemented my decision.

I fly out February 5th, 2011 on American Airlines to San Pedro Sula, Honduras via Miami. If things go according to plan I will be met at the airport by someone from the Casa El Meson B&B. I have arranged transport to the B&B, dinner, breakfast and a ride to the bus station for the next day. After a night at the Casa El Meson B&B (found courtesy of Trip Advisor, (http://www.casaelmeson.com/) I will board the Hedman Alas tourist bus for the 3 1/2 hour ride to Copan.

I should make it to Copan by about 2pm. Ellen Finn from Project School Supplies (http://www.projectschoolsupplies.org/) has offered to meet me at the bus station and take me to my host family. More on Ellen and the wonderful work she does once I am there.

Next.....packing!