Halloween!

Here in Copan there is not so much as a mention of Halloween. The only people who are brave enough to celebrate it are us teachers and the Peace Corps volunteers. It was a bit strange to not seen anything Halloween related in any store or even a costume or two around town. I thought I might go through the day without seeing a pumpkin or witch. However, some teachers decided to host a party and put their teacher skills to use and created various decorations for their walls. We scavenged for candy around Copan and had an enjoyable time imagining what we would be doing if we were in the United States.

The weather here has improved and it has hardly rained all week. We can see the evidence of this on our street. It is now compacted and and you don't have to watch your step through mud. This past weekend David, Zach and I hiked up to a village about an hour and a half from Copan. It was quite a hike uphill but was full of beautiful views. I couldn't imagine living so far from any type of town. We visited a family that Zach met before and they own a pottery business. They received money from the World Bank to construct a little building and they use it to display their pottery. The clay comes from a nearby mountain and they work with it until it is ready to be made into various pots and plates. David and I got to make pots with the clay and they lady showed us some of her techniques. Later they fed us freshly made tamales and wee ended up buy a few pieces of pottery.

Around town lately people have started selling beautiful flower wreaths, plastic garlands in a rainbow of colors and flower arrangements. This was all for All Saints day which was yesterday. All day yesterday families walked to the cemetery to clean off the graves of their relatives and decorate them with garlands and flowers. We went with a family from church to see the cementary and it was such a beautiful sight. It was so nice to see families together remembering their loved ones.

This week is finals week which means we are already at the end of our first quarter. David has a different schedule and gets the entire afternoon off. I however have the same schedule and just have to give exams throughout my regular class periods. It is nice to end this quarter and then make plans for next. I think all the teachers are excited to make changes in their classrooms after finding out more about what works and what doesn't.