Back to School

I procrastinate on updating our blog when I don't feel like uploading pictures. Somehow I think you can't post without a picture to go along with the news. A few exciting things have happened lately and I thought I should share.

#1 I got a job! Not just any job, a real job! I am teaching Spanish full time now at Lake Washington High School in Kirkland. We started school this week and so far I am enjoying it. I teach 3 first year classes and 2 fourth year. I feel so lucky to have a reliable job with benefits.

#2 We got to hear the baby's heartbeat! This was a big deal for me because I have been driving myself crazy thinking that I might not be pregnant. Since I don't really have many normal pregnancy symptoms (no morning sickness etc.) I keep having these thoughts like "wait, am I really pregnant or am I just making it up?" Last week I was able to hear the heartbeat and as my midwife said "wow that is a great hearbeat and sounds like a cute kid. Yep I can tell this one is going to be cute." I don't know how much cuteness you can tell from a heartbeat but it sure was nice to know that indeed there is a little baby in there. I am now about 15 or 16 weeks and in a couple more weeks we will have an ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby.

#3 Before my job started we had the chance to go camping for a long weekend on the Olympic Penninsula. David, my mom and I went over to the coast and had a hiking filled weekend in the Olympic rainforest and on the beach. We stayed at Mora Campground and took day trips to the nearby national forest and beaches. We lucked out with the weather and I really enjoyed revisiting those places. It has been a long time since we've been there and it brought back many childhood camping memories.

Its time for some news...

Well I think it is time we made it official online. WE ARE PREGNANT!!! Or rather, I am pregnant. We are looking forward to welcoming a baby into our family sometime around Febrary 18, 2010. We found out 2 weeks before we came home from Honduras which was very exciting because we could share the news with everyone there. Our favorite comment was "Oh how exciting you're going to have a Honduran baby!" Well, not really but they can think what they want. We then came home to the US and were able to surprise all of our family. We are now 13 weeks along and everything is going great. I haven't had really any morning sickness and have been feeling pretty good. We'll keep you posted as time goes on...

Back in the USA

Well I guess we are overdue for an update. I has officially been one month since we spent our last day in Copan. I look back and it feels like our Honduran experience is quickly slipping away into a dream and that our life here in the States has always been this way. Except for the few things we brought back and our folders full of pictures it seems like we never even went away. I had to include this last picture that I mentioned way back around Valentine's day. They dye the chicks different colors and then sell them on the street. After they grow new feathers the only trace of dye left is around their eyes. It's pretty funny to see chickens with green, purple or pink masks on.

So far we have been enjoying some time relaxing, visiting family and friends and have been looking for jobs (which can be a challenge right now).

For the 4th of July we went up to Leavenworth with Daniel and Laura (David's brother and his wife) and we stayed at my grandparents house. We had a fun time walking around town, going to the 4th of July breakfast, playing mini-golf and pretty much sitting around. We drove into Wenatchee to see the fireworks and lucked out on our parking spot and had a perfect view of the show. David and I then stayed an extra 2 days to spend more time with my grandparents and celebrate my grandma's birthday with the rest of my family.
David got a job as a tutor at an education center and is enjoying working one on one with high school students teaching math and reading. For his interview he had to take the SAT and I am proud to say he did very well (we would hope so after getting his college degree). I on the other hand have been taking longer. I went to Colorado for a few days to visit family after my Step-Grandpa passed away. Since then I have been trying to figure out what I am going to do. I just got a Nanny job for the month of August and that will hold me over until I figure out what is next.

Goodbye Copan

Well the time has come at last. We are at the end of our adventure here in Honduras and are getting ready to come back to the U.S. The past few days we have been being lazy here in Copan and have been doing all of our ¨lasts.¨Last walk up to school, last trip to Jaqueline´s house to tutor Isaac, last baleada, last trip to the pool, last trek back down to our house in the mud, last laundry by hand in the pila, last night sleeping with the fan on, last time turning on the faucet and hearing the dreadful sound of no water, last time teaching at church etc. There are so many more things that really summarize our trip. We are so sad to leave our friends here but feel really ready to come home and move on to what is next for us.

What is next? Well we are returning to Seattle where we will be staying with my mom for a little while until we get our lives figured out. David is applying for actuarial jobs in the Seattle and Portland areas and we hope to hear back soon about those opportunities. Pretty much the location in which we settle depends on that. For the summer we will be around and would love to see everyone and catch up.

Just a little about our last couple of days in Copan.

Yesterday we went to lunch with a couple of other teachers at Marisol´s house. Her official title at school is secretary but she is so much more than that. She and the director Norma are amazing women and we really enjoy spending time with them. Plus they know about EVERYONE in town and can fill us in on the happenings. We enjoyed a delicious lunch and great company.

Last night we were told by Jaqueline to come by around 5pm for a family night with her and some people from church. We came and it was just her family and David and I until about 6 when a bunch of people from church showed up. We then realized that it was really a going away party for us with a few gifts and all. We felt so loved. It is interesting how you don´t really fully realize the community you have built until you are about to leave it. We felt the same leaving Bellingham and now leaving Copan. We can´t wait until we are once again settled in.

Now this is something David and I have been planning on writing for a long time. At our school there are many students who are on scholarships of various levels that give them a chance to have a private bilingual education. We walk to school some mornings with Daniel who is the most smiley second grader and tries so hard to talk to us in English as we walk up the big hill. He has a scholarship that lets him go to school and he is a great example of a student who tries and really deserves it. Now that the computer lab is up an running he is one of about 10 boys who stay regulary afterschool to play around in kids Encarta. A couple of years ago there was a big scholarship program with sponsorships from the States. Recently sponsors have dropped out and left a lot of students without scholarship. The school didn´t want to send the kids away so has been paying so that many can continue even though the school can´t really afford it. I guess where this is heading is that on behalf of Mayatan we would like to ask if anyone would be interested in sponsoring a student that you consider helping a child at Mayatan. We would be happy to get you more information.

Well this is probably our last e-mail from Honduras. We head out on a bus at 5:15 tomorrow and are planning to arrive in Seattle at night. See you all soon!

Pul-han-pan what?

This past weekend Zach, David and I went on a quick trip to Lago de Yojoa, the biggest lake in Honduras. We took a few busses and arrived in a small roadside town. We took a minibus up to Cerro Azul (Blue mountain) and stayed there the first night. It was a beautiful national park and we spent the first afternoon hiking more than we anticipated.
Here we are at the viewpoint looking over the lake and surrounding forest. We were going to turn back here but then decided to make the full 7km loop despite the fact that we were tired, starving and hot. So the loop took us down a valley, up another mountain and then down back to the visitor's center of the park. By that point we were famished and cranky and it didn't help to find out that dinner wouldn't be ready for another 45 minutes.
After our stay at Cerro Azul we had an aventure looking for another hotel closer to the lake. We went to two different ones that were pretty run down and seemed to be past their prime. It was as if they were constructed about 30 years ago and then haven't been touched since. We opted for another hotel that had been recommended by some other teachers. When we arrived we found it to also be dissapointing due to the fact that the owners were in the middle of some problems. The wife apparently pressed fake charges on the husband and got him put in jail. Needless to say you could tell that the hotel was undergoing some management changes for the worst.

The highlight of our trip was this amazing waterfall called Pulhapanzak which was 44m high. It was beautiful and the surrounding greenery was breathtaking.David and Zach paid for a guide to take them behind the waterfall to a cave and then cliff jumping. I decided to stay back and take pictures.
Oh and Zach almost fell off the cliff. Well....sort of.
I wanted to add a picture of this vibrant tree that is blooming right now all over Honduras. It is called a Llama del bosque, Flame of the forest, and it truly is flame like. I love it.
Now for a few random pictures of recent events.

Isaac's birthday was last week. I like how he was handed a giant knife and was playing with it while waiting for us to be ready to light the candles.
One morning last week we had a breakfast potluck at Zach's apartment before heading to school for a work day. We had delicious french toast, orange juice and fruit.
After breakfast I decided to document our walk to school. This is the first of many hills up to school. I like how this picture shows cars blocking each other, garbage on the street and people that we pass each morning. It is fun to see the same faces each day. Oh and by the way, the garbage gets swept up. Usually women clean up in front of their houses and then water the street to keep the dust down. I wonder if it actually helps.

Rainforest hike

David and Zach and some other teachers went on a hike early Saturday in the rainforest just outside of Copan. They have been hiking machines lately making early morning hikes a regular Saturday event. This week they tried out their machetes in the dense rainforest. David has had his machete all year and was just itching to use it sometime. Don't worry, destruction wasn't their goal, they just used them to blaze a trail. Here Zach is forming a trail into the rainforest. Apparently it was difficult to get in.

Last Day of School!

School is out! We finished up last week and it all went by so fast. I felt like there should be some more closure or something but no, it just ended. I have to say there is something about knowing it is the end of the year that makes the students go crazy. As hard as I tried to capture a good moment with them in the last few, I was disappointed to see that it was full of fighting, yelling, arguing, and name-calling. It is hard to like them when all I do is put out fires. Up until literally the last minute they were pushing their boundaries. But I think back on the year and I know there have been some very good times. They are a cute bunch and have really formed a united group. When I asked them how they wanted to spend the last day they said "just with our class, not the entire 5th grade" I take that as a compliment as I have tried to form a very close group. I asked them to tell me their favorite thing we did this year. By far the winners were: digging holes, going to the bird park and our morning circle.
So we started out last day by cleaning up. Luis is standing on top of the cubbies trying to scrape the double stick foam tape off the wall. That is the only thing that works on the walls here to put up posters. In the afternoon we hiked up behind the school to a place on the hill for our picnic party. Their idea of a party includes popcorn, chips, candy, cookies and Coke.
And there you have it. I will miss seeing these guys but sure don't mind that I don't have to teach them anymore.