Our December...
Only one more day until we leave for Illinois. We are excited that we're going to see all our friends and family but not so excited to be back in the Midwest weather!
-Ken
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Tuk-Tuk Ride in Copan
Here is the video of us in the Tuk-Tuk when we stayed in Copan over Thanksgiving. We weren't able to upload it before for some reason.
We are heading to the Mayan Ruins. Its a great way for you to see how it felt going there down all of the cobble-stone streets. Be careful...you might get car sick!!
Mazapan Christmas Show
Last night, Mazapan School had their annual Christmas Show for parents. Pre-K-12 grade performed on stage to various Christmas songs through skits, dances, and tv game shows! It was a very, very cool show indeed.
For the past 7 weeks, my 4th grade students have been working very hard to learn the dance that I choreographed for them to the song "All I Want for Christmas"(I guess I'm the first teacher to choreograph their own show too!! Thanks 8th grade poms and 5 years of ballet when I was 8!). After being inspired by the movie Love Actually, I thought this song would be a great way to show off my "skills" as the new 4th grade teacher to all of the parents of my school.
I couldn't have expected my students to perform any better! They did absolutely amazing and I was so proud of them and all of their dedication. Their parents were floored last night too and they couldn't stop giving congratulations to them and to me last night :)
Here is the video that I recorded of my students performing to "All I Want for Christmas". I hope that you enjoy it!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas?
Erika and I are sitting around under blankets, drinking hot chocolate. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in Honduras. The sky is overcast, rain has been falling all day and into the night, and it has been very chilly indeed. I even had to wear my coat all day so that I didn't catch a cold. It's too late for Erika. What is this, cold number 9 for her this year?!?
It's been a bleak day with a low of 66 degrees. That's right 66! And we are cold! I don't know what's going to happen to us when we get off that airplane at O'Hare!
Man, I love Marshmallows in my hot chocolate.
Ceiba has been decorating the city with all sorts of things; stars, christmas trees, lights, figurines of Santa and Jesus. It is like any city in America would decorate their city - But no snow! I can't get over that. It just looks wrong to have a light-up Santa in full regalia, hat, coat, boots and all, but with no snow! Why would Santa wear all that when he comes to Honduras? I want my Honduran Santa to wear beach shorts, shades, and let his big belly hang out with a nice coating of sunscreen covering his nose. Before I leave for home I have to remember to leave out a baleada and some rum for him.
I'm excited to go back home for the break. But I'm glad I get to come back to this paradise afterward. I have to admit, a large part of me is actually looking forward to singing "Silent Night" as we light candles at the Christmas Eve church service.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Christmas time in La Ceiba
Central Park is decorated for Christmas with candy canes, lights, and Christmas trees. My classroom has a string of lights hanging over my whiteboard. The main office has a nativity scene and large Christmas tree. Our house has outside lights that go along our arches and lights that are strung in our dining room. Santa was even spotted (in a blue suit!) parading around downtown and wishing everyone Feliz Navidad!
Does it feel like Christmas?
Not so much! Ken and I still can't believe that it is December 3 and that Christmas is just around the corner. With the warm weather and rain it feels like its spring and summer all year round and that Christmas would never come. I guess its a good feeling when you are trying not to be too anxious about only have 2 weeks over work left before Christmas vacation, but it is definitely a strange feeling. I think what is really missing too is having our very own Christmas tree in our house with our ornaments and all. That always makes it feel more like the holidays! Or maybe we just have to wait to be bombarded by snow and cold at the airport to get our fix :) Who knows? What we do know is that we will be home in 18 days. See you all soon!
Does it feel like Christmas?
Not so much! Ken and I still can't believe that it is December 3 and that Christmas is just around the corner. With the warm weather and rain it feels like its spring and summer all year round and that Christmas would never come. I guess its a good feeling when you are trying not to be too anxious about only have 2 weeks over work left before Christmas vacation, but it is definitely a strange feeling. I think what is really missing too is having our very own Christmas tree in our house with our ornaments and all. That always makes it feel more like the holidays! Or maybe we just have to wait to be bombarded by snow and cold at the airport to get our fix :) Who knows? What we do know is that we will be home in 18 days. See you all soon!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving
Anyways, we decided that since we weren't really going to celebrate Thanksgiving here in La Ceiba that we would take a trip somewhere and enjoy ourselves. Plus, the weekend before, my school had thrown a HUGE Thanksgiving dinner for all faculty and staff. It was a potluck event where everyone brought a dish and shared. What do you think I brought? If you know me, dessert of course. I made my Grandma's Apple Nut Cake and Iowa Chocolate Cake. The Apple Nut Cake was a hit too :) The food was delicious and it really felt like Thanksgiving. Ken and I got our turkey, ham, and mashed potatoes fixing and felt much better going away for the weekend because of it. Since we arrived in Honduras, we have wanted to go to a city called Copan and that is exactly where we went.
Copan is about an 8 hour bus ride from La Ceiba. We took a bus company called Hedman Alas that is pretty well known all throughout Honduras. There were 2 buses that we had to take as well because there is no direct bus line. Technically you could get there in 6 hours by car but we had to take a 3 hour bus ride to San Pedro Sula and then wait for 2 hours in the bus terminal before taking another 3 hour bus ride to Copan. Because of the long travel day, Ken and I decided to treat ourselves to Ejecutivo Plus...aka FIRST CLASS! We also figured that it was worth the $4 extra to have reclinable seats that were basically like Lazy Boys. I must say looking back on it that it was well worth the extra money.
The day of travel on Thanksgiving was not that bad at all except for the second bus driver who liked to take speed bumps at full speed before slamming on his breaks just before hitting them. It didn't bode well for me, especially with all of the winding roads. The last hour was spent thinking "happy thoughts" so I wouldn't get sick.
For Thanksgiving dinner we went to an authentic honduran restaurant. I had a plate with avocados, eggs, refried beans, and cream. Ken had a meat plate with onions, beans, and cheese. It was very delicious, although nothing like a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
The next day Ken and I headed to the Mayan Ruins. It was just outside of town. Only a short tuck-tuck ride away.
For Thanksgiving dinner we went to an authentic honduran restaurant. I had a plate with avocados, eggs, refried beans, and cream. Ken had a meat plate with onions, beans, and cheese. It was very delicious, although nothing like a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
The next day Ken and I headed to the Mayan Ruins. It was just outside of town. Only a short tuck-tuck ride away.
The ruins were absolutely beautiful. We spent about 3 hours there just walking around and exploring on our own. We decided against the tour guide since it was pretty expensive as it was to get into the park. Plus Ken wanted to go into the tunnels as well which sounded really cool when buying our tickets. They were completely not worth it though! There really wasn't that much to see under there and we found out that archeologists had built them to excavate things which they hadn't put very much on display. We still understood the gist of what was going on and we were able to read the few signs intermittently dispersed throughout the park. Ken was fascinated with the Macao Parrots that were loitering at the entrance as well. I think he took about 20 pictures of these birds alone! I'll only put up 2 though.
There were some breathtaking views as well from the top of some of the Mayan ruins. The whole town is surrounded by mountains and it was a clear, sunny day which made it all the better.
For the rest of the weekend we just walked the cobble stone streets, bartered and shopped, watched people in central park while enjoying some ice cream, enjoyed great food, drank coffee at a cafe (well Ken did!), and sipped wine at sunset. I think the pictures can speak for us:
It was a great trip and we are excited to go back to Copan with all who come to visit us.
There were some breathtaking views as well from the top of some of the Mayan ruins. The whole town is surrounded by mountains and it was a clear, sunny day which made it all the better.
For the rest of the weekend we just walked the cobble stone streets, bartered and shopped, watched people in central park while enjoying some ice cream, enjoyed great food, drank coffee at a cafe (well Ken did!), and sipped wine at sunset. I think the pictures can speak for us:
Thursday, November 25, 2010
B-I-N-G-O!
Ken and I ventured to my school this evening to play a little BINGO. The PTA was having a big fundraising event with loads of prizes and food so we thought it would be fun to go for a bit. We didn't know at the time we would end up staying for the WHOLE time and leaving at 11pm! It ended up being so much fun and I think I've got my Spanish numbers down stat now.
It was $5 per card so Ken and I decided that we would each purchase one and see where the night takes us. Ken ended up winning BIG in one of the first games. There were 6 other winners his round as well and they ended up having a BINGO off. Whoever had the next number the called would win. 2 of my students were up against him as well and were disappointed when they lost against him (they came up to tell me later that night!) He got a basket of goodies (snack packs, cookies, fruit cocktail, 100 grand bars) and an iron! Of course he came back to our table and handed me the iron saying I would know what to do with it.
Later in the night, I thought I had a BINGO too so I screamed loudly and rain up to the stage only to find out that I was missing a number still. Ha! Nothing like looking like the silly gringa but I laughed it off an ran back to my seats. Luckily, my students were still cheering for me the whole time. I didn't end up winning at all this night either. What a bummer! Ken took home the big bucks for us I guess :)
Now the reason for staying so late is......there was a puppy that was a prize late in the evening. Can you guess who wanted this puppy? He had already given it a name and a place to sleep before it was even on the table. Ken named the little huskie Kaiser and had decided that if he won the dog that we would cancel our trip to Copan for the weekend and just take care of him. We ALMOST won him too with only one number being left to call on our "blackout" card. Unfortunately, or should I say luckily, one of my students won the dog first. Ken was disappointed and was yelling Kaisers name as they took him away. He decided then and there that we would still be able to go on our trip to Copan for Thanksgiving.
It was a really fun night and by the end of it I was able to play two cards at once! My head was spinning a bit with my Spanish numbers but I was rocking it. Ken did great with his numbers too and by the end of the night he wasn't having to look up as much at the BINGO board.
I would highly recommend going to play BINGO one night in a city near you. Nothing like some good 'ole fun!
It was $5 per card so Ken and I decided that we would each purchase one and see where the night takes us. Ken ended up winning BIG in one of the first games. There were 6 other winners his round as well and they ended up having a BINGO off. Whoever had the next number the called would win. 2 of my students were up against him as well and were disappointed when they lost against him (they came up to tell me later that night!) He got a basket of goodies (snack packs, cookies, fruit cocktail, 100 grand bars) and an iron! Of course he came back to our table and handed me the iron saying I would know what to do with it.
Later in the night, I thought I had a BINGO too so I screamed loudly and rain up to the stage only to find out that I was missing a number still. Ha! Nothing like looking like the silly gringa but I laughed it off an ran back to my seats. Luckily, my students were still cheering for me the whole time. I didn't end up winning at all this night either. What a bummer! Ken took home the big bucks for us I guess :)
Now the reason for staying so late is......there was a puppy that was a prize late in the evening. Can you guess who wanted this puppy? He had already given it a name and a place to sleep before it was even on the table. Ken named the little huskie Kaiser and had decided that if he won the dog that we would cancel our trip to Copan for the weekend and just take care of him. We ALMOST won him too with only one number being left to call on our "blackout" card. Unfortunately, or should I say luckily, one of my students won the dog first. Ken was disappointed and was yelling Kaisers name as they took him away. He decided then and there that we would still be able to go on our trip to Copan for Thanksgiving.
It was a really fun night and by the end of it I was able to play two cards at once! My head was spinning a bit with my Spanish numbers but I was rocking it. Ken did great with his numbers too and by the end of the night he wasn't having to look up as much at the BINGO board.
I would highly recommend going to play BINGO one night in a city near you. Nothing like some good 'ole fun!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Sunday Futbol
We went to another futbol game this afternoon. It was Vida -the Ceiba team- v Olympia for a spot in the play-offs. We went with our friend Brian and had a crazy time. Man, I can not get over how outrageous futbol games are down here.
First of all, the stadium was packed. Had to be around 20,000 people there - packed! There are actually a lot of Olympia fans in Ceiba so there was strong representation from both sides. The crowd was so loud! Fans here never stop cheering or jumping or yelling or whistling. About midway through the second half the game really got intense. Vida was gaining a lot of momentum and it seemed that the tying goal was coming soon. The Olympia fan's section was going nuts - fireworks were going off (as they were most of the game) and a small fire had been started in the stands. Finally, Vida got their tying goal. The rest of the game was relatively calm - if you can call 20,000 people yelling and lighting fireworks in the stands calm. Then, as the ball is being played on the opposite side of the field, one of the Vida fans lit a string of firecrackers and through them so that they exploded right around the head of the Olympia goalie. I saw the whole thing, they started going off about 5 ft above his head and then one exploded right next to his left ear! Must have been sooooo loud! Well, the riot police and army moved in to get everyone away from the fence after that.
The game ended in a tie, which means that because Olympia was ahead in point for the playoff position Vida wont go on to the playoffs. So the game is over, and we are about to get going, when we see hundreds of Olympia fans run onto the field. We just stood in disbelief as all these people climbed the barb-wire fence and ran for their teams dug out. The riot police instantly started running at these people and swinging their batons! What! Where are we?! It was like an after-show!
After things calmed down we started to head out. Then, just as we were making our way through the exit area the mob started pushing a shoving from behind, practically throwing us out into the muddy road. For a split second I thought that the police had started shooting at people and that was why they were running. But nope, just celebrating Olympian fans. The streets were filled with people and police and army and everyone was a little rowdy but we made it home just fine.
It was a blast. I just remember sitting there, looking around at the fireworks, the people, the bonfire that had started in the stands, and the police and thinking, "Never, NEVER!, have I EVER seen anything like this before in my life!"
I can't wait for the next game.
-Ken
First of all, the stadium was packed. Had to be around 20,000 people there - packed! There are actually a lot of Olympia fans in Ceiba so there was strong representation from both sides. The crowd was so loud! Fans here never stop cheering or jumping or yelling or whistling. About midway through the second half the game really got intense. Vida was gaining a lot of momentum and it seemed that the tying goal was coming soon. The Olympia fan's section was going nuts - fireworks were going off (as they were most of the game) and a small fire had been started in the stands. Finally, Vida got their tying goal. The rest of the game was relatively calm - if you can call 20,000 people yelling and lighting fireworks in the stands calm. Then, as the ball is being played on the opposite side of the field, one of the Vida fans lit a string of firecrackers and through them so that they exploded right around the head of the Olympia goalie. I saw the whole thing, they started going off about 5 ft above his head and then one exploded right next to his left ear! Must have been sooooo loud! Well, the riot police and army moved in to get everyone away from the fence after that.
The game ended in a tie, which means that because Olympia was ahead in point for the playoff position Vida wont go on to the playoffs. So the game is over, and we are about to get going, when we see hundreds of Olympia fans run onto the field. We just stood in disbelief as all these people climbed the barb-wire fence and ran for their teams dug out. The riot police instantly started running at these people and swinging their batons! What! Where are we?! It was like an after-show!
After things calmed down we started to head out. Then, just as we were making our way through the exit area the mob started pushing a shoving from behind, practically throwing us out into the muddy road. For a split second I thought that the police had started shooting at people and that was why they were running. But nope, just celebrating Olympian fans. The streets were filled with people and police and army and everyone was a little rowdy but we made it home just fine.
It was a blast. I just remember sitting there, looking around at the fireworks, the people, the bonfire that had started in the stands, and the police and thinking, "Never, NEVER!, have I EVER seen anything like this before in my life!"
I can't wait for the next game.
-Ken
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Rain Day!!
Well, here I am, all dressed up, hair did, waiting for the bus which should be here any minute to take me to work.
Except I we have no work today. Which means I got up, washed, dressed, ate breakfast, and waited for nothing. It has been raining since about 3 AM and the streets are flooding, again. Now that I am awake, what am I going to do? Its 7 in the MORNING.
I guess I don't know if I should feel bad for or jealous of Erika because she is at school teaching right now.
Who am I kidding... Rain Day!!! I'm going back to bed!
Except I we have no work today. Which means I got up, washed, dressed, ate breakfast, and waited for nothing. It has been raining since about 3 AM and the streets are flooding, again. Now that I am awake, what am I going to do? Its 7 in the MORNING.
I guess I don't know if I should feel bad for or jealous of Erika because she is at school teaching right now.
Who am I kidding... Rain Day!!! I'm going back to bed!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sloppy Joes, Slop-Sloppy Joes
I have been craving sloppy joes recently and I happened to talk about it with some of our friends this past weekend. I had also been telling my students what my favorite foods are and this one came up (of course!) and they had no idea what I was talking about. Ironically enough, I came into work this morning to find 2 cans of "Manwich" on my desk!!! Our friends Jesse and Jessica had seen 2 cans, and only 2 cans, at the supermarket yesterday and picked them up for us.
So needless to say, tonights dinner was SLOPPY JOES, SLOP-SLOPPY JOES! It was glorious although not as good as the slow-simmering crock pot sloppy joes I get back home. It'll have to do though and my craving is now satisfied. WOOOHOOO!!!
So needless to say, tonights dinner was SLOPPY JOES, SLOP-SLOPPY JOES! It was glorious although not as good as the slow-simmering crock pot sloppy joes I get back home. It'll have to do though and my craving is now satisfied. WOOOHOOO!!!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Halloween is NOT allowed! Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween!
I'm not sure if CNN has been covering any of the recent developments in Honduras lately but if not, then they are missing out on a perfect chance to highlight some of the ridiculous things governments chose to spend their time on other than running a nation. Evidently, or so the government is telling us, a Satanic ritual site was discovered in Honduras earlier this week - complete with animal bones! devil signs! and figurines in the shapes of people! - that they say was left over from people traveling from Guatemala to Honduras for the Halloween weekend. Since this is a Catholic nation, something had to be done! So the government issued a warning saying that anyone who was caught celebrating this pagan, Satan- worshipping festival, they would be arrested!!
Whatever. We still went ahead and had a great costume party!
We had about a dozen people come over, most dressed for the occasion, and had an awesome time.
Futbol Ref:
Aristotle:
Here are some of us hanging out in the house
Notice the bunny, the chiquita banana lady, Dr. Phil, the preppy caterpillar, and the Honduran.
And yes, Dr. Phil was giving counseling to pregnant teens for drinks.
Eventually we all moved out to the porch for that time honored Halloween game of Bobbing for Apples!
Erika even had to Red Card the Bunny for cheating! She had to leave the party immediately and isn't allowed back to the next one.
It was a great time that lasted late into the night. Beer pong was played, music was loud, and Brian began climbing things. He even managed to chop off about 30 pounds worth of coconuts with my machete without having any of our neighbors yell out the window that it was 3am and to cut out all the noise. At the very end, us men began challenging each others manliness by attempting extreme unicycling. Thats right, there was a unicycle at my party... in Honduras.
Cheers to all for a night to remember!
I'm not sure if CNN has been covering any of the recent developments in Honduras lately but if not, then they are missing out on a perfect chance to highlight some of the ridiculous things governments chose to spend their time on other than running a nation. Evidently, or so the government is telling us, a Satanic ritual site was discovered in Honduras earlier this week - complete with animal bones! devil signs! and figurines in the shapes of people! - that they say was left over from people traveling from Guatemala to Honduras for the Halloween weekend. Since this is a Catholic nation, something had to be done! So the government issued a warning saying that anyone who was caught celebrating this pagan, Satan- worshipping festival, they would be arrested!!
Whatever. We still went ahead and had a great costume party!
We had about a dozen people come over, most dressed for the occasion, and had an awesome time.
Futbol Ref:
Aristotle:
Here are some of us hanging out in the house
Notice the bunny, the chiquita banana lady, Dr. Phil, the preppy caterpillar, and the Honduran.
And yes, Dr. Phil was giving counseling to pregnant teens for drinks.
Eventually we all moved out to the porch for that time honored Halloween game of Bobbing for Apples!
Erika even had to Red Card the Bunny for cheating! She had to leave the party immediately and isn't allowed back to the next one.
It was a great time that lasted late into the night. Beer pong was played, music was loud, and Brian began climbing things. He even managed to chop off about 30 pounds worth of coconuts with my machete without having any of our neighbors yell out the window that it was 3am and to cut out all the noise. At the very end, us men began challenging each others manliness by attempting extreme unicycling. Thats right, there was a unicycle at my party... in Honduras.
Cheers to all for a night to remember!
I-SPY a spooooky Halloween!
At my school, Student Council had a door decorating contest this year for Halloween. I just had to take pictures of my awesome door decorations that my 4th graders and I put together. I-SPY is huuuuge right now with my kids clearly our theme had to be I-SPY Halloween :)
Here we are at our Halloween Party too. Oh and by the way, our door totally won 1st place!!!
Here we are at our Halloween Party too. Oh and by the way, our door totally won 1st place!!!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Two Weekend Update!
It's been awhile since we have updated our blog so I figured I better get on here and write something.
Last weekend, Ken and I traveled once again to Utila, the wonderful island mentioned in the Chicago Tribune's travel section last weekend, for a little r and r and a birthday celebration of one of our friends. For two weeks in a row school was cancelled on Friday for my kids due to water issues. (The first Friday we had gotten to much rain so the government cancelled school. The second Friday, we had NO water at our school so the administration cancelled school). I'm not complaining though because it turned into a great work day and I got so much done that I had been wanting to do. It was nice also because I was able to leave school earlier than usual to get home and get ready for our little vacation. We hopped on the afternoon ferry which leaves La Ceiba at 4pm and headed out into the open waters. Open waters they were! It was the worst boat ride that Ken or I have ever been on. It was so choppy that you felt like you were on a roller coaster for one hour straight. I was so happy that I was on land at the end of the boat ride that I didn't want to be close to the water for at least a few hours. I was also thankful that I didn't get sick....although there were probably 3 or 4 times where I thought, "this is it!". We made it just in time for the sunset too!
We went snorkeling on Saturday before the rainstorm hit and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon at a coffeehouse reading our books, drinking hot chocolate/coffee (who drank what?!) and just being lazy. It wasn't the greatest weather to be on the island but it was still really nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of La Ceiba. Jesse and Jessie had rented a golf cart for Jesse's birthday too so we took that out and explored the island a bit more. It was really pretty and there were so many places to explore. There were a lot of private beaches and nice homes too and just as much deserted land and trash. An interesting combination.
On Sunday we went out for a dive in the morning with Jesse and had a great time. We saw lots of cool things too! On our second dive we saw a 5ft long moray eel, a blowfish, a stingray, lobsters, angel fish, and a HUGE rainbow fish that just stared at us for awhile. It was really neat to be underwater too while it was raining and to see the raindrops hitting the water. It wasn't so pleasant, however, after we got out of the water and had to sit in the cold rain until we were back at the dock. We ended up taking the afternoon ferry on Sunday back to La Ceiba since Ken had to work the next day and I was definitely a little hesitant. It ended up being really smooth though and I slept the whole way. Scuba diving really tires you out!
I went and got my first haircut in a foreign country on Monday since I had the day off for Columbus Day. Boy was I scared....I went with a girlfriend and we both just used hand gestures to tell the stylist how much to cut. That part went fine but when it came time for the bangs my heart was beating so fast. I gave a gesture to cut diagonally and she said "ok ok" but then cut straight across my eyebrows and I froze. I thought, "OH MY GOD!" Luckily it all turned out ok after I immediately swept my bangs to the side and realized that they were a little shorter than expected but they still had the same effect as before. Phew, that was a close one.
The rest of workweek went alright. Nothing to exciting happening there. Ken was finishing up his first quarter with midterm exams and I was starting my second quarter figuring out the new mimio board I would be using in my class. A mimio board is like a smartboard but it just has different things you can do with it (less I think). I used it for science and social studies this week and the kids loved it. They kept asking me for the rest of the day when we would be using it again. On Friday, the kids had report card pick up so it was only a half day. I had decided to plan a "Reading Party" for this day because I only had a few hours with them and they had reached their goal of reading 10,000 pages. The kids were able to come to school out of uniform and bring their slippers, bathrobes, pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, and their favorite books and read for the morning. I provided decorations (balloons and banners) and hot chocolate and popcorn as a snack. Our principal came in as a guest read aloud speaker too which was a fun surprise. About half way through the party we played "class" bingo too where the kids got a blank bingo card and wrote down the names of their classmates to fill it in. Then I pulled kids names from my popsicle stick jar and they would place a marker on the card if they had the name. The kids loved hearing their names being called and there was such a positive vibe in the classroom. I was very happy it was a half day at the end of the party because they were so hyped up on sugar (and fun of course!).
Yesterday while Ken hung out at home feeling a bit under the weather, I went for a hike at Rio Maria. There was a little gravel road just off the highway which lead you to a trail which was beautiful. The view from up top let you see over La Ceiba and all the way to the port where we take the ferries to the island. There was no one else out there and there was complete silence and serenity. It was wonderful. I went with a small group of our friends and we just hiked for a few hours. We hiked on the trail for a bit and then hiked back down following the river. There were so many pretty plants, trees, and lots of vines. The water was so clear and cool too. It was a great way to spend a Saturday. You can also see how gianormous some of these trees are since one of the pictures is of a friend standing next to one. It's crazy!!!
Now I'm just hanging out on this cool (70 degree) Sunday morning staying dry from all the rain. It's going to be a work day today but I'm hoping to get some baking in as well. We'll see what I can conjure up today!
Last weekend, Ken and I traveled once again to Utila, the wonderful island mentioned in the Chicago Tribune's travel section last weekend, for a little r and r and a birthday celebration of one of our friends. For two weeks in a row school was cancelled on Friday for my kids due to water issues. (The first Friday we had gotten to much rain so the government cancelled school. The second Friday, we had NO water at our school so the administration cancelled school). I'm not complaining though because it turned into a great work day and I got so much done that I had been wanting to do. It was nice also because I was able to leave school earlier than usual to get home and get ready for our little vacation. We hopped on the afternoon ferry which leaves La Ceiba at 4pm and headed out into the open waters. Open waters they were! It was the worst boat ride that Ken or I have ever been on. It was so choppy that you felt like you were on a roller coaster for one hour straight. I was so happy that I was on land at the end of the boat ride that I didn't want to be close to the water for at least a few hours. I was also thankful that I didn't get sick....although there were probably 3 or 4 times where I thought, "this is it!". We made it just in time for the sunset too!
We went snorkeling on Saturday before the rainstorm hit and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon at a coffeehouse reading our books, drinking hot chocolate/coffee (who drank what?!) and just being lazy. It wasn't the greatest weather to be on the island but it was still really nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of La Ceiba. Jesse and Jessie had rented a golf cart for Jesse's birthday too so we took that out and explored the island a bit more. It was really pretty and there were so many places to explore. There were a lot of private beaches and nice homes too and just as much deserted land and trash. An interesting combination.
On Sunday we went out for a dive in the morning with Jesse and had a great time. We saw lots of cool things too! On our second dive we saw a 5ft long moray eel, a blowfish, a stingray, lobsters, angel fish, and a HUGE rainbow fish that just stared at us for awhile. It was really neat to be underwater too while it was raining and to see the raindrops hitting the water. It wasn't so pleasant, however, after we got out of the water and had to sit in the cold rain until we were back at the dock. We ended up taking the afternoon ferry on Sunday back to La Ceiba since Ken had to work the next day and I was definitely a little hesitant. It ended up being really smooth though and I slept the whole way. Scuba diving really tires you out!
I went and got my first haircut in a foreign country on Monday since I had the day off for Columbus Day. Boy was I scared....I went with a girlfriend and we both just used hand gestures to tell the stylist how much to cut. That part went fine but when it came time for the bangs my heart was beating so fast. I gave a gesture to cut diagonally and she said "ok ok" but then cut straight across my eyebrows and I froze. I thought, "OH MY GOD!" Luckily it all turned out ok after I immediately swept my bangs to the side and realized that they were a little shorter than expected but they still had the same effect as before. Phew, that was a close one.
The rest of workweek went alright. Nothing to exciting happening there. Ken was finishing up his first quarter with midterm exams and I was starting my second quarter figuring out the new mimio board I would be using in my class. A mimio board is like a smartboard but it just has different things you can do with it (less I think). I used it for science and social studies this week and the kids loved it. They kept asking me for the rest of the day when we would be using it again. On Friday, the kids had report card pick up so it was only a half day. I had decided to plan a "Reading Party" for this day because I only had a few hours with them and they had reached their goal of reading 10,000 pages. The kids were able to come to school out of uniform and bring their slippers, bathrobes, pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, and their favorite books and read for the morning. I provided decorations (balloons and banners) and hot chocolate and popcorn as a snack. Our principal came in as a guest read aloud speaker too which was a fun surprise. About half way through the party we played "class" bingo too where the kids got a blank bingo card and wrote down the names of their classmates to fill it in. Then I pulled kids names from my popsicle stick jar and they would place a marker on the card if they had the name. The kids loved hearing their names being called and there was such a positive vibe in the classroom. I was very happy it was a half day at the end of the party because they were so hyped up on sugar (and fun of course!).
Yesterday while Ken hung out at home feeling a bit under the weather, I went for a hike at Rio Maria. There was a little gravel road just off the highway which lead you to a trail which was beautiful. The view from up top let you see over La Ceiba and all the way to the port where we take the ferries to the island. There was no one else out there and there was complete silence and serenity. It was wonderful. I went with a small group of our friends and we just hiked for a few hours. We hiked on the trail for a bit and then hiked back down following the river. There were so many pretty plants, trees, and lots of vines. The water was so clear and cool too. It was a great way to spend a Saturday. You can also see how gianormous some of these trees are since one of the pictures is of a friend standing next to one. It's crazy!!!
Now I'm just hanging out on this cool (70 degree) Sunday morning staying dry from all the rain. It's going to be a work day today but I'm hoping to get some baking in as well. We'll see what I can conjure up today!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Ken...the happiest he's ever been
Today, Ken found his long lost, and most beloved friend...
HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH.
Supposedly there isn't any other "real" ranch in the world except for Hidden Valley Ranch.
I don't think I'll have to buy him any more treats for awhile now.
HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH.
Supposedly there isn't any other "real" ranch in the world except for Hidden Valley Ranch.
I don't think I'll have to buy him any more treats for awhile now.
Field Trips are fun!
Yesterday I took my 30 4th grade students and 22 3rd grade students on their first field trip ever to the Lancetilla Botanical Gardens in Tela, Honduras. With 52 students, Jessie (the 3rd grade teacher) and I were a bit nervous seeing as how this was our first "real" field trip as teachers as well. Our students have been studying plants and plant life cycles throughout the entire 1st quarter and we thought that it would be a great treat for them if they were able to see plants from all over the world in real life. Plus, who doesn't like a field trip :) We planned everything to a tee and hoped for what would be now known as the best field trip ever! However it didn't start off like this...
5:00 AM - Field Trip Day
I wake up to find down pouring rains. It had been raining most of the night and the grounds were a bit flooded. Jessie and I had decided that even if it was raining we would be going anyways because it would be too much of a hassle to try and change the field trip to another day. Plus, no one ever died in a little rain anyway...right?
6:55 AM - School Starts
My kids are super excited for the field trip. They are out of uniform for the day and are thrilled to be leaving La Ceiba! For some of my students, this is the first time they had ever left town. Parents came and waited to see their child put their backpacks away and get on in the bus. They were taking pictures of their kids in line and having them wave back...it was like it was the first day of school all over again. It was adorable I must say....the rain however had not let up. We prepared for the worst though and brought lots of umbrellas!
8:30 AM - Bus Ride
The hour and half bus ride went by rather quickly due to the wonderful 80s music that our bus driver decided to play. We were graced with so many hits that helped to calm our nerves. The rain continued to pour harder and harder but in the distance we were able to see "bluer" skies giving us faith that the rain would stop before we arrived at the gardens.
9:00 AM - Paying the Entrance fee
As we pulled into the gardens the rain stopped miraculously and "Lady in Red" came on the speakers...perfect timing I must say...to give us enough confidence to go and talk (IN SPANISH!) to the security guards of the garden and to pay our entrance fee for 52 students, 10 parent chaperones, and 2 expatriates. We of course had to pay more! I totally busted out my Spanish though and was able to get across my numbers and Jessie helped with the other explanations. Together we made it work and paid enough for everyone to get through.
The rest of the day went extremely smoothly....its almost scary. All 52 students were well behaved and listened so intentively during each of the 4 mini lessons we had planned. They loved the science field trip books we had made that had places for notes and 4 "missions" that needed to be completed while at the gardens. The favorite of the activities: I-SPY roots, stems, and leaves. Jessie and I got a picture of an I-SPY page on the internet and added roots, stems, and leaves for the students to find. Although to us it was obvious, the kids LOVED it. They are obsessed with I-SPY!
What a relief to have the day go so smoothly and as an added bonus, one of the administrators in my school's son is in my class and she was a parent chaperone for the trip. it definitely didn't hurt that she was there and was able to see how AWESOME it was. Jessie and I could tell that she, as well as the other parent chaperones, were impressed.
Jessie and I were such a great team and we definitely can't wait to plan another field trip :)
5:00 AM - Field Trip Day
I wake up to find down pouring rains. It had been raining most of the night and the grounds were a bit flooded. Jessie and I had decided that even if it was raining we would be going anyways because it would be too much of a hassle to try and change the field trip to another day. Plus, no one ever died in a little rain anyway...right?
6:55 AM - School Starts
My kids are super excited for the field trip. They are out of uniform for the day and are thrilled to be leaving La Ceiba! For some of my students, this is the first time they had ever left town. Parents came and waited to see their child put their backpacks away and get on in the bus. They were taking pictures of their kids in line and having them wave back...it was like it was the first day of school all over again. It was adorable I must say....the rain however had not let up. We prepared for the worst though and brought lots of umbrellas!
8:30 AM - Bus Ride
The hour and half bus ride went by rather quickly due to the wonderful 80s music that our bus driver decided to play. We were graced with so many hits that helped to calm our nerves. The rain continued to pour harder and harder but in the distance we were able to see "bluer" skies giving us faith that the rain would stop before we arrived at the gardens.
9:00 AM - Paying the Entrance fee
As we pulled into the gardens the rain stopped miraculously and "Lady in Red" came on the speakers...perfect timing I must say...to give us enough confidence to go and talk (IN SPANISH!) to the security guards of the garden and to pay our entrance fee for 52 students, 10 parent chaperones, and 2 expatriates. We of course had to pay more! I totally busted out my Spanish though and was able to get across my numbers and Jessie helped with the other explanations. Together we made it work and paid enough for everyone to get through.
The rest of the day went extremely smoothly....its almost scary. All 52 students were well behaved and listened so intentively during each of the 4 mini lessons we had planned. They loved the science field trip books we had made that had places for notes and 4 "missions" that needed to be completed while at the gardens. The favorite of the activities: I-SPY roots, stems, and leaves. Jessie and I got a picture of an I-SPY page on the internet and added roots, stems, and leaves for the students to find. Although to us it was obvious, the kids LOVED it. They are obsessed with I-SPY!
What a relief to have the day go so smoothly and as an added bonus, one of the administrators in my school's son is in my class and she was a parent chaperone for the trip. it definitely didn't hurt that she was there and was able to see how AWESOME it was. Jessie and I could tell that she, as well as the other parent chaperones, were impressed.
Jessie and I were such a great team and we definitely can't wait to plan another field trip :)
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