Hey All!
So we have been incredibly busy traveling with MCC. Here it goes...
On Monday morning we learned about the border towns in San Pedro. The border towns are along the river. People aren't suppose to live there but they do. There is no tax on the land and they don't need to pay an electricity bill. The borders are the poorest part of the town. It was hard to walk through. There are multiple places along the border. We visited two homes. An organization call CASM works to relocate families from the border. The border towns have created their own economic system. They grow some of their own goods, or sell fish. They are a neighborhood. The two houses we visited were somewhat different. Both were families who had created a home for themselves. The borders are dangerous because the river floods and can wipe homes out. The woman from the second home had built a wall to help prevent the river from washing her house away. She's been there for 11 years I believe. We got to talk with some kids who were there as well. That was a lot of fun.
On Monday afternoon we went to a Banana Co-op. This is varied from the main Banana company in Honduras. Multiple people own the land for the co-op. It's a bigger plantation than I expected it to be. We saw the process from beginning to end. Next time you buy banana's from Dole look at the sticker and see if it says from Honduras :-)
On Tuesday we delivered school supplies to two schools. It was a lot of fun to see the smiles on the kids faces when they opened up their bag and saw notebooks and pencils. It was pretty awesome. Mennonite churches around the country make these draw string bags for the school kits. One of the girls on the trip said that she had helped with them at some point so it was cool for her to make them and then turn around and hand them out.
In the afternoon on Tuesday we went to an after school program for children with learning disabilities. It was interesting but kind of a bummer that we didn't get to interact with the kids. It was still an interesting program though.
On Wednesday morning we went to a Maquilla. This specific Maquilla is a WalMart distributor. Going into it I was expecting the working conditions to be poor but from what I observed it wasn't. There was air conditioning, they work from 7:30-4:30 I believe, Monday through Friday. They are paid for overtime. It was really interesting. I have now seen WalMart's halloween kids t-shirts :-) So, once again, if you are buying clothes at Walmart, check the tag for made in Honduras. It made me feel like I was contributing something. When we walked through I had two shirts from Walmart on. I was able to make a connection.
Wednesday afternoon was free. We did some shopping at the market. We left San Pedro on Thursday and traveled to PANACAM national park. Look it up online if you can. It's pretty cool. I basically feel like I'm at summer camp. They have a few projects underway to help the environment and the people living here. Today they brought us around and told us about all of it. Too much to explain now.
Tomorrow we leave for Tegucigalpa. We will be there until next Friday I believe. We will be doing some traveling. I think Thursday is reserved for shopping. We'll be staying at a retreat center tomorrow night and Sunday night. Host families on Monday night and Tuesday night then I think we're in a hotel. On Friday or Saturday we will be heading to MAMA project.
That's basically it for now. I know this was kind of a lot but we have been busy.
Until next time,
Kelley
Friday, May 27, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
San Pedro Sula
Aren´t you all just so lucky. Another blog post... I definitely am surprised at how often I have been able to do this.
We are in San Pedro Sula. My family here is great. Unfortunately we move on to a hotel tomorrow. Only two nights with the family. They are a family of five. 23 year old son, who is traveling to Greece for the special olympics... SO COOL!, a 21 year old daughter, and a 16 year old daughter. The 16 year old daughter speaks some English. That has been nice. I really like the family. Last night I got out of the shower and I heard a Hillsong song. The 16 year old was listening to them. She said she really likes them. It made me smile.
We went to the church´s youth group last night, well when we got in to San Pedro. The youth group is basically anyone who is single... it´s a mix of what I would say would be youth and young adults. The youth group seemed tight nit... it actually reminded me a lot of home. Their worship team was awesome. They did a few songs that I knew, accept in Spanish. They did Come Now is the Time to Worship, Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord, and Trading My Sarrows. It was a lot of fun to listen to the band and see the group worship.
This morning we went to church. It was kind of long, and we were told that it got done a lot earlier than usual... maybe because they knew we weren´t used to a long service? Who knows. After church we went to the beach with the youth group. One of the girls´ aunt has a beach house so we all went out there. The water was a lot warmer than I expected. It was nice, salty of course, but still really nice. We just hung out and ate food. There wasn´t a lot of interaction between us and the youth, I think mostly because of the language barrier. We probably could have made some more efforts. I have to remember to take advantage of those times I´m given.
Tomorrow we are going to a town along the river. It is a poorer part of the city. My guess is my eyes will be opened there. In the afternoon we are going to a Banana Co-op thing. Basically there is a main Banana Company in Honduras, the Co-op is a smaller organization that produces bananas. That should be interesting.
I´m definitely looking forward to this week. I got over the homesickness hump so I´m good. Of course I miss home but I´m not reminded of it constantly anymore. Keep the prayers coming! I was pleased to have zero bug bites last night!
Kelley
We are in San Pedro Sula. My family here is great. Unfortunately we move on to a hotel tomorrow. Only two nights with the family. They are a family of five. 23 year old son, who is traveling to Greece for the special olympics... SO COOL!, a 21 year old daughter, and a 16 year old daughter. The 16 year old daughter speaks some English. That has been nice. I really like the family. Last night I got out of the shower and I heard a Hillsong song. The 16 year old was listening to them. She said she really likes them. It made me smile.
We went to the church´s youth group last night, well when we got in to San Pedro. The youth group is basically anyone who is single... it´s a mix of what I would say would be youth and young adults. The youth group seemed tight nit... it actually reminded me a lot of home. Their worship team was awesome. They did a few songs that I knew, accept in Spanish. They did Come Now is the Time to Worship, Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord, and Trading My Sarrows. It was a lot of fun to listen to the band and see the group worship.
This morning we went to church. It was kind of long, and we were told that it got done a lot earlier than usual... maybe because they knew we weren´t used to a long service? Who knows. After church we went to the beach with the youth group. One of the girls´ aunt has a beach house so we all went out there. The water was a lot warmer than I expected. It was nice, salty of course, but still really nice. We just hung out and ate food. There wasn´t a lot of interaction between us and the youth, I think mostly because of the language barrier. We probably could have made some more efforts. I have to remember to take advantage of those times I´m given.
Tomorrow we are going to a town along the river. It is a poorer part of the city. My guess is my eyes will be opened there. In the afternoon we are going to a Banana Co-op thing. Basically there is a main Banana Company in Honduras, the Co-op is a smaller organization that produces bananas. That should be interesting.
I´m definitely looking forward to this week. I got over the homesickness hump so I´m good. Of course I miss home but I´m not reminded of it constantly anymore. Keep the prayers coming! I was pleased to have zero bug bites last night!
Kelley
Saturday, May 21, 2011
San Pedro Sula!
Hey All,
Just a quick update. Said bye to the host family today. Got a picture and it wasn´t until I saw everyone together that I realized how big of a family it was. They are all so great and it´s definitely bitter sweet leaving. I wish I would have had more of an opportunity to get to know them (was difficult because I spoke so little Spanish) but they all were glowing with Christ´s love which alone was a great connection to make. I will miss them that is for sure.
We are suppose to be leaving now... but the bus isn´t hear yet. We are doing a week in San Pedro Sula with some traveling. MCC will be taking us various places. I wouldn´t say it´s tourist stuff, it´s more awareness type things. It should be a rather eye opening experience. We will then move on to Tegucilgalpa for a week. Exciting and busy two weeks.
I got to talk to my parents this morning and sister! It was great to hear about what´s going on with all of them. Definitely a highlight. Internet access is unknown while we are in San Pedro, I´ll update when I get the chance.
Thanks for the prayers! Keep em coming. I know this is silly but I am getting so many bug bites and it is incredibly uncomfortable. Prayers for them to itch less and for bugs to just not bite me as much would be great. Thanks!
Kelley
Just a quick update. Said bye to the host family today. Got a picture and it wasn´t until I saw everyone together that I realized how big of a family it was. They are all so great and it´s definitely bitter sweet leaving. I wish I would have had more of an opportunity to get to know them (was difficult because I spoke so little Spanish) but they all were glowing with Christ´s love which alone was a great connection to make. I will miss them that is for sure.
We are suppose to be leaving now... but the bus isn´t hear yet. We are doing a week in San Pedro Sula with some traveling. MCC will be taking us various places. I wouldn´t say it´s tourist stuff, it´s more awareness type things. It should be a rather eye opening experience. We will then move on to Tegucilgalpa for a week. Exciting and busy two weeks.
I got to talk to my parents this morning and sister! It was great to hear about what´s going on with all of them. Definitely a highlight. Internet access is unknown while we are in San Pedro, I´ll update when I get the chance.
Thanks for the prayers! Keep em coming. I know this is silly but I am getting so many bug bites and it is incredibly uncomfortable. Prayers for them to itch less and for bugs to just not bite me as much would be great. Thanks!
Kelley
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Last Few Days in Copan
So, we are officially two weeks in. Less than a month to go, but who´s counting?
This week in general has just been uneventful. Last night our group went to the Hot Springs... they were pretty cool but my skin can´t really stand hot water so I stayed in the same pool the whole time. It was the coolest hot pool there. I stood in one of the hotter ones but it was too hot. For sure. They had some different things you could do there. There was a small waterfall that was used to massage the neck and shoulders. It felt REALLY good. That was my favorite. There was also a mud bath... I didn´t do the mud bath only because it was crowded and I didn´t feel like asking people to leave. It probably would have been more enjoyable with less people but hey. It was still really cool.
Ha, so today for lunch I sit down at the table and there is a whole fish sitting in front of me... all in tact. It was fried. It had eyes. The mouth was open. You could see the fins. The bones were still in it... yeah let´s just say that was interesting for me. I didn´t eat a lot of it. The fish tasted good but I couldn´t get over the fact that I was basically just looking at a dead fried whole fish. I was laughing at myself because I just couldn´t do it. I had a hard time working around the bones and avoiding any part of the head... eating fish brain did not seem enjoyable to me.
On Friday we head back to San Pedro Sula. We will be staying with host families Saturday and Sunday night. Then I believe we will be in a hotel for a few nights. We will be doing some traveling with MCC for the next couple of weeks. I have no idea if I will have any time or access to update my blog. But I will do what I can. We have a variety of places we will be going. We´ll head to the capital at some point in time, we have a lot of day trips, then a few overnight trips. Definitely enough to keep us busy.
Today is probably my full four hours of language school. Tomorrow I think we are coming, taking the test, then having a BBQ. I´m kind of glad that the language is almost done, although I will still need to speak some. I like the language it has just been difficult for me to not speak French. French probably pops in my head more than Spanish does. But what can you do. We are going to a Catholic Mass tonight. It should be interesting and an eye opening experience.
It´s been really hot. I´m hoping to go to the Cafe with my teacher today since it´s so hot at the school. We will see.
Until Next Time,
Kelley
This week in general has just been uneventful. Last night our group went to the Hot Springs... they were pretty cool but my skin can´t really stand hot water so I stayed in the same pool the whole time. It was the coolest hot pool there. I stood in one of the hotter ones but it was too hot. For sure. They had some different things you could do there. There was a small waterfall that was used to massage the neck and shoulders. It felt REALLY good. That was my favorite. There was also a mud bath... I didn´t do the mud bath only because it was crowded and I didn´t feel like asking people to leave. It probably would have been more enjoyable with less people but hey. It was still really cool.
Ha, so today for lunch I sit down at the table and there is a whole fish sitting in front of me... all in tact. It was fried. It had eyes. The mouth was open. You could see the fins. The bones were still in it... yeah let´s just say that was interesting for me. I didn´t eat a lot of it. The fish tasted good but I couldn´t get over the fact that I was basically just looking at a dead fried whole fish. I was laughing at myself because I just couldn´t do it. I had a hard time working around the bones and avoiding any part of the head... eating fish brain did not seem enjoyable to me.
On Friday we head back to San Pedro Sula. We will be staying with host families Saturday and Sunday night. Then I believe we will be in a hotel for a few nights. We will be doing some traveling with MCC for the next couple of weeks. I have no idea if I will have any time or access to update my blog. But I will do what I can. We have a variety of places we will be going. We´ll head to the capital at some point in time, we have a lot of day trips, then a few overnight trips. Definitely enough to keep us busy.
Today is probably my full four hours of language school. Tomorrow I think we are coming, taking the test, then having a BBQ. I´m kind of glad that the language is almost done, although I will still need to speak some. I like the language it has just been difficult for me to not speak French. French probably pops in my head more than Spanish does. But what can you do. We are going to a Catholic Mass tonight. It should be interesting and an eye opening experience.
It´s been really hot. I´m hoping to go to the Cafe with my teacher today since it´s so hot at the school. We will see.
Until Next Time,
Kelley
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Last Week in Copan!
It is our last week in Copan! Things haven´t been too eventful. This weekend we went swimming and some of us just hung out. On Sunday morning we went to the Mayan Ruines. That was really cool to see. I took a lot of pictures. Yesterday we had a free morning. I went and bought a new shirt that I found that I really liked. I had found it last week so I figured that since I waiting to buy it and I still wanted it that it would be a decent buy. I´m excited.
So I haven´t been feeling too well lately. Headaches and a twisted up stomach. It´s not fun but our host family is definitely taking good care of me. Our mom told Kori that us American´s have really delicate stomachs. We had eaten out twice on Sunday, and I felt sick Monday morning. So our mom said that we need to eat there. They always wash their food and nobody usually gets sick. I´m pretty sure eating out is what made me sick. Yesterday for lunch my family made me soup and fresh squeezed lemonade. Apparently lemonade is good for the stomach when your sick. It was good and I did feel better after. I am wondering if I´m pushing myself too hard. We went to the pool this morning and of course I wanted to go. I didn´t feel so hot after. I may just be exhausted. I don´t know.
The rest of this week should be good. Tonight we´re having a girls night, we´ll be going to a cafe downtown that apparently has this really good mocha type coffee drink. It´s like a mocha shake but it has coffee grinds in it. Definitely looking forward to it. Tomorrow evening we are going to the Hot Springs. I´m looking forward to that. It should be refreshing, the only hesitation is that it´s already hot enough... Cool Springs would be nice. Thursday and Friday are pretty free days. I´m not sure that we have much planned. We are trying to see if after we take our Spanish test on Friday we can go to the pool with all our teachers and stuff. We will see how that works out.
We leave Copan on Saturday around 2. I like Copan but I´m ready to be on the move again. We´ll be traveling with MCC for a few weeks. I have no idea what type of internet access I will have. Hopefully I can post a new blog before we leave Copan. We will be heading back to San Pedro Sula for a few nights then off we go. It´s hard to believe that we have been here for two weeks. I feel like it´s been a lot longer but I´m definitely enjoying my time here.
I got to Skype my parents for ten minutes last Thursday and I Skyped luke on Sunday. Made me miss them more, but it was definitely good to see them or hear them a little. I enjoyed it for sure.
I have class in 15 minutes. Class is going well. It´s still intimidating and I´m always told that I understand a lot but I speak very little. That is a true statement. I don´t know why I don´t like to speak it but I just don´t. I´m trying though.
Time to go, hoping that I can give more exciting updates :-p... it´s good though that everything is going well and it´s been low key.
Until Next Time
Kelley
So I haven´t been feeling too well lately. Headaches and a twisted up stomach. It´s not fun but our host family is definitely taking good care of me. Our mom told Kori that us American´s have really delicate stomachs. We had eaten out twice on Sunday, and I felt sick Monday morning. So our mom said that we need to eat there. They always wash their food and nobody usually gets sick. I´m pretty sure eating out is what made me sick. Yesterday for lunch my family made me soup and fresh squeezed lemonade. Apparently lemonade is good for the stomach when your sick. It was good and I did feel better after. I am wondering if I´m pushing myself too hard. We went to the pool this morning and of course I wanted to go. I didn´t feel so hot after. I may just be exhausted. I don´t know.
The rest of this week should be good. Tonight we´re having a girls night, we´ll be going to a cafe downtown that apparently has this really good mocha type coffee drink. It´s like a mocha shake but it has coffee grinds in it. Definitely looking forward to it. Tomorrow evening we are going to the Hot Springs. I´m looking forward to that. It should be refreshing, the only hesitation is that it´s already hot enough... Cool Springs would be nice. Thursday and Friday are pretty free days. I´m not sure that we have much planned. We are trying to see if after we take our Spanish test on Friday we can go to the pool with all our teachers and stuff. We will see how that works out.
We leave Copan on Saturday around 2. I like Copan but I´m ready to be on the move again. We´ll be traveling with MCC for a few weeks. I have no idea what type of internet access I will have. Hopefully I can post a new blog before we leave Copan. We will be heading back to San Pedro Sula for a few nights then off we go. It´s hard to believe that we have been here for two weeks. I feel like it´s been a lot longer but I´m definitely enjoying my time here.
I got to Skype my parents for ten minutes last Thursday and I Skyped luke on Sunday. Made me miss them more, but it was definitely good to see them or hear them a little. I enjoyed it for sure.
I have class in 15 minutes. Class is going well. It´s still intimidating and I´m always told that I understand a lot but I speak very little. That is a true statement. I don´t know why I don´t like to speak it but I just don´t. I´m trying though.
Time to go, hoping that I can give more exciting updates :-p... it´s good though that everything is going well and it´s been low key.
Until Next Time
Kelley
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Copan!
Hey All!!
So we are now in Copan. Copan is a region of Honduras, similar to our states. We are in what is called Copan Ruins. There are Mayan ruins here that we are going to see on Sunday. I´m excited about that and I know my mother is probably a little jealous about that.
I am rooming with one of the girls named Kori. We are staying at a nice house. The houses here are open. There is a roof over the kitchen, family room and bedrooms, the rest of it uncovered. My host mom is Yolanda. It is incredibly difficult to tell who lives there and who doesn´t because there are people who go in and out all the time. The street is full of family members. Two of the other girls, Raquel and Suzanne are a few houses down at Yolanda´s sister´s house. It´s basically one big happy family.
There are a few family members who speak English. Gaby, who is also a teacher at the language school, a 13 year old boy named Christian and his father. Christian and his father lived in Miami. It´s nice to occasionally hear English but since we are working on our Spanish, the families speak that most.
It has been a busy few days. The language school is kind of stressful. We meet from 1:30-5:30. My teacher is Claudia. We have a good time but seeing as I came in knowing very little Spanish it has been difficult for me. I have a good deal of homework because I´m working on memorizing vocabulary and meanings. I have an awful memory -- it makes it difficult.
Yesterday we went to a pool in the morning. It was really nice. We just hung out and swam. A lot of the group played water polo (Jason our leader set up chairs to be the goals... it was amusing). This morning we went horse back riding. It was beautiful but long. My horse did not want to move quickly... which was sad but okay. We hung out in the back of the group. I realized that Steph would love to horseback in Honduras. I thought of her while we were riding.
It´s rained a few times. Funny story. This morning Kori woke me up at 6:15 and said "Kelley a frog just jumped on me and is on the table" I looked up and thought I saw the frog but then I put my glasses on and didn´t see it... so I said you are lying! So Kori got down on the floor and looked under my bed and sure enough, there was the frog. She took a flashlight and guided it out from under my bed... then it went into the bathroom... then I had to say that when I was a kid I used to catch frogs in the river... I became her hero because I was going to catch this frog which was actually a toad. So I was a little nervouse to catch it. It was a decent size so eventually I threw a towel on it, picked it up and took it outside. It was quite the adventure.
There is a line for these computers so it would be wise for me to go. I am missing my family, boyfriend, and friends, but I am enjoying it here. It´s been a good time. One week down, five to go!
Kelley
So we are now in Copan. Copan is a region of Honduras, similar to our states. We are in what is called Copan Ruins. There are Mayan ruins here that we are going to see on Sunday. I´m excited about that and I know my mother is probably a little jealous about that.
I am rooming with one of the girls named Kori. We are staying at a nice house. The houses here are open. There is a roof over the kitchen, family room and bedrooms, the rest of it uncovered. My host mom is Yolanda. It is incredibly difficult to tell who lives there and who doesn´t because there are people who go in and out all the time. The street is full of family members. Two of the other girls, Raquel and Suzanne are a few houses down at Yolanda´s sister´s house. It´s basically one big happy family.
There are a few family members who speak English. Gaby, who is also a teacher at the language school, a 13 year old boy named Christian and his father. Christian and his father lived in Miami. It´s nice to occasionally hear English but since we are working on our Spanish, the families speak that most.
It has been a busy few days. The language school is kind of stressful. We meet from 1:30-5:30. My teacher is Claudia. We have a good time but seeing as I came in knowing very little Spanish it has been difficult for me. I have a good deal of homework because I´m working on memorizing vocabulary and meanings. I have an awful memory -- it makes it difficult.
Yesterday we went to a pool in the morning. It was really nice. We just hung out and swam. A lot of the group played water polo (Jason our leader set up chairs to be the goals... it was amusing). This morning we went horse back riding. It was beautiful but long. My horse did not want to move quickly... which was sad but okay. We hung out in the back of the group. I realized that Steph would love to horseback in Honduras. I thought of her while we were riding.
It´s rained a few times. Funny story. This morning Kori woke me up at 6:15 and said "Kelley a frog just jumped on me and is on the table" I looked up and thought I saw the frog but then I put my glasses on and didn´t see it... so I said you are lying! So Kori got down on the floor and looked under my bed and sure enough, there was the frog. She took a flashlight and guided it out from under my bed... then it went into the bathroom... then I had to say that when I was a kid I used to catch frogs in the river... I became her hero because I was going to catch this frog which was actually a toad. So I was a little nervouse to catch it. It was a decent size so eventually I threw a towel on it, picked it up and took it outside. It was quite the adventure.
There is a line for these computers so it would be wise for me to go. I am missing my family, boyfriend, and friends, but I am enjoying it here. It´s been a good time. One week down, five to go!
Kelley
Thursday, May 5, 2011
San Pedro Sula
Hey Everyone!!
We have made it to San Pedro Sula safely. We arrived yesterday. Both flights went well. Got through customs. We did not have any issues. We are staying at this cute little hotel. It's pretty open. There are a lot of gated communities. The hotel is also on a gated street. I'm sharing a room with three other girls. It's been a lot of fun... especially this morning when one of the girls was like "Guys it's 7:30 we have to be downstairs!" So we all started getting up and Brit was like wait US time or Honduras time... yeah US time... we still had a few more hours to sleep. It gave us great laughs.
We have had had orientation stuff these past few days. It's been really good. We went to the mall which was a weird experience because we couldn't speak any English. It was an eye opener for us as to what it will probably feel like for the next six weeks. Today we went to the Market. That was fun. I finally got the purse I wanted :-) And I have a gift for everyone but my dad. Nothing has popped out for him yet. The market was less nerve wracking. Some of the vendors spoke English- made shopping a lot easier.
We leave San Pedro Sula on Sunday. We will be going to Copan for the language school. There we will stay with a host family for two weeks. The plan is that we will be in class in the mornings Monday through Friday, hang out with the group in the afternoon, and spend time with the host families in the evenings. It will be a hard because right now I feel like I am not going to be able to communicate at all... and everyone knows how much I love to talk.
I'm loving the country. It is beautiful to wake up with mountains right in the back yard. Anyway, time to go so other people can shoot e-mails out. Keep the prayers coming. We are all nervous about staying with host families, but we're really glad and thankful that as a group we are all getting along. We've already developed family dynamics. It's pretty great.
Until next time,
Kelley
We have made it to San Pedro Sula safely. We arrived yesterday. Both flights went well. Got through customs. We did not have any issues. We are staying at this cute little hotel. It's pretty open. There are a lot of gated communities. The hotel is also on a gated street. I'm sharing a room with three other girls. It's been a lot of fun... especially this morning when one of the girls was like "Guys it's 7:30 we have to be downstairs!" So we all started getting up and Brit was like wait US time or Honduras time... yeah US time... we still had a few more hours to sleep. It gave us great laughs.
We have had had orientation stuff these past few days. It's been really good. We went to the mall which was a weird experience because we couldn't speak any English. It was an eye opener for us as to what it will probably feel like for the next six weeks. Today we went to the Market. That was fun. I finally got the purse I wanted :-) And I have a gift for everyone but my dad. Nothing has popped out for him yet. The market was less nerve wracking. Some of the vendors spoke English- made shopping a lot easier.
We leave San Pedro Sula on Sunday. We will be going to Copan for the language school. There we will stay with a host family for two weeks. The plan is that we will be in class in the mornings Monday through Friday, hang out with the group in the afternoon, and spend time with the host families in the evenings. It will be a hard because right now I feel like I am not going to be able to communicate at all... and everyone knows how much I love to talk.
I'm loving the country. It is beautiful to wake up with mountains right in the back yard. Anyway, time to go so other people can shoot e-mails out. Keep the prayers coming. We are all nervous about staying with host families, but we're really glad and thankful that as a group we are all getting along. We've already developed family dynamics. It's pretty great.
Until next time,
Kelley
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Saying My Goodbye's
It's only six weeks -- that's what I keep telling myself. Saying goodbye is definitely a little more difficult than I anticipated it would be. It's hard to grasp the reality that it's really just a see you later. It's not forever. It's only six weeks but right now it's hard to leave family and friends behind. It's just really hard.
I'm really nervous about the trip. I'm mostly nervous about staying with host families. I don't speak an ounce of Spanish so I'm really curious as to how communication is going to work. I'm also worried that I'm going to get rather homesick. I've never been gone for this long -- well I've never been gone away from everyone I love this long with few means of communication. It's one thing when I can call my family whenever I want, it's another when I'm advised to to call them at all. Of course, we aren't expected to not make phone calls home but we are expected to dive into the culture.
Currently, I'm having a really hard time saying goodbye to the boyfriend. Dating for over three years makes it difficult to want to leave; however, I know that God has an incredible plan for both of us while I am in Honduras. He is going to strengthen our relationship and he is going to do work in both of us individually. I'm sure of it.
Next time you hear from me I will be in Honduras :-) Our connecting flight is in Atlanta - then we will be on our way around 10. I'm hoping that the excitement will override how much I just want to sleep for the next twelve hours.
Keep all of us in your prayers
I'm really nervous about the trip. I'm mostly nervous about staying with host families. I don't speak an ounce of Spanish so I'm really curious as to how communication is going to work. I'm also worried that I'm going to get rather homesick. I've never been gone for this long -- well I've never been gone away from everyone I love this long with few means of communication. It's one thing when I can call my family whenever I want, it's another when I'm advised to to call them at all. Of course, we aren't expected to not make phone calls home but we are expected to dive into the culture.
Currently, I'm having a really hard time saying goodbye to the boyfriend. Dating for over three years makes it difficult to want to leave; however, I know that God has an incredible plan for both of us while I am in Honduras. He is going to strengthen our relationship and he is going to do work in both of us individually. I'm sure of it.
Next time you hear from me I will be in Honduras :-) Our connecting flight is in Atlanta - then we will be on our way around 10. I'm hoping that the excitement will override how much I just want to sleep for the next twelve hours.
Keep all of us in your prayers
Sunday, May 1, 2011
About the Trip
EMU's Cross Cultural program is a requirement for students to graduate. Students have the option of participating in a semester long program, a six week program, or a three week program. I chose to participate in the six week program to Honduras. There are 12 of us going. It's safe to say that for the most part non of us really know each other. It will be exciting to see how we all grow through this experience together. We will be spending our first few weeks with host families and we will be going to school... taking Spanish. Staying with a host family will certainly be interesting seeing as I have no experience with Spanish. We also be spending some time with MAMA Project. I'll post the link to their site later if you want more information. We will spend our last week or so on the Bay Islands for a time of reflection over the trip.
There are a few students on the trip who will be posting pictures and updates on the EMU blog. I will also post a link to that as well if you want to check that out.
I feel slightly overwhelmed when I think about everything I have to do before the trip. I have half of a book to finish, I'm working on unpacking all of my school stuff, re-packing it, and then packing for the trip. Of course I want to see some friends before I leave so I am doing lunch with some tomorrow :-). Mom and I are going to see a movie tomorrow afternoon... then on Tuesday I'll probably be cleaning and packing all day long. Our flight leaves Wednesday morning around 6... luckily, I am not coming from Harrisonburg. The van in Harrisonburg has to leave around 2 to be at Dulles by 4. Definitely a perk that we live close to an international airport. It's also comforting for me because I have flown out of Dulles before. It's familiar... and seeing as I am going to be in a foreign country for six weeks, I need familiar.
Feel free to comment, facebook me, or e-mail me. I'd of course love to hear how things are going where you are, just know that I may not be able to reply.
Also, please keep me and the group in your prayers. It's a nerve wracking thing for all of us. I know we appreciate the prayers.
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Kelley
There are a few students on the trip who will be posting pictures and updates on the EMU blog. I will also post a link to that as well if you want to check that out.
I feel slightly overwhelmed when I think about everything I have to do before the trip. I have half of a book to finish, I'm working on unpacking all of my school stuff, re-packing it, and then packing for the trip. Of course I want to see some friends before I leave so I am doing lunch with some tomorrow :-). Mom and I are going to see a movie tomorrow afternoon... then on Tuesday I'll probably be cleaning and packing all day long. Our flight leaves Wednesday morning around 6... luckily, I am not coming from Harrisonburg. The van in Harrisonburg has to leave around 2 to be at Dulles by 4. Definitely a perk that we live close to an international airport. It's also comforting for me because I have flown out of Dulles before. It's familiar... and seeing as I am going to be in a foreign country for six weeks, I need familiar.
Feel free to comment, facebook me, or e-mail me. I'd of course love to hear how things are going where you are, just know that I may not be able to reply.
Also, please keep me and the group in your prayers. It's a nerve wracking thing for all of us. I know we appreciate the prayers.
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Kelley
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