08APR08
So I am so far behind in my marking that I think I’ll never catch up. But what the heck, my flight leaves June 9th, done or not, so what’s the big problem anyway? Maybe I’ve been giving out too much homework. I’ve stopped that, but it just seems to sneak out of my mouth – “I want that handed in” like as if I’m punishing the students. I must have some sadomasochistic tendencies in there somewhere. The good news is that the grade 7’s have gone from having marks like 2/34 to marks like 24/28. I think they’re finally getting it.
Every day I walk down the street and I look at the mountains. Every day they are different. They range from an pale grey to a soft lavender to a iridescent green to an watery blue. The sky changes from white to soft peach through every shade of blue to ochre yellow, and of course every colour in between. I will miss the mountains.
There is a thunder storm tonight. Ciaran & Aodhan and I sat outside watching the lightning. It shot down from the sky in huge piercing daggers, as only tropical lightning can. The light show was fantastic. Aodhan went in and got sunglasses to wear to watch it. Then the rain came. It came in sheets, driving down, the wind blowing wildly across rooftops, branches and loose bits of metal banging and threatening to unhinge themselves and sweep through the air like witches on their brooms. The kids stood in the doorway until a small swimming pool formed inside the house. We closed the door and all the windows. I didn’t get any marking done tonight. It can wait. It was a magical evening for the kids and I.
Hilary is coming and I’m excited. The kids will go to Tegucigalpa with Puran (hope Aodhan behaves…) to pick Hilary up from the airport. It will be the same driver that will take us to Copan. I am hoping I get to know him well enough to let the kids go with Hilary to the airport next Wednesday.
Kathy, the woman that originally contacted me and said she knew a school in Comayagua that needed me, called this weekend. She said she was in town and she would love to meet me. They came over briefly in the morning, and then came back and picked me up in the late afternoon. I went to their church service with them. Kathy is a minister and she was speaking at the service. Kathy is originally from Minnesota – or as Aodhan calls it, Mini-soda. He askes if they have little tiny bottles of coke there and then bursts into laughter. Now Ciaran’s asking if this city should be called brush and water not Comb-y-agua. They had a whole list of them, Pencil-vane-ya, etc. Some were better than others; some you really had to be 8 to get. The church service was energetic! Ciaran and I sat inconspicuously at the back, and Aodhan was stayed outside building a fort. They did some announcements, and guess what, we were one of them. We had to stand up and they talked about us for about 5 minutes (in Spanish so I don’t know exactly what they said). Two women a the front started playing music and singing, they were energetic and lively. Aodhan came in. He went right up and sat on the floor near the front. The sermon was interesting – a little bit of fire and brimstone with not so subtle political overtones – no wait, that’s wrong, how about blatant political campaigning
After the service, we went out to Pizza Hut. The kids were thrilled because it had one of the largest playrooms that I have ever seen in a restaurant!
So I am so far behind in my marking that I think I’ll never catch up. But what the heck, my flight leaves June 9th, done or not, so what’s the big problem anyway? Maybe I’ve been giving out too much homework. I’ve stopped that, but it just seems to sneak out of my mouth – “I want that handed in” like as if I’m punishing the students. I must have some sadomasochistic tendencies in there somewhere. The good news is that the grade 7’s have gone from having marks like 2/34 to marks like 24/28. I think they’re finally getting it.
Every day I walk down the street and I look at the mountains. Every day they are different. They range from an pale grey to a soft lavender to a iridescent green to an watery blue. The sky changes from white to soft peach through every shade of blue to ochre yellow, and of course every colour in between. I will miss the mountains.
There is a thunder storm tonight. Ciaran & Aodhan and I sat outside watching the lightning. It shot down from the sky in huge piercing daggers, as only tropical lightning can. The light show was fantastic. Aodhan went in and got sunglasses to wear to watch it. Then the rain came. It came in sheets, driving down, the wind blowing wildly across rooftops, branches and loose bits of metal banging and threatening to unhinge themselves and sweep through the air like witches on their brooms. The kids stood in the doorway until a small swimming pool formed inside the house. We closed the door and all the windows. I didn’t get any marking done tonight. It can wait. It was a magical evening for the kids and I.
Hilary is coming and I’m excited. The kids will go to Tegucigalpa with Puran (hope Aodhan behaves…) to pick Hilary up from the airport. It will be the same driver that will take us to Copan. I am hoping I get to know him well enough to let the kids go with Hilary to the airport next Wednesday.
Kathy, the woman that originally contacted me and said she knew a school in Comayagua that needed me, called this weekend. She said she was in town and she would love to meet me. They came over briefly in the morning, and then came back and picked me up in the late afternoon. I went to their church service with them. Kathy is a minister and she was speaking at the service. Kathy is originally from Minnesota – or as Aodhan calls it, Mini-soda. He askes if they have little tiny bottles of coke there and then bursts into laughter. Now Ciaran’s asking if this city should be called brush and water not Comb-y-agua. They had a whole list of them, Pencil-vane-ya, etc. Some were better than others; some you really had to be 8 to get. The church service was energetic! Ciaran and I sat inconspicuously at the back, and Aodhan was stayed outside building a fort. They did some announcements, and guess what, we were one of them. We had to stand up and they talked about us for about 5 minutes (in Spanish so I don’t know exactly what they said). Two women a the front started playing music and singing, they were energetic and lively. Aodhan came in. He went right up and sat on the floor near the front. The sermon was interesting – a little bit of fire and brimstone with not so subtle political overtones – no wait, that’s wrong, how about blatant political campaigning
After the service, we went out to Pizza Hut. The kids were thrilled because it had one of the largest playrooms that I have ever seen in a restaurant!
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