Hola from Copan Ruinas! I´m so happy to finally be in Honduras-- I´ve waited too long. Last Thursday Mike and I flew into San Pedro Sula. We got a warm greeting from Megan Turley and Stephanie Stephens, 2 MCCers living and working in different parts of the country. My first thought as we left the airport was how hot and humid it was, even at night! It turns out that San Pedro is always hot and humid.. I am constantly sweating, but I´m getting used to it and have a new appreciation for fans. While in San Pedro Mike and I stayed with the Stephens family, at the Zorillas house (they are the country reps, and are in the states for a few more days). We had a great time with Megan seeing the city, eating comida tipica de Honduras, and learning a little bit about the transportation system here-- I have a lot to learn though. One of my favorite parts about my short time in SPS was on Saturday when Mike, Megan, Max Stephens and I climbed a mountain called Merendon. More specifically, we climbed to the Coca-Cola sign. I´ll try to post pictures soon to show what I´m talking about. It was an amazing view!! At the top some people were selling oranges and grapefruit, which was a delicious reward for how much I was sweating. I´m so glad I got to go and get to know the people I was with a little better. I hope to be able to go again in the next year.
On Sunday, we went to church in the morning, and then Mike and I took a bus to Copan Ruinas which is where I am now. The bus ride was over 3 hours, and I´m pretty sure I stared out the window the entire time. The landscape on the way here is beautiful. Now and then people would get on the bus and try to sell us food or drinks. I thought it was interesting that they played only American music in the bus, ranging from Eminem and gangster rap to Hotel California. Mike and I will be studying Spanish at Guacamaya language school for the next two weeks, and we are each staying with a different host family. I am with Doña Elena at her bed & breakfast. She makes pretty amazing food! I attempt to talk with different people at each meal, but at this point my communication is very limited. Each day I have 4 hours of language training in the morning and 2 more hours in the afternoon. It´s one-on-one lessons with a tutor, which is exhausting but I know it´s good for me. After my lessons I´m free to rest, study, and explore Copan. This is such a nice little town! Touristy, but really nice. We are hoping to see the Mayan ruins and some other sights in the next few days. I´m excited to be here and am looking forward to what the next few days have in store for me.
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support, I really appreciate it!
Hasta luego,
Keila
Nueva Suyapa
Nueva Suyapa
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Ready for take-off
As I sit in my temporary bed in Akron, PA, I am amazed at how time has flown by. My Bethel College life is over, my third summer as head cook at Keola is done, and now SALT orientation is coming to a close. In each of these places I have had to say goodbye to people, not to mention my family and Sam. I hate goodbyes, so I am looking forward to some hellos.
Tomorrow at 12:25 I leave for Honduras!! It's hard to describe how I'm feeling right now... mostly excited about seeing this place for the first time, meeting my team, and being surrounded by a new culture and language. A little bit nervous, about the travel part and possibly not being able to communicate once I get there.
Orientation has been so much better than I had expected. This week I have been surrounded by 91 people from 23 different countries, including Brazil, China, Zimbabwe, Lesoto, and Jordan to name a few. About half of the group are in the SALT program, which means they come from the U.S. or Canada and are doing a one-year service term in another country. The other half are a part of the IVEP program, which is people coming from other countries to serve in the U.S. or Canada. I have come to see that despite the cultural differences these are all young people who love God, love the world, and have a passion for peace and justice in the world. It is so inspiring and encouraging to be around these people and hear their stories. I have easily learned more about cultural differences and ways to bridge that gap than I have learned in my whole life leading up to now. It is amazing to sit among a group of people and hear two or three translations going on during the conversation. It makes me excited to one day be that translator for someone. Coming into this week, seeing all of these new faces was a little overwhelming (but fun). Now the faces are much more familiar and I feel like I have a new kind of family here. My roommate, Karina, is from Brazil, and sometimes communication is difficult but I am so thankful to have met her. We laugh together a lot, and despite the language barrier we have had some good conversations. Her Portuguese-English dictionary is a lifesaver. :) Needless to say, it will be tough saying goodbye to everyone tomorrow morning.
For those of you who don't know, I will be living and working on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa (the capital city) in a colonia called Nueva Suyapa. I will be working for a Christian Ministries program called MCM at a school called El Verbo Institute. My official position is Elementary Reading Program Coordinator. Basically, this means that I will be working in the library, getting it organized (it is not currently being used very much by students or staff), and starting after-school/summer reading programs and activities. Before I can even begin to imagine conquering these tasks, I need to learn Spanish... I think that will be my biggest challenge. When I arrive in Honduras I will have 10 days of language school in Copan with a one-on-one tutor, so I hope that gives me a good start!
I have to get up pretty early tomorrow, so that's all I'll say for now. I don't know how Internet access will be in the area I'm staying in San Pedro, but I will post again when I can. I am new at this blogging thing so I hope you will be patient with me. :)
Tomorrow at 12:25 I leave for Honduras!! It's hard to describe how I'm feeling right now... mostly excited about seeing this place for the first time, meeting my team, and being surrounded by a new culture and language. A little bit nervous, about the travel part and possibly not being able to communicate once I get there.
Orientation has been so much better than I had expected. This week I have been surrounded by 91 people from 23 different countries, including Brazil, China, Zimbabwe, Lesoto, and Jordan to name a few. About half of the group are in the SALT program, which means they come from the U.S. or Canada and are doing a one-year service term in another country. The other half are a part of the IVEP program, which is people coming from other countries to serve in the U.S. or Canada. I have come to see that despite the cultural differences these are all young people who love God, love the world, and have a passion for peace and justice in the world. It is so inspiring and encouraging to be around these people and hear their stories. I have easily learned more about cultural differences and ways to bridge that gap than I have learned in my whole life leading up to now. It is amazing to sit among a group of people and hear two or three translations going on during the conversation. It makes me excited to one day be that translator for someone. Coming into this week, seeing all of these new faces was a little overwhelming (but fun). Now the faces are much more familiar and I feel like I have a new kind of family here. My roommate, Karina, is from Brazil, and sometimes communication is difficult but I am so thankful to have met her. We laugh together a lot, and despite the language barrier we have had some good conversations. Her Portuguese-English dictionary is a lifesaver. :) Needless to say, it will be tough saying goodbye to everyone tomorrow morning.
For those of you who don't know, I will be living and working on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa (the capital city) in a colonia called Nueva Suyapa. I will be working for a Christian Ministries program called MCM at a school called El Verbo Institute. My official position is Elementary Reading Program Coordinator. Basically, this means that I will be working in the library, getting it organized (it is not currently being used very much by students or staff), and starting after-school/summer reading programs and activities. Before I can even begin to imagine conquering these tasks, I need to learn Spanish... I think that will be my biggest challenge. When I arrive in Honduras I will have 10 days of language school in Copan with a one-on-one tutor, so I hope that gives me a good start!
I have to get up pretty early tomorrow, so that's all I'll say for now. I don't know how Internet access will be in the area I'm staying in San Pedro, but I will post again when I can. I am new at this blogging thing so I hope you will be patient with me. :)
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