lists

As you might note from some of my blog posts, I really enjoy lists. Sometimes it is just easier to collect your thoughts in a bullet-pointed kind of way...and in other ways, it's just something I do rather compulsively.

I have made lists of all sorts of things since I've been here, like my 'Funny T-shirts in English' list, my 'Cosas Catrachas' (Honduran-isms) list, a list of books I've read, quotes from the books I've read, and a personal favorite, my list of 'Fun times with Allison,' as we have had many random, ridiculous happenings since the beginning of our friendship in September.

So I thought maybe it would be fun to share some favorites from my lists...

Honduranisms
1. Dinamicas- this might have been mentioned in a previous post regarding birthdays, but Hondurans LOVE dinamicas. they are like, little party games or ice breaker type activities that are a requirement for any office gathering here at MCM...and often occur at church gatherings and even family events. They can be quite stressful for the foreigner and often are embarrassing.
2. Que barbaridad- this is a frequently used and very popular saying among Hondurans. It literally translates to mean 'what a barbarity' but communicates a rather large variety of sentiments. In fact, my fellow SALTer, Alison, wrote a whole post on this phrase! It is used when something dramatic happens in life--like your brother won't get off the couch to get you a glass of Coke (que barbaridad)...something costs way more than it should (like a taxi ride for a gringa...que barbaridad)...someone you know got robbed (¡que barbaridad!)...all the way up to very serious offenses in life, like someone betraying your trust or hurting your family (¡¡que barbaridad!!) I learned this phrase very quickly, and use it very often, as it is a good comeback for sarcastic quips, or can communicate genuine sympathy for something crappy in life.

motivation

I like to be balanced in my posting and give an accurate depiction of my experience here. The good and the not so good, if you will. But it is always more fun to post while the going is good.

And things are going well right now. Last week involved some stunning gastronomic pyrotechnics…but thankfully I am back on track with my standard Honduran diet. I found that being cooped up for several days in my house gave me (too much) time to think and made me pretty down about my experience here. It was a combination of sickness, homesickness, and feeling useless. But I think God has used this down-time in my life here to give me time to reflect on things and get some much needed rest.

With a lot of prayer and some good encouragement and support from family and friends, this new week has gotten off to a fresh start…and for that I am so grateful.

Monday found me in a meeting with my coworkers, taking the lead and presenting the project I have been laboring over the past 3 months. Since I have 1 course of curriculum done for the business school and am wrapping up the 2^nd course, my boss and I decided it would be good to do a test-run and see how it goes.

Starting tomorrow, they will teach 1 lesson each week for 7 weeks, with all of my coworkers (the loan officers) taking a shot at teaching. We will have all the community banks from Thursday meet together at 2pm for the class, and then pay their loans after. The goal is to have everyone who works in the bank program present to learn from each other, practice giving training sessions, and so I can get feedback as I work on more and more curriculum.

nuevo año

I realize I'm a little late in my 'Happy New Year' post...but things have been a little crazy for me the last few weeks...so, let's hit the highlights:

December 25: Christmas dinner with fellow foreigners. Delicious food and a fun time together.

December 27: My mom, dad, and little sister came to visit me in Tegucigalpa!
It was so great to have them here and be able to share my Honduran life with them. We spent some time with my host family (where I got to translate everything)...ate lots of typical Honduran food (baleadas, pupusas, tortillas, tacos, etc.)...saw the sights in and around Teguc...visited Lake Yojoa for a fun boat ride and fried fish...and spent time with my fellow MCCers, the Troyers. It was great to have them here, but hard to say goodbye.

December 31: Año viejo. The Honduran tradition to ring in the New Year is to burn the "old year" or "año viejo." Old year is basically a scarecrow-looking man, that sits in the street for the week leading up to the 31st. Children and teens hang out in the street, collecting money from any passer-by for the "año viejo." Their intention is to buy firecrackers with the money to stuff the man and light him on fire...I am skeptical the money is only used for fireworks, but alas, I did contribute :)
So, on the 31st, all over the neighborhood there were groups of children lighting the scarecrows on fire and watching them burn to nothing. The one outside our door first got a dousing of gasoline, plus the firecrackers...so it didn't take too long to get rid of the old man. My parents and sister also got to witness this exciting event, so don't be alarmed if you've seen my dad's pictures on facebook. They really aren't burning an actual person, it just looks like it.

January 1: my family left for the states. I was pretty tired, but when I got home to relax and rest with my host family, I found out they were going to Picacho (a park up the mountain) to spend the afternoon, so of course I went along. Turns out most Hondurans enjoy spending New Years Day at the park, so we sat around eating tajaditas and tamales and enjoying the outdoors with 60% of Tegucigalpans.

January 3: Grandma's birthday (more cake, more festivities, more hilarity with the Honduran extended family).

January 5-9: MCC Honduras retreat at the farm. It was really fun to get together with the whole Honduras team for a time of planning, fellowship, and fun. We spent lots of time catching up on each others lives, planning for the year ahead, worshiping together, eating, playing games, and even doing a little swimming. I am continually blessed by the people who make up this team and am grateful for their friendship and partnership here in Honduras. It's never easy to leave reatreat and get back into routine, but its good to be at home too.

So...that brings me to today. Back to work...hoping to find some time to catch up on sleep, but per usual the schedule is filling already :)
Today is my fellow SALTer's bday (happy bday Elise!) so we will be celebrating later this week.
Another SALT friend from Nicaragua is stopping in to visit, so I am excited to see her.
I think there is another family birthday party on the horizon...
...and who knows what else.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support. As I come up to my 5 month anniversary in Honduras, there is more and more pressure to figure out what my next steps are after SALT. Your prayers for wisdom and open doors would be appreciated too.