Lenten Projects

Lent marks a forty day period of reflection that leads up to Good Friday and Easter for Christians the world over. It's a time to give something up in order to strengthen your relationship with God, as well as do something extra to share with the community. Hopefully, the changes that you make during the time of Lent will extend throughout the year, and ultimately, your lifetime. Things are no different here in Honduras.

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, all the girls prepared a project to do for the community on Ash Wednesday. They had games, learned songs, talked about this year's theme being honest in the classroom, at home, and as a society. The seniors split up into pairs and were responsible for running activities with each class. I got to be with the youngest girls, in 7th grade, not so much as a teacher, but just to maintain order, because the seniors ran everything. At one point, they were given newspapers, divided into groups of eight and told to cut out pictures about social issues, political issues, and economic issues and paste them on a poster to explain to the class. I was completely surprised that, without any outside help, they did a superb job. Let me just remind you that these girls are between 10 and 12 years old. They talked about poverty, unemployment, prostitution, consumerism, and a whole lot more in depth that I would've at their age. They talked about sexual and domestic abuse, citing examples from their own families, reminding me of the situations they're coming from. Even the externas, from Santa Rosa, hence those in better economic situations, still had a lot to contribute. I was thoroughly impressed, as well as appalled (you'd think I'd be used to this by now), and amazed at how much sooner they mature here. They don't really get to be kids, with normal kid worries. It's a shame they're forced to grow up so fast.

Wednesday was the best though. First, we had Ash Wednesday mass in the auditorium. Then, each grade split up and went to different places around town to do projects with other kids. A few grades went to preschools, or the orphanage where the Mother Teresa sisters work with malnourished kids. I went with the 8th graders to an elementary school to play with a class of third graders. We played games, we danced, we talked about honesty, and hit piñatas. It was really great to see the kids, because they really are very poor. But my favorite part was watching the girls with the kids. They weren't so little anymore, and were helping the littler ones and it was all just so cute! We were there for about four hours, sharing and playing with the kids.

Anyway, school got back to normal for Thursday and Friday. Every Friday morning during Lent, we'll be doing a Stations of the Cross. This first week was the teachers' turn, to set the standard, and every grade will do their own version for the rest of the Fridays of Lent. Well, this time I was actually included as a teacher! And I had to be the narrator, of all things! There were plenty of non-speaking parts, but I got the reading/speaking one. Which is daunting enough in English, but in Spanish, with weird Spanish versions of Biblical names of people and places? Well, I was worried, to say the least, but I ended doing fine. And lots of people told me they didn't realize I knew how to read Spanish. I guess they thought I was illiterate because I never have to read in front of them or something. But it's actually easier than speaking because it takes out the whole really-fast-speaking-with-an-accent factor. So yay for getting through that without major problems!

Then, on Friday for lunch, all the teachers went out to eat at the same Chinese restaurant I went to for Thanksgiving for a good-bye dinner for one of the teachers who's been at the school for thirty years. It was so fun, and reminded me so much of being at home, going out to eat and have a beer after work with my friends. Just very relaxed, without the sisters (their bosses) and the crazy girls! I absolutely love them to death, don't get me wrong, but I love them even more when I get some time away from them too. Then, the sisters changed my day off from Sunday to Saturday (which is so much better!). Now, things are open when I need to go shopping, I can actually sleep in if I want, and I have the same day off as the other American girls here. So, Saturday night, Dani (the other volunteer), Sarah and Abby (two teachers in the bilingual school from San Francisco and Chicago), and I went out to supper and chat. That felt even more like regular life, since it was in English and we got to vent about how hard it is to teach English, how crazy the culture can be here sometimes, how much we adore Dwight from the Office, the Bachelor, etc. It was so nice! I really am so lucky to have them here with me, basically in the middle of nowhere!

So now my Sundays are filled with basically what I was doing before, but now I'm more rested and it doesn't feel like a chore, since it's not intruding on my free time. Teaching is going so much better now I'm getting into a groove (although most of my students failed the second test.. oops!), and classes with the internas in the afternoons are trying, but they're getting more used to the classroom setting and how much fun it can be to study English (attitude is everything, right?).

I want to thank you all so much for responding for my appeal for support for the girls. You totally came through for them! We raised enough money to sponsor all the girls, plus four extras, and enough to buy new irons and school supplies for them to use. Also, the computers are coming in soon, so we're extremely excited about that too. I'll keep y'all updated.

So to sum up, things are going well, very busy, but well, and I hope y'all have a wonderful Lent! Don't just change something small, convert your lives for the better!

PS - Sor Mirna's in Los Angeles for a meeting right now, but when she gets back, I'll take some pictures off her computer from the projects and post them, at least until my camera gets fixed!