Everything will happen in due time...

 Church in central park

 Central park

Beautiful mountains

We had originally planned to have orientation on Monday and Tuesday, but because of the teachers arrivals it was pushed back to Tuesday. However, the school surprised us with a typical breakfast on Monday morning. It was fried bananas, cheese, crème, sausage and sweet coffee. We met the principal and founder of the school. This is the first year that the Minerva school is all in one building. It is a brand new facility, which is very exciting for all of us.

After seeing the school, we walked up into town to buy a few more things we needed for our houses. The owner of the school also owns the hotel right next to the school. Teachers are welcome to use the pool at the hotel so we went to check it out. We didn’t actually get in the water, but we did explore the pond and waterfront. The pond is FULL of fish that look like fat goldfish. I definitely don’t plan on falling into that pond.

Then we went to the pulperia down the street to belliadas. Bolibelliadas have beans, cream, cheese, eggs, and avocado wrapped in a thick tortilla. We also had liquados, fruit juice mixed with milk or water with cinnamon on top. It was delicious!

We started orientation on Tuesday. We met at the school and discussed essential information, such as school calendar (which is not set yet) and the employment contract. The start of school has been pushed back to September 3^rd. We originally though it would start August 22^nd… I’ve already learned not to rush… things will get done in due time J . We can’t get into our classrooms until August 15^th, so are free to explore until then! Tomorrow, we plan to go to the hot springs and have planned a trip to the lake for this weekend.

Today we explored the town a bit more. This included hanging out in the central park and drinking granitas. A café granita is just like an iced cappuccino. I love coffee, so of course this drink has been added to my new list of favorite things.

We found a local place by the park for papusas. These are sweet tortillas filled with cheese, meat, or a combination of both. They come with sweet cabbage to eat on top. Yum! This extra time is great because all the teachers are getting to know each other. We have two former Peace Corps volunteers in our group, former full time teachers, recent graduates, an early graduate, most international studies majors, and almost everyone has studied abroad. In addition, we’re from all over the United States. I’m already so impressed with everyone’s backgrounds and feel so lucky to be surrounded by wonderful, intelligent, and very interesting people who share passions for education and exploring.

A few things I’ve learned about Honduras today:

·      You can’t flush the toilet paper. Oops.

·      Laundry is done by hand washing in a pilla. A pilla is sort of like a large cement square shaped tub with special pieces for scrubbing. This includes a process of soaking, scrubbing, and line drying. Nina (former Peace Corps volunteer placed in another part of Honduras) taught Sara and I how to do this today. I’m actually looking forward to do my own laundry by hand!

·      It is not acceptable for women to buy hard liquor. One of the many things I’ve learned about being a woman in this country. I’m beginning to see how much I’ve taken for granted growing up as a female in the United States.