El Salvador...i mean Honduras!

First a quick bit about Miami...baaasically it was really really fun. They all live in really cool places and there are loads of cool places, and trees. I like the trees. Aunty Lilian's party was really nice and the food was good (of course). On Sunday she took me shopping and bought me too much stuff so now my bag is heavy. And my straightener doesn't work over here. :(

Anyhoo, Monday morning I went to the airport and was chatting to a lady with a baby boy. Her name was Anna and she was French living for some reason in Honduras. The security check in Miami was weird. We each had to stand in a little booth and air was fired at us. It hurt! Apparently the air was then analysed for explosives...interesting i thought! On the plane i sat next to a Spanish speaking man and his wife. She turned out to speak English and we chatted about random stuff. She laughed even more than i do which i found amusing. She introduced her children to me as her son and her sister. Hehe. Oh yeah. The airline (TACA) was reeeally funny. When we stopped to collect new people at San Pedro Sula i got told to "undo my seatbelt please!" This was a new one!

Next interesting thing, a man came up to me and asked if i was from i-to-i. I was like, "yesss" very confusidly (not a word i know!) He had found out about me completely randomly by talking to the lady with the baby i had chatted to earlier! He and his wife were there to visit their son, Nick who had gone on a gap year project like me but who ended up getting married to the in country coordinator! Haha. That was funny! There was terbulance for the rest of the flight which was unfortunate because i really needed the loo!

Just as we were reaching our destination, Tegucigalpa the plane decided, "actually no. I think i'll go to El Salvador instead!" So that's where we landed...in the wrong country! We stayed in a hotel that night. Getting there was a mission. We bumped and squeaked all the way on a silly little bus. It was awful and way too fast!

I woke up on the Tuesday at 3:30am to get the bus to the airport. We finally took off at 1pm! Waiting was booooring! I watched a man and his cute dog who he carried onto the plane in a little bag. It seems the rules over here are slightly different! Anyyyway, yet again we landed in the wrong place. San Pedro Sula where we had been yesterday! Nick's parents and i stayed in an apartment hotel as we waited for Nick and Elisa to come and save us. I had a double bed and 2 single beds to myself as well as a kitchen and a bathroom. Fun stuff!

The next morning (Wednesday) i got a coach down to La Esperanza and finallllly arrived! I got off the bus at a random stop which i thought was right but i was by no means sure! I was told someone would be there to collect me but there wasn't, so i just stood around looking lost. Many taxi drivers came to rescue me and i was soon swamped by a huge crowd of them. I tried to talk Spanish to them and i think they kinda got the idea i was waiting for someone. On of them let me phone Elisa (the co-ordinator) from his mobile which was nice. I didn't actually want to but i thought as he offered i may as well! I thanked them with sweets!

After a little while i saw Ana and another lady come along to collect me. I recognised Ana from a photo from Megan's travel blog. They took me to their house and I waited for the other 3 English people to return from work. They're called Laura (who arrived the day before me) and Megan and Amy who had already been there for a month.

The family are so kind and lovely. There's Ana who's abought half my height (ok sliiightly taller than that). Actually she's about the same height as her 8 year old daughter Sayra. She also has a son, 14 year old Francisco. He and Sayra fight lots. Camilla is 18 and does most of the work around the house. She cooks all our meals and stuff. The house itself is interesting. The outside is blue and there are loads of melons around the place. Inside is a dust hole. The door is always open and outside is dust dust dust. It's impossible to stay clean here for more than 5 minutes. The floor throughout the house is concrete. No carpet or anything. There are holed in the roof and my bedroom isn't unlike a prison cell. It's ok though because that's how Hondurans live. I have Camilla's room so i'm grateful even for that. It's not so bad actually, i quite like it! Note to dad: I love my sleeping bag...couldn't live without it! And while i'm at it, Lisa, the hand wipes are amaaazing! Not sure i could survive without those either! Now, about the bathroom. There's a toilet and a shower in the same tiiiiny room. About the size of small wardrobe. The shower doesn't work so we have to use 2 buckets to wash. Oh yeah. And there's no hot water!!!

Yesterday i did my first day of teaching. Laura and I were put in a classroom and expected just to teach! It was sooo funny. We taught the children, "my name is" and simple stuff like that as well as numbers because they didn't know how to say their ages. The kids are soooo cute. And outside in their dusty playground we couldn't go anywhere without being swamped by children! We work from 8am until 1pm teaching 5 45 minute lessons each day. That's a lot!!! Shattered! Today we have the day off because there's no school...it would have een nice if someone had told us before this morning though!

Oh yeah, and the food is good. Well, it takes some getting used to but it's all vegetarian which is good. Lots of tortillas, refried beans, eggs, tomatoes, cheese and plantain (kinda like banana). I hate eggs in England but over here i quite like them...how weird?! And everything is cooked with looooads of salt. Way too much! But never mind, no can do! So basically i'm having a great time. A big group of us are going to the lake later on today which oughta be fun. Oh yeah and final note to mum, there are 2 girls here from West Meath...how funny's that?!

Loooooove! Miss you all!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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