After Semana Santa, I was definitely excited to be back to work. This coming month of May represents an entire semester of work--our second semester here. We are trying to pack as much information as possible into these few weeks until we go on break for a month. If the kids are anything like how my friends and I were during summer break, they won't study or retain much of the information they have already learned. All of us are trying to establish some goals as to where exactly we want to stop.
I thought Father's day was ridiculously overdone, but when I asked about the Mother's day festivities to take place next Thursday my boss told me to times the Father's Day celebration by 2. All of the foreign teachers were just told about Mother's day about a week ago. We weren't given a specific date as to when it would take place. Apparently it is going to take place sooner than we thought and we are not ready. Although the fathers are paying for school, it seems that it generally isn't their responsibility to worry about their children's education. My boss told me that the mothers will be watching every little thing the kids are doing and will openly critique the activities; so, basically, don't screw up.
If I thought I was going to be able to get any serious work done before break I was mistaken. When I say serious work I mean teaching English. In the next week the students and I need to prepare a homemade gift for the mothers and it better be creative. To add to the pressure, we don't have a full day tomorrow due to student elections. There are two political parties that formed in the school--F.U.D.E. (I don't remember the acronym) and Estrellas del futuro (Stars of the Future). Many of my students have been out of class all week campaigning and buying votes by giving candy out. Like true politicians, both sides are promising some big changes and are proposing projects that they will make sure get done--no one has figured out where the money is coming from yet. I have never seen so many students so aware of politics, even if it is only at an extremely local level.
In what is going to take about 15 minutes to vote, my boss gave the school the afternoon off. Honduran Labor Day is this Sunday so we don't have class on Tuesday--If you think this seems random that's because it is and it makes absolutely no sense. Mother's Day is Thursday so we aren't going to have classes, just a two hour assembly. Friday we aren't having classes for no apparent reason at all, maybe because we didn't have classes on Thursday and they want a long weekend. This no school thing is getting a little ridiculous. I know it is probably a cultural thing, but I would at some point actually like to get some work done. We are strapped for time anyways because of the upcoming month long break, and now I have to prepare a song for the moms and a homemade gift.
To top it all off, I was sick this weekend and the beginning part of the week. Diarrhea during school hours isn't pleasant since the seat-less toilets are a glorified outhouse that smells of humid, rotten excrement. I had to visit the bathroom 6 times one morning. I was trying to keep myself hydrated in the subtropical heat, but every time I put liquid into my body it flushed right back down the other end. It is only when I am fighting travel sickness that I feel at all homesick. It sure would be nice to have the comforts of the developed world when you have explosive diarrhea.
We are inching closer and closer to break and I have yet to lock down plans for a volunteer project. I would like to keep myself busy in June doing something anywhere but here. It will be nice to live another place for a while and have a chance to miss my current situation. If you have any suggestions please let me know…
C.S. 100 Dollar Challenge: With 100 U.S. Dollars you could buy 210 pounds of pasta.
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