The One About Christmas

Our final life group of this year was a Christmas themed one which I absolutely loved. I headed alone, due to Giselle being in Tegus, which felt totally weird. Once safe + sound at the Looneys I switched into my PJs + we settled down to eat Chinese. After this we were treated to hot cocoa (with all the yummy toppings) + a huge variety of cookies to accompany it, as we settled down to watch Elf. This was our 1st taste of Christmas this year + it didn’t disappoint! Especially since the house was so cutely decorated + even had a tree up!

The next day school was cancelled due to the curfew, which resulted in Mrs Looney + I having a morning full of Christmas crafts! I worked on a tree + some presents, which she did an adorable snow globe as well as window decorations. Now our classroom is ready for Christmas!! That evening we headed to Suzanne + Wesley’s for a Christmas craft night! Giselle + I mainly worked on cards, although I did attempt a tree of lenca fabric.. let’s just say, it didn’t look how it did on Pinterest. However, it’s definitely got some of my character in there!The next day (truly was a Christmas weekend) we headed to the farm after our trip to town. Due to curfew we couldn’t stay as long as we’d have liked, but from what we saw it was such a cute day!! We were treated to some bologanse so muchas gracias por este 🙂 Of course, working in 2nd grade, there’s a lot of Christmas activities at school. For the past 2 weeks I think we’ve done a Christmas craft nearly everyday which has been incredible! My kids enjoyed making trees, snowmen, reindeer + so much more…Giselle + I felt we needed some Christmas in our house so one day decided to make a Christmas tree! Yes, this is made out of paper + yes it took a whole evening of work but it was so worth it!! Now, the presents we’ve bought/received proudly sit under it + it makes it feel a little more normal in the house. Any decorations we’ve made or colouring we’ve done goes up on the walls for that Christmas atmosphere too 🙂I was fortunate enough to receive my first parcel (so long after it was sent) from my Dad. As well as a West Ham top I joked about needing, this had a Christmas card, Christmas decoration + present which I really wasn’t expecting. As Giselle + I were having a Christmas night (with Arthur Christmas, cookies + our decorations) I decided to open it. Inside was an extremely fluffy, grey bear onesie!! I can’t describe the excitement that took over, but since I’ve barely taken it off for the last few days I’m sure you can imagine. Our neighbours also love it + the kids always run up to me now when I’m wearing it, for a warm cuddle from the bear. I’m now the osito of the family 🙂 As you can sort of see from this picture, the park looks AMAZING at the moment! It’s full of Christmas lights, tinsel + a nativity complete with camels and wolves (?) which reminds us of the UK – but still doesn’t make us want to return!On this final week of school we had the INCREDIBLE Christmas show. My kids made me super proud as they completely rocked our dance, looking cute as always. The only bummer was we had to dress up, so suffered a slightly chilly evening in dresses. However, some of our Honduran family came to watch + we had so much fun with them! I can’t help putting in lots of cute pictures of this night: Everyday at school the Looneys have been treating us to little gifts. Chocolate bars wrapped as snowmen on Monday, little brown paper packages on Tuesday with super cute socks + nail polish + so much love! As well as this we had the staff Christmas party complete with Secret Friend, where Carolina got me an incredible Honduras knitted hat that I love!! I’m sure it’ll feature in maaaany pictures 🙂 On the final day of school (when my mum got to come in) we watched Frosty the Snowman, did Christmas crafts + had the ugly sweater competition! It was super cute + such a nice way (considering it was a half day) to finish the term 🙂 bring on January!

That’s about all for our current Christmas celebrations + although I’ll be taking a break from blogging over the Christmas season I’ll be hitting you with some new ones in 2018!!

My mum + I have safely reached Tegus (thanks to my neighbours for making the journey so much easier) + will be flying to Costa Rica tomorrow to see my brother 🙂

I’m wishing everyone a very merry Christmas + new year surrounded by friends + family!

So from a little not so pink hotel in the capital,

Charlotte x

Fun + Festivites

~ 4 Months ~

One quarter through the year.

4 months away from home. 4 months away from family, from friends. 4 months without cheddar cheese (important). 4 months without sitting at a kitchen table. 4 months with my wonderful kids.

I cannot believe how far through this incredible adventure we are. It feels like we’re constantly busy (which we are), especially at this festive time.

So, what’s been happening this month? It’s been jam-packed, as always! As part of anti-bullying week I did 2 things with my class. One Friday was “Wear Blue Day” which coincidently was on the same day as Honduras played (+ won!!) so I wore my ‘jersey’ to school 🙂 we played games outside as a class then shared the love, resulting in some very cute pictures:

I also did a small session on Respect as part of our devotional time where we discussed who to respect, what respects means to us + how to respect our friends. I then had each kid do a little sheet each + of course we took lots of cute pictures!

I love this time with the kids + honestly I went from not being the biggest kid lover to not knowing how I’m going to survive without them. I’m utterly attached.

Excitingly, whilst making Baleadas, I managed to burn myself quite badly resulting in what we now refer to as the “Yam Gang Sign”.

Whilst I’m on the topic of cooking, I got to make my 1st corn tortilla!! Well, we were hanging out with Cindy + asked to shape one. I can’t say it was exactly circular (it’s waaay harder than it looks) but it was so much fun! I was very proud of the end result + we ate them with our dinner.

This month saw us go on our 1st field trip as teachers. Wow. Lets just say, these are way more fun when you’re the kid! I spent the whole time worrying about whether we had everyone + if all the kids were okay. This saw us take a minibus to the nearby University in La Esperanza – my bus even had a TV playing zootopia which the girls loved. Like most things out here this event was not the most organised. It was basically for the soon-to-be teachers to practice activities with kids + mine headed to the PE, science, math + social studies rooms. We headed back to school, 1 hour later than expected as the event wasn’t hugely smooth-running. However, the kids had fun + in the end that’s all that really matters. On the way back we watched the Angry Birds movie which was an interesting way to practice my Spanish. The highlight of the day was the free cup of fruit I was given at the event 🙂

The beginning of this last month felt very autumnal, with a Fall themed life group with our Americans. This saw us eating many varieties of soups + warming dishes, as well as French toast + a warm apple drink. Giselle + I contributed another banana crumble (after the success of the 1st one..) which I later nibbled on in the park as you can get WiFi there!

Also, our neighbours harvested lots of corn which was put in our courtyard to dry. We sat on it with the kids + de-corned the cob, as it were. This was exciting one because it looked nice but two because I knew how many tortillas it would make 😉

As we finished a parcial we had to have parent teacher conferences one Saturday. This meant we were at school on the normal time, but spent the whole morning speaking to parents. Well, for me it was a time to sit + listen to spanish as my teacher, Mrs Looney, is fluent. There was such a huge variety of parents + we had some really lovely chats. However, some of my sponsored kids parents almost bought a tear to my eye. The variety of backgrounds in our school really hit me then.

Finally, half an hour behind everyone else as we have so many kids, ours finished. I walked to find Giselle as we were heading into town for the usual shopping. I’d felt a bit off all morning, but nothing too serious, so I ignored it. However, we were asked to hurry up as our lift wanted to head into town as soon as possible. I wanted to grab some water from the office so took off running, but after 3 steps I lost the ability to control my legs + collapsed onto the floor. This probably sounds a lot more dramatic than it was, I still had consciousness but just couldn’t move my legs. Thankfully a bunch of the teachers were super cute + helped me up + all I had to show for it was a cut on my hand. I struggled through our shopping then we headed home where I spent the next 5 hours in bed. I’m very glad my best bud, El, was around as it’s always comforting to speak to someone at home when your sick. + I’m so thankful I have Giselle as a partner who took such good care of me!! Big shoutout to her xx

Our neighbours invited us in so I managed to eat some food with them whilst they fussed over my hand – so cute. Then we were invited in for breakfast the next morning which we gladly accepted.

The sun was shining brightly, relaxed music was playing + the smell of a delicious breakfast wafted through the air. We were sat at their table looking out over the greenery outside. It was super interesting because we ate liver!! This, thanks to the sauce it was cooked in, was surprisingly tasty + we enjoyed spending time with the others. Then we cleaned the house + sorted out tortillas, etc for the week whilst they went to church. I even got to skype some of my friends at home + we spanned many time zones with me here, Hannah in India + the rest of the girls in England. We headed to take some snaps on Giselle’s camera then joined back with our neighbours for a super yummy lunch of homemade chips. After this we played who knows how many games of UNO, adding new + funny rules to spice it up. We were then invited to their coffee plantation!

This is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been yet in Yam. All you can see are trees and such a variety of plants: coffee, passion fruit, carrots, etc. This afternoon, like so many here, was throughly enjoyed. There were some really funny moments like when Juan showed us that he could put his hand on an ants nest. As one of the older boys was scared to I decided to go next – what a mistake. It was one of the weirdest sensations ever, with the ants biting me I quickly pulled away + shook my arm around in an attempt to get them off. Besides this, it was one of the most beautiful afternoons I’ve had here.

We carrots fresh from the ground, which they get kindly cut specially for me so I could eat them with my brace 😉 we got to see what coffee looks like when it’s growing + there was even a swing there which I found extremely enjoyable. Then, the whole family crowded into the back of the truck + headed down the incredibly bumpy road home. The most amazing thing was Melvin pointed out a mountain far off in the distance, upon which he amazed us by informing us it was a volcano.. in EL SALVADOR!! We plan to climb this on our visit there 🙂

The next exciting chapter of our lives concerned Thanksgiving. All week we made little crafts leading up to the main event, including: turkey crowns, turkey cups + turkey runners for the tables – I nearly went turkey by the end 😉

Wednesday was the main event + was honestly a day FULL of food! I received free ice cream, a fruit stick, cake + sweets. My class laid out some sheets as picnic blankets + sat down to eat our lunch together, some sharing the bits they’d bought. It was so cute!! One of the things I’m most thankful for is my class of little cuties who always put a smile on my face!

Although I loved that day, I consumed so much bad food I went home + only ate veggies for dinner.

After this we headed to our friend Cindy’s house for an adorable little bonfire. We attempted to teach them British dancing but could only come up with a very odd attempt at a ceilidh that turned into everyone running around in circles, but still, we had heaps of fun. We also played pato, pato, ganso (duck, duck, goose) for aaages then headed to eat biscuits + oranges with condensed milk. I found this a bit sweet so turned my eye towards the tv to try to get a gist of the situation before the election that Sunday.

The next day actually was thanksgiving so we slung our backpacks over our shoulders, picked up our OJ + headed for a brisk 3 mile (ish) walk to the Americans. Here we tried on dresses for half an hour thanks to Rachel, picking out 2 super cute ones for that evening meal. Then we consumed one of the biggest breakfasts of my entire life, American style, with pancakes, fruit, plantain, sweet potoato, beans + breakfast egg tray bake things. We had multiple portions + honestly felt full to the brim! To recover from this Giselle + I laid in hammocks for an hour before starting our journey – more on this can be found here: https://helpcharlottehelphonduras.wordpress.com/2017/12/06/travel-tales-5-copan/

For our 4 month anniversary we headed into La Esperanza + after a day of Christmas gift shopping decided to treat ourselves… To a haircut. Oh yes! Both of us really wanted one before our travelling over Christmas so headed to a place Abi reccomended. It was so weird to have a haircut overlooking a busy market street. Giselle went 1st + since her hair I’m dead straight the woman put it in a pony tail + cut it off! Only in Honduras… I do want to assure you the woman then went round + straightened it out, but it was pretty odd. For my slightly more complex hair as it’s curly + has layers she twisted up sections + snipped, after she brushed my hair dry so I looked like a lion!

Although it was an odd experience I’ve got to say we’re both happy with what she did so maybe in 6 months when we’re feeling like a treat again, another haircut session will commense 😉

Since this blog is becoming a bit ridiculous in length I’m gonna wrap it up here, but be sure that another all about Christmas will be heading your way soon 🙂

All the best, from a little pink house in Yamaranguila,

Charlotte x

Travel Tales #5 – Copán

• Copán Ruinas, Honduras

• Hours travelled: 5 1/2 hours

• Distance travelled: 196.8 km

• Transport: truck, bus

• Rating: 9

The thanksgiving trip to Copan was perfect from beginning to end. Okay, maybe it didn’t start perfectly considering I lost my hat in the first 10 minutes of the trip whilst we were in the back of the truck… opps! However this definitely taught me a lesson: it’s not worth wearing a cap when in a truck.

Giselle, Yulia, Carlie + I chatted + admired the view all the way to Gracias as it’s a short trip from here (on Honduran roads, 1 1/2 hours feels as easy as grabbing a 20 minute bus in England). We dumped our things in Hotel Grancascos (ace place) + headed out to explore Gracias.

I’m a big fan of Gracias: it’s colonial, not too big + has an amazing viewpoint we checked out with our Honduran principle. As Giselle had her big camera it even led to a mini photo shoot! The mountains looked perfect with the setting sun illuminating them from behind.

Watching the sun set over the Honduran mountains you can’t help but think: this is home.

Earlier in our exploration we’d gone to an ice cream place where I treated myself to a chocolate ice cream. As the trip was a treat from the school we’d been given money for food (which of course we didn’t spend all of) which was such a lovely bonus! Giselle grabbed a Oreo + banana licuado + these were enjoyed in the park. I say enjoyed, but Giselle’s was basically milk with chocolate flavouring so was a little disappointing. She ended up giving it to a little guy who kept coming up to us + asking for 2L. We walked around the rest of the town as we’d only spent the 3 days of training there previously (+ both kept mentioning how we should return) which saw us attempting to find me a new hat with no luck. At the market I grabbed a tangerine + Giselle a guava as a little snack before the huge meal we were anticipating – considering we’d also had a massive breakfast. I also picked up a red bandana for 20L – as if I wasn’t ‘typical gap yearer’ enough already!

Some snaps from the viewpoint:

When we returned to the hotel Megan + Rachel were there so we all got ready for thanksgiving together – basically threw on dresses. It was a quick ride in a mini van then we were at another hotel that was just perfectly decorated for Thanksgiving. The Americans take this holiday serious – it’s bigger than Christmas in the states! There were twinkling lights shining above long tables fitted with pumpkin + corn centrepieces in the courtyard. This is a wooden platform situated next to a waterfall, of which you could hear the water rushing over the falls in the background all night. There were Christmas tunes playing (much appreciated), huge bonfires in wheelbarrows + candles everywhere equalling the cutest, thanksgiving vibes possible!

We spent some time chatting with teachers from La Union + Gracias, taking pictures then writing down things we’re thankful + sharing these. Luckily I was opposite Giselle so we could share our 1st thanksgiving together (+ of course I’m super thankful for her xx).

There were some speeches, mainly by Jake, + lots of clapping before the food. What a spread! Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, veggies all with cranberry sauce. Plus, if anything, the second portions were bigger than the first! We are ourselves silly, then even fitted in pumpkin flan somehow. Afterwards we all crammed around the fires, complaining of how much our stomachs hurt.

Giselle + I naturally woke around 5 the next day so we decided to get out + watch the sunrise which was a gooood decision. I love watching different sunrises out here + this one didn’t disappoint either! The sun was mainly tucked behind the mountains but it still gave a very pleasing appearance.

We could barely think about breakfast but thankfully it was continental style + delicious – especially the granola that we all had been missing! It was a nice, refreshing start to the day after the feast the night before.

Then we all crammed onto a bus to take us to Copán. Besides one incident where our tyre had to be changed, this was such an easy trip compared to public buses. Relatively soon we were in Copán, checked in + heading out for the afternoon. Copán is stunning. I fell in love with the place. Rachel + Megan ate Baleadas, Giselle are street food + I ate both – when in Honduras 😉

After satisfying our hunger we headed onto the ruins – don’t bother getting a mototaxi, it’s less than a 10 minute walk. We sulkily accepted the fact we had to pay over 300L because we were foreigners (whereas hondurans paid 80) + entered. Boy, they didn’t disappoint.

As you enter, there is a huge expanse of green grass, like a Roman town. Dotted around stand the tall ruins, with smaller pieces near them. We clambered up the first ruin + the age of these + stories they held to themselves struck me as we made our way up. The view over the ground was better from up there, + we appreciated the ruins from above. It was an afternoon of fun (+ dehydration, forgetting to take in water) which saw us climbing up more ancient rocks, finding a tunnel + seeing quite possibly one of the biggest trees of my life, featured below:

We climbed up even hire ruins + we treated to an incredible view over the vast ground below. We stayed a while appreciating the mountains, the macaws flying through the air + Honduras in all its glory:

The tunnel is an interesting story. There we were, admiring some ruins + trying to ignore a man who wanted us to get a tour with him, when Rachel wandered back over to us + pointed out a trapdoor. There was an arrow pointing down + the word entrance so we took our chances + wandered down. As we were the only ones there, it was pretty creepy. There was dim lighting from some bulbs in the ceiling + carvings upon the walls. We continued on, feeling more + more like we weren’t suppose to be here. Eventually, everyone was getting a little freaked out + I took the lead down the final passage. There was a door + small chink of light ahead then suddenly we were out on the other side of the ruin!

We walked back around for a final look at it all, including the wonder that is “Old Man’s Head” 😉

We met up with some of the Americans + they showed us a cool trick they picked up from their tourguide: that if you clapped in front of one of the ruins there was a really cool echo. We, of course, took some cute group pictures on this ruin before leaving through the avenue.

We walked back along the street towards town + I had my eyes cast downward upon the dirt path. Something caught my eye. There on the floor was a small figurehead. I picked it up + found myself with a freebie souvineer! It pays to look down sometimes 😉

Then there was an interesting 20 minutes where we tried to find a hot chocolate place Jake had reccomended. It took a lot of asking directions (possibly off 7 people) + me running the end but soon we were in an adorable shop. It was all natural, all healthy + they had a reforestation programme – my kinda place!! Megan + I shared an incredible hot chocolate, that was super bitter as it was made from proper cocoa so we added pure sugar cane! I enjoyed the place SO much so big thanks to the girls for sticking with me + finding it.

Once we found our way back to the hotel we did the most civilised + British thing we’ve done out here: drink tea by candle light in the garden. Then we headed out into town for an AMAZING cena typica + an oreo cake for Megan + I before what we usually do: chill in our room chatting.

The next morning I was up early as always, around 5:30, + although Megan + Rachel were sadly feeling sick, we went on a little walk through the town. Where we went, I do not know, but I made friends with a dog from the fire station + we discussed matters in the UK. Then it was time for another super yummy breakfast! Camomile tea, fruit, then homemade bread + scrambled egg (or pancakes for the others) with carrot + passion fruit juice.

We headed out for some souviner shopping where I invested in a cute t-shirt + cap!! I feel complete again now I have a cap 😉 sadly, it was then time to head home.

Thankfully, the road from Copán Ruinans to Gracias was the most beautiful bus journey of my life. The mountains, the sun, the greenery – it was simply perfection.

Sometimes we can lose hope in the world, that the bad outweighs the good. That bus ride restored my faith. The world is beautiful.

Sending good vibes to all, from a little pink house in Yamaranguila,

Charlotte x

Curfew+Crisis

As I write this it’s 6:00pm and we’ve come home early from a Christmas celebration. Why would we do that you ask? Curfew, friends. It started on Friday + is meant to last for 10 days.

Before I start this I just want to say as a warning to everyone at home: Giselle + I ate perfectly safe. Nothing has nor will it happen in Yamaranguila, this is a very chilled area. However, I’m not going to sugar coat the other things happening as I like to be honest. Although what’s happening is terrible + I really feel for this country that I love so much it’s important you know: I’m okay + there’s absolutely no need to worry 🙂

Okay, politics. If you know me you know this is one of my least favourite topics (it’s reaaaaally low down on the list for me) but last Sunday (26th November) there was the general election in Honduras. This is a massive deal. I am by no means an expert but I shall try my best to explain simply what’s going on for those in the UK. Don’t worry, there will be links to news pages at the bottom too.

Before we begin you should know there is 2 main parties we’re dealing with. The blue party (think UK conservatives) called the National Party of Honduras with Juan Orlando as the frontman. Then, there is the Libre (UK labour) party. This party becomes a little more complex as it’s divided (think Russian Bolsheviks + Mensheviks) into 2 of which one section has Salvador as the frontman. This section of the party is actually the 3rd party (like UK liberals) + it would be pretty rare for them to win.

So. Let’s start with the situation before the election: there’s a man called Juan Orlando in charge. There were some positive changes under him: crime decreased + there were other positive changes like some better roads. However, he did some more than suspicious things such as changing the constitution to be all people that supported him.

Now, in my opinion, all of these politicians are as bad as each other. I won’t get into it but it’s similar to the situation in the UK – I’m not sure many politicians are in it for the people anymore. It saddens me a little to think we’ve come to a stage where it doesn’t seem like there’s anyone good to vote for (thinking of the US election this year..) + here in Honduras, for me at least, that still stands.

Here’s my problem with Juan: he reminds me of Stalin. Sounds extreme I know but stick with me here! I’m no historical expert (just a fan) but how did he get in power? Have people in the party that supported him (which Juan has likewise done), worked his way up + ensures the support base of the party for him is strong. Stalin also meddled with votes, like when the party voted Kirov as a leader. I’m not suggested Juan would have someone murdered but the similarities are there. For example, the Congress that acts here is made up solely of Juan’s party + he controls the military. It just feels a little on the road to dictatorship. Especially as he’s the first guy to go up for re-election, which is unlawful in the country’s constitution. After some research I realise his party controls the judiciary, military + TSE (electoral commission) as well. The wide protests are due to the fact the vote was last Sunday + the result still hasn’t been announced. They keep delaying it, although both parties did rather hilariously announce themselves winners on Monday when no official result had been released. The opposition (Salvador & co) have accused Juan & co of fraud + interfering with the vote so he could be re-elected. From reading articles, this could be highly probable. Salvador was ahead + supposedly Juan made people stop counting them mysteriously started to come out 1st. However, we don’t know for certain what exactly happened regarding the ballot papers + I wonder if we ever shall.

However, Salvador has his own issues. He founded the Anti-Corruption party in 2013 although I feel like 90% of the politicians in the world are corrupt in some way. Our Honduran friends tell us he stands for socialism, which, depending on your views is a good or bad thing. It would be too lengthy to discuss in the blog so for the moment I’ll just leave it at that. Honestly, + this is partly because I haven’t researched it like I did before my first vote in the UK, I have no idea who I’d vote for.

Yes, there have been some protests in La Esperanza – however these mainly consisted of burning hay in the road so cars couldn’t pass. On Thursday we had to end school half an hour early, due to the fact the military were blocking roads + checking all cars + buses. Friday the children didn’t come into school, not because anything would happen, but because over anything, we value their safety most of all. So here we are, waiting out this 10 day curfew. For us, here, it’s not too serious but it’s wise not to go out after 6pm or before 6am (sadly no morning runs for me). Mainly because the government has taken away some civilian rights + you can be arrested for being out at these hours (mainly if you’re in large groups/being suspicious).

My advice is this: remember the news is widely bias + plays the very worst clips for your entertainment. I have no doubt things are bad here, there are looting, fires + police firing tear gas + shooting into protestors. However, this is not all of Honduras. This is not what Honduras is. These things are happening in major cities: Tegus, San Pedro, Siguatepeque, etc. Most Hondurans want safety, they want positive change but mostly I think they want peace.

It’s taken a while to write this so I hope it’s been relatively easy to follow, huge congrats if you’ve reached the end! Giselle + I are currently listening to Imagine + honestly that song applies as much today as when it first came out. We’re gonna keep thinking positively!

Hoping someday you’ll join us + the world will live as one, from a little pink house in Yamaranguila,

Charlotte

PS.

If you’re still interested, there’s this: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/02/honduras-troops-shoot-dead-teenage-girl-curfew-election-crisis-protests