Amapala

We just got back from Amapala. Ten of us teachers stayed on an island this weekend in South Honduras. Aaron organized the trip, and he did a fabulous job!! It was just gorgeous every where we turned;we were amazed at the beauty of God's creation. The island is basically a dormant volcano, so the sand on the beaches is black! There are only two hotels on the island, so we stayed at the better of the two. I know what you are thinking-You stayed at the best hotel on the island?? :) We payed a lot for it, too: $25 a night (for Aaron and myself-the 6 singles shared one room and payed a lot less)! It was great! The hotel was definitely not the nicest we have ever stayed in, and I don't think that they would stay open in the States, but it is Honduras!!! We overlooked the bugs on the walls and got wonderful rest every night! I was a little worried at first, but we all had a great time and laughed at the things we could have been upset over. The beach time was fantastic, and we had the FRESHEST seafood ever! Some of it was interesting, and our stomachs weren't exactly happy with all of us, but it was a good adventure.

As we drove into Tegucigalpa, a lot of us expressed the nice, but odd, feeling of coming home. Sometimes it takes a vacation to make your house feel like home. For some of us, we think of home in the States as our home. There is a feeling of going home that we will get when we visit our families that we will not get here, but for the first time, I felt like I was coming home when we drove up to the apartment. It was a good feeling, but it was weird. I feel more and more comfortable with this foreign land with every day that goes by. Like I have said before, Aaron was "home" the moment he stepped off the plane, but it has taken me longer to feel comfortable here. I told Aaron and a couple of other teachers today that I now LOVE kindergarten. It took me a little while, but I cannot see myself teaching any other grade next year. My kids are adorable and EASY to love, my aid (Karla) is amazing and I can't even imagine her not being there, and I love the flexibility of kindergarten. It has been hard with the language barrier, but my kids and I are working with each other. They are understanding, and they get so excited when I say something in Spanish. I try to give them special attention when they say something new in English and they love it! I am definitely having fun with them, and I think they are having more fun now, too!

I now see why people like to take a "vacation" after a vacation. We are exhausted now. Aaron drove the 15 passenger van through pretty rough mountain driving, and I was tense the whole drive! :) Thankfully, we have a four day week this week. We have ACSI conferences this weekend, and the kids don't come to school this Friday because of it. After this Friday, we won't have another day off for a while. Alex and Andrew are coming towards the beginning of October, then I go home soon after that for a week. Time is flying by!

We hope you all have a great week!