Thank you to everyone who read the blog while we were away! I hope you enjoyed the updates from Honduras. Now we are all home safely after a one night unexpected stay in Houston, but missing the country already. Our experiences there aren't something we can easily forget. But this fact is what will encourage us to take action to help the kids that we met in Honduras to have a more fulfilling life. They touched our hearts so there is still much more we can do to give back to them.
During our time in Honduras we saw first hand the amazing work the Helping Honduras Kids does for the children of La Ceiba. They provide a free education to many of the kids there, and a loving home an environment to the kids in the hogar. Because of their smile size, they are able to run the organization with small overhead costs, ensuring that the funds go to the children. They do an amazing amount with the funding they have, but have lately struggled financially. After the evacuation of the old hogar, HHK was left renting a house in La Ceiba. They are in need of a new Hogar de Amor for the kids. They also have the costs of caring for the Hogar kids, providing teacher salaries at the Jungle School, and supporting the families in the Campesino village and Grandma's kids program. They could use our help!
One of the best ways to support this organization is by sponsoring a child for $25.00 a month. This helps provide the basic funds for supplying the kids with a home, food and education. As a sponsor you become the child's "madrina" or "padrino". You are able to write to them and keep in contact with how the organization is doing. To get involved go to www.helpinghonduraskids.org and click on the sponsor a child tab. Every bit you can give helps, and HHK greatly appreciates all you can do for the kids.
Also, if you have been inspired to visit Honduras in the future, contact HHK's volunteer , Cristy Garrido, at helping_honduras_kids@yahoo.com . She did an amazing job at organizing our trip, and can help you with your travel plans. The experience was truly amazing and life changing so I greatly advise it if you are able. You can also keep in touch with HHK through their facebook fan page.
Thank you everyone again for supporting us on our travels! Thank you to HHK for providing us with an amazing experience as well. We will never forget the kids and the love they gave to us. I hope to come back soon! If anyone has any questions for me, feel free to email me at mcclurekyla@yahoo.com
Sincerely,
Kyla McClure
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Day 8
Goodbye is the most difficult word to say to 22 kids whom you have formed bonds with, bonds stronger than you ever though possible to make in 8 days. 22 kids whose future is unsure, who look with tears in their eyes as they ask you when you are coming back. 22 kids whose beautiful smiles have grabbed your heart and will never let go, whom you will never forget because of their strength and resilience of spirit. What they live with, go through, inspires us and makes us better people. They are the one's who have given us a new perspective and motivation, and for that we are forever greatful.
Today was bittersweet because their was a different feeling in the air because we all knew we would have to say goodbye. Today was our last poolside breakfast, and our last trip to the Jungle School for work. We hauled up the bricks from the bottom, and almost all of the sand pile which never seemed to end. So much was built though in just the time we were there! Concrete was poured into the foundation, and the steel bars added to the corners. Bricks were laid as well. It was amazing to realize that our work purchased all of the supplies, and we were a huge part in making the workers jobs easier. It is something we can be proud of, even if tempers were a little short today. Today was our last lunch at the school, and as always we were unable to say no to the faces of the kids swarming around us as we ate. I don't think any one of us ate more than half our food, because it is so difficult not to give it to them. We came back to the hotel a little early for some time to shower and pick up some last minute souvenirs, and then headed to the supermarket and mall to buy supplies for the Hogar kids as a last goodbye. We bought bracelets and chips to give to each one, as well as special requests such as a watch for Daniel and Harrison, and some Jacks for Lula. Reina got some princess stickers, and Mercedes and Rosa both got some beautiful dresses. Being down here makes you realize how much we can give, because we have so much. Something so special to them is often only a few dollars for us.
We got to the hogar around 4, and you could tell the minute you arrived that they knew we were going. They were smiling and immediately grabbed us but they were also sad. We passed out our presents and you should have seen Mercedes in her dress! She was gorgeous and it fit perfectly. Lula immediately pulled out her Jacks to play with them also. Alexis brought out her amazing crafts and Danielle took each kids picture with her Polaroid Camera. Each of the kids chose one of us to take their picture with and we made frames for each for them to keep. It was so precious and amazing. Then they decorated their backpacks, but what was especially amazing was the kids who didn't make the back packs for themselves. Many of them had brothers and sisters still living in rural areas, and they made the packs for them because many of them don't have backpacks. These kids just give and give and are so strong it is incredible.
The end was the most difficult part of the entire trip. How do you say goodbye? Many of the little girls were crying before we were even out of time, and it wasn't long until most of us followed suit. I want to thank my mom for giving me the gene of instant waterworks, because I was an absolute reck. My group was so amazing, because we all gathered together in a circle and Mrs. Hervey presented me with a shirt that all of the kids, and everyone on the trip, had signed, and I was crying before I could even look at the shirt. I just want to thank everyone for coming and making this trip one of the most amazing experiences of a lifetime. Each of us hung back as the bus waited and gave a last hug to all the kids and told them we love them. I promised to come back, and I will come back. We all want to do all that we can to help them.
Dinner was somewhat sobering as we shared our experiences, and thanked David for all his work. We finished where we began, at a restuarant on the beach in one of the most beautiful areas of the world. As we ate and then walked along the beach, we all knew that this experience was worth it. Thank you so much to everyone who made it possible for us to go. It means the world, to us and to the kids.
Tomorrow we shall be home in the U.S. but a part of many of our hearts will remain in Honduras. We hope for a safe trip and can't wait to see everyone back in the states!
Love,
RBV HHK.
Today was bittersweet because their was a different feeling in the air because we all knew we would have to say goodbye. Today was our last poolside breakfast, and our last trip to the Jungle School for work. We hauled up the bricks from the bottom, and almost all of the sand pile which never seemed to end. So much was built though in just the time we were there! Concrete was poured into the foundation, and the steel bars added to the corners. Bricks were laid as well. It was amazing to realize that our work purchased all of the supplies, and we were a huge part in making the workers jobs easier. It is something we can be proud of, even if tempers were a little short today. Today was our last lunch at the school, and as always we were unable to say no to the faces of the kids swarming around us as we ate. I don't think any one of us ate more than half our food, because it is so difficult not to give it to them. We came back to the hotel a little early for some time to shower and pick up some last minute souvenirs, and then headed to the supermarket and mall to buy supplies for the Hogar kids as a last goodbye. We bought bracelets and chips to give to each one, as well as special requests such as a watch for Daniel and Harrison, and some Jacks for Lula. Reina got some princess stickers, and Mercedes and Rosa both got some beautiful dresses. Being down here makes you realize how much we can give, because we have so much. Something so special to them is often only a few dollars for us.
We got to the hogar around 4, and you could tell the minute you arrived that they knew we were going. They were smiling and immediately grabbed us but they were also sad. We passed out our presents and you should have seen Mercedes in her dress! She was gorgeous and it fit perfectly. Lula immediately pulled out her Jacks to play with them also. Alexis brought out her amazing crafts and Danielle took each kids picture with her Polaroid Camera. Each of the kids chose one of us to take their picture with and we made frames for each for them to keep. It was so precious and amazing. Then they decorated their backpacks, but what was especially amazing was the kids who didn't make the back packs for themselves. Many of them had brothers and sisters still living in rural areas, and they made the packs for them because many of them don't have backpacks. These kids just give and give and are so strong it is incredible.
The end was the most difficult part of the entire trip. How do you say goodbye? Many of the little girls were crying before we were even out of time, and it wasn't long until most of us followed suit. I want to thank my mom for giving me the gene of instant waterworks, because I was an absolute reck. My group was so amazing, because we all gathered together in a circle and Mrs. Hervey presented me with a shirt that all of the kids, and everyone on the trip, had signed, and I was crying before I could even look at the shirt. I just want to thank everyone for coming and making this trip one of the most amazing experiences of a lifetime. Each of us hung back as the bus waited and gave a last hug to all the kids and told them we love them. I promised to come back, and I will come back. We all want to do all that we can to help them.
Dinner was somewhat sobering as we shared our experiences, and thanked David for all his work. We finished where we began, at a restuarant on the beach in one of the most beautiful areas of the world. As we ate and then walked along the beach, we all knew that this experience was worth it. Thank you so much to everyone who made it possible for us to go. It means the world, to us and to the kids.
Tomorrow we shall be home in the U.S. but a part of many of our hearts will remain in Honduras. We hope for a safe trip and can't wait to see everyone back in the states!
Love,
RBV HHK.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Day 7
The day started like a usual one, 7 o clock breakfast and 8 o clock on the bus. We began our day driving to Campesino to deliver beans, crayons, candy, birth control and much more. The village was very different from Grandma´s Kids. The houses are made of wood and have plastic to cover the walls and roofs (apparently this is a a huge upgrade from before). They are not only very siimply made, but also very small. I saw some homes as small as the size of my own room! The school is one room and the power house of the village, it holds all the lines for electricity. The rooom is bare and there are about 4 desks. The kids have no books except small paper notebooks; I barely saw any writing utensils. The kids then moved to the front of the room to sing for us. The girl in charge of the choir was only 11 years old, and at 3 had fallen into a well and almost died. It was after this and later in her life she began singing. Just watching you could how thankful she and the rest of the village was for all that HHK does for them. They were appreciative for the plastic covers on their homes! After the children finished singing we handed out boxes of crayons to them. It was not till after that I learned that some of the girls as young as 11 were not holding their siblings but their own children! For many of these girls it is rape and some consensual. It was heartbreaking to see girls younger then me, have the responsisbility no girl should have till much later in her life. As hard as it is to see people live in such harsh conditions, I beleive it is truly necessary for people to have this type of firsthand experience. because you honestly feel helpless.
We then moved onto the JUngle school where we had our lunch and waited for 5 of the Jungle school kids to get out. These 5 are all related and everyday must hike 2 hours one way to get to school. We started our hike with our water bottles, snacks and any necessary items in case we got stuck out there. We looked very unfitting standing next to the kids, who carried their books and wore their school uniforms. The hike was upill all the way there and on a small path. The path went into the jungle with lush trees and out into the open where the view was breath taking. As we neared the house, we were greeted by cows and bulls. On a small path on the side of a (very large) hill they walked amoung us (literally!). When we reached the house we were greeted by the moher who cooked us all homemade flour tortillas with beans and cheese. Dave told us this was the amount of food they used for a week. It seems as if the people with the least give the most. The inside of the house was a dirt ground and one large room separated by walls. There were no doors, not even for the bathroom. The kids slept within 3 feet of the parents! aAs we stayed there we learne that the father walks every day to La Ceiba to work and doesnt get home till later. The 5 children were unphased by our utter disbeleif of how this family lived. They seemed so thankful with all that they had. We continued are hike back to the Jungle School, which I might add was still long but much easier going down. The view was the most beautiful thing I´ve ever witnessed. There was not enough time to take it all in.
We went back to the hotel, showered and ate the ususal meat and bean dinner at Ex Patriot. Which for me, never failed at being delicious. We went to one of the Honduras souvenir shops after, where everyone spent countless limpiaras on hamicks, necklaces, bags etc. the items were all honduras made and very beautiful. For many we bought, found more and rebought again! No one walked away empty handed.
As for me I am not looking forward to leaving, this has been a trip that I beleive has changed a lot of us for the better. I can say I won´t look at things the same way anymore, and I am content with that. In this past week so much has happened and words are hard to find to describe it all; both sad and happy. But today is not the last day, we have one more day left of work and playing with the Hogar kids. Till then...
We then moved onto the JUngle school where we had our lunch and waited for 5 of the Jungle school kids to get out. These 5 are all related and everyday must hike 2 hours one way to get to school. We started our hike with our water bottles, snacks and any necessary items in case we got stuck out there. We looked very unfitting standing next to the kids, who carried their books and wore their school uniforms. The hike was upill all the way there and on a small path. The path went into the jungle with lush trees and out into the open where the view was breath taking. As we neared the house, we were greeted by cows and bulls. On a small path on the side of a (very large) hill they walked amoung us (literally!). When we reached the house we were greeted by the moher who cooked us all homemade flour tortillas with beans and cheese. Dave told us this was the amount of food they used for a week. It seems as if the people with the least give the most. The inside of the house was a dirt ground and one large room separated by walls. There were no doors, not even for the bathroom. The kids slept within 3 feet of the parents! aAs we stayed there we learne that the father walks every day to La Ceiba to work and doesnt get home till later. The 5 children were unphased by our utter disbeleif of how this family lived. They seemed so thankful with all that they had. We continued are hike back to the Jungle School, which I might add was still long but much easier going down. The view was the most beautiful thing I´ve ever witnessed. There was not enough time to take it all in.
We went back to the hotel, showered and ate the ususal meat and bean dinner at Ex Patriot. Which for me, never failed at being delicious. We went to one of the Honduras souvenir shops after, where everyone spent countless limpiaras on hamicks, necklaces, bags etc. the items were all honduras made and very beautiful. For many we bought, found more and rebought again! No one walked away empty handed.
As for me I am not looking forward to leaving, this has been a trip that I beleive has changed a lot of us for the better. I can say I won´t look at things the same way anymore, and I am content with that. In this past week so much has happened and words are hard to find to describe it all; both sad and happy. But today is not the last day, we have one more day left of work and playing with the Hogar kids. Till then...
Monday, April 5, 2010
Day 6
Slowly, little by little, our dirt pile is getting smaller. After two days of work we have hauled about 4/5 of it up the steep slope to the Jungle School. They have started mixing the concrete for the foundation, made the steel frames for the corners of the classroom, but we still have more dirt to haul up the hill. It is the pile that never ends. After the dirt, we have a pile of probably 250 bricks that need to go up. And the work is not easy. I don't think I have ever been dirtier in my life, from pure sweat and dirt that is rubbed under the sunscreen. We basically sweat out everything we drink, hauling dirt bags up the hill. It will feel so good once we are done.
We were counting the minutes until lunch, and waiting for Nicolas to arrive. Those were some of the longest minutes I've felt. Lunch tasted that much better for all our work. Chicken, rice, watermelon, and assorted veggies (i'm not quite sure what they were)- delcious. A few extremely emancipated dogs hung around the work site and we gave them some leftovers. One jumped into the trashcan to eat the chicken bones. It is the small things like that which really remind you that you are in Honduras.
The school was in session while we were working, and it was amazing seeing all of the kids in their uniforms, with their school books. It showed what good work HHK is doing in Honduras. There were so many kids packed into the two classrooms, but you could see how focused they were and happy to be there. Well most of them at least, discounting the two cutest four year old boys who ditched class to work with the big boys hauling dirt up the hill. When we asked why they weren't in class, they said with attitude "estamos trabajando!". But how can you get mad at that? The kids left school at 12:30 and as they piled into the bus and drove away they stuck their heads out at us and waved and yelled our names.
As 2 o'clock rolled around, all of us piled into our own bus, sweaty and dirty. Showers were in order back at the hotel, and we rubbed layers of dirt off of ourselves. A short rest and some shopping, in which the boys picked up their machetes, and we left for the Hogar. As always the kids were waiting at the gate as we arrived, waving and smiling their adorable smiles. Alexis brought her crafts, and we pulled out the hand puppets to make. Each of them loved to draw on theirs and make the tongues and eyes. A huge hit (Thank you Pam!). Rachel had a notebook in which each of the kids wrote things down and some of the things they said were absolutely adorable and so cute. We went onto facebook and showed them photos of our families and friends (and novios, which they love to hear about) and their faces were so cute as they looked at how we live. All of the kids are convinced that Danny is Caitlin's novio, because that's what she told them, and every picture of him with another girl they called him a cheater. As we left I felt overwhelmed because on Wednesday when we have to say goodbye it is going to be so difficult. But not thinking about that now....
Dinner at El Gordo's and I definitely feel like el gordo now. Piles of meet, I don't even know what, and plenty of leftovers. Rachel and Britta sampled the liver on accident. We stopped at a Baskin Robins / Dunkin Donuts for dessert and are now at the hotel, ready for bed and an exhausting hike tomorrow. Till then. Goodnight.
We were counting the minutes until lunch, and waiting for Nicolas to arrive. Those were some of the longest minutes I've felt. Lunch tasted that much better for all our work. Chicken, rice, watermelon, and assorted veggies (i'm not quite sure what they were)- delcious. A few extremely emancipated dogs hung around the work site and we gave them some leftovers. One jumped into the trashcan to eat the chicken bones. It is the small things like that which really remind you that you are in Honduras.
The school was in session while we were working, and it was amazing seeing all of the kids in their uniforms, with their school books. It showed what good work HHK is doing in Honduras. There were so many kids packed into the two classrooms, but you could see how focused they were and happy to be there. Well most of them at least, discounting the two cutest four year old boys who ditched class to work with the big boys hauling dirt up the hill. When we asked why they weren't in class, they said with attitude "estamos trabajando!". But how can you get mad at that? The kids left school at 12:30 and as they piled into the bus and drove away they stuck their heads out at us and waved and yelled our names.
As 2 o'clock rolled around, all of us piled into our own bus, sweaty and dirty. Showers were in order back at the hotel, and we rubbed layers of dirt off of ourselves. A short rest and some shopping, in which the boys picked up their machetes, and we left for the Hogar. As always the kids were waiting at the gate as we arrived, waving and smiling their adorable smiles. Alexis brought her crafts, and we pulled out the hand puppets to make. Each of them loved to draw on theirs and make the tongues and eyes. A huge hit (Thank you Pam!). Rachel had a notebook in which each of the kids wrote things down and some of the things they said were absolutely adorable and so cute. We went onto facebook and showed them photos of our families and friends (and novios, which they love to hear about) and their faces were so cute as they looked at how we live. All of the kids are convinced that Danny is Caitlin's novio, because that's what she told them, and every picture of him with another girl they called him a cheater. As we left I felt overwhelmed because on Wednesday when we have to say goodbye it is going to be so difficult. But not thinking about that now....
Dinner at El Gordo's and I definitely feel like el gordo now. Piles of meet, I don't even know what, and plenty of leftovers. Rachel and Britta sampled the liver on accident. We stopped at a Baskin Robins / Dunkin Donuts for dessert and are now at the hotel, ready for bed and an exhausting hike tomorrow. Till then. Goodnight.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Day 5
Today we all met for breakfast at 7:00. Unlike yesterday's "squeaky cheese" we were actually able to consume the food this morning. It was scrambleded eggs, bacon, and tortillas. Seeing as it was Easter the girls all wore dresses and we went to a golf course in La Ceiba to hide Easter Eggs for the kids to find. The Golf Course was pretty dirty, but in the end the kids still had a blast anyways. They were allowed to gather five eggs each but a lot of them ended up with six or seven that we had to redistribute. It is almost like the kids have a survivor-like mentality. With all the food we give them on the trip they take as much as they can and then save it for later. Anyways, eventually a soccer game ended up developing on the golf course. Within maybe five minutes Nate was covered in mud after an attempted slide tackle that also splashec onto Harper on the process. There were several attempts made by Nate later in the game to throw Brian into the mud, but they were only somewhat sucessful Regardless, Nate, Harper, and Brian were put on the top of the bus while leaving and drove to the end f the parking lot on the bus. After the Easter Egg Hunt everyone had two hours to themselves at the hotel. In this two hours there was lots of napping, some shopping (mostly in search of hondruas muscle tees and "cuchillos" ) and Chloe even did homework! We all then left at 11:15 for lunch at "El Guapos" where we met "El Guapo" himself. A more perfect stereotype may have never existed. He was American who owned the restaurant and was complete with a cigar and a shirt with a perfect depiction of his face on it. Needless to say, photos were taken. From El Guapos we took off to the Honduras Canopy Zip Lining tour. Unfortunately, Danny didn't participate in the zip lining because his shoulder was bothering him., but everyone else was able to witness the beautiful ocean views as we took 18 zip lines over the jungle canopy and natural hot springs. After finishing up with that adventure we were able to enjoy the beautiful and calming natural hot springs. There were several pools with different temperatures and water falls. We enjoyed complimentary fruit and mud baths. Jack was especially fortunate. Whereas as everyone else was lathered in mud by the male employee, Jack was covered in mud by the girls on the trip. There were some especially amusing pictures taken to prove this actually happened. We then took off to eat at Helen's Resturant by the ocean where we were able to enjoy yet another wonderful Honduran meal. Now everyone is back at the hotel and very tired. We will probably all be in bed soon. We will write again tomorrow!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Day 4
Today made everything worth it, the time, the planning and the challenges. It was amazing in every manner of the word. Beginning with a delicious breakfast of poached eggs and beans by the pool, Nicolas (our bus driver) picked us up and took us to the Hogar. Driving up the kids were all waiting by the fence and ran out to greet us before we were even stopped. In our bus that holds 26 people we piled at least 40 + people inside, often times 1 or more of the kids on our laps. They are so precious. Each of them has attached themselves to certain people. Shelby has two of the little girls constantly competing for her attention. One of the girls hasn't left Britta's side as far as I can tell. The little boys still can't get enough of our boys. We are all finding that it is impossible to say no to their smiling faces. Anything they ask and all of our heads turn to answer. They call us "tia" y "tio" but we are getting names down slowly.
On the bus ride to el rio we had fun singing any songs we could think of, including a collection of Juanes, Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull and even Taylor Swift. We also learned a new game the kids taught us where we call out eachothers names. It was crowded but extremely fun. Our bus pulled up to an extremely steep bank with the river below and we were informed thats where we were going. So we piled out, kids and all and set off down an extemely tight, narrow trail. Arriving at the bottom and the river we were excited until learning that this wasn't our stop, we were going into the forest, and had to cross the river first. So we put our packs above our heads and crossed through the waist high water, holding on to the kids to make sure they didn't get pulled down by the current. Stacey had the smallest one on her back all the way across and was a champ taking her the whole way.
The trail back up was just as steep. Literally a trek through the rain forest, and most of us were bare foot. I felt like a jungle girl. When we did finally get to our actual destination at the rio none of us were at all disappointed. In all the world I don't know if i could imagine a place with more pure, natural beauty. We were the only people there, our group of about 50 including kids and us. The river ran through the forest, and was more a series of waterfalls and pools. There were vines and trees up the bank of each side with the water running through. I could have sat on the rocks all day staring and still not come to the realization that the plaace was real and not a figment of my imagination. It was truly surreal. The water was a perfect temperature, and we slid and jumped off rocks into the pools. The kids had a blast, although i might venture to say our group enjoyed it even more because it was so new to us. As we were getting ready to leave I almost had a heart attack because Brian was coming down off a small cascade and slipped and slid down the cascade and landed a foot away from a rock. It was amazing and he was completely fine but too close a call for me!
After our trek back, we waited for half an hour for our bus (who was already 40 minutes late- Honduras time) and headed back. The kids were again so cute, and many fell asleep on us on the way back. Rachel was telling us how she thinks one of them peed on her but she couldn't even get angry because they are so adorable. Any time they want to be picked up all they do is look at us with their eyes and we melt like butter.
On the way back we stopped at a program called Grandma's kids in El Naranjo. It is an extemely poor community where many grandma's live that take care of up to 10 kids each. These kids are left in their care because often times their mothers are only 15 years old and unable to provide for them, or have died from aids or other things. It was heart wrenching. Their houses were shaks, and the children were so cute. We brought some supplies with us and passed them out, clothes among other things. They are so thin. The fires were going in the back, there is no electricity, the grandma's look so weary, so old, so experienced. Life has been so hard on them. Seeing the hogar kids with them was also amazing. In Honduras the kids at the Hogar are the lucky ones. They have a roof over their heads, good food every day, schooling etc. They were so quiet and reserved. One of the hogar kids had brought his marbles where were extremely precious to him. Earlier he had been afraid when he lost one of them. As we were at El Naranjo, he have one of the boys have of them. To give when you have nothing is amazing. It is just crazy to think that what side of the river you are born on makes all of the difference between what your life will be. They are just kids, but the ten year old girl standing next to her grandma is the one forced to grow up and look after her 6 younger brothers and sisters. Rachel asked one of the girls what was the one thing that she really need in life and she just said "jugar con un muneca". That was it, with her big eyes looking at us from one of the starkest backgrounds we have seen. It moved some of us to tears. For me seeing the effect this had on our group was what made our trip worth it. To experience what we are experiencing is why we are here, while trying to do what good we can.
Tomorrow should hold more experiences! We miss you all!
On the bus ride to el rio we had fun singing any songs we could think of, including a collection of Juanes, Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull and even Taylor Swift. We also learned a new game the kids taught us where we call out eachothers names. It was crowded but extremely fun. Our bus pulled up to an extremely steep bank with the river below and we were informed thats where we were going. So we piled out, kids and all and set off down an extemely tight, narrow trail. Arriving at the bottom and the river we were excited until learning that this wasn't our stop, we were going into the forest, and had to cross the river first. So we put our packs above our heads and crossed through the waist high water, holding on to the kids to make sure they didn't get pulled down by the current. Stacey had the smallest one on her back all the way across and was a champ taking her the whole way.
The trail back up was just as steep. Literally a trek through the rain forest, and most of us were bare foot. I felt like a jungle girl. When we did finally get to our actual destination at the rio none of us were at all disappointed. In all the world I don't know if i could imagine a place with more pure, natural beauty. We were the only people there, our group of about 50 including kids and us. The river ran through the forest, and was more a series of waterfalls and pools. There were vines and trees up the bank of each side with the water running through. I could have sat on the rocks all day staring and still not come to the realization that the plaace was real and not a figment of my imagination. It was truly surreal. The water was a perfect temperature, and we slid and jumped off rocks into the pools. The kids had a blast, although i might venture to say our group enjoyed it even more because it was so new to us. As we were getting ready to leave I almost had a heart attack because Brian was coming down off a small cascade and slipped and slid down the cascade and landed a foot away from a rock. It was amazing and he was completely fine but too close a call for me!
After our trek back, we waited for half an hour for our bus (who was already 40 minutes late- Honduras time) and headed back. The kids were again so cute, and many fell asleep on us on the way back. Rachel was telling us how she thinks one of them peed on her but she couldn't even get angry because they are so adorable. Any time they want to be picked up all they do is look at us with their eyes and we melt like butter.
On the way back we stopped at a program called Grandma's kids in El Naranjo. It is an extemely poor community where many grandma's live that take care of up to 10 kids each. These kids are left in their care because often times their mothers are only 15 years old and unable to provide for them, or have died from aids or other things. It was heart wrenching. Their houses were shaks, and the children were so cute. We brought some supplies with us and passed them out, clothes among other things. They are so thin. The fires were going in the back, there is no electricity, the grandma's look so weary, so old, so experienced. Life has been so hard on them. Seeing the hogar kids with them was also amazing. In Honduras the kids at the Hogar are the lucky ones. They have a roof over their heads, good food every day, schooling etc. They were so quiet and reserved. One of the hogar kids had brought his marbles where were extremely precious to him. Earlier he had been afraid when he lost one of them. As we were at El Naranjo, he have one of the boys have of them. To give when you have nothing is amazing. It is just crazy to think that what side of the river you are born on makes all of the difference between what your life will be. They are just kids, but the ten year old girl standing next to her grandma is the one forced to grow up and look after her 6 younger brothers and sisters. Rachel asked one of the girls what was the one thing that she really need in life and she just said "jugar con un muneca". That was it, with her big eyes looking at us from one of the starkest backgrounds we have seen. It moved some of us to tears. For me seeing the effect this had on our group was what made our trip worth it. To experience what we are experiencing is why we are here, while trying to do what good we can.
Tomorrow should hold more experiences! We miss you all!
Friday, April 2, 2010
day 3 (we couldnt figure it out in spanish, lo siento)
Another early morning, with breakfast being served once again by poolside. Many of us loaded the Cayos Cochinos bus with anxiety, seeing as random odd people were sitting in the first few seats. It was the right one, it just took us a while to figure that out. The ride to the beach was somewhat crowded, with 5 kids squished into a backseat meant for 4 at the most. We did enjoy a nice game of jello though, squishing both Danielles, who happened to be sitting on the ends.
The boats to Cayos Cochinos, the small island in the Caribbean we visited today, def sketchy. They were little uncovered boats with 2 motors. The first group took off with no problem, carting away Kyla, Harper, Stacey, Alexis, and one of the volunteers and his 2 girls, plus a girl from the Hogar, Rosa! (The 13 year old Jack danced with the night before, thinking she was 18) Good joke. Our second boat carried the legit kids, but took like 15 minutes to start, in which time some people freaked out about the boat capsizing, which is totally believable seeing the size of the boats. Luckily we got started alright, and the 45 minute boat ride began with the kids on the outside being hit by stray waves. Very amusing for us on the inside. ;)
The area where the island is located was beautiful. The scenery, surreal. It was like stepping out of Survivor Roatan, which was filmed in the islands we visited. Amazing. We landed on Cayos Cochinos Minor, which is the smaller of the main islands. Nate was greeted by the Navy officers, but everything went smoothly, despite the many pictures with armed people. That boy likes guns. And knives. The group was led under a canopy, where we were given the most hilarious presentation ever. It included comparisons between turtle sex and people's libido. 90 days of straight lovemaking, where the male turtles sometimes die "happy death". Tears streamed down our faces as the guide showed us a poster that read "Me huevos no es la solucion" with a turtle holding a viagra. Apparently locals use the turtle eggs as a natural sex drive. Save the turtle eggs!
The first boat was taken to a small cove to snorkel, while the second boat was directed by Melvin, a fully fluent speaking English Yankees fan (boo), to a VIP snorkeling area, where we interacted with barracudas, parrot fish, jellyfish, and the rest of the reef. The snorkeling was so good it could be compared to that of the Great Barrier Reef. The water was extremely clear and blue, with great visibility. The second boat was also taken to a dropoff to snorkel in deeper water with larger fish. The smart people stayed in the boat, where the fish could not eat them.
Las Chichuhuana, which means the twins, was the island destination of our lunch. We were served full fish, skins, bones, eyes and all. Since the first boat arrived before the other, those ladies were able to walk across the sand bar connecting the twin islands, and convinced the island boys to take them on a boat ride on the local small wooden boats, that looked like they would tip at any given second. The locals were super nice; the ladies even got some pictures with the local studs. Melvin took some on a tour of the small community on the island, where we got to see how the people lived and some of the wildlife, including an iguana. It definitely made me more grateful for the things that we are privileged with.
The ride back to La Ceiba was ridiculously bumpy and rough. Nate, sitting in the back left side of the second boat, was soaked within the first 2 minutes. He rode back with his snorkel goggles on, then moved to the bottom of the boat, where he managed to nap, despite the rough conditions. The boats almost tipped numerous times, with the waves almost washing over the entire boat. Back on the mainland, our studly guys helped the locals drag the boats onto shore. They're muy fuerte, as the Hogar children told them later. Before going to the Hogar, we went and watched a Station of the Cross parade, which included the stages of the Holy week. It was a cultural event we probably wont ever experience again.
We were able to bring Pizza night to the Hogar children, who ran and jumped into our arms the moment we stepped out of the bus. We laughed, ate, and played with the kids for hours. Danny did flips and gymnastics tricks, the girls got their nails painted and received lessons in hip moving while dancing from some of the chicas, which we failed slightly at, and the guys showed off their muscles more with arm wrestling contests and pushups. Nate, Brian, Danny and Jack even taught the kids to say "Es enfermo" and do the shaka sign, like we say "that's sick dude." It was kinda adorable. Lots of pictures were taken, including many of the kids receiving piggy back rides. Mercedes, a girl from the Hogar, returned to the hotel with the group to spend the night. We do love making friends.
Coming back from the Hogar, we ran into a firebreather. Nate paid him to take a picture and hold the flaming stick. His mother would be so proud. Nothing caught on fire thought, so it's all good. Some of the group continued to walk around for a while, meeting more locals and staying slightly in fear for their lives. Luckily some of the guys were there, so everyone was protected.
Looking forward to tomorrow and the trip to the Rio with the Hogar kids. Hopefully everyone wakes up tomorrow.
The boats to Cayos Cochinos, the small island in the Caribbean we visited today, def sketchy. They were little uncovered boats with 2 motors. The first group took off with no problem, carting away Kyla, Harper, Stacey, Alexis, and one of the volunteers and his 2 girls, plus a girl from the Hogar, Rosa! (The 13 year old Jack danced with the night before, thinking she was 18) Good joke. Our second boat carried the legit kids, but took like 15 minutes to start, in which time some people freaked out about the boat capsizing, which is totally believable seeing the size of the boats. Luckily we got started alright, and the 45 minute boat ride began with the kids on the outside being hit by stray waves. Very amusing for us on the inside. ;)
The area where the island is located was beautiful. The scenery, surreal. It was like stepping out of Survivor Roatan, which was filmed in the islands we visited. Amazing. We landed on Cayos Cochinos Minor, which is the smaller of the main islands. Nate was greeted by the Navy officers, but everything went smoothly, despite the many pictures with armed people. That boy likes guns. And knives. The group was led under a canopy, where we were given the most hilarious presentation ever. It included comparisons between turtle sex and people's libido. 90 days of straight lovemaking, where the male turtles sometimes die "happy death". Tears streamed down our faces as the guide showed us a poster that read "Me huevos no es la solucion" with a turtle holding a viagra. Apparently locals use the turtle eggs as a natural sex drive. Save the turtle eggs!
The first boat was taken to a small cove to snorkel, while the second boat was directed by Melvin, a fully fluent speaking English Yankees fan (boo), to a VIP snorkeling area, where we interacted with barracudas, parrot fish, jellyfish, and the rest of the reef. The snorkeling was so good it could be compared to that of the Great Barrier Reef. The water was extremely clear and blue, with great visibility. The second boat was also taken to a dropoff to snorkel in deeper water with larger fish. The smart people stayed in the boat, where the fish could not eat them.
Las Chichuhuana, which means the twins, was the island destination of our lunch. We were served full fish, skins, bones, eyes and all. Since the first boat arrived before the other, those ladies were able to walk across the sand bar connecting the twin islands, and convinced the island boys to take them on a boat ride on the local small wooden boats, that looked like they would tip at any given second. The locals were super nice; the ladies even got some pictures with the local studs. Melvin took some on a tour of the small community on the island, where we got to see how the people lived and some of the wildlife, including an iguana. It definitely made me more grateful for the things that we are privileged with.
The ride back to La Ceiba was ridiculously bumpy and rough. Nate, sitting in the back left side of the second boat, was soaked within the first 2 minutes. He rode back with his snorkel goggles on, then moved to the bottom of the boat, where he managed to nap, despite the rough conditions. The boats almost tipped numerous times, with the waves almost washing over the entire boat. Back on the mainland, our studly guys helped the locals drag the boats onto shore. They're muy fuerte, as the Hogar children told them later. Before going to the Hogar, we went and watched a Station of the Cross parade, which included the stages of the Holy week. It was a cultural event we probably wont ever experience again.
We were able to bring Pizza night to the Hogar children, who ran and jumped into our arms the moment we stepped out of the bus. We laughed, ate, and played with the kids for hours. Danny did flips and gymnastics tricks, the girls got their nails painted and received lessons in hip moving while dancing from some of the chicas, which we failed slightly at, and the guys showed off their muscles more with arm wrestling contests and pushups. Nate, Brian, Danny and Jack even taught the kids to say "Es enfermo" and do the shaka sign, like we say "that's sick dude." It was kinda adorable. Lots of pictures were taken, including many of the kids receiving piggy back rides. Mercedes, a girl from the Hogar, returned to the hotel with the group to spend the night. We do love making friends.
Coming back from the Hogar, we ran into a firebreather. Nate paid him to take a picture and hold the flaming stick. His mother would be so proud. Nothing caught on fire thought, so it's all good. Some of the group continued to walk around for a while, meeting more locals and staying slightly in fear for their lives. Luckily some of the guys were there, so everyone was protected.
Looking forward to tomorrow and the trip to the Rio with the Hogar kids. Hopefully everyone wakes up tomorrow.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Day 2
Today was an amazing beginning to the trip. The beauty of this country has stunned us all. We woke up early for breakfast and met at the bus for a ride to the Jungle School. It is amazing how the city can disappear within a few miles and become complete rain forest. The school is along a large river, with banks filled with jungle and trees. It is crazy how you can go to a place that pictures will never do justice. The mountains in the back covered in mist, and the school nestled away in the jungle up a huge hill, with only tire stairs that get to it.
Once at the school our task for the day was to haul bags of sand up to the foundation of the third classroom. When you look at the school you can see how much they need a new classroom because the two they have are so small and fit 90 kids. So we set up a chain from the bottom to the top to haul the sand bags. At the bottom they filled them and passed it up. There was sooo much sand! And it never seemed to end. We got about half way through the pile for the day. But it is work that needs to be done and we passed the time singing and playing telephone. We also took lots of breaks. One thing we are all getting used to is Honduran time. Everything happenes about an hour after we say it will. For example, we were supposed to have water at the work sight, and 2 hours later it shows up. But in that time we got to go swimming in the river so it wasn't too bad. ;)
The weather has been amazing thus far, though i don't want to jinx it. It is humid but not extremely hot. But we got plenty sweaty and dirty working today. At 2:00 we left back to the hotel, showered, and then went to the Hogar de Amor, where 22 of the children live. This part of the day was possibly the highlight, because the kids are absolutely the cutest things you have ever seen. It doensn't matter to them if you speak fluent Spanish or can say only hola, but they ran up to the gate and started showing us all around. Nate and Rachel especially attracted their attention. They jumped on both of them like monkeys. Some of the girls came and asked us to be their 'madrinas' and my heart just about melted. As we left we had to assure them all that we would see them again Saturday.
Dinner was at the nicest outdoor restuarant right on the beach. After, we had an opportunity to walk on the beach and feel the Carribean, and the water must be at least 75 degrees. We took a walk down the beach to an extremely nice hotel where there was a dance floor and DJ, and danced with the Hondurans. One of the girls from the Hogar had come with us to dinner and she showed all of us up in our dancing skills. It was a lot of fun though.
There has been only a few incidents thus far. My hotel room had a fun night when Rachel sprayed pepper spray in our bathroom because she thought it wouldn't work any more. Half an hour later we could enter the room again without running eyes. Nate got a tick in his ankle from hiking through the jungle, and Britta had her sandals stolen, but we recovered from everything. All the girls are also accostoming ourselves to the constant hoots and whistles of the Honduran men, but it's been fine. We're all looking forward to a day at the island tomorrow!
Sorry for spelling errors (spell check is in spanish), but we shall update you again tomorrow!
Sincereley,
The Honduras Travelers
Once at the school our task for the day was to haul bags of sand up to the foundation of the third classroom. When you look at the school you can see how much they need a new classroom because the two they have are so small and fit 90 kids. So we set up a chain from the bottom to the top to haul the sand bags. At the bottom they filled them and passed it up. There was sooo much sand! And it never seemed to end. We got about half way through the pile for the day. But it is work that needs to be done and we passed the time singing and playing telephone. We also took lots of breaks. One thing we are all getting used to is Honduran time. Everything happenes about an hour after we say it will. For example, we were supposed to have water at the work sight, and 2 hours later it shows up. But in that time we got to go swimming in the river so it wasn't too bad. ;)
The weather has been amazing thus far, though i don't want to jinx it. It is humid but not extremely hot. But we got plenty sweaty and dirty working today. At 2:00 we left back to the hotel, showered, and then went to the Hogar de Amor, where 22 of the children live. This part of the day was possibly the highlight, because the kids are absolutely the cutest things you have ever seen. It doensn't matter to them if you speak fluent Spanish or can say only hola, but they ran up to the gate and started showing us all around. Nate and Rachel especially attracted their attention. They jumped on both of them like monkeys. Some of the girls came and asked us to be their 'madrinas' and my heart just about melted. As we left we had to assure them all that we would see them again Saturday.
Dinner was at the nicest outdoor restuarant right on the beach. After, we had an opportunity to walk on the beach and feel the Carribean, and the water must be at least 75 degrees. We took a walk down the beach to an extremely nice hotel where there was a dance floor and DJ, and danced with the Hondurans. One of the girls from the Hogar had come with us to dinner and she showed all of us up in our dancing skills. It was a lot of fun though.
There has been only a few incidents thus far. My hotel room had a fun night when Rachel sprayed pepper spray in our bathroom because she thought it wouldn't work any more. Half an hour later we could enter the room again without running eyes. Nate got a tick in his ankle from hiking through the jungle, and Britta had her sandals stolen, but we recovered from everything. All the girls are also accostoming ourselves to the constant hoots and whistles of the Honduran men, but it's been fine. We're all looking forward to a day at the island tomorrow!
Sorry for spelling errors (spell check is in spanish), but we shall update you again tomorrow!
Sincereley,
The Honduras Travelers
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