I'm A Survivor

Day 3. So far it's been a wonderful transition -- reminds me of home actually minus the English. I can't believe how encouraging the administration is here at Pinares.  There are 14 of us "new teachers" who arrived on the 4^th (everyone else will be trickling in on the 8^th) and it’s been great getting to know them over past few days. We come from all over the place! There are teachers who represent Ohio, Indiana, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Canada (my first Canadian friend!), Arkansas and of course me - Texas! There is also a group of about 5 of us who will be first year teachers as well!

Surprisingly, getting settled in has not been very difficult. We had our first trip down the mountain to Walmart today, yes I said Walmart, where we were able to get a majority of the things we were missing and get a supply of food for the next week. They told us that our shipment of boxes should be arriving on Tuesday, which I am looking forward to. Now the only thing left is to get the classroom set up and ready for the first day on the 18^th. The high school is actually under some renovations right now so we weren't able to get a peek into our classrooms, but we did get a chance to tour the elementary portion of the campus. Fortunately for me, I was told that the secondary art room would be getting new cabinets and storage units! How exciting! I get to start my first year teaching in a practically new room! 

Everything is so tranquil here on El Hatillo. The weather is wonderful. I would say it's been spread throughout the 80's during the day and with nights chilling down to high 60's or low 70's (I’m not very good at estimating weather, but it is rather similar to Ruidoso, NM). I love it. The campus is full of pine trees and wild flowers and the apartment is amazing! I have my own spacious bedroom and share a bathroom with Sarah (she's from Ohio). The only thing left is to decorate.

With all that said, I am excited to be here. I can’t wait to meet the returning teachers this coming week and experience more of what Tegucigalpa has to offer. There’s already talk of planning some trips around the country, and I think a trip to Nicaragua is underway. I just wonder when it will hit that I am actually living here and not just visiting for a couple of weeks.