Here is an email I wrote that was sent out to our parents recently about life on the farm, enjoy:
Hello Parents!
Sorry for the delay in the email, I know you have all been receiving news about the increased security situation in Honduras, and not receiving a lot of news from your kids due to lots of rain and busy schedules. Please know we are all safe, healthy, and eating well. We even had cinnamon rolls for breakfast today (Thank you Francesca!).
Here in Honduras rainy season has officially begun and is in full swing. This coincides with the beginning of fall back in the states. Fall signifies a time of change in preparation for the grand events of winter. Here at the farm, we do lack colorful falling leaves, but we do face a great time of change as well. As our beloved oldies Sheena, Francesca, Kristina, Nely, Erin, Alisha, Georleny, and Scarleth prepare to depart in December; our now experienced middies Nils, Mary Kate, Jacob, Rachel, Lily, Tami, Deirdre, Betsy, and Amanda all face changing roles here at the farm; while our energetic newbies Erin Lucia, Erin Marina, Allison, Sara, Ashley, Kevin, and David continue to adjust to the life here at the finca. Here is a brief update on what everyone is up to:
Sheena is covering house 5 one last time before passes over her teenage boy social worker reigns to David,
Francesca is enjoying making yummy breads from her beloved bread book to celebrate the passing on of her little girls and boys houses to their new social workers Lily and Erin Marina
Kristina is enjoying the joys of the alphabet and crayons as she trains Allison to be the new kindergarten teacher.
Nely is spending time with her beloved first graders and members of the women´s group to squeeze out every last moment she has with them before she leaves.
Erin is busy planning a big graduation party for Dalila in la Ceiba in excitement for her big graduation date that will arrive so very soon.
Alisha is enjoying her last few weeks with Arturo in la Ceiba, while also helping Erin to train to the new Ceibenos.
Georleny and Scarleth are busy training the newly arrived Haydee in the psychology department, and enjoying visits to the teens in la Ceiba.
Nils and Mary Kate are working hard to close out the middle school school year, and getting ready to move with Nelly, Nolvia, and Carlos to la Ceiba to be their new caretakers for the year to come.
Jacob and Rachel are both working hard as parents and adjusting to new titles, Jacob adding that of maintenance man and Rachel changing from accountant to controller.
Lily is getting to know house 3 better as their new social worker, continuing to work with house 6, and learning new things as the new head of social work.
Tami is working very hard to help the school year end smoothly, and excited to start as the new person in charge of the work program for our kids on the farm.
Deirdre is excited to have another nurse around in Ashley, and continues to be a rock star at late night emergency runs and stitches.
Betsy is working hard to close out the school year and excited to start being trained as the new 5 and 6th grade teacher for next year.
Amanda is also working hard to finish out the school year, and excited in her new job as community watchee.
Erin Lucia is learning the intricacies of the life of a finca accountant, while also discovering the many beautiful mysteries of special education at our school.
Erin Marina is full of love and girl power as she becomes the new social worker for our younger girls.
Allison is learning the politics of crayons and monkey bars as she trains to be the new kindergarten teacher.
Sara is learning how to teach balancing equations and hormones as she trains to be the new middle school math teacher.
Ashley is learning how to simultaneously co-run a clinic and heal parasite ridden stomachs.
Kevin is familiarizing himself with the periodic table and our community members as her trains to be the new middle school math teacher and community watchee.
David is learning what it means to be cool in Honduras as he trains to be the social worker for our middle and teenage boys.
Wishing you all the best and sending you lots of love!
Mary Kate and the rest of the volunteer missionaries here at the farm
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Congratulations 6th Grade!
The Honduran education system is different in various ways from that of the states; one way being that to pass 6th grade and pass onto middle school one must pass an exam about the national hymn. If one does not pass, no matter what the cause may be, one cannot pass the grade.
The last week of September our sixth graders faced this decisive test. The test consists of oral and written components about the history and meaning of the hymn and a singing of the hymn by the entire class. My student Jessica was very worried about her big test. So the two days leading up to it we simply sat and reviewed questions from her study guide over and over till the bell rang.
On the fateful day, not only did my Jessica pass, but the entire class passed with marks above 80 percent. Many did not believe that my Jessica could pass such an extensive test, but as I knew she would, she proved them all wrong, and came one step closer to passing 6th grade.
This blog is therefore dedicated to Jessica, Zulena, Ana, Eva, David, Daniel, Noel, Edwin, and William, for not only passing their exam, but for all doing so well on their exam despite their nerves and the surrounding doubts.
The last week of September our sixth graders faced this decisive test. The test consists of oral and written components about the history and meaning of the hymn and a singing of the hymn by the entire class. My student Jessica was very worried about her big test. So the two days leading up to it we simply sat and reviewed questions from her study guide over and over till the bell rang.
On the fateful day, not only did my Jessica pass, but the entire class passed with marks above 80 percent. Many did not believe that my Jessica could pass such an extensive test, but as I knew she would, she proved them all wrong, and came one step closer to passing 6th grade.
This blog is therefore dedicated to Jessica, Zulena, Ana, Eva, David, Daniel, Noel, Edwin, and William, for not only passing their exam, but for all doing so well on their exam despite their nerves and the surrounding doubts.
September Spirituality Retreat
Everybody needs a time away to reflect and re-energize, especially finca vols. So from September 13 through 16 we all got squeezed into 2 land cruisers and headed to the beautiful nearby town of Bonita Oriental. There we had a 4 day spiritual centered retreat led by lay man John who works near Copan, also known as Juancito. We were fed amazingly be the local staff (including fresh squeezed orange juice every morning) while we enjoyed a local mass, talks, and reflection time. Some of us, me included, even took a few runs by the local river bank which was truly beautiful. We played great games, and even called a former vol on their birthday to sing to them all together. Everyone greatly enjoyed the break from their busy work schedules, and each other´s company. In the end we all were able to take a moment to be grateful for the countless blessings in our lives and simply enjoy of beauty of nature around us.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade…Hondu style
Growing up everyone has their own holiday traditions. These range from decorating cookies to turkey trots on Thanksgiving. One of these traditions in the states is the famous Macy´s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. Every childhood Thanksgiving I can remember includes this epically amazing affair. I would wake up, grab a bowl of cereal, and then watch the tv in amazement at the grand floats and performers. Every year excited to see Santa at the end of the parade.
Though my dream to attend this parade lives on, I had the honor of participating in its Honduran equivalent this past September. At the end of August our school director Dania asked me if I could put together a dance for the Independence Day celebration with my ballerinas. I told her of course, thinking they would put on their tutus, practice once the day before with a small dance, and all would be done, I was mistaken.
The following week, 8 days before our September 12th celebration of Honduran Independence Day (the actual day is September 15th, but there was no school that day), I heard from a student that we had practice the next day, I was confused, so he further explained that we would have practice the last period of every day until the march. I went to ask Dania if this was a joke, she looked at me like I was crazy and told me of course we would be practicing every day, and to bring a hat to avoid sun burn.
So for the next week we practiced everyday marching around the soccer field at noon in the sun, staying in perfect lines and learning how to properly salute the flag. My four 1st grade ballerinas found this entertaining at first, but also highly distracting, and at points exhausting in the sun.
At last the grand day arrived, and all came to school early to perfect their costumes and get in line. The mayor of Trujillo and his wife even came to watch our parade. The students in the honor square (highest gpa in each grade) led the parade. They were followed by a marching band from a school in Trujillo, the central American nations group, my ballerinas, an ecology group, the national heroes and symbols group, a karate group, the character counts pillars group, and the middle school boys in the “peloton” or military style marching group. We circled the field 3 times then all saluted the flag. Afterwards the groups made their presentations in the middle school, and all enjoyed lunch.
Despite my initial skepticism at the necessity of such extensive preparation for a school march, in the end I was very impressed by our kids and our school. They showed true pride in their country in their dedication to the event, wanting to truly honor the anniversary of independence for their nation. Our Honduran teachers instilled this pride in them, and then worked with them, even underneath the hot sun, to live out their patriotism. For the same reason people work all year planning the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, so that little kids across the country can watch in awe on tv; our teachers worked tirelessly to perfect their own parade. My dream to attend the parade in New York lives on, but I have at least been part of it Honduran counterpart.
Though my dream to attend this parade lives on, I had the honor of participating in its Honduran equivalent this past September. At the end of August our school director Dania asked me if I could put together a dance for the Independence Day celebration with my ballerinas. I told her of course, thinking they would put on their tutus, practice once the day before with a small dance, and all would be done, I was mistaken.
The following week, 8 days before our September 12th celebration of Honduran Independence Day (the actual day is September 15th, but there was no school that day), I heard from a student that we had practice the next day, I was confused, so he further explained that we would have practice the last period of every day until the march. I went to ask Dania if this was a joke, she looked at me like I was crazy and told me of course we would be practicing every day, and to bring a hat to avoid sun burn.
So for the next week we practiced everyday marching around the soccer field at noon in the sun, staying in perfect lines and learning how to properly salute the flag. My four 1st grade ballerinas found this entertaining at first, but also highly distracting, and at points exhausting in the sun.
At last the grand day arrived, and all came to school early to perfect their costumes and get in line. The mayor of Trujillo and his wife even came to watch our parade. The students in the honor square (highest gpa in each grade) led the parade. They were followed by a marching band from a school in Trujillo, the central American nations group, my ballerinas, an ecology group, the national heroes and symbols group, a karate group, the character counts pillars group, and the middle school boys in the “peloton” or military style marching group. We circled the field 3 times then all saluted the flag. Afterwards the groups made their presentations in the middle school, and all enjoyed lunch.
Despite my initial skepticism at the necessity of such extensive preparation for a school march, in the end I was very impressed by our kids and our school. They showed true pride in their country in their dedication to the event, wanting to truly honor the anniversary of independence for their nation. Our Honduran teachers instilled this pride in them, and then worked with them, even underneath the hot sun, to live out their patriotism. For the same reason people work all year planning the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, so that little kids across the country can watch in awe on tv; our teachers worked tirelessly to perfect their own parade. My dream to attend the parade in New York lives on, but I have at least been part of it Honduran counterpart.
Magdalena's Big Day
Magdalena is an eleven year old girl who resides in Casa San Antonio here on the farm. She is well known for her great energy and amazing smile. Due to some cognitive and intellectual disabilities she has struggled in school since her arrival to the farm 4 years ago. Over the years many teachers have spent hours upon hours to help meet her individual needs.
Over the past year, as the special education teacher in the school, I have been blessed to be able to continue this work. Recently she has focused on reading a book all by herself. I consistently tried to give her very basic books to read; and in true Magdalena fashion, she consistently chose a different book to read from my classroom, always proving more difficult. She is a smart girl, and knew that when she was ready, the book would be there, but until then all would just have to wait.
On Tuesday, September 6, 2011 that book finally arrived. After finishing up her homework during her tutoring with me, she asked if there was still time to read. Since we still had some time, I told her of course, and she proceeded to choose the book Spot se pasa la noche (Spot spends the night). She asked me how to pronounce the name Spot from the title, and then proceeded to page one reading every word syllable by syllable.
When she reached the half way point I asked her if she realized that she was only 6 pages away from reading it all on her own. She simply smiled and turned to the next page.
I do not know if she or I was more nervous when we finally arrived at the last page. She was literally only a sentence away from her big goal. She continued on word by word like the calm champion she is.
When she finished that last word, I turned the page for her to show her that she had finished the book all on her own. She gave me a semi blank stare; then when she saw me begin to literally jump in excitement for her, she broke out one of her infectious smiles and began to laugh in pure joy. She then gave me a big hug, and ran off to her house yelling for her tia (house aunt) wanting to share her exciting news.
That afternoon Magdalena and I both told everyone we encountered the joyful news. She continued to exude pure joy ad pride in her grand accomplishment for the rest of the week to come. In a moment of such grace and joy, one cannot help but to grow in hope for Miss Magdalena, and all our kids here at the farm. They are truly amazing kids, and blessings in our lives.
Over the past year, as the special education teacher in the school, I have been blessed to be able to continue this work. Recently she has focused on reading a book all by herself. I consistently tried to give her very basic books to read; and in true Magdalena fashion, she consistently chose a different book to read from my classroom, always proving more difficult. She is a smart girl, and knew that when she was ready, the book would be there, but until then all would just have to wait.
On Tuesday, September 6, 2011 that book finally arrived. After finishing up her homework during her tutoring with me, she asked if there was still time to read. Since we still had some time, I told her of course, and she proceeded to choose the book Spot se pasa la noche (Spot spends the night). She asked me how to pronounce the name Spot from the title, and then proceeded to page one reading every word syllable by syllable.
When she reached the half way point I asked her if she realized that she was only 6 pages away from reading it all on her own. She simply smiled and turned to the next page.
I do not know if she or I was more nervous when we finally arrived at the last page. She was literally only a sentence away from her big goal. She continued on word by word like the calm champion she is.
When she finished that last word, I turned the page for her to show her that she had finished the book all on her own. She gave me a semi blank stare; then when she saw me begin to literally jump in excitement for her, she broke out one of her infectious smiles and began to laugh in pure joy. She then gave me a big hug, and ran off to her house yelling for her tia (house aunt) wanting to share her exciting news.
That afternoon Magdalena and I both told everyone we encountered the joyful news. She continued to exude pure joy ad pride in her grand accomplishment for the rest of the week to come. In a moment of such grace and joy, one cannot help but to grow in hope for Miss Magdalena, and all our kids here at the farm. They are truly amazing kids, and blessings in our lives.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)