Facts I am picking up off the street/calle.

I learn new things everyday here.  They are blowing my mind.  Here are a few.

• The symbol for peso is a dollar sign with except one line through it.  Who knew?
• Along those lines, I am in a constant state of confusion when it comes to the conversion of money.  I first convert from peso to lempira (10 pesos equals about 20 lempiras).  I then convert from lempira to belize dollars (20 lempiras to about 2 belize dollars).  Finally, I convert from belize dollars to good ol' buckaroos (2 belize dollars to a dollar).  I think I am losing/gaining a lot in conversion.
• Mexico does NOT have regular plugs.  Just ask my blowdryer.
• You may not be able to drink the water in Mexico, but I have been brushing my teeth with it, and I am just fine.  Maybe.
• Colectivos are the greatest communal mode of transportation known to mankind.  You hop in, pass your money up, and the other passengers pass your change back.  If you are in the middle, you automatically become the exchanger of money.  Also, when you want to get off, you must pull the little cord, not just yell, "Aqui, por favor!"  If you happen to do this, you will be scolded.
• My house has a water pump.  When the water runs out, I must turn the pump on and refill the tank.
• I, in fact, didn't realize that I had an upstairs to my house until I had been here a week.  I wanted to get to the roof and discovered a whole second bedroom AND bathroom.  What to do with all this space!?!
• Willingness is impossible to define without using the word, "will."  Just ask my class.
• Twilight love knows no boundaries.  Seriously, the love of that movie slash book at my school FREAKS me out.
• Sam's Club cards can be used anywhere in the whole world.  As long as there is a Sam's Club.
• Horchata is a gift from the gods.
• Technical Support for computers in Spanish is basically impossible and thorougly frustrating.  Only if you are me.
• Curtains made out of sheets are perfectly acceptable.  They are, they are, they are.
• Dang it, I need to get real curtains.
• A VW bug will costs me somewhere around 35,00 pesos.

See how smart I am getting!  Later, I will post a MTV Cribs tour of my house, and my smarts will blow you away, AGAIN.

I want to take you on the slow road to Tuxtla...

Imagine in this post beautiful pictures of my travels from Roatan to Tuxtla.  They did, up until Friday, exist, when along with all my other files on my computer, were lost in the great HP crash of 2009.  R.I.P. my cute little pictures, documents, and videos.

Here is a summary of my various modes of transportation:

• Eight-passenger plane from Roatan to La Ceiba.  Time: 15 minutes.
• Eight-passenger plane from La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula.  Time: 45 minutes.
• Eight hour hiatus at the San Pedro Sula International Airport.  Mood: Grumpy.
• Four-passenger plane from San Pedro Sula to Belize City.  Time: 1 hour.  Mood: Frightened.
• Truck ride with mi padre adpotivo, Jose.  Time: 45 minutes.  Gossip:  Lots.
• Six day hiatus in Orange Walk Town.  Mood: Happy.  Food: Good.
• Bus ride from Orange Walk to Chetumal.  Time: 1 hour-ish.  Luggage: Headache.
• Night out on the town with Matt, Olivia, Holly, and Christen.  Sleep: None.  Mood: Many.
• Eight hour hiatus at the Chetumal bus terminal.  Mood: Extremely grumpy.
• Bus ride from Chetumal to Tuxtla Gutierrez.  Time: 14 hours.  Car Sickness: High.  Creepy man trying to spoon me: Yes.
• Car ride with owner of school from bus terminal to mi casa.  Time: Unkown.  Stop at Applebee's: Yes.

Current Mood: Optimistic.
Travel in my near future: Flight to Salt Lake City for CHRISTMAS!

Lessons Learned

Good-byes are hard.  Knowing that I won't watch these great kids learn and grow is even harder.

On my last day at S.B.A.S., I asked each student to write one descriptive word they would like me to associate them with.  I really miss these kids and the great bond we had.

Movin' on up...

I am literally, moving up, if you were looking at a map.  After much contemplation, many sleepless nights, and the inevitable Pro/Con list, I have accepted a job at a bilingual school in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, MEXICO!  While I am very sad to leave the friends I have made in the past 90 days (I can't believe it has only been 90 days!), I think this is the right choice for me.  It has come very suddenly, I only officially found out on Wednesday, gave my notice on Thursday, my last day at the school is next Friday, and I fly to Belize City in exactly one week!  I am going to spend a couple of days in Orange Walk, where hopefully I can clear my head and laugh as much as possible.  From there, I will take a bus from Chetumal and travel for 13 hours to my new future home!

Tuxtla Gutierrez is about 20 miles (from what I have read on Wikipedia) from this AWESOME canyon pictured above.  It is surrounded by lots of great outdoor activities, is a short bus ride from San Cristobal de Las Casas, not too far from the Pacific Ocean, close to Guatemala, and also is home to a Sam's Club and Cinemark movie theater.  I know the latter two shouldn't excite me, but it is the small things in life that make me want to jump up and down.

It almost seems surreal at this point to be leaving my little niche here on the island, and I can't believe that I am FINALLY going to be able to say I LIVE in Mexico.  I am truly lucky that this opportunity is available and that is doing something I love.  Wish me luck!

My dowry

150 some odd years ago, my ancestors emigrated from Europe.  The only thing that still survives their journey is a porcelain platter.  The platter was kept in my Grandma's cedar chest for years and only brought out for special occasions.  When she passed away, my mom became the keeper of the platter.  It has been on display in our family hutch for the past 20 years.  Every now and then, I would convince my mom to pull it out so that we could look at the inscription on the back.  When I was young, I would stare at the plate and imagine the long journey it had made and be absolutely amazed that it was now just sitting in MY living room.  When Antiques Roadshow was big, my mom and I were convinced that this would be the one item worth the most in our house, not that we had any desire to sell it.  I have imagined that if I ever had children, this would be the special piece of history we would pull out and talk about.  I thought how I would share the same story my mom shared with me, that my great-great-great grandfather had been a part of a mob that was on its way to go and harass the Mormons at a meeting, and ended up becoming converted instead.  This conversion led them to embark on their journey to American and eventually to Utah.  When I held this platter, I felt a link to my family and the sacrifices they made on my part.

After 150 years, this platter is no more.  Yesterday my dad was moving something, and mistakenly broke it.  It is a loss that I think really only the females in my family truly feel.  No one was hurt, we didn't lose anything we couldn't live without, but we lost something that had been such a link to those now passed.  So many generations of women in my family had prepared and served food with this platter, and I always hoped that I would one day be able to use it.  I am incredibly sad, but it has also made me reflect the things that I am happy about the memories and items that still survive.

• Published stories about my ancestors experiences living on their farm.  Thank-you New Era.
• Recipes for a perfect pie crust, banana cream pie, Thanksgiving rolls, and a myriad of other things.
• Poetry written by my great-grandfather.
• My grandmother's jewelry, old clothes, and trinkets.  That smell of history that comes from the drawers they are stored in.
• Pictures of my grandparents after they were secretly married.
• The one picture we have of my grandpa holding me on my first birthday.  It helps me remember the one memory I have of him, of him holding me in his lap and hugging me.
• The knowledge that my ancestors made INCREDIBLE sacrifices for their family.  That they are not remembered for how wealthy they were, or the fame they attained, but what they were willing to give up to provide for their children. 

My mom and I both talked about how this has made us want to try to preserve as many photos and stories as we can.  It is also a reminder that I have been meaning to record the stories that my aunt and uncles have shared about their upbringing, and try to write them down.  I suppose this means I need to come back to Utah soon...

Baby when the lights go out

Man, I did love that song.  I would rock out to it on the bus ride home from middle school.  Good times.

The power went out yesterday, right after school ended.  It was very hot.  We had a PTA meeting at five and then I planned to hop on down to my favorite pool bar to watch the Honduras vs. El Salvador futbol game.  This game was a big deal, Honduras had to win to move on to the next round for World Cup.  I was cranky, sitting in the dark while trying to take our meeting seriously.  When I finally made it home, the sun was long gone, still no power, and the game had started.  I found Edgardo (my neighbor and dolphin-tamer) and we decided to go for a walk to try to find an open shop to buy some things, hoping the power would be back on by the time we got back.  No dice.

Edgardo and I ended up sitting in the courtyard, chatting, looking at the stars.  Without the glow of lights, being isolated from big cities and the mainland, I was reminded at how incredible it all is.  Every star glowed bright and the skyline was filled with little sparkles.  Ed and I got into a deep conversation, and almost didn't notice when the power went on.  We ran in and turned on the TV to watch Honduras gain victory.

It ended up being a pretty awesome night.

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with this post, but I just needed to post a picture of my latest stalker.  I am currently creating a list of who may stalk me on what day.  Let me know if you want to be added.

My to-do list

Cut bangs. Check. Slightly crooked? Yes.
Hike from Sandy Bay to West Bay (five-ish miles). Check. Skipped among rocks and little beaches for two of those miles. It was tough. I also ended up doing SNUBA that day. I swam 20 feet under water and hung out with a sea turtle. It was a big step for me.

Watch a sunset, whilst playing volleyball. Check. Also, I won. Boo-yah.

Attend Oasis Pool Bar Anniversary part-ay. Check. Did the rain deter the rocking out? Absolutely not. Just ask those two young-uns next to me.

Still on my list:

-Run a 10k (getting there, slowly, but surely)

-Decide if I should cheer for Honduras or US of A in tonight's futbol game. Hmm.

-Finalize my Halloween costume

-Finish teaching my class "Monster Mash" in sign language.

-Figure out the cure to frizzy hair (a life long quest)