You know you've had a bad day when.....

You know you've had a bad day when:

• Your phone has been cut off because you forgot to pay the phone bill.
• You run out of gas so you can't use your oven.
• You run out of drinking water at 9pm on a Sunday and so wake up in the middle of the night feeling v dehydrated and have to drink copious amounts of milk instead, as that is all there is.
• You open your fridge and realise it is totally empty and that you have no food in the house.

Not sure what has happened over the last 36 hours! Amanda and I are both so tired and busy that things seemed to have passed us by!

We are now trying to rectify this situation! Please pray life can return to normal again!

My first Honduran wedding

Yesterday I went to my first wedding in Honduras, and it was both fascinating and wonderful! It was Laura's wedding; Laura is the Grade 3/4 English teacher here. Over the past few weeks we have had a couple of 'hen nights'/ wedding showers for her with different groups of people - I do believe I forgot to blog on that, whoops!

Anyway, the service was at the Catholic University and was a 'High' Catholic service - quite different to what I was expecting. It was an evening wedding, it started at 7pm and in true Honduran style we arrived 40 minutes late - only 5 minutes after the Bride! Imagine a group of 6 of us walking into a small chapel late - 2 of whom were tall, white girls in high heels (thus making them tower over the smal Honduran men and women!) It's been a very long time since I've been the girlie girl, but Amanda and I had a truly girlie day getting everything we needed for the wedding - that girl can take me back to days I didn't think I'd see again especially not in Honduras! It's good for me though (so, thanks Amanda!)

The whole service was chanted with responses that only the Catholics there knew. It was so beautiful and peaceful to listen to as it was all accompanied by 3 Spanish guitars and a tambourine-and the harmony they sang in was beautiful. Not what I expected at all.

After the service, we headed for the reception, which by this point was 9pm. Julio sang a song he'd written the first day he'd met Laura, they gave speeches, did a first dance and then we ate. Gorgeous food it was too - and we were very hungry by 10pm when the food arrived! The evening went on and laughed around in both English and Spanish. I was sat at the 'school' table with Amanda, Deb, Silvia, Maribel and Yicel - wonderful and hilarious ladies!

By 11.30pm it was time for the dancing - Latino style - and did they dance!? Not only did these guests have amazing, harmonic voices they had style and rhythm too. To watch them dancing with such rhythm was mesmerising!

However.....before we had left our house Silvia told us directly that we were not allowed to dance and it would be reported straight to the school board if we did! Evangelical Christians are not allowed to dance - Catholics apparently are! They believe it leads to drinking, sex etc etc. Having seen the way they dance Latino style I can begin to see how they get their opinions.

So we were all dressed up and no dancing allowed - Amanda, Deb and I could just sit and watch. (When did I start wanting to get up and dance anyway???.....it's Amanda's influence I tell you!!)

By 12am the party was in full swing and we left the dancers dancing! Well done to Laura and Julio - and apparently well done to Amanda!!

Happy Easter!

Just a quick post to say Happy Easter to everyone!

Have I mentioned enough recently how much I love living here?!
Today's Easter services really reminded me of being home - until someone told me this is home now! They had a point.
We went to a sunrise service in the local Seminary at 5am today. All the churches from town met together and the worship group/band was a culmination from them all. Each church contributed something towards the service so there was lots of singing. I was like a small child in a sweet shop - I was just so excited by the whole thing! We sang ALL my favourite Easter songs and hymns from home - but in Spanish. Was wonderful.

It also reminded me so much of mum, she would have loved it - and that was a good feeling too, although I had to make sure it didn't make me cry!
The service lasted 2.5 hours - a long sunrise! Then we went to our church for breakfast and then their own Easter Service. It was a long day - but I loved it.

I really do love Easter, and it was a good end to Semana Santa.

I am so happy here and feel so privileged to be able to live here.

Sunshine and friends in the Caribbean - life is good!

All of us : Jorge, Me, Kristen, Amanda, Noel and Enoc

OK - I think I've had one of the best weeks since I have been here. So much fun! How can you beat a week on a Caribbean Island with sunshine and friends?! Between us all we have loads of photos and so here are some links to some of them as there are too many to put on here.

I drove to La Ceiba (via the airport to pick up Noel's g/f Kristen) and there were 6 of us and luggage in the car. Jorge and Enoc took it in turns to sit in the boot with the luggage! It was only a 5 hour drive and so not so bad. It worked out that my whole holiday to an Island in the Caribbean (have I said that part enough yet?) cost the same or less than a week in Cornwall?! What is that about?

Anyway, the first link for photos are of Noel, Kristen and I doing a Canopy zipwire around the jungle and across the river - eating termites on the way! They taste like carrots in a weird way! We didn't just eat one - our guide (bit like Tarzan himself) stuck his hand in a termite mound and we just ate them off his hand - alive of course - and after we had one, we found ourselves just taking more and eating them! After going backwards for some reason on the first zipwire I got the hang of it and we were going through trees and over rivers. Great fun. Not so attractive harnesses though it has to be said.

Eating termites! (Notice the attractive 'helmet hair')

Click here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=100931&l=bd7b6&id=876635272

Then we took the ferry over to Utila for 5 days in the sun - and boy was it hot! Amanda did her scuba diving course and Noel, Kristen, Jorge, Enoc and I amused ourselves on the island. We hired an ATV (quad bike) and went racing around the island to explore a bit. Obviously mine broke down and a random Dutch man came to help us - that's another story! He was lovely but odd. We went to an Iguana breeding station... snorkeled... swam... ate. That's about it really.

The water is so clear you can take photos from above!

I think I enjoyed getting to know friends better - and relaxing together in the sun is great for that! Life is good. It was a very welcome break after a busy and tiring term. Perfect.
Kristen and I

Enoc and Jorge - cool photo

Here are the links to the photos. They are separate and different 'albums' - a culmination of all our photos. Enoc has more and I'll add those when I get them! Amanda doesn't appear in many of them as she was on her Scuba course during the days - and did I tell you she is definitely staying next year!? Hurray!

Click here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=101213&l=f6da5&id=876635272

and here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=101220&l=744e7&id=876635272

HAPPY EASTER everyone!

Off to Utila...

Sorry I haven't written for so long - and not about to remedy that now either! Loads has been happening - Bridal Showers and sports day to mention just a few. However, I have no time to sit and write it now so I will get around to it next week!
On Saturday I am off to Utila (Caribbean Island off Honduras coast) for 4 days. I am still amazed I can go somewhere so beautiful that is so close and so cheap!! Amanda is doing her scuba diving course and I am looking forward to a few days away from the school and it's craziness! There are 6 of us going so it should be quite a laugh.

Will tell you all about it when I return!

By the way - how come I get 21 comments on my last blog - mainly to do with my brother referring to me as a muppet??!! Yet, on other entries...not so many!?

Brain freeze

Now why is it that I can go to my Spanish class and speak fluent Spanish to my teacher, translating whatever she asks me....yet as soon as I leave the room and have to talk to anyone else my brain freezes, my tongue ties and I am left just smiling and waving!? Why is that eh? Frustrating!

Babysat for the Haglers last night. Well, it was hardly babysitting - Hannah is 16! The others are all younger than her and they just needed someone there for the night whilst Kathee went to get Tim from the airport. I was just there to be old! I do enjoying staying the night at different houses - gets me away from my own for a bit!!

Hurray, hurray!

It is finally happening.....my packages are ALL arriving. It is so exciting! I had started to give up hope of ever seeing any of them. I posted a whole load of packages to myself in July before I left and last week they started to arrive. I have had another 2 today. Randomly they arrived the same day as a letter that was posted at the end of January but heh!

Yes, I have had 8 so far in the last 10 days. Things people have posted in Jan/Feb have arrived already too. Someone somewhere is sorting it out.

Feel free to start posting me things again! (Galaxy choc, tea bags!!!!)

Hurray!!!

Life plods on - and I love living here!

Another week has flown by in the world of Katharine. My car? Well..Monday was fun...Dave took my car into the Electric mechanic, Tito (whom I bought the car from) for him to mend the horn and electric windows (which were very unhappy). When I went to pick it up he had found another problem so I had to take it back the next day. It was something to do with the starter or battery? No worries I thought, so went up to Sue's house for the evening. As I drove home later that night, I passed the police check point, turned off the highway and my lights went out, the lights on the dashboard went out and the engine started dying rapidly. What could I do but go as fast as I could down the road so I didn't stop completely!? I was able to put on my big fog lamps that are wired up separately so it wasn't too dangerous. My poor car crawled into the school. Dave took it to Tito the next morning (as I had class) and he sorted it all out. Amazingly, 2 days of work came to a grand total of £5. Labour is so cheap here, it is the parts that are expensive. So, it's doing well - apart from the scraping sound on the turns! I'll take it to Ramon the mechanic this week sometime! Will it ever end?

Ken and Sue moved into their new house this week, Amanda went up and cleaned their old house for 4 hours and I just filled my car up and drove between the houses delivering things! The new house is going to be lovely, it is not exactly finished yet, but in a few weeks it will be done (I hope!) I'm very excited to be living there over the summer, house sitting.

Good news is that Amanda is now staying next year! Hurray! I get a friend staying!!

This week has been a chance to get to know new friends better and hang out with people. All good!

Peter has very generously donated a video projector to the school. We've got it here and it's wonderful. I watched Dora the Explorer in my class - fantastic. We have also used it in the house and had a cinema night!! Perfect.

I love living here!