Happy New Year!

Well I went to Toya's party (I found out her name!) and was hilarious. It was indeed the whole extended family in a field! Fredi owns some land and so they took all the plastic chairs, the grill etc and we set up for the night. We lit the bonfire, got the food out - and it started raining! So we put everything back, piled into the cars and headed back to Fredi and Belki's house! I had 12 people in my car - including children...not bad eh? Obviously in the panic to get in my car key snapped in the lock of the back door...luckily had a spare key in the car. Have since had several keys cut and have handed them around to friends in case I have another accident like that! Anyway, back at Fredi and Belki's they just did lots of family photos and I got some of my fireworks out of the car. I am actually firework obssessed! So I managed to have 2 of the aunts adopt me too and if I ever need anything I can go around to their house as they live near me - hilarious!!

On Tuesday there was a sale at Diunsa - huge electrical/homeware store....50% off everything. Now I have been using Dave and Esthers plates/pans etc and they are returning in June and so I had to buy all my kitchen stuff. I decided it was better to buy it all now in the half price sale. So at 5.30am I set off for Tegus (2 hours away) with Carina, Lorena and Becky. A girlie shopping trip. I was a bit apprehensive about how much money I was about to spend in front of my Honduran friends but they completely understood (I think) and we had fun. I saved a lot of money in this sale. We got there just before the store opened at 8. All these girls speak English, but we swapped between English and Spanish all day. A whole lot of fun and a good chance to get to know them better. Nothing goes completely normally with me though. As I was looking at saucepan packages, I opened up one of them and the glass lid went flying across the floor and smashed into tiny pieces. The whole store stopped and stared at me and every worked ran up telling me I'd have to pay for the whole thing. I just stood saying how sorry I was and actually I didn't want these pans. They weren't moving and the pans weren't cheap! They sent for the onduty manager who turned out to speak perfect English. He asked me what happened and what had broken, when he saw it was just a lid he said I could get away with just paying for the lid and asked if 20L was ok (50p!). I heartily agreed and got taken out to some back office somewhere where I payed my fine feeling v relieved I didn't have to pay the full price. Apparently, this never happens and people have to pay the full price...who am I to argue!? My friends were all greatly amused!

Wednesday was New Years Eve. During the day I successfully did very little. Just went and visted friends and chatted the day away - in Spanish. A 4 hour Spanish conversation can't be too bad! Although...we were sat chatting in my car, with the radio on and so it completely drained my battery!! I then had to have them push my car down the road to a garage for them to recharge the battery for me!! I also discovered a whole in my battery - again - but as of now I cna't afford a new one sadly!? Then in the evening we had church. Now I appeared to have missed the memo that everyone dresses up really smart for this service and I turned up in jeans! I managed to put a smart top on but heh! Was a really lovely service and afterwards we all had hot punch - quite lovely! Everyone goes around wishing everyone else Happy New Year and much laughter all round. My Honduran family invited me back to their house to join their party - why not? I'd spent Christmas Eve and their mum's birthday with them! However, I had a few places to visit first! I went up to the Haglers house to go wish the Vissers and other families H.N.Year and play games and eat with them. It was a riot and then at 11.15pm I left for Zuko's house to join ther midnight celebrations. I really wish I'd had my camera with me. Everyone in town had fires burning outside their house and EVERYONE makes a guy - like we do for GuyFawkes. At midnight they burn him and it symbolises the old year...so you burn the old year and welcome the new one. Is quite a sight! I then got my fireworks out of my car - the last ones - and again EVERYONE in town sets of fireworks at midnight...is amazing! After much more greeting and wishing Happy New Year we went in for some dancing!! I learnt the Honduran/latino dances and there I was at the start of 2009 dancing! V amusing - for me and everyone else. This family have definitely welcomed me as one of them!

On the 1st, yesterday, I went with all the guys to a volleyball match, somewhere about 45 minutes away, in an obscure village the other side of Comayagua. Was a long afternoon - we lost obviously - but was fun to be out and about with my friends. As I was driving along, I looked back in my car and realised that noone I was with spoke any English. A real change to this time last year! Aniel and his wife Patty joined us too and at the end of the afternoon I discovered she's an English teacher?! Who knew!? She refuses to speak to me in English as it's good for my Spanish - not a bad idea! They are part of my family too! It has all been an amazing holiday, I've got to know people so much better and have been accepted in a new way by many - not just people my own age!

Today, I woke up to no water. My water tank hasn't refilled - not actually sure what to do about this, so I'm going to call my friends and see who can help me!!! Oh the helpless female!

I hope you all had an excellent Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.