Today's observations!

OK, so here are some observations and things I have been thinking about today!

1. The new come back series of Knight Rider is rubbish! Without David Hasselhof it's disappointing. Really was a let down (it was on cable TV - we get all sorts from the states!)


2. I had my first bacon butty tonight since I left UK. There is a huge amount of imported bacon in the supermarket. Thing is, it's not REAL bacon - it's turkeybacon, but I still bought lots as we don't get it very often. Turkey bacon, although lovely - and luckily has been nowhere near a swine - just doesn't taste the same! Turkey bacon is disappointingly not as good as pig!


3. The Simpson's in Spanish is not as good as in English - the accents just aren't right! Again, a disappointing discovery.

At no point have I said that my thoughts and observations would be profound!

4. Nearly being late for work because you couldn't get your car out of the gate until the oxen and cart had moved, is not an excuse you could use in England!

5. The furniture store in town had an electrical fire, which blew out all the traffic lights in the town centre, about 2 months ago (maybe more) and it dawned on me today that they still haven't been repaired. Driving in town is every man (or woman) for themselves!

6. The most exciting news - for those that know me well..Cillit Bang (cleaner) has made it to Honduras, but is called Easy-off Bang!!! It hasn't made it to Sigua yet, but I've seen the adverts on TV. And yes....the man still shouts, but no...there is no penny test!!

7. How can a Pine Tree have a week's worth of celebrations? The Pine Tree is a national symbol of Honduras. But, really...a whole week of parties and concerts? When I say parties think traditional music!!! On Saturday, there is a carnival during the afternoon and then a huge one at night. For a tree?? I think I must be missing something!

8. There is an increase of Tele-shopping on TV these days. It's even hit Honduras! Sad.

As you can see, I've had a busy day thinking!!

When I say that there are horses wandering the streets and dogs, horses and cars outside my house I'm not joking. Sadly, I couldn't go out and take a photo of the oxen outside today because there were lots of men with them - and showing them my camera wasn't an option! But, here are the horses and dogs right outside.. (I'm trying to build up a picture for you all)

God bless pine trees!

3 blogs in one day - has to be a miracle! As John said to me I blog lots for a while...and then nothing! I am trying to keep it up though!
Anyway, here's tonight's fun...

I went for dinner with Lorena tonight to catch up with each other, it's been a while. Then we went to watch a movie at Ovidio's house (was meant to be with the youth group). No-one thought to tell us it was cancelled and so we stopped to get Carina and all went down to the Plaza for more pine tree celebrations. How can a Pine tree create so much festivity? It's great! Maybe England should have national Oak tree day or something? There were 2 guys singing tonight - latino style music. Sadly, Christians here are not allowed to dance and so everyone just stood around! Heartbreaking - so hard to stand still to that music! I failed at the standing still and was more than embarrassed when a young guy came and asked me to dance! Obviously I said no!!! How sad not to be allowed to dance to such good music. I just couldn't stand still!

Tomorrow is folk/traditional music that we are apparently allowed to dance to - I'll be there!!! When did I get so interested in dancing? Maybe it's cos I know I'm not allowed!?

Someone really does need to tell me about the different music types because I am clearly getting it wrong!! When I'm allowed to move and when I'm not!? Goodness knows!

This might help...

Having spoken to Dad today I thought maybe I should put some pictures up to help you imagine what I am talking about when I mention my garden and/or fence! John also suggested some pics I should put up....but ...er...no!! (thanks anyway John!!)

So, here is the side of my house (I didn't say they would be exciting pictures!), this is the old fence that Jorge and Enoc made...with the gate that gets made higher on a regular basis....Delilah can easily jump the gate and this week worked out the fence is lower - she jumps like a horse! Jezebel still hasn't worked it out!

The roll of wire is for the new fence!

So this is my drive and basically there is going to be a 6ft fence around this part so I can get the car in and out without the dogs escaping (which isn't a problem except they don't always come back!) and it stops them eating or going anywhere near my car!! Thanks to Jaime (and maybe Zuko!).

Here is the drive/front of house.

The dogs look so calm here lying on the porch, eating the last of their toys that they haven't destroyed! They have been super calm this weekend because we have been home and outside a lot. When we are outside with them, they are lovely - I think they just want company!

Jezebel - the calmer, more intelligent dog!

Delilah - the crazy dog who jumps like a kangaroo and doesn't realise she is a dog. Not so intelligent! She's not about to share her toy!

This is just a pic of the back garden so you get the whole picture. There has been no rain for weeks (if you look at the sky in the pics you can see we are expecting some tonight - hurray!) and so it's all very dry. That ladder is leaning against the pillar that holds our water tank!

Life plods on

Well, I went to the wood yard and it was fairly uneventful, thankfully! Obviously they didn't have the sizes Jaime had told me and so I had to improvise a bit - I hope I have the right stuff!? My car wouldn't fit the wood in and Rafa hasn't been at school for a few days and so Yicel from school took me in her pick-up and Ana came with us. They were highly amused by the whole thing! But, I now have everything here.
Sadly, Jaime couldn't come back from Tegus this weekend as he was suddenly given an extra seminar on Saturday at his uni! So I still have no fence - but I do have the stuff ready for whenever he can come - hopefully next weekend!

Things have been fairly uneventful really. Yesterday was spent cleaning the house - I even polished everything and washed the windows! With all the dust it all gets v dirty v quickly. Kulicha came round and cut our grass and so our house looks very respectable now!

I was meant to go to the Old People's Home today with youth group, but it was cancelled for some reason - the old people had something else on or something?!

It's the Day of the Pine tree soon (the Pine tree is a national symbol) and so there are folk dances, traditional dances and all sorts on in the Plaza in town every night and so this week should be quite interesting.

Not much else to say. We don't have any water today, but I no longer get stressed by that. It is a city wide problem. Why should it bother me when everyone else is in the same boat? You just learn how to live with it!! Hopefully we will have water in our tank tomorrow.

History repeating itself!!

Cast your minds back to November. Do you remember when I had my dog house built? When I went to the hardware store and confused feet and metres and ended up with huge amounts of lamina for the roof? Do you remember how I went back to the hardware store and miraculously got my money back and admitted I had made the mistake etc?
Well.. my friends are making me a fence on Saturday and so I had to go back to the said hardware store to buy the wire, staples, nails etc. I thought it would be fine - 5 months later noone would remember me! Yeah right!

So in I went after school - yet again in my school t-shirt. I asked about the wire, prices etc, checked it was in fact what I wanted. Then the boss came over to me and greeted me like his long lost friend - and checked my measurements!!! I was so embarrassed, yet highly amused at the same time!! Jaime had had the forethought of sending me with the measurements in feet, metres and yards - to cover all eventualities!! I then was still slightly unsure this was in fact the wire I was thinking of and so I was taken into the back yard and into the bodega to look at it!! V funny. So, the boss remembered me..and apparently so did all the staff as I didn't have to describe where I lived to them - they knew!!! I really do make a fool of myself in these places...yet at the same time everyone loves to come and help me so it can't be too bad!!!

Love it.

Later this week I have to go to the wood yard to buy the wood I need - could be equally amusing.....

Help comes in different ways!

Never a dull day around here!

Last night I had a long conversation with my friend Jaime (pronounced 'Hi-may')about the lady that came round - the one with the open stomach! He gave me the Honduran perspective on it all. It was nothing I didn't know already, but was good to hear it from someone else. That if she really needed help she would have accepted the lift to the hospital and that I was correct in not giving her money! It was good to hear that from a Honduran.

So, I was feeling all relaxed about it all, and at peace, praying hard for her.

She turned up again this evening and Amanda wasn't here. She said she went back to her clinic and the dr said he could operate this week, she didn't need money just a cushion and a new blanket. She had asked the houses down the road for money for a blanket and could I help. Well, I decided this was my chance to help and so went to get our spare fleece blanket for her. This was a practical way to help her. I asked her not to mention it to anyone else as I didn't want to get bothered by everyone coming round for help. Doesn't hurt to say that eh?! She said that if the operation goes well, she will come round to visit me again to show me.
In honesty I'm not sure I want to see anything more of her stomach, operation or no operation!!

I called Jaime to check I'd done the right thing and he seemed to think so, so I can relax again! Let's hope this is the start of a new life for her.

Message for Anna Crosby!

Anna,
Thanks so much for always keeping up with my blog! I've lost your email, but wanted to thank you!! Also...I was very excited last week to receive a letter from you with that lovely keyring!! Apparently you didn't put enough postage on it and so it came by ship....which apparently took a year!! But..it made it! Thank you so so much. Keep in touch xx

Messing around in the river

Days like today remind me how much I love it here. Started off super early with a prayer meeting at 6am in my house for those in my group at church - basically all my friends (is in a different house every other week). I then made pancakes for breakfast for everyone - American style!! I'm learning! Then it was church and then I went with the same group of friends to the river this afternoon!

Hollie, Israel and kids joined us too and it was great fun. It was about 20 mins away and we parked the car and went on a short hike along some v dusty paths and tracks. My favourite part was when we were told to be quiet as people were shooting - practice maybe? I didn't like to ask to much for fear of the answer! I could definietly hear all the guns going off!! Least favourite part has to be going down the steep, dusty slope in my slippery sweaty flipflops!! Hollie and I decided it was definitely easier to go down on our feet and backsides!!

It wasn't really the river so much as a water hole! It was lovely to be rid of the dust and intense heat for a while and relax with friends. The guys - and Amanda - jumped off the cliff into the water. Not so much a cliff but not sure how to describe it. And we swam around underneath. The scary part was the nearly drowning!! I asked Sindy if she wanted to go over to the other side of the water hole with the others. She said yes and then I discovered she couldn't swim! Not a prob I thought, she can hold onto me and I can swim over! Hah - no! She can't even float! So, my plan was flawed at this point and she pulled hard on me and I went under!! Luckily Carina saw and came to my rescue! I'm not trying that again.

Then the guys got the bar of soap out. So many of us don't have water at the moment (ours comes and goes) and so they used the opportunity to bathe themselves - and they attacked me with the soap too. Can't complain about being clean eh? Sigua has a big prob with water right now as it is so dry, I think we are going on red alert - or so I have heard. Many many houses in the city don't have enough water - or any. We are lucky we have ours more often than we don't!

I'm sat here now waiting for more friends to come round and chill out here tonight. Really - I love my life!!

Thanks to all those who have donated money towards my new car. I appreciate it so much. The whole car situation makes me want to cry it is so stressful - and apparently so expensive!! So, a huge thank you!

Bringing life into perspective

I saw the saddest and most humbling sight I have ever seen in Honduras - or anywhere - yesterday. An old lady came to my house yesterday afternoon and asked to talk to me. She stood at my gate and asked for money. Perhaps she wasn't that old, in fact. Maybe in her 40's, but looked around 70. Getting asked for money is nothing new here - we're white! She had been asking at houses around the neighbourhood and had been sent to the 'White Girl's house'. I explained we don't give money to people who come round. She then went on to say how she needed to have an operation. She looked incredibly sick, her eyes were bright yellow. There was no denying she was ill!! Then she lifted her top and unwound a large piece of material she was using as a bandage around her stomach. As she unwound it my initial 2 reactions were to vomit and cry - both of which I stopped myself from doing! Basically the bandage was holding her stomach together. It was like a lift the flap game. A large flap of skin - and stomach wall was stuck to said bandage and fell open, leaving a hole. But not just a hole, I could see her intestines (LITERALLY) and her stomach and the poo in her bowels - which was not just in her bowels but filling this hole. We're talking a hole larger than my hand. This hole was full of flies that flew out when she opened it, infected. Amanda arrived home at this point and so I called her over and the lady again opened her stomach. This lady's face just showed, I don't know what - humility? anguish? pain? lost hope?

Now, the hardest part is that we can't give money to people who come round. It is just not safe. 2 white girls living alone giving mony to people who come round. Word would spread and we would have the whole town knocking at our door. Yet I knew I needed to help this woman.
So I called our friend Becky. A Honduran girl, bilingual, understands both cultures. I explained to her the problem and asked her what to do. She said to take this lady to a clinic in town, explain the situation and they would send her in an ambulance to a hospital in Tegus - without us having to pay for the treatment - which I simply can't afford!
I went back and explained to the lady I could take her to a clinic that could help her. She said she has been going to another clinic that her been giving her injections. I offered her help, but she didn't want it and walked off.

My heart broke there and then and all I could do was cry! In fact, I have cried for this lady since then. I so wanted to help her. She is clearly going to die soon without help. But, I don't have the amount of money she needs and it just wasn't safe to give her money - and would she have used the money for the operation. I would like to think yes, but you can't be sure here.

So I feel I have let her down. I am going to talk to the Pastor's wife or Lorena's mum this afternoon or tomorrow - they work at the clinic this lady was talking about. Maybe I can give some money straight to the clinic? The look on her face and being able to see straight into someone's stomach and intestines as they stand on the street will be something that will stay with me for a long time.

Please pray for this lady.

Dogs and cars...bain of my life!

Well, with the car at school Rafa was unable to start it, so whilst I was at camp with my Grade's 1 and 2, Rafa went and picked up a mechanic friend of his to come fix the car. I can't tell you exactly what was wrong with it because I only know the words for it in Spanish - and can't translate them as am not sure what they are in English!! The joys of learning about engines in a different language. Anyway, the main point being...MY DOGS ATE THE CABLES!! Thus my car wouldn't start! My dogs are not my friends right now!! So, the car is fixed, a few more bits to finish but shold be sellable soon!
I've been so worried about it, and yet went for dinner with a family from school last night - with Deb, Amanda, Britt and Ana - and the father knows about cars and said he would call his friend and help me seell it and buy another one. A real answer to prayer! Then 10 mins later Fredi calls me to tell me he is selling his car if I want first offer on it!! Which - I said no because it is far too expensive!!

May I also say when I arrived for dinner their chihuahua ran up and bit me on the leg!! They may be small dogs but they bite hard - and it hurt...a lot!! Dogs and cars.....!!

Pastor to the rescue!

Car still won't start. Tried everything. At 5pm after Enoc had played around with it I decided the easiest thing would be to get the car to school. I live no-where near any mechanics or anyone who can help look at it! However, at school are Rafa and Elias the school handi-men, gate security type men who know about cars and engines. They offered to look at it and take it to the right garage. Just had to get it there! My car is a big car and so needed a strong truck to tow it. We called everyone we knew and everyone was out of town - typical!

Then, we got hold of Pastor Hugo who was able to come with his Jeep and his sons!! Perfect. Made the job look easy. The car is now at school and hopefully tomorrow Rafa and Elias will be able to get it sorted for me whilst I take my Grade 1's and 2's up to camp! My stress levels over this car are definitely rising!!

Hot Cross Buns

I wrote on my Facebook status on the internet that I had not had a single Easter Egg or Hot cross bun this year. The next day (Monday) Armando turns up at school with a plate of Hot Cross Buns he'd made himself!! He'd seen what I'd written, looked up what they were -and the recipe- and baked them for me! I don't really know him that well. I love my friends!!

I love it here!!! It's just sooo random!

p.s. Beth sent me some mini eggs and Creme Eggs that made it here in good condition (the creme eggs were the 6 pack and in a box - good protection). Thanks Beth!! Sadly they've all gone - others like them too!! If you happen to be in Sainsbury's or Tesco's and you see mini eggs or creme eggs still sitting on the shelves then please, please help the stores be rid of them by sending them to me....they travel so well! I love them so much!!!!! And obviously it will be helping the stores be rid of Easter products!?! It would also be a good payment for my friends Jaime and Zuko when they come to build my fence that will stop the dogs from eating my car!!

Katharine Marrow
Escuela Bilingue Siguatepeque
Apdo 52
Siguatepeque
Comayagua
Honduras

Just in case you've lost my address!!!!!

AGGGHHHHHHHH CARS!!

Really, I need to repair and sell my car asap before I go totally insane! Today is the day when I don't teach til 9.50am as my class have music and Spanish on a Wednesday morning. So I get to sleep in!
Today, at 9.30am I went to get the car out....it wouldn't start! The starter motor has gone I think, so it wasn't going anywhere. I then got the bike ready...got one block down the road and the gears messed up. Took the bike back home and walked...thinking a taxi would pass by as they do every day and I would get a taxi to school. Not a single taxi passed me...not one! So in the boiling (and I mean super hot) sun I walked the 40 minute walk to school with my full rucksack on my back! I had called school to say I was going to be late! Good thing really!!

How I get it to a mechanic I am yet to figure out! Adony and Enoc are coming round in the morning to see if we can puch start it. If not, we will hopefully borrow the pastor's jeep to tow it to the mechanic!

Please.......I just want to sell it!! Pray I can get enough money..sell it...and buy a good one!

Egg Hunt!

Yesterday, I went up to Providence to join in/help with an Easter Egg hunt in the afternoon. Providence World Ministries is an organisation that works with orphans and widows in the community/village of Aguas del Padre (in the mountains).

It is gorgeous up there and Hollie had organised an Easter Egg hunt for the kids. There was face painting and my friend Lorena gave the Easter Message to the kids and Mizael gave it to all the adults. Then was the egg hunt. I was slightly surprised to find out they weren't hunting chocolate eggs like we do in UK....but I got over it!! Any Easter Egg hunt has to be good. In the States they use plastic eggs and put candy inside them. A team is down working with Providence this week and they turned up with hundreds of these plastic eggs.


After hunting and finding everything we all went inside for doughnuts!! Perfect!

Pictures...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=243453&id=876635272&l=2bc8ce814f

Back to reality....

I have just written a huge long blog...and lost the lot and so I am trying again! School starts again tomorrow and so it's back to earth with a bump. I love the holidays and have no desire to start work again. It doesn't help that it is soooooooo hot, ridiculously hot! Not humid, just intense heat. I'm ready for it to cool down again now, just a bit...the thought of working in this weather does not appeal. It could be worse, it could be British weather, but still...!

Amanda is back now after all her travels. It was whilst chatting to her and catching up that it dawned on me that I had in fact spent most of last week talking in Spanish and very little English! Never thought I'd say that! My Spanish grammar is shocking. I know it, but always have so much to say that I don't really stop to think! I am, however, very excited to be starting new Spanish classes. I am genuinely very excited...again something I never thought I would say. But, a friend of Ken/Sue from Costa Rica is moving here to start a language school. He is great fun and hilarious. He's 48 and quite insane and so I think the lessons will just be great fun. I really want my Spanish to improve and he says we can do less written work and more spoken and so for that I can't wait.

So, 7 more weeks and then this term is over....yay!!! I can survive 7 weeks...then more holidays!!!

I LOVE my life here!!!

(I am presuming everyone has realised I am never moving back to UK!)

Happy Easter 2009!

Car aside here is other news...

Comayagua is a very old, traditional town about half an hour from here. It is truly beautiful. Now, every year they have a tradition (that is also common in Guatemala) where they make 'carpets' in the street from coloured saw-dust. They stay up all Thursday night making them - there are about 30 carpets on the streets - and the detail is phenominal! I went with my friends Lorena and Johanna. Johanna went and spoke nicely to a man to ask where the best place to view the parade was and he offered for us to got to the top of the bell tower! Amazing views indeed!
Then, mid morning there is a procession over all these carpets - A Catholic procession where they carry Jesus through the streets. We left at 6.30am to avoid traffic and to see the carpets without too many people in the way. The carpets were simply beautiful. The procession...not so beautiful. Small children were all dressed up as Jesus with a crown of thorns on their heads, blood drawn on their faces. Then, an over sized statue of Mary, which was a very scary sight indeed. The procession started off with men walking over the carpets swinging copious amounts of incense everywhere, then a small boy pretending to be Jesus carrying a cross. Then came the famous part of a big float being carried by lots of men - bad description. For some reason this year they had 2 black horses on it too (not real ones!) and instead of the men wearing purple they wore white and looked just like the Klu Klux Klan! Was all too much for me and so we left!!

Then, I just hung out with my friends back in Sigua again. Saturday was spent watching the finals of the weeks sporting championships.

Today I got up at 4am to go to the sunrise service at the seminary. It was my favourite service last year and yet again was great. Hundreds of people together from different churches in Sigua. This year they didn't sing the old favourite hymns as I was hoping - but heh! Then it was back to church for breakfast, and then our normal service!

So, Happy Easter everyone - but I need to go to bed now! We have tomorrow off school and then we are back on Tuesday - we only had a week off!!

Here are the links for my photos....

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=240887&id=876635272&l=6eab5b8215


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=240904&id=876635272&l=6ad981da27

The short cut...

I spent a lovely afternoon today with Hollie and Israel and their children. On the way home I decided to pop into town to pick something up. A drive I take daily and is about 5 mins. Now the traffic lights in town don't work due to a fire in a building a few months back. So I decided to cut out the traffic lights and take a short cut down the back roads. Simple.

However...I took the wrong road. Apparently. I ended up in the mountains. Lost!! I had no clue where I was. I couldn't even see town, yet was only 5 mintues away. I was so confused. I text my friend...no reply..and so I called Hollie. How could I explain where I was when I had no idea. I couldn't just turn around as I had been all over the place trying to find town!! She just agreed I was lost on the mountain and to ask anyone I could see.

Well, I sat and prayed and a taxi passed me and so I followed it back. I really was v close to town..apparently! The road took me straight to the shop I had been trying to get to! Not so much a short cut. My friends think I am totally insane now...maybe they have a point!

Sad sad day...

I've come to the sad conclusion today that after nearly 32 years I am in fact now allergic to baked potatoes! How can anyone be allergic to something so simple? After so many years of eating them? I have tested my theory now about 4 times and I am testing it no more as it makes my stomach really quite unwell. Weird. I then found out tonight, my cousin Tabs also suddenly became allergic to them about 2 years ago! (Thinking back I can remember eating them in my flat in UK and them making me unwell then too!) Anyone any clues about this sad sad occurance?

Plain odd. And very sad...I love them!

My car is back!

I have my car back! It turns out that the battery was virtually dead. I knew that - judging by the amount of times it breaks down! So, I paid for todays work and then went and bought a new tyre. When he told me the price of a new one I nearly fainted and so asked for options!! Handily enough this place had used tyres - you know the ones people remove to buy new ones with good tred!! And so for a third of the price I bought a used tyre - I LOVE this country! We all agreed that as I was selling the car this was the best option. I then went (with my friend to make sure I got the right price) to buy a new battery. So, it is all looking good again. Next week I will take it to another electric mechanic to get little bits fixed and then it is ready to sell - YAY!! I was ready to cry at the price I paid for everything today, in Honduran terms - which is the only way I think now - it is a lot. If I put it into £££ it was really quite cheap I guess...all that work, tyre, battery, parts etc for £78.
I am so excited about selling it and getting one that doesn't fall apart and my friends have offered to build a fence around my drive way so when I get a new car my dogs can't destroy it!! Can't be too bad.

Hate cars - but love life!

I just thought I'd better add this so they don't worry at home... despite all my car troubles I am having a fantastic week and am LOVING it! I love living with Amanda - but I also love living by myself!!! When I am alone all my friends make more of an effort to come and visit me and so I see far more of them all. I get to know my Honduran friends much, much better - and for this, I'm loving my time off and my week. The car problems just make it all the more entertaining!!

When Amanda leaves in July I think I will probably live by myself - at least for a bit - way too much fun!!

(if anyone would like to come and train/calm my dogs please let me know!)

I HATE CARS!!!

I do! I hate cars...and right now dogs too!! I took my car in to the mechanic early this morning, explained all the problems - broken suspension/ failed brakes/ engine running high...you name it! He started the car and the engine was fine...typical. I took my friend with me so it wasn't a white girl on her own, he pretended it was his car! The mechanic said to go back at 4pm and he'd have it ready. Hmmm. I went back at 5pm and he hadn't been able to start the car to test it! He'd sorted the suspension, tested the brakes etc. He noticed that the dogs had chewed all the cables under the car....and this hadn't helped matters and that there were wires in the engine that were falling apart etc. And it just didn't start!! So my car remains in the garage and he is having to bring in an electrical mechanic tomorrow...is all going to be expensive. Just when I want to sell it too! So I walked the half hour back home again. I was very grateful to have my friend with me. I understood all the Spanish but was good to have someone I know I can understand just to make sure I didn't miss anything!
I had to miss tonight's volleyball as I couldn't get there. Tomorrow I will use my bike for the day until he calls me to tell me it works. If he doesn't call me...I might just cry!!!! Hahaha!

So...I hate my dogs and I hate my car! Maybe new dogs and a new car? But then again... maybe I can't get rid of the dogs!! Watch this space...

Unbelievable!

Today, I went to watch the last football match for 'my' team! They lost! No real surprise. Then I went to watch a sports tournament that started today and is on for the whole week - 5 a-side football and volleyball for guys and girls from all the different churches in town. As I was sat there cheering the girls on I heard a bang, and a blue car reversed hard into my parked car!! I now have a blue bumper! What is it about my car at the moment!?

Home alone...yet again!

So, Amanda went off to Belize today with all the other teachers. They are travelling to Belize and Guatemala for the week. I am slightly envious of this as they are 2 countries I've always wanted to go to...however...with all the car problems I'm having I can't afford to join them so am home alone in Sigua....yet again!!! At least all my friends are off uni for the week as well and so they are around! Could be worse!

I love my car!??

How can so much happen in such a short time? I think I should update this blog daily (sadly time does not allow for this!) Where to start...

Wednesday night was fantastic! It was football time again and we went to watch Honduras v Mexico in the qualifying round for the World Cup 2010. It meant a late night as the match was in San Pedro - 2 hours away and we had to come back the same night as we had school the next morning! Fun! So, Amanda and I went with Jaime, Zuko, Kike and Eduardo. Instead of taking my poor damaged car we went in Kike's very old pick up truck! He'd put an old mattress in the back and so Jaime, Zuko, Amanda and I could stretch out and sleep in the back whilst he and Eduardo were up front! Hilarious - mind you was very windy when we were going fast, not to mention chilly when it got around midnight!! The match was great - minus the whole crowd throwing their beers into the air at each goal - thus covering us in it! We won 3-1. The stadium was packed and the atmosphere amazing. A fantastic night.

Amanda, me, Zuko, Jaime

Eduardo and Kike (in front)

Thursday was sports day - Mini Olympics - for the younger children ...Kinder- Grade 3. It went well and the kids had great fun. Friday was the same for Grades 4 - 11. It was one of the hottest days so far...reaching around the mid 30's C. Maybe even closer to 40, we 're not sure...but hot. 6 hours standing out in the scorching sun with no shade means I am vv burnt!

After having caught up on a lot of sleep this morning, I took my car out to meet friends this afternoon about 4pm. Amanda wanted to walk so she set off across the campo and I set off in my car so we could get back afterwards. 1 block down the road there was an enormous explosion and lots of smoke and my back tyre blew!! All the neighbours heard it and rushed outside to see the local Gringa standing there staring at the huge hole in her tyre!!! Luckily there was no fire with the smoke and it wasn't the front tyre. The road is more like driving on sand as it is so dusty and so I wasn't going fast. I saw Amanda in the campo and called her over and we called Jaime and he and Zuko came to help us change the tyre etc. Zuko didn't have his motorbike and it took them 25 mins to walk to our house, and in this time the local drunk man thought it was great to come and chat to us whilst everyone else just stared at us. Even though we were close to home we couldn't leave the car - as the other tyres would disappear - so we opened the boot and sat on the back and waited! They came and changed it and all is well. As it turned out we weren't supposed to be meeting our friends til 6pm, which was such a blessing as if we had gone when we were meant to we'd have been waiting in the dark!

Adony is coming with me to the mechanic on Monday as the suspension has gone too - and I can't explain all that in Spanish! Hurray for having lots of guy friends!!

Again, God has taken care of me in my car - it could have been a whole lot worse!! Thank you to everyone at St George's who are starting to raise money to help me buy a car that is less dangerous! Once I sell my car I am going to need additional money to buy one that actually works properly, so if anyone else would like to donate please let me know and I can tell you how.