Midsummer with basic supplies problems
The month of April is one of the hottest of the year with temperatures rising over 104° F (40° C). The electricity supply, unfortunately, has problems in providing electricity as so many air conditioners and fans are switched on. This means that electricity is rationed and the Hondurans do not have electricity during an hour or more every day. In order to prevent hyperthermia, high school starts at 6 a.m. and lasts until 11 a.m. Being without electricity is inconvenient but bearable. However, we did not have water, either, for two days, which is horrible. We thus asked the fire department to fill up our water tank, which they did. So at least we had enough water to cook, shower and flush the toilets. It is only in such situations that one gets aware of the importance of basic supplies which also helps appreciating them more.
Visit from a school class
Every once in a while we get visited by students from private or public schools who have to conduct a social project. On a Saturday morning, our children were taught by such students. They had prepared English lessons as well as associated games and songs. It is interesting to see how children teach other children and it is nice to see our children treating others respectfully and openly, as well as to see their involvement and success in learning new things. For the students it is a good experience to visit a children’s home, as many have a wrong image of it due to the media’s focus on the IHNFA. Up until now, our children’s home has left a good impression on everyone.
Slumber party
Our two infant educators, Olga and Keidy, organized a “pijamada” (slumber party) for our girls. On this special evening we ate, danced, played games, told each other scary stories, laughed and, among other things, we found out that Kimberly would be a great opera singer. The first ones fell asleep after midnight and their faces were painted in their sleep. They all slept together in one room and on the next day, they told the boys about their pijamada with great enthusiasm.
Visit to a fog- and rainforest
With the elder boys we went to a fog- and rainforest in Colinas, Santa Barbara. When we arrived, we drove through the fog, which was an extraordinary experience as we never have fog in the city of San Pedro Sula. After a few hours the fog disappeared and we walked through the forest. The children had never before seen such huge trees and the light smell of fresh wood and pine was also new to them. In the afternoon, we went to a coffee plantation where the children were allowed to plant their own little coffee plants. All in all, there were more than 20,000 coffee plant buds waiting to be replanted. The area lies around 1000 – 1200 meters above sea level which makes it ideal for coffee plantation.
Bety, our first professional “fruit”
17-year old Bety Yanet Sanchez, who lived with us for two years, visits us every now and then and is one of the fruits we were able to harvest thanks to our labor; four years ago, she had to decide whether she wanted to continue staying with us or start a professional education together with a dance career. Of course we supported her with her decision for the future of a dance career. This year, she will complete high school with excellent grades and she even received dance training at the dance school where she also gives lessons. She is a kind, helpful, dedicated, hardworking and well-educated young woman.