sAlSa PEoPle!!!11

Hola. CoMO eStAS?.........hAVE u eVer BeeN 2 HonDUrAS.......AND lEARNed How to SAlSA....LET aLONe LearN How to SAlSA....BUT go to A hONdURAN fAmOuS dAncING sPot (VIA VIA).....AND pROve YoUr DanCiN sKIllS.......iM gLAD u ASkED mE a BrIlLiANT qUEstIon Because YES i HAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!wIT THe Honduras BOund 2008 crew......AND WE HAD A bLast....Learning how to salsa is a totally different vibe than learning how to do an American Dance.....we stepped into a different culture and grasp a touch of their inner style......in the American form of dancing u can go with the groove and do what ever comes to mind....but in the Honduran style....u have to know what your doing first.....and then have your way with the dance floor.....Let me tell you people about my experience with the Honduran Dance fLOOR.....iMAGINE.....iM DANCIN AND TURN AROUND AND SEE this bRillIanT mAN dANCING so BEutiful......i had to ASk for his Hands....."cAn I dANCE WiTH You?" i ASKED....hE PUlls OUt hiS hANDS and away he went with me......tURN ME ARound....Numerous of times.....tUCKED ME UNder his arms.....and to top it all oFF....hE Picked me up and i ALMSOT TOUCHED THE skY in HIs arMS......ImmediATELY i RAN TO cHAPEROn and toLD HER THese WoRDs........"i FEEL LIKE A WOMAN"......AND Had a Seat and Watched him wORK.....iF I could i would love to go back TO hONDUrAS and salSA aLL Night......not alone sALsa.....but extend my hAnds TO neEDED........WhiLE I was In Copan HondURas, i got aN eYE FUll....bUT NOT ONly will i hAVE AN eYE FULL IN THE fuTURE......BUT aLSO WILL hAVe a Hand FUll whEN i ExTEND My HandS wORKIN foR THEM..........gOODbyE!!!!!!!!!!!Tammie Litt

~HoT sPrInGs~

HoLa!!...Have u ever been to Hot Springs in Copan, Honduras??....Well, Honduras Bound 2008 Participates went, and it was amazing!!...I couldn't believe my eyes!...The scenery was unbelieveable!!...We did numerous of things while there. We got in the jacuzzi, it was fun!!...We even took a mud bath!!...Although, I never took a mud bath, it was one of my best moments! Also, we took a steam bath! It was so relaxing! Even though, some parts we couldn't go in, because it was hot, we still enjoyed ourselves!!...We also went to the river-part, my friends and I were struggling trying to get across!..It was hilaroius!...The strong waves were knocking us over!...We took beautiful pictures infront of the gorgeous waterfall!..Last, but not least, we had delicious snacks afterwards!..The ham and cheese sandwiches were terrific!...They also had magnificent peanut-butter sandwiches!...The fruits were fresh, sweet, and good!!...Lets not forget the cookies, they were so good, i couldn't stop eating them!! Well, I, Kaila Roberson really enjoyed my trip to Copan, Honduras. It was the best once in a lifetime experience! I also enjoyed myself at Hot Springs! If you haven't been to Hot Springs, you have yet! I advise everyone to visit....I promise you wouldn't be disappointed!!

The Orphanage

Today, we went to an orphanage which was a nice distance from our houses. We walked from the school to the orphanage. The trip was long and slightly smelly because of the horses that had been through the area. The trip was worth it because we got to contribute to the lives of children who are a lot less fortunate than us. The children were extremely excited to see us all walk in with smiles, art kits, coloring books, and reading books. When I arrived in the room with the children, I noticed a crying baby girl by the name of Cecilia had fallen through the bed. I immediately became aware of her pain, and I picked her up. She seemed calm and I felt like a hero. When I first embraced her, I didn't realize that she had a bare bottom. At first, I felt a little weird because I thought that she was use me as a restroom. Once I encountered another child that needed attention, I tried to put Cecilia down, but she wouldn't let go. I found a way to work with both children, and I felt great inside. We all interacted well with the children, and even taught some of them to play cards. The overall feeling was overwhelming. I only wish that they were more fortunate enough to provide every child with what they need. Now I can honestly say how great it feels to help those that are lest fortunate than us.

Wow!

Hola a todos! I`m excited to finally write something here! I don´t know if I can put into words how wonderful the trip has been so far. Sure, we´ve had our ups and downs (like scary instances on horses, trips to the medical clinics and some rumbling stomachs) but I have been so impressed with how the kids are handling most of those down points. And they´re taking everything else in with enthusiasm, positivity and an observant eye! Yesterday we headed to the Mayan ruins and got to walk around the land where the Mayans settled in Copán. It was really interesting, especially because our tour guide, Mauricio, was very enthusiastic about everything and answered all the kids´questions in a very clear way. And the kids were asking some great questions and making some pretty insightful comments about what they were learning!

It has been awesome to speak so much Spanish here but even more awesome to hear the kíds´ excitement and exhaustion when they get out of their one-on-one Spanish classes. They are learning a lot (some in a very different than myself or Thérése has taught them) and I think they´re really enjoying the one-on-one time with their teachers. They keep talking a lot about the different words they´re learning and who´s farthest along in the workbook, etc.

I think my high so far for the whole trip has been to hear the kids talk about their host family experiences. Almost all of them are having some great opportunities to speak Spanish with their host families (Dale and Rex got help with their homework from their father and Tylisha and Kayla Pam´s host mother has kept them up late into the night chatting in Spanish!) and it´s wonderful to hear the kids making cultural comparisons about their host family´s culture and see them stepping out of their comfort zone with things like traditional food, the language and learning how to live in someone else´s house!

Today we went to the orphanage for the first time and the kids got so involved with the children at the orphanage that some of them want to go back on Wednesday and bring undergarments, pampers and wipes for some of the younger kids that clearly did not have those things. It was cool to see the "taking care of others" culture that our students have been brought up with!

Ok, I´ve written too much probably, but I hope everyone´s enjoying the kids´ posts more than mine anyway!

¡Adios!

--Profé

The past that should not be forgotten.

Today was a great learning experience. We explored the Mayan Ruins at approximately 9:00am. At the entrance of our tour we were greeted by the Scarlet Macaw which is highly prided by Copan. As we walked farther I began to see the Mayan community come alive through the many facts and theories our tour guide revealed to us. Our path lead us into an amphitheatre known as the Plaza of the Statues and there we meet the most popular king of the Mayans, 18 Rabbit. We learned of animal and people sacrifices. When Mauricio( tour guide) explained the ball game I hung on to every word. The ball game was played with an even number of players on the field. The players could only use their shoulders, elbows, hips(used most) and knees to control the ball and the ball could not touch the ground. The object of the game was to hit 1 of 6 stone Macaw heads. At the end of the game the captain of the winning team was beheaded however, it was with great pride that they died because they would become a semi-god. It is no suprise that they believed they would become a semi-god because the were polythestics (had many gods). For example they had a wind god, a water god, and sky god. Not only were they polythestics but they were also poligamists (many lovers) and polylinguistics ( many dialects). The Mayan culture is a great example of the world today. They created drain systems that still work today and even had a temple to similar to NASA where they studied astrology and astronomy. The Mayan ruins are definitely a must see when exploring Copan. During the tour I was captivated because Mauricio was so passionate about the Mayan Ruins. I could see the passion in his eyes. History is Mauricio's heart beat. His pride of his culture reminded me of a quote by John Muir, it states " We love only what we know and we will perserve only what we love". Mauricio and the people of Copan love their culture because they know their history, want others to know it because they love it therfore, they perserve it. In Copan tradition is alive and well. The peope lead their lives like many people do. They survive to live by making the best of what they have. Copan itself is a very close knit community. Copan may be located in the second poorest country in the Carribbean but its people have a heart bigger than the sun. The Mayan ruins are the past but that doesn't mean that they should be forgotten.

Estaba enferma en Honduras!

Hi everyone today was a very good day….well not really. I was actually sick…I got sick today because of the weather. I had an asthma attack and guess what??? The doctor of Copan diagnosed me with Asthma. I was so so sick. Plus, I had a hard time breathing. I didn’t know I had asthma. My teachers Mrs. Mc-W, and Profe’ were very scared and worried! They almost had me scared but I knew that It wasn’t as serious as they thought. they were really worried about me. I felt special. I am happy that it happened to me and no one else because I don’t think that anyone else would have took it the way I did. Getting sick was the high of my trip so far! I got to sleep the whole day after it happened. I honestly think that going to the doctor and actually getting sick in HONDURAS was good for me because I actually went to the doctor in a foreign country. No one else would have been comfortable with going to the doctor in another country but me so I am glad that I was the one it happened to. And after getting sick I was nominated the Traveler of The Day. They nominated me because they said I was very brave and I also laughed when I was sick even though I couldn’t breathe that well!

-Tylisha Jones

Horseback Riding!!!

Today was awesome... we went horseback riding and i rode a horse... again... i swore i would never do that but it was cool i enjoyed it. We went to see the Shorti Mayan Village. It was cool and we saw huge mountains and big bulls. It started raining on us but it was a relief from all this hot air.The sight on top of the huge mountains were beautiful... I never seen anything like it. I learned a lot about the little kids in the village and there culture. We almost got attacked by the bulls but everybody made it out safe! We saw the store that is trying to survive in the middle of nowhere. It helps the whole Shorti community out and doesn`t just give to one family. As the day progressed, we talked with the children about their life,what foods they ate, what did they eat on that day, and asked questions about their family. The children that were their were either brothers and sisters or were closely related.Melissa Lockea, Whitney, and myself gave the children snacks even though we weren`t suppose to, but it felt good to give to the needy. I had fun today and the experience was great. I hope this will be able to happen to some of the people that are reading this.

A Challenging Day

Well, I'm back today was a very challenging day. So far the trip is just going wonderful and I'm not surprised anybody is not letting little things get to them. That's because Maestra and Profe picked the most mature kids for the trip. Today was fun and very crazy. While riding the horses a crazy bull went crazy and attacked some of our people. Luckily the bull only hit there horses instead of our people. Thank god. Well everything has been wonderful and that includes adjusting to the food which has been upsetting my stomach and I'm not about to complain. I want whats best for the trip and complaining is not it. Everybody is having fun and will continue in the morning and thats conclude for today.

P.S. Don't eat too many beans EVER.......lol.

Honduras Bound 2008 is the best ever.

Hey! its me again.....Whitney. I didnt know that this blog had to be a page! But here it goes.....It seemed like it took forever to get here! We left the school( Leland High School) at about 1:40am. on our way to Memphis Tenneesee to catch our 7 o'clock flight. I was soooooooo nervous. people started to cheer me up along with other first time fliers. I got over it eventually. At about 10:30am, we made it to Atlanta, Georgia. Im sitting in the airport thinking ( can we get this over with??! Then came San Sedro Sula. We were in a long line waiting to be checked in......Awesome!!! We're in the country of Honduras! About three hours later we made it to our destination, which is Copan, Honduras. I slept the whole way. I can't believe we're in Copan. The experience is great and i'm enjoying my host family and their surroundings. I'm looking forward to more actvities and other exciting things to come. Adios!

Arrival to honduras June 5, 2008

We finally made it to Copan Honduras!


When i first got on the plane I thought i wasn`t going to make it! I finally got over the fear of flying. Im enjoying my host family so far. Ella es muy simpatica. Adios

Only a few hours!!!

Hola! I am a freshman at Leland High School, and I will be traveling to Honduras in less than twenty four hours!!! I love spanish and every chance that i get to speak it. Every since I got the news that I would be going on this trip, I have been extremely excited. Today is the most exciting day for me because it's almost time for takeoff. I have been dreaming of my experience to Honduras, and within hours my dreams will come true. Although we are leaving extremely early, I think all the preparation is going to pay off. I am really thankful for being able to go. I am just ready to be in Copan and put my espanol to use!!! I can't really put my feelings in words, but I know I am going to enjoy this experience.

I'm Ready

Well even though I'm still in Chicago and haven't seen everybody I'm ready lol....... But yeah its about that time for us to be on our way across the waters. I've missed the bbq and pancake breakfast MS. MCKINNY-WOOD had prepared and the meetings. (Mann I wanted some pancakes.). I've packed everything and I'm going to repack everything to make sure I have everything. It's going to be a long and tiring trip driving from up here and leaving almost the following day but still I'm ready. Oh I can't forget I'm a have a feast before i go over there.