MARTES – First Volunteer Day

Tuesday/ June 2, 2009
I am going to discuss the voluteering at the primary school.
Today we woke up early and we all had breakfast with our host family. We met at the Guacamaya School for 8:20. Not to much longer we were at the primary school. We left there and had lunch with our host family. Return to the Guacamaya School at 5:40 so that we could have our two hour long Spanish classes. Later that evening we had group dinner at Jim's Pizza. We also had a debrief and a short meeting about everything that had went on in the course of the day. Going to the primary school was very exciting to me. I really like spending time with the kids because they are very happy and jolly about everything. They are very easy to talk to. Coming to the school was a very good experience for both of us (the group) and the students. It allows us as a whole to expand our Spanish and at the same time allow the children to learn English. Yet, coming to the school was a very sadful site. The school system is very poor. POR DIOS. Most kids don't make it to a 6th grade education, due to the lack of money. Imagine yourself walking into your school with only three classroom, two teachers, and a class full of students running every where. This life long lesson has truly taught me to appreciate so much more and learn to be content. REMEMBER THAT THE GRASS IS NOT ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE. The purpose of us coming to the school is to enhance the children knowledge with English speaking and grammar. Over the course of us teaching the students, we all ended up learning something new. I have enjoyed the trip and hope that one day I get the chance to do this experience again. My favorite part of the trip so far is meeting the different ratio of people in my house and learning more about them and their way of living. VERY INTERESTING!!!!!

Lunes-Horseback riding and spanish class

Monday June 1,2009

Hola! My name is Jasmine and I am in the 12th grade.Today we went horseback riding through the Mayan village, today also was the beginning of our spanish classes. I began my day by eating pancakes for breakfast. Muy Bien! After breakfast it was straight to Gucamaya school. The moment I was waiting for, horseback riding. It took two hours to get up the mountain and two hours to come back down. I really enjoyed myself and so did the others. It was a calm, but slightly rocky trip.We stopped by the indigenous village, there we had a tour, and a brief description of how the children went to school, and how they made their living. Once back in town I really didn't want to stop riding the horse, but it was either get off or pay $15 to ride again. Then, it was lunch with our host families. I CAN'T BELIVE I ATE AMARDILLO!! but it was good. Once again it was a long and tiring walk back to the school for spanish classes. I was nervous at first, but excited at the same time. I really enjoyed the one on one time with my teacher. After speaking spanish for two hours it was again time to go back home, but first we went through town to do a little shopping. The day soon came to an end. The purpose for these activities: to relax, enjoy ourselves, and enhance our spanish skills. My favorite activities so far, it's so very hard but I enjoyed Hot springs, and most of all horseback riding, simply because I love horses! Chao!

DOMINGO – The Copán Ruins and Hot Springs

Fantastic Ruins and Hot Springs

May 31,2009
Hola! My name is Shamita and I am in the 12th grade. The activity for the day was going to the Mayan Ruins and Hot Springs. The schedule for the day was very long and busy. We were to wake up, eat breakfast with our host familiy, meet at the Guacamayan school, visit the Mayan Ruins, return to Copan, eat lunch with host family, free time , meet at the school, hot springs/dinner at hot springs, return to host family, and last go to bed. The Mayan Ruins was fun, exciting, informative, interesting, and a new experience for all of us. We were so excited about the Ruins because we had a great opportunity to explore the Honduran culture. We also had a chance to see the Honduran president at the Ruins and that was also exciting. The Mayan Ruins were very fantastic and I know everyone enjoyed themselves. Hot Springs was very beautiful and different from the water that I'm use to seeing. We got a chance to get in hot tubs and take mud baths. Hot Springs is an excellent place to relax and enjoy the different things in the park. We went to the Ruins because it is always good to know some history about the place you are visiting. We went to Hot Springs to enjoy ourselves and relax from the hot long tour at the Ruins. Traveling to the Ruins and Hot Springs served as a good purpose for this trip because we got a chance to learn some things about Honduras history and we still had a chance to enjoy ourselves. I enjoyed both the Ruins and Hot Springs. The Ruins were very hot and long but it was worth it because I got a chance to learn some things that I didn't know about Honduras and at Hot Springs I got a chance to explore different things that were in the water park and enjoy my time there. The most exciting part at the Ruins was seeing the hieroglyphic stairway. The most exciting part at Hot Springs was me in the pool and my legs couldn't really reach the bottom of the pool. My favorite part of this trip was going to the Ruins. I didn't expect much from the Ruins but I ended up getting the best information there, which was about the Honduras history. Overall the trip is excellent and I am looking forward to the rest. All I am left now to say is WoW! Hopefully my feelings and thoughts will stay the same which I know they are. Adios!

Viernes - Traveling to Copán

FRIDAY - MAY 29

Tyeisha Roberson
11th grade
I am blogging about the beginning of our great experience of traveling out of the county, but before we could do that we had to go through the exhausting experience of the actual travel. First we all met up at the Greenville-Weston High School to load up and headed to Memphis, Tennessee Airport. We then flew from Memphis to Miami on A VERY small plane. This was my actual first flight and I was kind of scared and nervous. I was actually so nervous that I held one of my chaperone's held my hand to keep me from overacting. After the plane landed and I actually started breathing normally again we went to the crazy and very crowd Miami airport. There we got to communicate with different Spanish speaking people as we waited for our last flight. This airplane was much bigger and more comfortable than the first one, but I still was a little bit afraid. Once we landed in San Pedro we got everything and went through customs where we experienced one of our first power outage while in Honduras. We then traveled by van from San Pedro to Copan. We then met our host families and got settled in. The thing that I enjoyed about this busy day was that we all got a better chance to know each other. I learned that if you conquer your fears, it will always work out for the best. My favorite part of the trip so far is being able to see my trip members daily for the next week and just enjoying each other company.

Sábado - Tour of Copán and Bird Park

Saturday, May 30
Travaris Payne, Graduate
I am blogging about the Tour of Copan and the Bird Park.
1. I woke up and at breakfast with my fellow travelers and my host family.
2. Denzel, Martini, and I left the house to round up the rest of the group.
3. We arrived at the school and had a brief meeting.
4. The tour of Copan started and our guide walked us through this beautiful city.
5. We had lunch with our host family and returned back to the school.
6. Then we rode to the bird park in tuk-tuk's(taxi's in Copan), which was probably my favorite part of the day.
7. We returned to the stores our guide previously showed us and I got a chance to call home.
8. We went back to our house until our meeting where our instructors debriefed us.
9. We went back to our house.

The tour of Copan helped me realized the importance of everything the people in this intriguing city were doing and why they were doing it. It also clarified the reasons for some of the places and things I didn't understand about Copan. The Bird Park was a great experience that helped me learn about the wildlife in Copan. This tour helped me realize the importance of wildlife and why it is so highly appreciated here.

My favorite part of the trip is just making it to Honduras. It was like I was in a movie and nothing around me was actually real until I was able to interact with people and things in my surroundings. I love Honduras. I will definitely come back when I am able to.

Airnecia Mills- Preparation for Honduras Bound 2009

May 28, 2009
Airnecia Mills
Upcoming Senior 2009-2010

Hola! Me llamo Airnecia Mills. I am very excited about Honduras Bound 2009. This is a great experience and I was chosen to attend. I have been preparing for this trip since my acceptance letter in November. Now the day has finally arrived. I am all packed up and ready to go. I consider myself well prepared with the help of my advisers. Planning for this trip hasn't been easy, but it's been worth it all: hard fundraisers, long meetings:), boring paperwork, and sponsors that are "STRICTLY BUSINESS". Overall, even the preparation for this trip has been awesome! I am very elated about it and I can't wait to get to Honduras!!
**The most important thing that I've learned during this preparation and getting ready for this trip is to be prompt and organized and ready for "whatever".

Getting Ready!

Hey all!

Stay tuned over the next week for posts from the students as we get ready to head to Honduras! We have less than a week before we leave and last minute preparations are well under way. Once we get to Honduras, each student will blog each day, so keep checking this link to hear firsthand about the students´ experiences!

We´re all really excited about the trip and would like to thank everyone who helped us get here!

¡Muchas gracias!

Profé