New School Year...

Well, the new school year started today.  I think it actually started yesterday for public schools and most other private schools who keep to the Honduran calendar.  But, our school week is only 4 days long for kinder through 5th grade.  It's not until they're in 6th grade that our students start for 5-day weeks.  Plus, this week, they only have half days.

I'm going to be teaching a Language Arts class to the 6th - 10th graders.  I'll have three separate classes, which meet twice a week each.  That should work pretty well.  I'm also planning to help the upper grades with their English PACEs, as needed.

We had opening exercises this morning and I saw quite a few new faces, not just among the kinder and prepa kids, but in the upper grades as well.  I know that we've had an influx of students from other schools.  After opening exercises, I spent some time in the Center, talking to many of the children as they ate their merienda.  I met a family of 3 kids who are from Saginaw, TX.  Their father is a contractor on the base.  English is their first language, but they also speak Spanish.

Last weekend, we were in San Pedro Sula for a teachers' convention.  It was held on the grounds of an incredible bilingual school in the north part of San Pedro Sula.  Heck, if it was any further north, it would have been ON the mountain.  The campus was just gorgeous.

On our way back to Comayagua on Saturday, Sandi and I stopped near the lake to buy some beans.  We ended up with a 110 lb. sack of red beans and a 5 lb. sack of black beans.  The only area I've seen actually use black beans is the Taulabe area.  Everyone else seems to use the red ones.  In fact, while I was walking through the mercado today, I was paying attention to the beans.  The shops that sold beans had 5 or 6 big sacks of red beans and only 1 sack of black beans.

After the beans, we went to Luis' house to pick up some coffee.  Both Sandi & I were getting low.  We got 5 more pounds and are hoping to get some coffee from Sandi's friend, Pam.  If that coffee is as good as Pam says, I'll be bringing some of it back to the States on my trip.  The proceeds of Pam's coffee goes to support the orphanage there, so that would be a great thing.