Aunt Maxine Has A Point

I got an email from Aunt Maxine that was meant to be for AA Tuesday, but I'd love to honor it today instead of waiting. As one of my biggest fans (+1 A.M.), she said that she loves my blog, photographs, writing, and meeting my friends through pictures and photos. BUT...

"I know you must be doing some very good things there and I'd like to hear about them, too. I know you're not playing every single day, all day long. I think your fans want to hear that too!"

She also asked...

"What ya want for your birthday?"

I love emails like this! Exactly the kind of feedback I want from Team Amy. Let me answer the easy question first...

You're right, I am doing really wonderful things in Honduras and I should be talking about them. I don't play all the time, everyday (although it feels like it!). The Guaruma students matriculated three weeks ago (their school year begins in February) and since then, we've enrolled 20+ students in our program and also created 2 new levels, one in each community. New students range from 10 years old to 21 years old, which is fantastic! 

As part of Guaruma, I act as a consistent presence in the community. Even when the teacher's at the local schools strike, as they did last Monday, I still held class and to my surprise, had perfect attendance! As teachers, we not only provide an education but also a space to hang out, dialogue, and stay out of trouble. What would you had done if school was cancelled? Go to your after-school English class and hang out with your teacher? 

Just last week, I met three American women touring around the cuenca and we got to talking about Guaruma. I explained to them how we worked and how wonderful our kids were and asked if they would like to sit-in on a class or two. They eagerly accepted and decided to join me for my Nutrias class on Wednesday. The group of normally rowdy and distracted 13 boys were perfect angels for their female visitors when I had them break into groups of three for small-group vocabulary lessons. After giving our visitor some one-on-one time with the kids (and a little practice teaching), we split the class in half and played a game: the first team to write all the new words on the board correctly wins prizes. In 20 minutes, each team had written (and spelled correctly)  all 34 new words. The students were proud, the visitors were proud, and I was proud. Each student got to pick a prize (pencils, notebooks, granola bars, etc.) out of a bag that our guests so generously brought for us. It was such a fun day and I think everyone left feeling really awecome!

I promise, Aunt Maxine and Team Amy, that I will talk more about the activities that Guaruma and I are doing everyday to make the cuenca and Honduras a better place!

Now for the more difficult question: What do I want for my birthday?

My birthday is coming up in April and I expect no one, not even you Aunt Maxine, to send a package to Honduras. There is no guarantee that I get it before June and plus, I don't need a thing for my birthday. 

Anyway, it's Sunday! We've had an environmental-themed workshop going on all weekend with a guest teacher from La Ceiba. She is teaching the oldest students about organic and sustainable techniques in farming. Having visiting instructors and weekend workshops really involves the students and gets them excited about what they can teach their families and apply in their own lives. Plus, nothing excites them more than having "something important to do" on the weekend. It's like when you get homework for the first time in First Grade and you are so excited to go home and do it! No? No one else felt that way? Oh...

Looking forward to getting to class on Monday! Because I was sick last week, I missed going up to El Pital. I hope they missed me too... we'll see!

Mosquito Bites: 2
Still have that weird heat rash on my back.
Final Score: Amy 0, Honduras 0, Aunt Maxine 1