New Happenings in the Life of Leslie Jones

1.) I joined a gym. It's small, dirty, and doesn't have a whole lot of equipment, but it gives me a way to get out of the house and get all of my energy out after being cooped up in a classroom/my house all of the time. It has been great working out again (although I greatly miss my workout buddies: Holly, Nat, Sam, and AK because when I am by myself it isn't quite as entertaining!) I doubt I will be beating my brothers in pull-up competitions anytime soon, but maybe now I won't get pushed down as easy on the soccer field :)

2.) Friday night soccer with the street kids was probably one of the best we have had in a while! The main reason: there were TONS of kids! I decided that the reason I love ministering to the kids so much is because even though we don't speak the same language, it doesn't matter. As long as you can make tons of funny faces, lots of crazy sounds, and are willing to play with them, love on them, and just show them you care, they will think you are the greatest person they have ever met! It hurts knowing that after soccer is over they will be forced to head back to the streets and I so badly want to give them all a home with me so I know they are safe, but I obviously can't, so instead I will praise God for letting me see them once a week and continue praying knowing that he is watching out for them.

3.) Last night was our Halloween party with all of the other IST teachers. It included games, food, and lots of silly costumes! It definitely made me miss Halloweens of the past that included going to Grandma's house (which was one cornfield away from ours) and sitting on the kitchen counter while she made us homemade donuts, spiced cider, caramel apples, and lots of other delicious treats.

4.) Soccer season starts tomorrow at IST!! Burns will be coaching the Pre-juvenil team (basically Junior Varsity) and I will be helping her assistant coach until my team - the 5th/6th graders - begins in January. I'm sure you all remember my blog posts about soccer season last year and all of the frustration that comes with attempting to coach Honduran girls who care more about fashion than soccer (something that is quite foreign to me), but either way, I couldn't be more excited!!

5.) I'm sure there is plenty more I could update you all on, but I desperately need to get back to my lesson planning, so I will have to write again soon. Thanks again for all the prayers/words of encouragement - they are greatly appreciated!!

'Tis the Season

Christmas is popping up all over Honduras. Santa related items are beginning to fill grocery store shelves, students have started singing Christmas carols, and I have to admit, I even hung a "Let it Snow" flag outside of our house complete with a happy little snowman (don't get me wrong though, it is definitely NOT because I am in the Christmas spirit this early in the year, but because I had way too much energy last night and ended up scaling our house, flag in hand and planted it in a flower pot hanging off our second-story).

Ok, so once again it has been a while since the last update, so time to catch up once again.

It is now exam week for 1st partial, meaning teachers are extremely busy. The year is already flying by and it is exciting getting to know my students better. We had fun this past partial studying The Giver and I love that my students this year are able to dig deeper into the books and bring things to the table that I don't even catch sometimes.

My cast was finally removed as well and the doctor said my arm looks good, so it is nice not having that giant green hindrance keeping me from finishing my schoolwork and doing simple tasks.

Honduras has been surprisingly cold recently (ok I guess I should clarify this one too because "cold" means it has been dropping to the low 70's during the day). Either way, it means jeans, long sleeve shirts, and sometimes even a sweatshirt if the breeze picks up. It almost feels like being in the states experiencing fall......but not quite.

For some reason I have been thinking a lot lately about what I am going to be doing next year after my contract with IST is up. I know June is a long ways away, but not knowing what is next is both scary and exciting. I know none of you will believe this, but the idea of coming back for a third year seems like an extremely viable option right now. This year has been so much better than last year that I actually really enjoy being down here in Honduras! Today as I was packing up my classroom I got kind of upset realizing that I might not be back to teach my 1st Partial materials one more time to a new set of kids. However, at the same time the idea of going to grad school and beginning my career in public relations/communications sounds equally enticing. I guess I will just have to wait and continue praying to see where I am supposed to be next year.

For now, I am satisfied with where I am at and I am taking things one day at a time, enjoying all Honduras has to offer!

A Night at the Opera

I can finally cross off on my list of things I have never done: "Go to the opera."

..........If you know me at all, you will know that "Go to the opera" would never appear on my list of things I want to do; however, when someone comes up to you and says, "Hey, we are willing to pay for your ticket to the opera if you are willing to go," that just isn't something you turn down.

I signed up to go knowing full well how much I was going to detest sitting through it, but finally resigned myself to the fact that the opera is one of those cultural experiences that everyone must experience at least once in their life. Besides, based on how much I was dreading this particular evening at the opera house, I accepted the reality that if I did not go now when it was free, there is no way I was ever going to go when I had to pay for it myself.

So I went, I saw, and now I never have to return to an opera ever again and will be just fine with that.

Don't get me wrong, I really did enjoy the performances by the talented singers, and I might even be willing to admit that it was somewhat fun getting dressed up for the prestigious event (despite the hideous cast still stuck on my arm that hindered me from looking like a true opera-attending-person should), but it is not the type of event I would purposely go see again.

By the end of the evening I knew how many ceiling tiles were hanging above our heads (622 if anyone was wondering), had made up a ridiculous story in my head about what the opera singers were trying to convey to us through their foreign Italian choruses, and halfway through the second act realized that the reason my chair was so painfully uncomfortable was because it was missing the nice fluffy back-cushion that was included on every other chair in our box causing me to fall through the back of my chair if I tried to get too comfortable.

Overall, I would say that it is an experience I will never forget and would like to think I am a little more culturally rounded because of it........although I pray it is never repeated!