Last full day in Honduras

My last full day in Honduras, and I couldn’t have asked for a better day! Sam, Christian, and I had been planning a graduation ceremony for our English class at Villa Soleada for the past week. We were unsure if we would get to have it considering political unrest, but we did. We began our morning by going on a scavenger hunt in the centro to buy sandia (watermelon), duct tape, and last minute souvenirs. The centro of Progreso is really the heartbeat of the city. It’s always booming with business as townspeople sell fruits, veggies, tortillas, hammocks, machetes, and more. We braved the crowded streets one last time, and politely responded to the clearly spoken English “hellos.” After purchasing our watermelon for 35 lempiras each, Christian and I carried them through the centro as Sam navigated our way to the nearest souvenir shop. I love our team, we work together better than any trio could. The three of us fellows combined are a force not to be reckoned with. We have put forth our greatest strengths and talents, and we have shown that together anything is possible. After finalizing our purchases, we headed out to Villa Soleada for our last day. It had been almost a week since our last venture through the community of Brisas, visit to our favorite pulperia, “hola’s” to the children chasing our vehicles, and spectacular lunch time with two of the women who cook lunch every day. Our first destination point was the pulperia to purchas our last bag of pop (yes, I am from the Midwest) and said goodbye to the owner of the pulperia. We walked down the main road a ways and stopped to give two of the girls I had met coloring books and crayons as a going away present. They accompanied us numerous times through Brisas as we conducted our surveys. I don’t think that they have ever had coloring books before because when I asked them if they liked to color they acted as if they didn’t know what that was so I said if you want to learn I would bring you coloring books and crayons. The smile on their faces was a promise that I couldn’t break to them, so I returned today to do just that, give them maybe their first coloring books and crayons. They were so excited and it broke my heart when they wanted me to give them to all of their friends too. I know it wasn’t fair to choose only two of them, but it gives me the idea to bring more in the future for the children that live there. Next destination point English class graduation ceremony. As we entered the property of Villa Soleada, we were welcomed by screams of joy and two young girls running full speed in our direction. We’ve spent almost every day playing games with them, coloring, and teaching them English. It was the greatest feeling ever when our friends ran toward us and jumped into each of our arms one by one saying “no se va a ir, you can’t leave us.” We received so many hugs today from everyone; it was definitely a day full of love. After savoring every last bite of my rice, beans, tortillas, and spaghetti, we began the graduation ceremony. Our very own Christian made one last fantabulous cartulina, poster, to hang on the wall of the bodega. We expressed our thanks for participation and patience as we taught them for the past five weeks and then handed out the “diplomas.” We called their names one by one, gave them a round of applause, and cheered as they each shared a different English word that they remembered from the course of our lessons. We took a class photo and numerous individual photos with our family members of Villa Soleada. To celebrate the graduation, we shared our watermelons that were purchased earlier that day at the centro. We stayed as long as we could with our friends at Villa, and when it came time to say goodbye, I used every ounce of energy to hold back the tears. I said I’d be back as soon as possible, and I hope for that to be winter break. It never gets easier to say goodbye, but as I stood in the back of the truck and yelled “adios amores” I couldn’t help but smile because of the lasting relationships I have with my family in Honduras.

SUMMER FELLOWSHIP 1 = MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
May 28—July 3, 2009