Rainy Day

It's been a rainy day here in Hondo. We tried to go to the local catholic church this morning for mass. When we arrived, it appeared as though the mass would be beginning shortly, and the priest was busy baptizing about 9 Garifuna kids. Each row of people would go to the front of the church, have their child baptized, and then return. After that, each row of people then went up again and did the baptism candle and passing thing. Then, everyone else said the Lord's Prayer in Spanish (We didn't participate because we didn't know the words in Spanish). Then it was over and people started taking pictures. Though we didn't actually see a mass, we figured watching a sacrament 9 times over fulfilled our holy obligation today. We got caught out in the rain after church so we went to lunch at a restaurant in the Hotel Paris. Meals here take a little longer, so we were at lunch for 2 full hours. It was nice though, since we have nothing we need to do today.

We begin work tomorrow. The new teachers will be given keys, a tour, and a physical. We'll sign some papers and call it a job! Rumor has it that the 4th graders at our school are nervous that their new teacher won't speak Spanish. Up until this point in their education, most instruction has been in English but their teacher has been fluent in Spanish. I'll be patient and kind, but my Spanish is not strong enough yet to teach them too much. Our administrators have assured me that the kids will learn quickly and it will be very good for them. How exciting!

Here are a few pictures of our new home and our neighborhood.




Some flowers I picked in our yard...

The Bedroom

Dining Room/Kitchen


Living Room