Honduras wins big!

Today was an eventful day. We attended our first morning assembly at 7 AM. The students arranged themselves in a square outside the classrooms, sang the national anthem, and Claudia spoke about various topics, from the recent holidays, to being a good citizen. She also announced that the kids would be allowed to watch the Honduras-Canada soccer match that afternoon. She introduced our group, asked Thomas to address the students while she translated, and sent the students off to class.

We went back to our dorm for our first non-pancake breakfast. Cornflakes with whole milk, which were very popular. We then boarded the van and Raul dazzled us with his driving ability and took us to Santa Lucia for day two of working on the girls' dorm. The weather was beautiful, along with the mountainous scenery. Thom and Rick moved outside to help fill in the trench next to the wall foundation, and Thomas and Josh went inside to help paint. When we started yesterday, the trench was about 40 feet long and eight feet deep in spots. Lots of shovels, picks, and a wheelbarrow helped us finish, along with loud rooster crows from the adjacent property.

The painters finished the downstairs bathroom and moved up the outside stairway to start in on the bedrooms. NO PINK! The sixth grade girls have made it clear that they want no pink in their new home, and we have to return a few gallons of pink paint we bought.

We worked straight through lunch hour so that we could watch the soccer match too. We could hear the vuvuzelas from the village as we sat down to watch the game with Matt and Raul. Honduras quickly took control, and the result was never really in doubt. They beat Canada, 8-1. There was at least one goal, header-to-diving header, that we think will be in the soccer highlight reels.

Raul drove us back just in time for a dinner of quesadillas, and then we went outside to play with the kids. Sidewalk chalk drawings, see-saw battles, children sledding as they were pulled on plastic crates, and volleyball without any net were all highlights. We met Julio and Mychael, sponsored by friends back home. We are still trying to iron out the logistics of the dorm keys, as we locked ourselves out, and Claudia had to rescue us.

Ed and Thom F