The first week of classes was so good. My sixth graders are just wonderful and seem excited to be at school. I had the students write me letters about what they wanted to this year, what they wanted from their teachers, and any goals they had from the year. Most of them wanted to work on their English, have a teacher that was always happy and gave stickers, and many of their goals were to pass 6th grade. :) So we'll see! They are very sweet but very talkative. I was talking with Julia, who is the only other girl that actually has education as a background and I was telling her about all the different 'strategies' I had been using to keep my kids under control- she was saying how she had never had to switch it up so many times and was surprised that I'd used so many different things in the first week. I think my student teaching in fourth grade with a class that NEVER stopped talking has helped me a lot for this class because it hasn't really fazed me to try all different things.
I'm supposed to follow the curriculum (A Beca Book, from Pennsicola College) pretty closely which is good for my first year, but frustrating creatively. I've been adding in a few things of my own and I think that will go pretty well as long as I get all the lessons covered.
Here's a list of some things I've noticed that are very different from the schools I've worked in before.
- We don't really have many supplies. Currently we're waiting for the books for the kids so I have to write everything up on the board and they have to copy everything so the lessons take a lot longer than they should. But hopefully I will be getting the books on Tuesday! I'm also teaching the K4-6th grade music with no curriculum... that's fun. This week I taught them some warm-up songs, the notes of the scales, the Solfege hand signs... depends on the age what songs or how much I teach them, but all the kids seem to really enjoy music so I hope I can keep their interest for the year! I should be getting curriculum next week- it will be all be in Spanish but I think I'll be able to understand enough to get lessons planned out.
- The kids all just call me 'miss' so all day long I hear, "Miss! Can you check this? Miss! I finished!"
- My schedule is to wake up at 5:30/5:45, walk the 20 minutes to school, get my classroom in order, have a full day, sometimes I stay and plan until 4/5 and then we'll walk home, make supper, read or work on some curriculum, goof around with the girls and then we head to bed around 8! It's ridiculous but it's actually been pretty relaxing and refreshing.
-First week was wonderful, I felt a little bit homesick this week but for the most part I have been having an absolutely beautiful time.
oh, a lot of people have been wondering about my address. You can send me letters or packages if you really want but it's pretty iffy on whether or not it will get here in any decent amount of time but I won't complain if you do!
Laura Beth Vander Ploeg
Guancascos
Gracias, Lempira
Honduras
Wish me luck on the second week! Hopefully I can get some materials for the kids!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
living on the mountain
August 21 , 7:30 pm
Well I just got home from Parent Orientation. Today was a really good day, but really tiring. I was able to meet some of my students and every single one said they were very excited for school to start. I was a little worried getting sixth grade because other than having a sixth grade sister and seeing her interact with her friends, I don’t really know a lot about them. :) I chose an ocean theme for my room because 1) I am an El Ed major and themed rooms are necessary 2) I had the perfect door saying “Swim into Sixth Grade!” 3) The teachers said we needed decorations and it was slim pickin’s - the ocean seemed best. However, I was a little worried that ocean (since I did this same sort of thing for my first grade class) would seem babyish. (I tried to judge it by what Olivia would think but… she’s happy with anything :)) But I talked to the other Honduran teachers and they reminded me that the kids here stay ‘young’ longer because they don’t really have tv and movies and video games that make kids grow up faster. It seemed to be the case today when kids stopped by so… whatever :) I guess the true test will come on Monday- I’ll let you know if they tear everything down and run me out!
I guess tonight would be a good time to tell a little more about our living situation. My current roommates are Rachel (from Grand Rapids), Sarah (Indianapolis), and Jacki (Bolingbrook, Illinois near Chicago). We’re living in Rachel’s and my house while Sarah and Jacki’s roof gets repaired. They could be here for a monthish but.. It’s ok. It’s been really fun living together- we’re currently chillin, singing along to “American Pie” - classic. It’s also nice during the week to come home, have supper and then work on all our school stuff! Note: sometimes singing and school work is interrupted by what we are beginning to call ’Monster Bug Bash” - various ridiculously huge bugs that want to live with us! Weapons to choose from? A broom, walking stick, a machete left in the house… for the common moth/beetle/spider we’ll just use a flip flop or a piece of nicely aimed candy :) The first night the girls lived here, I was sick and not up in the house yet but I missed out on the bug fest of the century. The second night I was here, and we got smart. Rachel took the plastic wrapping from her mattress and we created a 'screen' with the plastic and duct tape. The next night we added our mosquito nets to the door frame and another window. It’s pretty great. Now we just smash a few big bugs a night instead of dozens and dozens. We’ve also found some big toads sitting in our kitchen. So, living on the edge of a national park has it’s ups and and downs.
This weekend we’re going to pick up some groceries and supplies in town. We’re going to walk down (about an hour and a half) and we'll be getting a ride back up in a mototaxi- it’s kind of like a clown car with three wheels and no doors- it’s steered by bicycle handle things…. :) It’s nice because then when we come back up the mountain with all our purchases we don’t kill ourselves carrying that weight! One of our neighbors owns a mototaxi so we just call him up when we need a ride and he’ll give us one for 70 lempiras (19 lempiras= $1). Our neighbors here are SO NICE. Tonight Rachel and I were walking home from Parent Orientation and some of our neighbors own a store and invited us in and gave us some Cokes because we were obviously exhausted from hiking up the mountain. They’ve also invited us over for supper and the women there told us they’d teach us how to make tortillas. They also have the sweetest kids that are constantly bringing us gifts. One night while we were over there, Sarah mentioned that she liked their clay wind chimes - they have windchimes with various shapes and this particular one had some little houses as the chimes. Two seconds later the girl, Paula had gotten her little scissors out of her room and snipped one of the houses off and gave it to Sarah! So, we just have to be careful about what we say we like. :) But, it’s very nice to have neighbors that we can hang out with and get a little family flavor.
Well we’ve moved from American Pie to Hairspray so we’re still having a good Friday night but I think I’m out of things to say for right now. Thanks for reading!
PS Our lights just went out. So I’m typing by candlelight. Very dual-century of me, don’t you think? :)
Well I just got home from Parent Orientation. Today was a really good day, but really tiring. I was able to meet some of my students and every single one said they were very excited for school to start. I was a little worried getting sixth grade because other than having a sixth grade sister and seeing her interact with her friends, I don’t really know a lot about them. :) I chose an ocean theme for my room because 1) I am an El Ed major and themed rooms are necessary 2) I had the perfect door saying “Swim into Sixth Grade!” 3) The teachers said we needed decorations and it was slim pickin’s - the ocean seemed best. However, I was a little worried that ocean (since I did this same sort of thing for my first grade class) would seem babyish. (I tried to judge it by what Olivia would think but… she’s happy with anything :)) But I talked to the other Honduran teachers and they reminded me that the kids here stay ‘young’ longer because they don’t really have tv and movies and video games that make kids grow up faster. It seemed to be the case today when kids stopped by so… whatever :) I guess the true test will come on Monday- I’ll let you know if they tear everything down and run me out!
I guess tonight would be a good time to tell a little more about our living situation. My current roommates are Rachel (from Grand Rapids), Sarah (Indianapolis), and Jacki (Bolingbrook, Illinois near Chicago). We’re living in Rachel’s and my house while Sarah and Jacki’s roof gets repaired. They could be here for a monthish but.. It’s ok. It’s been really fun living together- we’re currently chillin, singing along to “American Pie” - classic. It’s also nice during the week to come home, have supper and then work on all our school stuff! Note: sometimes singing and school work is interrupted by what we are beginning to call ’Monster Bug Bash” - various ridiculously huge bugs that want to live with us! Weapons to choose from? A broom, walking stick, a machete left in the house… for the common moth/beetle/spider we’ll just use a flip flop or a piece of nicely aimed candy :) The first night the girls lived here, I was sick and not up in the house yet but I missed out on the bug fest of the century. The second night I was here, and we got smart. Rachel took the plastic wrapping from her mattress and we created a 'screen' with the plastic and duct tape. The next night we added our mosquito nets to the door frame and another window. It’s pretty great. Now we just smash a few big bugs a night instead of dozens and dozens. We’ve also found some big toads sitting in our kitchen. So, living on the edge of a national park has it’s ups and and downs.
This weekend we’re going to pick up some groceries and supplies in town. We’re going to walk down (about an hour and a half) and we'll be getting a ride back up in a mototaxi- it’s kind of like a clown car with three wheels and no doors- it’s steered by bicycle handle things…. :) It’s nice because then when we come back up the mountain with all our purchases we don’t kill ourselves carrying that weight! One of our neighbors owns a mototaxi so we just call him up when we need a ride and he’ll give us one for 70 lempiras (19 lempiras= $1). Our neighbors here are SO NICE. Tonight Rachel and I were walking home from Parent Orientation and some of our neighbors own a store and invited us in and gave us some Cokes because we were obviously exhausted from hiking up the mountain. They’ve also invited us over for supper and the women there told us they’d teach us how to make tortillas. They also have the sweetest kids that are constantly bringing us gifts. One night while we were over there, Sarah mentioned that she liked their clay wind chimes - they have windchimes with various shapes and this particular one had some little houses as the chimes. Two seconds later the girl, Paula had gotten her little scissors out of her room and snipped one of the houses off and gave it to Sarah! So, we just have to be careful about what we say we like. :) But, it’s very nice to have neighbors that we can hang out with and get a little family flavor.
Well we’ve moved from American Pie to Hairspray so we’re still having a good Friday night but I think I’m out of things to say for right now. Thanks for reading!
PS Our lights just went out. So I’m typing by candlelight. Very dual-century of me, don’t you think? :)
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Well a lot has happened since I last posted. I'll just give you a quick list.
The day after my last blog, we started orientation for school. About halfway through the morning, I started feeling really terrible. I was shivering with a sweater on (which is not something that happens in the middle of the day in Honduras)... no good. I ended up going and sleeping in one of the houses nearby and then going back to the hotel and sleeping there too. My director decided I needed to go to the doctor but apparently one of the doctors had died and so all the other doctors in town were at his memorial. The school was so good about finding someone. I ended up having a 103 degree fever and they were a little nervous I might have H1N1 so... that was scary. I had to wear a mask and stay all by myself for three days so... that was once again VERY DIFFICULT for me. I think I willed myself to get better today because I just can't handle all that isolation! Anyway, today I feel MUCH better and was able to go to school and get most of my decorations up.
Everyone has been so kind- getting me food, medicine, helping set up my room, checking up on me. It's been great. I know a lot of you have been praying too so THANK YOU!
I moved up to my house officially last night. It's going to be me, Rachel, Jacki, and Sarah living in it for awhile because Sarah and Jacki's house needs a new roof. So, it will be tight but I think it will be a lot of fun. Yesterday we used the plastic wrapping from our mattresses and duct tape to cover our windows to keep the 4-5 inch bugs out. It was pretty fun.
Well I am almost ready for parent orientation tomorrow. School starts Monday- I have 20 kids in my class. Wish me luck!
The day after my last blog, we started orientation for school. About halfway through the morning, I started feeling really terrible. I was shivering with a sweater on (which is not something that happens in the middle of the day in Honduras)... no good. I ended up going and sleeping in one of the houses nearby and then going back to the hotel and sleeping there too. My director decided I needed to go to the doctor but apparently one of the doctors had died and so all the other doctors in town were at his memorial. The school was so good about finding someone. I ended up having a 103 degree fever and they were a little nervous I might have H1N1 so... that was scary. I had to wear a mask and stay all by myself for three days so... that was once again VERY DIFFICULT for me. I think I willed myself to get better today because I just can't handle all that isolation! Anyway, today I feel MUCH better and was able to go to school and get most of my decorations up.
Everyone has been so kind- getting me food, medicine, helping set up my room, checking up on me. It's been great. I know a lot of you have been praying too so THANK YOU!
I moved up to my house officially last night. It's going to be me, Rachel, Jacki, and Sarah living in it for awhile because Sarah and Jacki's house needs a new roof. So, it will be tight but I think it will be a lot of fun. Yesterday we used the plastic wrapping from our mattresses and duct tape to cover our windows to keep the 4-5 inch bugs out. It was pretty fun.
Well I am almost ready for parent orientation tomorrow. School starts Monday- I have 20 kids in my class. Wish me luck!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
This weekend has been great. We took a bus from Tegucigalpa to Gracias. The ride was supposed to take seven hours, but halfway through the drvier decided he would risk taking the van on the rocky roads- this took about two hours off our travel time and we made it without the van breaking down, so it was definitely worth it! All us teachers (Jacki, Sarah, Rachel, Julia, Kirsty and me), our two directors Jake and Vicente, and the driver, his wife and 1 1/2 year old boy all rode in the van- it was just like family vacation for me! :) We played cards, admired the beautiful scenery, listened to some mix CDs some of the girls made for the trip, and of course shared our love life stories- what trip is complete without that?! :)
We got to Gracias at about 5 pm- all of us were so excited. It is such a beautiful town. The weather was absolutely perfect when we got here- sunny, blue skies with a wonderful breeze. We spent a little time getting all of our things into the hotel before heading out to see our school and homes. A note about hotels here; they are absolutely gorgeous- and cheap! (a room costs about $20) Our room/suite has a big common room with three rooms coming off of it and a balcony for sitting and eating. There's a lady that works at the hotel that came in as soon as we had moved in and brought us pitchers of water (water from the tap is not ok to drink here) and poured us all glasses of water. She also went around each of our rooms with us explaining things we need to know about the shower, curtains, etc. Everyone is so hospitable. We're actually waiting for her to bring us coffe and bread for breakfast this morning! (Yes, I'm up before I need to be! But I'll get to that in a minute...)
So after we had been situated in our rooms, we left for the school. It's about a 30 minute drive on rocky roads from the town to the school, so we'll probably just come down here on the weekends. The place we are living is actually called Villa Verde- it's like a 'suburb' of Gracias. :) Te school is breathtaking. I will have to put pictures up because I don't know if I can describe it. We also went to our houses and got to see them, although they're not quite ready. One of the houses has coffee trees growing in their yard, so we'll probaby need to learn how to roast our own coffee beens! I am going to be living in a house with Rachel, one of the teachers. Apparently an American used to live there but left all his stuff there- we went in and there were wheelbarrows, books, a violin, guitar and bongos, scuba diving gear... all kinds of things. The local Hondurans are a little nervous about us moving in and touching his stuff because apparently he is a 'crazy gringo(what they call all white people here)' but the school is taking care of it and hopefully Rachel and I keep only the gringo part of that name and the Hondurans don't feel the need to tack on the crazy. :) Our home is right on the edge of the national park and there's a river running right beneath our backyard. We're planning to clean it up on Monday and hopefully move in!
After looking at the houses we went and had supper at place in Gracias called Guancascos- we're told we'll be spending a lot of time there because it has wireless internet! It's also the place where all mail for gringos goes which I thought was kind of funny. We had a delicious meal and came home and crashed.
This morning I woke up at about 7 just freezing (we have air conditioning in our hotel room, which was great until this morning!) I was so cold, I decided to get up and dig through my suitcases (whcih I haven't really opened yet) and get my comforter. Out comes the comforter.... with soapy, sticky something all over it and a tag saying my luggage had been searched. I decided I didn't really want to deal with whatever had leaked in my suitcase at the moment so I decided to try and get back to sleep because we didn't have to be up until 9- if you know me very well, you know I definitely LOVE my sleep. However, I was still cold and since my problem wasn't solved by my slimy comforter, I decided to just get up and have a look. Apparently my shampoo lid had unscrewed iteself on its journey of the US and had gotten over all kinds of stuff in my suitcase. Thankfully it was mostly on things I can replace like folders and notebooks, but it was on a lot of my school supplies so that was kind of annoying. I got it mostly cleaned out and set some books out to dry. Oh also, I used one of my washcloths to get all the shampoo out and then went to wash it in the shower and the shower head broke off its hose. Awesome. I had to explain to the lady what had happened in my very broken Spanish, but she was very kind about it.
So now we've had breakfast, went on a tour of Gracias and looked at some of the shops, and I'm currently at Guancascos using the internet. We'll have lunch soon and we're going to church at 2 this afternoon. I'm a little tired but still enjoying things and am looking forward to moving in soon and to stop living out of suitcases!!!
We got to Gracias at about 5 pm- all of us were so excited. It is such a beautiful town. The weather was absolutely perfect when we got here- sunny, blue skies with a wonderful breeze. We spent a little time getting all of our things into the hotel before heading out to see our school and homes. A note about hotels here; they are absolutely gorgeous- and cheap! (a room costs about $20) Our room/suite has a big common room with three rooms coming off of it and a balcony for sitting and eating. There's a lady that works at the hotel that came in as soon as we had moved in and brought us pitchers of water (water from the tap is not ok to drink here) and poured us all glasses of water. She also went around each of our rooms with us explaining things we need to know about the shower, curtains, etc. Everyone is so hospitable. We're actually waiting for her to bring us coffe and bread for breakfast this morning! (Yes, I'm up before I need to be! But I'll get to that in a minute...)
So after we had been situated in our rooms, we left for the school. It's about a 30 minute drive on rocky roads from the town to the school, so we'll probably just come down here on the weekends. The place we are living is actually called Villa Verde- it's like a 'suburb' of Gracias. :) Te school is breathtaking. I will have to put pictures up because I don't know if I can describe it. We also went to our houses and got to see them, although they're not quite ready. One of the houses has coffee trees growing in their yard, so we'll probaby need to learn how to roast our own coffee beens! I am going to be living in a house with Rachel, one of the teachers. Apparently an American used to live there but left all his stuff there- we went in and there were wheelbarrows, books, a violin, guitar and bongos, scuba diving gear... all kinds of things. The local Hondurans are a little nervous about us moving in and touching his stuff because apparently he is a 'crazy gringo(what they call all white people here)' but the school is taking care of it and hopefully Rachel and I keep only the gringo part of that name and the Hondurans don't feel the need to tack on the crazy. :) Our home is right on the edge of the national park and there's a river running right beneath our backyard. We're planning to clean it up on Monday and hopefully move in!
After looking at the houses we went and had supper at place in Gracias called Guancascos- we're told we'll be spending a lot of time there because it has wireless internet! It's also the place where all mail for gringos goes which I thought was kind of funny. We had a delicious meal and came home and crashed.
This morning I woke up at about 7 just freezing (we have air conditioning in our hotel room, which was great until this morning!) I was so cold, I decided to get up and dig through my suitcases (whcih I haven't really opened yet) and get my comforter. Out comes the comforter.... with soapy, sticky something all over it and a tag saying my luggage had been searched. I decided I didn't really want to deal with whatever had leaked in my suitcase at the moment so I decided to try and get back to sleep because we didn't have to be up until 9- if you know me very well, you know I definitely LOVE my sleep. However, I was still cold and since my problem wasn't solved by my slimy comforter, I decided to just get up and have a look. Apparently my shampoo lid had unscrewed iteself on its journey of the US and had gotten over all kinds of stuff in my suitcase. Thankfully it was mostly on things I can replace like folders and notebooks, but it was on a lot of my school supplies so that was kind of annoying. I got it mostly cleaned out and set some books out to dry. Oh also, I used one of my washcloths to get all the shampoo out and then went to wash it in the shower and the shower head broke off its hose. Awesome. I had to explain to the lady what had happened in my very broken Spanish, but she was very kind about it.
So now we've had breakfast, went on a tour of Gracias and looked at some of the shops, and I'm currently at Guancascos using the internet. We'll have lunch soon and we're going to church at 2 this afternoon. I'm a little tired but still enjoying things and am looking forward to moving in soon and to stop living out of suitcases!!!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Adios USA!
I'm in Honduras!!!!I flew out of Houston yesterday after sitting in the airport all day and landed in San Pedro Sula where I met Jake, one of the directors for our school. The plane ride was actually really good. We watched 17 Again and I spent the first 20 minutes trying to fit the earphones into my ears- seriously, I've learned that my ears have got to be deformed because they never fit! Luckily I realized that I could just switch them out for my 'special' clip-on headphones but it was kind of funny for awhile.
I sat next to a lady named Nesla who had a three-month old baby. She is from New York but has family in Honduras and when we got to the airport and I wasn't sure if I'd have someone there to pick me up, she was so kind and offered to let me stay with her family and then stayed with me until I found Jake. It was wonderful!
Another wonderful moment was waiting in line at the Honduran airport. I randomly started talking to a woman and her 19-year old son about their plans for visiting Honduras. We talked for quite awhile and then they asked me what my plans were- as soon as I mentioned I'd be working at a Christian school, their faces changed instantly. They immediately started talking about how God was going to bless my life and how the Lord would use me in amazing ways. The guy asked how long I had known God and then told me his story of finding Christ this last year. It was such a beautiful story and both his mom and I were tearing up when it was time for me to hand over my passport and go through the line. :) I don't even know their names but I am continually amazed by the fantastic bond Christ creates between brothers and sisters. I am SO glad I'm a part of the family of God. (cue the Gaithers :))
I left the airport and Jake and I stayed overnight at a hotel and left early this morning for a five hour bus ride to Tegucigalpa (the capital of Honduras). This is where the rest of the teachers have been and I was so glad to see them when I finally arrived at about 11:30 this morning. I was greeted with hugs from all the girls and felt immediately accepted. We had lunch, I went around with Vicente (he's in charge of the scholarship programs for all the Vida Abundante schools and he's kind of our go-to guy with any questions) and got a bank account opened, a cell phone, my health insurance and now I'm good to go! In the afternoon, some of the teachers at the school gave us a presentation on how we would be conducting our orientation day for parents (Friday, August 21 - so a week from today! School starts August 24). I will be teaching sixth grade and also some elementary music classes so I'm very excited about that.
Some of us girls also went to a store that was definitely teacher heaven- bulletin board decorations, name tags, posters, calendars, stickers... absolutely wonderful. We all got quite a few things, although I'm sure we could have spent much more there if we had the time.
Instead of staying at the teacher store all night though, we instead went to the mall and had supper and then went bowling. It was an absolute blast- the bowling alleys have you pay by the hour instead of by the game, so we got through the first game (I got a 68!) and started a second- where I definitely got a strike. ;) It was a great time to bond with the girls and with the family I'm staying with tonight. The mom is an administrator for the school in Tegucigalpa and was so helpful and kind today. We also had a great time getting to know her 17-year old daughter and look forward to seeing them in Gracias occasionally!
Well, you're pretty much up-to-date. We are leaving tomorrow morning around 9 for a seven-hour bus ride to Gracias. There we'll finally get to see where we'll be living and the school we'll be teaching in. I'm so excited and ready to stop living out of suitcases!
ps I showed up to the school in Tegucigalpa to find that three of the other girls also have nose rings. so I'm sure you are all quite happy to hear that mine's back in :)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Surprise ending to day one....
So the 10 hour layover in Houston has turned into a 34 hour layover....
Apparently there are some political things going on in Honduras and so my flight was cancelled (which I did not find out until 7 pm when I was supposed to be leaving...) I have been rescheduled to fly out at 7:20 pm tomorrow so we shall see. After discovering I wouldn't be leaving the airport, I was just a little upset. I think the lady taking care of my ticket could tell because she gave me a complimentary shower kit thing. awesome. I then spent 30 minutes wandering the airport trying to find the phone to call a hotel shuttle and once I found that I stood outside and waited for the shuttle for about 45 minutes. But, I'm in a nice hotel room for a decent price (no, not free) and we'll see what happens tomorrow. I'll need to be out of the hotel at noon so I'll probably just go on back to the airport and see what's new there :)
Anyway, it's funny that I wrote that blog earlier today, but for the most part I'm still not doing too bad. I think I just hate waiting. Maybe God is teaching me patience. And, also how to spend even more time alone. Woo!
Be praying I actually get where I want to be by tomorrow! Thanks!
Houston, Texas Airport. Ten hour layover. Hour 8.
"If you close your eyes, you may see a pool of lovely pale colors. If you squeeze them tighter, the pool will take on different shapes, and the colors will become brighter- so bright, that in a moment they'll go on fire. And in that moment, just before they do, you will see NeverLand."
This quote from Peter Pan (the Broadway version with Mary Martin of course :)) is kind of how I'm feeling right now. I'm just to that point of closing my eyes and waiting for that moment just before you think everything's going to burst into flames and then you see something beautiful... I can't wait. But... eh. a little scary. I've been anticipating this trip since November- how exciting to go to another country and learn and teach and have this great time of growth and gallovanting all over the place. Today I woke up (actually I didn't, I stayed up all night) - but I gathered my life in the two suitcases and two carry-ons allowed, said goodbye to my family and just left. I left this morning knowing that when I come back to the United States, things would be different- what hits me most is EMILY WILL BE MARRIED! I don't think I realized that until this morning, which of course made my eyes water more than a little bit. I just love my family. I will miss them a lot. Today was my first time I'e done the whole plane thing without a huge group and an adult telling me what to do (seriously what I have been most nervous about). Luckily, my dad came and did as much as he could with me at the DSM airport, but what a strange moment once I went to have my carry-ons checked and then it was just... well! see ya later! and I was on my own.
The plane ride was just fine; we flew in and around the clouds the entire way and it was beautiful. I didn't have a seatmate, so I scooted over to the window and just drank in God's goodness. Sometimes God and I play this game where I ask Him to show me something really cool that relates to how I'm feeling and I do the random Bible opening. He sometimes indulges me by delivering something something special and today was one of those days!
On the plane I opened to Psalm 8-
O Lord, our Lord Your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
You have taught children and infants
to tell of Your strength,
silencing Your enemies and all who oppose You.
When I look at the night sky and see the work of Your fingers- the moon and the stars You set in place-
what are mere mortals that You should think about them, human beings that You should care for them?
Yet You made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.
You gave them charge of everything You made, putting all things under their authority-
the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals,
the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.
O Lord our Lord Your majestic name fills the earth!
Try reading that while you're thousands of feet up in the air. :) It was a breathtaking moment and I just soaked it in.
So, that flight dropped me off at the Houston airport and here I have sat since about 9 this morning. I've read, slept, wandered around with my bags, had some lunch, and just spent the last two hours coloring with a little girl. Oh, and watching The Office! I'm currently typing this blog up in a Word document because there isn't free wireless internet but... somehow I'm already managing without my phone and internet! I think that's the hardest part about traveling alone- that I'm COMPLETELY alone. I've started up conversations with some random people but... it's not quite the same. I am surviving though and I suppose everyone needs alone time every now and then- I'm pretty sure this can be my year's worth of alone time though- I am tired out trying to entertain myself! At least you're getting an update out of it!
I think that's about it for now. Until the next time!
LB
PS I was also sitting here trying to think of what I've probably forgotten at home and then realized I'd forgotten to take my nose ring out. So I went to the bathroom (disgusting, by the way) and the nose ring is officially gone. Bummer. I liked that thing :)
Monday, August 10, 2009
leavin on a jet plane
Dear Friends,
I wanted to start a blog so that you will be able to follow me as I enjoy this next adventure in my life. Olivia has been helping me pick out the layouts and backgrounds so tell her if you like them. :) I will be in Honduras for the next 9 months teaching at a school in Gracias (it's in the western part of the country) through an organization called Vida Abundante (Abundant Life). Five other girls will be joining me and I'm very excited to share all our happenings with you!
I am leaving Des Moines on Wednesday morning, will have about a 10 hour layover in Houston, and will arrive in Honduras at 9:12 pm!
Anyway, this is just a quick introductory blog. I'm not sure how often I will be able to update but I will try to write and add pictures on a regular basis.
Thanks for reading!
LB
Other 'getting in touch with me' info:
Facebook
Skype: Laura.Beth.VP
email: LBVP921@gmail.com
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