Today I woke up bright and early to the smell of French toast and eggs and watermelon for breakfast! If there's one things Students Helping Honduras does amazingly for its volunteers, it's feeding us!
Before we got to the worksite, our bus made a stop at the supermarket for currency exchange and to restock supplies we may have run out of. But you haven't seen "gringas" until you've seen us girls running around the Honduran supermarket filled with awe and excitement at the sweets, fresh fruit, and colorful packaging.
Culture Shock of the Day:
Everything is SO CHEAP here. I bought two big bags of lollipops (for my kids back home), some toffee for my mom (surprise mom!), shampoo, conditioner, and Honduran beer, and my total was $8.
It was really exciting, and I was able to get change for my American money in limpiras (Honduran money).
The work site was pretty productive today. The heat was super intense and we had to take frequent breaks. We had a fun time being silly today!
For lunch we had this amazing Honduran pasta, and we all shared our stories of how we came to join Students Helping Honduras. It was awesome getting to hear my new friends' stories, and learn more about them!
After work the fun began! There were organized cage soccer matches for the kids of Villa Soleada and us to play in! The girls played first and it got intense! The Hondurans were quick and strategic. They played aggressively, but with a good attitude. I played goalie and made a ton of saves, but also let 4 goals in. After that I stepped out and played the field for awhile. Getting to play soccer in HONDURAS with the locals and with this gorgeous view is an experience I'll never forget!
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After the boys played, we hopped on the bus and went back to the village for dinner. We had rice and veggies with chicken, and everybody bonded really nicely. I love getting to know these lovely ladies (and Jose and Shin). Everybody comes from different places, and different backgrounds and were all brought together by this organization. It's crazy!
Shin told us his stories about founding Students helping Honduras tonight. From scrubbing toilets for donations, to the Walk-a-thon he did with his sister that raised $82,000 there was never a dull moment. He had every reason to give up and 100 more to keep going. He faced gang raids, crazy Hondurans, corrupt orphanages and politicians, and Shin still uprooted his life (at age 20), and decided not to go to med school, but instead begin this organization. An organization that has provided countless homes for Honduran families, a boys and girls home for children without families, and a bilingual school. It's the most amazing journey I've ever heard about. a true inspiration.
After today, a shower has never felt so good! I can't wait for our last day of work tomorrow! Buenas nochas!
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