Post-Semana Santa Craziness, El Rio and Bird Parks

After the peace and relaxation of Semana Santa, returning to the regular pace of life last week felt really busy! After school programs and music lessons began again last week, and it was fun to see the kids again after the break. The kids here are beyond cute. One of my favourite moments of last week was attempting to comfort a little boy at an after school program after he fell down and hit his elbow. He is one of the more difficult kids to work with, as he has some significant behaviour "challenges" shall we say, and yet he does not respond well to any kind of discipline. He was still wearing his school uniform from his morning classes, although by that point in the day it was smudged with stains and his shirt buttons were not quite aligned so that one side of his shirt was longer than the other. I wasn't able to get a smile out of him until I asked him to flex his muscles, proving that yes, his arm does still work and he will survive.

It is always heartbreaking to see the challenges faced by some of these children. For example, one little boy showed up to camp today in the midst of a raging tormenta without any kind of footwear whatsoever. Another little boy in my neighbourhood is attending elementary night school (yes, such a thing exists!) because he works during the day. Sometimes the contrast between my own childhood and their childhood experiences can seem quite stark.

However, at the same time, these kids know how to have fun! We had a great time at camp today in spite of the fact that there was no electricity and we couldn't really spend much time outside - even the little boy without shoes!

This past weekend I was able to take a few opportunities to relax and simply enjoy the beauty of the area around Copan. On Saturday I went with my housemates to the river.  Almost every time I ask a child que hiciste durante la semana santa?(what did you do during the semana santa?) the response is fuimos al rio (we went to the river). Clearly, el rio is the place to be. Here are some pictures from our journey:

BEAUTY! The river was most lovely. 

Giselle and Jason walking to find the perfect spot to sit. 

We found frogs! 

My lovely housemates, Giselle and Jason. Sometimes I walk into the kitchen in the mornings to discover that Giselle has breakfast waiting for me, and tonight Jason made us a Spanish plate of eggy deliciousness (I can't remember the real name). Does it get any better than this? I think not.

Me and Giselle! Next weekend Giselle and I will be travelling together to San Pedro Sula to visit her family, her church, and to see a movie.

On Sunday I went with Katie and the lideres jovenes (youth leaders) who work with us at Camp Hope to the Bird Park in Copan. Again, it was lovely to be outside in the beauty of the natural world.

Here are some of my attempts to capture a bit of the beauty we saw:

I have decided that just as it is practically impossible to eat too much chocolate, it is also impossible to take too many foliage photos. Whenever I walk through a forest here in Honduras I tend to spend a significant amount of time staring upwards through my camera lens!

Anyways, it has been a good week and I look forward to the weeks to come!
Just to end off, Sufjan Steven's "Vito's Ordination Song" is a song I have been loving of late. Many children in Honduras don't have father who play a significant role in their lives. The lines "I have called you son, I've made amends between father and son, or if you haven't one, rest in my arms, sleep in my bed" are particularly powerful living here.

You can listen to the song on youtube here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZoKWoCxNXg&feature=player_detailpage