Down to Work

Hello everybody. The week has started here at COPPROME in Honduras, which means that kids are plentiful, and I have plenty to do. On Sunday, I went out with Mrs. Rubi and her husband, Andy, for a mother's day lunch. Mother's Day is a big deal here in Honduras, and everybody was out with their wives, mothers, girlfriends or whomever. We went to a nice restaurant where I had some chicken and cheese quesedillas. The rest of Sunday was just spent relaxing, and preparing for work this week.

Yesterday (Monday), was the first day of real work at the orphanage. All the little kids were home in the morning, so I sat with them and talked with them as they drew and colored and played. The middle age group, the 6-12 year olds, came home around 12:00, and after they ate, I helped them with their homework, mostly math, and talked to them. The oldest kids, 13-16, came home around 3, and I talked to them, got to know them, and even played a game of soccer with them. Related to that, all that the orphanage had for soccer balls was a beat up rubber one, so I bought them a nice one from the local mall, which they all loved. The rest of the day was just spent talking with the kids and getting to know them better.

Today was the same schedule, and everyone is here now, doing homework. There are about 30 kids here right now, apparently an all-time low, due to lack of money. There are about 4 or 5 who are under 5 years of age, about 20 who are 6-12, and 4 or 5 kids who are older than 12. The oldest boy is 15, while the oldest girl is 16. The kids 6-9 are especially adorable, since they can talk to you, and all they want is to be around the cool new Americans. My English-speaking companions here are a girl from New Jersey who just finished her first year at Emmanuel College in Boston, a Canadian girl who's about to go to college in Toronto, and a 25 year old named John who is from New Jersey but has lived in Honduras for the better part of the last 4 months.

Overall, it's a fun experience. The kids are very nice, and the staff are all nice as well. Hopefully it continues to be this fun, and I'll keep everyone updated!