You asked for a day in the life, so here it is.

5:20am my watch alarm goes off. I lay in bed for 7-10 minutes hoping I don't fall back asleep. At 5:30 I go to the bathroom - generally having to fill the bucket at the pila outside to flush. Roomates are also beinging to move around the house at this point. I am lucky if I don't have a head on collision with someone before 6:00 when the peice of shit school bus (its a short, yellow bus) blares it's horn. We are on the bus by 6:05 at the latest. We meander through the town, avoiding potholes and stray dogs, picking up other La Orquidea children and teachers. By 6:30 we are on our way to Taulabe. On the bus ride I am finally awaken as I fear for my life a handful of times. One time might be as our P.O.S. school bus tries to pass a semi truck and just makes it back to our lane in time for a semi truck in oncoming traffic to zoom past. Another fearful moment may be when the driver puts the bus in any gear greater than first. Smoke billows out of the hole where a stereo may have once been and we all cringe at the horrible noise the gears make as they gride against one another. All I can think about in moments like these is the story Saul, the driver, told me about when the bus caught on fire the other day and he had to put it out with the 2 liter of coke he had in the bus. Hmmmm.

At about 5 or 10 minutes to 7 we arrive at school. I have about 5 minutes to put my books in the grade one class before I am back outside at the steps to great the children as the unload themselves from the other school bus arriving from Lago de Yojoa. It's a clown car, for sure. I am guessing they cram upwards of 40 students onto this bus. It is really just a conversion van with 5 benches inside, plus the seats in the front. 7:00 the bell should ring, but it never rings before 7:10.

First period: Science with first graders. 40 (30, really) minutes of "With my hands, I can touch" (we are learning about the 5 sense) repeated again and again and again. And a lot of tattle taleing, which cracks me up becuase I don't know what they are saying. When I am able to catch a culprit I like to use really big words with them such as: "Lidia (the naughtiest girl in my class), the behavior you are exhibiting right now is hindering both your social and academic development." Lidia looks apologetic and says " Yes, Miss." She has no clue what I am telling her. Ha!

Second period: Same thing as the first, only its math.

Third period: Geography with the sixth graders. There are three of them, and they are into the subject. We just finished learning about latitude and longitude.

Reseso: Children running, screaming and eating. I might have a baleada (flour tortilla with beans and cheese folded in half) or cadratcha (fried corn tortilla with beans and cheese on top)

Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh periods: Second grade. These kids make my head spin around in circles, but we humor eachother and love eachother a lot. Hector is my favorite and of course he is the naughtiest one of all. Sandy and Enma are pretty cool too - and Pearla and Carlos Cruz are the smartest. Carlos Cruz is more outspoken so he serves as the class translator rather often.

MUSICA - Mister Sun, Sun, Mister golden sun please shine down on me, and other camp favorites. Shall I teach the Long John Song next week??

At 1:35 my day is over...but the school bus does not take us back to Sigua until 2:30. We get home about 3:30 (why it takes so much longer to get home is beyond me......maybe its more uphill coming home and so the bus clunks along a lot slower) where I promtly take of my shoes and change out of my school clothes. I sometimes fall sound asleep, or days like today household chores are in order.

When I got home today I changed my clothes, made a sandwhich, and ran back out the door to get drinking water from Principal Khalila's house. At Khalila's I not only got water, but also got to play with our new puppy. Khalila's dog had puppies so she is giving one (the man dog) to our household. He is fluffy and brown and black and I might like to name him Bruno. He is really cute. Once our house is built the puppy can move in....I think it won't be until next weekend.

After I got back from getting water I went back on the road to get a $2.00 haircut. It looks just the same as haircuts that have costed $30.00. Now I am at the internet, and when I get home I will watch the last episode of Veronica Mars on my ipod, grade about a billion papers and quizzes and go to bed around 9:30 or so.

Thats my life these days.