Venga, Ven, Vení

I have been working at the CDI since last Tuesday! It has been an amazing experience so far. The 26 kids that come to the center are adorable, rowdy, sensitive, eager to learn… and so much more. My main job role is to do one-on-one tutoring with the students that need a little extra help. I was told that the average Honduran public school has a 40 to 1 ratio of children to teachers. Also, the school day is broken in to two parts so these teachers probably see close to 80 kids per day. Due to this high ratio it is evident that some of these awesome kids have been passed through the system without the proper understanding of math or reading for their age level. I hope to be able to give them the time and attention needed to catch up and excel in their current studies.

The most important things I’ve been learning this week about teaching at the CDI is how to say “come here,” “don’t do that,” “be nice”. When I first arrived at the CDI I realized I hadn’t brushed up on my Spanish commands. For any of you who don’t know Spanish, I’ll explain about forming commands real quick. You can use three different forms when saying commands. One is formal (venga aquí = come here), the second is informal (ven aquí = come here) and the third is REALLY informal (vení aquí = come here). When one of the kids decides to slide down a rickety railing and their life flashes before MY eyes, I have to decide in that moment if I’m #1 going to be a formal teacher advising them to stop #2 a close acquaintance who knows what’s best and is therefore telling them to stop OR #3 a teacher who’s “getting real” and letting them know that they are in the wrong… see my dilemma this week. I’ve been trying to judge my relationship with each child as I speak to them because I don’t want to offend by being too informal too quickly. Oh the joys of Spanish.

A great piece of knowledge that I have been told by Lesley and Jamey is that while in the mission field I should only expect to be at 60% productivity all the time. This was very reassuring to hear because after a few days of working at the CDI I was wiped out. The CDI is open from 10am to 2pm and I was thinking “how the heck am I so tired from four hours of work… what’s wrong with me??” Then they gently reminded me that I am in a new culture and constantly translating in my head all day. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I went to my first Bible study last Friday for jóvenes (young people). I was really excited to meet everyone since I am hoping to start a girls group that meets weekly. I had met a few of the girls on my previous trip so it was great to reconnect. The two girls are also fluent in English so that’s always lovely! I followed the Bible study lesson pretty well and was even able to answer one of the questions that the leader asked. Before going to the meeting, I had these terrible thoughts that the leader might ask me a question and I would answer with something completely off topic because of language confusion. I know that wouldn’t be the end of the world and I would be just fine if that did happen but… I’m very glad it didn’t on my first time there.

Today is the first day of lent. I have always given up something but generally it been something that is random. I’ve fasted from facebook, soda, fast food, candy and many other things. This lent season I want to either take up or give up something that will bring me closer to God. So far the suggestion that I like the most has come from Elaine and that is to dedicate each day to a person whom I will pray for throughout the day. That way my prayer life will expand from the short time I have before work and before bed to a constant conversation with God. I’m pretty excited to begin (a day late… oops). Please let me know if you would like one of my days dedicated to you and if there is anything in particular I can be praying about!

Last thing I want to share is about the food I’ve been eating. The world needs to know that Lesley Smith is an amazing amazing amazing chef. Oh my goodness y’all (yes I just said y’all) I have been eating like a queen. She has cooked empanadas, roasted chicken, vegetable soup, stir fry and pasta primavera! Everything has been so incredibly yummy. Alright, that’s it. Until next time!