My arm workout these days

:)

Lucy lookin' fly with her pink shades and zebra floaty

cute one of mama and Ellie

"Diamonds in the Sky with Lucy!"

Summertime in La Ceiba and the livin' is easy (at least until Friday when the next team arrives). The last couple days have been filled with endless swinging in Lucy's new red swing in the backyard, painting our nails with "prosh" (nail polish), smelly rotten mangos, an air-conditioned lunch at KFC (undoubtedly, the most physically comfortable 45 minutes of my day), obscene quantities of Zucco lemonade and Cheerios, relentless bug bites, "sess-me street", and profuse sweating.

Last night, Lindsey and I made a special meal for Josh in honor of his last week in Honduras. Lindsey, Sean, and I thought it only appropriate to christen the Bostonian with his first ever shrimp and grits dinner (complete with sausage, bacon, seasonings, and plenty of cheese and butter). I'm proud to say he thoroughly enjoyed the Southern cultural experience. I've truly loved all the opportunities I've gotten to help Lindsey in the kitchen and now have several new recipes to bring home. The evening was concluded with cheesecake and several more raucous rounds of nerts. I no longer believe myself to be good at card games.

Today, the McCann girls and I decided to temporarily escape the heat by spending our morning at a nearby hotel pool. By purchasing an inexpensive lunch, we got to swim free! As it approached lunchtime, Lindsey gave me the task of ordering inside. As I proceeded to open the door, however, I was greeted by nearly 20 Honduran men using computers and 20 pairs of eyes staring at me. Trying to ignore the smiles and the snickers, I made my way to the back of the room, looking for a menu. It didn't take long before one of them directed me to the front desk and restaurant next door. I feel like I should probably have been embarrassed by this experience, but I've become far too comfortable with my role as the "stupid foreigner" to really be fazed anymore.

We all left the pool feeling full, sleepy, and sunburned (perfect recipe for a beautiful naptime). Awake once again, the girls and I enjoyed a walk around the neighborhood in pursuit of some homemade popsicles. We slurped on rapidly melting coconut and strawberry "vasitos" (literal translation is "little cups" because of the molds in which they were made), each for only about 30 cents. Returning home to change wet clothes and wash sticky hands, we prepared for our next excursion: Josh's goodbye dinner at Ponderosa steakhouse with the entire team. Two chips-and-dip appetizers, two huge plates of chicken, pork, and beef filets, two heaping dishes of sweet fried plantains, and two doggie bags later, we made our way back to the McCann's house to share sentimental Josh memories and Erin's homemade cheesecake.

And so I end another day in Honduras exactly the way I start it, with a cold shower and bug spray.

Pre-water fight

Estela and I :)

Making smoothies at the McCann's is an extra special experience, given that the main ingredient (mango) can be found right in the backyard. Lucy is a true fan and is always thrilled about starting the day with some "smoovies." I am too :)

Yesterday morning, after our smoovies, we met up with Josh and the Pettengills and made the short trek to a nearby church (the least Pentecostal in the area). About midway through the service, the pastor asked the row of gringos to come up in front so he could pray for us (what, did we stand out or something?) Once again, we were warmly greeted by everyone. The extra tambourines offered for any desirous members of the congregation was a nice touch too. On our way out, we picked up some homemade Honduran lasagna to take home for lunch--I love this church!

After the McCann's daily siesta and the embarrassing Mexico/USA soccer game on TV, we all headed over to the Pettengill's for "gringo church," a small time of worship with the team. Back home, it was dinner, baths, and bed for the girls. Josh came over and spent the evening with Lindsey, Sean, and I playing a vicious game of nerts (a card game much like dutch blitz, so obviously, I was hooked). I immediately felt right at home with this group of gamers as they all appeared at least as competitive as I am (even sweet, soft spoken Lindsey;) )

Another Monday and another "Klid's Club" (Lucy lingo). As always, we left the house with only the bare necessities for Ellie and Lucy's daily lives: pacifiers (aka crack cocaine), toys, extra diaper, new outfit, wipes, juice box, water, and about 300 snacks. For Lucy, real meals are just overrated. She thrives on snacks and treats, namely cheese and jellybeans. Klid's Club today began with a water activity, which rapidly transformed into a full-on aquatic battle. This week, I enjoyed a mini-celebrity greeting by some of my favorite Armenia girls: Estela, Blanca, Gabby, and Oneida. Estela is the youngest sister to Blanca and Gabby, and each day is newly fascinated by all my freckles and piercings. Oneida is nearly mute and her story is a sad one. Having undergone a lot of abuse and at such a young age, it breaks my heart to see how clearly excluded she is by the other kids. Apparently, her nonverbal communication toward the gringos, however, shows major improvement. It's pretty amazing how quick the children are to grab your hand and pull you into a game, or to jump into your arms and give you a big wet kiss on the cheek. They're so hungry for attention and approval, for someone to tell them they drew a GREAT picture.

I thought I'd close this blog with a little update about the political situation here in Honduras given the various inquiries I've received about it all. I live in La Ceiba, which is a good 6 hours from the capital, Tegucigalpa, and have in no way felt endangered or stuck at any time. There have been a few teacher strikes since I've been here that have served more as inconveniences in blocking traffic than anything else. Zelaya has attempted to enter the country three times now and has been successful once...barely. For a number of reasons, it seems this is just one big publicity stunt on his part. He has very few supporters here and seems to lack any kind of plan after he reaches the border. Likely, the political unrest will remain at a stalemate until the new elections in November. Unfortunately, the USA media has really blown the entire issue out of proportion. If anything threatening were to happen, we'd be evacuated via helicopter within thirty minutes. Not bad! If you'd like to read a more detailed account of the current and previous political situation in Honduras, take a look at Sean's blog:

http://mccannsinhonduras.wordpress.com/

Ready for her close-up

Lu in her special bathtub (just a head, hands, and some bubbles)

No big deal, just a herd of cows crossing through traffic

Josh, Sean, and I

Everyone in the swimming hole

Mama and her babies

Walking to the river

river-swimming, thunderstorms, and too much dessert

This day's events began after a pancake breakfast and Ellie's 1st nap of the day (around 10:30) when Josh, the McCanns, and I headed out to a swimming hole at the river nearby. Quickly ignoring the bottles on the bottom and the freezing water, I felt like I was swimming in the middle of a beautiful, tropical jungle. We spent the morning jumping off rocks, playing with floaties, and getting butt bites by mysterious river critters. Soon after our arrival, we were joined by a group of Honduran kids celebrating a birthday (apparently, breaking an egg over the birthday person's head is customary here). I had no reason to feel at all threatened by their presence until one of the boys decided to take my picture, without shame and without permission. No doubt the Spanish motherland passed down this kind of behavior to her colonies as this was all too familiar from last semester.

On the way home we stopped for lunch at Wendy's, leaving only after Lucy had succeeded in riding the play place slide a solid 10 times. Naps all around at the McCann residence were only enhanced by one of the loudest thunderstorms I've ever experienced (although, the tin roof might have something to do with it).

Tonight, Lindsey and I enjoyed a girls' movie night in, while Mike, Josh, and Sean took some of the Armenia boys out to dinner and a soccer game. As we lounged and enjoyed our big bowls of vanilla ice cream (complete with hard chocolate shell and reeses chips), I marveled at how quickly and effortlessly I've readapted to life abroad. Something about these extended travels cause me to drop all exercise and diet plans and become lazy and gluttonous instead. Once again, I'm thankful for the reality check and am learning a lot. I've gained new freedom by serving others instead of solely being preoccupied with trying to control everything in my own life. This passage from Philippians 2 is a great reminder:

"⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
⁶Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
⁷but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—

even death on a cross!"

All I know is that I'm going to have a very tough time readjusting to JMU again after my 8-month long vacation.