More amazing kids...

Where is the time going? I don’t know how this happened but I only have one more week here in Honduras and I just realized that I still haven’t written about “my kids” here. Do not think for even a second it is because they are any less amazing...because let me tell you, it’s possible that I’ve fallen even harder for these kids than the first.

When I first got here to Honduras I was sure that I would never love a group of 8, 9 and 10 year olds as much as I loved them. It took a total of about 3 days for me to realize that these new 20 2nd graders were able to steal my heart even faster than the first group.

Unlike Guatemala, I only have one group of kids a day for the whole day. That means I spend twice as much time with this class, twice as much lesson planning and twice as much room to be amazed by each and every one of them.

The two projects are really different and as much as I try not to compare them, it really is impossible not to. This school, even though it is MUCH more rural (for many of these kids, our pick up truck is probably one of the only vehicles they see), it is definitel more of a “real” school. The classrooms are brightly painted with bug dioramas on the shelves, alphabets painted on the board, birthday calendars plastering the walls and solar systems on the ceiling. But the kids are of course, remarkably similar (how many times will I have to rediscover this before I realize it’s a universal truth?)

So rather than just telling you about my kids like last time, I am going to tell you “what kind of kid they would be” if they weren’t at San Raphael school. This is one of our favorite games up at the school...who is the jock? Who si the nerd? Who is president of the National Honor’s Society?

So with that...meet my kids:

Kevin: Homecoming King (much to the teacher’s dismay)
Kevin and I have a bit of a love hate relationship. Actually, I really just love him but sometimes I WANT to hate him. First off, this kid could seriously use a giant dose of Ritalin. He is constantly drumming on his desk and just cannot help himself from grabbing the kid’s hat in front of him.

But despite some “extra energy”, Kevin is truly awesome. He’s just one of those really cool kids that clearly has mesmerized the entire class. And just when his incessant drumming gets on my last nerve, he flashes me a deep dimpled smile from under his frayed baseball hat and he’s got me mesmerized too.

Freddy: Homecoming King Runner-Up
It is a wide known fact that the runner up for Homecoming King is usually far more liked than the actual king himself. Usually this person is some pretty cool band kid...enter Freddy. Everyone just plain likes Freddy. He goes with the flow, gets excited about every activity, pretty smart but not too smart, pretty cute but not too cute, outgoing but not annoying...just overall a great kid.

Aura: Brownnoser Extraordinaire
So Aura is my little suck up. Seriously, that girl would honestly sell her soul for a little star sticker in her notebook. This child tries so desperately for just a little smile or “muy bien” from me that it is hard not to just melt when her eyes light up when I draw a smiley face on her paper in red pen.

She is always the first to volunteer to help and you can almost see the eyes rolling (although kids here have not discovered this gesture yet. Good thing since I’m sure there would be a lot of that going on with my Spanish...) But I still love her...because what is a teacher without a pet?

Manuel: Druggy
Manuel sits in the back corner of my class and 50% of the time looks genuinely confused and the other 50% just looks stoned. He moseys up to me to show me his work and it’s just not done. It’s like he started walking up to show me something but by the time he got there, he completely forgot what he was even supposed to be showing me.

Seriously though, this kid is adorable. And actually, when his “high” wears off, every now and then, he shows signs of pure brilliance (again...just like all druggies) This is probably the kid who would show up at the high school reunion and completely shock everyone with the fact that he is some really successful businessman. Either that or he’d be there to sell some weed in the sports equipment shed.

Elsa Maribel: The super quiet genius
Of course I could not get this girl to smile for a picture. Elsa sits in the back near to Manuel but don’t let that fool you...this girl has got brains. You know the one. That girl who never really opens her mouth but then when the teacher finally calls on her, she says something brilliant that makes even the teacher drop their jaw in awe? That is Elsa Maribel. Every time she opens her tiny mouth out of her even tinier body (she is about half the size of everyone else), I am always surprised. This is the girl that will be some chief advisor to some president...never in the spotlight but definitely the brains of the operation.

Vilma: The Girl that everyone thinks is her best friend
Vilma is freaking awesome. She is smart, fun, funny, sweet, edgy, stylish, independent...this girl has it going on. She’d definitely be the girl who was the the captain of the cross-country team, the star of the school play, a peer tutor and best friend to 80% of the class. She is part tomboy and part irresistible cutie.

Her options would be endless...and you know what? I still think they are.

Dilcia: The Really Hot Dumb Chick
I think the title explains it all with this girl. It’s unbelievable how there is one of these in every school. This girl is seriously pretty and even in 2nd grade, the boys have learned that this one is cootie free. She is elegant and sweet. A little shy and pretty mysterious. But get her up to that board for her multiplication tables and she is not the brightest bulb...good thing is that a) she doesn’t know and b) the boys could care less if she knows what 7x9 is!

Orlin: The “Good” Guy
First thing I have to tell you is that Orlin is my favorite. Yeah, yeah...you aren’t supposed to pick a favorite but with this kid front and center in the class, it is impossible not to. Orlin is that kid that every girl would have a crush on and he would genuinely have no idea. He is so adorable, really smart, super hard worker, easy to laugh, easy to tear up and just plain sweet.

Every time he flashed me one of his gap toothed smiles that is always accompanied by an irresistible giggle, I can’t help but just mirror his expression exactly. Orlin has something about him. Like the world is just a perfect place in his mind...and I can only hope that will never, ever change.

I can’t even start to think about saying goodbye again but as hard as it is to believe, there will be 20 something more kids to meet in Ecuador. But for now, I’m just going to enjoy every minute I have with these ones!

xoxo,
Debra

P.S...I added photos to the "fashion" and "food" report and finally added the pictures of the crazy hostel from my backpacking trip so check 'em out. Next entry...the winner will be announced!