We arrived in Tegucigalpa yesterday--what a blast of a trip it has been so far! The landing was amazing--we were practically touching buildings with the plane. We thought customs would take forever, but apparently we've hooked up with the right school because we zipped through there in no time because our principal was there to pick us up. So, I've got all my gluten-free flours with me, as well as 60 lbs of books. Those actually took up one whole carry-on. Then, from there, we were taken to the fabulous Maya hotel, where we will be staying until we find an apartment we're ready to sign with. We've eaten some fantastic food, and we're really enjoying the new company. The group of new teachers includes about 18 ex-pats. We spent today touring around the city, looking over apartments. Our friends, the Lofchies, just arrived at the hotel today. We're hoping to join them as they look around apartments later today. So far, so wonderful. Stay tuned---Colin's writing the next blog! :)
I just returned from meeting my brother's newborn son this past week: Noah David Thomas. Thought you'd enjoy some pictures! He's so sweet...and of course, it goes without saying that even at this teeny stage of life, he's adorable! I wish we could have stayed longer! He was in the NICU for a few days for some preliminary testing, but he was super healthy. JT kept referring to him as the "NICU bruiser." His newborn parents are learning the ropes. I told Megs that she's going to have to tell me how to do it all when it's my turn! Except minus the emergency C-section. That didn't sound like fun. I hope she's able to get some more rest soon--is that possible with a newborn? :)
In two months, we've enjoyed so much life! Here's a bit about our travels:
June 3-12--California! We spent time visiting new friends and catching up some old in Sacramento, CA. We saw Crater Lake in Oregon. We visited the Redwood National Forest. And we enjoyed the beautiful wine country of Sonoma Valley.
June 13--I enjoyed planning and celebrating my class reunion with friends. Thankfully, both Betsy and I were able to get to town the night before (at midnight). We had trouble flying standby with Bonaroo going on in Nashville. But my wonderful father picked us up in Atlanta and we road-tripped back to Maryville together.
June 14-19 We spent time with the Thomas family. Colin and Dad went round and round playing cornhole, while Mom and I caught up and made plans for the summer (which we managed to do a few too! I don't think we'll get to candle making though).
June 20-28 Emerald Isle, NC (in the Outer Banks) called our name, and we went with Colin's family to enjoy the beautiful beach and sun rays. We were easily distracted by the newest member of the family, baby William Colin. We celebrated his first birthday together--and he had his first bit of cake. We also sang the national anthem impromtu at Ft. Macon. Nate's voice rung out rather squawkally. We enjoyed Uncle John's authentic Italian cooking and homemade ice cream every night. Jenna-Clare was right--we all gained an extra pound of goodness from that little delicacy. June 29-July 11 We unpacked for a while at the Thomas family's homestead. We enjoyed some movies, some good food, some sleep (lots of sleep), and organized Mom's library. Jordan had surgery last Monday. This surgery is supposed to help end her seizures. It can take up to two years for the results to be most clear. For now, she's just chilling out with her best friend (and sitter) Karlie. We also spent a day on the lake with the Sharps and the Otis duo along with my studmuffin brother, Dave. Dave then took us whitewater rafting at the end of the week. Lots of fun! Check out the Facebook pics if you can. July 11-20 We headed back to be with the Roberts family for a week before Colin heads off to train for his teaching job in New Mexico. I hope to catch up with my dear friend Natalie and also see our beloved pastor from Clarksville, TN. Somewhere in this coming week, I also hope to receive the long awaited call from JT (my brother) that Noah's arrived! Then, I'm going to hightail it home to ride up with the folks to greet this little man. I can't wait!
July 20-25--Colin will be in Montezuma, New Mexico and I'll probably be in Balitmore, Maryland. We'll come back to Maryville and load up to leave on Tuesday, July 28th for Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
So, there's the run down. Man...time flies! And there's so little left before we leave our world of comfort and jump in headfirst in a new culture. The big and upsetting question remains: Will I miss Wal-mart?
So, a few weeks ago no one knew anything about Tegucigalpa, Honduras. However, Zelaya, the Honduran president, has definitely managed to get that small little Central American country in the spotlight. After trying to illegally keep his presidential seat, the Congress had him arrested and exiled. Well, Zelaya wasn't going to go out without taking his case to the whole world--and Chavez had the power to make certain that a biased media would share the story. After two weeks of watching the news, wondering about our own plight down there, and praying for this strong little democracy, we're still planning on heading to Tegus July 28th. The Honduran government is working on negotiations as I write, and we believe that much of this political unrest will settle down in the coming weeks. Thank you for contacting us to see how we're doing and what's going on. Your prayers have held us through some anxiety. We have more and more peace about moving to Tegus everyday. Below is a great recap of the whole situation from a reliable source and native of Honduras. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-estrada10-2009jul10,0,1570598.story
