Welcome to Juticalpa, Honduras where…
You will get pulled into a classroom of 15 pre-schoolers who only speak Spanish and be expected to teach from 8am to 1:30pm with no lesson plan
You will see palm trees and pine trees growing side by side
If you have blonde hair and light skin, you will be told “I LOVE YOU” by random men driving by
Classroom management is non-existent
If you are white you will have children sit down beside you and say, ”tu es gringa”
(translation: you are a white person)
Futbol games get HYPE even when it‘s pouring rain
There are state police, national police and militia men EVERYWHERE with sawed off shotguns
Balleatas are the craze
You can cram 8 people into a taxi but he will charge you extra
Community is TOP priority and everyone is super welcoming and inclusive
Living next to a convent is normal
Addresses do not exist and using Maps.me is ineffective
Discotecs are not places where you go disco dancing… they are strip clubs
They may stamp your passport with the wrong date, throw it in the trash or give it to someone else that’s not you
When it rains it POURS so ALWAYS have your rain jacket and chacos handy
You may get on a bus to go home and end up at a wake/funeral
It is possible to do Whole-30 and pursue a healthy life-style
Amost all humans stare at you or surround you as if you‘re a celebrity
Lice and pink-eye run rampant
All power is shut off from 8am to 4pm once a month and sometimes more
Random kiddos will run and jump into your arms just to get some lovin’
Espresso Americano is the closest thing to Starbucks AND THEY HAVE PUMPKIN SPICE
If you hold a child in time-out while you wait for his parents to come, everyone will neglect to tell you he was suppose to ride the bus
If a child licks you and you lick him back, he wont know how to respond
Slamming and flipping desks, whipping others with rosaries and biting off nipples are typical hobbies in the classroom
Pineapple is BOMB
Maxi Despensa is basically Walmart and accept Honduran currency, US dollars and a credit card all in 1 transaction
But overall Juticalpa, Honduras is pretty wonderful and has been a growing and delightful experience.
Here is a glimpse of our time here! Enjoy my video!
