Craziness at the Hogar & New Plans for Returning Home

The past 15 days have been really crazy! The Honduran woman who runs the orphanage, whom is about 23, left with her boyfriend last Friday to go be with her family. Her one year old nephew was kidnapped at gunpoint for ransom last Friday. At first the men were asking for $1,000.00 within 24 hours, then they raised it to $15,000.00 by Thursday. The couple that runs the Hogar left last Friday and are scheduled to return today. The nephew was retrieved and the police do have 2 men in custody. There was an exchange of money for the boy before the men were apprehended but we do not know for how much. Also, the boy has a bad heart and takes medication which he didn´t receive for a full week putting him in intensive care. We do not know if it was the boys father whom planned the kidnapping or enemies of the boys father. We have heard lots of stories from multiple people but should be able to find out more information today when the couple returns to us. It seemed so distant from us, because we have never met the child, nor his family and it all happened so suddenly. We had heard that there had been 2 attempted kidnappings on the boy and that the mother wanted to come with her child and live at the Hogar... But assumed it wasn´t as critical as it was or the family really would have moved... It all seems a bit surreal.

With Stacy and Julio gone, the couple whom we live with, this left 3 volunteers and myself to run the Hogar 24/7. There is also one Honduran woman and her 1 year old son that lives with us as well to help out. She leaves her son completely unattended and she is just as immature as the kids we work with so I wouldn´t say she necessarily helped us. I thought we managed really well. We all took on different tasks each of us helping where we saw the needs. We were cleaning up after all of the kids, making sure they were brushing their teeth, bathing, one volunteer took it upon herself to change all of the sheets each night when the kids wet their bed, while another cleaned the bedroom of Stacy and Julio which contains 23 cats and a dog! We were all up by 6 am, sometimes sooner and all passed out by about 9pm. We weren´t able to get time to leave and run into town unless we staggered shifts. We managed to take the kids to the river 3 times which was lots of fun. And organized a baseball game with the daycare down the road. Julio runs P.E. every Friday which I was able to run this past Friday. We played soccer of course, and it was a blast. The only downside is these kids resort to violence whenever they are upset. And while playing soccer with all of them I find myself yelling at kids trying to break up fights more so that enjoying actually playing with them. But I do get to take out lots of pent up aggression while playing which is nice. Also, the kids are pretty tough so I don´t have to hold back much. They never cry when I pelt them in the head with the ball.

It was our last week of school this past week which was also exhausting. The kids had their final exams. Ruth failed and won´t be going on to second grade. The head teacher wants her to go to a special school because of her condition. I really think she has potential and could learn if she wanted to. I think she is capable but she just doesn´t understand why there would be a need to work and learn how to read. I have a hilarious video of her just being herself at the river. She is screaming which she does often, then laughing, screaming again, then flexing her muscles. It just sums up what this kid is like. It cracks me up every time I watch it. Angelo did really well, but the teacher doesn´t think he is quite ready and I agree. After next year he will be at the right age and place to move on. Jorge came in not being able to write any letters or numbers and just him being able to write his name on his test and complete it made me happy, but he won´t be moving on to second grade either. Desmand, the little devil child, will be moving on which is great. He will hopefully work harder and be more disciplined in the second grade.

I had my first taste of being homesick this week. I don´t know if it was because it was the most exhausting week I have had since I have been here or if it is because the Holidays are upon us. Here the weather has been getting better. We had a bit of a hot spell last week and it was lovely. Of course we manage to get our first day off today and it is pouring! But I was missing just being home, laying on clean carpet floors, running with my dog, talking to my friends, eating thai food, visiting with my family, not being surrounded by insects of all shapes and sizes all of the time! Seriously we have cockroaches all over the kitchen at night, huge rats in our bodega (food storage area), mosquitoes that lately are horrible, ants, biting and non biting, salamanders, millipedes, and then about 100 more species of insects that just are everywhere day and night! We are going to get all of the volunteers together to go eat Thanksgiving dinner at a hotel down the way so that will be nice to be able to celebrate with friends here. There was even a bit of a blow out between volunteers here last week because of all of the stress and pressure... Everything seems a bit mellowed out now, but things were tense. We got stuff to make rice-krispy treats with-for the kids which we will hopefully get around to doing this week. Also, I am still, knock on wood, the only volunteer that is lice free. I have gone through each volunteers head for lice and now they all said I am exempt from having to go through any more heads until I get it myself. That is on the to do list today... I heard from a woman I got a hitch from that the municipal building will issue a card that you then take to a public hospital and they will go to the orphanage and do a lice extermination for free paid for by the government. I am not sure how long it would take to get this done or if it is legit but another volunteer and I are headed to the municipal building today to check in on it.

Also, I have changed my plans as far as when I plan on returning home... One night I was sitting with Ruth and Francisco (the boy who loves food as much as I do) and we were talking about Christmas. Well we were talking about Christmas after they had told me all of the tragedies of their life and why they ended up at the orphanage. They asked me to explain what Christmas was like at my home, which I did. Then they both looked up to me and asked me why Santa never came to visit them. After first hearing about their lives my eyes were already a bit moist, but when Francisco said this to me my eyes welled up and I just felt it wouldn´t be right to leave them right before Christmas and not spend it here. Also, I think trying to adapt back to life in the States will be somewhat of a challenge but especially during the Holiday season. This will be my first Christmas not spent with my family but I couldn´t imagine being anywhere but here. So, I have changed my plans and just finalized them today. I will be staying at the Hogar through January 22nd. I will be here through the Holidays, help see some programs get implemented, and help with volunteer transition and then head South on January 22nd. I will then be off on my own on a journey through Central America. I will be flying home out of Panama City on February 26th. This will give me a solid 5 weeks to travel and I plan on visiting all 4 countries south of Honduras: El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, ending with seeing the Panama Canal. I will be doing most of it on my own, Greg will come visit for a portion, so if there is anyone who is wanting a break from work and to come meet me in a country or two feel free! I would love the company:)

I hope all is well. I miss you all. Happy late Birthday to Kim Dunbar. Also, I forgot to thank my bestest friends Angela and Della for all the goodies that they sent me! They sent down enough beads that the two of them donated so that each child will be able to make a necklace for themselves and also for another child at another project for Christmas!