Updates (sorry, can't think of a good title)

My big news as of late is that I bought a fan! I have NO IDEA why it took me like five weeks living here to get a fan, as it was the best purchase of my trip so far...I actually think I slept through the whole night for the first time and didn't wake up sweating! (So either it's the fan or I'm just getting used to this weather...)
Justin came to visit me last weekend in Catacamas...we didn't do a whole lot -- mainly just walked around the city -- so I finally feel like I know my way around! We found some great smoothie places, bakeries, etc. And this place to get awesome Chinese food! We ordered two plates, thinking that we'd be good since we had two people (plus it was cheap), but turns out each plate is for like five people! At least! It was ridic...when we were done it didn't seem like we had eaten anything! I told the waitress after that we hadn't been expecting so much food and she was like, "Yeah I was wondering...I figured you were waiting for more people..." My family flipped when we got home and I told them we ordered two things for both of us. Thanks for telling me before we went...So the weekend was good but super hot and Justin was super mad because he missed the Michigan game because my family doesn't have that channel...ooops. Let's just say who knows if he'll come back to visit.
The other teachers always ask me what I do on the weekends and I always tell them nothing and they can't believe it. I'm like, what do you think I'm going to do? But the funny part is then I ask them what they do, and they tell me nothing! I think that's the biggest cultural difference that drives me crazy here -- nobody ever does anything. In a way, it's understandable, since it's so dang hot and by the time I get home I just want to sit in front of my fan for hours and do nothing, but on the other hand it's like, let's go out and do something, anything.
But right now I'm sitting in the air conditioning sipping a pina colada slushie and using the wireless at Espresso Americana in Tegus visiting Justin for the weekend. It's great. And I took an actual shower today...it was amazing. Forgot how much I missed it. We have today and tomorrow off of school -- it's Independence Day today -- so I got here last night and will be here till Sunday. All the schools were supposed to be in a parade on Wednesday for Independece Day in each city but I guess ours didn't want to -- so we had to pay a fee to the government to get out of it. It's messed up. But Justin dragged me to the parades today downtown (y'all know how much I love parades...) -- we went to both parades, one was for "La Resistencia" and one for "Las Golpistas" so Justin was having a heyday (y'all know how much I love politics also...). He was super mad because I didn't bring my camera and we were literally right next to Mel with his trademark cowboy hat (the president who got ousted in that coup a few years ago) and he couldn't even get his picture with him. And here I thought he still wasn't allowed back in the country. Whoopsie.
As for school, it's going well -- my best day was probably yesterday actually! (Granted, it might have had something to do with the fact that I didn't have 7th grade...) But I'm really liking getting to know the students better. They've all had quizzes and tests so far now and they've actually all done really well for the most part, which makes me happy but also suspicious because it doesn't seem like they ever pay attention. But during the quizzes I just stand in front of them and stare at them so they can't cheat (it's a major problem here). On Monday all the kids had to be sent home at noon because the bathrooms broke (yeah, I don't know what that means either), but the weird thing is they weren't even that excited! I have a feeling that means stuff like that isn't that uncommon...But if that happened in the states everyone would flip -- I seriously can still remember like one time in my whole school career when we got sent home early because there was going to be a huge snowstorm and it was like the best day of my life. (Ok that's extreme but you know what I mean.) Anyway, the teachers had to stay of course and have meetings (I hate teacher meetings already; we never get anything done).
The 11th and 12th graders are seriously ridiculous -- literally they stare at me blankly when I try to explain something and I yell at them to focus and they tell me I'm too beautiful so they can't focus. It's absolutely ridiculous. What a joke. They asked me why I didn't enter Miss Universe and so I've been trying to explain to them that I'm not beautiful in the United States. They told me if I entered for Honduras I'd win. Haha. Maybe if I get sick of this whole teaching gig I can see how that would work out for me. (If you didn't catch my sarcasm, that's a joke.) I'm also trying to get my 9th and 10th grade girls fired up for basketball this year (I'm going to help coach). They told me it's impossible to beat the Tegus school because their girls already started practicing and they have sweet facilities. I'm hoping to go for a Coach Carter/Miracle/Mighty Ducks/every other feel-good sports movie type of deal and pulling off a win. We'll see how that works out for me. Keep you posted.
PS -- I know I wrote a book, but I'm trying to make up for Justin's lack of posting...
PSS -- I'll post some pics soon!