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The update: Andy, Laura, and Luke


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If you have any questions in regards to our life here, please let me know and I will post the question and an answer on the webpage.

January  23

We made it back safely from Teguc.  Luke and Laura got their turist visas extended for two months!  Andy would have except for the fact that he misplaced his passport the morning we left.  He thought he had it with him; but he left it in the pocket of the pants he had been wearing that morning.  However, he did not have to return to Teguc as Miguel, the peace corp worker, was going that way this week.  He carried Andy's passport to our lawyer who got the visa renewed for Andy.  (Immigration was able to process it this way because they had already seen Andy when we went to get Laura and Luke's passports stamped).  We also submitted our papers for a special presence permit for the three of us.  We are hoping this will come through in the next two months.  The rest of our time in Teguc was spent at PriceSmart, Office Depot, Mas por Menos, three drug supply stores, driving around looking for a radiator, and multiple other stores.  We did manage to each get (Andy and Laura) a $10 massage at the hotel; but you do get what you pay for.  I definitely needed a massage after THAT massage.  And it was Andy's first!  We came back on Friday with our truck loaded down, and we met the brigade bus in Siguatepeque.  Laura's parents were on that bus.  They unloaded their bags into our truck and we drove them back to Santa Lucia in the dark.  Their four bags were packed with all kinds of goodies for us, which made unpacking like Christmas.  

This week, we have had a group of dentists, oral hygenists, doctors, and translators staying in the dorms at the clinic.  This has made for lively conversation and lots of learning opportunities for Andy in the clinic.  There has also been a group of doctors seeing patients in Pinares and Concepcion.  The doctors in Concepcion have been seeing more than 200 patients a day.  Each of the Santa Lucia doctors has driven out to Concepcion to help out a day this week.  Tomorrow, Andy will be going.  He also went on Sunday.

Tonight, I had my first ESL class, which went really well.  My mom was able to bring ESL materials for me to use.  We taught the class together and were both impressed by our students and their knowledge of English.  The curriculum appears to be a lot of fun and very helpful.  I am looking forward to continuing the class.

Luke continues to be cute and smiley.  He is happier now than he has ever been, maybe because he is well-rested or maybe because his personality is coming out.  Regardless, he is so fun!  He has really started to pay attention to the world around him, grabbing at things, looking at people, trying to touch stuff around him.  He has learned to arch his back when he doesn't want to sit down.  He, as usual, likes to keep moving and grooving.  He has been eating bananas and rice cereal this week.   He drank from a cup today for the first time, also.  Everyday holds new discoveries for this little guy, which is amazing to be witness and be a part of.

January 15

Today has been an eventful day for all.  Luke tried his first taste of banana through a mesh thing made specifically for infants to suck on.  He loved it and seems ready to move on to puree next week.  He had been reaching for our food the past few weeks, so we decided we'd give him a taste. His first look was one of surprise and delight.  He opened his mouth as wide as it could go to get as much banana as possible.  He had banana smeared all over his cute little face and the front of his onesie.  It was a fun moment.
  
Andy decided to teach our guard how to drive this evening.  It all went well until the guard panicked and got the gas peddle and the brake mixed up.  Everyone is all right.  The truck is drivable, but a house on the main road got a big hole in its side.  Andy, of course, assumes full liability, especially because our very nice and dear guard could potentially be put in jail for driving without a license. Tomorrow, we hope that everything will get resolved without any time spent in jail for our guard.

I got to have my hair styled by Marin and Maura.  Maura brushed it all smooth and Marin styled it into three pony tails, one on each side and one in the back.  It was quite lovely.  Even Dina, their friend, exclaimed to me later in the day how nice my hair looked.  We also made Gatorade popsicles, put out my laundry, and took in theirs and folded it.  We had a fun morning.

Also, we all played jump rope on the back porch this morning: Andy, Laura, Marin, Maura, James, Glenda, and Rolando (Maria's son).  It was fun to enjoy something like that together.  

We are looking forward to Friday when Laura's parents are coming to visit with the January brigade. Tomorrow, we hope to drive to Tegucigalpa to get our passports renewed for two months and submit our request for residence visas.  We also hope to do some shopping for supplies, food, and medicine in the next few days.  On Friday, we will drive back with Marvin's wife and youngest son to meet the brigade on the way to La Esperanza.  

In case anyone is wondering, I have not had a hives breakout since I last wrote.  I have been taking Allegra regularly to prevent that from occurring.  

January 11

Yesterday was a big day for us.  Luke got his 4-month checkup from Dr. Jaime, complete with three shots, which caused a lot of suffering, judging from his inconsolable cries.  Today, he is doing much better, though he still has the runny nose that he's had all week, aka "el gripe".  He continues to sleep well, which has been great.  (I continue to try to load 4-month pictures; but the program is not working at the moment).

Yesterday, I visited the two superintendents of Magdalena and Santa Lucia to ask for permission to convene all the students together on the first day of the class (some of them will be missing class at the high schools for that).  I went with Miguel, the peace corp worker, and with Luke.  Luke was a big hit with both women.  Both said whatever day I picked would be fine and the superintendent from Santa Lucia was interested in getting the course in the high school.  They have an "orientadora," a teacher who is in charge of talks and motivational speaks at the school.  The superintendent will send her over to the clinic to me to learn the material to take back to the school.

Next step is to begin visiting the students to let them know about the class.  I am excited about getting to know the students better.

January 9

Today is Luke's 4-month birthday.  In celebration, more pictures have been posted to the web.   Tomorrow, he will have his 4-month appointment, complete with a round of shots that have been waiting in our refrigerator.

The O'Deas return from their 2-week journey to the States this evening.  We are excited to have them back, though I do feel for poor Butterscotch (their hamster who we have been taking care of) who will, once again, not be allowed to rest night or day.  I do think that Butterscotch has enjoyed her 2-week vacation spent sleeping, eating, and exercising on her wheel.   She is looking a little plumper these days.  

We have finally established a sleep schedule (though as soon as I announce something like that, it tends to change)!  Luke is going to bed, most nights, by 5:30, eating one or two times at night, waking up around 6am, and taking naps at 8:30 and 12:30.  His naps last an hour to two hours. It's great knowing that he will go down by 5:30, at which point I can actually fold the laundry, put away diapers, and finish the chapter in the book I'm reading.  

We have actually spent the last two nights downstairs with other employees, eating brownies and playing cards.  It has been fun to spend more time with Dra. Belkis, Marvin, Dr. Ruben, Don Berto, and Miguel. This weekend, we ate most of our meals together, which was nice.  

The highlight of the week, so far, was our purchase of a hammock at the market on Sunday.  We hung it out on the back porch, which is cool in the morning and evening.  The whole family has enjoyed it.  Andy had been wanting one for awhile; so now his dream has come true.

January 5

I met with the committee this afternoon and they approved the course.  The also approved the section on sexuality but stressed that I use tact and have some sensitivity when explaining to the students' families the different topics to be addressed.  The next step is to meet with the superintendents of the two schools to establish a good starting date when I can get the whole group of students together in the morning.  Then, Nelson and I will begin to talk with the families and tell the students when and where to arrive.

I am also going to begin teaching an English class for the staff and members of the committee.  We will begin next Thursday night by selecting an available evening and time for everyone.  I am excited about this class as it will give me the opportunity to get to know the staff and committee members better.

I have been hit by hives!  Twice this week, I woke up to an outbreak all over me.  This started on Thanksgiving day and has occurred about once a week since that point.  We still cannot figure out what has been causing the hives; we may never figure it out.  However, it is the most itchy and annoying thing!  It usually happens at night, which means that I don't sleep after I break out; and it usually happens the second part of the night.  I would really love to start getting some decent sleep, as Luke has started to sleep a little bit better; but that doesn't seem to be possible.

Luke slept REALLY well last night, which meant that he was very smiley and laughed a lot today, the whole day, right up until he figured out that it was time to go to bed for the night.  It is amazing what a good night's sleep can do for the little guy, and for us.  

Andy is starting to get sick, again.  We are hoping that with a little rest he will get better, like the last time.
January 4

Well, no luck on the vacation.  Too many issues with the visas.  Some other time.  We'll probably end up going to San Pedro or Tegucigalpa to work on the visas and do some grocery shopping.

Dr. Ruben is back!  Andy got to sleep last night!  It is nice to have two doctors around.  However, we found out what it was like for Dr. Ruben before we and the O'Deas arrived.  

I started serious work on the life skills course.  Yesterday, I went to meet with Profesora Blanca, the head of the committee, about the course.  We worked out some details.  Tomorrow, I will present my information to the committee, after which point Nelson and I will meet with all the families to tell them about the class and when it starts.  I am hoping to get the class going by the end of February.  In the meantime, I am looking look through the curriculum for needed materials that we will have to buy when we go to the big city.  The course is activity and discussion-based, which should make it very interesting.  We'll see how it goes.

January 2

 Happy new year!  Luke and I are sitting at the computer trying to type, both of us, which doesn't quite work.  

We had a great new year's day.  Andy worked on painting another room, we went for a walk together, and we decided to implement Luke's new sleep schedule, which Luke has yet to embrace. We enjoyed having the time together and being able to get a few more things done on our list.  

Luke has a tooth coming in, which hasn't seemed to cause him much pain, as far as we can tell.  It is amazing how fast he is learning different skills!  He has a bouncy chair that has two animal rattles on each side.  These animals are stuck down in their slots and, up until yesterday, take an adult to get them loose.  Well, Luke learned that all he has to do is hit this animal in a strategic place and it will go flying across the room, at which point he looks up at mom or dad beaming, very proud of himself. Now he needs to master the ability to grab these animal rattles instead of using them as punching bags.

Today is Andy's last day as a solo doctor.  Dr. Ruben returns this evening.  It hasn't been bad at all for Andy.  I think that today has been the busiest day yet with everyone waiting until the clinic was open again for regular appointments (and cheaper rates) to bring in their sick children.  The slow days may have been due to the fact that 1) Andy is not a Honduran doctor, and 2) he makes people pay for their appointments.  The clinic charges a minimal rate, which pays for a patient's appointment, any procedures like ultrasound or x-ray, and prescriptions (though it hardly covers all of that).  The clinic uses this money to pay their staff, purchase supplies, and make repairs.  It is important that people pay what they can for their appointment, instead of receiving a free handout.  However, often, though people have the money, they still don't want to pay.  Andy is very good at getting people to pay for the services they received.  (This also means that there are some doctors who are not as consistent in requesting payment).  All that said, many other factors could have caused people to stay at home instead of coming to the doctor.

We are trying to plan a mini-vacation to Northern Honduras.  We will have been here in Honduras for three months in January, at which point we are required to take a week-long trip.  We have been encouraged by the O'Deas to go before the brigade comes in January.  However, we have to work out a few details before we can plan anything.  It should be nice, though, to get away.  





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