So this is it! The countdown to coming home is smashing through the
single digits and I'm finding it difficult to believe that by Saturday
afternoon I’ll be Scotland-bound. Both Innes and I have already had to bid
farewell to many people and places that we have become so familiar with over
the last 12 months, but the hardest are yet to come. It’s going to be
inexplicably difficult to say goodbye to friends, work colleagues, my students
who I’ve become so fond of and my bosses and the children at Miqueas who I have
developed a very special relationship with. There are many thank yous and
reflections on the year that I wish to make but I will firstly recap a few highlights
of the past couple of months.
Firstly was a 3 week holiday to Nicaragua and Costa Rica where the
highlights included a volcano trek through the Costa Rican rainforest, hiring
motorscooters, going canyoning and visiting numerous stunning beaches. The
lowlights were limited to another bank card fiasco and thinking I would lose my
mind on bus after bus after bus so all in all it was a great trip! Although I
have spent significantly more time at my project than travelling this year I
will still take away a number of lessons and unforgettable memories from these 8
weeks!
A couple of recent events that meant a lot to me were more work related.
Last week Innes and I ran a quiz night for the 20 children at Miqueas and aged between
7 – 14. It was sad knowing that it was the last fun event we’d organise for
them outside of normal classes but it was great to see the teams getting
competitive and having a laugh throughout the rounds - the favourite was the
Miqueas specific round. Featured questions included ‘who is the smallest Tia?’,
‘which child broke their arm in 2014’ and ‘if you were to add the ages of the directors/parents
together what number would you get?’.
Another really memorable and special morning was the school celebrations
for ‘Dia del Indio'. This day commemorates ‘Lempira’ an indigenous warrior and
national hero who fought against the Spaniards in the 15th century. When we
arrived at school in the morning we were honoured to find out that Innes and I
along with a local friend would be the judges of the costume competition. This
turned out to be surprisingly difficult as all the costumes were incredible with
so much fine detail, decorations and headdresses made from colourful feathers,
beads, dried beans, maize and cacao. Many dances were performed by groups of
children from most of the school grades which they’d clearly been practising
hard in the afternoons when we work in Miqueas. I was so impressed by everyone,
especially the 1st graders who looked adorable in their outfits and
who took their dancing so seriously. One of the best things about the morning was
that it brought together so many people from the community who we have gotten
to know well over this year – teachers, Miqueas work colleagues, students,
their parents and friends. It was a really lovely atmosphere and I know I will
remember it for years to come.
Our last week is a busy one and we’ve yet to give the house an all
over scrub, mark end-of year tests, finish packing and writing important notes
for next year’s volunteers. Although volunteers have been coming to Miqueas for
many years we are the first ones who have had the opportunity to work within
the community as well, both in the school and kindergarten. The people here are
clearly very thankful (and any opportunity is an opportunity to have a party!)
so they have thrown us a couple of little events! When we saw that the
kindergarten parents had prepared a surprise party for us, and in Honduran
style this means, rice, fried chicken, fizzy juice, cake, balloons and a
piñata, we were overwhelmed and so grateful – I honestly couldn’t stop smiling. The school teachers also threw a party for us this morning which was another emotional event although we're returning tomorrow to say our final goodbyes.
It certainly feels like the last week of school before the summer holidays at
home and there’s no doubt that it’s the end of an era.
There are a few ‘thank yous’ that I feel are important to make.
Firstly to my family, friends and EVERYONE at home who supported me and helped
me to fundraise as without you I wouldn’t be here. Secondly, thank you to
everyone in Honduras who I have spent a lot of time with over the year and who played
a HUGE part in making it the incredible experience that it has been. There are
too many names to mention but you have taught me so much and have given me so many
special memories of my time here. An enormous thank you goes to my Project Trust
partner Innes for well, everything, and to whom I couldn’t have done it without,
she’s been my rock, my best friend, my councilor, family and so much more. I should
probably also thank everyone in advance (or maybe I should warn them to have) patience in hearing ‘honduras this…honduras that’ over and
over upon my return!
Two people who I feel deserve a special mention on my blog are
Melody and Jacob - the Miqueas directors, parents to 36 kids and my bosses. Innes and I have been lucky enough to create a
really good relationship with both of them and in many ways they have been more
like parents or friends to us over this past year, having gone above and beyond
for us on countless occasions. I have learnt so much from them and they have
always challenged me to look at situations from a different viewpoint which has
been so valuable. They have worked and continue to work so hard for their
children as well as the local community and are easily two of the most inspiring
people I’ve ever met.
The next few days are going to be very strange as we make our final
preparations for leaving and say our goodbyes. Spending a year in Honduras has
been nothing short of incredible; in fact there aren’t even words to express
it! ‘I feel as if I have achieved a lot
over my time here and that this country has taught me so much’ - the
overused, pretentious words of your average ‘Gap Yah Kid’ honestly carry so
much truth and for me it expands further than just about this wonderfully
diverse, chaotic and colourful country. Honduras has helped to shape my already
existing views about poverty, inequality and social problems and beyond this I
believe I now have a greater understanding of the world, its politics and it’s issues
on a larger scale too. Another of the greatest things I have obtained from this
year is an understanding about how to work with children. These skills will be
so valuable to me in future jobs, in the Scouting world, other teaching or
leadership roles or even being a parent myself. I could witter on for far
longer about what I have learnt this year and even how the special the final week has been but I will spare you and leave it for my
journal instead!
So it’s over and out from me in Honduras, see you all soon! Thank
you for reading my blog and for the continued support.
Isla
