On Fridays, all of the children get together for their big circle. You can see a video of this at Orphanage Emmanuel's website. This morning, the various age groups went up to the center to recite their bible verses. Then Merethe led the children in a devotion, followed by the children singing praises to God. After circle, I went back to the volunteer house to have breakfast, work on the puzzle, and journal a little bit before heading off to the storage room. I have to wait until the children are in their classes, so that I am not a distraction to the school - or the children would be hovering around me and arrive late to class. They SO crave attention.
Todd sat in the storage room keeping me company. Robert had assigned him to gather email addresses of various colleges, so that he can look for potential teachers willing to donate a year to come down and teach at their school. He played Spanish Christian songs on his computer while we worked - introducing me to various artists. It took an hour to fill a rubbermaid container with pencils. The pencils were in cardboard boxes and some of the boxes had already been the victims of termites.
I came down to the internet cafe at about 11:00am to update 2 days worth of journaling since the internet was down yesterday, then went with Esti to the restaurant for another taco de pollo. This time, instead of the avocado, Verónica put lettuce with shredded Honduran cheese on it. It was still good - although I'd rather have the slice of avocado.
After lunch I went back to the storage room to continue working on filling a second, bigger rubbermaid with pencils. I worked until 3:00pm before heading back to the volunteer house. Since the kids eat supper at about 3:30 and I wasn't hungry yet, I listened to a praise and worship CD to relax. When I went through all of the songs I was familiar with, I headed to the young/medium girls eating hall, hoping they would be close to finishing their food. I noticed some young girls were standing in a line while eating their food. When I asked the older girls in charge, they had told me these girls were goofing around during the devotion, prayer and song-time before supper; so their punishment was to stand while eating.
Doris came over to chat with me a bit and when the younger girls were finished eating, she had to clean the eating hall and kitchen area. I offered to help, but Merethe said that Doris and 2 other girls were cleaning as an "extra" chore tonight since they did not memorize their scriptures for this morning's circle. She mentioned that if I'd like to help her bathe the children that she was in charge of and help them to brush their teeth, I was welcome to do so. In addition to being the high school principal, she is in charge of 64 young girls. Although Merethe said volunteers generally don't help with this (because they usually feel uncomfortable doing this type of work), for me it was a BLAST! I put toothpaste on their toothbrushes for them (so they didn't squirt too much on) and there were girls Alina's size running around everywhere...waiting to shower, waiting to get clothes on for the night, waiting for toothpaste, or waiting to get their hair brushed. The girls finally started to settle down to watch a movie together and Merethe mentioned that it was about to pour, so although I had planned to watch the movie, I ran back to the volunteer house before the hard rain came down.
The girls at the volunteer house (Esti, Anita, Sheila, Carolyn & Lindsey) got out a game of Scattergories and we all played. Sheila ended up winning - she is a very quick and original thinker! After the game, I spent time on my journal, watched "Sweet Home Alabama" with Lindsey, and then headed for bed.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
August 7th - Boxes are Exciting!
After getting up, showered and dressed, I had a little breakfast here at the volunteer house. I wanted to start this blog about a few observances that I didn't pay much attention to (having lived in México), but may be "different" from what most Americans are accustomed to:
- Eggs are not refrigerated - they say that when they come straight from the farm, they'll actually last longer if you don't refrigerate them.
- Milk comes in boxes/cartons and is not refrigerated until you open it. They "process" it in a way that does not require refrigeration for the milk before it is opened. You can also buy milk in small bags (smaller than the bags you get at Kwik Trip...approximately pint-sized).
- The soap for washing dishes comes in a solid, the most common brand is called "Axion". You use one of those green scrubbies and put a little bit of water in the container of soap (the container is slightly larger than a container of Cool Whip), and scrub all of the dishes with this. After all dishes are clean, you rinse them and allow them to air-dry. Dishes were ALWAYS washed like this in México, and I wanted to make special note of this, because I liked this soap and method MUCH better than our liquid soap that we use.
- Toilet paper cannot be flushed in most restrooms/bathrooms. The plumbing is very sensitive in these countries, so if you see a waste basket next to the toilet, that is where you should put your toilet paper after you use it.
I went to the young girls circle this morning. Antonia, a girl who I had met yesterday, asked me to stand next to her. I have to be sure to get a picture of her, Lilian and Blanca. The last two I had met earlier in the week, but see every day. I'll still have to take a picture of Cynthia too.
As I was working in the storage room this morning - I had to get rid of all of the empty boxes from yesterday. Todd was next door in the principal's office, so I used his phone to call Robert (the elementary school principal). Robert said to take them out to the high school yard for the kids to put the grass clippings in. I have NEVER seen older kids like this so happy to get empty boxes! They just ran at me with smiles on their faces each time I brought more out.
I spent two hours this morning on the storage room before heading to the internet cafe at 11:20am to update my blog, but since the internet was down, I ended up hanging out at the restaurant with Esti and Todd. I had a baleada de pollo and a baleada de frijol, but decided I liked the taco de pollo that I had eaten yesterday better. Todd mentioned that he comes every summer, so I told him I'd most likely hook Andrés up with him next summer to help on the farm, in the yards, or at the school.
I spent a little over an hour in the school's storage room this afternoon doing more organizing. I have about 1/3 of it done now. When I came back to the volunteer house, I finished my 2nd book of the three that I had brought down. There was a 500-piece puzzle on a shelf, so I started that. Anita helped me with it for about an hour, then we went on a walk down to the farm. I took pictures of their horses and cows, and had to get a close-up of their bulldozer (for Noah to see). We saw the boys out playing soccer. When we came back, we worked on the puzzle until about 7:00pm before updating my journal and heading to bed.
August 6th - The Clinic Gets Medical Supplies
I woke up about 5:00am and read a couple of chapters in another book I brought. I went to the young/medium girls circle again today and saw Doris, an older girl I had met in the circle yesterday. I am going to try to learn at least one new name each day. Hopefully they will let me take a picture of them as well.
After circle, I came back and met Sheila at the volunteer house door. She is a long-term volunteer and works in the health clinic here at the orphanage. She's decided to go to college to become a nurse when she returns to the State in late October. We took the medical supplies to the clinic that Linda had sent. Sheila was very appreciative of all the supplies and mentioned that the arm sling would come in handy since she just got back from the Teguc hospital with a girl from Orphanage Emmanuel who had broken her arm. When we arrived at the clinic, there was already a line formed to see Sheila.
After that, I headed back to the storage room at the school to do some more organization. Esti joined me after about an hour to help. I'm still nowhere near done, but did manage to open and put away ALL the boxes of notebooks - or so I thought...until I found 5 more boxes! I had been working for two and a half hours and my stomach was really starting to growl, so I locked up and we went down to see Verónica in the restaurant. We each bought a chicken taco for 13 Lempiras (about 60 cents in USD). They were big and filled us up. Then I went to the internet cafe to post my journal.
I saw Doris on the way back to the volunteer house and I think she's excited to be the 1st person whose picture I take. On the way back, I also saw the girls getting into groups to check each other for lice. This is a routine thing here and there is a rule that any girls who do not comply get 3 inches cut from their hair. The orphanage wants to ensure that the children practice good hygiene.
Esti and I put in two more hours on the storage room. I can see a little progress has been made now, but still have a long way to go! I ate supper with the young girls - tortillas, beans, salad & fried bananas. Then I took a picture of Doris before heading back to the volunteer house.
At 5:00pm there was a bible study for the older girls (ages 16+). The topic was on respecting your elders because their advice is due to their experience and also to leave your problems in God's hands for Him to handle in God's time.
After circle, I came back and met Sheila at the volunteer house door. She is a long-term volunteer and works in the health clinic here at the orphanage. She's decided to go to college to become a nurse when she returns to the State in late October. We took the medical supplies to the clinic that Linda had sent. Sheila was very appreciative of all the supplies and mentioned that the arm sling would come in handy since she just got back from the Teguc hospital with a girl from Orphanage Emmanuel who had broken her arm. When we arrived at the clinic, there was already a line formed to see Sheila.
After that, I headed back to the storage room at the school to do some more organization. Esti joined me after about an hour to help. I'm still nowhere near done, but did manage to open and put away ALL the boxes of notebooks - or so I thought...until I found 5 more boxes! I had been working for two and a half hours and my stomach was really starting to growl, so I locked up and we went down to see Verónica in the restaurant. We each bought a chicken taco for 13 Lempiras (about 60 cents in USD). They were big and filled us up. Then I went to the internet cafe to post my journal.
I saw Doris on the way back to the volunteer house and I think she's excited to be the 1st person whose picture I take. On the way back, I also saw the girls getting into groups to check each other for lice. This is a routine thing here and there is a rule that any girls who do not comply get 3 inches cut from their hair. The orphanage wants to ensure that the children practice good hygiene.
Esti and I put in two more hours on the storage room. I can see a little progress has been made now, but still have a long way to go! I ate supper with the young girls - tortillas, beans, salad & fried bananas. Then I took a picture of Doris before heading back to the volunteer house.
At 5:00pm there was a bible study for the older girls (ages 16+). The topic was on respecting your elders because their advice is due to their experience and also to leave your problems in God's hands for Him to handle in God's time.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
August 5th - My 1st Full Day Here
This morning I took a shower. They had HOT water (unlike the hotel I stayed in), but I grew up taking "4 minute showers" as my dad would say...so I didn't waste any water. The water here comes from a well, so it is safe to drink. You hear all the time that when you go to a country south of us (i.e. Mexico), you should NOT drink the water. It is not because the water isn't purified - but rather because their purification process utilizes different chemicals than ours, leaving some microorganisms in the water that our body systems aren't used to.
Anyway, Esti & I went to the young/medium girls' circle this morning. They sing songs and have a devotion. One of the older girls, Cynthia, led the bible reading and followed up with devotion. I was told that she goes to the university in Teguc and is studying to become a doctor. Esti & I helped with breakfast (granola and a Hostess cake...Alina would LOVE it here). We chatted with some girls afterward - most thought Esti (who's 20 years old) was my daughter! After chatting, it was time for the girls to go to school.
I went to the toddler's dorm next, to play with the bubble-making machine that I had brought. At first, the toddlers took more interest in the actual machine than the bubbles coming out of it, but eventually started to chase the bubbles.
I then went to talk with Merethe about the library, but she said that the boys were still working on shelving for the primary library. She wanted to know if I could help her out by organizing their school storage room. She showed me the room which has 3 rows of metal shelving with supplies piled everywhere. There were boxes of donated items stacked on the floor as well. She mentioned that termites had gotten into the room (and she pointed them out), so all of the cardboard needed to go. I said that I could get it very organized...many of you know me & my perfectionism in organizational tactics, LOL. After she left, I looked around and didn't have a CLUE where to start. Everything was everywhere!!! I got a shelf cleared & stacked the entire shelf with wide-ruled notebooks. That's about all I could do yesterday since in the afternoon I was scheduled to work in the internet cafe.
I worked in the internet cafe from 12:15 - 2:45. Esti & Cynthia came in to use the internet, and at 2:45 Kim came by to take us to town. The road from Orphanage Emmanuel to town is a dirt road and their "potholes" make ours in the U.S. look like nothing. I'll have to try to remember my camera the next time I go into town. We got a few groceries and just saw a little bit of the town before coming back.
When we got back, it was too late to join the kids for supper, so I made myself a chicken-bologna sandwich with cheese and mustard on whole grain bread (supplies I had bought from town). After chatting with the volunteers, I decided to "call it a night" around 7pm.
Anyway, Esti & I went to the young/medium girls' circle this morning. They sing songs and have a devotion. One of the older girls, Cynthia, led the bible reading and followed up with devotion. I was told that she goes to the university in Teguc and is studying to become a doctor. Esti & I helped with breakfast (granola and a Hostess cake...Alina would LOVE it here). We chatted with some girls afterward - most thought Esti (who's 20 years old) was my daughter! After chatting, it was time for the girls to go to school.
I went to the toddler's dorm next, to play with the bubble-making machine that I had brought. At first, the toddlers took more interest in the actual machine than the bubbles coming out of it, but eventually started to chase the bubbles.
I then went to talk with Merethe about the library, but she said that the boys were still working on shelving for the primary library. She wanted to know if I could help her out by organizing their school storage room. She showed me the room which has 3 rows of metal shelving with supplies piled everywhere. There were boxes of donated items stacked on the floor as well. She mentioned that termites had gotten into the room (and she pointed them out), so all of the cardboard needed to go. I said that I could get it very organized...many of you know me & my perfectionism in organizational tactics, LOL. After she left, I looked around and didn't have a CLUE where to start. Everything was everywhere!!! I got a shelf cleared & stacked the entire shelf with wide-ruled notebooks. That's about all I could do yesterday since in the afternoon I was scheduled to work in the internet cafe.
I worked in the internet cafe from 12:15 - 2:45. Esti & Cynthia came in to use the internet, and at 2:45 Kim came by to take us to town. The road from Orphanage Emmanuel to town is a dirt road and their "potholes" make ours in the U.S. look like nothing. I'll have to try to remember my camera the next time I go into town. We got a few groceries and just saw a little bit of the town before coming back.
When we got back, it was too late to join the kids for supper, so I made myself a chicken-bologna sandwich with cheese and mustard on whole grain bread (supplies I had bought from town). After chatting with the volunteers, I decided to "call it a night" around 7pm.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
August 4th - Arrival at Orphanage Emmanuel
I woke up at 3:30 this morning to catch the 5:45 Hedman Alas bus to Tegucigalpa. I realized 2 things: 1) the sun goes down at 7pm here (which explains why they get up so early & go to bed so early at the orphanage), and 2) I was charged WAY too much last night for the taxi to take me to my hotel. He charged $20USD. At that point, I didn´t care, because my hotel taxi was not at the airport to meet me...but I did ask this morning how much a taxi would cost to go to the bus station & he said 80 Lempiras (or $4USD). I asked him to call his taxi and used that rather than waiting for the taxi driver from last night - who was going to take me this morning...for another $20USD!!!
The Hedman Alas bus to Teguc (as Hondurans call it) took 4 hours. It was a coach bus and they played the movie ¨The Guardian¨ with Kevin Costner. It played in English with NO subtitles - which I found surprising seeing as the majority of the riders were Spanish-speaking.
Carlos picked me up from the bus station and took me to the Metromall in Teguc where I met up with Esti & Anita (the other 2 volunteers). I bought 2 packages of Special K granola bars to snack on if I got hungry. It was about an hour & a half ride to the orphanage. We saw lots of cows and donkeys along the road-side as we went...similar to what I had experience when I had traveled on rural roads in Mexico.
Katja met us when we got to Orphanage Emmanuel and showed us to the female volunteer dorm. We then headed down to their internet cafe to let our families know we had arrived safely. I sent an email to Bob & he had responded before I logged out. Lindsay, another volunteer here, gave us a tour around the grounds. Anita & I also walked around with Lindsey as she gave out medications to the girls during supper. I was offered 2 tortillas, which were VERY good. When I got back to the volunteer dorm, I unpacked and settled in. All of the volunteers seem SO nice.
Katja held a meeting at 5:30 to give us our responsibilities for this week. My main responsibility is to help split the current library into a primary & secondary school library. Each of us 3 new volunteers received different responsibilities, but we seemed to feel they were a perfect fit for us. I really believe that Katja prayed to God to speak to her about how to best use our talents.
After the meeting, the volunteers (mostly college-age students) hung out to chat for a while before heading off to bed at 8:45.
The Hedman Alas bus to Teguc (as Hondurans call it) took 4 hours. It was a coach bus and they played the movie ¨The Guardian¨ with Kevin Costner. It played in English with NO subtitles - which I found surprising seeing as the majority of the riders were Spanish-speaking.
Carlos picked me up from the bus station and took me to the Metromall in Teguc where I met up with Esti & Anita (the other 2 volunteers). I bought 2 packages of Special K granola bars to snack on if I got hungry. It was about an hour & a half ride to the orphanage. We saw lots of cows and donkeys along the road-side as we went...similar to what I had experience when I had traveled on rural roads in Mexico.
Katja met us when we got to Orphanage Emmanuel and showed us to the female volunteer dorm. We then headed down to their internet cafe to let our families know we had arrived safely. I sent an email to Bob & he had responded before I logged out. Lindsay, another volunteer here, gave us a tour around the grounds. Anita & I also walked around with Lindsey as she gave out medications to the girls during supper. I was offered 2 tortillas, which were VERY good. When I got back to the volunteer dorm, I unpacked and settled in. All of the volunteers seem SO nice.
Katja held a meeting at 5:30 to give us our responsibilities for this week. My main responsibility is to help split the current library into a primary & secondary school library. Each of us 3 new volunteers received different responsibilities, but we seemed to feel they were a perfect fit for us. I really believe that Katja prayed to God to speak to her about how to best use our talents.
After the meeting, the volunteers (mostly college-age students) hung out to chat for a while before heading off to bed at 8:45.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
August 3rd - My 1st Night in Honduras
I had never been to Atlanta International Airport before this trip. I entered the airport and went to the line for kiosk assistance - having absolutely no clue what that meant. A lady in a Delta uniform was walking up and down the aisles telling everyone to try the "self check-in" kiosks first. So, I got out of line to try to check myself in. I scanned my passport through...only to read the message "Go to kiosk assistance", so back to the end of the original line I went. I was behind some people from Indiana, Chicago and Milwaukee though...so we shared a commonality.
It seems Delta had a LOT of delayed and cancelled flights last night due to the storm. When I got to the representative from the kiosk assistance area, he told me I was in the WRONG line. He pointed out the "Ticket Line" across the room, which seemed to have a never-ending, snail-paced line. I was extremely grateful that he checked me in rather than making me go over there.
My black bag weighed in at 51 pounds - he made a verbal note of that, giving me the opportunity to take something out before charging me. Again, I was very grateful. All it took was to take out a pair of shorts (my carry-on could at least fit those) and I was down to 50 pounds. The other suitcase weighed in at exactly 50 pounds. I had done some shifting around of the items to my carry-on back at the hotel this morning.
My flight to San Salvador went well. I had requested a low-calorie meal when I ordered my tickets online, so when the flight attendant came around with the meals and asked if I had the diabetic meal - naturally I said "no". They checked their records and said "Are you LoriAnn?" That´s when I realized that DIABETIC EQUALS NO SUGAR WHICH MEANS LOW CALORIE. Where´s Bob when I need him?
My layover in San Salvador was just under 7 hours. Did you know their currency is the U.S. dollar? About 1/2 way through the layover, I got myself a vanilla cappuchino. I spent most of my time doing sudoku puzzles and finishing the book that Rita bought me - Sticks & Stones by Susan Meissner. It was a GREAT Christian fiction book! I will most likely leave the book at the orphanage for staff and future volunteers to read.
While I waited at Gate 12 for my TACA flight 374 to Honduras, the large flat screen TV on the wall came on and the 1st thing that was shown was a music video by Maranatha Music of "Power of Your Love". This was one of the songs played at Bob & my wedding. It was very reassuring for me to see and hear music worshipping our Lord as well as giving me a few comforting minutes to remember one of the best days of my life.
The flight to Honduras was okay. We flew through a storm, so there was quite a bit of turbulence. When I got to the airport, there was no one to pick me up; however a really nice young man from Hotel Real Intercontinental sent me one of their taxis to take me downtown to the hotel. I shared the taxi with a woman from Panamá. The taxi driver was GREAT and drove a lot better than what I was used to when I lived in México.
My hotel room is cozy, but I´m only going to use it to sleep and I´ll be heading out for the bus station at 5:00am tomorrow to catch a ride to the capital, Tegucigalpa. A driver for the orphanage will pick me up at the Tegucigalpa Hedman Alas bus station to transport me from there.
It seems Delta had a LOT of delayed and cancelled flights last night due to the storm. When I got to the representative from the kiosk assistance area, he told me I was in the WRONG line. He pointed out the "Ticket Line" across the room, which seemed to have a never-ending, snail-paced line. I was extremely grateful that he checked me in rather than making me go over there.
My black bag weighed in at 51 pounds - he made a verbal note of that, giving me the opportunity to take something out before charging me. Again, I was very grateful. All it took was to take out a pair of shorts (my carry-on could at least fit those) and I was down to 50 pounds. The other suitcase weighed in at exactly 50 pounds. I had done some shifting around of the items to my carry-on back at the hotel this morning.
My flight to San Salvador went well. I had requested a low-calorie meal when I ordered my tickets online, so when the flight attendant came around with the meals and asked if I had the diabetic meal - naturally I said "no". They checked their records and said "Are you LoriAnn?" That´s when I realized that DIABETIC EQUALS NO SUGAR WHICH MEANS LOW CALORIE. Where´s Bob when I need him?
My layover in San Salvador was just under 7 hours. Did you know their currency is the U.S. dollar? About 1/2 way through the layover, I got myself a vanilla cappuchino. I spent most of my time doing sudoku puzzles and finishing the book that Rita bought me - Sticks & Stones by Susan Meissner. It was a GREAT Christian fiction book! I will most likely leave the book at the orphanage for staff and future volunteers to read.
While I waited at Gate 12 for my TACA flight 374 to Honduras, the large flat screen TV on the wall came on and the 1st thing that was shown was a music video by Maranatha Music of "Power of Your Love". This was one of the songs played at Bob & my wedding. It was very reassuring for me to see and hear music worshipping our Lord as well as giving me a few comforting minutes to remember one of the best days of my life.
The flight to Honduras was okay. We flew through a storm, so there was quite a bit of turbulence. When I got to the airport, there was no one to pick me up; however a really nice young man from Hotel Real Intercontinental sent me one of their taxis to take me downtown to the hotel. I shared the taxi with a woman from Panamá. The taxi driver was GREAT and drove a lot better than what I was used to when I lived in México.
My hotel room is cozy, but I´m only going to use it to sleep and I´ll be heading out for the bus station at 5:00am tomorrow to catch a ride to the capital, Tegucigalpa. A driver for the orphanage will pick me up at the Tegucigalpa Hedman Alas bus station to transport me from there.
Atlanta - August 2nd
After getting stuck in stopped traffic for 45 minutes on the south side of Milwaukee, and after road construction from the Illinois State Line to Jim & Jeanne's, I finally got there (late) at 12:30pm. We had planned to have lunch - but because of the slow driving from Milwaukee to Chicago (and knowing I'd be late), I had grabbed lunch on the way. When I got to their house, I only had time to quickly use the bathroom. By the time I came back outside, Jim had my bags loaded into his vehicle and we were off to Midway.
Jeanne helped me take my 2 suitcases and 2 carry-ons into the airport while Jim circled the airport waiting for her. I was charged $25 for "extra baggage", but I supposed that's much more tolerable that the $80 I should've been charged when their meter read that the bag was 51 pounds (for going over their 50# limit). the plane was the smallest I've ever been on and it was packed with people. I suppose with the higher gas prices, the airlines are trying to take the smallest, most fuel-efficient aircraft possible that will fit all who bought tickets.
My ride down to Atlanta was good. Atlanta is HOT! I had to wait outside for my shuttle to the hotel which was right outside the airport. I got to the airport at 7pm and it began to storm heavily immediately after I arrived. Glad I missed it. I signed in, got my room (on the 2nd floor), went up and locked the door behind me. I put my luggage in front of the door just as a precaution since I am traveling alone.
I called mom when I got there & talked to mom, dad & Alina. Alina told me that Kaylyn said "mama" for the first time. OF COURSE she HAD to wait until I left. Mom agreed that she said it clear as day. I called Cheryl after talking to them, to chat for a while and keep me busy. I was contemplating going to Denny's to eat across the parking lot, but decided I wasn't that hungry after all. I finally drifted off to sleep between 9:30 and 10pm...Atlanta is an hour ahead of our Wisconsin time.
Andrés called just after I had fallen asleep to tell me that they were on their way back from the Timber Rattler game. We said goodnight and here I am this morning, waiting for the 7am shuttle to take me to the airport. My plane heads out at 10:00am, so I should be there by 8:00, but I want to get there a little earlier so that I can check in and call Bob & the kids before they head off to church.
I thought I saw on the internet that Hotel Real has a computer with internet access, so we'll see how tired I am when I get down to Honduras tonight - provided the 2 flights go well. I will head for the capital tomorrow morning (at 5:00am) in a coach bus, which should take about 4 hours. A driver will pick me up from the bus station to take me out to the orphanage at that point. So I should be to Orphanage Emmanuel by tomorrow afternoon.
Jeanne helped me take my 2 suitcases and 2 carry-ons into the airport while Jim circled the airport waiting for her. I was charged $25 for "extra baggage", but I supposed that's much more tolerable that the $80 I should've been charged when their meter read that the bag was 51 pounds (for going over their 50# limit). the plane was the smallest I've ever been on and it was packed with people. I suppose with the higher gas prices, the airlines are trying to take the smallest, most fuel-efficient aircraft possible that will fit all who bought tickets.
My ride down to Atlanta was good. Atlanta is HOT! I had to wait outside for my shuttle to the hotel which was right outside the airport. I got to the airport at 7pm and it began to storm heavily immediately after I arrived. Glad I missed it. I signed in, got my room (on the 2nd floor), went up and locked the door behind me. I put my luggage in front of the door just as a precaution since I am traveling alone.
I called mom when I got there & talked to mom, dad & Alina. Alina told me that Kaylyn said "mama" for the first time. OF COURSE she HAD to wait until I left. Mom agreed that she said it clear as day. I called Cheryl after talking to them, to chat for a while and keep me busy. I was contemplating going to Denny's to eat across the parking lot, but decided I wasn't that hungry after all. I finally drifted off to sleep between 9:30 and 10pm...Atlanta is an hour ahead of our Wisconsin time.
Andrés called just after I had fallen asleep to tell me that they were on their way back from the Timber Rattler game. We said goodnight and here I am this morning, waiting for the 7am shuttle to take me to the airport. My plane heads out at 10:00am, so I should be there by 8:00, but I want to get there a little earlier so that I can check in and call Bob & the kids before they head off to church.
I thought I saw on the internet that Hotel Real has a computer with internet access, so we'll see how tired I am when I get down to Honduras tonight - provided the 2 flights go well. I will head for the capital tomorrow morning (at 5:00am) in a coach bus, which should take about 4 hours. A driver will pick me up from the bus station to take me out to the orphanage at that point. So I should be to Orphanage Emmanuel by tomorrow afternoon.
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