So last week we decided we would try out the public transport for the first time, and all I can really say about the whole experience was that it was a giant epic fail!! We needed to go shopping for some more food for the house, and so decided that we would get a bus into and then a taxi home. We left the house and headed for the "bus stop" (you just stand at the edge of the road), normally while at home we see buses go past the house every ten to twenty minutes, but buses always follow the rule that when you want one there are never any in sight. Not a good start. After waiting what seemed like a year, and was in fact about forty-five minutes, we finally saw a bus heading down the road towards us, we both stepped forward to the very edge of the road and began waiving the bus down…and then continued waving, slightly confused, as the bus drove straight past us off down the road. Great!! After recounting this story to Vanessa she told us that the bus driver "probably thought we looked too foreign, and foreign people don't get the bus". Since then we've stuck to the bikes.

The "march" for the day of the flag last week turned out not to be so much of a march, but more like a slow semi-organised wander from the edge of the centre into the middle. I'm hoping that the march later this week will follow a similar pattern. Anna and I are both very much looking forward to next weekend as we have a half day of on Friday (after the march) and have been invited to a teachers lunch to celebrate teachers day. Teachers day is on the following Monday (the 17th), which means we have no school and so have planned a long weekend with some of the other Hondie girls in La Ceiba, a large town further along the coast. We are really, really looking forward to it as it will be the first time we have left Tela and seen any of the others since we got here, we're planning a nice relaxing weekend, topping up the tan, trying more of the local food, having our first taste of a real Caribbean cocktail and seeing what Honduras' biggest coastal town has to offer. :D

Following on from teachers day, and my main reason for writing, last Friday we celebrated CHILDRENS DAY!! Which basically meant whole school party, which the children had been looking forward to all week. The afternoon started with an assembly where the teachers put on a little play acting out the children's rights, I was meant to be involved but everybody was talking in Spanish and so there are lot of photos of me looking very confused, anyway the children absolutely loved it as they got to laugh at all their teachers messing around. Next was the best party of the day…LUNCH!! My class had Chinese rice, which was delicious and seeing as small children prefer the sweet stuff I got loads of (which I was very happy about), lots of soda (as it's called out here), cake (please read about the cake below), and party bags filled with sweets. We also had a bit of a teacher food swap, I traded some of my rice and in return got two slices of pizza, one from Anna and one from Vanessa. Now that the kids were super excited and hype from being filled with cake and soda did the real fun begin. The most exciting thing was the bouncy castle that had been brought in all the way from San Pedro Sula, they go all out on childrens day, but there was also skipping, a piñata, and many classroom games. The children were then all carted off home by their parents at 3 o'clock (rather than at 5,when school normally finishes), so that we could tidy up and have some much needed relaxation time. Thankfully the whole day went by very smoothly, mine were on the whole very well behaved, although the boys were very upset when the girls got to go on the bouncy castle first, and I had no upsets, unlike in Anna's class when three of the girls cried at separate points throughout the afternoon!!

The cake that one of the parents brought in for childrens day was sooooooo good. I've never really been a massive cake fan myself, often Mum used to eat the cake out of my party bags before it went mouldy and if I did eat the cake she always got the icing. I have, however, found a new love for cake and especially the icing. I have never ever tasted icing like it before, it tastes exactly like the middle of a marshmallow after you've melted it over the fire and has a soft texture that sort of melts in your mouth. I MUST find out how they make it so that I can bring home the wonder that is Honduran icing. A photo of this heavenly cake can hopefully be found in the "childrens day" album. :P

So yesterday (Saturday) the time had come for us to move out of the volunteer house and in with Graciela and Raul. In true Honduran style they said they would come and pick us up in the afternoon and we didn't get a call until half past 8, when it had just begun to pour with rain, that we got a call to say that Graciela was on her way. So far we quite like living with Graciela and Raul, we feel much more a part of Honduran life as we are living in a proper Tela "estate" and have already started picking up even more Spanish. The new phrase from today is "Tengo sueno", which means "I'm tired". Raul also has a dog, Rody, he is a big beautiful dog who got very excited when we arrived jumping up on the car boot with one paw on either side of me, like a sort of dog hug!! Don't tell Freckles and Dilly they might get jealous. :P

Our first day with Graciela and Raul was a rather fun, interesting experience. We started the day by going to church (it was Sunday), we thought that there would be no harm in giving it a try. Then straight after church we headed for San Pedro Sula!! Now Anna and I had been warned that we would may be going to San Pedro, but we assumed we would head home first to change out of church clothes and pick up some stuff to take, as a result we headed off dressed nicely with absolutely nothing with us!! The journey to San Pedro took longer than expected, it turns out Graciela and Raul have lots of friends, some of whom we stopped to say "hola" to on the way there. It was nice to visit San Pedro in the day time as we got to see all the amazing scenery along the way that we had missed as it had been pitch black when we got off the plane 5 weeks ago!! Half way there at about 1 we stopped off in El Progreso at "Power Chicken" for a spot of lunchbefore carrying on. We finally arrived in San Pedro and pulled up to the biggest American style superstore I have ever been to, it seemed rather odd and out of place among the mountains and tropical rain storm outside. Anyway we headed in and followed Graciela around the store having no idea what she was looking for, we finally got to the toy section where she collected 4 swings and then went off to the checkout and back out to the car. We had gone all the way to San Pedro to buy 4 swings!!

Anna and I are both starting to feel quite at home here in Honduras, it's very peculiar but it no longer seems odd that I cycle to school every day, past the palm trees and fruit schools, to teach English to Honduran children. Funny how quickly you can get used to things.

Anyway, Lots of Love

P.s I've put up and album of our childrens day antics so have a look.