Tutoring and Talking

This morning I woke at 6:44 to the sound of a neighbor's washing machine.  Let's just say it needs some grease!

Last night Belinda, Lourde's sister, called to ask if I could tutor her son today.  He has some tests coming up which he must pass in order to graduate from his class.  Belinda has been working with Daniel, but you know how kids are with their own mother.

When I first got to Honduras, I lived with Belinda, Daniel and Andres until after my suitcases were found.  Daniel and Andres learn English at school, so they practice their English with me.  They also help me with Spanish.  We go to church every week together each week.  I am excited because this week both Daniel and Andres will be baptized!!!!!  They are excited too.

Anyway, Daniel struggles at school and is not very social.  But he and I have gotten along well since the first time we met.  He doesn't bother to talk to many people.  Last week we hung out and he was very talkative.  I enjoy our conversations.  He is thoughtful.  His mother noticed how talkative he is with me.  We both are curious as to why, but aren't questioning it.  I think maybe he feels more grown when he is with me, like a young man instead of a boy.  When I first got here there was so much I didn't know, but Daniel was able to show me how things are done in Honduras.

To be honest I was not looking forward to tutoring.  I keep telling people - I am not a teacher.  I never wanted to be a teacher.  I love working with kids, but I kind of "specialize" in troubled kids and the psychological side, not education.  However, I know that Belinda needs help with Daniel, and Daniel needs help with his school work.  So I'll do it to be helpful.  Belinda mentioned payment.  Even though I am broke, I am NOT comfortable with that.  They already took me in, gave me clothes, a bedroom and yummy food.  They made me feel welcome and at home when I was a complete stranger and had nowhere else to go.  Now is my opportunity to help them.

Before the tutoring session I tried again to find Olympics on TV.  Nobody seems to watch or know how to watch the Olympics in Honduras.  I guess that's a North American thing.  We have 10 channels of soccer, but no Olympics!  Tomorrow I bet they will show the Honduran Olympic team playing fútbol though.

Some friends back in the US are going through really tough situations in their lives, so I spent part of the morning in prayer.  By the time I was done, it was time for Daniel to come for tutoring.  Belinda and Andres dropped Daniel off and said they'd be back in three hours.  At first that seemed like a long time, but as it happened, Daniel stayed an extra hour and we had exactly the right amount of time.

We worked for over an hour, then went for a walk.  When we came back Daniel was much more focused.  He did some great work.  He was more relaxed and less rushed.  He retained everything we did in the first part of the session!  His mother called to say she was going to be an hour later, so I asked if it would be safe for the two of us to walk together to the grocery store.  I told her Jairo does not want me to walk there alone, but it is so close.  She said yes, with Daniel it would be fine.  So we each grabbed our backpacks and walked to the store.  I was so excited.  It felt like a fourth grade field trip for me, walking those 6 blocks.  Daniel is a good shopping partner too.  He finds good deals and he knows which brands are good.

The guy who was bagging the groceries was surprised when Daniel asked him to pack our backpacks, but that is the safest way to travel in Honduras.  Backpacks are harder to steal than bags.  I use a backpack here almost every day.  The hardest part was getting across 4 lanes of traffic, but we made it safely.

Daniel practiced some more math, just to be sure he really knows what he's doing.  We ate some snacks.  I told him that he did a great job and told his mother how awesome he was so that he could also hear the compliment.  We really had a nice afternoon together.

After he left, my neighbor and I spent some time talking outside.  She is a first time mother.  Her daughter has been sick for a few days.  She is exhausted and needed a few minutes break to talk while her husband looked after the baby.  She expressed how hard it is to be a mother.  She can't wash diapers fast enough to keep up with her daughter's diarrhea and is worried about her daughter's lack of appetite, but the doctor has said everything is fine.  I felt honored that she was comfortable sharing her feelings with me.  I really like both her and her husband.  They are very kind to me and their daughter is adorable.

Tomorrow is Jose's birthday.  Karla called to invite me to the party.  Tomorrow will be quite a day, with 19 baptisms and a birthday party!