Today I had 8 monkeys in the preschool class. They are all between 4-6 years old. Three of the 4 yr olds don't know their colors or numbers yet, but 3 of the four year olds do know their colors and numbers up to five. Pretty good for kids who normally don't have a lot of structure or teaching at home!
We all laid down on the carpet and I used UNO cards to practice naming colors and numbers. Most of them don't have carpet at home, so lying on the carpet is a big deal. They enjoyed it. It is so much easier to teach without the tiny ones in the class. The kids can actually learn! And I know which kids need extra help now. I am sending homework home with some of them. It is nothing mandatory, but to work on if they like. When there were more kids of various ages between 1-7 it was much less productive.
I woke up with pink eye this morning. Finally kicked the cold, and then I got pink eye. UGH! But here you don't need a prescription for the medicine, so Jairo went and picked it up for me. I already have a dose in my eyes. Some things here are much easier than in the US.
On the ride to the church this morning it was just Jairo and me in the car. Those are the times I get the most information. This morning Jairo told me that he had been sick earlier. I said Oh No! Then he explained that he had been watching the news. In Tegucigalpa they installed cameras on the traffic lights and street lights of high crime areas, just like they had in Chicago. But here there is nobody to monitor the cameras or to respond when they see something bad happening. Yesterday alone, the cameras caught 2 cars pulling up to 4 boys who were minding their own business, walking home from school. Men got out of the cars with machine guns and one with a pistol. Two of the boys stopped and put their hands in the air, two ran. The men shot them all dead. Even after they hit the ground the men kept shooting. Jairo said it made him sick to see four innocent boys walking along with their backpacks, shot dead for no reason. Then the news showed a group of young men sitting outside a house playing cards and drinking soda. They weren't causing any trouble. Once more, 2 cars pulled up and opened fire, leaving everyone dead. The cameras caught a person being killed by a person who was impersonating a police officer, it caught assaults and more murders, but nothing is being done. Jairo said he is accustomed to seeing death. Since he was a kid, this has been a part of his life. But he has never seen anything like this.
The people are raising a stink. It is on the news and in the newspapers, but the police say they don't have money or manpower to do anything. Jairo said he cannot believe how dangerous this country has become. None of the deaths seemed to have rhyme or reason.
Last weekend my friend Nicolle's Uncle was shot and killed for no reason. He was working at his job fixing cable wires in Tegucigalpa. We believe that he was killed by people who thought he was installing more surveillance cameras. Nicolle and her family are an integral part of the church. Nicolle is in my English class here. She and I are good friends. We text and email a few times a week. She got me the cutest bathing suit for Christmas. I have been checking in with her regularly. She is trying to keep her head up, but she told me that her family is very, very sad.
Maybe this is part of the reason Jairo has not found a car for me yet. I am safest when I travel in the van with him or with Walter. Otherwise I am usually at home, or at the church - both safe places. I'm not in a rush to get my own car.
Here is the photo of Lourdes and me with Chantal, the lady from Canada who helped me organize the preschool and taught me how to be a teacher. Thank God for Chantal!
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