venting

I love Central America and even teaching isn't so bad (sometimes), but I absolutely hate the administration at my school.

Today they took a days pay from my paycheck because I missed one day of work to renew my immigration status. They conveniently forget the fact that when they hired me they promised to handle ALL immigration issues. (A promise they have failed to keep twice).

Later today ... five minutes before my class was going to start ... the principal told me that another teacher needed my class so that the students could practice for graduation. I said that that didn't work for me because the students needed to finish their speaking exams with me.

"I don't care," he said.

"So, essentially you're saying my class doesn't matter?" I asked, after several minutes of polite, yet heated discussion in front of my 10a class.

"Yes."

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (no quotes on this one... I kept this thought inside my head)


If my class doesn't matter then WHY did the entire administration call me into the office last month to yell at me for missing a few days of work? Why did they tell me that I don't care about my job and that I am a bad teacher and that I don't work hard enough???? THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENS IN MY CLASS or the awesome types of projects that we do. How in the world do they have the audacity to, after giving me that lecture, take my class without any prior notice????

They're fools. I could handle another year of the students and Honduras --- but you couldn't pay me enough to deal with them a day past my last day.

It hurts so good

My Gym

Sometimes I work out. These are my weights!

"100 things to do before i die"

I had one of my 10th grade classes make a list of 100 things they want to do before they die. I read them all during a very boring and inefficient teachers meeting today after school. This is my favorite list:

1. Go to the states
2. Leave the states
3. Leave or finish school
4. Finish college
5. Sleep for 23 straight hours
6. Play basketball
7. Get an expensive pen
8. Go to the border of Mexico and U.S.A.
   
9. Burn a building
10. Burn a school
11. Burn B.B.S. School
    
12. Complete the 3 above at the same time
13. Laugh at the wall
14. Sleep in a bed
15. Go to New Orleans again
16. Leave New Orleans
17. Go to Las Vegas
18. Win money in Las Vegas
19. Laugh at La Ceiba when I'm in Las Vegas
20. Not have kids
21. Play on a basketball team
22. Kill an angry fan
23. Kill someone in a basketball court
24. Kill someone with a basketball
25. Drink water
26. Drink coke
27. Drink sprite
28. Drink 7-Up
29. Throw up a 7-Up
30. High-5 a retard
31. Poo in the chimney of someone
32. Get a crappy car
33. Burn a crappy car
34. Get a nicer car
35. Burn a crappy car that was burned
36. Burn a nice car
37. Pee in the snow and say it's a lemon snow cone
38. Do the previous thing again
39. Drink coke again
40. Go to my house
41. Hate and be hated
42. Never dance
43. Never adopt someone
44. Laugh at people on TV
45. Be an "extra" on a stupid movie
46. Get married
47. Stare at someone until he hits me
48. Crash a friends car
49. Buy books
50. Read book titles
51. Read first sentences of a lot of books
52. Burn a lot of books
    
53. Play baseball with books as bases
54. Never drink alcohol
55. Never smoke
56. Never get a tattoo
57. Sleep in books
58. Burn previous books used as beds
59. Go to the door of a library
60. Don't go into a library
61. Go to Washington D.C.
    
62. Leave Washington D.C.
63. Go to Miami again
64. Leave Miami
65. Eat ice cream
66. Be 66 years old
    
67. Be 67 years old
68. Be 68 years old
69. Be 69 years old
70. Be 80 years old
71. Learn to count well from 66 to 80
72. Sell a house
73. Sell a crappy burnt car
74. Sell a burnt car
75. Pee in snow to play sudoku
76. Play poker in Las Vegas El Rio Casino
77. Play in a casino in Las Vegas
    
78. Not get shot while playing poker in Las Vegas
79. Not get shot at all
80. Be 81 years old
81. Build a dog house
82. Destroy a dog's house
83. Buy a dog's house
84. Burn a dog's house
85. Buy a hampster
86. Find out if hampster can resist 5 minutes under water
87. Bury a drowned hampster
    
88. Hear music
89. Write a crappy song
90. Buy a crappy car again
91. Get "Pimp My Ride" to fix my car
92. Rip in half a $20 bill
93. Burn a $5 bill
94. Buy shoes
95. Cut the blood circulation in my foot
96. Build a poker table
97. Play poker vs. a pro of poker stars
98. Play poker vs. a prof of some team from Jamaica
99. Climb a block
100. Win a WSOP poker bracelet
     

thoughts about the end

I've come to simple, yet profound (for me) realizations this week:

I hate my job, but I really like Central America.

I can't wait for the school year to finish, but I'm sad and somewhat apprehensive about returning to the States.

I'm more confused than ever about what I want to do with my life.

too many buses

Semana Santa 2009: 11 days, four countries, 15+ buses, 2 boats, almost-deportation

I had a week off of school for Semana Santa and took a surf trip to Playa Sunzal in El Salvador. However, due to some problems with immigration my trip's itenerary faced some changes -- $100 fine, two more countries, and a bunch of bitchy immigration workers. Here's an overview of the highlights:

1. San Salvador --I got into San Salvador Saturday night and went to a Palm Sunday mass in the city's main cathedral.

Outside the cathedral many people sold palm bouquets to be purchased for $1.

Hundreds of people waited outside the Cathedral for a procession of church leaders and church members to arrive.

The church leaders led the procession.

Inside the church. The man carrying a cup was begging for change throughout the service. Some people gave him money, others told him to beg outside.

2. Playa Sunzal -- After church I traveled to the beach by bus (it took an hour and just $0.60). El Salvador has some of the best surf spots in the world! I took a few lessons, but mostly just relaxed in the sand!

Here's one surf spot -- normally the waves were a lot bigger.

Me and my 'maestro del surfear', Pedro. He told me I needed "mas fuerte" for paddling. :) All the surfers here have nicknames -- Pedro's was arobo (or something like that). They named me Perla.

Every afternoon a soccer game would start up on the beach.

One day I went to the fish market in La Libertad. I saw tons of cool fish, but this was the coolest!

Stephan, Micah and Pierre -- my dear companions all week!

3. Immigration Crap
Crossing into Honduras from El Salvador, immigration notified me that I had overstayed my welcome in the region. Apparently my 90 days had expired two days earlier and I would have to pay $114 and go to Belize within five days or face deportation. Sooooo ... I paid $100, took a bus to San Pedro Sula, a boat to Belize (spent one night in Punta Gorda, Belize), took a boat to Guatemala (there were no boats back to Honduras until Friday), and then took a bus from Guatemala to La Ceiba. I only missed one day of school and I'm LEGAL AGAIN!

Me on the boat to Belize. I'm tired. At this point I've been on buses for two days straight with little sleep. But I'm excited for the adventure.

We got our passport stamps for Belize on the boat. It was a holiday so no one was wearing their uniform.

Punta Gorda, Belize.

Spring Break -- El Sal.

My Spring Break officially starts in less than 12 hours.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

I'm going to El Salvador.

Be back next week! :)