Teaching English in Honduras
Chrissy Taylor travelled with i-to-i to Honduras to teach English:
I chose Honduras as a country to visit because I was adopted from there as a baby and had never been back. I got my info pack with the project info, DVD's and T-shirt and it was so exciting to hear other people's stories and see what it would/could be like. I emailed back and forth with people from the group that were arriving with me and it was really interesting the hear their stories. I was also in contact with the Honduran i-to-i rep, Elisa, and she was really really nice and helpful.
We were met at the airport and waited for everyone's flights to arrive and got taken in the shuttle to a Elisa's family restaurant. We were all getting to know each other and it was a really good way to start the trip afterwards we were taken to a nice little hotel in Valle de Angeles. We had dinner and slept and had a pancake breakfast and orientation in the morning. Elisa was really clear about everything we would do, how we were representing i-to-i, that she was on call for us 24/7 and what to expect from our host families. Everything was discussed with us.
A few times I made the mistake of letting the kindergarten kids bring out their recorders at the start of the lesson and they all decided to play me their favourite songs. Everyone was playing at once getting louder to catch my attention! I helped out with my volunteer friend Sandra's English classes too. We used picture cards and basic books to teach and the kids really got into it. They would come up to us throughout the day and tell us what they could in English.
We caught the bus with the kids to and from school everyday and it was a real insight into how many of them lived. You would never guess from their constant smiles and laughter that many lived in pretty dilapidated homes. The classes seemed to be in ok condition, but there was no grassed area to play. Only a small broken up concrete courtyard in the centre of the school. The kids seemed happy with it, but my heart always skipped a beat when one fell onto the hard surfaces.
Over all I had a fantastic time, I would go back in a flash! I loved Honduras and because it is small we were able to meet up with other volunteers and go traveling on the weekends together. I would recommend it to anyone! Elisa was sooo sweet too!
