New Post Office Box and My Birthday

It's been a while. I just wanted to let you know that I have a new post office box. I just opened it yesterday. I tried to open it last weekend, but they said, "Sorry, you can't open a post office box today. It's Saturday!"

Beth Mayberry
Apartado Postal 344
San Pedro Sula, Honduras
America Central

Also, I finally bought a camera. The first time I tried to do this (last weekend) Bank of America froze my bank account for "suspicious activity" and I was unable to buy the camera. Good thing my debit card worked for my "birthday dinner" of amazing italian food, because I definitely didn't have $20 (10 days wages) in local currency on hand (or in the Honduran bank). I was quite angry with Bank of America as I had both called them and gone to the bank in person to tell them that I would be in Honduras for 2 years, before I left. But, that was evidently not enough. I was angry because it's 4 days wages to get to and from the city of San Pedro Sula, about 2 days wages for each taxi trip and it cost me 4 days wages to buy phone calls to call Bank of America unsuccessfully. So, Bank of America (and the Honduran postal system), you cost me 14 days of wages.

But now I have a top secret 24-hour collect call ATM help number for when they freeze my account. So this San Pedro Trip went smoothly.

Everything has been very busy here (= why I haven't had time to write). Next week is winter vacation for school kids (until February), so I am helping the high school start summer enrichment programs. I am helping them start a basketball team, a volleyball team, a theatre group, english classes, latin dance classes and possibly a choir. It's all very fun and all of the students are very excited, because there is nothing for them to do during the summer (there is no such thing as a "summer job" here, as there aren't that many regular jobs!) In many parts of Honduras (Morazan, included) there is a serious lack of extracurricular activities. Sports, clubs and organizations are almost non-existent. So, Mom and Dad, all of those years of extracurricular activities are being put to good use here in Honduras.

My birthday (Friday) went well! I had a pancake (pancake? I forgot they existed)breakfast at one of the high school teacher's house and then I had lunch at my host family's house and a party at my work with cake and tajaditas (plantain chips) and Mexican salsa and then a surprise party (with cake, a banner and dancing) at my future house. My future landlord is also giving me two adorable kittens and gave me a nice warm fleece blanket as a present. What more could I ask for? Pancakes, cake (twice), tajaditas and Mexican salsa, warm blanket, dancing, 2 adorable kittens...what more could I ask for? Oh, and my parents are probably coming in January, so that's exciting! Oh, and one of the high school teachers has adorable puppies and she might give me one!

Tomorrow, I am going to La Ceiba (on the beach!) for a regional Peace Corps meeting! I'll update my blog when I get back.

Thanks for all of you who wrote me birthday notes on my Facebook!
And thanks Grandma for the birthday card!