Fall Party

Apologies for the absence. Last week I developed a special relationship with a parasite and then with the toilet. Our painful affair lasted a week but the memories will live on forever. 


With the holidays approaching, Hondurans are preparing themselves for celebration. In fact, I walked into school this morning after a week-long hiatus to find an elaborate nativity scene marking the entrance. Somehow, all the figurines appear to be Caucasian and Baby Jesus could be albino. IST is not the only early bird. In the city, restaurants and public buildings have garlanded themselves and placed wreaths everywhere. I forget that without Thanksgiving and, really, without anything to mark fall as a season, there's no holding back the Christmas cheer. 


Having said that, I want to share some photos from the "Fall Party" at the Yellow House this weekend. Many of the North Americans in Tegus, especially us Michiganians, miss autumn in the worst way. Here there are no pumpkin spice lattes, hay rides, pumpkin carvings, cider, cinnamon donuts, Halloween costumes, cornucopias, Thanksgiving turkeys, leaves falling, sweaters, scarves, etc. Thus, a Fall Party was in order. 


In order to simulate autumn in the States, we carved a gigantic grapefruit and an apple.  Here they grin at us, backs to the city. 





Julienne, Sarah, and Jen decorated the balcony. Julienne strung authentic Midwestern leaves, sent to her straight from Michigan by her wonderful boyfriend, Jon. Perched in the corner are the brooms Sarah and I bought in Manzaragua. 

 Sarah made apple cider, complete with orange slices and sticks of cinnamon. 





Jen hollowed out apples and we melted caramel for dipping. Other deserts included chocolate-covered peanut butter rice crispy treats, pumpkin pie cake, apple crisp, iced pumpkin cookies,   apple cinnamon empanadas with caramel dipping sauce, etc. 




Jen swinging on the hammock.





Livin' it up. 

Hope everyone started the week well. I am once again subbing for Mr. Goasdone's 7th grade English class. Today, all of my students were obnoxiously out of control. In one class, I threatened to pass out the quiz on adjectives immediately because I insisted that their chatting led me to believe that they already knew the material. I then gave them a worksheet and called it a quiz. In response, they talked amongst themselves. Gah. 

Julie