Vida Abundante

So yesterday was a bonding day with the American teachers who arrived on monday evening. They're all really nice and like to laugh both at and with us, 'the british ones' which is a good thing!

Coming with us to La Union are Sharon and Molly, which is very exciting! Sharon is really down to earth and walked around Gracias with Kate and I, laughing and talking about random things. 

In the evening we went to the Hot Springs, which Kate had misinformed me about, saying it was like geysers of water that erupted, but in reality they were essentially warm baths, and were really relaxing and a nice if not strange way to bond with the american teachers.. I'm pretty sure they regard me as weird after that experience...

The Christian aspect of the project has began to emerge and so far it's not too scary and intimidating, just different, and something we will have to accept and just go with, which will be good for me I think

Today we had an orientation day up in the Gracias Vida Abundante School, which is unlike any school I have ever seen before.. It's absolutely stunning (will post photos tomorrow) The grounds are surrounded by the highest mountains in honduras, they have water features, a gardner to tend to all the beautiful plants and even a bridge! (which seems ultimately useless apart from being decorative)

It was really interesting to meet the directors of the school in Gracias and get a bit more information about how Vida Abundante schools actually work and function. We experienced something this morning called a devotional, which consisted of singing songs, but usually varies between singing, bible studies, praying and other religious practises..again very interesting, and as it's something that they do every morning here in Vida Abundante, so I feel it's definitely a tradition we will learn to accept and eventually enjoy. 

The realisation of how very religious this organisation is has hit me with full force today, not in a bad way at all, because I truly believe the morals that these schools teach are morals that I would wish to teach every child... it's just that they go about it in a different way that I, and most Britains would be use too.. but you, as readers have to realise, just as I have over this last week, what an immense difference the schools make to the children in the community..They offer an opportunity to not only have an academic education, but a lifestyle education. They give these kids morals and life lessons that they would not have otherwise, and if the way that they do that is through 'Gods work' then I don't think it could really ever be criticised..