Yay - I'm back from my trip to Honduras and no worse for the wear. It was a great trip and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. (But give me a chance first to learn more/better Spanish!)

Over the next few days, I plan on posting my journal entries and pix from my time there. I had limited camera action (didn't bring enough with me), so I hope to supplement my fotos with those taken by others in my group.

So check back and read up on my great Honduran adventure! And to start you out, I'll leave you with this image of what I needed... no WANTED to do once I got home. (Click the read more... link.)

Well, I'm off on my adventure. There's no internet where I'm going, so you'll have to rely on Matty for your entertainment. He's clever and amusing, I'm sure you'll do fine.

See ya' later, alligator!

A big part of my Honduras trip is volunteering and charity. Not only giving my time, money and energy, but what we bring to the villagers is also an important part of our trip. We bring them items that are difficult to get in their region, like toothbrushes, non-lye soap, and tools.

Another item to bring is quilts. Although freezing temperatures isn't a scare, comfortable bedding is hard to come by. In fact, the only comfort from a concrete floor I'll get while sleeping is from the quilts I can bring.

So I got some material that I had on hand, hit the thrifts for blankets, and went about making a couple quilts.

Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection. ~ Lawrence Durrell

I've got my passport and the flights are booked! The Honduras trip is a mere 38 days away. Can you believe it?!

Yeah, I've still got tons to do and Spanish to study. I've completed the first full Pimsleur class (30 lessons) and I've started the next. Hiking boots, mosquito netting, and Deet need to be purchased, and I hope to make some quilts for the villagers.

Click on the passport to see my avatar image. Sweet, huh. Interested in making you're own image? I was led to the site through Tjej's blog, which is always an interesting read.

So, I've been (re)learning Spanish in preparation of my trip to Honduras. I took four years of it in H.S., but fell out of it almost immediately after graduation. Besides, it probably doesn't hurt to know it living in Tejas.

I'm more than half way through the Pimsleur® Spanish I class; and from what I'm learning so far, this trip will either be a hoot or a crash-n-burn failure.

Ay-yi-yi

A little bit. But I'm getting there, day by day.

Matty picked me up some Pimsleur® Spanish lessons. There are two "classes", Spanish 1 and 2, each with 30 30-minutes lessons. The plan is to listen to one lesson every day and before I know it (or head off to Honduras), I'll be speakin' like a classroom Spaniard.

Even though I've had them for a few weeks, I haven't listened every day so I'm only up to lesson 11. But I'm crackin' the whip, y'all! By my schedule, I should be fluent to speak and understand 'Castillano' no later than early June. (That's with few days off for bueno behavior.)

What: a mission trip with my parents and members from local (OH) Lutheran churches.

Where: Nueva Victoria, Honduras, Central America - in the Santa Barbara region of Central Honduras

When: July 4-14, 2004 (although these dates may change by a day or so)

Why: a good question. Because 'I can and want to' is my best answer so far.

As I get ready for this trip and have more information, I'll be sharing these details with whomever reads this. (This means YOU.) You'll get the low down on my vaccinations, Spanish lessons, and fund raising prospects. (Speaking of which, if I haven't hit you up for some dinero yet, consider this it. Please help me get there to help others.)

Okay, so I promise not to be so much of a money-needing chump in future posts. But getting the money to get there will be a major part of this. I'll try to make my posts amusing and entertaining, so you can laugh at my follies.

Honduras, here I come!