First Stop: Language School in Copán Ruinas

The first day that I spent in Copán Ruinas I started reading a book that I had brought with me by Judith Gille entitled The View from Casa Chepitos. I bought it a couple months ago, fully intending to read it before I left, but never got around to in the flurry of planning and packing and moving and saying goodbyes. On my very first day in Copán I read this passage: “Questions hover over me like anguished spirits: What if my Spanish doesn’t improve and I can’t make myself understood? What if I make no friends? What if I contract amoebic dysentery? What if someone rips off all my money? What if I’m attacked? Who would know? Who would care? It suddenly, and a bit belatedly, occurs to me – I don’t even know how to phone home.” Nothing could have been closer to the things I was thinking…although, I do know how to phone home.

My first day in Copán was hard. I was so homesick. I cried. I fretted. I worried. I had been hoping and planning and working so hard for this moment and now that it was here…what if this was a mistake? What if I don’t belong here? But then I stopped and remembered everything that I had been told, everything that I had read, everything that I’d known to be true in my own life: Wait. Give it time. It will get better. And it did.

During the first week I met two of my fellow volunteers at NPH, both from Austria, and one of them is my partner nurse at the clinic! One day it rained off and on all day and I found a little café that has great mochas. At the café I sat and read my book, sipped my mocha, and watched these huge, grey rain clouds roll it. It felt a little Seattle-esque and alleviated some of my homesickness.

On Thursday another NPH volunteer arrived in Copán and our group became 4! Saturday morning we all went to the Mayan Ruins that Copán is famous for (Copán Ruinas) and spent the afternoon with a guide learning about the history of the city. Sunday our group expanded to 5 with the arrival of another volunteer. It was also the day of a birthday party for a little boy in my host family who was turning one year old. The preparations for this little (big) party started almost a week before hand with the cooking and making of cakes and cupcakes. Both I and two of the other volunteers were in attendance because we’re both living with family members of the little boy.

This last week was my last week of language school. I feel like I learned a lot and refreshed a TON. I knew almost everything we covered but it had been a long time since I’d used or reviewed any of it. My Spanish teacher, Luis, was amazing. He was awesome about integrating medical vocabulary and simulating real life scenarios for me to practice.

This last week we also went to the Aguas Termales (hot springs)! Actually, we tried to go twice. The first time our plan was derailed by a truck that ran off the road and we were unable to pass. We turned around and went back to Copán and bought our bus tickets instead. The next day we were successful and had a wonderfully relaxing afternoon in the hot water and rubbing mud all over ourselves!

Today was an awesome day. Definitely the way to end these two weeks in Copán. First, I beat my Spanish teacher at Banana Grams...TWICE! I felt pretty smart ;)  Then Christina and I did a Canopy Tour followed by the Parque de Aves (bird park). The Canopy Tour (ziplining) was INSANE. It was so awesome - 16 cables, one of which was 1km long. And it was just the two of us with our guides so it was fun and fast! We had an amazing time and it was absolutely beautiful. 

Tonight is our last night and we are celebrating two birthdays in the volunteer group. Tomorrow we’re taking an 8 hour bus to Tegucigalpa then on to the ranch where we will meet the rest of our fellow volunteers. Vacation is officially over and work is about to begin (although, I think we’re all excited to not have homework anymore)!

PS – I realize that my blog URL is Costasouthamerica and I also realize that I am neither in Costa Rica nor South America so let me explain. When I first started talking about going to Honduras and applying for NPH a friend of mine could never remember where I was potentially going so she kept calling it Costa-South-America and it sort of stuck, hence the blog URL.

A view down the hill towards the Parque Central

The street I live on.

My beautiful school - Guacamaya

Being silly in the ruins

Una Guacamaya - a macaw, the national bird of Honduras 

Our guide telling us all about the amazing ruins.

Pasteles (cakes) for the birthday party!

Christiane with little Andre at his birthday party.

A little puppy I met in a cafe.

The 5 of us being silly after our first failed attempt at going to the hot water springs.

Two nurses (left) and two physical therapist (right) covered in mud.

The 5 of us.

Me and Stefanie having a mud treatment.

All the girls crammed in back for the ride back.

Banana Grams on the last day of Spanish class (I won...twice!)

My fantastic teacher, Luis, and I.

Zip Line!

Our crazy guide.

Afterwards with the mountains and city of Copán Ruinas behind us

Directly below is the Mayatan Bilingual School and beyond the city of Copán

Parque de los Aves