I am happy to say that this is my first Footprinters report from within my country Honduras! For those of you who do not know, my name is Kitty Thomson and last year I was selected by a charity called Project Trust to volunteer in Honduras for a year to teach English. With the help of Hazels Footprints Trust, I was able to raise the money required and commence my volunteering journey. So Id like to thank them for this as I have already had an invaluable experience in only three months of working and living in Honduras.
My main job out in Honduras is working in a Childrens home in a tiny village near the large town El Progreso. My partner and I live in the home and work six days a week. On a daily basis, my work consists of working with young children in the morning, doing basic learning such as spelling their name etc. I also do physiotherapy with a deaf and blind boy in the mornings which is a challenging job but it is rewarding when he cooperates with us!
In the afternoon when all the children return from school, we assist them with their homework and if they have none we run extra classes, mainly supporting English learning. I have a variety of different age groups and abilities going from 1st grade-7th grade. I enjoy the variety as it provides me with at least one new challenge everyday!
Along with working in the home, I teach two mornings a week at the primary school situated in the village. In the school I teach grades four, five and six which can sometimes be a challenge as a lot of them do not want to learn English. When at the primary school we have to use much more Spanish as the children there have only done seven months of English. However I do not mind this as it is allowing my Spanish to improve quickly!
In my village, there are only 1000 people living there. But despite there only being a tiny population, it is a busy and bustling little village. With many corner shops called pulperias that always have locals at them, and churches that sing loud through the village. Even though the village is so small, I absolutely love it as it is a close knit community where you feel very included.
Alongside with working in Honduras, I have had the opportunity to explore the country and also other countries in Central America. I have travelled to many areas in Honduras and have been amazed by the beauty and variety in the terrain throughout the country. From the cold mountains, to the scorching hot Caribbean coasts. I have also travelled through Guatemala to stay in Belize which was a lot of fun. It was interesting to see the difference between Belize and Honduras for only being a country apart.
Thats all for now, next time I update you will be after Christmas letting you all know more about my volunteering journey!
Thanks again, Kitty
