Day One - We're Flying to Honduras

It is March 3, 2007 and we are heading to Roatan, Honduras, to work at an orphange and to teach English at the local schools. In our group there is Jessica Zullo, senior at Virginia Tech, Nick Zullo, freshman at Virginia Tech, and Melissa St. Clair, senior at Virginia Tech. They are accompanied by Robert Zullo, an assistant professor at Mississippi State University. The group met up at the Atlanta airport early in the morning after the Virginia contingency flew in from Richmond. We look forward to the experience as Luke 12:48 notes that to whom much is given much is expected.

We're There! Beautiful Island

We are staying at the Inn of Last Resort which is a place of rest for divers as Honduras is one of the top dive spots in the world. Tourism is the main source of revenue for the locals as the two attractions are the diving and a port on the other side of island where cruise ships stop and visit. The economics swing on a broad pendulum as the locals appear to be very affluent or very poor. Houses are built over a five year period as the interest rate is 38%. You save up money to build a foundation and walls in year one. Then add on from there. But with the natural vegetation and the surrounding water it is a beautiful place with smiles abound from everyone, including our monkey friends who like to hold hands and the football.

Day Two - Explore the Island

It is Sunday and we are set to do some exploring. We walk over to West End and watertaxi to West Bay. Homes are at one extreme or the other. Many are incomplete due to the extremely high interest rates. Even a gas station takes years to complete. The main road on the island is asphalt but side roads are dirt with locals walking and tourists either in taxis or scooters.

Day 3 - We Go to Work

Originally, we were going to volunteer at CSI Roatan, an incredible orphanage on the island that is well run by Brad and Debbie. However Brad is just back from the States fresh from a hip replacement and Debbie is actually in the States with their daughter who is expecting any day. While we visited Brad briefly we were most impressed with a young student from Florida State University that has given up six months to live in Honduras and volunteer with CSI Roatan. Citing that God wants her to be there she dropped her courses and is truly giving back. We moved on to the Roatan Childrens Home where the gentleman we were supposed to meet was in Kansas undergoing rotator cuff surgery. Though no one speaks English we still have a wonderful time meeting the children and spending time with them. We brought several gifts rangings from Dr. Seuss books to dental floss to clothes and the kids love them all. The kids are precious and many of them can be found online here. Daysi is quite the reader, Sibelis the drama queen, Santiago is the man, Helen is Cinderella, Avner is the stud, John's our boy and Victor is simply Victor. It is almost better that we visit the Roatan Childrens Home as the confines are modest and resources limited. Our gifts stretch further and the three ladies running the orphanage gladly welcome a break and return to cooking, cleaning and sewing. Power breaks on the island are frequent so outdoor activities are the norm.

More Orphanage Pixs

Day 4 - Teaching in the School System

First off, there are 600 students and four teachers. You can do the math. Session one runs from 7 AM through 11 AM. Session two runs from 1 pm through 5 pm. We volunteered in the morning to save the afternoon for the orphanage. There was actual construction in each classroom including hammering and drilling so teaching is difficult. The philosophy is to teach English so that students can work in the tourism industry on the Roatan Island. Otherwise they are likely to work in the fields or in construction. Each morning we would pass dumptrucks filled with men heading to work in manual labor. Nick is quite the hit with the kids though I have them learning "This Land is Your Land" by days end.

Other Island Sites

Children selling charms on the street is a frequent site. They're everywhere. That and women offering hair braiding. Tourism drives the local economy.

Here's a local grocery store.

Nick and his bird friend who quacks and barks.

Cruise ships come in regularly as locals sell trinkets for a few dollars. Namely t-shirts, jewelry and wooden carvings. A common phrase is "hey mister, $1, $1" as we watched about ten kids ask tourists for money and then return to give it to an adult after the tourists returned to the boat.

Loose pigs weren't common, but trash and stray dogs were the norm appearing everywhere.

One more look at the Orphanage

It was common for the orphans to borrow our cameras, shirts and anything else we might have, but everything always came back to us.

Our Final Night & Saying Goodbye - Many Thanks to Host Donna & Andy

Our last evening consisted of a BBQ including a local band that was pretty good with U2, Smashmouth and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Andy and Donna were our hosts and are two of the kindest people you hope to meet. Andy speaks 8 different languages and hails from Chili. Donna is an avid horseback rider and used to live in NYC. Great couple that has adopted their own child from the island. We are forever grateful for their guidance, kindness and hospitality.