When I decided to come to Honduras and work with BECA, I never imagined how fulfilling this job was. I am still not sure what is my favorite part of it, maybe it is getting to know families, or spending time with full-of-energy kids in a pre-school classroom, or maybe it is the food, culture or the amazing friends I have made here, or maybe is a combination of all of them. The truth is that a job in a school is always an adventure, every day is different, every day you teach something new to somebody new, and every day they teach you back.
As a school administrator I have to be aware of everything that is happening in the school, and I have to make sure that school is running in perfect shape, so teachers can do their amazing job teaching the kids. That means that sometimes I have to run through the school fixing things, talking to parents, making phone calls, disciplining students, and making sure that our community partners feel comfortable working with us. I know it is a lot, but I enjoy every second of it.
I come from a big family (no siblings, but dozens of cousins), and I have a lot of friends back home. I remember my first weeks here I was nervous that I was going to feel alone in a new country, but that was never true. Parents in the community made me feel like home since day one. I enjoy conversations with them, eating baleadas in their houses after school, or just sitting down on their porches drinking one of the best coffees I have ever had.
Now I am preparing myself for my second year with BECA, and I can’t help to feel excited of the new challenges ahead. As a school administrator you have so many projects in your head that you want to do, but time is just a limited resource. I hope another year will give me the time I need to make some of them a reality. I am not ready to leave now, but I will be one day, and I will always treasure every student, every bad day I had, every beautiful sunset, every time I heard a random student yelling “Mister!” during recess or lunch. It really doesn’t matter how much you want to teach them, they will always teach you more.
See what a day in the life of Mr. Chris is like! Follow the link to BECA’s Facebook and check out his photo project: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154629585541461.1073741874.4…
