In this post I mentioned that my Mom had a confrontation with a scorpion. This information had been relayed to me via my brother, T, when he let me know that she was alive and well in Honduras (you see, she forgot to text me to let me know). Anyway, this is it. It doesn't look big on first glance BUT, that leaf, is the size of my hand, fingers spread out. It was outside the house that she stays in on the orphanage property when she is there.
Orphanage, you say? Yes, my mom spends about 2 weeks every quarter in Honduras volunteering at an orphanage/school. She is a retired teacher. When this opportunity came up, she took an immersion course in Spanish in Guatemala and although her accent is that of an American learning Spanish, she is doing really well with it.
Some of the stories about the kids there will break your heart. One kid they nick named machete because his mother beat him with one, and not the flat side. One keeps running back to the streets because he can't adjust to any other life. Also, there are 'police' that round up street children cart them out of the cities and either kill them or just abandon them.
P and I joke that since we don't have kids my Mom is going get off the plane someday with a child for us to adopt. Someday I hope to go with my Mom for one of her trips down there (P can speak Spanish pretty fluently and I can understand it very well, it's the speaking part I have trouble with). For now, she'll just have to tell us about her adventures.
10 comments:
Yikes! I couldn't possibly go anywhere knowing they have big black scorpions. Orphanage or not.
What there are scorpions in PA!!?
Actually the little ones are the dangerous ones, more dangerous than the big ones. I learned that from Man Vs. Wild.
my mom was in peace corps in vietnam and keeps threating to go back and bring me a "live china doll". i tell her, just don't buy her on the black market. how sad ;(
Oh my God... the kid nicknamed machete?!? That is HORRIBLE!!! Kudos to your mom for giving back like that. It's got to be an awesome experience...despite the scorpions and all.
Wow. I have been waiting for this photo.. it is as frightening as I had imagined. Crap like scorpians is what keep sme from doing things like volunteering Honduras.
If she can bring back a kid for you, have her bring back one for me two. Hell, put me down for two. We always adopt in pairs. If I can do six I can easily do eight and you could certainly handle one.
Oh my stars!! The fact that it's hanging onto that fence like that means it must be big.
Your mom sounds like an amazing lady. I'm sure it's rewarding work, but sad too.
oh my goodnes!! Scorpions frighten me to death!! I found you via SITS. I hope you have a blessed day!
I grew up in Scottsdale Arizona (ya know, like the middle of a desert) and one time, when I was in high school, I didn't make my bed. I left the sheets just hanging onto the floor and stuff. Typical teenager crap. Bad move for a teen living in the middle of a desert. When I got into bed that night I went to pull the covers up onto the bed and out crawled a scorpion.
*shiver*
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