buenos manos

I was walking up the dirt path, thinking I might be lost looking for a student’s home, and in the distance I see a familiar figure. One of my students is running towards me with with open arms. “Miss Aaaaannnna!” She leaps in my arms. I clearly have found the house.

The rest of the night gets even better. With the moms (two families from my class were hanging out), I learned how to make tortillas de harina (flour tortillas) for baleadas. (As you can see, baleadas are basically a staple item here in Honduras). I have tried to make flour tortillas once before with a friend and it was a complete disaster. They stuck to my hands, they broke, and I couldn’t make circles. Tonight, however, was a complete success. I had great maestras, showing me how to make the perfect tortilla. And when they cooked, they bubbled in the middle, which was a sure sign on “buenos manos”, which means good hands. Basically they were telling me that I made a good tortilla. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t wait to tell my mom that I could cook!

We ate these excellent baleadas, the tres leches cake they made, and chatted. My students and I sang the hockey pockey. I learned some Spanish versions of “Miss Mary Mack” and other fun rhymes. It was a wonderful evening with wonderful friends.

I came home to a pile of papers to grade (yes, I do grade what the first graders do!) and lesson planning to do, but it was all worth it. Definitely, definitely worth it.