Welcome to the Family JMU

Thank you for such a wonderful week. It was refreshing to see Honduras through fresh and eager eyes. Your week here had an lasting impact on OYE and the students you came in contact with. You have set the bar high for future groups and we hope to see you all back here some day because, as you saw, there is still work to be done.

Oh and look what we finished... 

(If you can make it out Luis wrote you a little note with a smiley face and all!)

JMU meets OYE

Our journey began on Saturday, March 7, 2009.  When the twelve of us arrived at San Pedro Airport, we were greeted by OYE staff with our form of transportation for the week ("the terminator"- a 20 year old pick up truck, and "the green monster"- a beat up SUV).  Right away, we knew we were in for a great adventure.  The first day, right after we settled into the OYE volunteer house, we met all 75 scholarship recipients who we fundraised for prior to our trip. Throughout the week we painted murals and visited a nutrition center, several schools, and an orphanage (Hogar Suyapa).  We also played "futbol" against another NGO...and DOMINATED!   On Wednesday, we spent a wonderful day at Punta Sal, a beautiful island only an hour away from El Progresso.  Here are some pictures from our unforgettable endeavor.  

Us playing games with the scholarship recipients.

Visiting the schools.

Our masterpiece in the OYE office. (mural)

Painting a second mural outside.

Learning traditional Honduran dances and sharing a few moves of our own.

"The Terminator"

Getting pumped for our futbol match against a local NGO.

Our group at the beach.

We would like to thank OYE staff and becados for making our trip so memorable!  We had an amazing trip and will miss every one of you. 

-James Madison University

You say hello and I say goodbye!

Last week OYE welcomed back one of the long lost co-founders, Justin Otero-Eldridge. He will be with us for the next three weeks getting reacquainted after a year exploring the world. He has fallen right in step laughing with the scholarship students, visiting old friends and hunting mosquitos like an old pro. 

And no he hasn't lost his rhythm!

In all of the excitement over Justin's return we were also full of sadness. This week Erin left OYE and returned to the states. We always tell the students that people come and go, and that OYE is just a family that keeps growing but that does not make it any easier to say goodbye. 

Erin was an incredible asset to OYE for over a year and will be sorely missed by the OYE Honduras family. We wish Erin all the best and expect to see her back in Progreso, Baleada in hand, soon! 

She will try to deny it but Erin has a mean Bachata.