The Wonders of a Catholic Uniform

My first full day in Siguatepeque I got the luxury of buying my incredibly attractive school uniform. From the knee high navy socks to the kilt like skirt I was in uncomfortable polyester hell. I went to Omega, my new school and was briefed on the rules by the English teacher. Even though it was hard to understand through her broken English I got he basics. No nose ring, no makeup, no cell phone, uniform everyday and no talking in class. "It's not bad, it's different" I had to tell myself many times. My first day of school was not like school at all. The students took one exam spent a few hours outside talking, eating and using the computer, took another exam and then went home around 12. I was told the school day here is from 7am to 3pm but after 3 weeks I have yet to experience that. The teachers sometimes don't show up to class and the students don't seem the least bit phased by it. A pleasant surprise was that in my class was another AFS student. Ella (from Belgium) and I spend most of our time together in school and the majority of it outside of school. It's great to have someone going through the same culture shock and language difficulties as I am. My companeros or classmates spend most of the day frequenting the small cafeteria outside. There is one woman who cooks for the 120 or so kids and every day she has 3 or 4 things on the menu. My personal favorite are the fried plantains with cabbage and salsa but she also has tacos, desayuno (breakfast), nachos, tortilla con queso and many more options. It is surprising to be surrounded by kids at 8 am eating tacos and drinking coke. Eating here is a common activity, just like in the states. My classmates here range from ages 14 to 21, but their maturity level is about the same. At home being 16 seems pretty old, having freedom and living your own life to some extent but here being 16 you are still considered a baby and this shows through my classmates personalities. Maybe in the US teenagers grow up too fast but here it seems like the opposite. They are entertained by things such as playing with their food or making fun of a classmate. Childish describes all of the people I am surrounded by in school. Because of this it is hard to make friends. Not only do we not speak the same language but our interests are completely different. I didn't read about this in any books or guides of Honduras!