Teaching in Honduras

I knew that I needed a job to best use my time here in Honduras. A job makes you meet new people, go places, and of course get paid. So while travelling in Tegus, I ripped out a job announcement to teach at a bilingual school in Siguatepeque. Today, I have the job with increasing responsibilities of a full time teacher. I do not have a home room or a classroom, but work in a supportive role for other teachers. I will be teaching 6th grade spelling, 7th grade reading, 7th grade science, and 8th grade english. The school staffs about thirty teachers, assigns aids to those teaching and educates about 400 students. Ratio is said to be at 20 or less for each teacher, and there are not stringent California Standardized evaluations. While I imagine that California State teachers will be coming back to staff cuts, and school closure discussions in late August, here we discuss how to better serve students and how to team up as teachers.
I travel between Siguatepeque (Sigua) and Otoro everyday. Its only a 20 mile trip, but its 20 miles in Honduras. The trip is a little over an hour by bus, and then another 5 minutes by taxi. Chicken buses tend to be unreliable (I´ve yet to see a chicken in these buses). Last week, my morning commute was disrupted by mechanical problems, so we had to get out and wait for another bus halfway to work. This morning, our bus was raided by Honduran police. They had two people in mind, so when ten of them boarded our bus fully armed and weapons out at my stop, they went straight to the back and apprehended them. The bus was stopped and searched but I did not stick around because I was already late for work...again. I travelled on the same bus on the way home and was told by the driver and conductor that they were still in shock by what happened. I really need to stay in Sigua.
So I went appartment hunting after work today. Found one for 950Lp ($47), but did not like its neighborhood or set up. Found another for 2,100 ($110) which I really like because of its central location and safety features, but will have to wait to hear from the appartment manager as he struggles with its current tenant. Interestingly, this appartment is next to a gun store where, according to the manager, guns are constantly tested.
As I continue living here in Honduras, my fear for crime dwindles. I expected this to happen, since its exactly what happens to most newcomers that move into inner cities in the United States. Men with guns everywhere no longer concern me. I am friendlier with taxi drivers. I speak freely with other bus travellers and no longer feel alien in my sorroundings. I continue to be on alert everywhere I go but with much less paranoia.