Dependencia

¡Qué dia!

                Today, well yesterday, was really amazing. Instead of having class, we spent the day walking up a mountain in Nueva Suyapa. According to the Hondurans, it would only be half an hour walk, but Horas honderañas are significantly longer than US time. But, the all the effort was worth it. The climb was beautiful, and it was a great bonding time for all of us. Just being able to be away from the sounds and rush of the city was a good thing for all of us. When we finally, after what seemed like forever, got to the top, a group of women met us and showed us around the area that they transformed to be a small community farms. There are so many types of fruit that I have never heard of! I don’t even know the names in English, but there were also mangos (my favorite), avocados, lemons, limes, and so much more!

                Our guide showed us all around the mountain, and with pride, she showed us the beginnings of her house. It can take up to a year to get all the supplies to finish it because it is so hard to actually get the supplies up the mountain. Her two daughters, Jenifer (21 months) and Michelle (5), walked the whole way. Such different lives they live. I couldn’t help but hold Jenifer! She was so tiny and was a very beautiful child. Later, after lunch, she was playing with a few other children from the mountain. It was so cute! She would sit on a toy truck, and the older kids would push her around. I am always drawn to watch the children because they are so innocent. They always expect the best in people. If someone says, “I’ll catch you”, they’ll jump. They only expect the best of people- something that I do too.

                On the way down from the mountain, we saw a man who was pushing a cart full of firewood. 30 gringos surrounded this man and helped him carry his load. In class today, we talked about dependence on one another, and I think that this is a great example. A couple people directed the cart, a few guys pushed it, and when it got stuck in the mud, even more helped lift it out. In the US, we always think our independence is a right, but I think our dependence on each other and ultimately God is not only a responsibility but also a gift.

                Hasta Luego!

Paseo= walk

Cajero automatic= ATM

Elote= corn cob

Primeras Dias

Bueno~

Last time I tried to write a blog, I failed miserably. But this time, I will write whenever something exciting happens- and at this rate, it seems like I will be writing often. So far, I have been in Tegucigalpa (Tegus), Honduras for a little less than a week. There are good things- like the great friends I am making and the family that I am living with- and bad things- like traveler’s diarrhea and tear gas. Here’s a brief look into my daily life, thus far.

                I wake up probably around five or five thirty, usually the former because I have two pet birds that think five thirty is a good time to wake up. The roosters think that five is a good time as well, but there is one rooster that is apparently on Michigan time, and thinks three is better. I then stay in bed until I go absolutely crazy, or until my papi, Donaldo, knocks on the door. I then either a) take a freezing shower if we have water or b) wash my face in a bucket of water. I then make my bed because my sheets fall off. I eat breakfast of tortillas, bananas, and a fruit that looks like a brain but should be eaten with a spoon. I wash my dished in another bucket and then put my Christmas themed plates back in the cupboard. I then walk to Sarah’s house, only six houses down the street, and then we walk to Christina’s house, then to Allison’s, and then to Phanie’s. We then walk 10 minutes along the road between Burger King and “Dunking” Donuts, turn the corner, and walk 20 minutes to our school. We learn stuff, and then we eat lunch of tortillas with some type of food on it, and learn more. We then walk back home where we should do homework aka watch Closed Case with my family. I eat dinner with my papi, and then watch tv with mis hermanas Didi (pronounced Die-de) y Hilde (hill-day). I usually end up crashing about 9 and then repeating things all over again. But…. Of course this is Honduras, so things never stay the same.

Tour gone wrong: On Friday, our class has just started walking to the hospital to meet our doctor and get a tour, when we heard shots and all of a sudden, we were enveloped in a cloud of tear gas. Our group ended up being split in two, my group on the far side, the other group stuck in the mall. So, we walked to the hospital and someone’s mom came and picked us up and walked us back home a safer way.

Pillow or blanket, ¿No sé? (I don’t know): My bed, which has a rooster bed spread, also came with a pillow. Under my pillow is a folded sheet and blanket. I was cold at night, so I put the blanket that was in reach, aka, under my pillow on. When I was making my bed, my mami came in and told me that if I was cold, I had to use the blankets from my metal closetish thing and not the ones under my pillow. That leaves me with a blanket and a sheet that I have absolutely no idea what I am supposed to do with.

Unplanned Field Trip: We started class at the university when our professor heard some commotion in the street. He called our bus driver, who came and took us to the house of ASJ. We then picked up right where we left off. We did get pizza, so I think this was a win.

Broken baño: Let’s face it. I am cursed with the Keyzer stomach. I went to the bathroom without realizing that we didn’t have water. I had no idea what to do because it wouldn’t flush. Just as I was freaking out, my papi came with a bucket of water to tell me that my toilet wouldn’t work- like I hadn’t figured that out 2 minutes ago. Now, I always check to make sure that there is running water.

Hasta luego!

Palabras del dia:

Manta= blanket

Cubo = bucket

Manglar= mangrove  (if you actually use this word, let me know what it actually is)