My five day weekend

The way out

If you know me, you know my favorite “holiday” is actually Cutlerdays. I love the atmosphere and carnival food, and little crafts that break in a day. I think maybe I just found a holiday that I like more- Honduran Independence Day!

Trying to get up the stairs

                My 24 hours of adventure started the night before at a soccer game. We got to the game around 9, when I tried to order a hamburger to eat. We are not supposed to eat the vegetables at restaurants, so one of our friends offered to tell the worker what my problem was a get a new hamburger. They then gave me the same hamburger doused in mayo, which I hate. So, I sold my burger to someone else and bought some fries. We then went to a restaurant and danced and talked until almost 2 in the morning. I slept at another girl’s house and three of us shared a bed. At 7:00, I left the house to walk to Christina’s house so I could go to the parades with her and her family. We walked 20 minutes to the mall where we met up with some of their friends and then we walked for almost two hours to get to the stadium. There were thousands of people in the streets watching the parade. From our perspective, it was an opposite parade. We walked past the people dressed up with instruments while they stayed in one place. We finally reached the stadium and tried to make our way through. The pictures pretty much show how impossible it was to get through. Our “family” would link arms and shove our way through the crowds. The first spot we were in was at the end of the line so we couldn’t see very well, so we left the stadium to get back in another side. Christina’s uncle’s shirt even got ripped in the process. We watched the parade from the stadium and saw the parachuters and the supersonic jets, and people dressed in crazy costumes. The parade finally ended and we made our way back out through the waves of people. Afterwards, I ate with Christina’s family and went to bed quite early because I was very tired from my exciting day of adventure.

Parachuting 

                Yesterday, Christina, Tessa, and I decided to buy some thread to do hair wraps. We stopped at a store in the neighborhood by us and the woman told us it would be 50 Lempiras (~2.50) for 1 color. I told her that was too expensive and we walked to a different store. After waiting for someone to help us, the guy told us it was 50 Lempiras for each color as well. We decided it was only a few bucks each. Tessa asked if we bought 5, could we only pay 200. The guy looked at us as if we were crazy, but said if we really wanted to, that was fine. We went up to pay the cashier and she told us 9 lempiras. We then realized it was 50 cents, and not 50 dollars. We felt very dumb- but the guy got a chuckle out of us.

                Things are a-changing. Today, I am moving to my new house and getting to know my new family. I am nervous and excited- fragulous, if you will. My new mom seemed really nice, a bit nervous to meet me, but still really kind. I will have two sisters, both younger, so that will be an experience for me. I figured I will at least be on the same level of Spanish as them. I haven’t met my dad yet… My room doesn’t have a bed, dresser/closet, or desk yet, but I am getting them today in my Winnie the Pooh room. My old family was very nice, but they had different schedules, leaving me to eat on my own. There are two ways to do a semester abroad, living in the dorms, or living with a family. The Honduras program is family based, but I never got the family feeling, making me wish I was back at Calvin living with my friends. So, here goes my new family. 

La Tigra

Walking to find the entrance 

My day trip to la Tigra (a rain forest national park approximately an hour and a half away that is home to tigers)

6:00 am- My alarm goes off- time to get ready for our hike.

6:10 am- I try to take a shower and realize that we have no water. Thus, I just started the day out sweaty.

6:50 am- I meet the girls in my neighbor at the corner by the “watcheman” and we reach our school at

7:20 am- where after reading our guidebook as to where to catch taxis, buses and entrance fees. We learn that that if we don’t make the last bus at 3:00, we have to walk 4 km to get to the next bus stop. We are now very motivated to make it on time.

7:30 am- The twelve of us pile into three taxis.

7:50- The other taxi gets lost, and then we arrive at the bus station, but some guy tells us that it is not the bus station, so we take the taxi to a store about fifteen minutes away.

8:05- we get lost.

Our truck ride on the way up the mountain

8:30- we finally arrive at the correct bus stop.

8:40- I really have to go to the bathroom, so inside of this grocery store that is more like a inside market, I search out the bathrooms. We find them and a woman tells me I have to pay two lemps in order to user her bathroom, but she wouldn’t take my two because it was ripped. Finally, I just went and gave her the two.

10:00- 11:30- The bus, which is actually just a school bus, comes. There were plenty of open seats, but Eustian decided he would sit next to me. Now, I have never met Eustian before this trip, but he lives near me in Tegus and apparently gets to see us all walking to school every day, and so he was excited to finally talk to one of us. I now, also, know many details of this man’s life, despite just wanting to look out the window to avoid being car sick. Either way, it was a pretty ride up a mountain.

11:30- Our bus driver tells us to get off at a field/abandoned barn and walk down the set of stairs and we will be at the Tigra. We walked down the longest set of stairs I have even seen, which dumped us on to a mountain road, which we just kept walking on because there was nowhere else to go.  After walking a mile or so, we came across a town.

Recommend Calvin.... in a CAVE! 

11:50- we asked some women who were working how much longer walk it would be until we got to the Tigra, and they told us it would be an hour and half hike up the mountain to get to entrance of the park, where if you remember, we were planning on hiking in.

12:00- some man in the town offered to drive us up the mountain in the back of his pickup truck. We then spent the next twenty five minutes driving up the mountain with sudden drop-offs, steep banks, and crazy switch backs. They told us they would be back at four because a bus came at five.

12:30- We finally made it the Tigra welcome center- which was more like a house on the side of the road with a picture of animals that lived in the forest. We signed in, paid our fees (70% less because we said we lived in Honduras), and got a map. By this point we were hungry, but the “cafeteria” couldn’t handle twelve people, so a couple girls ran down to small store and bought some bread, chips, and water to share.

1:00- we finally started our three our hike.

On our little look out post. Thank you Canada

1:30- we realized we had been walking the wrong way for the past thirty minutes, and we turned around.

2:00- we ended up on the correct trail and started hiking. It was so beautiful! I had an amazing time. It was a lot of work, but well worth it. We discovered an abandoned cave, a look out post built by Canada, and an assortment of bugs. It was so much fun!

2:45- we turned around only to realize that we counted all the time when we were lost, so got back very early.

3:25- we ordered some food from the small store down the road. We ended up getting rice, fried bananas, eggs, and beans, a very typical Honduran meal, but it was so delicious!

4:10- “Hom” (short for hombre because we didn’t actually know his name) came with his truck and brought us right to the bus station because he wanted to make sure we were safe.

4:45- it starts to rain.

5:00- it starts to pour.

5:45- the bus comes.

Our truck ride back to the bus. 

6:45- we arrive at the gas station and get in three more taxis.

7:15- Home!

What a crazy, fun-filled, adventurous day!  We only ended up actually being in the park for approximately two hours, but either way, it was a great day. 

First day of school!

Since being in Honduras, I have gone to three different church services. First church service- we took a bus/taxi up this crazy steep mountain and then walked across this field to an abandoned bunker overlooking an amazing mountain view. Obviously, the church service was in Spanish, but there were no written words for the songs, so I felt very lost. Second week, we were in Cusuna and went to the Garifuna church in Spanish and Garifuna. There was dancing and singing and jumping around- completely opposite of the first church. This week, I went to Gran Comision, a type of mega-church (similar to Mars Hill). I really liked it because I knew some of the songs and there was a bulletin to follow. Good news- I have a church now!

On Saturday, we went shopping at a megamall near the town center. There was a payless shoe store, but in comparison to the rest of the prices, it was more like pay-more shoe store. While we were walking in, we saw a group of gringas and we ended up talking to them for a while. They are teachers at the bilingual school so we may get a chance to see how that school is run.

Monday, was the first day of classes. I am taking things like Spanish phonetics, Culture/ Language classes, Poverty and Development, and Cultural Contact. I only have class four days a week (Hallelujah!), but it seems like we are still getting just as much homework. The classes are obviously all in Spanish, meaning that if I zone out at all, I am completely lost. But, I am sure that it will get better.

Strangest food that I have eaten so far: tortillas with beans, cheese, and ketchup. I also had pink mashed potatoes. They tasted good, but pink?

Most delicious: fried bananas with salt

One of my many language blunders: I told my family that I was going to go to my notebook to go to bed, when I meant my room (Cuarto vs. Cuaderno) Christina tried telling them she was going to her four (cuatro).

Movies: I have a tv in my room with cable and since I am up at 5 everyday, there are a bunch of strange things that I have seen. There is this belt you can wear that jiggles your tummy fat and shocks you so you can pretend you exercised. It is pretty funny to watch the actors pretend to be happy while they are being zapped by this belt. There is a pretty good selection of movies as well, so I have seen Cars, Enchanted, Toy Story 2, Sweet Home Alabama, Paranormal Activity (which is still scary, even if you don’t know what they are saying), and many more. Of course, they are all in Spanish with voices that sound so funny to me.

My closet: My “closet” is a metal structure with four shelves and a bar to hang my clothes. My problem is that the shelves are just four metal rods running lengthwise, so the things I have on my shelves keep falling through to the floor. The whole contraption is covered by a sheet.

My bed: The sheets on my bed get changed every three or four days. But, if you have ever shared a bed with me, you know that I don’t ever stay in one place. My bottom sheet is too big for my bed, so I always end up having to put it back on in the mornings. Who knows where my comforter ends up! Well, this time around, I came up to my room to find I have a fitted comforter. If you hate making your bed, a fitted comforter is the way to go. Just flip it over the top of the bed, and there ya go.

Malaria Dreams: If you’ve ever taken Malaria pills, you know that they give you super crazy dreams. My dream last night was that I was part of a sleeping experiment, so I was watching myself sleep and taking notes on how I slept. But, I was sleeping in the bed, and I was standing in my metal closet-y thing at the same time. I woke up in my dream and talked to myself in the closet, only to realize that I actually had gotten up and was talking to my closet.

Those seem to be the adventures of my last week. I have classes for a whole six more days, and then we get a break for Independence Day! I am really looking forward to going to the fair and eating cotton candy (“sugar something” in Spanish), checking out a bunch of Honduras trinkets, and spending a day with my family. 

Final week of orientation

Shopping experience:

On Tuesday, we took a trip to the Government building of Honduras. We met so many people who were honestly trying to do a good job of changing Honduras for the better. I still wasn’t feeling 100%, so it was very hard to pay attention to all the things they had to say in Spanish. One lesson that we learned was that we are supposed to be careful while in Honduras, but not live in fear while here. I think this is really good advice for everyone. We do have to be careful, but not so much an extent that it cripples us. I have never really been into government things, but they were very proud when they showed us how far they have come in the past few years, especially along the lines of technology. They now have a voting system that lets votes remain anonymous if it comes to that. When I first found out that we were going to go to the government building, I assumed that it would be this gorgeous building, but it was less magnificent than I expected, but I think that made me feel a bit more content that the government isn’t using the money to fix their building that already has water and electricity, but maybe are going to use it to help those that really need it, like our guide said. When we were done with our tour, we walked out the main entrance and I am not sure if there was a protest going on, but there were people shouting things in megaphones and some Honduran soldiers with shields and guns. It was actually pretty scary just walking in between rifles, even though they were probably just for protection.

Wednesday, we had class again where we got to discuss finer points of grammar (YEAH!). I love learning about how a language work, so it was a really fun class for me. Afterwards, Tessa, Christina and I walked to Little Caesar’s Pizza and split a hot and ready. I was the one who ordered and when I said I wanted the four cinnamon sticks, she though I wanted four orders of eight cinnamon sticks. I was wondering why it was so expensive when she realized what had happened. Afterwards,  we went to La Colonia, a small grocery store on the way home from school because I had to buy an umbrella, a tank top (because my dog ate mine), and some rehydration liquid (think something along the lines of Pedialyte). So we  walked in the store, looking for the medicine isle. We found it, but turns out that everything is in Spanish (surprise surprise) and I don’t know any of diseases that these drugs promise to help. So, a kind woman offers to help us find what we are looking for. She told us that we had to go to the pharmacy instead, so we walked over to the pharmacy. I didn’t actually know the name of the medicine that I was looking for, but I knew it was Pedialyte for adults, which I told the woman. She just laughed and got me what I needed. Christina then asked for the same plus some Pepto Bismol. She laughed again when I told her we were new to Honduras. I’m guessing she figured that out already.

Thursday, we took a trip to the US embassy and it was the first time we were allowed to speak English to anyone. It was so weird being able to understand EVERYTHING! Now I know where to go if the police are after me or I lose my passport or something like that happens. Many different people told us what they were doing to make a difference in Honduras and how they were working so hard, but it always seemed like no matter what, the US was the one who benefitted. One person even said that the sweatshops are good for the Hondurans because it teaches them how to have a job- how to get up on time and work hard. I just wanted to tell her that most Hondurans wake up at four or five in the morning, and work their butts off until late at night and earn very little. I was actually pretty upset that she thinks that by the United States taking advantage of people, we are doing them a favor.

Well, a little bit of random non-Honduras news. Kooba and I have changed the wedding date to August 19, 2011. I have a lot of planning to do and a lot of things to figure out, but will do most of that when I get back from the Netherlands. So far, I have the colors, flowers, dress, and a reception hall and that seems pretty much like it.  

Cusuna

Cusuna Weekend 

Our group spend the weekend in the Garifuna* village of Cusuna, one of the poorer villages in Honduras. They don’t even have electricity. This weekend was my favorite so far and was the first time I was truly happy here. We spent the days (after 11+ hours in a school bus) swimming in the sea with the locals, learning about the Garifuna culture, and sharing our culture in return. Here are just a few stories from this trip.

Sketchy (M)otel

By the time we started getting closer to the village, it was too dark to navigate on the steep, twisty-turny, water covered roads, so we stopped at this super shady motel. We were all so exhausted and hot and were looking forward to a good night’s sleep in our small rooms. The set up was a double bed and a twin bed- between four people. Because everyone turned on their air conditioners at the same time, we shorted out the fuse, leaving us in tiny saunas to sleep. Someone came around with fans for every room, but our room’s outlets didn’t work. After everyone in our room showered (sharing two towels), we got ready for bed- leaving the door open because otherwise it was completely miserable. One of us started to laugh at how completely ridiculous the night was turning out to be when a girl from another room came over saying they had frogs and cockroaches in their room so they were going to sleep outside. Which made us laugh even more. And then someone else came to tell us the air was working in their room, so we should try it. We tried to plug it in, and Heather prayed “God, please make it do something.” We plugged it in and a light came on! We were so excited. Then it started emitting this high pitch beeping noise and blinking lights at us. We finally just ended up lying on the sketchy sheets and falling asleep to the sounds of everyone else laughing at what a crazy night we were having.

Community Show

The community put on a show to show off their culture. There was dancing and singing- things that Dutch people can’t do. We all sat in a small school room and tons of little kids crowded around behind us watching the two shows- the dancing and the gringos. One little boy sat on my lap, clapping to the beats- a feat which I couldn’t quite master. The girls and boys could dance so well- even Pablo and a few others in our group got up and showed off their stuff. I didn’t really understand the words because it was in Garifuna, but it was still really cool to see.

Shoes

I thought I only brought four pairs of shoes to Honduras. But, I have four pairs of shoes more that some of the people in Cusuana. The majority of people wear the type of flip flops that you can get at old navy or Wal-Mart- plastic and cheap. Then, there were those who couldn’t afford even that and ran around their village barefoot, even though there was trash everywhere. Those who didn’t have shoes would come and watch us eat, but since we didn’t have enough to give to all of them, we couldn’t share. It was really heart-breaking to see then with their little fingers poking through the slits in the windows.

6-year-old mafias

One night I was just sitting on a log, reading my Bible and writing in my journal. These two six-year-old girls came up to me and demanded that I give them a dollar. I didn’t have a dollar, so they told me to give them my Bible and my journal. I told them that it wasn’t nice to go to people and demand things. They told me they would wait while I got a dollar. I then told them to go hit up the others.

Church

In order to get to church, we not only walked and took a bus, but we also took a couple huge lanchas*. It was really tippy, but it’s okay because we read from Jonah, just to be safe. Walking up the road, we could hear drums and singing. We walked in a did the “I’m gonna clap along and sway bach and forth because I don’t know what else I am supposed to do” dance. Then the women started pulling us all forward, and we all ended up sweating and dancing together for the same great God. We sang a couple songs in English/Spanish for them as well- some of which they knew in Spanish/Garifuna. The sermon was translated into Spanish from Garifuna for us, but by this point I was so tired I had a hard time telling which one was which. After the church service I was feeling a bit dizzy, and then a lot dizzy. Someone got me a chair, which we tried to move to the shade, but before we made it to some shady destination, I hit the dirt. The next thing I remember is that someone was giving me this gross candy and coconut water- which I hate. By this point a group of Garifunas had gathered and was watching me. Then the combination of feeling so dizzy and the coconut water made me sick, so I just threw up in front of all these people. I felt better and then we ate “espegheti”, my favorite food. After resting for a bit, we all walked to a gorgeous Catholic cathedral, took our boats back to our village and went swimming.

Beetle in my pants

The last night, after swimming again in the medusa*-filled sea, our group of 30 ate at an outdoor restaurant. After we were finished with our chicken or fish, we went and danced in the streets where a few guys were playing loud music. After a while of dancing, another girl and I had to go to the bathroom so we went in searching. We didn’t actually find a servicio*, but we did find a bush. When drove back to the houses we were staying at, and as I changed into my pajamas, a beetle fell out of my shorts- and it was still alive. Now I know, always check for bugs before you pee in someone’s backyard.

Return trip

The question that constantly kept going through my mind through this trip was, “Is this really happening?” Well, the return trip was no exception. First, we drank tang- the Honduraño equivalent to orange juice. We made a stop for bathrooms, and one girl got stuck in the bathroom for almost twenty minutes. Some men finally came and just broke down the door for her. We stopped for dinner at this really cute restaurant, which was relatively normal (and delicious). A few hours later, we stopped again for bathrooms. I started getting dizzy again, so I bought some juice. Just as we were about to get back on the bus, I realized that I was going to be sick. So, I ran back in with Pablo yelling “Estás bien?” No, I was not bien. I slept for twenty minutes on the bus, but then we got stuck in a traffic jam. At this point two other girls started throwing up. I had to get off the bus, and then I started throwing up on the side of the road. I got back on and couldn’t stop throwing up for the last hour of the bus ride. I started shaking and then I couldn’t feel my body, which was one of their weirdest sensations ever. People kept asking me things, but I didn’t know what language they were speaking and I just wanted to sleep. We finally got back and took a taxi to our houses, where I just went to sleep. I stopped throwing up, but then I got diarrhea around midnight. So, it was just a really long night for me. I am ready for a new day, but still, I had the best weekend. I am just so joyful that I got to have an amazing time learning about the Garifunas and the people in my group. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

A song that sums up the weekend- we sang it at church

Estoy Alegre (I’m joyful)

                ¿Porqué estás alegre? (Why are you joyful)

Estoy Alegre (I’m joyful)

                Cuénteme porque. (Tell me why)

Estoy Alegre (I’m joyful)

                ¿Porqué estás alegre? Eso quiero yo saber.(Why are you joyful? I want to know)

Voy a contarte. (I’m going to tell you)

                ¿Puedes contarme? (Can you tell me?)

La razón de estar algre es asi Haleluja Gloria (The reason to be happy is this)

Cristo un día me salvó y mi alma transformó (Christ saved me and transformed my spirit)

Y eso quiero algre estoy. (And for this I want to be happy).

               

Garifuna= a person of African ancestry who lives in a segregate community on the coast of Honduras.

Lanchas= large canoes, that are not really stable with twenty people.

Medusa= Jellyfish

Servicio= bathroom

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)