Whirlwind of activity!
Trip Start
Mar 28, 2003
1
3
20
Trip End
Jul 23, 2003
Tegucigalpa,
Honduras
Monday, March 31, 2003
So, let me begin with the weekend recap-it was very busy and educational. The happy hour party on Friday was fun as I got to meet a lot of people. I've already been invited to go spend time in other sections of the embassy so as to learn what they do. I also got to meet the Ambassador. I never thought my first meal in Honduras would be at a Chinese restaurant-but it was. Myself, Renee (the other intern), Chad and his Mexican fiancee
Adrianna, and a new MIL (military) commander Lester, went to dinner after the party
Home of the migrant fruit workers
. I have to admit, the Honduran version of Chinese food isn't that bad. Apparently, there is a HUGE Chinese population living here in Honduras. Lester is new here, too, and he offered to take me scuba diving at Roatan sometime as he's a certified instructor. Everyone was really great with making me feel welcome and at home. It's like one huge extended family here. Saturday was a very busy day. The community office here plans periodic trips on the weekends, and there was one on Saturday to visit some Lenca women who make their traditional pottery. I won't go into the details of it, but it's a long process and can be recognized by the off-white and black coloring of the pieces. It was amazing that you could buy a beautiful pot from them for only about $8 USD, whereas if you purchased it in the US it'd be hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars. It was a three hour drive each way, and the drive was a huge eye-opener. If I thought that Tegus was a poor city-to see the way of life out in the campesino is just impossible to imagine. The further out of the city we got-the more impoverished it was. Peoples' homes were built right alongside the highway; built out of everything from cardboard and wood to concrete. As we passed by, you could see inside the homes and all you ever saw was a chair or two and possibly a hammock. The road was also littered with emaciated cattle: cows, goats,
horses and tons of dogs
Lenca pottery
. They didn't appear to belong to anyone, and certainly weren't being cared for by anyone. And garbage-I have never seen some much garbage before in my life. The only thing they can do with it is throw it outside their homes. You saw children playing right next to the highway among the garbage and sewage. It was very sad to see. In Honduras, the average daily income is a little less than $1 USD. The one scene that will stick out in my mind is that of the migrant workers. On our way home there was a road blockade for no apparent reason, so our drivers turned around to take a different route. We had to forge a small river where the migrant workers squatted during the melon season. They work as melon turners, turning the melons so that they fully ripen. These are the people who know the worst of the poverty. Their "homes" were made of
cardboard and the women and children were sitting in the river in order to stay cool. This is the same river that they use for everything from washing to drinking. I turned to look back and sure enough there was a man going to the bathroom in this same river. You just can't imagine.
Okay, I know that I am making this out to be the most depressing place ever
Woman painting Lenca pottery
. But I just want everyone to know how good they've got it-in case they already didn't know. It doesn't make me want to sell all of my things and live a life of poverty-but it definitely has been important to me to see and understand the other ways of life that exist. And I wanted to share this with everyone. I promise to only relate happy things in the future :) But for you to have a clear picture of where I will be living for the next four months, these stories are necessary. In contrast, Honduras is a beautiful country. We are in the middle of beautiful mountains and blue skies like you've never seen! I keep hearing stories of all of the different places to visit here and look forward to doing so. Like I said, everyone is so inviting and have already planned excursions for me to go on with them. The little things of life here are what brings a smile to my face. I love the colors and sounds of this city already. The Hondurans love to honk their car horns-they honk at everything
possible. The best was the other day I was standing in front of my house and I heard a car horn-but there was no car in sight. Sure enough, a man was riding his bike down my street and was honking his attached car horn. I just couldn't stop laughing for some reason! Also, did you ever wonder where your grammar school yellow bus went? Well, it's here in Honduras. These are what they use for the public buses. Some of them still have the US school district name painted on the side. They ride with the door open and only slow down a bit at stops...so you see people jumping out of the doors into a slow run. It's another site that makes me laugh for some reason.
Overall, I have to say that I feel I am adjusting quite well here. Arriving into this family has made it that much easier. Today begins my work world, and hopefully all will go well-as that is why I am really here :)
