Inside the rainbow.

The past few days, I was at Lajo Yajoa on an end-of-semester retreat. Yesterday we went to this waterfall park. I jumped off the rocky riverbank like 25 feet into the water, it was fun. So much playing around in the water and doing jumps. It was beautiful. I also kayaked with Sylvi really far on the Lake. Ate great fish. Had some great times with my fellow students, who turned out to be a pretty neat bunch.

I guess this is my last post here in Honduras. If you're still reading, thanks, and I hope we can talk when I get back stateside.

Some things I like about Honduras:

• how people point with their lips
• exchanging "buenas!" with strangers
• putting drinks in bags instead of bottles
• men dress well and wear nice shoes
• the abundance of cheese
• how oranges are peeled for you and served with salt
• fake kiss-on-the-cheek greetings
• honey "pura" on crepe-like pankekes
• public space and forced personal interaction
• doorway curtains
• crochet toilet-seat covers
• pulperias
• Spanish is a more expressive language
• how economics forces people to be easier on the environment
• public transportation
• Latino Christian music
• gringas, baleadas, licuados, Penguinos
• flavor and fat in food
• internet cafes

Cuidase.

Digame.

I forgot to mention in my last post that on Thursday, I got to drive a school bus! When we were out in the campo on a rocky dirt road with no one around, Olvin let me take the wheel. It was fun, and easier than I'd imagined.

This morning I took Ambar to Chiminike, which is the coolest children's museum I have ever visited. We played with big bubbles, climbed a huge rope structure, laid on a bed of nails, got ice cream, etc...it was terrific. I will sorely miss this little girl, my friend.

El Color de Esperanza

This past week was spent out in the campo, with our host families in Guanabano, Olancho. There's not a lot going on there, it's farm country but my family is kind of retired. Things are so laid-back. We spent a lot of time with the 7 kids, who are between 17 mos.-11 years old. They are so great, just climbing all over us all the time and making their own fun.

The 96-year-old "papito" great-granddad we met last time we visited just passed away last week, but Sylvi brought a photo she'd taken of him and they framed it and put it on the wall. That was special.

While we were there we administered a survey of the community for the National Diaconate about living conditions, needs, opinions, etc. It was really neat--when we approached a house, we would say "Buenas" and the people would pull up a chair and say "Sientense"(Have a seat) before we even explained who we were.

The man who drove our bus out there, Olvin (and his wife and baby) stayed in the same house as Sylvi and I, which was another cool part. He is such a kind, gentle person and the four of us had fun chats over meals.

Yesterday we went with our families to caves with stalagmites in a cloud forest. That wasn't even one of the highlights of the trip, but the best parts are hard to describe briefly.

It was just so great to get to know that family more and talk with them. They all got teary-eyed and the kids cried when we left this morning. What precious people. I will miss that place.

Vanessa, the 7-year-old, sang me this little song "Pintarse la cara, el color de esperanza" (paint your face the color of hope.)

Ya voy.

Gas prices have jumped here, so taxis are on strike today. Taxis are a vital form of public transportation here...and today tons of these little white cars are lining (and blocking) the streets. Civilian vehicles are also abandoned in the road, I'm assuming because they got trapped by the parked taxis and the drivers got out to walk. Either that or the Rapture happened and I'm out of luck.

I got my hair cut by Gloria's sister, who has a little salon in her house. I felt a little like I was in "Beauty Shop," because the ladies were just chatting away, taking their time, joking around. It was great, and it only cost me $3.50. "Su pelo es superfinisimo y su piel es tan blanca como papel!"

This week we took two field trips. One was a visit to a jail. It was like a little town inside, and we saw the men in literacy class, making hammocks, and doing woodwork. We got to just stand around and chat with them too, which was really cool. The other was to a maquila where they sew clothes for a lot of different brands, including Land's End.

I'm in the home stretch of my time in Honduras, and I'm feeling really attached to this place all of a sudden.

These are the days you remember.

Yesterday I bought a pound and a half of blackberries for 50 cents! Life is good.

This weekend I got the chance to get to know Tegucigalpa a little better. Just taking different busses and walking around was really good. A few of us went to see a dance theater production called "Bienvenidas" in an old opera house downtown. I also went to visit the national museum of art, which was neat. It was all Latin American work. Some of it was really unique, like a different perspective than I've seen before. I also saw a hummingbird in the garden there.

I went to Bible study in our neighborhood with Gloria, and got to hold this happy, chubby baby called Abner for awhile. He didn't seem to mind I don't speak Spanish well.

On Saturday I got locked out of the house and spent half of the night trying to sleep in our porch, on the cold tile floor among Cristina's plants and their ant friends. Luckily I had a nice fat paperback to use as a pillow. That's a story for another time.

A few other muchachas and I went to the Iglesia Cristiana Reformada (CRC) on Sunday in Nueva Suyapa, which was one of the neater church experiences I've had here.

On Friday, I went into the Catedral downtown to sit for awhile. There was an old woman standing in the doorway, who I smiled at as I climbed the stairs. She took my hand and said (in Spanish),
"How old are you?"
"21."
"And you're not married?!" (She examines my hand for a ring)
"Nope."
"It better to not marry!"
"Oh?"
"Yes, it's better to stay single."
And that was the extent of it. Interesting. Very interesting.

Courage.

It’s been oppressively hot here lately!

Ambar has been home from school three times in the past couple weeks because of teacher’s union strikes. This is a pretty regular occurrence—every public school in Honduras shuts down because the union leaders demand continual raises and bonuses. Kurt says the way teachers’ unions abuse their power give other sectors (like maquilas) cause to forbid unions, who in turn get away with mistreating employees. It seems like nearly everything here is corrupt, from the top with government and police down to the bottom. Just really awful. I take a lot about the U.S. for granted.

We are in our third and final class: Development in Practice. We’ve been talking about short-term missions, child sponsorship, missions & development, etc. It’s really interesting! We’ve also been taking the bus up to Nueva Suyapa every afternoon to do some basic social research. My group is interviewing youth about their community.

Yesterday, I bought pupusas from one classmate’s mama and an all-fruit homemade popsicle from another. A guy sitting by the mall sold me strawberries. It’s neat to be able to purchase things so directly from people, instead of some impersonal chain store.

Last night, Ambar “taught” me how to make scrambled eggs with tomato and ham. Later, while I was in my room studying she came and gave me 3 Skittles and 2 M&Ms “para postre!” That girl can make the most simple things so fun. Like standing around, throwing a balled-up napkin at a moth on the ceiling, or my favorite of her games, which is when we bounce this little, blue ball back and forth, and you have to make up a new “move” every time you catch it.

Today, Elvia Alvarez came and spoke to our class. The book Don’t Be Afraid, Gringo (which we read this semester) is the story of her life and work. She is a poor, uneducated campesina from rural Honduras and an organizer for human rights, women’s rights, and land rights. She is my hero! I could have cried the entire time she was talking, it was so moving. A few of us had lunch with her afterwards, in the presence of greatness.

Que te vaya bien.

My mama (Cristina) came home for the weekend, with her daughter and grandson from Chicago. They left for the States this morning, and I was glad for the chance to have a proper, nice goodbye with her. She made me pancakes once last time this morning...her yummy kind that are more like crepes.

On Saturday night, Sylvi and I slept over Annalise's house. We were sprawled out on her bed, chatting, at 1:30 a.m., when her mama burst into the room. She ordered us to come sleep in her room, and my ¨Thanks, but really, we have enough space here¨was met by her grabbing my arm and pulling me off the bed against my will. (She is strong for 80). Seeing the terror on my face, Sylvi volunteered to accompany me. We were directed to the extra bed in the mama's room. Annalise tried to retrieve us, but her mama told her to go lie down, and then spanked her out of the room! We weren't sure if she was angry at us or just wanted us to be comfortable. That distinction gets lost in the cultural exchange for me quite often.

My Spanish is still a long way from "great," but is improving. Last night, my mama told me I could meet her granddaughters if I go to Chicago in May, and assured me that they all speak English. Then she added, ¨But...you speak Spanish too--no problem.¨Coming from her, that is a really valuable compliment. Also, the other day, I registered for a medication savings card, all in Spanish over the phone without help, and that felt really good!

The Agony and the Ecstasy

So...The past week I have been struggling with a nasty allergic reaction to a fruit called marañon...a sister of poison ivy. To make a long story short, I took 2 medications, talked with 3 doctors, and have received 4 shots...none of which has done much to quell the miserable itchy rash covering my body. One interesting thing is that my mama went to the pharmacy without a prescription, picked up some hypodermic needles and medicine, and called up a neighbor lady (who´s a nurse), to come inject me. I kind of like this casual, neighborhood way.

Tegucigalpa was a ghost town most of this Holy Week...as in, I could cross 6 lanes of traffic without looking. Even church left town! Therefore, on Good Friday, Kelly and I hung out at Dunkin Donuts...the only thing open in a deserted mall. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I also went downtown to see the ¨alfombras¨ which are made of finely ground colored sawdust, with designs and Bible verses. There was a processional from the Catedral.

This weekend I went to Siguatepeque with my family to see the dedication of a health clinic my mama´s son worked on. There were some mission trip groups from Nashville there. I found out that when there are a lot of gringos around, everyone assumes white skin= doesn´t understand Spanish. We did have a really classy reception last night at a hotel. Orchestral octet...steak...

My host mom is in the habit of leaving me out of critical pieces of information...such as the fact we were supposed to bring formal clothes along this weekend (or really even what we were doing)...and that she wouldn´t be coming home again...and that the odd old man who walked around with us for hours was not just a buddy but her ex-husband. I try to laugh...I try.

Cristina (my mama) has decided to leave the country. She´s going to Chicago. Now it´s just me, Gloria, and Ambar.

Three Neatest Gifts I´ve Received in Honduras:

1. stale peanuts...when I was really, really hungry, and my professor´s intuition told him I needed a pick-me-up.

2. a plastic lime...in the park in Cofradia, a somewhat-intoxicated wandering man was standing by our group for awhile, talking nonsense. I said Buenos Dias. Then he handed me this green, fake fruit.

3. steroids...last night this nice guy Douglas left our fancy dinner to go buy me goods for another injection. And he refused to let me pay him back. ¨Don´t worry.¨

Koinonia: On Location

The highlight of this week was having dinner at my friend Sarah Shub´s house in Cofradia. My former housemate, Peter, was there visiting her as well. We all stayed in a hotel. It was so good to see them and catch up. I needed a visit from my Regular Life.

We all had a goodbye party with our Cofradia host families on Thursday. Each house made up a skit, and then said nice things to our mamas. The girls in my house got sweet cards from our host sister. They were a nice family, and I liked my time there.

That being said, I´m reeaally happy to be back in Tegucigalpa today.

Pedialyte, anyone?

I got sick my last day of vacation...the dreaded ¨amoeba.¨ I think I picked up the little parasite from lettuce. Anyway, I won´t go into the details, but it was miserable. Luckily, my two travel buddies brought me to the hospital and a very kind doctor in Antigua took care of me. I feel much better now! The wonders of modern medecine...

Ride the tourist train.

Spring break is coming to a close.

I went to Antigua, Guatemala for a couple days (I´m not really a fan) and saw some sweet cathedral ruins. We also hiked a volcano. There was a lot of cooled lava that we climbed over, which was really sharp and gashed my leg. But as we neared the top, you could feel the heat and see the orange lava flowing. Some guy was roasting marshmallows.

We (we meaning Sylvi, Sarah, and myself) went to a town called San Pedro de Laguna on Lake Atitlan (also in Guatemala). This place has a mix of indigenous people who wear traditional clothing, and gringos with dreadlocks. We kayaked on the lake, surrounded by mountains. We discovered what is my new favorite restaurant, Zoo La, where you sit on the ground at a low tables with pillows. Open air, hammocks, neat lamps, mobiles, good music, healthy food.

I also drank a lot of licuados (smoothies made on the street) and bought lots of banana bread from old women and young girls.

We stayed in a smattering of hostels, some rather nice, some rather seedy (re: fleas). What´s great about exchange rates: our hostels cost less than $2 a night!

Chocobananas.

I've been in Copan this weekend, which is my favorite place in Honduras thus far. Beautiful.

Yesterday we walked around the Mayan Ruins.

This morning I went to mass by myself, and stood the whole time because it was packed. I couldn't understand anything, but it was really interesting people-watching. I liked that everyone kneeled on the cement floor, and that they all touch each other a lot. Lots of shoulder patting.

I saw my friend Sarah Shubitowski (from Calvin) on Thursday. Me and a couple others found her school and surprised her. She is an elementary teacher in Cofradia, and gave us a tour of her school. It was so good to see a familiar face.

I discovered the wonder that is frozen chocobananas with sprinkles. :)

At my host family in Cofradia, there is only running water at night, so they fill up huge barrels to use during the day. So I took my first bucket showers, which are really kind of nice. A little cold, but nice. The barrels are a neat way to see just how much water 9 people need to use in a day.

Kurt's former bodyguard/assistant, accompanies us on trips often. He is super-serious and never talks to anyone. Lots of us have never heard his voice. (He doesn't speak any English, which may be part if it). One of the highlights of my weekend was making him laugh last night at dinner. It is soooo satisfying to say something funny in Spanish. That's what its all about. :)

Amapala

I had an amazing weekend on the island of Amapala. Lots of swimming, loads of sun. The highlight was our (free) day-long tour of the islands in a long, wooden motorboat. There was another North American, a Belgian, and a Guatemalan with us. Our best stop was at a sandbar in the Pacific, where the water was so warm, and soft sand, with sand dollars. I haven´t felt that good running in the sand and messing around in the water since I was maybe six years old. Sometimes the driver, Roger, would just stop the boat and we jumped out to swim. I love salty water! We ate fish at night on the beach. One of the neatest parts was on our 4-hour bussride back. We got on the bus late, so we had to stand, and it was really crowded and hot. There is an unspoken rule that at the rest stop, everyone gets off, but that seats are ¨saved.¨ I sat down to rest for a few minutes at the halfway point, and when the elderly man seated there before returned, I started to get up and he just smiled and ¨sit down.¨ He refused to let me give him his seat back. How special, and how undeserving I felt as a young vacationer to get recieve such a favor from an old man. The kind things that people go out of their way to do to help make us feel comfortable as visitors is really touching. North American hospitality pales in comparison. Most of the time we don´t even let these people cross our borders! Now we are in Cofradia for a week, with new host families. Yesterday we toured a maquila (sweatshop/U.S-owned factory) that makes t-shirt cloth. It was sooo fascinating. Tomorrow we go to Copan to see Mayan Ruins. Then it´s Spring Break!

Celebrate the Day.

Today there was a banner at the Pedagogica, announcing that it was International Women´s Day. Sweet.

We have been having dinner at Kurt & JoAnn´s every Wednesday, which is just a breath of fresh air for me. They cook great vegetarian food (plato típico Americano) and we discuss ¨The Irresistible Revolution¨ (a book I´m pretty fond of).

It´s the long weekend now and I´m going to Amapala (a little island on the south coast) with a couple other muchachas. First though, I am going to introduce my host family to the wonder that is homemade Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookies. They don´t sell chocolate chips here, so I am going to cut up some chocolate soccer ball candy.

For the next few weeks, we will all be in Cofradia, which is where a dear friend Sarah Shewby is living and teaching. A lot to look forward to!

Holding hands.

I had quite the weekend.

We went to a village in Olancho, which is about as rural as it gets. This is a picture of Morgan, not me, but it gives a good idea of the area.

Sylvi and I stayed with Dilma and her family. They are raising 7 grandchildren, from 14 mos. to 10 years. The kids were so fun, and really wore me out. We played a lot.

-swinging on the swing and in the hammock, and spinning them in the air

-hide and seek in the dark outside

-pedaling a bike with Belkie, 9, sitting on the crossbar

-swimming in the river, with a current so strong it was hard to cross

-letting them do our hair (Tanya, 3, tried to comb my hair with a shoe polish brush several times when I wasn´t looking)

-washing clothes on a washboard and rock

-giving two little girls a bath. (To do this, we poured cold well water over their heads and rubbed them with soap that looked like sidewalk chalk, while they stood, shivering, so disciplined).

We also ground corn to make tortillas, and tried to pat the dough into tortillas. The 96-year-old ¨Papi¨stood by and laughed at us, ¨No puede! No puede!¨(You can´t do it!) Ha ha.

We ate meals with our busdriver, Olvin, who is really nice. We shared lots of laughs, including about our plan to do one more push-up every day so we can do 70 by the time we leave Honduras. (We are only at 11).

While washing clothes, we met Meri, who was my friend Maree´s host last spring. We visited her house later, and she gave us Pepsi. What a wonderfully warm and neat lady.

¨Belkie, do you think it´s strange that I´m 21 but don´t know how to wash clothes or make tortillas?¨

¨No.¨

¨You can tell me the truth.¨

¨Yes.¨

Pase me la botella...

Recent highlights in my life have been:

1. Salsa dancing at this sweet restaurant called Sabor Cubano. People there really got moves. I also had flan that was not the watery mess Ms. Lanenga served us in grade 9, but so rich it was like cheesecake.

2. Ambar and I made our own little dictionary, which included our names and our mothers´names (all nouns) and other words like ¨amor¨ and ¨flor.¨ It was her idea, and she ran to the pulperia (convenience store) to buy a couple sheets of blank paper with money she found on the ground. She´s such a neat kid.

3. Visiting Congress. We met this one congresslady who was just on fire, it was awesome. And we learned about the valient few trying to wrest Honduras out of the clutches of foreign culture imposed by things like Pizza Hut.

4. Striking up a prolonged conversation with a Honduran student at the Pedegogica on a bench during lunch. His buddy came over too, who just so happened to know Jordan Bruxford (a good friend of my former housemate Peter). ¨I knew someone from Michigan. He was really tall.¨ Ha ha. It´s a small, small world.

5. A really good visit with my tutor, Keyla. She brought me to her house today. It was really interesting to see the contrast between the condition of her house and the way she dresses. I feel like a homely, frumpy mess next to her most of the time.

Did you know cashews grow inside of a fruit? Me neither. Also, this unripe fruit can give you a facial rash if you eat it unripe. I´m glad it wasn´t me.

Perpetual Confusion

Many times when with my host family, I am in a state of settled confusion. A good example happened Thursday night.

It was 8:20 p.m., and I came home to a dark house. I could not get my key to work (on the third of three locks) and after struggling for several minutes, I knocked. The shutters opened, and a man without a shirt on looks out at me. He started giving me directions about the key, but I was frozen in shock, because no men live in our house. The first thing I thought was, ¨Am I at the right house?¨, then ¨Gloria?! What have I walked in on?!¨ I didn´t hear a word the man said, so he opened the door. There was a cot in our dark living room. I just said ¨Lo siento!¨ and went into my room. The next morning, this man was still there, and we were all like, ¨Bueños días¨ as if everything was normal. He sat on the couch watching the news (fully clothed this time). I left for school, never receving an explantion of who the man was or why he slept in our living room. This is one of many examples of mystery in my daily life. I try to just go with it, but sometimes the curiosity is almost too much.

In other news, we all went to a region called Olancho this weekend, which is in the country. Before leaving, Cristina (my mama) called ¨Adios, mi hija! Cuidate!¨ (Goodbye, my daughter. Be careful/take care of yourself!¨ That felt really special, as she´s not usually like that towards me.

Olancho was sweet, we met another set of our host families, who we´ll go see next week. Sylvi and I are roommates, which is Very Good. There are 5 or 6 young kids in the house. I got up at 6 today and went for a run in this little town, it was so beautiful. Sylvi fought off the angry dogs for us.

Wednesday a bunch of us went to a U.S. vs. Honduras soccer game (DC United vs. Olypmia) in the stadium downtown. Pro fútbol is a big deal I guess; there was a really heated parade beforehand with shirtless men whipping their t-shirts around in the air. I had some banana chips w/lime and talked to a couple young girls whose uncle sells hot dogs there. Really interesting.

Siguatepeque

On Saturday, Cristina and I took the bus 2 hours up to Siguatepeque, which is higher in a mountainous area. Her son and his wife speak fluent English, so it was really refreshing to be able to meet people and have a conversation of some depth. I learned more about my mama´s life, which helps me understand her better. The trip was interesting on so many levels...

One thing I thought about there was maids. Their family had two of them, and while I know that hiring maids creates jobs (which may be better than what is otherwise available) it just felt really awkward to sit there reading magazines while these ladies ironed and made us dinner. Not quite just a business relationship, but not with the full rights of family/friends either.

It was really cold up there, probably no higher than 50 degrees (I know you all in GR are crying crocodile tears for me). But we had three hours of church in an open-air building without enough clothes! I shared a room with my mama at night, and the next day she teased me about making noise in my sleep, ¨I thought you were dying of the cold!¨

We are halfway through our first development class, which has covered Honduran history and the current state of health, the economy, and education. It is really interesting.

Today, after a visit to an elementary school, we all went to Sarah´s house and her mama made us pupusas. These are like tortilla-ish round things infused with cheese and topped with shredded cabbage/carrot/onion. Muy delicioso.

p.s. actually, I don´t have a digital camera, so I won´t be uploading anything.

Amor y Amistad

Yesterday was la Día de Amor y Amistad (the day of love and friendship). Ambar made me a little valentine, slid in under my door, knocked, and ran away. I gave her a ¨BEST¨ candy bar. She’s great.

In the afternoon, we met with our conversation tutors in Nueva Suyapa at their high school. I played games with a bunch of girls, like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Un Limon, which were so fun and everyone laughed a lot. I like my tutor, Keyla, a lot.

My Spanish speaking has become more fluid and less choppy this week, which is a big relief. I can feel my comprehension improving as well. My host family and I are both less frustrated. There’s nothing like being confident about your verb conjugation!

Yesterday while we were in Nueva Suyapa (which is a much poorer area than where we live in Tegucigalpa), we heard from women who work at a community organization called Genesis. They were part of a group for victims of domestic violence. We got to visit their houses and hear their stories. So much pain and so little support (financial or otherwise) but so much drive and hope. The 12-year-old daughter of one said she wants to be a lawyer so she can defend abused women and children.

This afternoon, I and a few other Calvin students went to a Bible study at the university. It was cool. I really like the occasional opportunities I get to talk to Honduran students at the Pedagógica, because we stick out so much as white people, and I have been unsure how we are perceived. But I have been received very warmly and kindly.

I think I will probably be a little ¨gordita¨ when I come back, as most of what I eat is fried. Today I finally had the courage to tell Gloria I didn’t need quite so much to eat in the morning. A typical breakfast was: a big bowl heaping over with different sliced fruit to start and then a grilled triple-decker chicken-cheese-lettuce-tomato-mayo-ketchup-mustard sandwich. At 7 a.m.! And I´d eat it all, too, because I felt too badly to have her throw things away.

This weekend I’m going with Cristina to Siguatepeque to visit her son and his family. I am looking forward to that.

Sunny days.

So.

It seems like half of Tegucigalpa has a cold, including me. But I´ll happily take that over digestive problems any day!

Friday night I went to a discoteque downtown. It was really fun. Since it costs the equivalent of $5 to get in, the crowd was a little more sophisticated than us six "American" college students. The music was mostly Carribean. I danced with a couple Hondurans, who did a lot of turns.

Yesterday we all went to a county fair called Agafam. We saw lots of farm animals, including a brahman, which I had never even heard of before. It looks like a mix between a buffalo and a dog. Muy feo.
We also went up to Piccachu, which is an enormous statue of Jesus. It is situated on the side of a mountain, his arms outstretched over Tegucigalpa. I really don´t know what to think about that.

For Sunday dinner we had tilapia, complete with teeth and tail! Yum!

This afternoon, Ambar and I played outside. There is a little triangle of dirt/grass by the house, where we played baseball with a piece of wood and a little plastic ball. We also played volleyball by stretching her jumprope between a bamboo stalk and some ironwork on our window. It is fun, but the balls inevitably end up in these little gutter streams, which smell like they´re probably not carrying rainwater.

Something on my mind: a Honduran Burger King worker makes a little over the Honduran minimum wage, but can´t afford to eat at BK with what he makes.

Also, Hond. gets a lot of produce from Guatemala, but recieves the poorest quality goods. Gtmla ships the best stuff to the U.S. and Europe, the average stuff to a couple other Central American countries, and saves the worst for itself and Hond. I´m embarrassed!

No hablo español.

I have a lot, and I mean a lot of respect for people who have become fluent in a foreign language. There is so much complexity in language, I could just drown. I have lost so much of my Spanish since high school, it is really discouraging. I think I´m going to give up on literature\culture and regress to grammar and verb tenses. Que lastima.

Yesterday we went to Nueva Suyapa, where Kurt and JoAnn live. I met my language tutor, Keila. We will meet a couple times a week and chat. She is finishing high school and wants to be an engineer. I seem to run into a lot of female engineers in-the-making.

Recurring themes in my Honduran experience: plastic patio chairs, mayo, butter, cheese.

Men cat-call (and make other interesting noises) a lot here, which is just the way things are. Sometimes I find it funny, except the horn honking is annoying. (We walk along the side of a beltline-like road going to school.) Unfortunately, I think that in reaction to this phenomenon, some of us female students have gone overboard, being suspicious of all men and assuming they all hypersexualized or are following us. That gets on my nerves more than the horn-honking.

Montanas

Hola,

Yesterday and today I went on a retreat with the other Calvin students to the mountains, a place called La Tigra. It was beautiful up there. We drove up a windy little mountain road, and had to push the van up the really steep parts. It was nice to breathe deep of clean, unpolluted air and be able to drink from the tap. This morning we hiked for about 3 hours. There was a sweet waterfall. I had the best hot chocolate, honey, and pineapple juice of my life.
We spent a lot of time getting to know each other, which was good. There are some really neat people here with me.

On Sunday I went to church with Gloria and Ambar, se llama ¨La Gran Commission.¨

The other day I saw a burly construction worker wearing a t-shirt advertising a theatre production of ¨The Feminine Mystique.¨Ha ha. If he only knew.

Gloria made me raspberry juice (from the fruit) in the blender the other day because I said it was my favorite fruit. Que rico!

Welcome to the Hond

I´m here! I left home at 4am on Wednesday. It was emotional and I didn´t want to leave, but as soon as I stepped out and breathed Honduran air, I was thrilled to be here.

My family is nice, there is an 8 year old girl called Ambar. She has a brilliant smile and uses it a lot. She has taught me a few card games and last night she let me choose some seashells from her collection. Very sweet.
My technical ¨mama¨ is in her 60´s and is nice but doesn´t talk to me much...yet. She has been to Chicago quite a few times and speaks some English, although when she does I am usually more confused because my ears are expecting Spanish.
Then there is Ambar´s mother, Gloria. She talks to me a lot and has walked me to school twice.
My family took it upon themselves to call me Esperanza [Hope in Spanish]. I like it, it sounds nicer than Hope I think. They think it is easier to pronounce.

It is very warm, very sunny, and very beautiful here. The land is hilly and curvy and in places remniscent of San Francisco. ¨The campus is like paradise. (Deborah, it looks a little bit like Santa Clara--they have a rose garden).
We started class today, 3 hours of Spanish in the morning and 2 of history in the afternoon. I am in the highest of 3 Spanish classes, which is just Literature and Culture. I think it is going to be a little over my head.

Oh yeah, as the airplane was landing, I saw a circular rainbow! And as the plane dipped below the clouds, the plane´s silhouette was transposed on it. It was awesome. Symbolic, you might say.

There are a ton of U.S. chain restaurants here. Jessye, you and I could fit right in--there are Dunkin Donuts and Burger King on my walk to school.

Anyway,
Adios, Kwaheri, Tchuss, Tot ziens,
Esperanza

Como se dice "study abroad"?

I got some information (and a picture) regarding my host family today. It is an older woman, her niece, and the niece's 8-year-old daughter. Se llaman "Familia Lanza."

Seeing their faces makes this whole thing suddenly more real. Most of the time I forget I'm going. I'm scared! I forget how to speak Spanish!

Teresa loaded me up with a whole bunch of "going away presents" tonight, including more stationary and cards than I can probably afford to send. So...write me!