La Misa, Parte Dos

Apparently, I have chosen some good Sundays to go to Mass.  I left my house later and ended up getting to church right before 10.  There were a TON of people outside, and I realized today was the youth mass/concert/party.  There was a parade going on, but I didn’t realize it was part of the celebration.

Mass didn’t begin until about 10:30, again.  So, I am thinking that it really does start then and not at 10.  Ha.  THREE songs were sung before the priest even came out.  They were all praise and worship type songs, many of which had hand motions.  One even had you tickle the person next to you!  I really have no idea what the songs were about specifically, but everyone was having a ton of fun.

Something I noticed last week, too, someone reads some sort of explanation of the first and second readings and the Gospel.  I think.  Of course I am only getting bits and pieces of things I understand.  I am not too sure why they do this.  It’s the only Catholic Church in town, so maybe they want to be sure people understand what’s happening during Mass?  The priest always tells us when to sit and stand, as well.  The only time that happens back home is when there are big Masses with attendees who are not Catholic.

Anywho… I wish I understood more, because again, the homily seemed to be good!  I am pretty sure he was addressing one’s vocation.  Because the Mass was dedicated to the youth, what better time to talk about it! :)

So, going up for communion is interesting.  I said last week that people are eager to get up there, and it took a few minutes before someone let me in line.  Last week, and this week, I noticed that everyone goes at different times.  Overall, each pew gets up, but not all at the same time.  So, it’s confusing when it’s actually your turn.  And, for those of you who are Catholic, the host can be a little different depending on what church you are at.  Most of the time, we receive the small ones, or if you are in front (or an alter server or Eucharistic minister) you can receive a piece of the broken big, main host (I don’t know if it’s called something different).  I go on this tangent, because the hosts at this church are HUGE!  Ha.  I mean, the deacon has to get a good hold on it to push it in my mouth, and I have to REALLY open my mouth, not reverently hold out my tongue.

I am really looking forward to Christmas Mass next Sunday.  My goal for this week is to find out if it’s at midnight or regular time… which is a good thing, huh?

Yesterday was the first time where I really felt tired and blah.  My tummy was a little upset, too.  So, I just basically was a lump on a log.  I watched Polar Express (in Spanish!) with my host-sister, read and vegged.  My host mom even made tomato soup.  It was delish!  She also made a concoction of soda water, lemon and salt for my stomach.  I thought it was nice gesture. :)  I hope that you all are doing well!!

Una Semana!

Well, now that I have been in Honduras for a week… A WEEK!  Una semana!  Ok, sorry.  I can’t believe it’s already been a week!  As I was saying, I would like to take this time to share some things that I have learned/found interesting/or just amusing (in no particular order).  Oh, and some pictures, as well!  Enjoy!

1. I really enjoy tortillas, especially when they are fresh.
2. It’s really hard to remember to throw away your toilet paper (in the trash, not the toilet) every time you go to the bathroom.
3. It’s also really hard to not automatically turn the water on to brush your teeth (must use bottle!).
4. Smells are really important to me (I have not taken my Nemo blanket out of my backpack because I am afraid of it losing it’s smell of home. Luckily, my bear has not).  The smells here are different, some are really nice, but some are not, and I am still getting used to it.
5. As annoying and sometimes creepy the attention I (and any other non-Honduran woman) get from the men here, you can’t help but get a small boost of self-confidence.  Just a little.  Ha.
6. The fresh fruit is AMAZING!  I am obsessed with the bananas.  I wish I could eat them more.
7. American music plays everywhere.
8. Watching/hearing the Honduran version or Spanish dubbed American commercials are really amusing.
9. There is only one place to go dancing, but the teachers in the school do not recommend it.  All of the music that plays around here makes me just want to dance!
10. Kids will be kids.  At the park, there was this cute little girl, maybe 2ish (reminded me of my niece Charlotte b/c her hair is still so short and light!), who kept walking close to me saying “Hola!” And, then her brother was running around so she followed him.  When she got bored of that, she pulled her shirt over her head and walked around.  It made me smile!
11. If the power goes out (meaning, all of the power in the whole town), life doesn’t stop.  All of the stores are still open.  Even the cafes still serve coffee.
12. Freshly made Honduran coffee is really good.
13. It is HOT when the sun actually decides to stay out for a while.
14. Some of the random dogs are really cute, and only want some love, which I am happy to provide.
15. The fireworks/firecrackers go off all of the time.  I still jump when the big ones go off, no matter what.  (People just shoot them off in the street.  Kids and adults.  Can you say dangerous?)
16. People are always willing to say hello, and I am always willing to respond with a hello and smile back.  (Reminds me of St. Therese and her little acts of love)
17. The only people that refer to me by name are my Canadian friends.  (My host mom has not once called me by mom name, and then yesterday asked what my name was.  I was a little surprised. I did introduce myself, I promise)
18. Even though I have a routine and am getting used to life, I still miss my family and friends.  A lot.

This is the inside of my house... but it's kind of outside, too. My room is the last door on the left.

Passing the river when I went horseback riding.

Me and Chica Loca (Crazy girl!) :)

Some kiddos trying to sell us their dolls from...

This is where the dolls are made.  A local Mayan tradition.  Japan has given them a grant, I believe.

Coffee ice cream!! Really good, and only 25 L which is just over a dollar.

Church, obviously. :)

The Parque decorated for Christmas.

My Canadian friends, Josee, Claire and Audrey.

The sun was finally out, so we had a pretty sunset. :)

This and That

[Frist, a few corrections to previous posts.  Sophia is not the name of my older host sister- it’s Sonia.  Oops.  AND, Dulce is 12 (will be 13 on Monday!) not 11. Again, oops.

La iglesisa Catolica is NOT blue, it’s white.  There is a blue sign on it. Fail.]

La Escuela:

La escuela es muy buena!  (School is really good!)  My teacher, Gaby, is awesome.  She is my age, talkative and explains things amazingly!  I am really happy because I believe, with this type of program, the teacher can make or break your experience.  I am on my third day, and it’s a lot of work.  A lot of it I remember, but a lot of it I don’t.  So, after the 4 hours, I am muy cansada (really tired)!  Plus, not being in school for the last four years, my studying habits are out of shape!

La Comida:

I have really enjoyed the food so far.  Sara, my host mom, is a really good cook.  I haven’t taken pictures of anything (I know.  Surprise, surprise!), but I will try to snap a few soon and share them with you.  Breakfast and dinner are the lighter meals, with lunch being heavier and always having some sort of meat.  In the morning, I have had cantaloupe (really sweet!), pancakes and tortilla con queso y chiles (tortilla with cheese and peppers).  I have to say, they have been the heartiest breakfasts I have had… maybe ever!  Lunch has consisted of different sopas (soups) and rice with chicken, beef or yesterday I had gallina (which is hen).  And, I think I have met the chicken that we eat.  I kind of feel bad… kind of.

In the backyard, Sara and Ernesto grow a lot of fruit.  They have lemons, oranges, bananas, some other fruit that helps with blood pressure, coconuts, and coffee.  They make their on coffee!!  I am talking laying the beans out and drying them overnight.  I am going to watch the process one day (and probably take pictures).  And, I have to say, I have gotten used to drinking Sara’s coffee with just milk.  It’s pretty good.  On Monday, I had this tea made from maiz (corn).  It was really interesting.  Probably not my favorite thing, but I’m glad I tried it.

Overall, I think Sara has been impressed with my appetite.  Ha!  But, it’s me… I’ll eat anything.  Paul (yes, you) would really like it because I have a set schedule for all of my meals… THREE meals a day!  I have been hungry for most of them, too, because it’s really hilly here… so I am burning off what I eat.

Copan Runias:

Yesterday was the first time I really explored the town.  I have been a little timid to just start walking around.  I am still trying to get used to everyone staring at me!  There aren’t too many tourists right now, so I guess they just like to get their fill or something.  I went to a coffee shop and had a café mocha frio (iced mocha)… pretty standard and really good.  I studied there for a while and then went to the school to use the Internet for a bit.  While I was there, I met a few otra estudiantes (other students) and we went for a walk.  They have been in Copan for a little longer than me, so were showing me the best places for this and that.  We also went to a bar and had a drink (Blue Lagoon… might be a new fave.  Just sayin’) together.  It was just so nice to be around people and chat!  All three ladies are from Canada.  Tonight we are going out to dinner for Clara’s birthday!  I am excited to go to a restaurant and see how that is.

Every week, the school arranges for an excursion.  Today we are going horseback riding in las montañas (the mountains)!  I’m glad I practiced with my mom back in October!

The weather has actually been quite chilly.  During the day it’s been in the 70s, I would say, but at night down in the low 50s.  So, I am definitely glad I brought my warmer clothes for the evening.  It's been cloudy and rainy the last few days.  It seems that the clouds kind of get stuck, as the mountains surround us.

Pictures:

This is the view from the second level of my house.

This is the view from the second level of my house looking over to Guatemala.

This was on Sunday, looking from the back of the house.

Bananas!!

The stairs I go down everyday to school.

And then back up them.

Well, there you have it.  Sorry for the Spanglish… but, I have actually started to think in Spanish.  I hope it’s more entertaining than annoying.  Let me know if there is something specific you want me to blog about!  Oddly, I feel like I need ideas.  Weird, huh?

Ama mucha (much love)!

La Santa Misa

Two of the first things that I made sure I asked about were 1) where the iglesia Catolica (Catholic church) was and 2) what time Mass was.

Easy enough.  Both Enrique’s daughter and my host mom said that mass was at 10 and is straight down the street to Parque Central, look left and the church is big and blue. [side note: I will take pics of my house and the area soon]

So, Sunday morning I was up around 7:15, had breakfast (by myself with my host mom watching me take every bite.  Can you say awkward?) which consisted of toast, jam, bananas AND homemade jugo naranja (orange juice).  Not as orangey as OJ back home.  It was good.  (Homemade limonada is really good, too!)

Around 9:30 I headed out and down the cobblestone, hilly street.  It took me about 10 minutes to get there.  I looked around and there were a ton of people, shops, restaurants and cafes.  I went to the center of the park, where the Christmas tree is, and looked to my left.  Alas! La iglesia Catolica!  There were a ton of people just lingering around, I asked one lady to make sure I was in the right spot.

I was early, but didn’t mind, I could have about 20 minutes of good prayer and reflecting.  More and more people showed up, more and more people were just chatting away.  10 o’clock came around, no priest.  10:10, no priest.  10:20, still no priest.  I am getting a little perturbed in my American way, as I have just witnessed Honduran time.  About 10:35 came around and finally Mass began.  As a whole, it was a different experience.  Obviously, I couldn’t understand much.  Oh, instead of giving you a play-by-play, I will list here things that I found amusing/frustrating/interesting:

1. EVERYONE sings.  Not just a few here, and a few there, but everyone.
2. People talk throughout, no matter what is happening during Mass (well, maybe except during the Eucharist).
3. People let their kids’ just walk around, play on their phones, or the like.
4. The homily was probably about 35 minutes… and I really wish I could understand, as he was yelling and being serious.  Man, it must have been good!
5. There was a HUGE butterfly that was flying around being graceful (and distracting).
6. Most everyone hugs during the sign of peace.  A few of the younger girls didn’t hug me.  Probably because they didn’t want to be uncool, or something.
7. The priest took the guitar and sang two songs during communion. I think that’s pretty sweet.
8. People were eager to receive communion, not horribly rude (ie some places in France), but it took a few before someone let me in line.
9. Every person receives on his or her tongue.
10. In total, Mass was almost 2 hours.  TWO hours.

There you have it!  My first Honduran Mass.  I will arrive next Sunday closer to 10 and see how that works.

Bienvenido a Honduras!

(The next few blog posts are copied and pasted from Word b/c I have no Internet at my host family's house... so that is what I have been doing in my spare time!)

[Beware: LONG!]

Well, I made it to Honduras!  I am here.  It’s crazy. J 

Saturday was long, emotional and overwhelming, to say the least.  I had no problems with either flight and arrived in San Pedro Sula early.  The guys sitting with me were excited to be going home.  The one (I never got his name) lives in Atlanta but goes back and forth to volunteer his time.  He will be staying for a year.  It was pretty cool to chat with him (in English!) and to learn about his desire to make his country mejor (better).

When we landed, we had to get through customs.  I got off the escalator and saw a sea of people.  It was crazy!  I am sure that this is a common thing, but I don’t remember going through customs in the Dominican Republic… I was a little surprised.  I wish I could have taken a picture, but I didn’t want to be that girl and I wasn’t sure if I would get in trouble or something.

Once I got through, you have to go to your right and find your luggage.  I say find, because they only have two carousels and they just dump all of the bags together in the corner… so you just go and search!  It was incredibly overwhelming.  Luckily I saw a guy pushing one of my suitcases and went in that direction, and found my other one relatively easy.  The one suitcase that has four wheels now is missing one.  Fail.  So, it was a struggle to move it (on top of the wheels already being annoying).  I was getting frustrated and on the verge of a breakdown, and the lady checking to make sure you have the right bags, was telling me how tired I looked.  Thank you so much, I really appreciate that.

After the bags go through the scanner, sometimes they get chosen to be search (mine did not!) and then you leave that area, and again are welcomed by a TON of people, presumably waiting for their loved ones.   I would imagine this is what walking on the red carpet would be like, people just staring and waiting for you to do something, minus the cameras.  I think eyes were on me just a tad bit more, as I am a white, blonde chick with a lot of luggage. J

I asked one of many guards in the center, as I am walking down, where the Hedman Alas (bus company) window is, and he graciously let me go through the crowd.  I got my bus ticket and waited the next hour for the bus.  I met a nice Canadian couple that was coming to explore Honduras for a month.  When the bus finally got there, we got on and we were off to the main terminal closer to downtown.  We switched buses and then began our 3 hour ride to Copan Ruinas.

This was the only sign I found, leaving the airport.

This is my tired and overwhelmed smile.

The bus was a standard coach-type bus.  I upgraded, so I had more room and a snack.  My first exposure to Honduran food was a ham and cheese sandwich, water and chocolate cookies. Ha.

I think the mint just adds a little something, don't you?

The bus ride was a little bumpy and I thought we were going to roll over multiple times when we were taking corners fast.  It was the first time where I had time to just think for a while, and I was just overcome with emotion, worry and exhaustion.   I felt like (and still, do a bit) this was a dream, or I was watching someone else.  I opened up to Saturday’s date of the devotional Aunt Marie and Uncle Duane gave me, and these were the first two sentences: Make Me the focal point of your search for security.  In your private thoughts, you are still trying to order your world so that it is predictable and feels safe.  Well, that was incredibly appropriate (of course it would be, good job God!).  I hadn’t all day turned to Him about anything.  Maybe I prayed before each of my flights, but I didn’t really share my thoughts and deepest feelings.  So, here I am, on the bus, and I am just completely lost.  Of course, I would be (for obvious reasons), but I didn’t let the Lord help me out.  Now, I am not saying this is easy, but I prayed for the first time to really ask for God’s help and comfort during this transition.  Then, I kind of dozed off a bit.  Oops!  But, I needed to sleep.  I slept off and on for a little while.  I woke up feeling a little better.

Finally got to Copan.  I didn’t take any pictures, because the windows were dirty and that’s what my camera was focusing on. Ha.  Enrique’s (director of the language school) kids picked me up.  They showed me around a bit (I don’t remember much, as I was tired and overwhelmed with everything new) and dropped me off at my host family’s house.  Got a few questions answered (time for Mass… which will get it’s own blog post!) and they were off!  My host mom, Sara… I can’t read her.  I feel like she is still figuring me out, and seems to get surprised/frustrated when I don’t understand what she is saying.  Which then frustrates me (inside, of course) because I am here to learn!  My host dad, Ernesto, is sweet, and uses smaller sentences for me to grasp.  I also met Sonia, 24, and Dulce Maria (translates to Sweet Mary, and she goes by Dulce), 11.  Sonia stayed with me (the rest of them went to church… not Catholic.) while I ate the dinner Sara made for me.  Typical Honduran food, Sophia says, which was egg, plantain, beans and tortilla.  It was good.  We had a little conversation, I finished my meal and retreated to my room.  Unpacked a bit, got excited because my Kindle found 3G and attempted to use the “experimental browser,” but it practically froze (Ha, no wonder it’s experimental), and then went to sleep.  It’s noisy around here: the cars, the animals, the people talking… and the firecrackers always going off.  Ernesto was telling me it’s for Christmas or something.  I don’t really know!

My room:

It's pretty nice, it's definitely more lived in now!

My Christmas area! Gracias, Mama!

El bano. The water is heated electrically for the shower. 

And, that is my first day in Honduras!  Sorry for the long post… thanks for hanging in there!

I miss you and love you all so much.

I am here!!

Hola!!!

I have made it and I am safe.  I will post more, soon! :)

Love you all!!

The time has come!

I am leaving in the morning.  I am leaving in the morning!  I AM LEAVING IN THE MORNING!  Ahhhh!!!

Ok, phew... got that out. :)  I have been planning, worrying, preparing, praying, freaking out, worrying, praying, freaking out some more, for what seems like the whole year.  December 10 always was so far in the future.  And, now, it's here.

I probably haven't prayed and relied on God as much as I should have and needed to.  But, I do know that He is by my side helping me with every step of the journey so far.  Even if I haven't held up my end of the deal, God has (He's good like that), and brings me much needed peace.  I pray for continued peace as I transition to the next phase of my life.

I thank YOU (all of you, whoever you are, that read this) for all of your support, love and prayers.  It really means the world to me.  Please know that I am praying for you.

I am going to finish the last minute things, talk with some people and spend a few more moments with my dad and Connie before going to sleep.  I did manage to get all of my stuff packed.  I am sure I'm bringing more of some things, and forgot others.  But, oh well!  It's all part of the experience. :)

Is this REALLY enough?! 

Ugh, Packing.

I am not a fan of packing... anything.

So, this has been a little stressful this week.  But,  I am proud to announce that everything has fit so far!  It's only the first trial run.  Now, I am in the process of weeding out the things that I really could do without.  :)

Maybe a few prayers and positive thoughts this way would be helpful.  Please and thank you!

But, Mom, goodbyes are really hard.

No one likes goodbyes.  I don't think I have ever met anyone that just loves to say goodbye to people.  I feel like that's all I've been doing for the last few months... say goodbye.

Now, I know that goodbyes aren't forever... so, I suppose I could say, "see ya later!"  But, somehow, that doesn't make it any easier.  A few months ago when I began my trek around the country, I began the goodbyes.  Yes, tears were shed in the driveway when Mart and Tom dropped me off in Tampa, on the couch the night before I left Morgan's, and of course when I left my Momma's (not that hard, I know!).  For some reason, though, it almost felt like those were pretend goodbyes.  Ones that were there just to give me the feeling something big was happening, but nothing was happening other than visiting the next person.

This week, though... this week, with my departure now only days away, the goodbyes are real.  Something big IS happening and the impact is more in my face.  This week was full of goodbyes.  I visited work (ie the hospital) and said goodbye (officially) to many people there.  My big bro came in for the weekend to say his goodbye.  

Taking Matt to the aeropuerto. Aren't we cute?!

Today, I had lunch with Christine and dinner with Devin, Mrs. Clites and Emma... and wasn't expecting to feel SO sad when I drove home.  There was like this finality in the hugs, and even kisses from Emma, that was hard to walk away and get in my car.  Emma, in her 7 year old wisdom, said as we were trying to leave, "but, Mom, goodbyes are really hard!" (as she stomped her foot for emphasis)  Oh, Emma... you are SO right.  They are.  And, somehow they do make us stronger and help us to appreciate the time we do get to spend with the people we love the most.

Emma and I earlier this year.  One of my fave pics!

It really makes me so thankful for the technology we have today: cell phones, email, Skype... so we are able to hear the voice or see the eyes of those we care about. :)  So, if you have Skype, please let me know!