Estamos en Honduras!

Wow, its been over two years since our last blog. Much has happened in our lives. Extreme highs and extreme lows. But one thing remains consistent - our love for the people and country of Honduras. Greg says Honduras feels like home. We arrived in Tegucigalpa yesterday and will be here for 8 days. We're thrilled. We kicked the trip off with our dear friends, Jenny & Josue Hernandez. Jenny moved from Arizona to Honduras at age 19 to plant a Vineyard church in Comayagua. One thing lead to another and in 2010, she married the pastor's son, Josue. They are an amazing couple and their love for the Lord is evident and inspiring. We always enjoy the time we get to spend with them while we're here.

We're anticipating a fulfilling trip packed with new adventures and memories. Based on this scene from last night, I don't think Honduras will disappoint.

[Do you believe in magic? Mariachis pose with Ronald]

My parents were here to visit last week. They were supposed to arrive on Saturday, but after their flight was canceled two days in a row (due to weather in Texas) they finally landed in Teguc on Monday. We didn't waste any time and jam packed each day full of activities. It was my mom's first time to Honduras, so we wanted to make sure that she could experience as much as possible in her 7 days here. One of the highlights of their trip was an art project we made with some of the girls from the orphanage. Last year a friend donated some 5 X 7 colored foam sheets along with adhesive foam cut out letters, so we decided this would be the perfect chance to put them to use. We figured we had enough materials for about 35 girls, divided into two seperate classes. So after setting up the tables and sorting out the materials, Greg and I, along with my mom and dad and a couple of the older kids set out to help the 5 - 12 year olds make the craft! Each partcipant would get a foam sheet to put their name and picture on, and add a personal touch with stickers and funky pattern edging scissors. We tried to control things the best we could, but it sure was hilarious when we were distributing the stickers. I would cut the sheets up so each girl would get 10 - 15, and then the others would give out one to each participant to add to their project. Well, my mom thought she was going crazy for a minute after she realized she had given several sheets to the same girls. They kept insisting that they didn't receive any, so my mom would continue to give them more. She caught on to their tactics, and called me over to help. One of the girls claimed she didn't get any, but when she stood up, I saw a sheet of stickers poking out of the top of her pocket! My mom and I started cracking up! The tricky little girls were busted! We all got a good laugh out of it! Toward the end, things got a little chaotic, yet still really fun. We were all impressed with how they were all helping each other. Especially the older ones assisting the younger ones. They really are one big family! We all had a great time and enjoyed the time we got to spend together! The girls were proud of their hard work, and the crafts turned out so nice!

The Cost of Food

One thing that has been great about living in Honduras has been the prices of food - mainly fresh produce. Granted its not always the best looking fruits and vegetables we have ever seen, they still serve their purpose! Usually the best harvest is exported Honduras is left with the rest. Living in the banana republic, we figured we would have access to an abundance of fresh bananas. Sadly though, the store usually only carries the beaten and bruised ones - something we´ve grown accustomed to! It is often less expensive to buy the fresh version over the canned option (which we prefer anyway - if it is available!) For example, a fresh pineapple here costs 30 Lempira (about $1.50) as opposed to the canned chunks for 50 Lemps ($2.50). The challenge is though, you never know what you are going to get when you go grocery shopping. Some trips I am pleasantly surprised by things like mushrooms or cream cheese, and other times I am disappointed when the store doesn´t have staples like yogurt or tomatoes! We´ve learned to deal with it though, and just substitute when looking for a certain unavailable ingredient. We nearly always shop at one of the supermarkets in town (there are 3). The prices are a little higher than those at the open market, but for convenience sake, we prefer the grocery store. (We pass by it everyday on our walk to and from school!) Also, visiting the market is just plain stressful! It is crowded with people and traffic, and definitely is not the safest place to be in town (especially if you are not a local). Sure, you can get 4 avocados for 20 Lempira there (about $1) as opposed to only 2 or 3 for the same place at the store, but still we like shopping at the grocery. Most items are pretty reasonably priced, it is only the imported products that are a little more expensive (but worth it!) We do our best to balance our purchases with a combination of cheap local items and a few more expensive American products. The variety has definitely improved since we first came to Honduras! Often times friends and family have sent us packages of some of our most beloved food items to give us a little taste of home when we are missing it!

So, I was looking at one of our grocery receipts and decided to jot down some prices. Honestly, I am not entirely sure how much the equivalent good would cost in the states these days, but am pretty sure we are getting a good deal here. The exchange rate is approximately 20 Lempira (well, 18.89 to be exact) to $1 U.S. dollar.

5 Lemps for a pound of tomatoes (25 cents)
6 Lemps for a green pepper (30 cents)
6 Lemps for a green pepper (30 cents)
6.50 Lemps per pound of eggplant (33 cents)
7.50 Lemps for a pound of potatoes (43 cents)
9 Lemps for a bunch of lettuce (45 cents)
9 Lemps per avocado (45 cents)
10 Lemps for a package of hamburger buns (5o cents)
12 Lemps for a melon (60 cents)
22 Lemps per pound of Fuji apples - about 2 ($1.10)
22 Lemps for a box of (very sour) blackberries ($1.10)
24 Lemps for a monster bag of spinach ($1.20)
28 Lemps for a pound of pasta ($1.40)

30 Lemps for a can of black beans ($1.50)
30 Lemps for a pound of strawberries ($1.55)
31 Lemps for a pound of carrots ($1.60)
37 Lemps for yogurt natural ($1.85)
37 Lemps for a loaf of bread ($1.85)
40 Lemps for a honey bear ($2.00)
48 Lemps for a pound of ground beef ($2.40)
52 Lemps for a 1/2 Liter of Soy Milk ($2.60)
55 Lemps for a package of turkey bacon ($2.75)
60 Lemps for deodorant ($3.00)
86 Lemps for Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal ($4.30)
92 Lemps for a 14oz package of smoked sausage ($4.60)
93 Lemps for 8oz of cheese ($4.65)

I am sure we will have some sticker shock when we return to grocery shopping in the states...especially for the fresh fruits and vegetables!

small VICTORY

We have a lady that helps out around our house two days a week. She cleans and washes clothes for us. Having a 'trabajadora' is pretty common here. In fact, many families have live-in maids and/or nannies. Since it is so dusty here and the right environment for lots of insects, it is necessary that you clean pretty frequently or things can get pretty nasty. (We made brownies the other night at our friend's very clean house and within minutes of serving them, tiny ants were dragging crumbs off the counter back to their hidden homes! Unbelievable!) Anyway, we didn't have anyone working in our apartment last year, but this year were thought it might be a good idea. We happened to come across a woman that cleaned for one of our friends that was actually in search of work. We connected with her, then hired her to come once during the week and once on the weekend. Maria is a single mom with three boys and cleaning is her sole income and we keep ourselves so busy that household chores sometimes fall by the wayside - so we are very happy to be helping out someone in need, and in return we get a tidy apartment! Really a win-win situation! We have gotten to know her over the year and have even gotten to meet her boys. We have gotten pretty close with the middle child, Abdul. He comes over to the house sometimes on Saturdays to hang out with us while his mom cleans. Greg teaches him English and I like to cook with him. Well, public school started a couple weeks ago (their school year goes from February to November) and Abdul mentioned that he wanted to walk with us in the mornings since we have neighboring schools. It was fine by us, so he comes to our place between 6:15am and 6:30am every day - let me just mention too, that he is one punctual Honduran! Anyway, so we have enjoyed his company bright and early each morning. So yesterday we didn't have time to eat breakfast at the house, so we took yogurt cups and plastic spoons to eat during the walk. Well, I finished mine and held it until I could find a place to properly dispose of it (trust me, trash cans are extremely few and far between to find here - no wonder there is such a litter problem!) We walked past a person sweeping up garbage on the steet and putting it into a wheel barrel, so I tossed my trash in too. Abdul definitely saw me do it, and almost simultaneously chucked his empty yogurt cup down a side street alongside some other litter. I was appalled! I kindly scolded him and told him to put his trash in the garbage can in the future. Fast forward 24 hours... This morning, Abdul was munching on a pack of oreos as we walked to school. (Yeah, I know, breakfast of champions!) I was watching him like a hawk, waiting to see what he was going to do with his empty wrapper. Well, to my extreme delight, he held the wrapper until we reached the "trash wheel barrel" and placed it right inside. I gave him lots of verbal praise for his action and seriously wanted to jump up and down I was so pumped! Who knows where his trash will go tomorrow, but today, I am celebrating!

Bad Behavior and Inhumane Punishment

Today was really rough.  School even ended early, but still will go down as one of my toughest days.   It sort of started out funny, then just became overwhelmingly dissappointing.  Our school's science fair was today from 7am - 12pm.  As to be expected things started off a bit crazy - kids didn't know were to set up, they were short of tables for the exhibits, and some of them forgot some of their materials.  Eventually things seemed to get under control and the kids worked hard in getting everything organized for their experiments.  I was curious as to what 'unacceptable' things would be brought to school today, since last year some experiments involved liquor and dangerous chemicals.  Well, sure enough, some of the second grader's had a pack of cigarettes and matches to use with their project.  At least it was relevant to their experiement (on pollution) but still aren't you polluting the air more when you light them up in the school?  Anyway, so that was kind of funny/shocking right off the bat this morning.  Most of the kids did a really great job and I was impressed with their experiements.  It was later in the morning when my sadness set in.  I have been working with the same kids now for almost two years (I taught them last year in 4th grade them moved up to 5th grade with the same students).  I am happy to have had the opportunity to stay with them as we have developed a close bond and know each other well.  Discipline has been an area that I have really been working on them with.  My class has always been considered one of the best in the school (since they were in kindergarten), but still they seem to have some behavior problems.  I understand that they are just kids, they are learning right from wrong, etc. but most of the students at our school are really lacking in the behavior department.  Recess and lunch time are like free for alls!  The kids just go nuts, doing anything they can possibly get away with.  When they have a little bit of freedom they completely exercise it - you wouldn't believe some of the things we have caught these kids doing!  For example today, I had to take a bottle of hairspray and lighter away from an 8th grader (surrounded by a group of kids) that was holding down the trigger with the lighter in front it, shooting out like 12 -15 inch flames!  That was the start of it.  Not too long after some of the students from my 5B class came running up to me, telling me that a student from the other 5th grade section had put one of the smaller boys in the class in the trashcan.  When I found the victim, he was crying so hard he was almost vomiting.  It really broke my heart.  After calling the students mothers and trying to console the poor boy, I thought I should check out the other classroom to make sure everything was okay in there.  (Of course, none of them should have been in the classrooms, they should have been in the auditorium with their projects.)  To my disappoinment, I walked in to the strong smell of smoke.  My suspicions were confirmed, as I found a pile of used matches, ashes, and several burnt papers sitting on the floor in the middle of the classroom.  I came out in rampage, demanding someone tell me who was the responsible for this...and did they realize they could have burned down the entire school?  I actually got to the bottom of it, finding out that some of the girls 'forced' another one to light the fire, then they held her back so she couldn't put it out.  Awesome, more drama to deal with.  I tracked them down, gave me piece of my mind and made them clean up the scene.  During all of this, the science fair was ending, so all the of the students were packing up and heading home.  Of course, many of them busted out leaving their no longer wanted or needed materials scattered all around on the ground and trash everywhere.  (Don't worry, the three female cleaning ladies would clean it all up, right?!)  I noticed that one of my students didn't put any of her stuff away before she left, so with the help of a couple others, we cleaned up for her.  Well, appartently I was being watched or something because when when I returned to gather my belongs and leave (I had to set them down to help clean up), someone had stolen back the goods I had confiscated earlier (the lighter and hairspray).  The nerve!  I am super irritated at this point, and decide to hit the rest room, then walk home.  Here comes the icing on the cake.  I go in to use the teacher's bathroom (we have one stall for females and one for males) and find no toilet paper.  I go for the back up - paper towels - and that roll is empty too.  This is normal in the student's restrooms, they have to bring their own TP, but we usually have it in the teacher's bathrooms.  Thank goodness I have finally learned that it is necessary to verify that there is paper available in the stall before going to the bathroom!  Since I didn't find it in the first stall, I thought I would check the second one.  Nope, none in there either!  Arg!  Unbelievable!  Just then an administrator passed by so I politely informed her that the paper was empty in both rooms.  That's when I found out it was actually intentional...in fact it was a punishment!  I was appalled!  WHAT?  Apparently they said "we are using the paper too fast" so they aren't going to replace it until next week.  I guess they want to 'teach us a lesson.'  You have got to be kidding me!  We use the bathroom too much, so they aren't going to provide toilet paper?  Then she went on to say that they think maybe people are stealing the paper - taking some home with them or something.   Unreal!  This set me over the edge.  The disappoitment I felt from my kids terrible behavior (I really thought we were so much farther than that) then learning that the adult professionals at my school were "in trouble" for going to the bathroom too much - tears filled my eyes and I just broke down.  Too much for one day already and it was just noon!  I feel like a parent that has been let down by their child or something.  It is such a sad feeling when you invest so much time in someone or something only to find out that nothing has changed.  I just feel really let down.  I am sure I will get over it, but today I am overwhelmed with sadness.  I am glad that we have two days off school to recover and get refreshed for Monday.  I hope you are having a better day!    

Citizen's Arrest!

It was an interesting walk home from school on Thursday.  Greg and I both finished teaching early, so we left around 1:30pm.  We took our normal path home, walking down the main boulevard. As we approached the supermarket, Jumbo, we noticed a lot of commotion.  There were people gathering around watching something and occasionally we would see a person go running by.  We walked up to the crowd pretty hesitantly and noticed the Jumbo employees all standing outside of the building.  Then we saw someone we knew, so we asked him what was going on.  He told us that just a few minutes before Jumbo had been robbed.  Not all of the details were clear, but apparently a man came in alone (presumably with a weapon), held up a cashier, then took off running down the boulevard on foot.  As we were learning about all of this, a jumbo employee came running up saying that the thief had been caught!  Literally, one block away (in the direction toward our apartment), people were holding the robber down in the parking lot of a bank.  This of course drew even more spectators which we had to weave through to get home.  Even traffic was stopped!  We did, however, get a glimpse of the perpetrator as we passed by.  He was a young guy probably in his late 20s or early 30s.  Not sure what was going to happen to him, but definitely a bad situation.  Sadly, things like this happen all the time Honduras.  This was not the first time that we witnessed a robbery here, however, it is one of the few times the thief was actually caught.  Unfortunately, some people fear that crime will be on the rise here since the government recently passed a law increasing the minimum wage to more than double what it was previously.  Sure, many employees deserve higher wages, however, most companies cannot afford to double employees salaries.  So instead, businesses have been forced to cut employees.  Now, the lucky ones that were able to keep their jobs will be doing the work done previously by several employees for an increased salary, but leaving many people unemployed losing their entire income.  It is a tough situation and several people we know have already been negatively affected by it – and I am sure that is just the beginning of it!   We can just pray for those without employment and hope something good can come out of this!   

GOD BLESS YOU!

Exercising and Wedding Recap

Greg and I recently started exercising regulary again. We have done it sparatically since we returned, but now we actually have a plan. See, it is a little difficult here because its not like you can just go out for a run when you feel like it (for safety reasons of course!) There are a couple of gyms in town, but they aren´t very conveniently located for us, nor do they offer hours that accomodate our schedule. So while we were home we bought an exercise series of 11 DVDs - each focuses on a different muscle group and several of the discs include various cardiovascular exercises, each about an hour in length. Well, apparently somehow ´word got out´around our apartments (there are 6) that we had started a fitness program and slowly but surely, our neighbors began asking if they could join us. Even a couple teachers, administrators, and students from the school (who do not exercise) requested to join in too. Happily we invited them to come and so far our record high for attendance has been 13 participants! Thankfully we have a little covered patio (for parking our non existent car) because once the group grew that big, we had to move things outside! Anyway, we are pretty excited to have a group of work out buddies and are really motivated to stick with it even more so since others are counting on us now!

So, I will give you a quick overview of the wedding we attended. We had a great time and enjoyed the experience! We headed out in the general direction of the church (not exactly sure where we were going, since there are no addresses) and luckily saw a truck with the bed full of people all dressed up. Kyle, Crystal, Greg, and I all got the notion that they must be heading to the wedding too, so we started following them. Fortunately, just as we suspected, about 7 to 8 minutes later, we were there! Not sure if we would have found the place on our own, but thanks to the truck, we made it! As to be expected, the ceremony started about 25 minutes late (Honduras time as we say!) and lasted about an hour and a half finishing at approximately 9pm. You would have thought the bride and groom were the most famous couple in Honduras by the way guests were snapping photos of them. It was truly like the Honduras paparazzi as guest continued to stand up and move extremely close to the couple to take pictures throughout the entire service. Greg was trying to be respectful and keep his distance while taking photos, which resulted in have at least one other photographer in every shot he took. I don´t think he got one photo of just the couple because guests were literally in the bride and groom´s personal space the whole time! It was pretty funny! So after the wedding, we were starved! We weren´t sure what time the reception would actually start or if and what they would be serving for dinner, so we made a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts on the way back into town. We filled our bellies then went to the reception. It was decorated nicely and each table had soda, beans, cheese, and chips on them for appetizers. Around 10:00pm they began serving dinner. At 11:00pm the bride and groom shared their first dance then opened the dance floor up to all the guests. By this point, Greg and I (and Kyle and Crystal too) were all so tired that we were ready for bed! We stuck around until 11:30pm, hoping they would cut the cake, but it didn´t look like it was going to happen anytime soon. We heard that weddings here normally go on until 2 or 3am, and we just weren´t up for the all-nighter! We did enjoy our first Honduran wedding, but I think we prefer an earlier start!