Home hasn't ever looked so appealing

This last weekend, I had my last adventure traveling in Honduras. I went to the north coast to La Ceiba. It was a seven hour drive. On the way there we hit a dog, which was the first time that I’ve been in a vehicle that has hit an animal. The main purpose of the trip was to celebrate Carnival, a celebration of the founding saint of La Ceiba and on par with Mardi Gra. The parade was fun; there were actual floats which were impressive, but I enjoyed hanging out at the beach much more. Our friends that we stayed with directed us to a river that was connected to the Caribbean Ocean. It was so great to cool off and swim around with fishes. During the night, we witness the madness. It was crowded and definitely a mob mentality was present. The festivities were just too much for my taste. Ultimately it was worth it just to be in the car and raminice of the Rocky Mountains, the drive north is identical to the drives in Colorado.

I’ve been feeling a little low lately. I choose to be alone most of the times yet feel desperately lonely, ironic, verdad? I know that I’ve made the right decision in going home permanently. I’ve been so depressed here. Every night when I’m sitting alone I’m itching to be home. Yes, I’ve had a once in a lifetime opportunity and great experiences but there are people in my life that need me. It’s finally time to confess that I need them too. It’s so lonely living without those people who truly love me and support me even when I fail. I know that I’ll survive the next 20 days; I just hope that I’m thriving. That I’m still living to the fullest while counting down each day.

Mayan Ruins during the intimate weekend

The last weekend some of my friends and I went to Copan. The original plan was to go to Nicaragua but when we went to the bus station to get the tickets there were no tickets. So the next day we decided to have a Honduran excursion. Copan is six hours away close to the Guatemalan border.

The first day we arrived in Copan we checked into our hostile and walked around to get a feel for the city. I loved the fact that on every street corner there was a coffee shop. The best thing was all the great meals we shared. My first and only fresh bagel in Honduras, three course meals with great views, and delicious coffee definitely kept me satisfied.

On the second day we were very busy. In the morning, we explored the Mayan ruins, the main attraction in Copan. It was real fun to climb the steps and see all the different structures. My legs were sore the next day on our bus ride back to Tegucigalpa. Afterwards, we went on an intimate coffee tour. We went to the Welchez coffee farm which is located 30 minutes away in the mountains. We were the only four on the tour. It was fun to hike around the farm and learn so much about coffee growing and processing. The tour included an elegant meal overlooking the tropical coffee farm. The smells reminded me of when I was a little girl and loved the smell of my dad’s coffee. Over all a great weekend and lots of great memories!

Miss. I love you

I started writing a blog about some of the things that have been challenging about living in Honduras but instead I've decided to write about some highlights.

One of my lowest students is reading now! He read two books in one day! He's developed phenomenally.

One of my really hard kids randomly gives me hugs in the middle of my lesson. I seriously, have to pry him off of me.

I have the opportunity to meet teachers who are completely dedicated to their work.

I get to hang out with people who are involved in an awesome ministry and also boys who've decided to transform their lives.

I've been able to witness humility through the eyes of a little kids.

I'm so surprised that my kids say, "Miss. I love you." after I scold them. They are so sweet.

Through various experiences here in Honduras, I've realized that we need to be encouraged, to be loved, to be supported, to feel important, and most of all to know that we need one another. I hope that I may reflect the Lord's grace, peace, and love when I encounter people and situations.

Hitch Hiking with Elvis

Semana Santa with Gilbert was absolutely wonderful! This was the first time I had to wait for him to arrive at the airport; my heart was racing. I paced the small airport multiple times. When I saw him exit the security doors; we head nodded then embraced at a place I pointed to away from the crowd. The first day Gilbert was exhausted (he had an over-nighter in Houston) so we relaxed and went out for a nice Thai dinner. We also, walked into one of my favorite cafés, Cinefelia.

I created a list of places and sites that I wanted to visit with Gilbert- it’s true, I’m ridiculous like that. During the week, we were able to cross out about half of the activities on the list. There were a few times where I was frustrated because things didn’t turn out like I had envisioned it, because places were closed, because the movie was dubbed, because the taxi driver was a jerk, etc. but these things are to be expected when you live in Honduras. Gilbert was not at all fazed in these moments; he always remained patient and positive. He said that this was just like Mexico. Even when he was stopped in the middle of Centro by two guys who went through his pockets and stole my cell phone and some liemperas, he remained calm. I was shaken up a little but glad that they didn’t even bother to touch me. I was the one loaded with the money.

The highlight of our trip was our expeditions to Comayagua and La Tigra. On Thursday morning, we took a bus to Comayagua which was Honduras’ original capital. The city reminded me a lot of Antigua. Comayagua is well known for the traditions during Semana Santa. We met up with some of my couchsurfing friends and enjoyed the festivities of the night. At midnight people create carpets using sawdust and other natural elements to design imagines. The carpets are constructed until the morning. At 9:30 am there was a procession that walked on top of the carpets thus destroying the beautiful images. In Central America unlike the U.S., Holy Friday is a bigger deal than Easter so on Friday everything including the buses was closed. Gilbert and I ended up hitch hiking back to the city with a trucker named Elvis who spoke perfect English. (This was Gilbert’s highlight.)

Our next adventure was La Tigra. One of my good friends at IST, Jean and her fiancé joined us on our journey to La Tigra. It was very relaxing to sit around and have fun conversations. We stayed at a gorgeous lodge owned by a German couple, Jorge and Monica, who served a delicious vegetarian meal. After dinner, we talked about cross cultural encounters we’ve each experienced being a foreigner. The next morning we hiked a little bit and went to Valle Los Angelos. We found lot of souvenirs for his family and a hammock that he’s been obsessing about since enjoying the one at my friend’s house.

All in all it was a great vacation. Gilbert said that it was the best one he’s had. I’m sure he’s partially saying that because he missed me. It was so good to introduce him to my daily routines here in Honduras and also the people that I’ve met and love here.

A quick note about decisions

I'm officially on Spring Break!! In Central America, the week before Easter (Semana Santa) is a BIG deal. Most people have a vacation and go visit family out of the city or go to the Bay Islands. All of my friends have left by now to travel to other countries: Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama. I on the other hand am still in Tegucigalpa, waiting. Gilbert arrives today. I was feeling a little antzy this weekend; I wanted to just pick up and go somewhere spontaneously just for the weekend. We don't have much planned mostly cause I know that he'd rather relax than do something adventurous. I'm looking forward to showing him my everyday life and also introducing him to the Micah boys.

On Sunday, I went to Rio Abajo (right outside the city past the "dump") with the boys. We went to the pool which was vastly different from the pools in the city; the pools in Tegucigalpa are mostly located in the high end hotels. Although the boys kept pushing me in and trying to drown me, I had a fun time.

A little announcement: I've decided not to come to IST next year. I've been wrestling with this decision for awhile but ultimately I think the best thing right now is for me to return home where I have a stable community and where I could better pursue my passions. (Perhaps in a later message I'll expand on this wrestling.) I know that it'll be hard to say goodbye in June...

Hope you all have a blessed Easter.

Upswing!

Currently, I’m doing much better! There have been a few little things that have lifted my spirits. It’s made life much more enjoyable. Maybe I’ve finally got the hang of it all.

This weekend has been fairly busy. On Friday night, some of my friends and I went to get sushi at a nice lounge. We haven’t had ladies night in awhile and it was so good to reconnect outside of school. On Saturday, I went down to centro to check out some thrift stores. (I purchased a onezie for my friend Michelle who just found out she’ll be having a baby boy!) We had lunch at one of my favorite places, Nicoloti’s, where they serve crepes and lattes. At night, one of the houses hosted a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. I made Shamrock Shakes that tasted just like mint shakes.

A little update about the Micah house: I’ve been going to the Micah ministry consistently on Fridays for street soccer and on Sunday for the worship service. Last Sunday was amazing; I loved singing next to one of the guys who was singing his heart out even though he didn’t have the greatest voice. Yesterday’s message really affected me and connected a lot of thoughts that I’ve been having lately. Especially witnessing the guys on the streets, I’ve realized that each decision could potentially lead towards life or death. Life is so valuable, each moment counts immensely. What choices am I making in my life and how do those choices reflect the values and priorities in my life.

Adventures in La Tigra

This weekend I went on a little trip to La Tigra. La Tigra is a national park right outside of Honduras. I really needed some time outside of my little bubble. This is how it happened; my friend sent me a text last weekend when I was on my way to Amapala inviting me to go to La Tigra with him and his friends. He’s been trying to encourage me to branch out a little and meet new people with the purpose of learning Spanish and having a truer encounter with Honduras.

Saturday at 10:30 we were supposed to meet en la Centro in front of the main church. I arrived at 10:30 and waited awhile. By 11:30 most of us (there were 15 total) were gathered and we went to the supermarket to pick up some snacks. We were able to find a bus that would take us directly up to la Tigra. The trip should have only taken 45 minutes but there was a problem with the bus so we sat on the side of the road for awhile, just another sign that patience is a virtue and also a lifestyle here in Honduras. Once on the road again, we were driving up a hill. Multiple times I questioned whether or not the bus could take us all the way on the windy and unpaved “roads.” We eventually did make it to our destination; it was a lot later than originally planned. We were debating if we should hike the long way to see the waterfall or just go directly to our lodge. I was happy when we finally agreed to go to the cascadas.

The hike was gorgeous. The path wasn’t well defined and had a rustic edge to it. The path was covered with colorful leaves that reminded me of fall in CO. There was a midst that descended upon us part way through the hike. When, we arrived at the waterfall I climbed a little up the fall and enjoyed the splashing fresh water. It felt good to cool off a little after a brisk walk. The sun was beginning to set, so we had to quickly take off to our destination. The sun did go down during our hike, fortunately, there were fireflies that helped mark our path. For dinner we ate at a puperia (a corner store) that served a very typical meal. The rest of the night we spent around a campfire making s’mores and jammin’ to music.

This morning, I slept in and then we made our way to the puperia to have breakfast, basically the same thing as dinner except with different types of eggs. Then, all 15 of us climbed into a single truck to make our way to Valle de Los Angelos. The trip was at least half an hour and semi-uncomfortable but really funny. I loved watching the kids’ faces as they stared at us passing by. Overall a very good and adventurous weekend.

I also spent some time at Micah house for worship night. Watching the boys interact and play, reminded me how beautiful humanity is. We are infinitely valuable, each one of us, and we need to be surrounded by people to be nourished and to grow. We are meant to live in a community that is loving and compassionate. That’s something that I defiantly need more and more as my time in Honduras has been rough. So know that I love and miss you all in my life.