Kegarnay

Citizenship

2011-02-26T21:39:00.001-08:00

*PLEASE READ THE COMMENT SECTION OF THIS POST LA GRINGA POSTED SOME VERY HELPFUL LINKS*
Citizenship is to me such a curious thing. Some countries allow only one citizenship, others multiple until a certain age, others unlimited multiple.

I have had conversations with people who are surprised that I married to a Honduran do not have Honduran citizenship, and my Husband married to an American does not have American citizenship. Admittedly esposo is on track to obtain citizenship- we just are not there yet.
From reading the sparse information on-line and what I gather from other Hondurans in the news, dual-citizenship is accepted, but I cannot really tell if it technically legal.
The issues I have with Honduran citizenship regulations is that the best a child of a Honduran not born in Honduras can do is obtain a visa (does anybody have a personal experience obtaining this?) that allows the child to stay in Honduras for as long as they like. I find this mostly sad, why such restrictions? (I stand corrected please read comments)
The second thing is that I could move back to Honduras, and live there for the rest of my life and STILL never be a citizen with a passport.
I do understand there are many countries that have similar polices like this, and maybe this shows that I am truly a product of a western country for thinking this is crazy.

Living

2011-01-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

People use to ask me when I lived in Honduras, what do you miss most? This question, as time went on became harder and harder to answer. Finally I came to the answer- not much. Sure, when there was no electricity- I missed it, but I didn't miss anything so much that I couldn't live without it.
Living back in the US I seem to have a harder time with things I miss. Like baleadas. Where I live I do not believe there is another Honduran in a 100 mile radius, which means no baleadas or really any Honduran food, except the food I make. No more corn sold on the corner, or green mangos... Oh I could go on.
I appreciate electricity and never ending runnning water more than ever- but sometimes nothing would make me happier than fresh tajadas...

Immigration Process

2010-09-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

I am writing this blog in hopes that it my helps someone understand the process of Immigration
*please note I am not a lawyer or an immigration expert and am just sharing my personal experience

Esposo and I moved to Honduras and had all his immigration paper work transferred to the American embassy in Tegus. We lived in Honduras for three years, our process took a bit longer than it should have because our paper was sent to the wrong lawyer in the US. Lesson learned even if you have a lawyer stay on top of everything.

During this time I stayed in Honduras as a tourist leaving the country every 90 or 120 depending if I got an extension. I did this because US immigration is somewhat ridiculous. If I obtained Honduran residency I would not have been able to apply for esposo's residency. I never stayed over on my tourist visa nor brake any Honduran laws, so I was legal.
To prove that esposo would not be a burden to the US I used a family member as a financial sponsor. When all the paper work was processed we waited for the appointment which we found out about a month and half before hand. We decided to get the medical appointment done with ahead of time, which took an entire day in Tegus. It started with a lung x-ray, then blood test where esposo got his photo taken and he got a sweet bracelet with the American flag he had to wear until the appointment that afternoon. Honestly it was pretty uneventful.
The appointment at the embassy was mostly just sitting, and sitting. I brought a insane amount photos of esposo and I including wedding photos. I also brought everything esposo and I did together, plane tickets, lease agreements, cell phone plans. You name it I brought it. At that point we had been married for three years so it was a lot. Better be safe than sorry, right?
In the end they only looked at the random photos we had together, and the required documents they requested. They asked esposo only a few questions, how long we had been together, where I was from. They also asked about visas he had, and dates which esposo entered the US. She asked me three times what country did I claim domicile (re wording it each time, and different times.) I was very clear that I have been in Honduras as a tourist pretty much for the last three years and I am not a Honduran resident because we are planning to live in the US. She seemed happy with this.
We sat down and waited... and waited. We got called up again, another lady asked I why esposo married me, and then she said she had good news, esposo was approved for the resident visa! and come back at three o`clock to pick everything up.

San Francisco de la Paz

2010-08-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

Some direction

2010-07-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

I am writing this blog entry to ask for some ideas and direction.
I would like to send more kids to school, my basic goal. I would like to do this by somehow providing school uniforms, books, backpacks, etc. Eventually I would love to be able to provide tuition assistance, so kids could go to better schools but I realize I cant do everything all at once.
I understand that I need money, as shipping things down to Honduras is cost prohibitive. The thing is I am unsure on how to ask people for money if I don't even have an organization- or should I just go for it?
Thank you in advance for any ideas and suggestions you might have.

Ohh I do know that school does not start until February- but just trying to get ideas.

Bad words

2010-07-12T15:42:00.001-07:00

I learned Spanish in Honduras, I had taken Spanish 101 in university but that only gets you basically nowhere. In learning Spanish my mother-in-law and husband were very guarded about the words I learned, trying as hard as they could that I learned as little bad words as possible. With the help of esposo's aunt it did not work out too well, but still they both tried as hard as they could.
One day working at the store my mother-in-law was very upset at an employee. She was going on and on about how the display was in the wrong place, but she kept on saying this word over and over, and I had no clue what it meant. Being the curious person I went to esposo and asked him. I said "esposo, what does mierda mean?" his faced dropped, he was upset "who told you that word?" me, looking confused, "your mom" pointing to the part of the store where she was at. Looking slightly defeated esposo replied "shit."

The Cashew fruit

2010-06-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

I remember when I first saw this fruit, esposo told me about how wonderful it was, and how he never new about the nut. Esposo told me how it was one of his favorite fruits, but he had a hard time describing it. Knowing that it was his favorite fruits, how could it be bad? Well it was awful- but not in the way you would expect. It is juicy tropical fruit that sucks ALL the saliva out of your mouth. It is the most bazaar thing. I think the photo explains it all, that is why cashew nuts are so expensive, it is a small part of the whole fruit.

A photo

2010-06-07T21:12:00.001-07:00

A coyol palm that has been killed to the coyol beetle.

I admit...

2010-06-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

I am no longer in Honduras after almost three years, I left.
So now comes the question, what should I do with this blog?
I could pretend I am still there- I have lots and lots of photos, but I feel like that would be a bit of a lie. So I open this up too my few readers that I have left, what should I do with this blog? Any suggestions?

Coyol

2010-04-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

The pride and joy of Olancho, Coyol. I have been told it only exists in Olancho, I am not completely convinced. It is a type of palm that during the dry season ferments (by itself) the liquid that is inside it to create a alcoholic drink. True Olanchano style. The pictures I have included below are the nasty nasty spines on the palm, the coyol fruit (kind bland tasting to me) and the palms themselves. Coyol it self is one of the few things that smells much worst than it tastes. I am not a huge fan of it but esposo I think might start a fan club.
Coyol I have been told use to be prominent around Olancho but now only in the higher elevations can you find it due to a nasty beetle that kills the palm. So I have never seen a live Coyol palm...
The video I put below is Coyol the drink being taken out of the palm. I think it is pretty fascinating.

My Semana Santa in Photos

2010-04-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

The Anonas are coming but the jobos are here!

2010-03-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

See, they are coming!
The Anona is the fruit that sorta looks like an artichoke, it is opaque creamy inside with watermelon sized seeds. The flavor is hard for me to describe, sweet but not too sweet. Anona is generally just eaten plain. I looked up and apparently this is a fairly common fruit around the world. In English it called a custard apple.
The jobos (pronounced hobo- yup like a bum) are about the size of a large grape, the jobos in the photo are not ready quite yet they get a bit bigger then turn slightly yellow-red. When they are eaten, they are eaten plain or with hot sauce, salt, and cumin. Jobo trees are to me very odd because when there is fruit they have no leaves, so it looks as if it is dead, but then they have fruit... a bit bazaar. The seeds the majority of the mass, only a little layer of fruit is what you eat.

The good part of they dry season is that most of the good fruits are in season. The bad part is there is so little time to eat them all... he he he

No water

2010-03-02T07:54:00.000-08:00

My pila is dry, my faucets are dry, and I am taking buckets showers. The dry season is here, samana santa is on its way...and the city of Juticalpa goes dry.
Living without water is not really possible, so we use the stores well water by filling up a few barrels and taking it home. Some people buy water to fill up their water tanks, I am a bit cheep so I don’t do that.
The water comes eventually; the water is rationed barrio by barrio but the river becomes more crowded as more people head there to wash their clothes and take a bath rationing the water they have themselves.

A few photos around olancho

2010-03-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

Here is a few photos I took around Olancho this past week. enjoy!

No tell-Motel

2010-02-16T20:57:00.001-08:00

Hotel and Motel in english are different, right? one outside, one inside. Well in Honduras there is a bigger difference. Motels are no-tell motels. Let me explain, they are hotels where you take your other significant other or if you just want to get the deed done. I have posted a picture of one above. This one includes an electric door so you don't even have to get out of you car to close the door, and once it is closed get out of the car and enter the room. Amazing what people will think of.

Betting on Chickens

2010-02-09T18:50:00.000-08:00

Closer...
Closer...
yes, yes...

Let me start this of with saying yes I know I am going to hell.

Sundays afternoons are the only free time I have -but because it is Honduras I usually have no clue on what I am doing till that day.

This past Sunday was of a similar story, then at about 10:00 a cousin of esposo comes and tells him about a cock fight they are having at their house, and apparently you just can’t pass up a good cock fight. So after we closed- off we go to a cock fight passing up two perfectly good birthday party offers in the process.

The entrance fee for the cock fight is one hundred lmp (about five dollars) luckily cousin lets us in for free. The people bring the roosters in cages; they are weighed before each fight to make sure it is a fair fight. The bets are taken, and the fight begins.

There are two types of hooks that they attach to one foot of each rooster, a big hook or a little hook. The big hook fights last no more than a minute and it seems to me luck has more to do with who wins than anything. The little hook fights last longer but it seems the better fighter of the two who wins.

To win the fight one of the roosters must die, but if both the roosters are injured and can’t really fight it is a tie. I am unsure where all the roosters come from- I did meet one man from El Salvador but I don’t know if he had any roosters there. They say that you have to train them to fight- and that the gringo chickens are the best (yes, I managed to get a few good jokes out of that statement.) The people who were betting did not bet small change one of the fights had 20,000lmp in the pot- betting on chickens.

I am not a fan, I suppose in the end they do end up eating the chicken and having chicken soup, but the killing process is a bit too gruesome for me. Needless to say next Sunday you won’t find me at a cock fight

School

2010-02-01T09:22:00.000-08:00

The Honduran school year is starting up next week, the kids who's parents can afford the uniform and books are going to school. The other kids will simply just not go. The education system in Honduras is very far from perfect, but it still makes me sad when I meet someone my age that can not really read. The same person writes their name, but with a concentration that is similar to someone trying to remember a sequence of shapes. School here is a privilege not a right. The tortilla kids, or the orange kids, or what ever the kids happen to be hawking that day. These kids will not go to school.
I really do think the improvement and development of one country is dependent on the education of its poor, but in using this type of scale, the future of Honduras is not headed in the right direction.

Feuding Families

2010-01-09T19:14:00.000-08:00

People in Olancho hold grudges, for a very long time. While the grudge might not be obvious every day of the year, or every year don't let that fool you, the grudge is still there. In Juticalpa there are two families the Garcia family, and the Ramirez family that have decided that they needed to do something about that grunge the Olancho way-with weapons.
The first spark started with with an attempted hit on the main man of the Garcia family using AK-47`s and grenades. They only managed to kill two body guards- but the feud was restarted. The main man Jose Garcia was interviewed by the main newspaper in Honduras, in this interview he named one of the people who took the hit out on him. A politician in Juticalpa.
The next hit was equally impressive, but this hit killed the head man of the Ramirez family. Killing the main man has caused his family to re-gather in Juti. People that left because they had to, and now they are back. The families are feuding and the job market for bodyguards is improving, but these jobs have a quick turnover rate.

*Please note I have changed all names, but all events are true.

Learning Honduran

2009-12-02T07:03:00.000-08:00

I think it is important to always realize that although most of Latin America speaks Spanish- it is never the same. The few words of Spanish that I knew before I came to Honduras would be better described as Mexican. This seems especially true in terms of food. Churros in Mexican is sweet bread, in Honduran (and what I can tell Central America) it is the word for chips. Tacos in Mexican, are fresh tortillas with meat and veggies inside. In Honduran tacos are a rolled up fried tortilla with meat inside, cabbage and salsa on top. The picture above, that is in Honduran an enchilada. So often I wonder what words I learn in Honduran that might get me in trouble in another country.

Disappointed

2009-11-30T06:27:00.000-08:00

The elections, came and left. Pepe won as most predicted, but I still am disappointed. I applied to be an international observer, in Catacamas. I was told that yes I could be an international observer, but would get back to me if I could be in Catacamas. So I waited and waited and then finally I e-mail and then called TSE they told me no- they would only have observers in Tegus. I thought that was pretty stupid, but what can you do. I told them no ,I could not be in Tegus.

Sunday came around I was in Catacamas- doing nothing, nothing at all. Then I was told by the locals that there were two international observers in Catacamas, down and the main school, from Idaho.

Highly Disappointed. I applied, had such high expectations and then nothing. The friends of mine that applied to be an observer never heard anything back. If the words fraud are heard well I have lost sympathy- the TSE have no one to blame but themselves.

Rules to Follow

2009-11-14T09:28:00.001-08:00

Last month I unfortunately had to attend another funeral, my husbands cousins- who was murdered in Tegus. Funerals are not something I think anyone enjoys, and that would include me. In Honduras I have attended more funerals than I would ever think possible for living in a country a relatively short time. This time around the experience was more personal- and because of it there anywhere more rules to follow, a culture to abide by.

In Honduras funerals happen the day after, or the day of, there is no pretty make-up to hide anything, the family dresses the deceased, the family moves the body. When you are the family of the deceased you don't wear bright colors, red is the worst. In Tegus we used a funeral home, the house of his family was too small. Funerals are literally a time of mourning, there is no speeches or pamphlets. People are there to see the body, and mourn. If you knew the person, you go, simple as that.

The person that is at the center of the morning, the person that the people come to visit, is the mother. I have always found this curious, as it does not matter if the person is married, the mother is the center. This is what I have seen. My husband tells me because in most cases the wife is not the only significant other the husband has/had.

The cousin worked here at the store and was close to his family here in Juti, because of this the store is in morning also. We do not play music, and we have a black bow above the business to show we are in mourning.

I will not wear red clothes for a few months, go to the theater, or play music. I have been told that it is suppose to be followed for about 6 months.

The Day of the Dead

2009-11-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

The Day of the Dead in Honduras is a day, not of parades and parties- but a day to visit the graves of families to clean the graves, and remember. Graveyards as you can see above are a little less organized, but not limited to those without money. The gravestones vary from nothing, to small house with locked doors. The rich lay next to the poor, but no one seems to mind. In a country thats culture surrounds its self with family, I always wonder what the the people deep inside the ground did, not to have flowers put on their graves.

The People of Mel

2009-11-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

Today is a day that shows what the people of Mel are like.
This morning the husband of a Congress woman was kidnapped- she supports Micheletti. They just found the husbands car and blood in it.
Then just now at 8:15p.m. the news man of Olancho (anchor and the whole show) was shot. He supports Micheletti.
How do I know that it is Mel supporters? Because it is Olancho and In Olancho, and specifically Juticalpa everyone knows everyone.

The cheating ways

2009-10-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

One part of Honduran culture that I will never understand- nor agree with is the cheating. Honduran men, I will admit, are not completely to blame, the women are a part of it also.
In Honduran culture cheating on your wife or girlfriend is acceptable, not necessarily encouraged, but acceptable.

I will give an example (true story, names changed)
Juan has a girlfriend that his family knows, Maria, and he will bring Maria to family events, and she is considered Juans main girlfriend. Juan, if asked, will say his girlfriend is Maria, but he has other girlfriends, some are aware of Maria's existence- some are not.
This is very common, if not the norm. Juan, I would even say, is pretty low key compared to some people I know.

I have seen countless examples of men that are married, with children, have complete other families with a girlfriend, and while the girlfriend and the wife would never talk to each other, the other persons existence is well known.

I don't believe that it's right to put all the blame on the men (the act yes, the flirting- no)
My husband and I married legally in the US and then had a huge wedding here- everyone that knows my husband knows that he is married to me, the gringa.

The fact that he is married does not defer girls from somehow getting his number and texting him and or calling him. Some girls I have decided fish for guys just text random numbers till they get someone to flirt with them, but most of the time the girls know the guy. As a women I find this infuriating, but always I wonder what do these girls want, a boyfriend, money, a husband?

Ironic

2009-10-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

There is a pharmacy in town that name translates to "The Immaculate Conception Pharmacy." They sell birth control.
Does anyone find that ironic, besides me?

La Sarca

2009-10-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

The people here in Olancho have different ways of approaching me, or referring to me. The most obvious one of course is the gringa, or gringita. I do occasionally get asked if I am Honduran, which I think more because the accent of my Spanish- not so much the grammar.
The one that always gets a good laugh out of my husbands family and the employees here at the store is when people call me sarca. Sarca translates to clear eyes, mostly referring albinos. There is a lady that always comes by and when she leaves, she calls out to me "adios, sarca!" the employees always chuckle at her. By calling me sarca she is saying I am Honduran, the idea is just plain silly to them. I just smile back "adios!"

Collecting the Loot

2009-10-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

Here at the store we have a fenced off area of the parking lot that is the designated garbage area. This area fills up in about a week and a half with the help of the market owners, and the neighbors. The men at the store have the wonderful task of loading up this garbage and taking it to the dump out of town. As you can imagine this is not a pleasant task.
So yesterday as normal they took the garbage to the every so pleasant smelling dump- but this time they came back with stuff. It seems that someone had dumped perfectly good things at the dump. They brought back wall clocks, calculators, and a few toys.
Let me take a quick side trip...
In Honduras people will buy pretty much anything, I have sold toys that are more that just broken, people sell clothes with holes in them, buckets that are broken- It is only sold for a few lempiras, but still it sells.
The stuff the employees brought back was good. The calculators were in the little boxes, and worked, the wall clock were not broken, and worked the toy even had a battery and worked! I was confused, almost as much as they were. The stuff was not from the store, so they did not steal it, but why would someone throw away good stuff?

My husband thought about it, and the only thing he could come up with that made sense- the Zelayist. When the people for Zelaya and broke into all those stores and stole everything, well we think they dumped the stuff they did not want, or did not want to be caught with at the dump outside of Juticalpa. Just a guess, but lets be honest here- who throws away anything that is not really garbage in Honduras?

Protest for Mel

2009-09-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

In Juticalpa today we had a pro- Zelaya protest today. While the march was not overall impressive it did different in one distinct way. There were people WALKING!! The people walking may not seem such a big deal, but all the previous protest have just involved people in only cars going up the street honking their horns with the red liberal flags (Mel's political party) waiving. To me this represented people that are most likely going to loose a lot if Mel comes back, they have cars and money, and seem the most upset about the situation. They are feeding out of Mel's proverbial trough. This time around though people were walking- which concerned me, do they really think Mel is for the people? I am not sure if they were really there to protest, or if they were being paid to be there but they were there.
The protest was overall pretty calm- they say they wont destroy things here in Juticalpa, because here everyone knows everyone. We shall see, and hope this is the case.
Public school here still has not started up, the people that Mel supposedly supports are missing school and falling behind.

The country of Honduras

2009-09-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

There is a curfew again in Honduras.
I find it discouraging that everything seems to lie on party lines.
I wish to talk to people of the world, not as a republican, not as a democrat but as a person living in Honduras. This country lives and breathes corruption, as with most poor countries, but lets not assume that there is no limit. The people here tolerate the corruption, because people understand here more than many places that this corruption, as with most things, it will pass.
The corruption that the people will not stand for is blatant corruption, a complete disregard for the law.
I speak to you as a foreigner, a gringa. The people in Honduras are fighting for their freedom, a fight tragically that has turned into party lines.
The former president Manuel Zelaya broke a constitutional law and as noted in the Honduran constitution and he was removed from office.
He was asking permission to change the constitution. Manuel Zelaya had organized voting centers, rationed money for the publicity of the election. The supreme court of Honduras told Manuel Zelaya that he could not hold the election, it was unconstitutional, but he continued. Sunday June 28th the day of the election they took Mel out of the country-out of office.
He was asking for permission to change the constitution, no specifics. I ask you, would you allow this? Just let your president to do what he wants to your constitution?

The whole world, minus two countries has asked for Manuel Zelaya to be put back in office.
Honduras is a poor Central American country, they don’t care about other countries party lines, they care about how they are going to feed their family.
So people of world, ask your country to support Honduras, not Manuel Zelaya.

Here is a petition for President Obama

Congrats?

2009-09-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

In Honduras there is the day of the child, the day of the young, mothers day, fathers day, workers day, and the day of friendship and love. On these day it is always customary to tell people on the day that applies to them, congratulations. So if you are a child, every congratulates you on child's day. I have gotten use to that, although telling your friend on friendship day still seems a bit odd to me. The one I still think is just plain weird is that they tell my husband on fathers day congratulations, I ask him if has something to tell me... The reason is though is that because he will be a father in the future. I am not pregnant, but because he is of a suitable age, and as far as we know he can reproduce he gets congratulations. I think that might be one of the easiest congrats to fulfill of all time.

The price of love

2009-08-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

...or lust depending on how you look at it, but what ever you want to call it it only costs seven limperas. Yup! seven, while the original condoms are fifteen.
The difference? Well nothing, besides the price. You see the German government subsidised the amor condoms, so they are cheaper. What a simple way for to bring contraceptives to the people. So while I am sure some people will say German as a country is going to hell, I would like to praise Germany for doing something that really does make a difference. So next time you purchase condoms remember, thank the German government and buy amor, condoms that is.

"Behind the Honduran Mutiny" Olancho check

2009-07-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

Okay I think this is a personal record for posts in one day but after reading an article from the Wall Street Journal "Behind the Honduran Mutiny" I had to write something.The complete article can be found here online. But here is a quote:

"Mr. Zelaya is a product of Olancho, a violent, macho state in central Honduras that is dominated by pistol-packing landowners who run huge estates. His family, involved in logging and ranching, has been one of the dominant forces in Olancho for decades... Jose Manuel, was put on trial for helping army officers torture and murder 14 rural activists, including two priests. Convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison, Mr. Zelaya's father served little more than a year before being freed in a general amnesty"

Let me clear up a few things Okay violent, yeah- as with the rest of the country.
Dominated by landowners who run huge estates? Ehh really? All the rich families I know have a business and with that money they might have a farm, for something to do. The families with money generally speaking are not ranchers. The families with huge estates at one point possibly had money but now they are generally trying to sell that land to get money.
The last one that usually gets the best looks when I ask Hondurans if the Zelayas have been a dominant force in Olancho. This is a big fat NO the Zelayas have not been a dominant force. The truth of it is if the Zelayas had been a dominate force in Olancho Zelayas dad would not have served one day in jail, heck the police would have not have not found who killed the people, because the police would be to afraid to arrest him.
I am just saying if you are doing an article lets try to stop scaring your audience into thinking that Honduras/Olancho is a big bad scary place. I am glad they did report about Mels dad killing the priests, but lets stop exaggerating.

News coverage

2009-07-25T10:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the El heraldo reported on minuto a minuto that Micheletti was censuring the media. I don't want to sound mean but it took them that long to figure it out? It did not occur to them when Mel was trying to land at the airport a few weeks ago and all the national channels conveniently had a long public service announcement that had already played that day?

Keeping on the theme of bad coverage I thought I would point out that when you see Honduras coverage with video if you see in the upper corner Telesur please note that video was taken by a state run Venezualen news company. If you read Spanish check out the website at http://www.telesurtv.net/ there is a good amount of propaganda, but also live telesur tv, which keeps you updated with what Mel is doing, which is always good entertainment.

A small thought do you ever think that this is all a soap opera? I mean Romeo Vasquez the head of the military is said to be good friends with Mel. Sometimes it just seems so tele novela.

My basil story

2009-07-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

Mel just seems to be getting a too much attention lately so I thought I would write about something else.

I love fresh basil, but for some reason I have the hardest time finding it. I have found it once in Tegus but other than that one time I can only find dried basil.
So a while back I randomly found a packet of seeds for organic basil imported from Canada so I bought them, planted them, and patiently waited. When they started growing I was elated, I started having pasta for almost every dinner. A few of the basil plants naturally started getting bigger and bigger blocking out the sun for the little plants. I then decided to give a few of the plants to some employees. I brought them in paper towels with water in little baggies, I was then asked what the plants were, I answered (thank you online translator) albahaca! Albahaca? said one employee, that stuff grows all around my house...

Don't you see?

2009-07-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

Honduras wants peace, and peace does not involve Mel.
I understand the UN, they don't want the politically instability of when a country no longer wants the president they simply kick him out, that is not Democracy. I also understand the one system for all countries just doesn't work. How about we stop calling it Democracy in Honduras, we will call it Democracy h.1. You see this Democracy h.1 works here in Honduras, and when we get a president who thinks he needs to stay, and does illegal things to stay in power- we call him out, and look in no time flat we have a new president- completely legal!
If you still don't believe Mel wanted to stay in power, you can check out Chavez admission to Mel's ambition to become a dictator. I am not saying Honduras should not let Mel back into power simply because that is my feeling, look at the photo, people don't want Mel. Honduras is protesting because they don't want a dictator they had fliers passed around during protest say and I quote "Honduras Tierra de paz y democracia" (Honduras land of peace and democracy) .
So what do you say world Democracy h.1?

Olancho, Juticalpa, and Honduras

2009-06-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

The question is often asked to me "what is it like?" Well it is first Olancho and second it is Juticalpa and thirdly it is Honduras.
Olancho can be best described as the wild west, the idea of Texas. People here generally speaking are very nice, and friendly- but don't mess with an Olanchano. My best example for this is here at the store people steal ALL the time, only once have we taken someone to the police station. Why? We don't know their family. We don't know if they come from a bad family. The one person we did take to the police was an employee that had work for three days and had already stolen a few pairs of shoes and pants, impressive really. So we don't take them to the police, but we charge them double and make a show, as they say in Spanish. In Olancho people say they are from "The Republic of Olancho" only half joking.
Juticalpa is the "metropolitan area" of Olancho. I say that in quotes because, yes it is the largest city in Olancho- but not a whole lot metropolitan about it. Juticalpa is full of people shopping but this is Olancho, most people are farmers they live in areas with out electricity, these people need only the basics. The stores are simple square cement, the streets are mostly dirt, the electricity and water are often absent with out reason. Danger generally comes from making one of the 'families' mad, having too much money, or being stupid.
Honduras is well Honduras, if we are doing the politically incorrect ranking it is third world. Living here is frustrating some days, and other days are simply wonderful. Sometimes these two seem to balance out, other times not even close. One good thing is you can bribe the police; one bad thing is you can bribe the police. As a foreigner I am often frustrated because of that- I am a foreigner. I cannot blend in and I will almost always be charged more, for anything. At the same time people remember who I am and are anxious to talk to me. I will not say Honduras and I have a love hate relationship. Honduras and I have a relationship, and that changes day by day.

To Guatemala

2009-06-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

The lack of water and heat here in Juticalpa has left me stinky and dirty, and with an invitation to head to Guatemala I did not see much of an option. Although the bus trip(s) were long Panachel, Guatemala was a literally a breath of fresh air. I can never seem to figure out how countries so close to each other can be so different. It also a bit strange for me to see a town with a relative low population, in comparison- so diverse. The streets lined with restaurants from cuisine around the world, and the people to mach. I did not take pictures of the people as I was told that is not looked on kindly for some populations. I suppose if Juticalpa was on a lake shore with a amazing volcano on one side that might help the tourism...

A mid-week trip

2009-06-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

Taking a short break from the water deprived Juticalpa we went to Tegucigalpa, this week and during this short time it occurred to me there is no real good resource for finding good restaurants in Tegus. At least that I am aware of. There is Lonely Planet website- but I can honestly say I have not gone to a single one. They recommend Chinese and chicken restaurants. No offense I could probably find those blindfolded in Tegus. The travel books for Honduras are hit and miss, I have decided much of the time they just ask someone on the street where they eat and write that restaurant down. (In Juticalpa one book recommends the Chinese restaurant that has been closed by public health...) So with this in mind, hopefully I might be able to assist a few people like me that only get a few days in Tegus and would like to eat meal that is not the usual fare...

Creperia-
This restaurant serves crepes (hence the name) and salads. It is a perfect meal that is not heavy; they serve sweet and savory crepes. I have tried two savory vegetarian crepes, both were really good- I preferred the mushroom. The sweet crepes are very tasty, I prefer to split one. I have been here twice and each time I have been happy with the quality and price, the owner is very attentive and you can tell through the quality of the food. I will continue going, to me a perfect lunch spot.

Usami-
The best sushi- sorry that is all I have tried! I have tasted a good selection on the sushi menu and the only sushi I have not liked was because of taste preference. The restaurant is quiet, they have a little Japanese food store in front, which is handy to pick up a few Japanese things. I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant, not as cheep as Honduran fare but well worth every penny.

Sabor Cubano-
A restaurant tucked in next to more high end restaurants but the prices here are fairly normally priced. The owners are Cuban, the food is Cuban. Pretty good equation. The menu options are not extensive- I had a tuna sandwich (I know daring) which to me had a Cuban flare. Esposo had a pork dish which he seemed to think was Miami Cuban good. I also had a mojito, admittedly I have never had one before but I thought it was pretty amazing. I will probably go back, Saturday night there is suppose to be dancing, and a good place to take a Honduran

Mangosteen-
Okay I have to write a bit more on this one- it is an Asian influenced restaurant. We had for appetizer Vietnamese rolls and for main course green curry and pad Thai. The Vietnamese rolls were good, the sauce was missing something.
Main course I had green curry- and perhaps if they had called it something else I would have liked it better. It was not green curry. It was a teaspoon of curry chili and coconut milk. Really disappointing. Esposo had the pad Thai which was just okay, it was missing a few things and the noodles were the wrong size (I know I am picky.) We also had two teas. It came to just under 1,000 lps. Not worth it. My recommendation make it yourself, it will probably taste better and for sure be cheaper.

Titos-
I am pretty sure that is what it is called… I have yet to figure out why no book I have found recommends this place, a great Italian restaurant. I have only been once with my mother in law. We had a pizza half vegetarian half meat. The vegetarian side was (I think) Italian influenced with green olives and all. Hondurans say that it is better than Pizza Hut- which for is a really good compliment. I plan on going back it was unique restaurant and full of tasty options.

I know I did not put directions, if you are curious where these restaurants are located just leave a message and I will answer. I have visited a few more places and if I can just remember how to spell them with out embarrassing myself to much, I will write about them. I will soon get to the dining fare of Juticalpa, which is not so diverse- but perhaps it will be helpful to someone.

oops!!!

2009-05-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

I once got a fortune cookie that said "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" well I think I am in blog hell. I have had intentions to blog, but never got to it. oops. It is Mango season now and my mango tree is producing more than I could possibly consume, I think I might try my hand at making jelly, because I cannot keep up with the amount this tree produces. In Honduras there are two different types of mangos, mango indio which are the mangos I have, they are small green and yellowish and are considered the sweeter mango. The other mango is much bigger it is red, yellow and a orange and is less sweet. For a while it has baffled me why Honduras has such a lack of creativity with food, for example mangos, Honduras don't really do anything with mangos except eat them raw and maybe with chili. Then it occurred to me it is because the food that has been around in this country is such a small percentage of the food that exists here. Pineapple, mangos, bananas, rice, plantains, yucca. All not native, and really have not been around for that long. Corn on the other hand they have that all figured out. The same way Chinese have rice figured out. So in the end Honduran food is a bit of everything, traditional I guess. My lunch today, rice, beans, tortilla, fried pork meat (if I ate it), and spaghetti (think noodles, butter, margarine, salt, onion, tomato paste.) I am sure exactly what you think of when you think traditional dishes, but yet that is what it is.

The price of music

2009-03-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

Vicente Fernández is coming to Tegus this Wednesday which is exciting but unfortunately the price of the tickets are a bit expensive for my tastes. The cheapest ticket is $31 and the middle price range is $90. I had thought I was living in the second poorest country in the western hemisphere. Apparently music does not factor into this.

Needlessly to say I wont be going. There is a possibility that I will go to another concert this weekend, Cafe Tacvba, but no firm plans yet.

This is the second time I have noticed the price of concert tickets are so high. It is odd that I can buy his last 5 Cd's on one disc on the side of the street for a bit over a dollar but to go see him is live is so expensive! Perhaps they are making up for all the lost revenue from burnt Cd's

Here is a link to my favorite song of Vicente Fernández

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs-zfJJC1Kg enjoy!

The end of the green mangos

2009-02-28T15:52:00.000-08:00

Green mangos are in season, they sell them on the street with salt and chili, making them sour and spicy all in one. I eat them 10 leimpiras at a time. There is a lady at the corner that sells them all day long, which is really handy. I did discover there is a probable downside to green mango consumption-I got intestinal worms. Esposo seems to be convinced that the mangos are the culprit and as much as I love green mangos, the worms just are not worth it. I think my only option now is to start making them myself, clean water and all.

My dear home in Olancho, and a new language

2009-02-22T07:35:00.000-08:00

We have moved (again ) to a wonderful little house in town. It is small but perfect. We have a mango tree in the yard that already has a million little green mangos slowly growing. The house is adobe which means the walls are about a foot and half thick... I am told no bullet can pass through these (a big concern of mine) but it does keep the house cold which will be really nice in about a month. I will add pictures as soon as I remember...
So a few weeks ago Esposo and I were outside infront of the store speaking english and two little boys pass by, but then one stops. He looks up at me and says ¨usted hablo gringo?¨ (you speak gringo?) After laughing a while I explained that gringo infact is not a language, but I did speak english. The boy still seemed a bit confused that gringos dont speak gringo, but he went his way. So next time I get asked how many languages I know I can add gringo to list.

Dia de Amor y Amistad

2009-02-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

February 14th has passed, a holiday in the states that is a bit over-rated, but here I enjoy it. In Honduras it is the day of love and friendship. Hondurans greet their friends with a congratulations and occasionally a gift. The congratulations is a bit odd to say, but I think that it is a wonderful tradition. So felicidades! (a bit late...)

The expired people

2008-12-27T14:47:00.000-08:00

Not implying they are expired but they take the expired food off of the shelf. They come once, twice a month taking a few things, but this month they noticed me with wine in a cart. Using their keen sense of expired food, they thought it was expired so they began asking me questions. When does wine expire, and how come it does not have an expiration date? So after a very long, long exhausting talk are trying to convince the expiration people that, no wine does not have an expiration date… they called their boss- their boss called a doctor and they concluded that wine has to have an expiration date… Esposo then talked to them, and again tried to tell them, that no in fact wine does not have an expiration date… They said they would research it and get make to us. This week they came back and told that any alcohol over 10% does not need an expiration date. I should e-mail the French, I am sure they will be relived to know that the Honduran expired people concurred and wine does not need an expiration date.

The Veggie Stand Mystery

2008-12-17T08:33:00.000-08:00

Juticalpa is not a city full of culinary wonders, neither is much of Honduras. The Vegetable stand in town because of this is pretty straight forward, they have the basics, about as extravagant as they get is grapes. But there is one thing they have that I cannot make sense of, eggplant. I have yet to see a Honduran cook with it, and only am aware of one restaurant in town that uses it… so why do they have it and who buys it?

The Options

2008-12-05T13:32:00.000-08:00

So as we all know Democracy is the solution for every country. Honduras has seemed to grasp this concept very well, in fact they even grasped the two party system as well, the US should be awfully proud.

So the two nominees for president are Pepe and Elvin! A little background about the candidates (admittedly bias, and lacking large amounts of information)

Pepe is a communist, ran for president last election and barely lost, and from Olancho, (same as the current president)

Elvin is the current vice president, running for president illegally (Honduran law prohibits the vice president to run for president while currently in office), and the current president is generally

highly disliked.

As you can see, two outstanding candidates, now who would you vote for? Photo above is of PEPE

English Lesson

2008-12-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

For some reason English has leaked into the central American Spanish in the most peculiar ways. Of course it cannot be straight English; it always has a few differences... I will give two word examples and you can try to figure out what they are...

Bixte

Confle

I will pretend to offer a prize, so reply away!

The reasons why

2008-11-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

Here in Honduras being pregnant or having a child is as far as I can tell the pinnacle point in a woman’s life. Which is not necessarily wrong, just explains why mothers day here is on the same level as Christmas, and why there are so many Catholics.
This is why I am asked on a daily bases by people I do or don’t know, ask why I don't have any children. My answer, never changing, 'tomorrow' I once thought would defer this question has unfortunately not worked, as the same people keep on asking.
Perhaps the most amusing part of this is 'signs' that I could be pregnant. My favorite is when Esposo is sick (as he currently is) I MUST be pregnant. Yes you read that correctly. When Esposo is sick I must be pregnant. Second is if I want green mangos I must be pregnant. Third if Esposo and I go to Tegus. (the capital) I must be pregnant. Fourth and final if I throw up no matter if its all night and I have a fever, I must be pregnant. So as you can see... a very compelling case, but in fact, no, I am not pregnant… which of course baffles people here even more, don’t I want children?, if you wait to long you will be old, and you don’t want to be old and have children, and what about Esposo’s little cousin who was born this year, he needs a friend…. I could go on but I won’t. I will however finish out with a little story that is true, really it is.

A family that lives here in town has a few too many children, If I remember correctly 8. A nurse that works at the local hospital concerned with how many children this family had, and how they couldn’t afford even one child talked to the mother and gave her some birth control to take. About a year later the lady was back at the hospital with a ninth child, so the nurse asked, “how is that birth control working?” The mom replied “ I give it to my husband everyday but it doesn’t seem to work”

Politicians

2008-11-10T10:18:00.000-08:00

Primary Elections are coming up here, it seems to me at least there are about 20 people running from each party but that could be because I don’t quite understand the offices. They however are very creative in the campaigning techniques. Some pick a song that is popular, and use it as their song, paying someone to drive a car around all day blaring the song and intermittently announce the candidate. A few candidates like to sort of buy their votes, the poorer people here ask them for food or money and depending the candidates send them over here to the store and he give them a bag of food (that the candidate pays for). The less creative way is that they like to plaster on any surface their face and number, as the ballot here has the candidate’s picture, number, and name as some people here are illiterate. All very fascinating but I cannot figure out what each candidate stands for, and I am fairly sure not many people do.

The visa run

2008-10-30T17:01:00.000-07:00

Obtaining residency here is not necessarily hard, just annoying. After spend $60 to have my birth certificate sent to Honduras then to only learn that I need to spend another $20 and pay for the birth certificates round trip to get it apostatized (think of it as a certification the the original certificate is in fact real) along with my marriage certificate and my background check, I have decided to put my residency application on the back burner. The only problem with not having residency is that I only at the max (including the extension) get 120 days in the country, about four months. This time around the timing was right that it was better for me to not get the extension as november is a busy month and just to leave the country now(last week)... so off to Belize!

The trip was initally to last M-F but then you must remember I live in Honduras and when do things go as planed? Esposo and I originally planned to leave here Sunday and be in San Pedro Sula if not at the port where the boat took off... and it only takes off on Monday and only comes back on Friday. But Esposo's mom needed to go shopping in San Pedro Sula and needed someone to go with her so I was conned into it. Esposo was to take a bus to San Pedro Sula and be there Sunday afternoon, then he and I would drive over to the port park the car then drive all the way back home. Esposo's mom and his uncle who was also with us were going to take the bus back home. But it rained. And by rained it rained a lot to the point where the rivers broke over the bridges and cars could not go by. So Esposo did not come on Sunday and the bridges were not going to be passable on Monday either so Esposo decided to fly from Tegucigalpa to San Pedro Sula Monday morning. Luckily the weather was too bad for the boat to go on Monday, then on Tuesday, and then on Wednesday. But the roads were decent so Esposo's mom and uncle took the car back home. By this point (Wednesday) my visa was expired and I don't like to be in a country when my visa is expired. So we found that there was a way that we could get through Belize through Guatemala (Guatemala has a treaty with Honduras, so going there I am on the same Visa as Honduras) So with this in our heads Esposo and I were off. First by car, then walking, then motorcycle, then walking, then another motorcycle, then by bus, some more walking, and finally by boat. The boat ride was most memorable as there was only one other person. An older lady that was extremely calm, almost sleeping, and as Esposo and I were having our spines compressed as the small boat was slammed out of the water from the waves and the engine shut off then returned to the water with a huge slam. I thought to my self if this old lady is calm, as I am sure she was taken this boat ride many times, maybe this ride isn’t to bad. Then Esposo turned around then realized she wasn’t necessarily calm- she was praying.

So Belize overall was very, very, very calm. I was told that it is currently the slow season so I am unsure how touristy it is during tourist season. The food was tasty, everyone was so relaxed and also helpful. We went to the beach were the sand was obliviously made of sea shells that have been grinded in the ocean. Making the beach very beautiful and because it was the low season it seemed as though we had the beach to ourselves In Belize the national language is English but very Caribbean English which made it hard for me to understand what they were saying sometimes, and Esposo tended to resort to Spanish at times with was much, much easier to understand. So while we ended up having only about one whole day and two half days Belize and my visa run were very exciting and my residency application is becoming more important. .

Election

2008-09-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

Living in Honduras, and really any country outsides the states but still being an American inevitable leads to people asking a question about politics. I don´t mind talking about politics I tend to enjoy it but I would like to propose a few laws for any one running in the general election in the United States. I worded that wrong, I would like to propose one thing, and it is really simple. You need to have left the country for at least a month. Seriously. Think the person running for vice presidency for the republican ticket has only left the country to visit the troops. That is ridiculous, I don´t really consider that leaving the country. I could simulate that experience on a trip to what ever desert you pick and throw in a few 20 year olds and there you go. I am just saying why would you elect someone to control the ´superpower´ of the world when they don´t even know what the world is.

Time and Honduras

2008-09-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

I think it was about a two months ago I found a wonderful organization online based in Honduras and I was thrilled. Being the person that I am I called them (okay Esposo called them) and asked if they had any job openings, well they said yes and please send them my resume, and a cover letter in English and Spanish. I did.
Then they took me on a four day trip through a national park, which was amazing and I was ever more eager to have a job. Then a few weeks later they asked me for a letter of intent to present the board.. ohh and they needed it in English and Spanish the next day. So I did that.
I am currently waiting and waiting and waiting. I understand that I am american and I have that whole time thing going on but seriously.... this is crazy. it was been a about three weeks and every time we call the office the director is out. I suppose at this point I just want a yes or a no the waiting is killing me.

oops

2008-08-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

This last month... and a half have been crazy. I am hoping to have an actual blog posted in the next few days, that and check my e-mail.

The Word

2008-06-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

There always seems to be a word in a language that is hard for foreigners to say, but the locals relentlessly persuade you to attempt it over and over. They all seem to know the word, and all act like it’s the easiest thing to say in the language. In Spanish the word is otorrinolaringólogo. Yes, that is a word- it means nose doctor. I can now do a simi- decent attempt on the word but still far from perfect. I have racked my mind for a while now but finally come up with a word that seems about as difficult for them to say (I am kinda of proud of myself ) The word? Worcestershire sauce. Yeah, yeah I know technically two words but it is hard to compete with a language where electrodomesticos (domestic electronics) is one word. So next time someone prods me on to say otorrinolaringólogo, I will- and then ask them to say Worcestershire sauce.

My Food Obsessions

2008-06-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

With every country comes food obsessions, these are mine.

Tajaditas -- Fried plantains, covered with shredded cabbage, a bit of feta like cheese on top, and a spicy red sauce poured on top.
Balladas -- A flour tortilla with refried red beans, a slab of a cream cheese like butter, and a sprinkle of white salty cheese.
Papusas – Two thick tortillas with cheese melted inside of them with a side of pickled onion, cabbage, jalapeño, and carrots.
Catrachas – A hard flat corn tortilla with a scoop of refried red beans on top a sprinkling of salty white cheese and a piece of avocado.

The Neighbor

2008-06-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

Across the street from the store there is a plethora of little stores. English has no names for these stores, in Spanish there are pulperías, or bodeguitas, in Nepali they are pasals. No matter the language they are a sort of hole in the wall, or a tin roof with supports to hold it up and the size of a closet store. These stores are the economy, how people make money, and where most people spend their money.
In one of these stores there in an older man that likes to drink, the time of the day is no factor to when he drinks, because he drinks all day. Another thing this man likes is singing, and ´lucky´ for us he has a microphone and a speaker to make his singing heard for all those passing by. While I am sure that you can figure out from me writing this that his voice is painful awful he also has a few assets to contribute to this awfulness. One- he only has one CD for his karaoke singing and this CD has four songs on it, and he sing for hours. Two- he likes to drink, and as the day progress he drinks more and with that he forgets the words of the songs and ends up humming along. Third- and final, his store is directly across the street from the store and the speaker is consequently directly facing the entrance of the store, call it a free live concert.
So on Saturday afternoon when you think, man I wish I could be somewhere else in the world, I have a few easy steps to make you feel like you are, right in your house!
1. Turn on your heater I would say to 95
2. Have a friend that sings awful put on some ranchero music, and sing along as loud as they can. (it´s okay if they don’t speak Spanish, just pretend)
4. Invite of a few friends tell them just to stare at you and if you are female have one or two of them hit on you, if you are male have a few female friends dress as sluty as possible (think no shirt is too small and more cleavage is ALWAYS better) have these girls smile at you and you can pick and choose which one to pick up.
5. To be fair, have one friend sell mangos for a few cents for a sliced mango.

Enjoy for as long as you need.

Hot Dog

2008-05-14T12:43:00.000-07:00

It´s hot now, I mean the tropical too much humidity sit and you sweat hot. This hotness somehow also correlates with no electricity at night which is really, well , awful. It comes down to two options at night- one open the window and get bit by hungry mosquito's or two- have the window shut and attempt to sleep in a puddle of sweat. I might note that option one only helps a wee wee fraction. I now however have the highest respect for the inventor of the air conditioner, but have a high level of destine for the electric company here.

Even our dog Castro is miserable at night as the photo shows all he wants to do it sleep, because he is tired from not being able to sleep because its too hot!

I may need to break out my bike soon..

2008-05-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

Today is the first time I have witnessed a fuel shortage. It seems Honduras does not have diesel, and seeing how the majority of the car and trucks run on diesel it is pretty big problem. My mother-in-law´s husband stood in line for three hours to get diesel today, and this was in Juticalpa... I cant imagine the capital. The kinda funny part about this is that Honduras had a law about three weeks ago that made all cars and trucks with more than two doors to have a rest day one day a week, and if caught driving on that day you would get a ticket
This law was voted down after they had already sent out the stickers to put in your car to show which day you were not drive on- and was in place for a day or so. Go figure, a law that could have helped the shortage was voted down.
While the prices of gas and diesel might be high elsewhere in the world, at least you have it.

Mangos

2008-04-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

I think perhaps because I grew up in Oregon I never really had a mango. I mean sure, I had those dried sweetened beyond belief mangos, or the grocery variety pick green and therefor rather pine tasting, but not a real mango. Not until of course until I traveled, where tropical fruits became well, just fruits. Esposo's grandpa brings me one everyday picked right from the tree, front door service. Rather amazing really, the odd part of this though is that most people here seem to prefer other fruits to mangos, or unripe mangos with chili. None the less I am enjoying my mango days even though I think I am allergic to them (oh well).

My karma

2008-04-23T14:59:00.000-07:00

They tell me in happiness, they tell me in wish fullness, they tell me of the past, and they tell me of the future. They tell me about the USA. Its an odd feeling, they tell me they are going to the States, and by going I mean to live. How should I feel? They are going there to work and have a better life. Many will come back, some will stay. With the money they will build a house in Honduras, they will start a buisness and live a better life. Should I feel upset? They will be paid under the table if they are only there for a few years not paying taxes, they will be living in fear that they will be deported they whole time. They will be robbed, and they wont report it, they will be sick and work, they will do anything for that money. Do they deserve it? They go because there country is poor, they work Monday through Saturday from seven thirty in the morning to seven at night and get paid $200.00 a month, if they are lucky.
They are going to my country illegally through Mexico or by flying with a tourist with no plans on returning after that 6 month. How do you decided who is deserving? Is they family that flew there because the Dad stole large sums of money from the back deserving? Is the family with two kids and a working mom deserving? or perhaps is the Mom who has a job, an infant daughter, and a husband that is willing to leave it all? Who decidides? I dont want to.
By karma or their parents choices or what ever you happen to belive they where born at a time when there country was at its lowest economic state, and by good karma, or my parents decisions I was born into a country which happened to be economiclly powerful. Should I hold this against them, or should they hold it against me?

The Magic Cleaning Lady

2008-04-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

Ohh the wonders. She comes to my house and cleans all morning on Tuesday, then returns on Friday to iron. There are few word to describe when you come home and the house is spotless or when all your clothes are washed and ironed. I swear its a magical feeling. I should probably explain the ´need´ for her... Juticalpa (Juti) is really really dust, you can dust one day and the next day you cant even tell that you dusted, which is highly exasperating. The ironing is something really Latin to me at least. Hondurans always like to look nice, and because of this ironed clothes is a necessity. For example if I went to the store with clothes that were not ironed everyone wold notice and would be shocked it´s kinda bazaar. With that all in mind I prefer my magic cleaning lady over, well myself doing it. I am also helping the local economy, sorta.

Dear Missionary

2008-04-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

I write this letter to you with as much logic as possible. I understand that your church means a whole lot to you, and I am sure that you come here with the best of intentions to save the savage souls from the devil.
I do however have a newsbreak, people here in Honduras are very well aware of who Jesus and Maria is, and in fact they name their kids after them, they also plaster there car with godly messages, wear jewelry with their names, and even have towns with their names. So with this in mind I find it doubtful that by you doing your churchly duty and spending an ENTIRE week down here to build a church is going to make there life more Christan. If you wanted to do something helpful take the money you would have spent on a plane ticket and send they money to a charity of your choice. There are a ton here, send a kid to school, feed a family, buy clothes. The options are almost endless.
I am sure right now you have your reservations, your church is they only right church and all the other churches are wrong and by you coming here you could tell the people which church is right. The thing is that food that you could buy is a whole lot more important to a poor family than your my church is the only right church message.
Cheers

Yup, that was me.

2008-03-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

On many a Sundays when we only work a half day at the store we travel to a town on 30min. away to watch the local soccer team. I have not gone to all the games but for sure more than half and most of the time the stadium is fairly full but this time the stadium was packed the soccer team was competing for ranks. This also meant that the TV and radio were all out broadcasting the game.
Let me take a quick side trip. Esposo´s family is fairly well known in the town and in the state also and because he is back he more recognized but also much easier to spot because well me. Gringas are so easy to spot. Okay let’s go back.
So Esposo and I are sitting the stands at half time and the radio guy of the national radio station looks over and sees Esposo and me... Come talk on the radio, because what is better than a spectator talking on radio? That’s easy! A gringa spectator talking on the radio! I refuse. My Spanish is bad, and yeah that’s it. My Spanish is bad. Esposo and radio guy persist. Fine I will talk. The radio guy first asks Esposo a few questions and then turns to me and asks me I swear ´how do I like it here´ or something along those lines. I answer back it’s nice, green, and complete. But I missed a word. Team. Yeah team. How is the team. A combination of my bad spanish and my assumptions. You see everybody asks me how I like Honduras, Olancho, Juticalpa. So I on national radio said the team was nice, green, and, complete... but the team is green.

My first...

2008-02-25T13:04:00.000-08:00

The first.
This weekend two employees that work at the store brother was killed. While I know this may seem slightly morbid it was a very eye opening. I should preference this with a bit of information. The two sisters whose brother was killed are really half sister to each other so one lost her full brother the other half brother. We will call the full sister Maria and half sister Jaime. Maria has only worked for the store for a few weeks while Jaime has worked for I believe a year.
So on with the story,
Saturday night around closing time the sisters get the call that there brother has been killed, but one is at home and one at the store. Maria, at the store leaves immediately, but then after we close we get a phone call asking for help because Jaime has no way to get there. We arrive at the house and half the employees are there waiting for a ride to the site. The site being where the brother was killed.
When we arrive we find the police had just taken the body out of the car and were taking it to the yard of a nearby house that had an outdoor light. Maria who is only one year younger than myself suddenly begins wailing. I have never witnessed this sort of loudness in mourning, they scream is pain, they scream in madness, the scream of cruelty, they fight for a life that was taken. I am taken aback I have only read of this and in my mind only old people did this not someone my one age, but yet I am wrong. The screaming the crying continues as the police pull things from the brothers pockets, rip his shirt and take photos of the holes that took his life.
The taxi that he has driven is taken from the ditch that it was pushed down from a steep hill above, all this in front of a crowd that looks on with lack of emotion. The police don’t put a pretty white sheet over the body they don’t put yellow tape around to mark a boundary but the do ask for people when moving the body to a car. Death is different here. They ask the family if they can take the body to the capital to take ballistics of the bullets inside the body, but the family turns it down. Whoever killed the brother did so with an unregistered gun, they have no false preferences in government justice.
The brother is taken to the house of one of the sisters. Esposo, I and another employee go and open up the store to find clothes for the brother, and coffee and soda for the mourners.
The mourners will be at the house all night long and morning too they will come and go sit around the house, in the street to be there. The family wails all night long, the brother is lying in a casket that came from nowhere and dressed in the clothes we found for him. The mother has no shoes so we give her some, the day brother died.
Brother is buried the next day, a slow stream of people walk behind the car as it creeps through the empty streets of Sunday to the cemetery.

I am told by family that brother had no enemies, the driver of the taxi he was driving and only acquired two days previous had enemies. I am told by other people he was a cocaine dealer.