Monday, October 24, 2011

Photo Update...

Here are more photos from the berry farm weekend and dinner at Eco de la Montana.  



 

 

 

 

****************************************************************

These are photos from my first concert in Honduras! We saw Juan Luis Guerra!
It was an awesome night out with great company.

 

 


 

This is the guy with the voice and all the moves... Juan Luis Guerra.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

A Few Things I've Learned About Honduras and Hondureños (or at least here in Tegus)

This list I've been putting together for some time now, and thought it was time to post it. So here it is- 25 things that I've learned so far (although I'm sure there's more that I just haven't put down on paper). Feel free to comment, these are just observations that I've made since I've been living here. Enjoy!

1. For one thing, the H in Honduras (and any H for that matter) technically is silent (my dad taught me that one). 
2. When you hear a Honduran ask for a "gringa" in the cafeteria, they are really asking for a specific meal. It consists of chicken and cheese melted together inside a flour tortilla. They aren't asking for a person. 
3. "Por fa" is not Orfa (a Spanish name). They are abbreviating "por favor" which means please in Spanish. After hearing it over and over during my lunch duty in the cafeteria I realized... Oh, well aren't they polite. 
4. The rapiditto is not very rapid. You have to catch it on a good day I guess. (P.S. The rapiditto is a public form of transportation here on El Hatillo, a.k.a. bus, that will take you down the mountain in a pace convenient to the driver). 
5. There are a billion different kinds of cheese... queseo, mozzarella, yellow cheese, queso seco (stinky feet cheese) and many, many more. 
6. You can't drink water out of the faucet - or you can, but it might not agree with you later. 
7. Hondurans run on Honduran time. Not North American time, so be prepared to wait it out. 
8. There are also a lot of great ideas floating around, but maybe 25% of them actually will happen. 
7. Cabbage is used a lot here - and I am not a fan, but who knows, it might grow on me with time. 
8. Expresso Americano is the equivalent to Starbucks, but a third of the cost. Can someone say addiction? 
9. Hondurans use a lot of chicken (according to Richard). My response, "that explains why I like Hondurans". 
10. The beef here is very different - not a huge fan of cooking with it. 
11. Hondurans point with their lips. Just take a moment and imagine that. 
12. There really aren't any rules to driving here. Stop signs are a suggestion, and the lines on the road don't really mean that you have to stay in them... they are also a suggestion. 
13. I have yet to see a street sign. You must give directions based on landmarks or corner stores. My favorite is Puppy Corner (the Mc Donald's). 
14. Electricity goes out about once a week... at least if not several times in one day. And if it happens to be out then it's no shower for you, unless you're one of those who actually enjoys cold showers in the dark. 
15. Candles are a necessity, and card games. 
Back on food, 
16. You must put everything in a ziplock bag. It will last longer that way.
17. You have to clean ALL of your veggies and fruits before consumption or you're asking for a stomachache. 
18. I have noticed that a lot of groceries that you would normally have bought in a can comes in little pouches. This is mostly true for refried beans, spaghetti sauce, some cheeses and even soups. 
19. Gum here, or at least on the mountain requires a ziplock bag as well. It tends to get extra sticky if left out for the humidity. 
20. The children hiss at one another when someone does something impressive or answers a question correctly.  Sounds cool but it's kinda weird, especially when they do it as a group. 
21. They are also extra touchy-feely here. Not only is it common to greet with a kiss (as many Hispanics/Latinos do), but they can't stop touching each other - or at least my students can't. 
22. You must walk like you know where you are going. Walk with a purpose, or you're just asking to get mugged. 
23. Fruits and veggies here are so much cheaper than in the States. 
24. Winter is going to freeze your toes off if you're not properly prepared. All the windows are slats, which doesn't exactly prevent the cold wind from sneaking inside. 
and...
25. The bus drivers here have no fear. So don't get in their way. 

Overall, the culture here definitely has it's differences from the States. Life here is much simpler and day to day activity is just that. There are no definite plans when it comes to planning ahead, and plans that are made are more than likely to change. It's not that I prefer one culture over the other, each one has it's benefits and inconveniences, but it's that the priorities are different. Hondureños value relationship much more than most people in the States do. Things may take twice as long to get accomplished,  but in the middle of all that hopefully you've made a friend or two. 



Thursday, October 20, 2011

falling in Love again

     Surprisingly, this time I'm not talking about relationships. But for the sake of not being preachy, I'll keep this short and just let my thoughts flow on the screen. 
     There was once a time when my heart was hurt - my first reaction was to ask for a time of testing. A time for God to renew my perspective. He did just that. Then there was a time when one after another people in my life no longer lived. A time in which I resented not being consistent in spreading the Good News and a time of grief over an amazing woman of God who had greatly impacted my youth. There was also a time of great anticipation for what lied ahead. A new beginning. Then that time soon followed by great experiences in which my plans overshadowed Gods. It was soon overcast and everything that I thought was in place, and that which was going to be amazing, was taken away. Again, I asked for a time of renewal. 
     In a heartbeat we move from one great experience to another. Some of those experiences may leave an awful taste in our mouths, but they are there for a reason. To learn some lesson. Life is so unpredictable. But the good news is that there is a God who stays the same and His Love is never-ending. 
     Yes, I have had those days in which I wondered how I was going to get through the storm on my own. Times when my faith was tested to the max. Sometimes it's a great reminder to just think of God as never leaving our sides. He is with us through our times of trial and our times of victory and rejoicing. 
What more could you ask for?
     So, to bring it back to falling in Love again. Life changes when you decide to stop doing all the talking and actually listen to what God has to say, and to listen to what He has to offer. As much of a listener as I am, I wasn't listening for God's voice until about a year ago. During a time when things were tough. Slowly I could hear the whispers and see the beauty in the relationship that God had for me. A renewal of my relationship with Him. Falling in Love all over again. And here I am, taking His word as Truth. Believing that He has it all under control. Knowing that He is there with me wherever I go. 




This was on my heart. Thought I would share.  :)

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Another Weekend for the Books

     Another great weekend. For starters, on Friday we went down the mountain after school to get groceries but ended up having a pretty relaxing evening. If I remember correctly (this weekend was so jam-packed that it's hard to remember exact details), we stayed in for the evening played a few games and watched a movie. Nothing too extreme, but still quality time none the less. On Saturday, Pinares had the annual Game Day in which all students and families were invited to the campus to have a day full of sports activities, games, and of course typical Honduran food + Pizza. I slept in until 10am, which is very late here, and then headed off to the festivities. Surprisingly, the turn out was pretty good even with cool & wet weather. I saw several of my students there, jumped rope with a few of the 7th grade girls and held interesting conversations with a few others. It was great to see them outside of school and in a more relaxed environment. I assisted that day with the ticket booth and then went back home to get some grading done. But Saturday night... I went over with John and Richard to the Jovenes meeting (which I almost forgot about - but am glad I was reminded of) that happens down the street for the school. There I was able to see my friend Maria, her husband Juan Carlos and her super cute son Juan David. They are great. We played a ridiculous game involving a rubber band (I need to get the pictures from John), sang worship in Spanish, and listened to the message for the night. Afterwards, we stayed in yet again and watched Soul Surfer in John's apt then took the party up to my apartment for a few rounds of games and some good conversation. Sunday morning, of course we had a community breakfast and went our separate ways to church.
     I really enjoyed church service this weekend. Yes, the service is in all Spanish, but this time I had Richard there to help translate some of the words and he voluntarily translated some of the songs for me. I was able to see Maria singing in the choir, and once we made eye contact - it was all over. She cracks me up! The weather that morning was mostly overcast with fog coming in and out. I must say though, it was pretty awesome being in a church service and at the same time feeling like you are in a cloud (the service is held on the balcony of the pastor's home). The entire atmosphere was wonderful. I just felt so much peace and joy that it was hard to sit still. Well, after service, and from our conversation the night before, we all packed in the car and headed to the berry farm. The whole ride up the mountain to La Tigre was beautiful, and the farm was such a cute place. There were rows and rows of berries planted all the way down the mountain and we were able to pick our own berries right off of the vines! The berries were HUGE and tasted so delicious! We spent a good amount of time there, but due to the weather we skipped out on the picnic and left early. Of course we all got our hands on some of the fresh jam that was sold on the property. On our way down, we stopped at a nearby restaurant called Ecos de la Montana where we ordered coffee, hot chocolate and lemonade along with a couple of appetizers to share. We ended up playing table games like "Never have I ever..." and eventually switched up things a bit and played "I have..." It was definitely a great learning moment for all of us... the bonding was going deep. We stayed until about 5 minutes before they closed and headed back home where the party continued.
     More personal games were played in which we revealed some crazy things about ourselves to one another. The night was full of great stories I must say. Sarah made some homemade carmel corn, and we indulged - yes, to the point of ridiculous stomach aches (right Dibbly). We took some time out and played a few card games and then just sat around waiting for the next wave of energy to come our way. The night went on, more personal games including the game "The Game of Things" in which each person writes out an answer to a prompt "things that..." and we try to guess who wrote what. It was very interesting. We even took it to the level of, again, revealing information about our personal lives for everyone else to guess. It was great. Needless to day, the night went on and eventually we all ended up in one of the largest living-room forts made by 20-somethings that I've ever been a part of. It was a sleepover with great company.
     Monday morning, I woke up to the sound of the maid walking in the door, surprised at the newly decorated room full of adults in their PJs. What a night! We spent a majority of Monday just hanging out, grading, at a potluck, cooking, and at care group where we prayed together and worshiped Abba Father to the sound of the guitar. The weekend was truly a blessing, and I can't wait to get back to that berry farm to have a picnic.

                       
Laruen!! (aka. Dibbly)
My first official Canadian friend.
She's the bomb.com

 


The coffee sock being put to good use. 

 





Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Cocinar en Honduras

For some reason I have really enjoyed cooking here. The attention that some of the food requires during preparation makes me appreciate it all the more. I've really been taking chances with some of my meals here and I must say that the hidden chef inside me is starting to show. One of my roommates, Julie, commented one day that my cooking was half Honduran, half Mexican - that's exciting! I hope to learn how to cook more traditional Honduran food, but I definitely have time to perfect that. I did learn last week though how to bake banana bread - Honduran style. It turned out amazing! Thanks for the lesson Richard.

Here's a little food photography to hold you over. Enjoy!  :)

Pizza night! Made with Love, from scratch.  :)

One of mom's specialties... tacos. They came out almost perfect. Loved every bite though. 

My first attempt at guacamole without that  special Austin seasoning. The avocados are humungous! That seed there was lager than the lime I used - no joke. I'm gonna grow an avocado tree.

Honduran enchiladas. And I thought I was gonna get the Mexican version. Nope.

Baleadas... a Honduran thing. Not my thing, especially while on an egg boycott. 

Notice... my burger size versus John's burger size. :)

Peta pizza... yumm...

Taking it back to El Paso. Mom's classic nachos. Might I say, the jalapeños here are H-O-T!

My first attempt at teriyaki chicken. I will be making this again. Definitely. 


My first ever shrimp cookout. The only reason I tried it was because the shrimp was covered in bacon! 
It was delicious!


First official banana bread made the Honduran way. Thanks to Richard for the recipe!



Homemade Chamomile Tea  :) ... yes, from scratch