jueves, 28 de mayo de 2009

Earthquake

This is just to inform everyone that I am okay. Yes, there was an earthquake in Honduras last night at 3 in the morning, however, this earthquake was very far away from where I am. Actually, I was traveling with my friend Laura and we were on the islands just this week, but we left yesterday morning, just in time to not feel a thing. By the time the earthquake happened, we were safe and sound on the opposite side of Honduras. THanks everyone for your concerns! Mom, I´m surprised you haven´t called yet!

martes, 19 de mayo de 2009

Unwanted attention 2

I was just reading and old blog I had put up about unwanted attention, and was reminded of a funny incident that happened recently in my town.


For the most part, the men in my town are respectful of me, and don´t make stupid comments when I pass by. However, there always has to be those one or two guys who are just downright rude. One of them lives in the town over from me, and every time I pass him, he just has to say something rediculous to me. Well, the other day, I just had enough of it. I was passing by him and a bunch of his friends, when he called to me ¨mi amor, I looooov yu.¨ That was it, I just couldn´t take it anymore. So I turned around (I was already a good way past all of them), and yelled ¨who do you think you are, talking to me like that? I am a person, just like you, and you need to respect me! Anyways, I live here, and I don´t want to hear you yell at me every single time I pass you, you got it?¨ And I walked away, just in time to see his friends doubled over from laughter, and his face turn slightly pink.

Mi madrecita

Mother's Day, I know has come and gone, but I also have not gotten the chance to get to town since then to write about Mother’s Day here in Honduras.

I was talking to my mom the second time I called for Mother’s Day about how the priest in our parish at home was talking in mass that day about how the woman who invented the special day in America spent the rest of her life since then fighting how it was celebrated. Now, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with how Mother’s Day is celebrated in the States, but I just think it’s so much more wonderful here in Honduras (and, I believe, in all of Latin America). That’s why I called my mom 3 times that day (she doesn’t know about the third, because I couldn’t get a hold of her the third time because the lines were so clogged up), because I was constantly reminded the entire day of how special mothers are and how much they deserve such a wonderful tribute to them.

When people go away from the house to study or work, they normally come home only 3 times a year. Once for Christmas, once for Holy Week, and once for Mother´s Day. I remember in the afternoon on Saturday, noticing that the bus from our town was passing through town a 3rd time to drop people off, and thinking ¨how strange, the buses only pass by twice.¨ Then I remembered, Mother´s Day! There are only 2 buses that leave from my town to go to the city each day. Well I know that on that Saturday, each bus made at least 2 trips because there were too many people coming into town to see their mom the next day.

On Sunday, I went to mass and saw that it was especially full that day and there was a buzz of excitement all inside and outside the church. During the homily, the priest talked especially about mothers and their role in the family. After the mass, a few people got up and said poems about mothers (there are a ton of them in spanish).

After mass, I went home to call my mom, because I missed her. After talking to her a short bit, I went to the school, where the students were putting on performances for Mother´s Day. They danced, sang songs about mothers and recited poems about mothers. It was beautiful. After that, I went to a friend´s house to celebrate the big day with them, and they were making a feast at home, with a special cake to go along with it as well!

One thing I love about this culture, and the importance of Mother´s Day definately reflects it, is how special family is. Family and relationships are their number one priority. It is very community-centered, which I think is why I feel so at home here, even though my family isn´t here with me!

martes, 12 de mayo de 2009

Birthday in Honduras

So, last year for my birthday, I must say, was 100% disappointing, however, it was also all my fault. My family, and especially my mom, all know the type of person I am. I never mention my birthday to the people I love, hoping secretly that they will miraculously remember, and throw me a huge surprise party. Seriously, that´s how I am and have always been.

Well, in Honduras, it´s 5X worse, because if you aren´t reminding people every day 3 times a day, they are sure to forget. And that´s exactly what happened last year. I told a few close friends about a week or two before my birthday that it was coming up, and as the day approached, hoped to God they would remember. Well, they didn´t, much to my surprise and great disappointment. I just remember the disappointment of that day, when I was relating the whole story to my family up in the woods behind my house.

This year, I vowed to make it much, much different. So I had a party! In my town, when someone has a birthday party, it´s custom to have a celebration first (mass without the priest), then give out food and cake, and break a piñata. So that´s exactly what I did. The day before, the profesora, the woman I lived with before moving to my own house, drove me to Choluteca and helped me pick out all of the things I would need to make the food. When I got back, I went over to a friends house, and brought her back with me to spend the night, and help me make the cake (yes, i stupidly decided to make 2 cakes for 50 people myself!).
The cake making was quite an experience, I must say. First of all, I had gone to the city the day before especially to buy butter for the cake, something that is almost impossible to find. Well, upon arriving to my house, I set the bag with the butter in it on the chair outside, and went inside to set up for making the cake. To my surprise and horror, when I went to get the butter, it was nowhere in sight! The stray dogs that like to come around my house scavengering for food because their owners don´t give them anything to eat had stolen it! I was devastated. How the hell was I going to make my cake now? Luckily, my friend consoled me and she and my boyfriend both helped me make a cake with shortening instead. Not half as good, but it would have to do.
The next day, I went early in the morning to the Profesora´s house to cut vegetables, cook the chicken, and get everything ready for the food. I came back later that day to finish everything, and carried a huge pot that she had lent me all the way up the hill to my house. I was ready for a party. People started showing up. The kids first, then the parents came lagging behind. I remember walking back from the cooperative, carrying chairs, and seeing a multitude of children running around outside my house, and beaming with glee. I loved seeing my house like this!
During the celebration, many people expressed their sentiments for me, and how much I meant to them. And afterwards they sand various songs to me. The breaking of the huge piñata, almost the size of me, was the last blow out, and tons of fun. I had filled it to the brim with so much candy, they could hardly lift the darn thing! Every time a kid hit the piñata and candy shot out, it was a race to see who could get it first. And when it finally broke for good, it was a disaster. Candy, children, pieces of piñata everywhere. Just what a good birthday party should be.

miércoles, 6 de mayo de 2009

I´m alive

So, I´m writing this blog today to let you all know that I´m am alive and okay. The thing is, the computer I would always write my blogs on in my town was not working for some time, so it made it much harder for me to write my blogs, because when i go into the city, i almost never have time to sit and think up something to put on my blog. But I am here to announce that the computer is working again! I will be putting up blogs from my trip to Mexico to visit my sister Sarah, and my birthday party very soon!

Peace to all, I hope you´re doing well