Some thoughts comparing the big city with the country in Honduras...
One of the first things that struck me as strangely familiar yet uniquely distinct to Honduras was all of the fast food shops that pervade the largest cities here. In San Pedro Sula, there was one block in the downtown area of the city where the fast food giants Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonalds, and Burger King intersected. It was a familiar sight, since many of the same places populate US cities, yet it was somewhat different as the fast food places here were on a much larger scale than at home, and seemed almost upscale compared to some of the local eateries. The sight of fast food industries towering over my head in the city left a big impression on me, one that I carried through in a metaphorical way to think about the looming crisis of healthcare here. Some people are overweight here from eating too much greasy, fat-laden, and nutrient-poor fast food and not enough vegetables and fruits. It saddened me to know that American-based companies were contributing to the health dilemma here so blatantly, not even in a stealthy way but in a showy, extravagant way. Hmm... well the countryside has been much different. After spending a few days in San Pedro Sula, we arrived in El Porvenir, which is a small, relatively calm village sandwiched between the ocean on one edge and the mountains just a bit further on the other edge. It is a beautiful little town, rich with friendly people, clothes hanging on clotheslines, roaming cows, chickens, and a few pigs, and lots of malnourished dogs that could use a bit more love. There are many children here, some without clothes, most with messy hair and paper-worn shoes, a few with old bicycles meant for adults. The village is mostly impoverished. Houses are fairly sturdy here, but it is apparent that money is scarce and healthcare even more scarce. There is a tiny clinic here, but it is not very well-maintained. We´ll get a chance to tour it next Tuesday, and I think it will be interesting albeit disheartening to see what sorts of resources are available there. It has been an exhausting week. We´ve played with the kids at the Kinder and they have left an impression in our hearts as they have been welcoming, adorable, and generally full of energy and life. It is sad to see adults here whose energy and fullness of life seems to have been wrenched out of them, by drops of sweat and hard work. I´m very excited to spend more time here and learn more about the people here, their culture, and their daily lives. :)
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
3rd day in San Pedro Sula
While we've been waiting in San Pedro Sula for our last student team member to arrive, we've had a bit of fun. The days have been getting better and better in Honduras. Yesterday we went to a Latin American carnival. It was very interesting and quite family oriented - kinda like a mini version of the North Carolina state fair. I did the bumper cars, the Ferris wheel - where you could see all of the Pizza Huts, Burger Kings, and city lights lit up. It was quite a sight. I also did a spinning cars ride that left me a bit dizzy and disoriented. It was great. Melody tried an interesting looking corn dish that had some "salsa negra" sauce on it - kinda a mix between mayo and ketchup and colored black. I had some "plátanos fritos" - some fried plantains, which were very good. And the best part of the trip thusfar was today. We went to a nice "Expresso Americano" nearby our hostel and I had a capuccino and a Coco cookie while we talked over all the documents we have been preparing this year. I could tell that the level of excitement definitely rose during this discussion - not only for me but for everyone. Melody and Adrian had the chance to explain their lesson plan ideas to Heather, and I had the chance to explain the overarching goals and ideas to everyone and go through each page of our documents. Heather told us more about how the school structure works in the communities. :) This was great. Then we walked about 10 blocks and found an amazing and humongous supermarket. I was thrilled to find that they had Kashi GoLean Crunch and organic whole wheat penne pasta and some organic mac & cheese too. :) I'm so excited for this healthy food. I also picked up some more bananas - they taste wonderful here and I believe are a bit sweeter and with a richer banana flavor than in the US. Today we'll pick up Akul since his plain arrives at 6:30 and then we'll head straight to La Ceiba and our guest home where we'll be staying for 5 weeks. I'm excited to finally jump into the project and to have a good orientation week. :)
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Arrival in Honduras
Finally I'm here. I've waited a long time to finally return to Honduras and actually implement the project I've been planning this full year. I'm unbelievably excited to be here, to learn more about Honduran culture, challenge my abilities as a leader, and do something meaningful with the skills I have to offer. I'm also quite nervous. I'm afraid that what I have to offer is not enough, that I'm not up to this monumental challenge of community service in a striking new form. I think what will pull me through is keeping an open mind throughout all of the fluctuating plans, uncertainty, and fear. I hope to stay confident and yet to also know my limitations as a leader and as a volunteer.
It's pretty crazy here already. I just arrived yesterday, but already we've spent a lot of time exploring the city of San Pedro Sula. We're waiting here another full day and night for our last team member to arrive. There are all sorts of fast food places in San Pedro Sula - more than I would have ever expected to find in Honduras. In the "centro" - the small downtown area of the city with a beautiful waterfall located between the church and the municipal center - there is a corner where Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonalds, Wendys, Burger King, and Popeyes Chicken all intersect. The church is monumental and gorgeous - it has statues of Christ on the cross and beautiful stained glass windows. I would guess that it's about a third the size of the Duke chapel - which is a huge edifice here. Compared to La Esperanza - the town I stayed in last summer for a week - San Pedro Sula is noticeably noisier, more bustling with urban life, and not as run down. There are paved streets, not as many open gutters as La Esperanza, and a close-up view of Honduras's beautiful mountains. Interestingly enough, there's a Coca-Cola sign quite similar to the infamous Hollywood sign, and it lights up at night. Who would've thought there could be so much big company presence in a country so weathered down by poverty, poor health conditions, and crumbling infrastructure?
On a different note, the people here are very friendly and since I definitely stand out like a sore thumb, people speak English with me if they know it. Unfortunately, I find myself fumbling a bit over my Spanish even though I can sense that I have a stronger grasp on the language than I did last year when I came here and was really stumbling over my words. I hope I can pick up more Spanish here and really use mine to the full capacity that I know I have the potential for.
It's exhausting here with a seemingly endless supply of heat and humidity that literally evaporates all my sweat and water away to replenish the sticky air. I find myself drinking more water than usual yet I don't really use the bathroom as much. It's been nice, tho, to have a day to fully rest and orient ourselves a bit to Honduran culture. The market we visited today was filled with small hand-made crafts, jewelry, scarves, fabric, vegetables, fruit, clothing, hats, shoes, foreign DVDs and CDs, purses ... truly everything you could imagine. There was even a place where women were hand-making the little tortillas that I love here. It's a wondrous sight - the people here have so many goods in their street vendor cards and small umbrella stands in the market. I was truly in awe. I hope that in time they will sell their goods. It seems like no one sells too much of it... but everyone passes the time sitting at their cards, walking and approaching people on the street to buy their goods, and generally sitting or walking. I've seen a lot of cars here - and it still amazes me that there are paved roads here quite similar to the US. I hope that I'll continue to be blessed with noticing more cross-cultural similarities between the people here and people I know from home. I know at the core that the "Hondureños" have kind hearts and are very nice and friendly. I'm excited to learn more about Honduras and to embark on this monumental responsibility - to work together with the communities here to do some great work. :)
It's pretty crazy here already. I just arrived yesterday, but already we've spent a lot of time exploring the city of San Pedro Sula. We're waiting here another full day and night for our last team member to arrive. There are all sorts of fast food places in San Pedro Sula - more than I would have ever expected to find in Honduras. In the "centro" - the small downtown area of the city with a beautiful waterfall located between the church and the municipal center - there is a corner where Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonalds, Wendys, Burger King, and Popeyes Chicken all intersect. The church is monumental and gorgeous - it has statues of Christ on the cross and beautiful stained glass windows. I would guess that it's about a third the size of the Duke chapel - which is a huge edifice here. Compared to La Esperanza - the town I stayed in last summer for a week - San Pedro Sula is noticeably noisier, more bustling with urban life, and not as run down. There are paved streets, not as many open gutters as La Esperanza, and a close-up view of Honduras's beautiful mountains. Interestingly enough, there's a Coca-Cola sign quite similar to the infamous Hollywood sign, and it lights up at night. Who would've thought there could be so much big company presence in a country so weathered down by poverty, poor health conditions, and crumbling infrastructure?
On a different note, the people here are very friendly and since I definitely stand out like a sore thumb, people speak English with me if they know it. Unfortunately, I find myself fumbling a bit over my Spanish even though I can sense that I have a stronger grasp on the language than I did last year when I came here and was really stumbling over my words. I hope I can pick up more Spanish here and really use mine to the full capacity that I know I have the potential for.
It's exhausting here with a seemingly endless supply of heat and humidity that literally evaporates all my sweat and water away to replenish the sticky air. I find myself drinking more water than usual yet I don't really use the bathroom as much. It's been nice, tho, to have a day to fully rest and orient ourselves a bit to Honduran culture. The market we visited today was filled with small hand-made crafts, jewelry, scarves, fabric, vegetables, fruit, clothing, hats, shoes, foreign DVDs and CDs, purses ... truly everything you could imagine. There was even a place where women were hand-making the little tortillas that I love here. It's a wondrous sight - the people here have so many goods in their street vendor cards and small umbrella stands in the market. I was truly in awe. I hope that in time they will sell their goods. It seems like no one sells too much of it... but everyone passes the time sitting at their cards, walking and approaching people on the street to buy their goods, and generally sitting or walking. I've seen a lot of cars here - and it still amazes me that there are paved roads here quite similar to the US. I hope that I'll continue to be blessed with noticing more cross-cultural similarities between the people here and people I know from home. I know at the core that the "Hondureños" have kind hearts and are very nice and friendly. I'm excited to learn more about Honduras and to embark on this monumental responsibility - to work together with the communities here to do some great work. :)
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