Lychee, Mangosteen & Beans

A few people have commented that they like seeing what we have been eating down here in Honduras. Well, beans have become a major part of our diet, with of course rice and tortillas. Beans are pretty much part of every meal. We got a pressure cooker and have been learning to make the best refried beans! The secret so far is to get some oil hot in the bottom of the pressure cooker and throw in about four cloves of garlic to brown before adding all the soaked beans. About twenty minutes later... Simple, tasty, nutritious, and cheep!

Also we have been enjoying pineapple, mangosteen, lychee, and mangos!

We are still here

Blogging from Honduras has gotten much more difficult in the past two weeks. For one thing, so much has happened that we do not know where to start. Making it more difficult is the fact that the entire world seems hell bent on imposing a solution that will all but destroy democracy in Honduras.

First an update. On Monday of last week we were at school and people started getting worried because there were rumors that Mel was in the country. Soon the rumors were confirmed and then we were informed that there would be a country wide curfew or "toque de queda" as it is called in Spanish. We all rushed home, many people were stuck in traffic and it was very hectic getting home. Later that afternoon we all learned that Mel was in the Brazilian embassy. Several thousand of his followers (many are paid by him using money from Hugo Castro) surrounded the embassy and listened to him essentially encourage lawlessness and destruction. The area around the embassy pretty much being destroyed by the Zelayists they began sacking grocery stores, home electronics stores, and even a few personal residences.

Meanwhile, Tuesday we didn't even leave our apartment. We did art projects, we played games, listened to music, and watched the news. We were a bit worried but our apartment is in a safe part of town far from the Brazillian embassy where most of the trouble is. By Tuesday evening were were starting to wonder how long we might be stuck in our apartment. More importantly we were starting to wonder how long a city of more than 2 million people can stand to be shut off. The loss of economic activity is so hard on so many of the people here who live day-to-day.

By Wednesday morning people were starting to run out of essentials so the toque de queda was lifted for about seven hours. We have friends who waited more than 5 hours in the grocery store, it was impossible to get gas for your cars. I had to go out to get our car from the mechanic. I called a taxi who we have used in the past and trust. He just happened to be close and was able to get me. On the way we saw burning tires in the road, long lines for water and food, and traffic that you wouldn't believe. We finally made it, I got my car... but now what I might be stuck in traffic for hours driving ten minutes across the city. The taxi driver offered to show me a short cut through the city, this would of course cost more. No problem I said this is an emergency. "Do you need beans?" I ask him, "You have beans?" he repeats with a smile. "Of course I have beans." So we negotiate for a bit and quickly arrive at the going rate for taxis when paying in frijoles! Yes I paid for my shortcut escort in Frijoles.

We all spent the rest of the day hanging out with other teachers at the school. We played frisbee, ran around at the school and talked about the political situation. As the clouds started gathering we all decided that Honduras could really use a good rainstorm to "clean the air" so to speak. Well, it poured and poured! Several of us took shelter in our apartment and invented a new cocktail called, of course: Toque de Queda (Rum, coconut milk, mandarin, lime, lychee, and grape juice). It was what we had in the apartment and it was actually quite good! I like creating cocktails in times of crisis. I don't know if it was the rain or the drinks but things started to seem less grim...

Only in Honduras could one day be like Wednesday were it feels like all hell is breaking loose and then Thursday arrives and is "normal". The toque de queda was lifted early Thursday morning and good news school would also be in session. So we all go to work and school. Our students were all happy to be in school, everyone was comforted by the normalcy of our routines that however new have become our lives. We were able to go to the grocery store and get gas. "Only in Honduras" is becoming a saying with meaning for us, it is teaching us how things are rarely as bad as we think, and that the saying "this too shall pass" is true.

Please check out our friends blog losdosrobertos.blogspot.com they have some great articles on living here and a link to a video by Newt Gingrich about Honduras.

Zelaya Returns

José Manuel Zelaya Rosales returned to Tegucigalpa today. He is hanging out at the Brazilian embassy in order to avoid being arrested by the Honduran authorities. Despite all the concern everything has been very tranquil thus far. There is a curfew from today at 4 pm.. until tomorrow at 7 a.m. For the time being we have power and internet and we are well provisioned, well we might run out of Salva Vida (beer). School is scheduled to start late tomorrow, so we will keep you posted and update as the situation changes.

L'shanah Tovah (Happy New Year)

Today is Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashana begins a time of reflections on the past and hopes and aspirations for the future. We are celebrating a very big new beginning here in Honduras. Truth be told... new beginnings can be hard. All the changes that surround us have been taking a toll on us all. For the first time we are really starting to miss the familiarity of living in Sebastopol. As we celebrate this new year, we find ourselves almost overwhelmed by the newness in our lives.

Last night I went to Rosh Hashana services at the local synagogue. Yes, there is a Jewish community here in Tegucigalpa. It is very small probably (45 people came to Rosh Hashana) but warm and welcoming. It was surreal to participate in the familiar Rosh Hashana Service in such a foreign setting. The service was of course in Spanish and Hebrew, many of the prayers were familiar but it was very difficult to follow the Spanish due to all the new religious vocabulary.

As is the custom of Jews all over the world, after the service we all had some wine and challah. We all milled around, everyone was super welcoming and interesting. One of the people I met is a woman who survived the Holocaust in Krakow. She was hidden by a Christian family for over three years in an attic. The amazing part of the story is that at the end of the war the same family hid several German soldiers from the Russians. The idea of one Christian house somewhere in Poland with Jews hiding in the attic, German soldiers hiding upstairs (just below the Jews) is so compelling. I hope to hear more of this story as time goes on.

For whatever reason, today things feel a bit better. The newness is less intimidating. Everything still feels new but there is a familiarity to the newness. Rosh Hashana is a reminder that we are meant to celebrate the new in our lives, for to fear the new and long for the familiar is not why we are here.

May this year be a good year, full of renewal and sweetness!

Independence Day - September 15

On this day in 1821, Spain granted independence to Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. In addition to the parades, marches and fireworks that will be launched from the national stadium, we have decided to pay our own tribute to the freedom that was granted to Honduras 188 years ago. We will help commemorate this day by posting some pictures that demonstrate the unique qualities of this country we now call home.

Several weeks ago as we were driving out of our neighborhood, we noticed large rocks, bricks and cinder blocks strewn throughout the road. As we got closer, we realized that a road crew had fixed the potholes that were plaguing our street and instead of using orange cones to alert drivers of the area, they simply placed large rocks around the freshly poured cement. As you can imagine, this could seriously jack up your car if you were not paying close attention to the road.

A few days later, more large rocks. But this time, they were placed around the newly made tumulos (speed bumps). We were prepared this time with a camera to take some pictures.

Back In Tegus!

Oh, where to start... My world has changed since last Sunday and I don't know where to begin. At the moment, we are in our apartment in Tegucigalpa. We are all bathed and clean, well fed and comfortable. L is asleep for sure, D is on his way to sweet slumber in their cozy bed. It's raining crazy outside and the lightening and thunder are putting on a beautiful show. Our clothes from our week long road trip are being fluffed and dried. I even got to use the last of my SumBody salt scrub in my shower tonight... I feel pampered.

We left Tegucigalpa last Sunday, our ultimate destination being Roatan. We had quite a few miles to cover, so we figured we would spend the night in La Ceiba and then catch the ferry on Monday morning. The kid's first look at the Caribbean was in a beach town called Tela. Once we saw the ocean, we got off the highway the first chance we got and headed straight for the beach. We parked and sat at a dirty bar on the beach. E and I ordered a Salva Vida and the kids began digging in the sand immediately. Almost as quickly as they began the Big Dig, we were approached by people selling coconut bread and offering to braid L's hair. We escaped that town with one sack of bread and one braid in L's hair (one, because the first one's always free).

We made our way to La Ceiba, the town that is known for it's laid back vibe and party atmosphere. We got a decent room at Olas del Mar for 600 Lempira, about $30 (2 double beds, a great balcony where the beach was a stones throw away, and a private bathroom and shower -hot water not included). The next morning, we were off to the dock to board the ferry for the 90 minute ride to West End, Roatan.

We were picked up at Coxen Hole by a man from our hotel and we were taken to a picture-perfect beach town with one dead-end, sandy road leading into it. Our hotel was nearly at the end and our room was literally on the water. We met up with 4 other teachers from our school who had been to this hotel before. We spent our days swimming in the waters right outside our hotel room. We played Blink, Connect 4 and read our books to our hearts delight. We drank way to many pina coladas from the shack on the water, but she got to know us and when we ordered, she would say "Para llevar?"

E went on some scuba expeditions and had a blast. He was quickly reminded how much he loves to dive and was plotting and scheming to get back to Roatan as soon as possible. We got a mask for L and a mask and snorkel for D and they took to it easily. We went to West Bay one morning for more swimming/snorkeling and L got her whole head braided, Bo Derek style. She can totally pull off the look.

Now to the part of this story where my sleep was disturbed and my mind was heavy. In order to get to Roatan, we had to drive through more than half of Honduras. The country side was beautiful and I was in awe by the mountains, valleys, rivers, ocean, and flowers. But also my heart was made heavy by the countless people who were living along the main highways in ramshackle houses, without doors, windows, or floors. My mind is spinning with the memory of the faces of people living an extremely hard life. I saw more people riding their bikes and walking along the highway than I have ever seen in the states. And they were not NOT using their cars because it was bike to work day. They were carrying long sticks for firewood on their backs, 5 gallon jugs of drinking water on their bikes. You wouldn't believe the dangerous roads that they were walking on.  And kids were walking along these roads too, by themselves or teetering along the side of the road on a bike that was way too big for their own good. Kids were selling coconuts, pineapples, bags of water, you name it. Kids who probably should be in school, but are selling this stuff along the roadside because they have to help their families buy food. I knew Honduras had this kind of poverty, but it's another thing to come face to face it while we are on our road trip up to a beautiful island that a majority of Hondurans will NEVER see in person. It reminded me how fortunate that we are, and how hard it must be for so many people in this country to survive. I'm still reeling a bit from the experience, hence my appreciation for all of the things I enjoyed when I got home (reference paragraph 1 of this blog entry).

There is so much more I could write about that we experienced on our trip; crazy Honduran driving, Lago de Yajoa, the hundreds of horses I saw tied up on the roadside throughout the major highways, Pulhapanzak Falls, the thousands of lychee nuts, watching Honduras lose to Mexico in a bar in the West End. But those will have to be for another day.

Roatan

Greetings and salutations from the island of Roatan! Yesterday we left Tegucigalpa in our recently purchased 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe. We spent the night in La Ceiba in a great Hotel overlooking the beach. We woke up and had a delicious typical breakfast of beans eggs tortillas and little sausage like breakfast meats. After breakfast we hopped on the ferry to Roatan. We ate staying at the Lost Paradise Inn and it is beyond beautiful here. Our cabins sits directly on the beach about 25 feet from the water. The kids spent most of the day playing inthe water they are learning to snorkel already. The scuba diving is as good as it gets anywhere. We will be able to post more pictures next week but Eric is able to post from Facebook so check there in the meantime.

La Gripe Porcine

Yesterday at school we were visited by an epidemiological team from the Honduran Ministry of Health.  They were wearing face masks and gloves, as they walked by me I thought, "this can't be good."  Turns out, I was right and wrong.  The Gripe Porcine or Influenza H1N1 is experiencing a comeback in our beleaguered capital, as if all the political problems we are facing were not enough, now we have a pandemic of infectious proportions.  So the team of stern looking masked officials spent about two hours with the principal before I had to go teach my Psychology class.  We knew something was up when we heard screaming coming from the middle school, it was sheer pandemonium!... what could it be? How could a small group of stuffy epidemiologists be so disruptive?  Well you probably guessed it...

In order to protect the health and safety of the school students and staff... School will be closed until the 17th of September! 

So in order to protect the health of the our family... We are taking an extra week on Roatan, or some other cool place in Honduras!

But first we are going to buy a car.