...to me! It's been one month since I bought my motorcycle, so to celebrate, I went for a nice long ride on Saturday, which was, coincidentally, my six-month anniversary of arriving here.
And, now, we interrupt this blog to give you some breaking news ~~ This just in: I have received a 60-day extension of my visa!!! That's right. Ana Rut and the OIM seem to have come through for me. The 60-day extension will take me up to April 20, and when questioned about the 8 days from then until I head back to the States on April 28, Ana Rut said that we'll have my carnet by then. So, now all I need is to have my passport back in my hands and then wait for more news of my carnet.
We now return to your regularly scheduled blog...
So, Saturday was a fantastic day. I started out by going to breakfast with Jenny. We chose La Princesita's Super Baleadas. I mean, any time you can get a great breakfast for 32 Lempiras (18 for the baleada and another 14 for a bottle of pop), is a good day!! Oh yeah, 32 Lempiras equals $1.69, based on an exchange rate of 18.895 Lempiras to the dollar.
After breakfast, I dropped off Jenny at the mall so that she could print out some stuff. Yes, we went on my moto. Jenny trusted me enough, even though I haven't purchased a second helmet yet. I think we did just fine on the bike, especially considering it was my first time having a passenger.
Then I was off to La Libertad. It's about 40km away. I had been on that road for a short while about two weeks ago, but turned back before long since I didn't know where it would take me, or how safe it was. Finding out that it was a safe road and incredibly beautiful, I quickly put a trip to La Libertad on my 'to do' list. I was going to go last week, but a bit of a nasty sunburn on my lower back put a damper on those plans. The thought of the sun hitting my back, even through a t-shirt just was not pleasant.
Besides, as it turns out, going to La Libertad on Saturday was so much more symbolic. Not only was it the one-month anniversary of my moto purchase, it was also the six-month anniversary of my arriving in Honduras. The drive out there was breathtaking. Truly.
Comayagua sits in a valley (called the Comayagua Valley, as it happens) so no matter which way you drive, you quickly hit the mountains. The road to La Liber, as I heard it called today, was no different. I was only a few short kilometers outside of town when I began ascending, twisting and turning. And around each curve there appeared a view even more gorgeous than the one before. So, I just kept right on driving. My mind was wandering and all of my senses seemed on heightened enjoyment: the mountain views, the somewhat scraggly fields, the smell of the earth, the warmth of the sun on my arms and legs, the sound of the wind. It was glorious.
I was lost in my own thoughts when suddenly I saw something unexpected heading down the highway toward me, coming from the opposite direction. What? Two guys on road bikes? Really? Then, three more. Hmmm... I realized they were all gringos and then thought that they might be from the base. Slowing down quite a bit, I raised the visor on my helmet and asked the next two guys, "Hey, where are you all from?" Somewhat startled, the guy looked back and said, "Soto Cano." Yeah, I was right. Within seconds I saw the last few guys, followed by a military van. But, oh, the lust and longing that stirred within me: those sleek road bikes, such skinny tires, helmets, gloves, spandex shorts, lycra jerseys, and cycling shoes. When I finally roused myself from my cycling induced fantasy, I had an epiphany, an aha! moment. There was absolutely no reason why I can't use that same road and do some Cottonwood training on that very same road. Yeah, it'll be on my 75 lb. mountain bike, but, it's doable. Even without clipless pedals, helmet or padded shorts. I doubt I'll ride all that way to La Libertad, at least not at first, but I'm gonna head out that way on my bike next weekend. I think.
A woman on a moto is definitely somewhat new here, but a gringa on a moto? Now that's almost scandalous. Almost. Actually, here in town, there are a decent number of ladies who are riding motos or scooters, but it was obvious to me that most of them don't ride to La Liber. As I passed by people on the roadside or in their yards or fields, they stared. All of them. I tried to wave to as many as I could, and most of them waved back or at least smiled.
I arrived in La Libertad and rode around just a little. There are lots of one way streets and the town is on the side of a mountain, so there are some steep grades on several of the roads. A few of them were easily 14 or 15% grades. They would have been killer on a bike. I wondered if the military guys had ridden all the way out there.
After making it to the parque central in front of the church, I relaxed for a minute while deciding what to do. I drove across the way to a little pulperia, took off my helmet, trying to pretend I didn't see everyone staring at me, and walked inside. They had Diet Coke in the cooler, but it was in plastic bottles so I opted for a glass bottle of Fresca, even though Fresca here is not sugar free. The woman asked if I wanted it in a bolsita, which would have been 'to go', but I told her I was going to drink it here. I paid my 8 Lemps and walked back outside. All eyes were back on me. It wasn't unsettling, though. To my right was a small table, but it was occupied by a young woman, her baby and her mother or grandmother (sometimes it's nearly impossible to tell). I started talking to them, and after a few minutes, they asked me to please sit down and join them.
Even with my limited Spanish, I love trying to talk to people. I guess I'm not quite as limited as I think I am, but, yes, my lack still frustrates me.
When I finished my drink, I said my good-byes, put my empty bottle in the rack on the floor and was back on my moto. I drove around the town just a little more and then made my way back to the highway.
Unfortunately, the ride back to Comayagua seemed to be over much quicker than the ride out. Isn't it always like that? At one point, though, as I was riding, I saw some people ahead of me at a little roadside eatery. They were furiously waving at me as I passed. I smiled and waved back, realizing that I had first waved to them on my way out. They must have seen me coming from quite a ways and started waving. Maybe it was the most exciting part of their day to see the gringa on the moto. Twice.
As I left the country air and attitude behind me, I made my way through the crowded, noisy streets of Comayagua. I opened the front gate of Enlaces, and by the time I had my moto through, the guard was right there, ready to lock the gate behind me.
All in all, a beautiful day, and it wasn't even noon yet!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Where Things Stand...
...for now, anyway.
In the ever frustrating, ongoing, and even possibly humorous saga of 'Susan and her carnet' or 'Susan and her visa extension', today I write a new episode:
Yesterday morning, Sandi tried to call Ana Rut. It was 10:30ish, but Ana wasn't there. Later that afternoon, Sandi called and even made contact. In fact, Ana knew exactly who Sandi was and why she was calling within about a half second of recognizing her voice.
A short while later, I was in the school and Sandi came to talk to me. "Well, I've got news, but I'm not sure you're going to want to hear it" was Sandi's greeting to me. Hmmm, I immediately had images of packing my bags and hopping a bus to Costa Rica. Thankfully, it was nothing that drastic. I'm still not convinced that I like our interim solution, but, it is what it is.
Ana Rut, in talking to her boss about my situation and the limbo that I find myself in, told Sandi that if I would send them my passport and $40US, Ana would personally take my passport to Immigrations and get me another extension of my visa. Sandi mention that I'm flying back to the States on April 28 for a visit and asked her if she could get my extension until that date. "No problem" was the response.
So, I went to my house and got my passport and $40US. I was getting ready to go to the FedEx-equivalent office to express my passport to Ana Rut and the OIM. We got the address, but it was a PO box, meaning that my passport would be sitting there until someone went to the post office.
Now, I was already greatly suspect at even sending my passport. I mean, you hear it all the time: Don't give anyone your passport. Don't let it out of your sight or control. And these folks want me to send/give them my passport for an indeterminate length of time? Plus, the OIM needs to leave my passport with Immigrations for 3 days. That would be the same Immigrations who lost the passport of an Enlaces intern a while back, only to have it show up a day or so before she was set to leave the country. So, yes, I was more than a bit apprehensive about sending my passport to Ana Rut.
As it turns out, Erica, one of our school administrators, is heading to Tegucigalpa today and will be in the same neighborhood as the OIM office, which has moved and is now located inside the United Nations building. She offered to bring my passport and money and hand deliver it to Ana Rut. Whew! That's a huge relief, especially since Erica knows how much and how long we've been dealing with this whole mess.
Sandi wrote a note to include in the envelope, reminding Ana Rut that the extension needs to be until April 28. She even told Ana Rut that we would be willing to drive to Teguc to pick it up when she gets it back. We'll see how that goes. I'm hoping it will be next week, but, who knows?
If ever there was a time to say... "I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore."
In the ever frustrating, ongoing, and even possibly humorous saga of 'Susan and her carnet' or 'Susan and her visa extension', today I write a new episode:
Yesterday morning, Sandi tried to call Ana Rut. It was 10:30ish, but Ana wasn't there. Later that afternoon, Sandi called and even made contact. In fact, Ana knew exactly who Sandi was and why she was calling within about a half second of recognizing her voice.
A short while later, I was in the school and Sandi came to talk to me. "Well, I've got news, but I'm not sure you're going to want to hear it" was Sandi's greeting to me. Hmmm, I immediately had images of packing my bags and hopping a bus to Costa Rica. Thankfully, it was nothing that drastic. I'm still not convinced that I like our interim solution, but, it is what it is.
Ana Rut, in talking to her boss about my situation and the limbo that I find myself in, told Sandi that if I would send them my passport and $40US, Ana would personally take my passport to Immigrations and get me another extension of my visa. Sandi mention that I'm flying back to the States on April 28 for a visit and asked her if she could get my extension until that date. "No problem" was the response.
So, I went to my house and got my passport and $40US. I was getting ready to go to the FedEx-equivalent office to express my passport to Ana Rut and the OIM. We got the address, but it was a PO box, meaning that my passport would be sitting there until someone went to the post office.
Now, I was already greatly suspect at even sending my passport. I mean, you hear it all the time: Don't give anyone your passport. Don't let it out of your sight or control. And these folks want me to send/give them my passport for an indeterminate length of time? Plus, the OIM needs to leave my passport with Immigrations for 3 days. That would be the same Immigrations who lost the passport of an Enlaces intern a while back, only to have it show up a day or so before she was set to leave the country. So, yes, I was more than a bit apprehensive about sending my passport to Ana Rut.
As it turns out, Erica, one of our school administrators, is heading to Tegucigalpa today and will be in the same neighborhood as the OIM office, which has moved and is now located inside the United Nations building. She offered to bring my passport and money and hand deliver it to Ana Rut. Whew! That's a huge relief, especially since Erica knows how much and how long we've been dealing with this whole mess.
Sandi wrote a note to include in the envelope, reminding Ana Rut that the extension needs to be until April 28. She even told Ana Rut that we would be willing to drive to Teguc to pick it up when she gets it back. We'll see how that goes. I'm hoping it will be next week, but, who knows?
If ever there was a time to say... "I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore."
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tick, Tick, Tick...
That ominous sound is the passing of time. A daily reminder that, now, my current visa expires in three days and we are STILL waiting for an answer. If something doesn't change soon, as in, right away, I will need to leave the country on Saturday and spend three days somewhere else. The really bad part of that is that I can't get any good airline deals at this time. The bus? To Costa Rica? I've done it before.
On Monday, Sandi called Ana Rut at the OIM and was told that she (Ana Rut) would have an answer by Tuesday. Sandi was also told not to call back, that Ana Rut would call her. Oh, there are times I wish I was a betting woman. I could have cleaned up had I only bet against a phone call. No, of course Ana Rut didn't call. So, I'm still waiting.
It can get pretty frustrating: inconsistencies, laws that change with no notice, indecision, mucho corrupción, etc. That has been one of the hardest things to get used to here, especially for a take-charge kind-of-person like me who is used to having all her ducks in a row. Hopefully, we'll get some answers, positive answers, when Sandi calls Ana Rut this morning.
But, for now, I wait.
On Monday, Sandi called Ana Rut at the OIM and was told that she (Ana Rut) would have an answer by Tuesday. Sandi was also told not to call back, that Ana Rut would call her. Oh, there are times I wish I was a betting woman. I could have cleaned up had I only bet against a phone call. No, of course Ana Rut didn't call. So, I'm still waiting.
It can get pretty frustrating: inconsistencies, laws that change with no notice, indecision, mucho corrupción, etc. That has been one of the hardest things to get used to here, especially for a take-charge kind-of-person like me who is used to having all her ducks in a row. Hopefully, we'll get some answers, positive answers, when Sandi calls Ana Rut this morning.
But, for now, I wait.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
New School Year...
Well, the new school year started today. I think it actually started yesterday for public schools and most other private schools who keep to the Honduran calendar. But, our school week is only 4 days long for kinder through 5th grade. It's not until they're in 6th grade that our students start for 5-day weeks. Plus, this week, they only have half days.
I'm going to be teaching a Language Arts class to the 6th - 10th graders. I'll have three separate classes, which meet twice a week each. That should work pretty well. I'm also planning to help the upper grades with their English PACEs, as needed.
We had opening exercises this morning and I saw quite a few new faces, not just among the kinder and prepa kids, but in the upper grades as well. I know that we've had an influx of students from other schools. After opening exercises, I spent some time in the Center, talking to many of the children as they ate their merienda. I met a family of 3 kids who are from Saginaw, TX. Their father is a contractor on the base. English is their first language, but they also speak Spanish.
Last weekend, we were in San Pedro Sula for a teachers' convention. It was held on the grounds of an incredible bilingual school in the north part of San Pedro Sula. Heck, if it was any further north, it would have been ON the mountain. The campus was just gorgeous.
On our way back to Comayagua on Saturday, Sandi and I stopped near the lake to buy some beans. We ended up with a 110 lb. sack of red beans and a 5 lb. sack of black beans. The only area I've seen actually use black beans is the Taulabe area. Everyone else seems to use the red ones. In fact, while I was walking through the mercado today, I was paying attention to the beans. The shops that sold beans had 5 or 6 big sacks of red beans and only 1 sack of black beans.
After the beans, we went to Luis' house to pick up some coffee. Both Sandi & I were getting low. We got 5 more pounds and are hoping to get some coffee from Sandi's friend, Pam. If that coffee is as good as Pam says, I'll be bringing some of it back to the States on my trip. The proceeds of Pam's coffee goes to support the orphanage there, so that would be a great thing.
I'm going to be teaching a Language Arts class to the 6th - 10th graders. I'll have three separate classes, which meet twice a week each. That should work pretty well. I'm also planning to help the upper grades with their English PACEs, as needed.
We had opening exercises this morning and I saw quite a few new faces, not just among the kinder and prepa kids, but in the upper grades as well. I know that we've had an influx of students from other schools. After opening exercises, I spent some time in the Center, talking to many of the children as they ate their merienda. I met a family of 3 kids who are from Saginaw, TX. Their father is a contractor on the base. English is their first language, but they also speak Spanish.
Last weekend, we were in San Pedro Sula for a teachers' convention. It was held on the grounds of an incredible bilingual school in the north part of San Pedro Sula. Heck, if it was any further north, it would have been ON the mountain. The campus was just gorgeous.
On our way back to Comayagua on Saturday, Sandi and I stopped near the lake to buy some beans. We ended up with a 110 lb. sack of red beans and a 5 lb. sack of black beans. The only area I've seen actually use black beans is the Taulabe area. Everyone else seems to use the red ones. In fact, while I was walking through the mercado today, I was paying attention to the beans. The shops that sold beans had 5 or 6 big sacks of red beans and only 1 sack of black beans.
After the beans, we went to Luis' house to pick up some coffee. Both Sandi & I were getting low. We got 5 more pounds and are hoping to get some coffee from Sandi's friend, Pam. If that coffee is as good as Pam says, I'll be bringing some of it back to the States on my trip. The proceeds of Pam's coffee goes to support the orphanage there, so that would be a great thing.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
If I Could Save Time in a Bottle...
I know. I know. It's wishful thinking. But, seriously... where does the time go? I really do have very good intentions of keeping this blog somewhat current, but then the day to day stuff just happens. Plus, I often think, "Who really wants to read about my life here, or about us painting or whatever?" No, I'm not having a pity party -- had one of those the other day and I was the only one who showed up!!
Well, it's been super busy since I posted last week about Grey's Anatomy. Yes, we watched the show. Yes, it was a new one. Unfortunately, I probably won't get to watch tonight's episode because we're having a parents' meeting for school and I don't know if we'll be done before 8pm.
School starts next week and the teachers have been here getting their classrooms ready. I just went around and took photos of many of them. I'll be posting them on Facebook, on the Bridge Ministries - Enlaces con Cristo - Honduras page. So, if you're on FB, feel free to mosey on over and take a gander.
Last Sunday, I rode up to San Pedro Sula with Currie, Sandi & Samuel. Currie & Samuel were heading back to the States and I didn't want Sandi to drive home alone. Plus, a trip to the city = a trip to PriceSmart!! We got to the airport in plenty of time and the boys got checked in and even paid their departure tax (which has gone up to almost $37/person). Then we all got some baleadas for a bit of a merienda. After a while, Sandi & I left the airport and headed toward PriceSmart, with a planned stop at Diunsa first.
Diunsa was having an incredible sale! A LOT of the sporting goods were 50% off. In fact, just two days earlier Hermes and I were at the Diunsa in Tegucigalpa, saw some really awesome ping pong tables (which we desperately need), called Currie & Sandi, and ended up buying two of them. But I digress... While at Diunsa, we found some fútbol nets which were also 50% off. Sandi made some calls to Charley and found out that it looked like the nets were good ones. The normal price was more than 50% less than what we usually pay for the nets, and we were able to get TWO complete sets of nets for the price of one. It was awesome!
Before we could check out, however, everyday life in Honduras took over. Sandi got a call from Currie saying that they (Honduran officials) weren't going to let Samuel leave the country without permission from his mother. Excuse me??? He has a US passport, not a Honduran one. Sandi tried talking to the officials, but it was to no avail. She ended up leaving me at Diunsa, so as not to take the time to check out, heading back to the airport, talking to the officials, who wrote a quick note saying it was okay for Samuel to leave, signed the note, and then came back to Diunsa. I mean, really, was all that necessary? Samuel has traveled with just one parent before; this is not new -- but the president is. And, it looks like any/everything that can change will.
Back at Diunsa, we also ended up buying two basketball backboards. Yup. 50% off on them, too. So, over the course of the weekend, Diunsa made quite a bit of money from Enlaces: two each on ping pong tables, basketball backboards and fútbol nets, plus the fútbol uniforms Hermes bought for the school on Friday. Then there were the personal purchases that he and I each made.
After Diunsa, we made it over to PriceSmart and were able to get in and out of there in probably record time. We really didn't have a lot to get there. Tomorrow will probably be different since school starts next week and they need lots of food.
We're leaving at about 4am tomorrow to make it up to San Pedro Sula for a teachers' conference. Most of the teachers are going and we'll stay overnight in Villa Nuria, which is a pretty nice ApartHotel. Basically, they are residence hotels. Each unit has two bedrooms, a small living room and a small kitchenette. They're located very close to the airport, which works really well if we have late evening or early morning flights. They even have shuttle over to the airport. And, the pool's very nice, too!!
Well, that's about it for today, but I'm going to do a better job of updating. I promise. Or, I promise to try.
Well, it's been super busy since I posted last week about Grey's Anatomy. Yes, we watched the show. Yes, it was a new one. Unfortunately, I probably won't get to watch tonight's episode because we're having a parents' meeting for school and I don't know if we'll be done before 8pm.
School starts next week and the teachers have been here getting their classrooms ready. I just went around and took photos of many of them. I'll be posting them on Facebook, on the Bridge Ministries - Enlaces con Cristo - Honduras page. So, if you're on FB, feel free to mosey on over and take a gander.
Last Sunday, I rode up to San Pedro Sula with Currie, Sandi & Samuel. Currie & Samuel were heading back to the States and I didn't want Sandi to drive home alone. Plus, a trip to the city = a trip to PriceSmart!! We got to the airport in plenty of time and the boys got checked in and even paid their departure tax (which has gone up to almost $37/person). Then we all got some baleadas for a bit of a merienda. After a while, Sandi & I left the airport and headed toward PriceSmart, with a planned stop at Diunsa first.
Diunsa was having an incredible sale! A LOT of the sporting goods were 50% off. In fact, just two days earlier Hermes and I were at the Diunsa in Tegucigalpa, saw some really awesome ping pong tables (which we desperately need), called Currie & Sandi, and ended up buying two of them. But I digress... While at Diunsa, we found some fútbol nets which were also 50% off. Sandi made some calls to Charley and found out that it looked like the nets were good ones. The normal price was more than 50% less than what we usually pay for the nets, and we were able to get TWO complete sets of nets for the price of one. It was awesome!
Before we could check out, however, everyday life in Honduras took over. Sandi got a call from Currie saying that they (Honduran officials) weren't going to let Samuel leave the country without permission from his mother. Excuse me??? He has a US passport, not a Honduran one. Sandi tried talking to the officials, but it was to no avail. She ended up leaving me at Diunsa, so as not to take the time to check out, heading back to the airport, talking to the officials, who wrote a quick note saying it was okay for Samuel to leave, signed the note, and then came back to Diunsa. I mean, really, was all that necessary? Samuel has traveled with just one parent before; this is not new -- but the president is. And, it looks like any/everything that can change will.
Back at Diunsa, we also ended up buying two basketball backboards. Yup. 50% off on them, too. So, over the course of the weekend, Diunsa made quite a bit of money from Enlaces: two each on ping pong tables, basketball backboards and fútbol nets, plus the fútbol uniforms Hermes bought for the school on Friday. Then there were the personal purchases that he and I each made.
After Diunsa, we made it over to PriceSmart and were able to get in and out of there in probably record time. We really didn't have a lot to get there. Tomorrow will probably be different since school starts next week and they need lots of food.
We're leaving at about 4am tomorrow to make it up to San Pedro Sula for a teachers' conference. Most of the teachers are going and we'll stay overnight in Villa Nuria, which is a pretty nice ApartHotel. Basically, they are residence hotels. Each unit has two bedrooms, a small living room and a small kitchenette. They're located very close to the airport, which works really well if we have late evening or early morning flights. They even have shuttle over to the airport. And, the pool's very nice, too!!
Well, that's about it for today, but I'm going to do a better job of updating. I promise. Or, I promise to try.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Grey's Thursdays...
Yes, even here in Honduras, we watch Grey's Anatomy. Thankfully, our cable company rebroadcasts WABC from New York City. So we've made Thursday night "Girls Night". Sandi comes over, and then she, Jenny and I watch it together. I'm glad that we're finally back to new episodes.
This week, we've spent a lot of time searching for ceramic tiles for the counter top in the Center. You would not believe how hard (impossible, really) it is to get black and white tiles in the same size. We've tried to get 15x15(cm), 20x20, and 20x30. It should be simple, really. White tiles and black tiles. But it seems that if we find black tiles, we can't get the same size in white and vice versa. Yes, of course we've tried to buy the black from one place and white from another. It's just not working. Believe me, if we could find a way, we would. So, we've settled for white tiles and black grout. It should look pretty cool.
If all goes as planned, I'm heading in to Tegucigalpa tomorrow morning. I need to get a few things done for my motorcycle. Hermes needs to pick up more of our curriculum and also buy some chairs. It looks like a trip to PriceSmart is in our future!
The weather here is starting to get pretty hot. Most days it get up into the upper 80s or lower 90s. Shortly, however, it will get much hotter. And, we're in the dry season now so any rain showers will be few and far between. Already, I can see how the grass is starting to dry out. The up side of all of that is that it's almost mango season!! Yes, I love mangos! I'm already planning to buy enough to peel and freeze so that we have some later in the year.
Well, that's about it for tonight.
This week, we've spent a lot of time searching for ceramic tiles for the counter top in the Center. You would not believe how hard (impossible, really) it is to get black and white tiles in the same size. We've tried to get 15x15(cm), 20x20, and 20x30. It should be simple, really. White tiles and black tiles. But it seems that if we find black tiles, we can't get the same size in white and vice versa. Yes, of course we've tried to buy the black from one place and white from another. It's just not working. Believe me, if we could find a way, we would. So, we've settled for white tiles and black grout. It should look pretty cool.
If all goes as planned, I'm heading in to Tegucigalpa tomorrow morning. I need to get a few things done for my motorcycle. Hermes needs to pick up more of our curriculum and also buy some chairs. It looks like a trip to PriceSmart is in our future!
The weather here is starting to get pretty hot. Most days it get up into the upper 80s or lower 90s. Shortly, however, it will get much hotter. And, we're in the dry season now so any rain showers will be few and far between. Already, I can see how the grass is starting to dry out. The up side of all of that is that it's almost mango season!! Yes, I love mangos! I'm already planning to buy enough to peel and freeze so that we have some later in the year.
Well, that's about it for tonight.
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