So, I'm Leavin', on a Jet Plane...

Yes, it's true.  All my bags are packed; I'm ready to go.

So, in my last remaining minutes before turning off the computer, possibly until I land in the US tomorrow, I thought I'd do a quick update.

Rain.  Rain.  And more rain.  Wow!  It rained buckets last night.  In fact, it rained in my kitchen!  I was on the computer and happened to look up and behind me.  Don't ask my why;  I just did.  A leak that had previously been fixed was leaking.  I got out a towel and a pot.  Then I started looking at the other places in the house where it's leaked in the past.  They're easy to spot.  The one over the dining room table was getting a bit wavy and water soaked, so I moved the table a bit so that if it started leaking after I went to bed, at least the table would not get ruined.  It didn't leak.

I didn't actually make it to bed until well past midnight, and got up at 5am, but don't feel tired at all.  Now, let's see how it goes later today!!  But, I think I've accomplished all that I needed to.  My suitcases are packed.  The linens on my bed are changed for houseguests who are arriving on Thursday.  Trash is taken out.  Dishes are done and put away.  Yup, I think I've got it all covered.

Yes, I have my passport.  Don't worry.  Hmmmm, maybe I should go double check any way.  Yup.  It's there.

So, now it's time for my good-byes:

Good-bye, avocado.  I will miss your rich, buttery goodness.  I'll miss you with salt and lime.  I'll miss your cheapness -- cost, that is.

Good-bye, mango.  Our time together has been all too brief this season  The fault is entirely mine.  I fear that you shall depart before I return.  Well, I will patiently wait for your return next year, dreaming of you longingly.  Perhaps I will even plan future trips to better accommodate your seasonal appearance.

Good-bye, guanabana.  I wonder if you'll still be hanging around when I come back. 

Good-bye, fresh tortillas.  I shan't forget you and will quickly come visit your hot, steamy goodness in June.

OK, that's enough good-byes.  I've just made myself hungry again.  And, that's after enjoying two avocados this morning.

¡Increíble!...

Yes, ¡increíble!  Absolutely incredilble!  In a strangely funny twist of irony, our Denton-shipped container is scheduled to arrive here in Honduras on May 8 or so.  Ironic because I leave for six weeks in the States on April 28. So, my things will finally get here, after almost 9 months, but I won't be here to start going through them.  Oh well, the boxes will be waiting for me when I get back.  Box after box after box.  I'm sure I will hardly know where to start.

No, I know exactly where I'll start: setting up the TV and BluRay player.  Wait, I should probably start by filling the bookshelves with books.  But the kitchen needs to be set up, too.  On second thought, maybe I have no idea where I'll start.  Actually, I'm sure I'll start by sorting, again, and thinning out my stuff some more.

While I was packing to move here, I thought I had done quite an admirable job of getting rid of a lot of my stuff.  I mean, I gave away, threw away or sold more things than any one person really needs.  Yet, my remaining things filled my one-car garage and then filled a decent sized moving truck.  Yes, I can rationalize and say that some of those things are for the ministry here, that they're not really for me, but let's face it -- I still have too much.

Well, this will be another opportunity for me to see just how attached to physical things I really am.  I hope I pass the test!

One thing that I'm a little sad about is that my cycling sandals, my Keen cycling sandals are among my things.  That means that I won't have them when it comes time to do some rides in the States.  I'm glad that I still have a pair of cycling shoes waiting for me in Shawnee.  Plus, I can't remember where my bike helmet is.  Did I pack it to come down here? Or is it waiting for me, as well?  I'll know the answer to those questions, and more, by this time next week!

Recent Bike Rides...

Thankfully, I've been able to spend a little more 'saddle time' recently.  I went for rides on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  I planned to ride today, but that got waylaid by the tyranny of the urgent.  Although, in today's case, I think the 'urgent' was the incredible desire for an afternoon nap.

I'm still not sure how long my bike rides are.  On Saturday and Sunday, I upped my mileage to five laps, from four.  However, when I have no idea how long a lap is, the whole thing is kinda moot.  At one point, I thought a lap might be three miles, but I suspect I'm overestimating and a lap is more like two or two-and-a-half miles.  That would make five laps a measly 10 miles. 12 1/2 miles, at the most.  Pitiful.  At this rate, I have no idea how I'll ever survive on the Cottonwood.  I'm just hoping that riding my incredibly heavy mountain bike will translate well once I throw my leg over the top tube of my trusty Steelman.  That's trusty -- not rusty!

I do enjoy being out there riding.  On Saturday, I had two ladies that were counting my laps.  That was kind of cool.  I also had one guy yell out to me, "¡Muy bien! ¡Muy bien! ¡Muy bien!" as encouragement.  I couldn't help but smile as I thought of Manolo Saiz of the now defunct Once team yelling out, "¡Venga! ¡Venga! ¡Venga!" in his attempts to spur his riders on to victory.  OK, OK, maybe I'm overdoing it, but when you're on the bike, strange and silly things often enter your thoughts.

On Sunday, I saw a young boy lead a small herd of pigs across the boulevard.  Once safely across, the pigs just kept right on running.  I don't think there was a cliff around for them to rush off of, but again, lots of thoughts enter your mind while on the bike.

Occasionally, I have a student, parent or teacher say that they saw me riding my bike on the boulevard.  Yeah, I guess a gringa on a bike, doing laps over and over, really does stick out.

Technology. The Good and the Not-So-Good...

I love technology.  I think most people know that about me.  Whether it's building a cool, new computer, watching a movie on an iPod, ditching hard copy maps by using a GPS, or downloading books to my computer via Kindle for PC (at least until I actually have my own Kindle), I love technology.  But all that technology has a down side: it needs electricity to make it work.

And, therein lies my problem.  Last night I went to bed, having written a test for my 6th graders, converted it to Word 97-2003 format, and stashed a copy on my thumb drive so that all I'd have to do this morning is run to the office and print off 27 copies.  The problem?  The power went off at 1:32am and had not been restored when I got up and got ready this morning.  Ugh!  No power means no printer.  Well, I can deal with that.  I figured I'd just bring my laptop to class and read the questions to the kids as they wrote the answers on sheets of paper.  (That brought up a whole different set of problems, but I'll leave that for another post.)

I also had planned to go online this morning to look up some Scriptures on Bible Gateway, but again, no power means no internet.  OK, I could deal with that, too.  I borrowed a Strong's Concordance from Sandi and found the verses I was looking for.  Unfortunately, I couldn't look them up in the New Living Translation, which has become a version I use a lot for Chapel.  Still, I could deal.  Plus, I've resolved to buy a copy of the NLT when I get back to the States.

Showers were out of the question today, too.  Although we have our own well here, it uses a pump to get the water to faucets.  You know the rest of this story, I'm sure... No power means no pumps for the water.  OK, we keep more than a gallon of water in the fridge, so at least I could wash my face and brush my teeth.  See? I'm still dealing quite well with the whole no power thing.


Then it hit me:  No power means I can't brew any coffee.  Excuse me?  Those heavenly beans, picked at their peak ripeness and air roasted to perfection, called to me from the freezer. Taunting me. Teasing me.  Mocking me.  I managed to drown out the medium roast chorus escaping from the freezer and begrudgingly opened the refrigerator, pouring myself a glass of iced tea.  No, it really wasn't the same, but it would have to do.

I went over to the Center, where we were going to have our Chapel service (sans sound system) for the teachers and staff.  Mr. Alan shared this morning and I actually understood about 75% of what he said.  Wow!  That was a victory.

Then it was time for the 5th-10th grade Chapel.  Mr. Elvis, Miss Marjorie and Miss Cindy led a time of praise and worship, a cappella, and it went quite well.  When I was about to begin, I started in almost a whisper so that I could get the kids' attention.  It worked.  They saw my mouth moving, but couldn't hear what I was saying, so everyone needed to be quiet.  Then I was able to use my 'outdoor voice' so that I could share the Word of God with them.

Chapel service over, I headed to the 6th grade classroom.  As Mrs. Juanita opened the door, the power came back on!  There still wasn't time for me to print off their test, but at least they now had air conditioning!

Las Alfombras...

Finally, it's here:  Semana Santa (Holy Week) and, most importantly, Good Friday. In Comayagua, Good Friday means one thing, and one thing only ~  Las Alfombras.  Traditionally made from colored sawdust, in recent years, the carpets have seen the addition of other natural materials, such as pine needles, various seeds, flowers, and more.

So, with no further ado, I bring you my window on Las Alfombras de Comayagua...

I got up early this morning because I wanted to start walking down toward las alfombras early, while people were still working on them and before there were thousands upon thousand of people walking around.  I left the house at 6:15am, enjoying the quiet and stillness of my neighborhood.  Within a few blocks, I encountered my first alfombra as a work in progress.  I knew that this carpet would be seen by relatively few people, being well off the Zona Processional.

But here it is, still being worked on.

A few minutes later, I was walking on the edge of the mercado, which looked so very different with no booths, people, cars, etc.  Empty.  Vacant.  Of course, it was only 6:30am.

From there, I walked past La Iglesia Merced, where there were about 5 or 6 ladies in orange construction vest sweeping and cleaning up the trash in front of the church.  As I got closer to the Cathedral and the blocks all around it, there were more and more alfombras.  Almost all of them were still being worked on, but I was able to get some good shots.

This one used real thorns for the crown and wood for the cross.

I was intrigued by the alfombra that used egg shells and dried flowers in its design.

 But I think my favorite was the depiction of the Last Supper.  This creative alfombra used tamarindo shells as its border.  Rice, seeds, and sawdust were used for the rest.  And, yes, that is real bread on the table.

Some time after 9:00am, the processional started.  By this time I had met up with Sandi, Samuel and Adan and we were at La Iglesia San Francisco, waiting for the processional to start.  Men and boys, dressed as Jesus, and each carrying a cross led the way, followed by men with incense, priests, the bishop, candle bearers, etc., culminating in men dressed in robes and hoods that are, frankly, reminiscent of KKK garb, and carrying a huge display.  This year, it was a boat with Jesus in it.  Behind it was another boat with fishermen, which I assumed represented the calling of some of Jesus' disciples.

As the processional goes by, they stop along the way, praying over various alfombras (not all, we found out) and stopping at areas marked for the stations of the cross.

 Once the official processional has passed by, others from the crowd join in, thus the processional continues to become longer and longer.  As you can imagine, it only takes minutes for each alfombra, and the many, many hours of work to become nothing more than a lingering memory.

The processional takes many hours to wind its way through the streets, praying and blessing as they go.

I'm so glad I finally got to see las alfombras in person.  It is truly a slice of Comayaguan culture.