I figured that some of you might be wondering if I'm still alive, still breathing. Yes. Thanks for asking! Actually, I've just been super busy. Right now we have a team of doctors, nurses and carpenters with us for the week.
The carpenter team has been hard at work, building new classrooms and even doing some plumbing!
I've been out with the docs and nurses on the medical brigade each day. Every day brings new challenges and new adventures. But each day also brings us extraordinary opportunities to show people the love of God in practical ways!
We have two more days of medical brigades. When they're over, I will be posting more, filling you in on the details: the blood, the gore, the tears and the laughter. I'll even have pictures. And, boy have I got an incredible story about being in the right place at the right time. I mean, it couldn't have happened any better if we had planned it. The hand of God was all over it!!!
Curious? I guess you'll just have to wait a few more days. But it will be worth it. I promise.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Renewing a Driver's License...
The government of Honduras granted me a five-year residency, but will only hand it out to me one year at a time. This means that I need to go to Tegucigalpa, to Immigrations, every year to renew. Yes, it's a hassle, but dealing with the government here often is.
Because my residency carnet only shows one year, I can only get a driver's license for one year, instead of paying for a 3-year license. More bureaucracy, but, that's life here.
Time to renew my driver's licenses! Yes, licenseS. I have two: one for cars and a separate one for motorcycles. Never mind that combining them would make sense.
I got my first licenses in Tegucigalpa, since that's the law. But, I could get my renewal licenses here in Comayagua. Erica called the Transito for me to find out exactly what I needed to do: a physical, an eye exam, then go to the bank and pay and they (the bank) will give me the time of my appointment.
First stop: the doctor's office. I went to my doctor's on a Saturday morning and had my physical. It was actually much more thorough than the one I had last year to get my initial license. Last year, they took my blood pressure and pulse, determined that I was still alive and sent me to another room to get my blood typed. This year, it was more like a physical. The doctor also asked me about my eyes. Since I knew my contact lens prescription, she was able to write that on my form, saving me the extra expense of getting my eyes checked.
Next stop was at Banco Atlantida to pay for my licenses and get my appointment. That actually went smoothly and I was asked if Monday at 9:30 am would work? Sure. Sounds good to me. Hey, this might just be pretty simple after all.
Monday morning arrived and I decided that I would take a taxi to the Transito instead of riding my motorcycle. My permiso provisional, my permission to ride without a license plate, since the government hasn't issued new motorcycle plates in about 4 years, was expired and I had been waiting for THREE WEEKS for it to arrive from Tegucigalpa. (Each of my calls to the place in Tegus was answered with "we're sending it tomorrow." Don't bother asking how many times I had called.) I was actually still riding my moto, but didn't think it would be all that wise to ride it to the police station, where they might actually check the legality of my moto.
The power here at Enlaces had gone off a few minutes before 9:00 am, but I didn't know how localized the outage was, or how long it was going to last, so I hailed a taxi and was at the Transito by a few minutes after 9:00 am. There was a line of people outside the building and an even longer line inside. Crap! That's not a good sign.
I got in line behind a woman and asked her if the line was moving quickly. Nope. Not at all. Her appointment was for 8:30 am and she had gotten there at 8:00, only to find out there was no power. We were told to wait and they'd take care of all of us as soon as the power came back on.
Amazingly, the power came back on by 9:30 or so, so the woman and I, who had been chatting for a while, both went inside to get in that line. It turns out that the woman was from Siguatepeque, spoke English and teaches at a bilingual school there. She learned English while in New Orleans many years ago.
Finally it was my turn to go into the inner office, hand over my paperwork, and have my picture taken. Actually, they took two photos. I mean, two licenses, right? Never mind that in Tegus at least they used the same picture for both licenses. I thought it was a bit funny when the officer looked at my current licenses, which have my blood type prominently displayed on it, and asked me for my blood type. "A positivo" was my response. Good thing he couldn't read my thoughts, because Sarcastic Susan was really saying, "Uh, you're serious? My license says A+. Do you think my blood type has changed in the last year?"
After doing my digital fingerprints, I mentioned to the officer that I was waiting for my permiso provisional to come from Tegus. He asked me why I was waiting and I told him that the store there told me since I bought my motorcycle there that they had to issue the permission. He asked if I had my permiso with me, which I quickly got out and showed him. He told me that I could go around the corner, to the building in front of Hondutel and they could renew it there. Well, that was some good news.
Soon I was back in the main lobby waiting for my licenses to be printed. And waiting. And waiting. The lines were getting longer. There was quite a back up of people waiting for their license. And we kept waiting. I watched the guy on the other side of the window fiddle with the computer, put new ink in the printer, reboot the computer, call for some help, make a phone call for some help, and finally, the officer that was taking the pictures and fingerprints came out to assist.
The problem? The cable to the printer had come loose. Finally, the printer was spitting out licenses. Now, common sense might tell you that those of us who were waiting the longest would be the first ones to get our licenses, but that would be wrong. Common sense rarely comes into play!!
But I did finally get my licenses. Then, I walked around the corner and was in and out of the building to get my permiso provisional renewed for another two months. Yes, they only issue it for two months at a time. Again, that makes no sense, but now that I don't have to keep calling Tegucigalpa and can just go downtown, I don't care.
My carnet is current. My driver's licenses are current. And my permiso provisional is current. I'm completely legal. Well, at least until the rules change again...
Because my residency carnet only shows one year, I can only get a driver's license for one year, instead of paying for a 3-year license. More bureaucracy, but, that's life here.
Time to renew my driver's licenses! Yes, licenseS. I have two: one for cars and a separate one for motorcycles. Never mind that combining them would make sense.
I got my first licenses in Tegucigalpa, since that's the law. But, I could get my renewal licenses here in Comayagua. Erica called the Transito for me to find out exactly what I needed to do: a physical, an eye exam, then go to the bank and pay and they (the bank) will give me the time of my appointment.
First stop: the doctor's office. I went to my doctor's on a Saturday morning and had my physical. It was actually much more thorough than the one I had last year to get my initial license. Last year, they took my blood pressure and pulse, determined that I was still alive and sent me to another room to get my blood typed. This year, it was more like a physical. The doctor also asked me about my eyes. Since I knew my contact lens prescription, she was able to write that on my form, saving me the extra expense of getting my eyes checked.
Next stop was at Banco Atlantida to pay for my licenses and get my appointment. That actually went smoothly and I was asked if Monday at 9:30 am would work? Sure. Sounds good to me. Hey, this might just be pretty simple after all.
Monday morning arrived and I decided that I would take a taxi to the Transito instead of riding my motorcycle. My permiso provisional, my permission to ride without a license plate, since the government hasn't issued new motorcycle plates in about 4 years, was expired and I had been waiting for THREE WEEKS for it to arrive from Tegucigalpa. (Each of my calls to the place in Tegus was answered with "we're sending it tomorrow." Don't bother asking how many times I had called.) I was actually still riding my moto, but didn't think it would be all that wise to ride it to the police station, where they might actually check the legality of my moto.
The power here at Enlaces had gone off a few minutes before 9:00 am, but I didn't know how localized the outage was, or how long it was going to last, so I hailed a taxi and was at the Transito by a few minutes after 9:00 am. There was a line of people outside the building and an even longer line inside. Crap! That's not a good sign.
I got in line behind a woman and asked her if the line was moving quickly. Nope. Not at all. Her appointment was for 8:30 am and she had gotten there at 8:00, only to find out there was no power. We were told to wait and they'd take care of all of us as soon as the power came back on.
Amazingly, the power came back on by 9:30 or so, so the woman and I, who had been chatting for a while, both went inside to get in that line. It turns out that the woman was from Siguatepeque, spoke English and teaches at a bilingual school there. She learned English while in New Orleans many years ago.
Finally it was my turn to go into the inner office, hand over my paperwork, and have my picture taken. Actually, they took two photos. I mean, two licenses, right? Never mind that in Tegus at least they used the same picture for both licenses. I thought it was a bit funny when the officer looked at my current licenses, which have my blood type prominently displayed on it, and asked me for my blood type. "A positivo" was my response. Good thing he couldn't read my thoughts, because Sarcastic Susan was really saying, "Uh, you're serious? My license says A+. Do you think my blood type has changed in the last year?"
After doing my digital fingerprints, I mentioned to the officer that I was waiting for my permiso provisional to come from Tegus. He asked me why I was waiting and I told him that the store there told me since I bought my motorcycle there that they had to issue the permission. He asked if I had my permiso with me, which I quickly got out and showed him. He told me that I could go around the corner, to the building in front of Hondutel and they could renew it there. Well, that was some good news.
Soon I was back in the main lobby waiting for my licenses to be printed. And waiting. And waiting. The lines were getting longer. There was quite a back up of people waiting for their license. And we kept waiting. I watched the guy on the other side of the window fiddle with the computer, put new ink in the printer, reboot the computer, call for some help, make a phone call for some help, and finally, the officer that was taking the pictures and fingerprints came out to assist.
The problem? The cable to the printer had come loose. Finally, the printer was spitting out licenses. Now, common sense might tell you that those of us who were waiting the longest would be the first ones to get our licenses, but that would be wrong. Common sense rarely comes into play!!
But I did finally get my licenses. Then, I walked around the corner and was in and out of the building to get my permiso provisional renewed for another two months. Yes, they only issue it for two months at a time. Again, that makes no sense, but now that I don't have to keep calling Tegucigalpa and can just go downtown, I don't care.
My carnet is current. My driver's licenses are current. And my permiso provisional is current. I'm completely legal. Well, at least until the rules change again...
Saturday, February 25, 2012
The Right Place at the Right Time...
Today I was able to be in the right place at the right time, only by the grace of God.
After going to the doctor's for a physical so that I can renew my driver's licenses, then to the bank to pay for my licenses, I ended up at the salon to get a hair cut. I almost rode right by, planning to just enjoy a ride in the sun, but at the last moment, I pulled in to the parking lot and found that the salon was open. So I got my hair cut.
I left the salon, got back on my motorcycle and started to pull out, when I realized that I didn't have my sunglasses on. Although I was in the shade at the moment, in about 2 seconds I was going to be in the blazing sun. I quickly stopped the motorcycle and cut the engine. My purse was in the trunk, so I had to get off the bike to get my sunglasses. And that's when it happened...
As I was getting my sunglasses out, I was approached by a mother holding an infant, with another young girl at her side. She asked me for some money. I shook my head and said, "Lo siento.No." "I'm sorry. No." I almost never give money to anyone begging. The mother didn't move, she just stood there and asked again. And again, I shook my head and said, "Lo siento. No." But as I looked at her face, into her eyes, I was moved to compassion and action. I asked her if she needed milk for the baby, to which she replied yes.
I quickly scanned the area and saw that there was a pulpería across the street and up the way a bit. I told the mother that if she and her daughter would walk over to that pulpería, I would buy her some milk. They did just that. In fact, they made it across the street before I did since I had to put my purse back into the trunk and wait for traffic so that I could pull a U-turn around the median on the motorcycle.
I had already decided that I would see if the pulpería also carried disposable diapers and try to get some of those. They did have diapers, and since they were individually packaged, I told the woman how many I wanted. Then I asked for milk. They didn't have any, but the owner told me that they had it at the pharmacy across the street - literally, right next to where I had just been. I asked the mom and her daughter if they would like a Coke and bought them a drink, too. The owner of the pulpería told me that God saw what I was doing and that He would reward me. I tried to tell her that I wasn't doing it to get a reward, but only because I felt it was what God wanted me to do. She then told me that the North Americans are always blessing the people of Honduras.
Because the milk was back across the street, I told the woman with the baby to wait where she was, in the shade and I would go back over to the pharmacy. I started to get back on my moto, but then turned back to the woman and told her that because there was no return in the road for me, I would have to drive a bit further down, but not to worry, that I wasn't driving off.
At the pharmacy, I ended up buying some formula, an infant bottle (the baby is 2 months old) and some bags of water. I was pretty sure that the woman wouldn't have a bottle. I was also positive that the woman is dehydrated, which means that she probably can't produce enough milk for the baby, and that the baby is dehydrated, too. When I went back to the woman, I explained to her how to prepare the formula. I figured that the woman in the pulpería would probably go into a little more detail, and that it might be better received from a Honduran. So, after asking God to bless the woman and her family, I left.
Back at home, I was making lunch when I felt God dropping a Scripture into my heart: "What you do for the least of these, you do for Me." (my paraphrase) It was a cool thought. An awesome encouragement. Then I started thinking about how it all happened: My sunglasses. If I hadn't forgotten to get them out while I was paying for my hair cut, I would have totally missed this opportunity show someone God's love in a practical way.
I was in the right place at the right time...
HUGE DISCLAIMER: This story isn't about me. It's about me learning to listen and be obedient when God is prompting me to do or say something. I have no doubt that every one of you would have done something very similar.
After going to the doctor's for a physical so that I can renew my driver's licenses, then to the bank to pay for my licenses, I ended up at the salon to get a hair cut. I almost rode right by, planning to just enjoy a ride in the sun, but at the last moment, I pulled in to the parking lot and found that the salon was open. So I got my hair cut.
I left the salon, got back on my motorcycle and started to pull out, when I realized that I didn't have my sunglasses on. Although I was in the shade at the moment, in about 2 seconds I was going to be in the blazing sun. I quickly stopped the motorcycle and cut the engine. My purse was in the trunk, so I had to get off the bike to get my sunglasses. And that's when it happened...
As I was getting my sunglasses out, I was approached by a mother holding an infant, with another young girl at her side. She asked me for some money. I shook my head and said, "Lo siento.No." "I'm sorry. No." I almost never give money to anyone begging. The mother didn't move, she just stood there and asked again. And again, I shook my head and said, "Lo siento. No." But as I looked at her face, into her eyes, I was moved to compassion and action. I asked her if she needed milk for the baby, to which she replied yes.
I quickly scanned the area and saw that there was a pulpería across the street and up the way a bit. I told the mother that if she and her daughter would walk over to that pulpería, I would buy her some milk. They did just that. In fact, they made it across the street before I did since I had to put my purse back into the trunk and wait for traffic so that I could pull a U-turn around the median on the motorcycle.
I had already decided that I would see if the pulpería also carried disposable diapers and try to get some of those. They did have diapers, and since they were individually packaged, I told the woman how many I wanted. Then I asked for milk. They didn't have any, but the owner told me that they had it at the pharmacy across the street - literally, right next to where I had just been. I asked the mom and her daughter if they would like a Coke and bought them a drink, too. The owner of the pulpería told me that God saw what I was doing and that He would reward me. I tried to tell her that I wasn't doing it to get a reward, but only because I felt it was what God wanted me to do. She then told me that the North Americans are always blessing the people of Honduras.
Because the milk was back across the street, I told the woman with the baby to wait where she was, in the shade and I would go back over to the pharmacy. I started to get back on my moto, but then turned back to the woman and told her that because there was no return in the road for me, I would have to drive a bit further down, but not to worry, that I wasn't driving off.
At the pharmacy, I ended up buying some formula, an infant bottle (the baby is 2 months old) and some bags of water. I was pretty sure that the woman wouldn't have a bottle. I was also positive that the woman is dehydrated, which means that she probably can't produce enough milk for the baby, and that the baby is dehydrated, too. When I went back to the woman, I explained to her how to prepare the formula. I figured that the woman in the pulpería would probably go into a little more detail, and that it might be better received from a Honduran. So, after asking God to bless the woman and her family, I left.
Back at home, I was making lunch when I felt God dropping a Scripture into my heart: "What you do for the least of these, you do for Me." (my paraphrase) It was a cool thought. An awesome encouragement. Then I started thinking about how it all happened: My sunglasses. If I hadn't forgotten to get them out while I was paying for my hair cut, I would have totally missed this opportunity show someone God's love in a practical way.
I was in the right place at the right time...
HUGE DISCLAIMER: This story isn't about me. It's about me learning to listen and be obedient when God is prompting me to do or say something. I have no doubt that every one of you would have done something very similar.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Another Day, Another Fire...
No, I'm not trying to sound complacent. Not at all. And, yes, there was another huge fire today in Honduras. This one was in Comayagüela, which is part of Tegucigalpa, about an hour and a half away from Comayagua. It happened in the mercado, the market.
Thankfully, it appears that there has been no loss of life from this fire. Several people were injured and many, many people lost their entire businesses, but no one died. Thank God for that!
The fire appears to have mostly affected the part of the market where people were selling clothes and shoes. 500 stalls burned! The businesses were not insured, so that basically means that these people lost everything. Here's an article that was on Yahoo! News about the fire. On the news here, it's getting lots of exposure. Lots of pictures.
And lots of looting. Before the fire was barely extinguished, the police were trying to control the looters who were going in to find (and take) anything salvageable. I was watching a few minutes of it on TV and saw several people sifting through rubble, including a woman who kept lifting up a pair of singed jeans, with the tag still on it, trying to determine if they were worth taking. She kept looking at the TV camera, then back at the jeans, holding them up, surveying the damage. In the end, the jeans won out as she walked away with them.
Right now, there's an overall attitude here in the country of "What next? What more will we have to endure?" But I believe that the Honduran people are resilient. I believe that Hope will be brought to people who have no hope right now. I believe that Peace will come to people who are in turmoil. And I believe that Light will shine in a country that is so engulfed in darkness these days.
I was going to write today about this morning's bike ride ~ something a bit lighter than the news I've had so far this week. What I didn't know was that as I was riding my bike, soaking in the sunshine and enjoying the sights and sounds around me, tragedy was striking the country once again.
Please continue to pray for Honduras and for us. Pray that we will shine as God's light in dark times, and that we will know how to meet people's real needs.
Thankfully, it appears that there has been no loss of life from this fire. Several people were injured and many, many people lost their entire businesses, but no one died. Thank God for that!
The fire appears to have mostly affected the part of the market where people were selling clothes and shoes. 500 stalls burned! The businesses were not insured, so that basically means that these people lost everything. Here's an article that was on Yahoo! News about the fire. On the news here, it's getting lots of exposure. Lots of pictures.
And lots of looting. Before the fire was barely extinguished, the police were trying to control the looters who were going in to find (and take) anything salvageable. I was watching a few minutes of it on TV and saw several people sifting through rubble, including a woman who kept lifting up a pair of singed jeans, with the tag still on it, trying to determine if they were worth taking. She kept looking at the TV camera, then back at the jeans, holding them up, surveying the damage. In the end, the jeans won out as she walked away with them.
Right now, there's an overall attitude here in the country of "What next? What more will we have to endure?" But I believe that the Honduran people are resilient. I believe that Hope will be brought to people who have no hope right now. I believe that Peace will come to people who are in turmoil. And I believe that Light will shine in a country that is so engulfed in darkness these days.
I was going to write today about this morning's bike ride ~ something a bit lighter than the news I've had so far this week. What I didn't know was that as I was riding my bike, soaking in the sunshine and enjoying the sights and sounds around me, tragedy was striking the country once again.
Please continue to pray for Honduras and for us. Pray that we will shine as God's light in dark times, and that we will know how to meet people's real needs.
Friday, February 17, 2012
The Lingering Pain...
While news of the fire at Comayagua's prison is quickly fading from memory in the United States, it is front and center in the news here. As I write this, it is less than 72 hours since the first flames of that tragic fire. Throughout the country, you can't turn on the news or open a newspaper without there being a myriad of stories about the fire.
The final body count is not in yet, though it's currently being reported as 382. The number of prisoners who escaped is not known, though that number is being whispered at about 100. The cause of the fire is unknown, though there are many rumors and theories.
What IS known is that the prison was grossly over crowded, which added to the loss of life. The prison is old, with no centralized way of opening cells, which added to the loss of life. More than likely, the guards feared a massive riot, slowing their initial response, which added to the loss of life.
And what is that loss of life? It has touched so many people that I know:
One of our guards lost his brother, just ten days before he was to be released after serving 6 years in the prison.
A staff member, A., lost two uncles and three cousins. That's five family members.
Another staff member, R., lost one uncle and three cousins. Four family members.
Our staff member, F., had a brother there. Thankfully, mercifully, F's brother survived with only some burns and a broken leg.
I was talking to one of our young volunteers at the Center, W. I asked him if he lost any family members. He looked at me like I was a little crazy, cocked his head to one side and wrinkled his nose, then said, "¡Bastante!" "Tons!" W. is one of the street kids who has been volunteering here for a while now. He is trying to rise above his circumstances and spends as much time here as he can. He wants to make sure he doesn't end up as a statistic in the jail. If he keeps going like he is, he won't.
Normally, I use first names here, but just felt that I should only use initials today. I'm sure you understand.
A friend asked me a question on Facebook, about whether any or many of our school kids were affected by the fire. My response was that if just these four people that I've mentioned were (and I'm sure there are more within our staff), that I have no doubt that many of our school kids lost family members this week.
Please continue to pray for the survivors, the families, and the officials.
The final body count is not in yet, though it's currently being reported as 382. The number of prisoners who escaped is not known, though that number is being whispered at about 100. The cause of the fire is unknown, though there are many rumors and theories.
What IS known is that the prison was grossly over crowded, which added to the loss of life. The prison is old, with no centralized way of opening cells, which added to the loss of life. More than likely, the guards feared a massive riot, slowing their initial response, which added to the loss of life.
And what is that loss of life? It has touched so many people that I know:
One of our guards lost his brother, just ten days before he was to be released after serving 6 years in the prison.
A staff member, A., lost two uncles and three cousins. That's five family members.
Another staff member, R., lost one uncle and three cousins. Four family members.
Our staff member, F., had a brother there. Thankfully, mercifully, F's brother survived with only some burns and a broken leg.
I was talking to one of our young volunteers at the Center, W. I asked him if he lost any family members. He looked at me like I was a little crazy, cocked his head to one side and wrinkled his nose, then said, "¡Bastante!" "Tons!" W. is one of the street kids who has been volunteering here for a while now. He is trying to rise above his circumstances and spends as much time here as he can. He wants to make sure he doesn't end up as a statistic in the jail. If he keeps going like he is, he won't.
Normally, I use first names here, but just felt that I should only use initials today. I'm sure you understand.
A friend asked me a question on Facebook, about whether any or many of our school kids were affected by the fire. My response was that if just these four people that I've mentioned were (and I'm sure there are more within our staff), that I have no doubt that many of our school kids lost family members this week.
Please continue to pray for the survivors, the families, and the officials.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
More Details...
The smoke is still clearing from Tuesday night’s deadly
prison fire. By early Wednesday morning,
reports of at least 275 dead were circulating.
One of our staff members, R., was outside the prison, trying to get news
about his uncle.
It was while R. was there that the crowd, waiting for news
of their incarcerated loved ones, got out of hand. They began to riot and demand answers. They demanded to see the bodies, to know for
sure that their family members were or were not dead. They stormed the outer gates of the
prison. They threw rocks at the police
and soldiers who were there.
The police responded in kind: by shooting their weapons into
the air, over the heads of the people and by releasing tear gas. All this was in the morning, while we were
starting our first day of school. Even
several hours later, as the wind blew in our direction, my eyes were just a bit
irritated by the tear gas. Several
teachers mentioned the same thing to me.
I spent some time on Wednesday afternoon and early evening
watching the news. Now, if you’ve never
watched Honduran news, it’s definitely a different experience than watching
news in the States: no detail is spared from view. If a bloody body can be seen, you can bet
that they will show it on camera.
Again. And again. And again.
When I turned on the news, I happened upon scenes of workers
carrying body bags to a waiting 18-wheel container and loading them in,
stacking them as high as they could.
Other reports said that many of the bodies have been so badly burned that
they are fused together with other bodies.
Or, when the workers try to pick up a body, they are basically like
charcoal and disintegrate in their hands.
And still, family members are waiting for word on their loved ones.
Yes, many of the prisoners were drug dealers, gang members,
murderers, rapists, and thieves. Others
were waiting for their trials, which can take years to get to. Regardless of the crimes they were in for,
these men were human beings. They were
someone’s son, brother, husband, father.
Unlike the comments I’ve been reading on some of the news sites, they
didn’t deserve to die this way. No one
deserves to dies in such a horrific manner. The world is not better off without them. I guess it’s easy for some to dismiss mercy
and compassion when the victims live in a Third World nation.
May God comfort the families and all those who mourn these
losses. May He bring peace and hope to people who have none.
Here are some photos I took from the second floor of one of our buildings.
 |
| To put this in perspective, the black tower in the foreground is on our property. The greenhouses are toward the edge of the prison property and the row of people and structures across the middle of the picture are at the prison. |
 |
| You can see a journalist standing on top of a structure to get a better view. Also, there are two streams of water being used, probably to put out hot spots. |
 |
| The man with the orange cart was headed to the prison to try to earn a few Lempiras. |
 |
| You can see a wall of blue as the police form a line against family members wanting news of their loved ones. |
For more photos, you can follow this link to a Yahoo News photo story from inside the prison grounds.
In my next post, I'll tell you about some of the people, some of my friends, who lost family members in this fire.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
A Tragic Day...
Late last night a fire broke out at the prison here in Comayagua. The prison is about 500 yards away from us. I didn't hear about it until early this morning, right before our devotionals. At the time, the death toll was estimated at about 275. Right now, it's looking like 350, with projections saying the death toll will top 400.
What was supposed to be our first day of school, a day of celebration, ending up being anything but. We did start the school day as planned. I got some great pictures of our first assembly with the first through twelfth graders. However, within an hour of our first assembly, the school was on lock down.
Almost immediately after parents dropped off their children for school, we started getting phone calls from parents concerned about their children's safety. We assured them, as best we could, that their kids were safe and that we were not letting anyone on the grounds who did not belong here.
As the kids started going to recess, we told them that they all needed to be IN the Center, not out on the courts or on the playground equipment. Parents were very concerned about the reports of prisoners who had escaped during the fire. We were vigilant with their kids.
Then the parents started arriving to pick up their children. We had a system in place that greatly aided us in avoiding utter chaos. The parents needed to wait at the front gate, and the teachers there filled out a form with the name and grade of the students. Another teacher would come to the cafeteria (the Center) to get the children and then walk them to their classroom to pick up their backpack or any personal material, and finally, the teacher delivered the children, personally, to their parents. No children were permitted to be anywhere on the property without a teacher escort.
School was scheduled to end at 12 noon today anyway, so we had about 2 1/2 hours of this. Because of our proximity to the prison, and in order to really protect our kids, school is cancelled for tomorrow and Friday.
Look for more posts to follow, including some pictures I took from the second floor of one of our buildings.
What was supposed to be our first day of school, a day of celebration, ending up being anything but. We did start the school day as planned. I got some great pictures of our first assembly with the first through twelfth graders. However, within an hour of our first assembly, the school was on lock down.
Almost immediately after parents dropped off their children for school, we started getting phone calls from parents concerned about their children's safety. We assured them, as best we could, that their kids were safe and that we were not letting anyone on the grounds who did not belong here.
As the kids started going to recess, we told them that they all needed to be IN the Center, not out on the courts or on the playground equipment. Parents were very concerned about the reports of prisoners who had escaped during the fire. We were vigilant with their kids.
Then the parents started arriving to pick up their children. We had a system in place that greatly aided us in avoiding utter chaos. The parents needed to wait at the front gate, and the teachers there filled out a form with the name and grade of the students. Another teacher would come to the cafeteria (the Center) to get the children and then walk them to their classroom to pick up their backpack or any personal material, and finally, the teacher delivered the children, personally, to their parents. No children were permitted to be anywhere on the property without a teacher escort.
School was scheduled to end at 12 noon today anyway, so we had about 2 1/2 hours of this. Because of our proximity to the prison, and in order to really protect our kids, school is cancelled for tomorrow and Friday.
Look for more posts to follow, including some pictures I took from the second floor of one of our buildings.
Monday, February 13, 2012
No Power, No Internet. All In a Normal Day...
Well, as I start writing this, our internet is down, so I’m
writing in Word and will copy it over later.
Our power went out for about 1 ½ hours this morning, but it was really
strange: I could hear major humming
coming from the power substation that is a few blocks away. The lights flickered, dimmed, and then surged
more than I’ve seen in quite a while.
For some reason it reminded me of those scenes in a movie where someone
tosses a toaster in on some guy in a bath tub. [As an aside: Seriously? A toaster?
In a bath room? You could try a
hair dryer or maybe an electric razor.
But a toaster???]
Anyway…
Anyway…
It was still early, just after 5:30am, and I hadn’t taken my
shower yet, so that meant a pila shower:
get some buckets of water from the pila and take a cold (very cold)
sponge/bucket shower. I didn’t feel like
heating up water on the stove. Brrr…
I also hadn’t brewed any coffee yet, so I was very thankful
when I went over to Sandi’s house and found out that, not only had she brewed
some before the power went out, but she had put it in her thermal carafe. Ah, coffee.
Well, the power came back on just before 7:00am. All in all, not bad for a power failure. However, it left another problem in its wake:
The internet was down. Our network had
come back up, but without internet access.
I went over to the bodega to check on things and reboot our modem, but
that didn’t help. There were only two
lights working on our cable modem. I talked to Daya and asked her to call the
cable company and see if they were having problems.
The problem was with the cable company. We didn’t have cable TV either. Not that any of us were watching TV, but I
turned it on to check. Snow. (Hey, just like Kansas today!) After about 5 hours, the internet came
back. For 30 minutes or so. I guess the repair is a bit more involved
than they thought.
So, I’m sitting here writing this in Word and will copy it
to my blog sometime later when the internet is back up. It’s interesting that, even here, we’ve come
to expect “always on” internet service and feel quite cut off from civilization
when something happens.
I was going to say something like, “Such are the
difficulties of living in a Third World nation”, but the internet goes out
everywhere. We may just have to put up
with the outages a lot longer.
1:40pm and the internet is back up. For now.
1:40pm and the internet is back up. For now.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Picnic Time...
During our school vacation, I've been teaching a class to the children of our staff. It's geared for children in first - third grade. The purpose is to help keep the kids' skills sharp during vacation and to keep them immersed in English. I had the idea for the class as a way to give back a little to our staff. It is my gift to them. When I first started mentioning it to some of the staff, their first question was, "How much will it cost?" Since it's a gift, I quickly made sure that they knew there's no cost at all, that I wanted to do this as a blessing to them and their kids.
We met for a couple of weeks in December and then started back again in January. Class meets 3 times a week, for an hour-and-a-half. It's supposed to be fun. I mean, who wants to be stuck in a classroom for hours and hours during vacation? 14 children were invited to be part of the class, but occasionally I had as many as 18 kids in the classroom as some 4th graders and kindergartners "sneaked" in. (I couldn't say 'no'.)
Class rules are simple and each child has them memorized: #1 ~ No speaking Spanish. #2 ~ Have fun! Well, they all seem to do just fine with Rule #2, but the 'No speaking Spanish' part has been a bit more of a struggle. During each class, we spend some time talking, reading, doing math, and playing games.
About two weeks ago, we started reading "The Wind in the Willows". In the very first chapter, Mole and Rat go on a picnic, so one of the girls asked me if we could have a picnic together before our class was over. I thought that was a great idea! Ashley and I began planning the picnic and kept it a secret from the class for a few days before telling them about it. Since this week was the last week of class, we had our picnic on Monday.
I tried to have our food be fairly close to that of Mole and Rat, so we had fried chicken, cold ham (sandwiches), vegetables and watermelon. We had jugo de tamarindo, tamarind juice, instead of lemonade, but no one seemed to mind. They also didn't mind that I chose not to serve tongue, even though Mole and Rat ate that.
So here's a picture from our picnic. Some of the kids had left before I thought to get out my camera.
We met for a couple of weeks in December and then started back again in January. Class meets 3 times a week, for an hour-and-a-half. It's supposed to be fun. I mean, who wants to be stuck in a classroom for hours and hours during vacation? 14 children were invited to be part of the class, but occasionally I had as many as 18 kids in the classroom as some 4th graders and kindergartners "sneaked" in. (I couldn't say 'no'.)
Class rules are simple and each child has them memorized: #1 ~ No speaking Spanish. #2 ~ Have fun! Well, they all seem to do just fine with Rule #2, but the 'No speaking Spanish' part has been a bit more of a struggle. During each class, we spend some time talking, reading, doing math, and playing games.
About two weeks ago, we started reading "The Wind in the Willows". In the very first chapter, Mole and Rat go on a picnic, so one of the girls asked me if we could have a picnic together before our class was over. I thought that was a great idea! Ashley and I began planning the picnic and kept it a secret from the class for a few days before telling them about it. Since this week was the last week of class, we had our picnic on Monday.
I tried to have our food be fairly close to that of Mole and Rat, so we had fried chicken, cold ham (sandwiches), vegetables and watermelon. We had jugo de tamarindo, tamarind juice, instead of lemonade, but no one seemed to mind. They also didn't mind that I chose not to serve tongue, even though Mole and Rat ate that.
So here's a picture from our picnic. Some of the kids had left before I thought to get out my camera.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
And Now for Something Completely Different...
If you like the idea of me occasionally posting recipes, let me know ~~ either in a comment below, or a Facebook message. Heck, you can even send me an email. Your choice.
Creamy Curried Butternut Squash Soup
(Since this is a soup, the quantity of ingredients is not a hard and fast rule. I'm starting with suggested amounts. Adjust to your taste.)
1 medium onion, chopped
3-300 cloves of garlic, to taste, roughly chopped
1 or 2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" or so cubes
Olive oil, salt, pepper
1-2 Tbs. red curry paste, or to taste
4-6 cups chicken stock or broth (homemade is always best, but use what you've got)
1-2 cups milk
Sour cream, for garnish
Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish
Toss the onion, garlic and squash in a large, heavy saucepan. Add some olive oil and begin to saute over medium heat.
Stir occasionally, for 20 minutes or so, until the onions caramelize a bit.
Add some salt, pepper and red curry paste, to taste. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all that deliciousness.
Add the chicken broth and let everything simmer for another 20 minutes or so.
When your soup looks like this...
Get out the immersion blender and whir away. You can also do this in a regular blender, but let's face it, an immersion blender is pretty freaking cool!!
Add some milk and blend a bit more if you need to. Reheat.
When all is said and done, your soup should look something like this...
Ladle into a bowl, garnish with sour cream and freshly grated nutmeg, and enjoy!
Now, wasn't that easy?? I used very little salt because my chicken stock had salt in it when I made it. I didn't use any other spices, other than the curry paste, because I wanted the squash flavor to really stand out. You could use coconut milk instead of regular milk. Ditch the chicken stock for some veggie stock and you've got a vegetarian dish. Vegan, too, if you use coconut milk.
If you'd like to see more recipes from time to time, let me know. If this was enough, or too much, you can tell me that, too. I can take it.
Also, are there any other topics you'd like to see me write about? Any questions you might have about my life in Honduras? Here's your chance to tell me what you're thinkin'.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Back on the Road Again...
After too long of a hiatus, I finally got back on my bicycle yesterday. No, really, you don't want to know how long it's been. Seriously. I found divorce papers on my bike. "Neglect and abandonment."
I wish I could say that the time off the bike has been because of the rotator cuff injury I've been dealing with. Yup, I'd really like to use that as an excuse, but I can't. The doctor told me it was okay to ride my bike. But I didn't. Until yesterday.
I'm kind of surprised I even remembered how to throw my leg over the top tube. But I did it. And, there's still nothing like the sound of clipping in. It's even better when you hear about 500 cyclists clip in at the start of a good ride, but just hearing that familiar sound come from my pedals and I knew that all was forgiven. My bike and I were friends again!
Oh, the sights and sounds. Sometimes even the smells. But yesterday was a great day to ease back into it. I decided that I was only going to ride between 5 and 8 miles so that I didn't overdo it on my first day. I rode for a little over 6 and a half miles. OK, it was 6.6 miles, but who's counting?
I started out on my traditional loop on the boulevard and then made the turn to head up to El Volcan for a while. I figured I'd just go until I got tired and then turn around, knowing that most of the way back would be downhill. I never had to dodge a dog, pig, or a cow. I never even had to dodge a person or a taxi. In fact, the only obstacle I faced was a 'water hazard'. Unfortunately, when they are working on the street here and there's water on the road, you never know if it's a water line or sewer line.
Several people waved or said good morning as I rode by. And I only got one "Hey, Baby". But then, in only 6.6 miles what do you expect?
Time on the bike is always prayer time for me ~~ not just prayer for safety ~~ but I use the time to pray for others. That's what I was doing when I ended up passing a funeral procession going the opposite direction. It brought tears to my eyes because it was the funeral of someone I knew, the father of one of my former students. He had been murdered just 36 hours earlier. My final mile home was a tearful one as I prayed for young Jorgito and his family.
I wish I could say that the time off the bike has been because of the rotator cuff injury I've been dealing with. Yup, I'd really like to use that as an excuse, but I can't. The doctor told me it was okay to ride my bike. But I didn't. Until yesterday.
I'm kind of surprised I even remembered how to throw my leg over the top tube. But I did it. And, there's still nothing like the sound of clipping in. It's even better when you hear about 500 cyclists clip in at the start of a good ride, but just hearing that familiar sound come from my pedals and I knew that all was forgiven. My bike and I were friends again!
Oh, the sights and sounds. Sometimes even the smells. But yesterday was a great day to ease back into it. I decided that I was only going to ride between 5 and 8 miles so that I didn't overdo it on my first day. I rode for a little over 6 and a half miles. OK, it was 6.6 miles, but who's counting?
I started out on my traditional loop on the boulevard and then made the turn to head up to El Volcan for a while. I figured I'd just go until I got tired and then turn around, knowing that most of the way back would be downhill. I never had to dodge a dog, pig, or a cow. I never even had to dodge a person or a taxi. In fact, the only obstacle I faced was a 'water hazard'. Unfortunately, when they are working on the street here and there's water on the road, you never know if it's a water line or sewer line.
Several people waved or said good morning as I rode by. And I only got one "Hey, Baby". But then, in only 6.6 miles what do you expect?
Time on the bike is always prayer time for me ~~ not just prayer for safety ~~ but I use the time to pray for others. That's what I was doing when I ended up passing a funeral procession going the opposite direction. It brought tears to my eyes because it was the funeral of someone I knew, the father of one of my former students. He had been murdered just 36 hours earlier. My final mile home was a tearful one as I prayed for young Jorgito and his family.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Free Books are Good...
Did you know that if you own an Amazon Kindle there are tons of free books available? And many, many books in the under $5 category. I subscribe to the Kindle Daily Deal, where most books are 99¢ or $1.99. Each day I get notified of the book that is being offered and then decide if I want to buy it or not. Some times the books are awesome, other times they don't appeal to me, so I pass on those. It's a great way to get in lots of reading for not a lot of money. And let's face it ~ not spending tons of money is important to a missionary! (Especially when there's not tons to be had.)
On Facebook, I subscribe to Kindle Tips & Tricks. Lots of great books are listed there. Some free, some for just a few bucks. I "buy" lots of free books. I've even downloaded some freebies in Spanish as I work on improving my language skills.
Today, Kindle Tips & Tricks is having a giveaway contest. To gain two more entries, I'm posting the Facebook link here. Check it out if you're so inclined... http://www.facebook.com/eReader1
Remember, free books are good!
On Facebook, I subscribe to Kindle Tips & Tricks. Lots of great books are listed there. Some free, some for just a few bucks. I "buy" lots of free books. I've even downloaded some freebies in Spanish as I work on improving my language skills.
Today, Kindle Tips & Tricks is having a giveaway contest. To gain two more entries, I'm posting the Facebook link here. Check it out if you're so inclined... http://www.facebook.com/eReader1
Remember, free books are good!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Biker Chicks, Unite...
Although there aren't a lot of us, there are women here who ride motorcycles or scooters. In the last week, though, I've seen more ladies riding than ever before. Last Friday when I went to the motorcycle store to buy my baúl, I saw three different ladies just on my way TO the store. And one of them was on a big, and I do mean BIG, quadrunner. One of the other ladies was on a 200cc dirt bike. 200cc's is actually a large bike for Honduras. Most motorcycles are 125 or 150cc's. And you can still find lots of 100s. More 200s are starting to hit the stores and streets, but they're pricey motorcycles.
I was just amazed to see three ladies within about a 3km ride. ¡Qué raro! How strange. But in a good way.
As far as I know, I'm the only moto-riding gringa around here, though. That seems to have some advantages. In the two years since I've owned my motorcycle, I've only been pulled over once in a routine traffic stop -- one of the stops where they are checking paperwork and licenses. It was a day when they were pulling over everyone, so I was okay with that. There have been other times when the police are stopping all motorcycles, but they always just wave me through, and that's fine by me.
Today while I was out I saw several ladies on motos or scooters. It always catches my attention. And makes me smile! I don't know, maybe we should form a club or something.
OH! Here's an update to the "No Coca Cola" scandal ~~ Yesterday when I was at the store, I asked (again) why they had no Coke products. The girl at the checkout didn't know, but immediately asked someone near her. The second girl informed me that the Coca Cola warehouse had raised the prices and many of the stores were fighting the price hike by not accepting shipments. (So the story I was told the day before, that the Coke would be here mañana was bogus.)
Then, back here at Enlaces, later yesterday afternoon, Charly told me that he finally got Coca Cola on the phone and they will be making their delivery to us on Wednesday, which is now mañana. Ha! I asked him if that included my Coca Light and he told me, "Yes. Two cases." When I asked him what the new price will be, he told me that our prices are the same. Thank God for the simple things in life. Like Coca Light.
Now to see if it really gets here mañana.
I was just amazed to see three ladies within about a 3km ride. ¡Qué raro! How strange. But in a good way.
As far as I know, I'm the only moto-riding gringa around here, though. That seems to have some advantages. In the two years since I've owned my motorcycle, I've only been pulled over once in a routine traffic stop -- one of the stops where they are checking paperwork and licenses. It was a day when they were pulling over everyone, so I was okay with that. There have been other times when the police are stopping all motorcycles, but they always just wave me through, and that's fine by me.
Today while I was out I saw several ladies on motos or scooters. It always catches my attention. And makes me smile! I don't know, maybe we should form a club or something.
OH! Here's an update to the "No Coca Cola" scandal ~~ Yesterday when I was at the store, I asked (again) why they had no Coke products. The girl at the checkout didn't know, but immediately asked someone near her. The second girl informed me that the Coca Cola warehouse had raised the prices and many of the stores were fighting the price hike by not accepting shipments. (So the story I was told the day before, that the Coke would be here mañana was bogus.)
Then, back here at Enlaces, later yesterday afternoon, Charly told me that he finally got Coca Cola on the phone and they will be making their delivery to us on Wednesday, which is now mañana. Ha! I asked him if that included my Coca Light and he told me, "Yes. Two cases." When I asked him what the new price will be, he told me that our prices are the same. Thank God for the simple things in life. Like Coca Light.
Now to see if it really gets here mañana.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Seriously? Again?...
Sometimes I get so hacked off at the idiocy that goes on in this country that I can hardly stand it. Idiocy. Pure, unadulterated idiocy.
Today started like many others. The power went off a few minutes after 8 this morning. We didn't know about it in advance, but you deal. Thankfully, I had just finished printing something that I needed for church. With the power off, that meant I didn't have to set up sound equipment for church. No computer and overhead projector to get ready, either. That made things easy!
After church, I heated up some leftover arroz con pollo, chicken and rice. Even with the power off, I can still cook because I have a gas stove. I just need to light it with a match. I couldn't wash the dishes, though, because our well has a pump which needs electricity. That wasn't a big deal, either. I just put the dirty dishes in the fridge to keep the ants away.
Then it was hammock time!! I grabbed my freshly charged Kindle and iPod and climbed into the hammock. I read for a while until my eyes just couldn't stay open any more. So I put the Kindle into screensaver mode and took a nap. I mean, what could be better than a Sunday afternoon nap, in a hammock, with a gentle breeze blowing? That's right, it doesn't get much better!
Around 2:30 I went back into the house because it was getting pretty warm in the hammock. I found that the power had come back on. At least I could get the dishes done.
So what about the idiocy? I'm getting to it.
I needed to pick up a few groceries and wanted to get out on my motorcycle for a while to enjoy the sunshine. I grabbed my keys and my helmet and set out.
No real destination in mind, just a little cruisin'. On a Sunday afternoon. (Yes, I know the song is really Groovin'.) I stopped by the movie theater to see what's playing tomorrow night: Alvin and the Chipmunks 3. Hmmm, I think I'll pass. Then past the park and cathedral. The park was pretty empty. I finally wound my way back around to Maxi Dispensa. Time to get my Diet Coke fix!! Oh, and a few other groceries.
My visit to Maxi Dispensa was short-lived. They didn't have any Coca Light. In fact, they didn't have ANY Coca Cola products. The 3 Coca Cola-branded display cases they have were all facing each other, unplugged. Strange. I asked about it and they told me that they would receive their Coca Cola shipment mañana. Tomorrow. I've heard that before. No big deal, I thought. I'll head over to Del Corral.
I drove to the Mall, thinking that I shouldn't have any problem parking since it's Sunday afternoon and most people are at home. I mean, the streets were fairly empty. The park was fairly empty. Maxi Dispensa was very empty.
Wrong! I get to the Mall and reach out my hand to take the parking pass. The security guard said, "Excuse me while I call to make sure there are moto spaces." There weren't. Again. I asked the guy to let me in anyway because the parking lot was less than half full. "But the motorcycle area is full" I was told. "¡Pero, mira! El parqueo está muy vacío." But, look! The parking lot is very empty. It didn't matter.
No amount of my trying to reason with him was going to get him to give in. Absolutely ridiculous!! Empty parking lot, but because the motorcycle spots were full (filled by employees, I might add) I can't park. I was not a happy camper. See what happens when I'm on my 3rd day of Coca Light deficiency?
I left so angry I couldn't see straight. "Calm down, Susan. It's not the end of the world." That's not until December 21st anyway, right? I took a few deep breaths and decided to go over to Jumbo. Now, I HAD to have Coca Light, just on general principle.
I pulled into the Jumbo parking lot, which had about 3 cars in it, and parked next to a car near the entrance. As I was getting off my motorcycle, I noticed that Jumbo did have a motorcycle area, but I wasn't in it. In fact, there was a guard who appeared to be walking toward me from the motorcycle parking. I acted as if I hadn't seen him and just continued into the store. Actually, the guard and I got to the entrance of the store at the same time and all he said to me was, "Hello. How are you this afternoon?" Whew! No need for an ugly confrontation.
I don't shop at Jumbo much, but managed to find a few things I needed. I was having trouble finding the pop, though, so I asked where it was. All their pop was in one of the refrigerated cases and they didn't really have much of a selection. In fact, they didn't have ANY Coca Cola products. I asked them about that and was told that the Coca Cola products should be arriving mañana. Of course, tomorrow. I settled for a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi Light. Yes, it's a diet product, but it's not Coca Light.
This evening I was relaying all of this to Sandi and Currie. We laughed and shook our heads about the sheer idiocy of not allowing someone into the parking lot when there are more than enough spots. Idiocy. Lunacy.
Sandi also told me that Charly has called Coca Cola every day this past week, since we have no Coca Cola at the Center, and no one is answering the phone.
Maybe it's time to give up my Coca Light habit?
Today started like many others. The power went off a few minutes after 8 this morning. We didn't know about it in advance, but you deal. Thankfully, I had just finished printing something that I needed for church. With the power off, that meant I didn't have to set up sound equipment for church. No computer and overhead projector to get ready, either. That made things easy!
After church, I heated up some leftover arroz con pollo, chicken and rice. Even with the power off, I can still cook because I have a gas stove. I just need to light it with a match. I couldn't wash the dishes, though, because our well has a pump which needs electricity. That wasn't a big deal, either. I just put the dirty dishes in the fridge to keep the ants away.
Then it was hammock time!! I grabbed my freshly charged Kindle and iPod and climbed into the hammock. I read for a while until my eyes just couldn't stay open any more. So I put the Kindle into screensaver mode and took a nap. I mean, what could be better than a Sunday afternoon nap, in a hammock, with a gentle breeze blowing? That's right, it doesn't get much better!
Around 2:30 I went back into the house because it was getting pretty warm in the hammock. I found that the power had come back on. At least I could get the dishes done.
So what about the idiocy? I'm getting to it.
I needed to pick up a few groceries and wanted to get out on my motorcycle for a while to enjoy the sunshine. I grabbed my keys and my helmet and set out.
No real destination in mind, just a little cruisin'. On a Sunday afternoon. (Yes, I know the song is really Groovin'.) I stopped by the movie theater to see what's playing tomorrow night: Alvin and the Chipmunks 3. Hmmm, I think I'll pass. Then past the park and cathedral. The park was pretty empty. I finally wound my way back around to Maxi Dispensa. Time to get my Diet Coke fix!! Oh, and a few other groceries.
My visit to Maxi Dispensa was short-lived. They didn't have any Coca Light. In fact, they didn't have ANY Coca Cola products. The 3 Coca Cola-branded display cases they have were all facing each other, unplugged. Strange. I asked about it and they told me that they would receive their Coca Cola shipment mañana. Tomorrow. I've heard that before. No big deal, I thought. I'll head over to Del Corral.
I drove to the Mall, thinking that I shouldn't have any problem parking since it's Sunday afternoon and most people are at home. I mean, the streets were fairly empty. The park was fairly empty. Maxi Dispensa was very empty.
Wrong! I get to the Mall and reach out my hand to take the parking pass. The security guard said, "Excuse me while I call to make sure there are moto spaces." There weren't. Again. I asked the guy to let me in anyway because the parking lot was less than half full. "But the motorcycle area is full" I was told. "¡Pero, mira! El parqueo está muy vacío." But, look! The parking lot is very empty. It didn't matter.
No amount of my trying to reason with him was going to get him to give in. Absolutely ridiculous!! Empty parking lot, but because the motorcycle spots were full (filled by employees, I might add) I can't park. I was not a happy camper. See what happens when I'm on my 3rd day of Coca Light deficiency?
I left so angry I couldn't see straight. "Calm down, Susan. It's not the end of the world." That's not until December 21st anyway, right? I took a few deep breaths and decided to go over to Jumbo. Now, I HAD to have Coca Light, just on general principle.
I pulled into the Jumbo parking lot, which had about 3 cars in it, and parked next to a car near the entrance. As I was getting off my motorcycle, I noticed that Jumbo did have a motorcycle area, but I wasn't in it. In fact, there was a guard who appeared to be walking toward me from the motorcycle parking. I acted as if I hadn't seen him and just continued into the store. Actually, the guard and I got to the entrance of the store at the same time and all he said to me was, "Hello. How are you this afternoon?" Whew! No need for an ugly confrontation.
I don't shop at Jumbo much, but managed to find a few things I needed. I was having trouble finding the pop, though, so I asked where it was. All their pop was in one of the refrigerated cases and they didn't really have much of a selection. In fact, they didn't have ANY Coca Cola products. I asked them about that and was told that the Coca Cola products should be arriving mañana. Of course, tomorrow. I settled for a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi Light. Yes, it's a diet product, but it's not Coca Light.
This evening I was relaying all of this to Sandi and Currie. We laughed and shook our heads about the sheer idiocy of not allowing someone into the parking lot when there are more than enough spots. Idiocy. Lunacy.
Sandi also told me that Charly has called Coca Cola every day this past week, since we have no Coca Cola at the Center, and no one is answering the phone.
Maybe it's time to give up my Coca Light habit?
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Mañana...
Mañana. Tomorrow. That's the answer you most often hear when wanting to know when something will happen, or when a store will get that special item you've been asking for for quite a while. Mañana. It's when the Coca Cola man will show up. It's even when the students will have their homework done.
You can probably guess how that turns out. Mañana rarely arrives. At least, not on time. The Coca Cola man? We've been waiting for him for three weeks. It means that we only have Pepsi products for sale in the pulpería in the Center. More than that, it means I don't have any Coca Light in glass bottles! ¡Qué bárbaro! How barbaric! While I wait for my lovely nectar of the gods, I have been buying Coca Light in 1 1/2 liter plastic bottles at the grocery store. I'd much rather have 12 ounce glass bottles in my fridge. Oh, well.
Recently, I had another mañana experience. Although instead of hearing the answer mañana, I was being told, "la próxima semana". Next week. For FIVE weeks!!
I wanted to buy a baúl, a trunk, for my motorcycle. I have had a little blue basket on the back of it for almost the whole time I've owned it, but the basket just isn't very strong and I've felt leery about putting too much in it. So, I went to one of the motorcycle shops I've used before. I saw that they had some small trunks on the back of several of their scooters, but thought that they were a bit small. I asked about the price of them, and even tried putting my helmet inside. The helmet wouldn't fit. OK, that baúl is definitely out. I asked if they had any other ones and was told they have a larger size in the warehouse in Tegucigalpa. They told me it only comes in black, with a reflector. I was okay with that. They told me the price and I said that I really wanted to see it first, before committing to buying it. That was fine. I asked when they would have the baúl in their store. Next week, on Monday, I was told.
Well, this being Honduras, I knew that 'next Monday' really meant on Wednesday, maybe, so I showed up on Thursday. No baúl, but it will be here next week I was assured. So, I went back the next week and they told me, well, with Christmas being in two days, it won't be here until after New Year's. It will be here on that Tuesday, they insisted. So, I asked, 'do you mean on Tuesday, January 3rd?' Yes, it will be here.
I didn't make it to the store until that Friday, January 6th. As you have probably already guessed, no baúl. I was told that things were a little slow coming from the warehouse because they were in the middle of inventory. Certainly it will be here next week, they told me. I went back the next week, but apparently one day too early because I heard, "it will be here later this afternoon." Hmmm, well at least we're making progress. I left my phone number with the girl who had been helping me this whole time and said, "please call me when it gets here."
No call. For over a week and a half. OK, I decided to give them one more shot. Last Thursday, Jan. 19th, I went back to the store. Instead of the usual girl, a guy was at the counter. I told him what I was looking for, what I had been waiting for, and that I had left my phone number. I told him I was getting tired of waiting and should probably just go to another shop to find the product. That was all it took. The guy got out his phone right then, called the warehouse in Tegucigalpa, asked a few questions and then told me that there would be two baúles there tomorrow for me to choose from. I asked him, "what time?" This same time tomorrow, I was told.
Yesterday afternoon I jumped on my motorcycle, hopeful that the store would finally have a trunk for me to buy. I pulled up to the store, hopped off the bike and as I walked inside, there on the counter, were two trunks, as promised. I decided on the larger one and asked if they would install it for me, which they were very happy to do. A few minutes later, the man who was installing the trunk told me that it wouldn't fit on the back of my motorcycle because of the back rest. ¡Puchica! I hadn't counted on that.
When I asked the guy what he thought, he said there were two options: remove the back rest or build an extension onto the little cargo platform that was already there. I opted for the former and he quickly removed the back rest and installed the trunk. I'm a happy camper now.
Mañana. La próxima semana. It doesn't really matter. Stuff will show up when it shows up.
Oh yeah, I'm still waiting for my Coca Light...
You can probably guess how that turns out. Mañana rarely arrives. At least, not on time. The Coca Cola man? We've been waiting for him for three weeks. It means that we only have Pepsi products for sale in the pulpería in the Center. More than that, it means I don't have any Coca Light in glass bottles! ¡Qué bárbaro! How barbaric! While I wait for my lovely nectar of the gods, I have been buying Coca Light in 1 1/2 liter plastic bottles at the grocery store. I'd much rather have 12 ounce glass bottles in my fridge. Oh, well.
Recently, I had another mañana experience. Although instead of hearing the answer mañana, I was being told, "la próxima semana". Next week. For FIVE weeks!!
I wanted to buy a baúl, a trunk, for my motorcycle. I have had a little blue basket on the back of it for almost the whole time I've owned it, but the basket just isn't very strong and I've felt leery about putting too much in it. So, I went to one of the motorcycle shops I've used before. I saw that they had some small trunks on the back of several of their scooters, but thought that they were a bit small. I asked about the price of them, and even tried putting my helmet inside. The helmet wouldn't fit. OK, that baúl is definitely out. I asked if they had any other ones and was told they have a larger size in the warehouse in Tegucigalpa. They told me it only comes in black, with a reflector. I was okay with that. They told me the price and I said that I really wanted to see it first, before committing to buying it. That was fine. I asked when they would have the baúl in their store. Next week, on Monday, I was told.
Well, this being Honduras, I knew that 'next Monday' really meant on Wednesday, maybe, so I showed up on Thursday. No baúl, but it will be here next week I was assured. So, I went back the next week and they told me, well, with Christmas being in two days, it won't be here until after New Year's. It will be here on that Tuesday, they insisted. So, I asked, 'do you mean on Tuesday, January 3rd?' Yes, it will be here.
I didn't make it to the store until that Friday, January 6th. As you have probably already guessed, no baúl. I was told that things were a little slow coming from the warehouse because they were in the middle of inventory. Certainly it will be here next week, they told me. I went back the next week, but apparently one day too early because I heard, "it will be here later this afternoon." Hmmm, well at least we're making progress. I left my phone number with the girl who had been helping me this whole time and said, "please call me when it gets here."
No call. For over a week and a half. OK, I decided to give them one more shot. Last Thursday, Jan. 19th, I went back to the store. Instead of the usual girl, a guy was at the counter. I told him what I was looking for, what I had been waiting for, and that I had left my phone number. I told him I was getting tired of waiting and should probably just go to another shop to find the product. That was all it took. The guy got out his phone right then, called the warehouse in Tegucigalpa, asked a few questions and then told me that there would be two baúles there tomorrow for me to choose from. I asked him, "what time?" This same time tomorrow, I was told.
Yesterday afternoon I jumped on my motorcycle, hopeful that the store would finally have a trunk for me to buy. I pulled up to the store, hopped off the bike and as I walked inside, there on the counter, were two trunks, as promised. I decided on the larger one and asked if they would install it for me, which they were very happy to do. A few minutes later, the man who was installing the trunk told me that it wouldn't fit on the back of my motorcycle because of the back rest. ¡Puchica! I hadn't counted on that.
When I asked the guy what he thought, he said there were two options: remove the back rest or build an extension onto the little cargo platform that was already there. I opted for the former and he quickly removed the back rest and installed the trunk. I'm a happy camper now.
Mañana. La próxima semana. It doesn't really matter. Stuff will show up when it shows up.
Oh yeah, I'm still waiting for my Coca Light...
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
The Kool-Aid Mom...
Growing up, did your neighborhood have a Kool-Aid mom? You know, the house where all the kids congregated to play? The mom who could always be counted on for Kool-Aid, a snack, or the bathroom? Well, in my neighborhood, that was my mom. "Mrs. Smith, can we have popsicles?" "Sure, just remember to bring the plastic sticks back."
Last week it dawned on me that I'M the Kool-Aid mom around here. "Susan, can we watch a movie?" "Susan, is there any iced tea?" "Susan, can we have some cookies?" And I like it. The kids of several of our staff members seem to gravitate over to my house during the day when school is not in session, and many days after school.
When the parents are ready to leave, if they can't find their kids, they come knocking on my door.
My latest kitchen adventure has been making paletas, homemade ice pops. They're so simple: fruit and water or milk. Of course, that's just one more thing for the kids to enjoy. "Susan, can we have a paleta?"
The kids come over to hang out in my hammock and talk. "Susan, when are we going to start your classes again?" I have been offering short classes for the children of our staff during the school break, to help keep their skills sharp. Thankfully, they seem to love them.
I wonder if kids in the States even have Kool-Aid moms anymore. It seems that kids just don't, or can't, play outside in the neighborhood like they used to. More innocence lost.
So, here at Enlaces, I'm the Kool-Aid mom. And that's TOTALLY okay with me!
Last week it dawned on me that I'M the Kool-Aid mom around here. "Susan, can we watch a movie?" "Susan, is there any iced tea?" "Susan, can we have some cookies?" And I like it. The kids of several of our staff members seem to gravitate over to my house during the day when school is not in session, and many days after school.
When the parents are ready to leave, if they can't find their kids, they come knocking on my door.
My latest kitchen adventure has been making paletas, homemade ice pops. They're so simple: fruit and water or milk. Of course, that's just one more thing for the kids to enjoy. "Susan, can we have a paleta?"
The kids come over to hang out in my hammock and talk. "Susan, when are we going to start your classes again?" I have been offering short classes for the children of our staff during the school break, to help keep their skills sharp. Thankfully, they seem to love them.
I wonder if kids in the States even have Kool-Aid moms anymore. It seems that kids just don't, or can't, play outside in the neighborhood like they used to. More innocence lost.
So, here at Enlaces, I'm the Kool-Aid mom. And that's TOTALLY okay with me!
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