Honduras

Well, here I am in an internet cafe in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I just had a bite of kidney and my first marriage proposal, and now I am in an internet cafe for the first time (I think). I am going to be bringing the blog back for this summer, and maybe actually being consistent with it.

Honduras has been great so far. Apparently the Tegucigalpa airport is the most dangerous one in the world. I learned this after the wheels touched down, from the missionary I was sitting next to on the airplane. It was also one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had. The city is in the middle of a circle of mountains and it looks like someone had a change purse full of silver coins that spilled. The sun was shining on the tin roofs of the houses that were piled on top of each other and stretching to the mountains. We were casting shadows on cars and I could see people walking around, but I still could not locate the runway as we circled about preparing to land. I wasn´t scared because the pilot had warned us and I was too much in awe of the birds-eye view I was getting of this city.

I was the only non-missionary American that I could spot on the plane. The man next to me, who offered me a ride to Copan (about 7 hours from Tegucigalpa -- I think he was looking to evangelize), was reading a book title Preparing for Christain Ministry: An Evangelical Approach and the two girls behind me had matching pink puff-painted shirts that read ¨Send me, I´ll go.¨Most everyone had crosses around their necks and southern accents. The rest of the passangers looked Honduran and were speaking Spanish. It was an interesting assortment of people! I cruised through customs and then found Adam waiting with a sign with that said ¨CLAUHS¨. It was so great to see him and we jumped on a bus to head into the city.

Twenty cents and a large traffic jam later, we were sitting in a little restaurant eating Balaedas (tortillas with beans and cheese) and a sweet Tamarind juice. After walking around and marveling at the chaotic city (I kept thinking about Modest Mouse - so much beauty in dirt) we headed to Adam´s friend Manuel´s apartment. It was nice to sit down and relax and Manuel has been an awesome host. We talked a lot about the U.S. and Honduras and then he was excited to show us a photo DVD called Honduras: The Land, The People. I have a hard time imagining a 22 year old American guy enthusiastically showing visitors photos from a collection called America: The Land, The People, so it was a neat experience. He said he is very proud of his country, which was quite an understatement and a refreshing thing to hear.

After a much needed nap, we met up with Adam´s other friend who lives in this city, named Israel. We went to a bar where Adam and I ordered the 4 Honduran beers so I could do a taste test. I really like them all! We also shared a huge plate of Honduran food -- rice, beans, fried egg, plantains, salsa, tortillas, steak, etc. It was tasty and after that food and the beer I was feeling pretty tired. We went to another bar for a bit where some people were salsa dancing and celebrating a birthday, and then headed back to Manuel´s. Manuel said I was the lady and so he let me sleep in his room and it was awesome. He put fresh sheets on the bed, gave me a towel for a very refreshing shower, and I slept great with the fan blowing away.

This morning Adam and I headed to the immigration office so he could get his renewed. We were waiting about two hours but it wasn´t so bad because there were interesting people to talk to, including a group of Mormon´s who told us about their mission and church. It was interesting to speak with missionaries since I have already seen so many and was curious. Adam also gave me a Spanish lesson: numbers, colors, and pronounciation.

Then we met up with Israel because he runs a stand at the city market. It was awesome to ask him all about the market and he showed us around. We hadn´t expected to be in the immigration office so long and it was 2pm by the time we met up with Israel and we hadn´t eaten. So he took us to his favorite comador, similar to street food, and we had a feast. Then we walked around the market and bought groceries to make Manuel and his sister (they share the apartment) a spaghetti dinner. It was fun walking around... I don´t think I will ever be able to get enough of Latin American markets.

We just had a drink in a bar that was playing rock music. It was fun hanging out and there was a Honduran man that insisted on serranading us and conversing about the rock bands the whole time. He was a huge Metallica fan and figured we wanted to hear all about it since we are American. There was also a guy there with his friends who told Israel he wanted to marry me (after trying to catch my eye for an hour) -- apparently it just doesn´t translate correctly. I´ve definitely turned more heads today than in my whole life combined but I just think its kind of funny and an interesting cultural difference.

We are spending tomorrow in Tegucialpa also, and then heading north on Sunday. I will post pictures once I am able and write again soon. Until then...