San Sebastian

To be honest, my gas tank has been running on empty.  Luckily, our school director decided to give us a long weekend to help us make it a few more weeks until Spring Break.  I opted to forgo a long travel adventure and take advantage of the long weekend to get caught up on my job search.  Looking for a job is a full time job itself!

Saturday, Orson invited me to tag along to San Sebasitan, where he was going to conduct computer training for high school students.  We boarded the bus for our bumpy 3 hour ride up the mountain. 

San Sebastian is located almost on the border between Honduras and El Salvador.  The town is so small that it doesn't even have a hotel.  The local comedor, Lichita, opened up her extra room for us.

Lichita serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily to many of the town's residents.

Lichita invited me into her kitchen and I taught her how to make pizza.

The beautiful Garden

Lichita roasts her own coffee.

A warm welcome for a  weary traveler.

Lichita's daughter, Jocelyne, and I spent time counting coffee beans.  She is up to 5!  She is a real ham.  She loves to sing, dance and immitate people in the restaurant.

While Orson taught his computer class...

I took to the streets to explore the town and the breathtaking views.

I really enjoyed my time talking to people, practicing my Spanish and really getting away from the world to just relax and be quiet.  I'm really going to miss the slow pace of life in Honduras, but I am looking forward to my next adventure, wherever it might take me.

The Long Road Home

In the past 10 days I've been all over Honduras visiting forts, botanical gardens, museums and parades. I've climbed a mountain and explored Mayan Ruins. I've rested in hammocks and white, sandy beaches.  I've soaked my feet in the hot springs, the river and the ocean. I am exhausted!  There's nothing quite like being at home.  But the road home isn't an easy one here in Honduras.  

Today was another bus adventure.  I bought my ticket and took my seat.  I lucked out and got on one of the nice charter buses.  Don't let it fool you though, people will still bring their chickens!  I sat across from a family of 5 squeezed into 2 bucket seats....and their pet chick.  I first noticed the chick as they boarded the bus.  The chick went tumbling down the stairs.  Probably because they were transporting it via plastic grocery bag.  Look closely and you can see the chick resting peacefully next to the Gatorade bottle...

As I waited for the bus to load, a man came by selling newspapers.  He was showing all the men the papers, and to the women, he was marketing it as a fan to cool off from the heat.  God forbid the women might actually want to READ the newspaper!  No, we just sit and look pretty and fan ourselves.

One trend that I've noticed on the bus...  It will either be a completely full bus and everyone is squeezing in the seats around me refusing to sit next to the Gringa, or it will be an empty bus and somebody just has to sit down next to me for a chat.  Unfortunately, today was the latter.  My company came in the form of a sweaty man (who was fanning himself with a newspaper I might add).  I kept trying to give him more room, but he just kept spreading out and undoubtedly his sweaty arm would be resting against mine no matter how much I shifted.  He kindly started fanning me with the newspaper (to which I politely declined). 

Then, the questions started.  Are you married?  Why not?  Well sir, maybe because the only person who has ever asked was this man.  In a park.  In Santa Rosa.  Shirtless.  I'd like to think I have a little higher standard than this.  I mean, they have to at least have 10 teeth.

As we rolled out of the bus station, I had a realization.  It never fails that when I get home from a day of bus travel I am COMPLETELY exhausted.  It has never made sense.  It's not like I'm doing anything.  And then it hit me.  As I listened to the baby chick chirping, at least 3 different cell phone conversations (in outside voices nonetheless), a baby crying, a man preaching a sermon and at least 6 bus vendors trying to sell various food products....It is mentally exhausting to ride the bus.  My senses were on complete overload.  I couldn't focus on one thing in particular.  It was like a big blur in my head. 

The bus ride would have been pretty uneventful if sweaty man would have let me get some sleep.  Instead we played 401 questions.  And at least 300 of those were asking why I wasn't married.  "You're really not married?  Why?  You're beautiful."  I felt like saying, "Oh, wait!  You know what?  I am married.  I just forgot the other 299 times you asked me. 

God does answer prayers.  When I got to Santa Rosa, I saw a family from the school.  They offered me a ride back to Gracias, which I gladly accepted.  I even got to love on their doberman puppy, Sol. 

Here are Yancy and sweet Sol.  Her stepfather is from Denver.  He moved here and married her mother and owns a coffee business here.  They are one of the sweetest families and I really enjoyed the ride back with them.  There was lots of laughing.

I arrived to find the electricity out...welcome back to Gracias!  But I am glad to be home. Tomorrow I begin teaching a Level 3 English night class in the university.  I go back to work at Minerva in the morning.  We've started registration for classes.  The new teachers start arriving next week so things are about to get busy.  I will work on updating about my trip this week.  I'm back to the land of slow internet, but I have lots of pictures and stories to share about my adventures with Deborah.  Besos y abrazos!

We're not chickens!

I love to people watch.  I do it in restraunts.  I do it in airports.  And my favorite new spot to people watch in Honduras is on the chicken bus.  Take for example, Mr. Texas.  Decked from head to toe in everything Texas.  An A&M hat, a "Don't Mess With Texas" tote bag, and a Texas Rangers t-shirt.  Or the lady with the ingenious solution to chicken bus hair.  She invented some sort of Garfield pillow case hat that covers your hair.  I think it will make millions. 

Every once in a while, you'll actually go beyond watching, and get to meet one of these characters.  I was on the first leg of my 3 bus trip to San Pedro.  I am dozing off when I feel someone sit down on my backpack.  I look up to find a young man of about 18 squeezing into the seat next to me.  He has his English homework and is waving it in my face asking for help.  Can't you see I'm on vacation?

In Santa Rosa, I switched to the bus I deemed "The Death Trap."  All was going well and suddenly you could feel the driver floor the pedal.  We were barrelling around the curves and literally being tossed around like ping pong balls.  Not wanting to be the paranoid Gringa, I tried to keep my cool as I held a death grip onto the seat.  All of the sudden I hear a yell, "We're not chickens!  Sir, slow down or we're going to get off of this bus!" (paraphrased from Spanish).  This little lady started an all-out revolt against the bus driver and soon the majority of the bus was chanting for the driver to slow down.  It was outrageous!

About 5 minutes later we squealed into La Entrada.  Luckily, the bus had emptied out, so the bus driver sent us all to a new bus to continue on towards San Pedro.  I am happy to report we arrived in one piece.  I killed time waiting to pick up Deborah from her 1 a.m. flight  by going to see "Arthur" at the cine.  It was cute and so nice to be in the "big city" again.  Fast forward 2 chicken buses and 2 taxi rides and we're back in Gracias.  I'm looking forward to showing Deborah all of the sites and doing a little traveling together.  This weekend the big celebrations kick off for Dia de Lempira.  I'll keep you posted on our adventures.