Hazy Days......

Yesterday (Saturday) was my first day with no scheduled class, but living with Dunia and her family still promised lots of opportunities to interact and study. In the morning after a little studying at home, I walked to the plaza where I went to my favorite san Rafeal for some more study time.

I was to meet the family at noon at the church for lunch and a relaxing afternoon in the church grounds, chatting and playing games. As everyone here feeds me wherever I go, I asked Rudy what I could bring. He told me Fresca and some snacks. He didn’t specify what type of snacks so a little before noon I left the café and went snack shopping. Not much choice here in Copan, so I went for the old staples; Pringle chips (assorted flavours), oreo cookies and ritz crackers with cheese. In my books, these are snacks and the kids loved them!!! I took a tuk tuk to the church which is just on the edge of Copan, across the river. Vanessa and Alex were there along with their boys and we had a great lunch. The afternoon was spent chatting and laughing. It feels good to be able to follow much of the conversation, to have enough Spanish to share thoughts and opinions and generally just have a clue as to what is going on.

Dunia prepares lunch

Three amazing kids....Rudy, Keren and Leo

Lunch is served!

Vanessa, Dunia and I got chatting about the problems that occur when parents (one or both) head off to the States illegally to find work. Vanessa works in Sesesmil, a village I have travelled through a few times now. She has many students who now live with other relatives as the parents have gone to the States. Often they are the kids with the nicest shoes and whose family live in the newest house as the parents send money home. But, she explained the fact that the children grow up without their parents reaps a multitude of problems and she’s not a supporter of this. Dunia told me a story of a woman that tried to make it in to the States. The woman left Copan and for days was in the trunk of a car with two other women lying on top of her and then covered. Imagine the heat. They made it in to the States but the woman couldn’t keep up as they walked across part of the dessert, due to an old ankle injury. She eventually turned herself in and was deported back to Honduras. After much conversation, I played badminton with the group (this is not a common game here) and then Frisbee. Then it was time to leave. I stopped in the park and sat listening to a man playing the panflute and other wind instruments. He was great and I ended up buying one of his CD’s.

This morning I met Ellen at 8am and we took a tuk tuk up to visit a family I got to know last year in a small village up in the mountain. The three kids were somewhat informally adopted by Ellen and PSS several years ago. When their last remaining family member died, PSS helped to rebuild them a house and Ellen has stayed very involved with the family ever since. It was great to see them all again, Isaiah, Alex and Maria. This is campesino living. Their house, courtesy of PSS is modest at best, just two rooms, a kitchen and a bedroom with no electricity, but it is apparent they love and take great pride in it. They are more fortunate than many. Maria showed me her kitchen again. She cooks over an open fire for everything. Certainly not healthy as the black creosote is apparent.

They have harvested some maize and Maria will grind this for use in just about everything….tortillas, tamales, empinades etc.

The maize drying in the sun

Isaiah, who is just 19 years old, showed me his coffee plants. They will take three years to grow before they are ready for harvest which will be next December (2013). It is unimaginable hard work for him. He can work up to 16 hours a day with all the other things and jobs he does for cash but if the crop is good they stand to make a little money. He hopes to use the profit to buy more coffee and have more plants. I joked with him that one day when he is a big famous coffee plantation owner, I will be able to say that I knew him when he was just starting out. If determination and hardwork is all he needs, I know he will be successful….unfortunately here in Honduras, things just aren’t that simple.

Isaiah proudly (and quite rightly) shows off his coffee plants

The coffee plants will take another 18months or so before they are ready for harvest

After our trip I took off to a café which is where I am now. I hope to get a little studying in before I head back to Ellen’s house. We are heading off to see an elderly couple who were in desperate need of a new roof. PSS along with a private donor fixed the roof and they are now returning to see what else is needed. I shall tag along.