fotos

Here are some random fotos from the past few weeks. One is from my Aunt's birthday party, and the rest are of my cute siblings. This week is a normal week of class...

Aqui son algunas fotos randomes de las semanas pasadas. Una es del cumpleaños de mi tia, y los otros son de mis hermanitos bonitos. Este semana es una semana normal llena de classes....

Daily Life vs. When Papí comes

A normal day in my life here consists of me waking up with howling dogs and squawking birds. I stumble downstairs to turn on the water, then stumble upstairs and into the shower where I begin my battle with the small ants. I take a quick cold shower, shake the ants out of my clothes, and go downstairs where my host Mom has cooked a breakfast big enough for 2 people. It takes me 30 minutes to eat the food, drink a large glass of ice cold oatmeal in sugar water (I have learned to like it), and talk with my host mom about a million different things. I am usually eating secretly killing ants and she is usually talking non stop. She wears old clothes, or sometimes only a large shirt and rarely leaves the house. I am always still listening when the doorbell rings, signaling that I have to run upstairs, brush my teeth, and run downstairs to meet the girls waiting at my door to walk to school.

On the 30 minute walk to school I finish killing the ants in my sandals, watch for thieves, chat with Calvin students and begin sweating. I then go to class. In linguistics class I thank God for the air conditioning, kill ants crawling out of my books ,and draw on the pages. In sculpture class (with Honduran students) I sweat constantly, laugh hysterically at the flamboyant professor and learn so much about the difference between a Honduran class and a US class. I usually have no idea whats going on but when I ask the other Honduran students, they have no idea as well ☺ Such is the life in Honduras.

I eat lunch at the Cafeteria and usually order a Baleada (tortilla, beans, and cheese). I sit outside on the campus, do some homework or sketches and meet new people. Depending on the day and if its raining (it usually rains hard around 4:00 pm and at night), I either walk home or go to the library to study for a while. On the walk home I sweat even more because it is mostly up hill and my books always seem to weigh more. I enter my house and get bombarded with an excited 4 year old wanting to play every game she owns. I walk into the living room and sink into the couch, tired from a long walk. I then try to do homework with a 4 year old copying my every move and drawing all over my homework. I play memory with her or dominoes with the Bananagram pieces with my brother (by the way scrabble/banagrams is almost impossible in Spanish because the words use so many vowels).

I eat a large supper and then wash the dishes by hand and chat with my brother or host Mom. My host Mom is very worried about me leaving after 5:30pm because it is dark, so I watch Munecas de la Mafia (Mafia Dolls), take a long needed shower, kill the ants in my bed, and fall asleep to honking horns and loud neighbors.

However, when Papí comes home, the world changes. I met my host Dad for the first time this weekend. He is a rather small, short man who rarely talks. He is very serious and when he talks he hardly opens his mouth and has a thick accent. To the kids, it is like Santa Claus has entered the house. My host Mom wore nice clothes, makeup, and high heels (she becomes a Diva). After he arrived, we went directly to a huge mall (similar to the mall of America) that had a tiny theme park for kids. My siblings only had to say “Papí, I want this!” and out came the money. We went out to eat at 2 different restaurants, and then to a Kariokee bar until 1:00 am. (The fear of being out a dark vanished and my host Mom turned into a night person).

We slept in the next morning until 10:00 am and then left again to go a nearby city named Valle de Angeles, where Papí bought bracelets, toys, candy, and drinks for everyone. I found it quite amusing because the man rarely talks. My sister said “Papí look! I want that!” and he says “mmmm” pulls out money and buys it. What a different and exciting weekend compared to my daily life. We never ate inside the house and I tried and saw more things in 2 days than I did the whole first month. My host Mom says that he usually stays for 8-15 days, but he has a lot of work on the farm right now so he is leaving tomorrow already. I am curious to see what it looks like when he stays for 8-15 days.

Amapala

I went to Amapala (a volcanic island) with 9 other students this weekend for a mini vacation. We arrived on Friday after experimenting with the bus system and found a hotel with a somewhat clean pool to cool off in. Then we went to the ocean and explored a cave and found 100s of bats in murky water! On Saturday we climbed the volcano. It took 7 hours total.....almost too much to handle for me, but the view was worth it. One picture is of the volcano, and yes, we did climb all the way to the top. The other photo is me on top of the world. At one point, we were so high that we were inside a cloud and everything was foggy. I don't think I have ever seen anything so beautiful in my life before.

The ride home was another story as I experienced trying to flag down a bus full with more than 100 people, and then cramming more people on the bus for the first time in my life. I closed my eyes and prayed that I would remain standing in the heat for the 2 hours without passing out.

Tomorrow is another week of classes, except for Wednesday because it is the day of independence here. Tomorrow I have my first hospital visit for my ethnographic study to visit the place and learn how to get there with busses or taxis.

I hope you are all enjoying the cooler weather as fall arrives and know that I am jealous as it will get hotter here!

Suyo/His

(Engish at the bottom)
6.5 billones de personas en el mundo
3.2 viven en menos de $2/día
1.4 viven en menos de $1/día
34,000 mueran de hambre cada día
20% del mundo desnutrido
20% sin agua ni salud

Los EEUU gastan $715-980 billones en defensa militar en un año
Los EEUU ayudan a otras paises con $5 billones
(¿Eso igualar a Ud.?)

De todo mis ingresos del año pasado, di menos de 7% a otros.
(¿Puedo justificar eso?)

Vivo en una casa llena de cosas, tengo dos colchones, y un clóset llena de zapatos. Menos de 10% del mundo vive tan buena como yo. He tirado comida cuando otras no tienen nada.
(¿Puedo justificar eso?)

Cristianos donan 4.5% de sus ingresos, Díos pide 10%
La diferencia entre los países pobres y ricos va creciendo, ¿deben cristianos ser más generosos?

Es importante?

No es solamente dar cosas que no queremos. Es dar a todos una vida digna, y viva una vida digna al mismo tiempo (y nada más). No podemos dar todas nuestras posesiones, pero tampoco podemos quedar todo para nuestras propias. ¿Puede ser mi vida llena con cosas, un clóset llena de zapatos, y una cocina llena de comida una vida digna, pero justificar una vida sin esos cosas una vida digna igual a mío?

Entonces, debemos comprar una bicicleta nueva o usada? O, debemos caminar porque muchas otras no tienen bicicletas, entonces como podemos justificar de tener una bicicleta? ¿Debemos disfrutarnos y comprar vino carro, o solamente pide agua a restaurantes para salvar/donar dinero?

Estamos responsables por como gastar dinero y por como tratar a otras, pero también Díos quiere que disfrutarnos en la vida. Pero, donde están las límetes? ¿Cómo es posible entender que Dís nos quiere hacer? No hay una respuesta del libro, para entender la equilibria, es una lucha sucia que dura por la vida.

¿Por qué la iglesia no ayúdanos a decidir y discutir esos problemas? ¿Por qué cristianos son algunas de la gente más egoistita quien no quiere hablar sobre dinero y como debemos gastarlo? ¿Por qué el sujeto de dinero es algo que podemos olvidar fácilmente? ¿Cómo podemos justificar el evito de hablar de dinero, solamente porque es más fácil?

¿Quién nos da todos nuestros cosas? ¿A quien de todo pertenecer?

In English
6.5 billion people in the world
3.2 live on less than $2/day
1.4 live on les than $1/day
34,000 die of hunger every day
20% of the world lives with malnutrition
20% is without water or health

The USA spent $715-980 billon in military defense in one year
The USA helped other countries with $5 billion
(Does that match up to you?)

Of all the money I earned in the last year, I gave LESS than 7% to others.
(Can I justify that?)

I live in a house full of stuff, have a bed with 2 mattresses, and a closet full of shoes. Less than 10% of the world lives as good as I do. I have thrown away food when others have none.
(Can I justify that?)

On average, Christians donate 4.5% of their income, God asks for 10%.
The difference between the poor countries and the rich countries is increasing, shouldn’t Christians be more generous?

Is all of this important?

It is not enough to give away the things we don’t want anymore. It is giving everyone a life of dignity and being willing to live a life of dignity at the same time (and nothing more). We cannot give all that we have but neither can we keep all that we have for ourselves. Can my life with 2 mattresses, a closet full of shoes, and a pantry full of food be a life of dignity, and yet justify someone else’s life with a simple house and little food as a life of dignity equal to my own?

Should we buy a new bike or a used bike? Or should we walk because many people don’t have bikes, so how can we justify ourselves having a bike? Should we enjoy ourselves and order expensive wine at a restaurant, or should we only order water in order to save/donate more money?

We are responsible for how we spend our money and for how we treat others, but at the same time God wants us to enjoy life. Where are the boundaries? How is it possible to understand what God wants of us? There is not an easy book answer in order to understand the balance; it is a life long messy fight.

Why doesn’t the church help us to decide and discuss these issues? Why are Christians some of the most selfish people who refuse to talk about money and how we should spend it? Why is the subject of money something that is forgotten easily? How can we justify avoiding the subject of giving away money just because it is easier?

Who gave us everything we have? To whom does it belong?

First Day of School

Phanie and I took a first day of school picture to follow tradition. We started class later than most students because we already took many of the classes at Calvin. We had one class at noon, a Linguistics class, which was interesting and fun. Then, we thought we were taking an acting class with the locals but at the last minute it was switched to a sculpture class (good news for me!) We walked in the class 30 minutes late and met the professor and the students. They all had projects going already from the previous semester, so we just observed at tried to figure out what to do. We took a field trip to the kiln, took a mini pre class quiz by labeling all of the muscles and bones of the human figure in spanish (I could barely do it in English:), and then the professor told us we could go because we didn't have any projects. Tomorrow there is no classes because of a national "shut down" of the universities.

I didn't get home until about 6:30pm, ate dinner, and then surprise! 5 family members came over to celebrate a birthday......flexibility is the key word in my house......it was chaos from floor to ceiling. I got to my room for the first time at about 10:30pm and wanted sleep right away.

I also experienced my first church service in Honduras (Besides the Garifuna church). It is a huge mega church with 5 services every week. I loved singing in Spanish and marveling at the power of God.

Que Díos les bendiga!

La Embajada/The Embassy

English is at the bottom
Fuimos a La Embajada de los EEUU hoy para escuchar a presentaciones del trabajo de los EEUU en Honduras. Aprendimos sobre el papel de los EEUU antes, durante, y después del golpe de estado. Aprendimos sobre muchos de las programas de los EEUU que supuestamente ayudan a los pobres en Honduras. Aprendimos sobre la relación buena con amistad entre los EEUU y Honduras con intercambios, importaciones, y exportaciones. Aprendimos sobre la ayuda que los EEUU le ha dado a Honduras con dinero, misioneros, y proyectos.

También, aprendimos sobre el trabajo de ser diplomática aquí en Honduras. Se puede vivir con seguridad en una casa cerca de La Embajada, se puede enviar sus hijos a una escuela buena internacional, se puede vivir sin miedo porque el gobierno va a apoyarse. Si quieres, se puede visitar a lugares en Honduras y aprender sobre la cultura como ir a las islas, a la Mosquitia, a la Tigra, etc. Se puede tener un trabajo ayudando a la gente pobre y apoyando a muchos mientras se recibe un salario bueno. También, se puede comenzar rápidamente después de graduarse.

Pero, no se puede tener sus propias opiniones si no son conseguido con el gobierno. No se puede dar a todos una VISA para ir a los EEUU, no se puede vivir en un vecino pobre, y no se puede saber como es la vida de un Hondureño. No se puede enviar sus hijos a una escuela pobre y entender los dueños de una educación mala. No se puede caminar en los zapatos que las personas que está tratando de ayudar, y si no se puede caminar con ellos, como se cree que se puede ayudarles?

La verdad es que las diplomáticas aquí crean sinceramente que las programas de educación, hambre, fronteras, y seguridad van a ayudar la gente. Crean que cada día, están caminando en los pasos de una persona buena haciendo el trabajo de Jesús.

Me pregunta como esos creencias son posible si los norteamericanos no se han preguntando a los Hondureños primeros? Sin saber la vida de hambre, de pobreza, o de trabaja, no se puede hacer decisiones para la gente que han vivido eso vida. La pobreza no se puede sobrevivirse con programas gratis, dádivas, y intenciones buenas. Honduras no se puede sostenerse si se queda como marioneta en los manos de los EEUU tan poderoso. Este es una cita directa de la presentación del hombre en comando segundo de La Embajada EEUU: “El gobierno de los EEUU suavemente y tranquilamente empujó y dirigió a Honduras por el año pasado inestable para evitar la violencia y para proteger la gente nuestra.” Me pregunta con quienes intenciones tenían en la mente cuando estaban controlando tranquilamente los eventos en Honduras detrás de puertas cerradas y seguridades.

El camino al infierno es llena de intenciones buenas con gente buenas, pero son ciegos. Oro a Díos para abrir los ojos y dar sabiduría. Me duele mucho de que la mayoría de las estudiantes de Calvin y de los ciudadanos de los EEUU crean en este poder de La Embajada, y la mayoría de los estudiantes aquí crean que es el trabajo de sueños. Ojala que más personas puede soñar de vivir la vida de los pobres, y de eso vida aprender como servir y apoyar a los pobres. Este batalla no es sobre el poder y el control, es de servir y caminar con la personas quien se quiere ayudar. Jesús no se sentó atrás de paredes seguros y predicar con teorías; vivió la vida de lo más pobre.

In English
We went to The US Embassy today to listen to presentations of the work that the US does in Honduras. We learned about the role of the US before, during, and after the glope de estado. We learned about many of the US programs that supposedly help the poor peole in Honduras. We learned about the good relation of friendship between the US and Honduras with trade, importations, and exportations. We learned about the help that the US has given to Honduras with money, missionaries, and projects.

Also, we learned about having the job as a diplomat here in Honduras. You can live with security in a house close the The Embassy, you can send your children to a great international school, you can live without fear because you know that the government will support you. If you want, you can visit places in Honduras and learn about the culture like going to the islands, the mountains, a national park, etc. You can have a job helping the poor people and supporting many while receiving a good salary. You can also start right after you graduate college!

But, you can’t have your own opinions if they don’t follow the government. You can’t give everyone a VISA to go the US, you can’t live in a poor neighborhood, and you cant understand what the life is like for a Honduran. You cannot send your children to a poor school and understand what it is like to experience bad education. You cannot walk in the shoes of the people that you are trying to help, and if you can’t walk in their shoes, how do you believe you can help them?

The truth is that the diplomats and Americans here sincerely believe that the programs of education, hunger, borders, and safety are actually going to help the people. They believe that every day, they are walking in the footsteps of a good person doing the work of Jesus.

I wonder how these beliefs are possible if the North Americans have not asked the Honduran people first before starting. Without knowing the life of hunger, of poverty, or of hard work, you cannot make decisions for the people who do live that life. Poverty cannot overcome itself with free programs, handouts, and good intentions. Honduras cannot sustain itself if it remains a puppet in the hands of the powerful United States. This is a direct quote from the presentation said by the man who is second in charge of the US Embassy: “The United States gently and quietly pushed and steered Honduras along through the past unstable year to prevent violence and to protect our people.” I wonder with whose intentions they had in mind when they were quietly controlling the events in Honduras from behind secured doors.

The path to hell is paved with good intentions with good people, but they are blind. I pray to God to open our eyes and give us wisdom. It hurts me to see that the majority of the students at Calvin and citizens of the US believe in the great power of The Embassy, and the majority of the students here think that it is a dream job. I hope that more people can dream to live the life of the poor and then from that life learn to how to serve and support the poor. This battle is not about power and control, it is about serving and walking with the people you want to help. Jesus did not sit behind safe walls and preach with theories; he lived the life of the poorest of the poor.