A friend was setting up a Skype call with us and had mentioned that he wanted to hear our first impressions. As we were thinking of what we would say, Taylor smiled and said, "you know, I'm not sure our 'first impressions' are going to be surprising enough. We are kind of like tumbleweeds; we just roll with wherever the Lord takes us." He's right, in a way. We don't need a whole lot to be happy and are glad for what adventures the Lord brings to us. We've lived in strange, make-shift houses and have learned a little about happily making do, so sometimes it seems it takes more to shock/scare/discourage us than it used to. :)
However, for your reading pleasure..... here is our list of "First Impressions" of Honduras:
However, for your reading pleasure..... here is our list of "First Impressions" of Honduras:
The Weather (by Alesha)
It's been Beautiful!!!!, but unseasonably cool. We've worn our jackets several mornings and it even rained one day...(we weren't expecting any rain until May!) Still, since the week we left Texas it was in the middle of an ice storm, we are delighting in our short sleeves and flip flops. We will see how hot it gets later, but we've all been well prepared for summer by our upbringing, so I don't think it will be too bad. :)
Driving and Emissions
Ok, I promised an account of Honduran driving. I've been to Argentina and Mexico where driving conditions are certainly different than in the States, but these people are crazy! Intersections, signs and even light signals are taken as FYI only and not as legal safe driving instructions. These are definitely "offensive" driving conditions. Why there are not more accidents, I do not know except that everyone expects everyone else to drive offensively and therefore by that mutual agreement there is some safety...crazy. Due to this, it can be quite dangerous walking the streets with four children wrapped around your leg, but we are learning.
I am also learning to have a greater appreciation for US emissions control. As crazy as that may sound, I really do miss it when a truck rumbles by...oh! I don't know that it is a truck by the sound as much as by the cloud of fumes that it emits. Cough, cough, cough. The fumes that our US cars emit are like fresh air here in Tegucigalpa, and being from rural West Texas, I think that this adjustment was something that we did not take into account.
Oh! One last thing: there are no street signs! Or only that major roads have street names. All directions go by the name of some place or another, but not by the street name...because it does not exist. Very weird and I'm still not fully adjusted to it yet.
-TH
Money Conversion & Spending
20:1
That is the approximate ratio for Honduran Limps to US Dollars. Should be easy, right? It still takes some adjustment. Our first time at the store we spent over 1,000 Limps...I almost choked, but then I calmed myself (barely) when I realized that it was only about $50 US. People here just don't seem to buy a large quantity of things...at least not at one time. And I really do not like getting change! One Limp is about 5 cents US, but they are 1 Limp bills, so I have to stuff 5-cent bills in my wallet and as I'm doing so I feel so self conscious stuffing this wad of bills quickly in my pocket so the people stop gawking at me (they probably don't care, but that's how I feel about it). -TH
That is the approximate ratio for Honduran Limps to US Dollars. Should be easy, right? It still takes some adjustment. Our first time at the store we spent over 1,000 Limps...I almost choked, but then I calmed myself (barely) when I realized that it was only about $50 US. People here just don't seem to buy a large quantity of things...at least not at one time. And I really do not like getting change! One Limp is about 5 cents US, but they are 1 Limp bills, so I have to stuff 5-cent bills in my wallet and as I'm doing so I feel so self conscious stuffing this wad of bills quickly in my pocket so the people stop gawking at me (they probably don't care, but that's how I feel about it). -TH
The Mountains (by Alesha)
Wow! I think Taylor was laughing at me on our first drive out to Valle de Angeles...and probably for good reason, since my face was plastered to the window of Danilo's van. :) The countryside is absolutely gorgeous. The hills are steep and covered with pines, yet there are palms and bougainvillea in people's yards and just enough tropical plants scattered here and there to make the pine forest seem rather paradoxical. Deep gashes are cut into the mountain side where the rain has swept through. The houses look rather precariously carved into the sides of the slope. (In fact, on our way to Valle, we past the remains of one large house that slid off!) On the road to Valle, you can buy hanging plants from one of several vendors, but watch the road carefully, as there might be horses or other livestock crossing the highway.
Wow! I think Taylor was laughing at me on our first drive out to Valle de Angeles...and probably for good reason, since my face was plastered to the window of Danilo's van. :) The countryside is absolutely gorgeous. The hills are steep and covered with pines, yet there are palms and bougainvillea in people's yards and just enough tropical plants scattered here and there to make the pine forest seem rather paradoxical. Deep gashes are cut into the mountain side where the rain has swept through. The houses look rather precariously carved into the sides of the slope. (In fact, on our way to Valle, we past the remains of one large house that slid off!) On the road to Valle, you can buy hanging plants from one of several vendors, but watch the road carefully, as there might be horses or other livestock crossing the highway.
The People (by Alesha)
The random Honduran on the street of Teguc. has been polite enough, and has tried to be helpful to the poor gringos with their backbacks full of groceries and their children strapped on like clothing. :) Their brand of Spanish doesn't seem as fast for the most part as some of the Mexican Spanish we've heard, which has been a blessing. However, they can still run words together in a wonderful roll of rrrrrrrrs that takes us half a block to decipher, even if it happened to be words we knew. Usually we have been able to communicate, though, sometimes it has taken a couple of tries.
We have been overwhelmed by the kindness of the Christians we have met. We have had preparations made for our arrival. We have been met at the airport. We have been shown the bank and the grocery store. We have been chauffeured out to Valle. (Poor Danilo may wish for the day we move out there so he can stop coming to drive us around. :) We were invited to meeting by several people. We have been invited to eat twice....and the wonderful part is that none of the people we knew before coming are here at the moment. We have felt extremely welcome. The Body of Christ is an amazing thing. :)
The random Honduran on the street of Teguc. has been polite enough, and has tried to be helpful to the poor gringos with their backbacks full of groceries and their children strapped on like clothing. :) Their brand of Spanish doesn't seem as fast for the most part as some of the Mexican Spanish we've heard, which has been a blessing. However, they can still run words together in a wonderful roll of rrrrrrrrs that takes us half a block to decipher, even if it happened to be words we knew. Usually we have been able to communicate, though, sometimes it has taken a couple of tries.
We have been overwhelmed by the kindness of the Christians we have met. We have had preparations made for our arrival. We have been met at the airport. We have been shown the bank and the grocery store. We have been chauffeured out to Valle. (Poor Danilo may wish for the day we move out there so he can stop coming to drive us around. :) We were invited to meeting by several people. We have been invited to eat twice....and the wonderful part is that none of the people we knew before coming are here at the moment. We have felt extremely welcome. The Body of Christ is an amazing thing. :)
-Taylor & Alesha
No comments:
Post a Comment