.WE.ARE.GNOMADS.

I previously wrote about things we will never tire of here and there are many, but seeing that we are getting closer and closer to the day we have to leave Honduras, we need to remind ourselves of the not so great things to make our parting maybe a bit more easy.

Mind you we would do it again, with bits changed here and there though.

The following list is of the things that bother us most about Honduras and about our stay here. First, I need to say, Honduras will always hold a special place in our hearts and we will be sure to visit regularly in the future.

– The intense mix of heat and humidity.
Jim and Dawn trying to cool off! : o )

From Beautiful Honduras

– The corruption…everywhere; government, politics, business, law enforcement, religion, non-profits, and so on.

– Raw sewage in the street running into the rivers and sea.

– Intoxicating smell of burning trash.

– People throwing out garbage as they walk down the street, out car and bus windows, and off the sides of boats.

From Won't Miss About Honduras

– The shoddy law enforcement system.

– THE COUP! We could go on forever on just this one alone!

– The deep rooted belief that God alone has control over everything (Si Dios Quiere), which makes most people less empowered to take control of their own lives.

From Won't Miss About Honduras

– The polarization of the people by the government, media and the churches.

– The demeaning way lower class and indigenous people are referred to and treated.

– That recycling is basically unknown to most here, except the people living at the dump subsisting on it.

This man was squatting on some land and decided not to move after the land became a dump and now he recycles to make some money!

From Won't Miss About Honduras

– The lack of freedom of speech.

– That the government basically does nothing to help children.

Children selling corn husk dolls in a small village above Copan. They do not go to school and live in what we would consider to be hovels, but at least on some days when a visitor or two comes into the village they can make a buck.

From Won't Miss About Honduras

– That Jim and I experienced a new “hump” in our relationship which we still continue to work on.

– That teachers strike all the time because of not getting paid by the government which in turn just hurts the kids.

– The lack of international dining options.

– Dawn feeling less feminine because of the way she dresses here to keep the male comments and whistles down.

This photo is embarrassing, but true.

From Won't Miss About Honduras

– Using make-up is useless as it just melts off anyway.

– That most people live in the “now” without much vision for the future.

– The lack of vegetables in the daily diet.
The Baleada, one of the mainstays of the Honduran diet. Not a vegetable in site!

From 2009-02-12 The Art of Baleadas

– That everything is fried and heavily salted.

– That Jim has not been as full-filled in his engineering volunteer work as he wanted because the lack of follow through in some programs.

– Criminal behavior such as extortion, kidnappings, drugs, and violence is tolerated and rarely brought to justice.

– People cutting to the front of the line as if a line doesn’t exist.

– Gunshots are a very familiar sound in daily life.
Gun lockers are a familiar site outside all banks and most nice restaurants and bars.

From 2009 – Feb. Taxis and Gun Lockers

– That a taxi driver will have religious paraphernalia all over their car and yet try to rip you off.

From Won't Miss About Honduras

– That the streets will flood when it rains because of all the trash people have thrown in the street and then they blame the municipality for the problem or better yet blame people that throw toilet paper down the toilet instead of in the trash can next to the toilet. Ask yourself what goes down the drain better: 1) the daily newspaper; 2) an old t-shirt; 3) banana leaves; 4) a magazine; 5) toilet paper?

Not to mention what they put in the sewage manholes on the streets!

From Won't Miss About Honduras

– Starving sick street dogs.

From Won't Miss About Honduras

– That the beach is only a few blocks away but the water is too polluted to go swimming there.

– That La Ceiba is the promoted as the “party capital” of Honduras but it is only busy two weeks per year and dead the other 50.

– That La Ceiba is promoted as the “eco-tourism” center of Honduras but it is an ecological disaster and has very little information and infrastructure to support tourism.

– That Jim’s love of pirates would drive Dawn batty!

From Bird Peeps of Honduras

From 2009_04_22

– That people will lie to you saying it is the normal price when in reality it is only the normal inflated price that gets quoted to foreigners.

– That we did not live as simply as Dawn thought we would.

– That we have not become fluent in Spanish.

– The dust and smoke in the air making our problems with asthma worse.

The lack of appreciation for volunteers.

– The fact that we generally do not trust people as much as we when we first came here.

Even with all this said, we do love Honduras!

From Honduran Sunsets for Austin and Turner

The good and the bad things are what have made this experience so wonderful. Learning about this country, past and present, has been very eye opening. We even learned a lot more about our own country in the process, not good stuff at that. We will cherish Honduras and its people forever. When the time comes in a month we will not say, “Good-bye,” to Honduras, “our boys” or our friends, only, “See you later!”

And be sure to keep reading this blog as 1) We have not left yet, and 2) I, Dawn, will be introducing a new venture that will keep me close to Honduras forever. And I am sure there will be lots of adventures in New York City for us to share!
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~ by My Gnome Little World on November 1, 2009.

Posted in Oct - Dec 2009, Year Away in Central America: Oct. 7, 2008 - Mid December, 2009
Tags: Burning trash, Central America, corruption, Environmental concerns, garbage, God, Honduras, Honduras Poor, La Ceiba, President Micheletti, Travel, Volunteering, Zelaya