Right off the bat it was a bit surreal to be back in Honduras, as 1) my travel partner rented a car so there was no need to figure out how to get to La Ceiba which is 3 hours away, 2) I was not in a hot crowded school bus, 3) The drive from the front seat of a car was a very different experience from an open window side of the bus drive, 4) it was not hot there…wavered on being a bit chilly even, and 5) I did not go to La Ceiba at first where I know so well, but to El Porvenir. A small beach town a half hour from La Ceiba.
And here are some the views that I got to see right away from that front seat. The oh-so-crazy but lovable Honduran scenes! A family of 3 on a bicycle and a boy on the back of a bicycle swinging a machete. Toddlers walking along the side of the highway without a care in the world. People selling rambutan’s on the side of the road with the green lush mountains behind them. A man walking with a huge bundle of wood on his back on the side of the road past horses, cows, pigs, chickens and dogs . Although this one sounds a bit crazier than the others, cars passing up other cars while another car is coming straight at them! Yes, I love it! And maybe I love adrenalin too! And finally, pick-up trucks packed full of people, or in the case of the photo below, full of volunteers! Aaah, Honduras!
I was in El Porvenir to help train 20 volunteers for their upcoming work with several youth programs. I stayed with the volunteers in one of the volunteer houses, which was nice to be able to get to know the really great young people giving their time to kids. It was also nice to stay right on the beach! That is, if the weather was better! At night I had to put a pair of pants and a sweater on to sleep, the sarong that was doubling as a blanket was just not enough!
But my heart was warm! As we were leaving La Ceiba after an activity supply shopping spree, we drove by Casa del Nino (the orphanage I worked all last year). We stopped just outside the fenced-in yard and one boy, Jaime, was sitting in the chair that is always there for quiet time or to people watch. I rolled down my window and when he realized who it was he yelled, “Dona!” The other kids further back in the yard heard him and ran to the fence yelling, “Dona Dona Dona!” The people that know me well, know that I started to cry! I miss them soooo much. I had to tell them I will see them more next week, that I love them and I miss them very much. Then one boy to the side, Junior, said, “Jaime?” (Jim) And then Angel Rojas asked me about Jim too! I told them, “Sorry Jim is not here, but is it okay that I am here alone?” They said, “Si!” I am so happy to see them, but I am sad I have to wait until next week to be with them! I saw their faces…and their names came right to mind. They ARE “MY” boys and you do not forget YOUR boys!
My time training in El Porvenir was interesting. It was great to learn more about the programs going on there and the great expats that are doing some of the work. My favorite part was talking and getting to know the great volunteers, especially Rikke, doing the hands on work with the kids there. I wish I got to work hands on with the kids too! I learned from my experience in El Porvenir that it is good to listen to the people who have done the work for longer periods of time in the past or are doing it now…as they are the ones who really know what is needed and how to do things. And that is all I will say about that.
NOW, MY TIME IN LA CEIBA WAS BITTER SWEET.
So sweet to hang out with Audrey, Jerome, Gerald, Romina, Edwin and Coni! So sweet because I was able to talk to Rocio, Rafael, the old lady running a small street eats shop from 5:30am to 8:00pm every day, the guy running the crafts store, and the owner of Kebok, the best cafe in all of La Ceiba! Sweet because I got to spend more time with my new friend, Rikke! Sweet because I got to eat licuados, baleadas, rambutans, and gifity! Sweet because I got to at least see Rafeal and Carmen, although we did not get to talk much. Sweet because I finally went to a local team futbol game! Sweet because I heard one of my favorite memory sound bites, “Tortilla Momi?” in the mercado. Sweet because not only did I get to spend some quality time with Nou Nou, but I got to meet Tokyo in person too! Sweet because I had pinchos de pollo at Expadriados! Sweet because I got a bit tipsy, okay okay, drunk with one of my favorite drinking buddies, Audrey! Sweet because I saw for the first time ever, Good Luck in Can! All oh so sweet!
Bitter because I did not get to get spend time with MY Boys. I was not even allowed in the office. But in a sneaky move where I had the taxi driver pass up Casa del Nino to let me out so I would have to walk across the chain link fenced-in yard for the boys to see me on my way to the office, the boys saw me! So, I did get to see a bunch of MY boys and talk to them. I took their hands, kissed their little fingers and cried. I told them I love and miss them. And I stuffed activity supplies through the fence for them. I was not allowed to spend any time other than that with them. And my next blog will be more about this…but I will let you know now there is a bitter place in my heart for Feed the Children.
These are MY boys and they will always be MY boys and NO out-of-touch-ran-out-of-Oklahoma-that -has-no-idea-of-what-goes-on-at-the-Casa-with-tons-of-admin/pr-problems organization will take that from me!
Although the bitterness is there, I left Honduras still in awe of it…for both bad stuff and the oh so much good stuff. The people I now consider friends, the children, the open air market places, the fruit, the jungles, the sea, the Salva Vidas, the roosters, the fruit, the culture, and their love of futbol are all more than just good, they all outweigh the bad by far. And I will be back…next time with mi Jaime!
————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Like this:
Like Loading...
~ by My Gnome Little World on December 2, 2010.
Posted in Oct - Dec 2010, Return to States
Tags: Casa Del Nino, Central America, El Porvenir, Expatriots Bar and Grill, Feed the Children, Feed the Children Scams, Honduras, Honduras Children, La Ceiba, Livingston, Orphanages, Photos, Volunteer Work, Volunteering in Honduras
.WE.ARE.GNOMADS. 
So Feed the Children wouldn’t let you visit the orphanage? What possible reason could there be for this? It’s like I’m watching a soap opera, waiting to see what our intrepid young humanitarian does next. This is the essence of “living vicariously”…. I’d aspire to write my own blog. I could be such a help to insomniacs everywhere….
Micheal…read the next blog…although it won’t answer your question…I will be asking for a little help regarding this Feed the Children drama! AND YOUNG humanitarian???? Well, last week I did around 5 hours of volunteer work for Big Brothers Big Sisters and was a shopping Elf for Feed the 1000’s too…oh and I built a web page for a young friend in Honduras that needs to raise money to pay for his cancer removal surgery! ;o) Get on it and start writing!