THINGS WE WON’T MISS ABOUT HONDURAS

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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BREAKING EYE WITNESS NEWS

Honduras Style…

Meaning the crime I an going to tell you about right now was probably not reported to the police, much less the local news stations. Matter of fact, it might have been the police involved in what looked like a crime to us. Since we are crack (not on crack – quick on the move) reporters and photojournalists, you and only you are getting the exclusive story on today’s Mid-Day Showdown in Barrio Potreritos!

From 2009_10_19

Picture this, I am happily sorting through recyclables, preparing for a Recycle-bots craft project, and Jim is diligently applying for a job online. Then all of a sudden, piercing explosions came through the somewhat silence “Blam blam blamblamblam blam blam blam!” I jump up and look out the window to see two women running towards our apartment and say, “Jim I think those were gunshots!” You see, the locals favor a type of firework that sounds very similar to a gunshot, sometimes we are not sure which is which. This time it was easy to figure out as I saw two men a block away with guns pointing at a SUV. Jim is next to me by now. We are looking through our dirty glass louver windows and screen to see what is going on and as soon I see a body on the ground I start to freak out. In my panic state, I decide to call our neighbor while Jim yells for me to get the camera. I grab the phone and Jim grabs the camera. I am telling my neighbor, in that shaky scared 911 voice, what we are seeing as it is happening while Jim is photographing it.

Gunman #1

From Shooting Oct-19

We are not sure exactly what happened, but at least two guys starting shooting their guns. We are not sure if they shot at the car, into the air, or at people, all I saw was two guys with masks over their faces with guns. One was holding his gun at a guy on the ground who I thought was dead, but now I think after looking at the photos he was not.

Man Laying on the Ground, Gunman #1, and on the Left Gunman #2

From Shooting Oct-19

From Shooting Oct-19

They did not seem to be in a hurry, which was odd, but nothing gets done quick here in Honduras. I did see them open the back of the SUV and then one of the masked guys got into the driver’s seat and took off, but I do not know what happened to the guy on the ground. We are not sure if he got up after the others drove away, ran as soon as he could, or got back into the car, but we are glad to report there was no bloody body left after-wards.

Gunman #2 Going towards the Driver’s Seat

From Shooting Oct-19

I am thinking it might have been a kidnapping, carjacking, or maybe some undercover (masked) cops getting some work done, or who knows it could have even been mercenaries hired by the de facto government to get rid of another Revolutionista. We will probably never know, as I can see from around our hood, we should probably not be going around asking questions. I need to let it go, as life always goes on in the Wild West, er, I mean, Honduras!
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WHY SOCCER WILL NEVER BE BIG IN THE U.S.

Because the U.S. has not gone to war over a game before!

The Soccer War of 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras is proof how important soccer is to these countries. It was a 4 day / 100 hour war brought on by already tense immigration/political issues between the two countries. During the second round of a World Cup qualifier game between the two countries a riot started. One thing lead to another and El Salvador launched a military attack against Honduras!

Tranquilo people, it is just a game!

But that is the problem. It is not just a game to people in Honduras. It is a chance to be the winners for once. It is a chance to be on top! It is a chance for the rest of the world to take a look at little ole’ Honduras! It is hope! Soccer is Honduras’ Obama.

Even in this time of political upheaval people will come together for a national futbol game!

HON – DUR – AS! HON – DUR – AS! HON – DUR – AS!

It doesn’t matter if you are for Zelaya, Micheletti, if you are rich, poor, male, female, old or young. Everyone in the country wants one thing. And that is for Honduras to win! The U.S. does not have anything close to the same enthusiasm, even for the Olympics! It is amazing to experience a national futbol game here in Honduras! And I am not even talking about being at the big Stadium in San Pedro Sula.

On the day of a game a large portion of the population wears their blue and white team shirt. TVs come out to the front of the house, tables and people gather around on the street for “block parties” to watch the games together. Restaurants and bars are standing room only. Parties are being held in private homes all over the country and if there is no TV, there is the radio. Someone in the small villages will have at least a radio and people will come together to listen to the game.

I found this on a Honduras Blog regarding a game between Honduras and El Salvador earlier in 2009. “There is no other important news today in Honduras and El Salvador because of tonight’s game. No politics, no crime, no economics, nothing.”

Yes, folks, soccer IS that important.

And mind you, soccer is the ONLY sport in Honduras as well. No futbol Americano, no baseball, no hockey, and no basketball. Even the smallest villages that we have been to have a soccer field, even if it is built on a slope with ravines on the sides. When you have so many people focusing on one sport in a nation, you can see why it is that important.

After the disappointing loss to big bag U. S. of A. on Saturday 10/10/09 qualifying the Estados Unidos for the World Cup, I thought Hondurans would be discouraged for the El Salvador game 4 days later.

OUR PHOTOS FROM THE USA VS HONDURAS GAME!

Honduras VS USA – OCT 09

It did not, because Honduras still had a chance! They still had a chance to qualify for the World Cup, which would be the first time since 1982! Honduras had to win against El Salvador. And also, Costa Rico had to lose to the U.S.A.

To be truthful the Honduras vs El Salvador game was boring for the first half and in the second half, Honduras scores!

Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!

Then one of the small TVs at Expats was changed over to the Costa Rica vs USA game.
Ai Ai Ai, USA was losing 0 – 2! At some point in the second half the USA scored, but that was not good enough. Going back and forth between the two games was stressful…making sure El Salvador did not score a point and wanting USA to score two points. Both games were being played at the same time with the clocks ticking by in sync. This further heightened the tension as both games were in their final minutes.

Expats – World Cup Qualifier Night!

During the final 5 minutes people gathered closer in front of the small TV broadcasting the Costa Rica vs USA game crowding around us as we were right under that TV! At the time we thought USA had to win to the game, but they just needed to tie for Honduras to displace Costa Rica in the rankings and gain World Cup Entry! So we were not too sure that Honduras would be going to South Africa in 2010, but with only a minute left in the game U.S.A. came through, uh finally, for Honduras and scored, tying the game!

Mayhem broke out!

Our photo view of the Street Party/Parade Afterwards:

On the Street After World Cup Qualifying Games

Just to experience a National win in Honduras would probably make you realize that you have never really experienced what it really means to be a fan. After a National win Hondurans take to the streets, in their cars, on their cars, 3-4 people and maybe their pet to a scooter, bicycles, buses, motorcycles and on their feet! They yell, scream and holler in shear overwhelming happiness. They wave flags, blue or white towels are swirling in circles, and they yell some more. Then the water comes out, people in one car splashing the other, people on the sides of the road armed with buckets to surprise innocent revelers, people in hotel rooms and buildings throwing bucket-fulls from second floor balconies. It is a free for all, everyone happy, getting along and doing no wrong. After 2-3 hours of this deep to the bone happiness, the crowds settle down and wander back home quietly without force or being told to do so.

THE PARADE!

THE PEOPLE!

THE WET!


DAWN JOINS IN!

So, this is why I will always cheer for Honduras or for some other small under dog country in the World Cup. The U.S. is big, has money, has all kinds of sports championships, and it is a world leader…give the smaller countries a chance at least once in awhile! Their enthusiasm and joy for this sport far exceeds anything you will see in the U.S.A.!

DAWN SINGS, “OLE OLE OLE!”

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JIM’S HONDO HAIR!

The hair on his face that is!

When I first met Jim he had a full beard, mustache, the whole nine yards…not attractive. Next time you see him ask him to show you his driver’s license if you have not see him at this hairy stage of his life.

But the night we really hit is off he had cut it down and you could actually see his cute dimples. Looking at the facial hair chart below, it was the Short Boxed Beard, very short. When we started dating more I told him I do not really like beards much, so one day he showed up at my door beard-free with just a soul patch. Looooved it!

From Jim's Honduran Facial Hair

And his facial hair had been that way ever since. Well….until the last couple of months in Honduras!

First he started to grow back to the Short Boxed Beard:

From Jim's Honduran Facial Hair

He succeeded in the full, but short Short Boxed Beard:

From Jim's Honduran Facial Hair

Then he just went crazy! Here is Jim’s Friendly Muttonchops!

From Jim's Honduran Facial Hair

Since it is hot in Honduras, he wanted to shave even more off of his face and he ended up with the Fu Manchu!

From Jim's Honduran Facial Hair

And he could not stop there! Here is his Zappa!

From Jim's Honduran Facial Hair

Once bored of the Zappa, he saved his ’stache down to the Chevron and left his soul patch. I couldn’t find name for this combo, so from this day forward we shall call it the Jim’s Hondo!

From Jim's Honduran Facial Hair

Please reference this Beard Chart for any facial hair styles you have not heard of before.

What will Jim do next? The Copstache Standard? The Pencil? Or will he just got back to the solo soul patch? Stay tuned for I will update this post with what Jim and his facial hair is up as it changes!

And now since we are on weird body things, I have told you about my fingernails? They grow like the dickens here. So fast and so strong! I have never had to cut all my fingernails just because they were just too long as they normally crack, piel or break fast. But take a look for yourself at my prized long nails! Not as exciting and fun as Jim’s facial hair changes, but something that has happened in Honduras for me.

From My Long-Ass Fingernails

From My Long-Ass Fingernails

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THE COUP CRACKS ME UP!

The funny side of the Coup.

Not funny Ha Ha, but funny weird. Actually, not really funny at all, mostly just sad.

Below is a list of ironic, idiotic, manipulative, unexplainable, and just plain old funny things we have noticed, heard, experienced, read, or seen about the coup and subsequent political crisis here in Honduras.

From Austin and Turner Experienced…

- Micheletti ousted Zelaya for breaking the constitution, but then himself breaks the people’s basic civil rights of the constitution.

- Zelaya actually went ahead with a process the congress and Supreme Court had turned down.

- Zelaya bought people donkeys for their vote.

- Shortly after Zelaya was ousted Micheletti said he was open to Zelaya returning, but then also said business leaders objected to it.

- The military said it was impossible for them to work with Zelaya because of their training and his move toward leftist government policies.

- Zelaya was accused of giving money and paying for transportation for his supporters to rallies

- Private and public employees have reported being forced by their employers to march in pro-Micheletti rallies.

- Micheletti is saying that he is just trying to keep the peace and tranquility until the DEMOCRATIC election, but took away the democratic right to personal freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of movement and right to due process during the campaign period leading up to the election.

- A road block of just rocks strewn across a highway kept people from driving through a rally in support of Zelaya, and mind you it was extremely peaceful as people were walking, bicycling and driving their motorcycles through with no problem at all. Our 16 year old nephew photographed it, it was that safe.

- President Micheletti is blaming the violence on the protesters in the streets, the ones that did not pick up rocks (rocks I say) until they were bombarded with tear gas, rubber bullets and sound weaponry.

- Zelaya pushed forward for a constitutional assembly to revise the constitution that would start their work the same day he would be voted out of office.

- Micheletti has insisted that what happened was not a coup and was quoted in the Washington Post that “Coups do not follow freedom of assembly… they do not guarantee freedom of the press, much less a respect for human rights… in Honduras these freedoms remain intact and vibrant.”

- The first curfew after Zelaya returned was announced 30 minutes before it was to go into effect nationwide, it was revised several times ultimately lasting for 42 hours.

- The curfew that Micheletti put into place is not only hurting the poor but the business owners that support him as well.

- Enrique Ortez who called President Obama “ese negrito que no sabe nada de nada” (that little black man who knows nothing) was re-assigned following these and other remarks from his position as Foreign Minister to the Minister of Justice. Justice?

- Following reassignment, Ortez told interviewers “I have negotiated with queers, prostitutes, leftists, blacks, whites. This is my job, I studied for it. I am not radically prejudiced. I like the little black sugar plantation worker who is President of the United States.”

- PR firm with close personal and working ties to the Clintons is hired by pro-coup business leaders to spin PR and lobby US government.

- Numerous people have been injured, killed or disappeared since the coup and all have been treated by the de-facto government and pro-coup media with disrespect by initially blaming the victims or opposition for the crimes even though international observers haven proven otherwise.

- Micheletti must be reading the George W. Bush dirty tricks playbook, doing crazy ass things that is starting to piss off the people that were supporting him.

- Micheletti was interviewed on Fox News in a Hawaiian shirt with tropical plants and beach in the background saying what a quiet, peaceful country Honduras is and then a couple days later has the military firing tear gas, rubber bullets, and beating people with batons in the Capitol.

- Micheletti said he would talk to anyone anytime regarding coming to a solution, but then immediately shut down all airports and borders so no one could get in.

From Austin and Turner Experienced…

- Micheletti then invited the OAS but then kicked them out when they arrived and then said only certain OAS members that he selects would be allowed to assist.

- Some of the darkest characters in Honduras’ history have been resurfacing in the past few months, a former death squad commander who is now an advisor to Micheletti, former ambassadors that were instrumental in the Contra – Sandinista war and that were associated with the Iran Contra affair, and others that were instrumental in the coups in Venezuela, Haiti and other countries as well.

- Micheletti and the media have been relentless at accusing Chavez for suppressing his people’s rights and interfering with Honduras and yet the Micheletti administration has been far more successful on their own at suppressing the people’s rights and silencing the opposition media.

- The Honduran national anthem was blasted at the Brazilian Embassy after Zelaya snuck back into the country.

- Zelaya’s cowboy hat and mustache (sorry, I just had to add that).

- The size of Zelaya’s balls for coming back into Honduras.

- That some people believe they are on the side of peace when supporting Micheletti.

- That the curfew got lifted just in time for a pro-Micheletti rally in Tegucigalpa then reimposed shortly after it finished.

- Can anyone say, Dictatorship?

- While most all Ambassadors left Honduras, the Ambassador of the United States has stayed, but even though his country does not recognize the current government.

- Rallies in support of Micheletti are usually plastered daily all over the nation’s papers, but none were seen on the first day of constitutional rights suspension.

- One of the constitutional rights that was suspended was the right to complain, criticize, critique, disapprove and gripe about the government without prior approval from said government.

- Two leaders of the Zelayistas (those who support Zelaya) were murdered just last week after Micheletti suspended civil rights to bring peace and tranquility.

- Media outlets (2 radio stations and 1 TV station) that spoke up against the government were shut down.

- The USA has had its hand in Honduras for almost forever and now they decide to take a back seat. Or are they?

- People are blaming Zelaya for the curfew and constitutional rights, when in fact Micheletti issued them.

- U.S. Republican Representative Schock ordered a study to be done on the legality of the Honduran Coup. Study found there was No coup.

- Report Armando Sarmiento, former Director of the Honduran equivalent of the IRS (as well as other academics), de-bunks Schock’s study giving it a “Grade D- because of flawed research from the Law Library of the Library of Congress,” as well as “US Congressional Research Service missed crucial Honduran Supreme Court Ruling.”

- Those accused of murder in Honduras get a trial, but Zelaya who was not doing anything physically harmful to anyone did not?

We are neither confirming nor denying if any of these are true or false. We are just spewing more coup crap, like the rest of the media around the world. If you can’t beat’em, laugh at ‘em, as sad as they are!

NOTE: Dawn originally wrote this in her usual light hearted fashion maybe leaning towards one side, but her Editor/Husband put in his 25 cents making it now twice as long, bending all the way to one side, and much more serious….albeit still interesting and funny at times.

From Austin and Turner Experienced…

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LIFE BEFORE ZELAYA @ THE BRAZILIAN EMBASSY!

Aka…our regular life here in Honduras.

First, there was our last visit to Roatan. We could not say good-bye, it was too hard. We did not even do much there, just worked out a visa extension and then a lot of hanging out taking it all in.

Woops…just found out we may be going back at the beginning of November to see a visiting friend…woo hoo!

So Long Roatan!

Our Last Trip to Roatan, Probably

We went back to the mainland to the start of the Week of Children’s Day, Independence Day and the Anniversary of Casa del Nino (13 years). And boy they were celebrating at Casa del Nino for sure. Although Jim and I participated we got a break from leading activities for the week. The staff actually planned and participated in everything! I really think the boys loved the extra attention!

One day there was a soccer tournament with not only the boys at Casa del Nino, but their friends from school and the neighborhood kids as well. They even had uniforms to wear for the day, and believe it or not, they actually played with sneakers on! On another day, volunteers from a local department store brought activities and lots of sugar with them for the boys. They did a round of musical chairs, pin the tail on the donkey and another similar game which I guess is called, pin the nose on the clown! Then a dance contest, followed by piñatas and lastly, goody bags, cake and soda! It was great fun. We were a bit uncomfortable with the sexy dancing of some of the young girl volunteers, but I think the boys liked it!

Local Volunteers!

Casa del Nino – Mendels Volunteer Day

On Children’s Day we had a dance with a DJ and music videos and spaghetti eating (with no hands) contests! It was very festive and I even dressed up for Dance with my hair down and make up and all! The boys did not recognize me!

Spaghetti Dance Day!

Children's Day at Casa Del Nino!

The next day was field trip day to Water Jungle, water park around 40 minutes from La Ceiba! It was awesome! I was in the water with the boys as soon as we walked into the place until we had to leave at 3pm. I was not only water logged, but sunburned as well. Yes, I put on sun block, but how long does it stay on when you are constantly in the water? I had just as much fun as all the kids did!

Water Jungle!

Casa del Nino at Water Jungle!

The morning of Independence Day I went downtown and ran into the festivities. I saw the last band in the parade, honor guards at the statue of Morazán in Parque Central, hot dogs stands, ice cream salesmen and one guy getting arrested!

Dia de la Independencia!

Independence Day Downtown La Ceiba

But the big celebration was at Casa del Nino. The Queen of the National Carnival (or Miss Carnival) went to visit the boys. This sweet young woman was wearing a short skin tight white dress with silver stilettos and huge tiara (sorry no photo of her). I think she intimidated the boys because they were so quiet! She brought along with her, besides the media, piñatas and soda. The boys also got goody bags of candy that day as well.

The boys were hyped up continuously on sugar for a week! They were a bit of a handful to deal with when they were coming down off their high, but hey do not eat candy usually, so it was okay.

The week ended with a special activity to give the boys surprises for their accomplishments, and to pick the KING of CASA DEL NINO. Marcos won by a land slide! Woo Hooo!

Presenting King Marcos!

From My Favorite Photos of My Boys

Taking a Royal Nap!

From My Favorite Photos of My Boys

On His Royal Rock Throne!

From Semana Santa River Day with the Boys – Easter 2009

With His Royal Hair Stylist!

From Beading day at Casa Del Nino – April 2009

Hiding Before Being Crowned!

From 2009_09_23

Me? Really?

From 2009_09_23

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THE TWO C’S THAT SUCK!

The Coup and Cancer

Need I say more? No? But you know I will!

The Coup in Honduras sucks! Oh, yes it has provided us with entertainment and fuel for witty Facebook postings, but all in all it sucks and probably won’t be worth it for anyone. If Zelaya was actually trying to get another term in office couldn’t he have found a better way and better time to do it? I mean who in their right mind would try to convene a National Assembly that will start work on a new constitution on the same day that a new president is to be elected? Was he planning to predate the new constitution then use a time machine to zap himself back with the document to August so he could run in the election? Predating documents is apparently a specialty of this government as seen with the resignation letter and removal notice, but a time machine? That I want to see! Wouldn’t it be easier to just get the backing of the military, knock off a few key people, marry the ugly third daughter of someone powerful and then take command? I mean, it’s not like the idea was invented yesterday. Why oh why, did he go for a public opinion poll? Why get all democratic now? And did he really have to bully me in the photo below?

From Carnival – El Presidente – May

I mean, the first part of the coup messed with Heather, Dusty and Sora visiting us in July, many other friends and volunteers have cancelled their plans to come here, I had to cancel my manicure-pedicure yesterday, Jim wasn’t able to buy his “Tuesday pineapple”, and now the roadblocks and curfew are messing with us going away for 5 days to a Conference. Darn those politicos!

Seriously folks, it is not any better with Micheletti in power. Matter of fact, it is worse. Micheletti is blaming Zelaya but it is Micheletti that has made all of the violent, repressive moves that are isolating this country from the rest of the world and leading it closer every day to civil war. The whole country went into lock down for 42 hours and was in an indefinite “curfew.” People have lost their civil rights, are being threatened, jailed, tortured and killed. The government is corrupt, regardless of which Hondo Honcho with a Chancho in his Poncho takes the reigns, one way or the other, so the Coup has not stopped, changed or answered anything, YET. Therefore, the Coup Sucks!

After 42 Hour Curfew Mayhem!

Honduras Curfew Sept. 09

If you are interested to learn more about the current situation, please watch this 11 minute video, it is really good:

Now on to another sucky thing, way more sucky then the coup. We have always known cancer sucks, but as some people unfortunately know, when it becomes close and personal you see a whole new level of suckiness.

Over the last several days I have been on a mission to get cancer doctors in some of the best Cancer Clinics in the United States interested in a case down here in Honduras. I personally know this young, once vibrant, sweet guy who, even though is wasting away, is still positive about his recovery.

Since the surgery he needs can not be done here, I am trying to take the show on the road. All over Europe and the United States the technology to perform such a tumor removal is available making the surgery possible. Why do Hondurans have to lose out on it? That just sucks!

Juan Carlos does have one thing on his side; Liposarcoma is not super common, especially in such a young person. This may get him some attention from doctors in the States. We are crossing our fingers, praying, thinking positive, visualizing, and doing the “doctor help us” dance. Will you do that dance too?

I have learned more about Liposarcoma Retroperitoneal than I hope I ever need personally. And I learned even more about how much cancer SUCKS!

I want to start a new ad campaign against cancer and it is called:

RAISE A FINGER TO CANCER!

From Cancer Sucks

From Cancer Sucks

From Cancer Sucks

Sorry if I offended anyone with those photos but serious diseases need serious actions. After an email from a friend, I may widen this ad campaign to include:

Bitch Slap MS
Sucker Punch HIV
and
Smack Down Heart Disease

The political part of the above post was highly edited by Jim, he who has a strong opinion on the current situation here in Honduras and who is also well read up on it.
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VOLUNTEERING…IS IT FOR EVERYONE?

YES, YES, YES!

Well, I think it IS for everyone, but like everything else in life, you need to be prepared before you start. I have been volunteering and working with volunteers for so many years and although I have led many a training session for new volunteers, I had forgotten how new volunteers might see things, especially here in Honduras. My bad! My eyes are open now and I want to help others enjoy the crazy rewarding life of volunteering as much as I do.

First, if you have been thinking about volunteering, DO IT! It helps the organization you are working for and the people they support, and it is self-fulfilling as well. However, you need to be prepared for your volunteer activity in order to get the most out of it. That’s where I come in. In this post I will help you get ready.
My experience this past year with volunteers in Honduras is that many arrived unprepared. And I have found there are two kinds of unpreparedness; 1) not being ready for long term volunteer work, and 2) not being trained properly for the work you will be doing. For example, this was Jim’s first time doing long term volunteer work with non-profits and non-governmental organizations. I now think it would have been a better experience for him if he had some hands on experience or even some training on how to accept and deal with them. If you ask me as an experienced non-profit volunteer and employee, for most part, non-profits all over the world are a little screwy in the way they work. This is not all bad, but you just have to know how to deal with them. Also, this summer I have worked with many unprepared volunteers. They would pay some not for-profit internet based organization a fee and off they would go. Either the organization did not prepare those young inexperienced volunteers or they did not read the material they were given. How is some young person leaving the States probably for the very first time, supposed to know what to do with orphaned Honduran boys? Steve, who is now a seasoned volunteer at Casa del Nino, told me the program he first went with, through his university, did not prepare him for the work with the boys. Matter of fact, they did not talk about them at all. He thought the children would be meek, quiet, shy boys who would be afraid of him. He had no training on what to do with the boys, how to interact with them, or to even bring activities.

Steve with the kids on a river day field trip!

From Semana Santa River Day with the Boys – Easter 2009

This can be very frustrating for a volunteer once you are trying to do your work. And sometimes it can be frustrating to the staff and experienced volunteers as well. So my advice to you is: make sure you are properly trained for the work you sign up to do. I do think organizations in the United States that perform work inside the United States are better at training their volunteers than here in Honduras. So this may not be an issue unless you are volunteering internationally, but it may give you some questions to ask during your training program.

Long Term Volunteer Work:

From Masica Land Fill with Justin-Dec 2008

As I have mentioned several times already some organizations do not train people to prepare them for their volunteer work, but training is not the only issue. Some also do not work in the most efficient way. Some do not really use the skills of the volunteers. Some do not listen to volunteers even when they are an expert in the field. And worse some suffer from all of the above. A long term volunteer abroad can burn out fast under these conditions!

To avoid volunteer burn out, here is what I suggest: First, do some longish term local volunteer work before setting out to lands unknown, just to get the feel of how some non-profits work. Or if that is not feasible, try to mentally prepare yourself for what you are about to face.

Second, be open to get involved with back up volunteer opportunities! With Jim’s engineering work, there are a lot of steps in a project, so that could mean for a lot of waiting around. I recommend back up volunteer work that gives you instant satisfaction and keeps you busy. For example, Habitat for Humanity has volunteers build houses; you go there for a day and make progress building a fence, a wall, whatever it is. You have accomplished something, the people you help are happy and that feels good!

From Computer Room Project at Casa Del Nino

Third, do not take it personally if they do not take your advice, even if you are an expert in the field. They have their reasons and most likely it is not because they do not trust you or think you are able, it is mostly because of some whacky thing they have going on or just the difference in values. Such as: a big financial supporter wants it another way, it is put on hold for lack of funds, something else “more” important has come along, or it can get done “manana.” You also need to know, bureaucracy in every country is a pain in the neck.

From Yoro Projects

Basic Training Issues:

First, make sure you know where you will be volunteering (the name of the program and what kind of work they do), especially if you are going to another country. I know this may sound odd, but many people sign up with the “paid for” volunteer programs and have no idea what kind of work they will be doing before they get to the country!

So, now you know where you will be working, you must find out what kind of work you will be doing there. There are countless jobs, medical positions, teaching kids in schools, working with kids at an orphanage after school, building houses, building community programs, designing and constructing water systems, setting up agricultural and other cooperatives, etc. So, try to find out as much as you can about the program you will be working with, what is required for that type of work and what they expect of you.

From Beading day at Casa Del Nino – April 2009

For example, you are going to be doing volunteer work with 6 to 18 year old boys. You should ask, “What kind of work will be performed?” It could be things like cleaning, educating, playing, and so on. Once you have figured out what the work is, then ask for examples of what you can do, such as teaching English, math, arts and crafts, computers, or how about playing soccer, board games or tag. Then prepare yourself with a list of activities, leadership plans and materials. Yes, materials! Most non-profits have some materials available, but many do not.

Before you start volunteering, make sure you have information about the people you will work with, ages, general backgrounds, cultural customs, and any rules and regulations established by the organization. For example, it is not proper in Honduras for women to wear miniskirts or short shorts to work with boys. Also, pin the tail on the donkey might be great for 5-10 year olds, but teenagers may not want to do it.

From Actividad – Casa Del Nino Feb.09

With this all said, I personally feel that it should be the responsibility of all organization/programs to train their volunteers, but many do not. So, please take ownership of your volunteer work and make sure you are prepared for what you are about to do. It will make the experience much more rewarding for you, the organization, and the people you are trying to help.

Another part of taking that ownership is to make sure there is communication between you and the staff. So, that means either you should know basic language skills of the country where you will be volunteering or at least one of the people in your group should. You may not agree with all that you see, but remember things are done differently all over the world. With that said, without a doubt you should always be treated with respect. One last note; do not expect appreciation for your volunteer work. If it comes, then good, but do not take it personal if it does not come.

Being ready and trained for your volunteer work, whether it is short term, long term, in your own country, or in a developing country, is of the utmost importance for the best experience for everyone involved. Now go out and do that volunteer work you have been thinking about…JUST DO IT!
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ALL VIDEO – NO TALK!

Okay, a little talk! These are video that were taken during Austin and Turner’s trip down here!

Enjoy!

Tucan Sam in Copan!

Churning the Butter…

Tuk Tuk Ride!

Talking to the Birds!

Underground Mayan Temple at Copan

Trying to Catch a Blue Morph


Raining Night in Copan


The Arm Wrestle!


Happy Birthday Fart Song

Another Birthday Song…for Turner!

Sunset in Roatan

Slack Lining!

Maybe the Worse Mariachi Band Ever!

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ADVENTURAS GRANDE CON AUSTINO Y TURNITO

Austin and Turner went to Honduras for 2 weeks to visit their Aunt Dawn and Uncle Jim. And this is how it went!

There are a lot of photos in this blog, so please click on the photos to see the photo albums. The next blog will include videos of Turner and Austin’s Great Adventure!

And now…a bit of what they Experienced, Saw, Did, Learned and Ingested!

EXPERIENCED…

Austin and Turner Experienced…

- Being uncomfortable during travel.
- Traveling in the back of a pickup.
- Riding in a tuk tuk (aka… 3 wheel mototaxi).
- Being stuck in a roadblock during an anti-coup political demonstration.
- Trying to speak and understand Spanish.
- Having huge macaws and parrots all over them.

Bird Peeps of Honduras

- Having monkeys crawl on their shoulders and heads!

Monkeys Mon-Chee Chees!

- A typical Garifuna seaside village.
- A typical indigenous mountain village.

Turner and Austin do life Village Style

- A tropical lightening and thunder rain storm.
- Drinking from a bag.
- A hot water shower from an electric shower head (aka widowmaker) without getting shocked!
- Being hot hot hot!
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SAW…
- The Copan Mayan Ruins.

Turner and Austin Take Copan by Storm!

- Dead animals on the side of the road being eaten by turkey vultures.

From Online Edits

From Online Edits

- An anti-coup political demonstration.
- Sea turtle, eels, conch, queen angel fish, large grouper, anemones, sponges, a lot of other tropical fish, colorful corals, a sunken submarine and so much more under the sea!

Roatan Sealife!

- Large iguanas, crocodiles, bats, and spiders that walk on water!

Turner and Austin meets Honduras’ Wild life!

- Their aunt and uncle negotiating for cheaper prices.
- Street dogs.

Turner’s photos of the Dogs of Honduras

- Campesinos (country-dweller, farm workers, indigenous workers in the country side) going about their daily work.
- Very poor people and how they live.

The People of Honduras – A and T’s Trip

- How young some Honduras (6 years old even) have to work to help out their family, some performing dangerous work.

From 2009_08_18 – Turner

- Fresh pan de coco being made by Garifuna women in an outdoor earth oven.
- Salespeople on the bus selling cold drinks, candied popcorn balls (which they both bought and ate fast), cookies, chicken meals, water in a bag and watches (which Uncle Jim bought).
- Outdoor market places.

Turner and Austin See their first Street Markets.

- Beautiful sunsets.

Honduran Sunsets for Austin and Turner

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DID…
- Zip-lined through and over trees.
- Snorkeled in the Caribbean Sea.
- White water rafted in Class 3 and a bit of Class 4 rapids.
- Kayaked on rivers in mangrove jungles.

Ziplining, Rafting, and kayaking…Honduran Style!

- Volunteered with boys in an orphanage.
- Played soccer with Honduran kids.
- Taught the boys at the orphanage how to walk on a slack line.
- Made friends at the orphanage.

Austin & Turner Volunteering at Casa del Nino

- Played Farkle!
- Jumped off rocks 20-35 feet into a rushing river below.
- Floated down Class 3 rapids without a boat!
- Slept in a hostel.
- Rock climbed and bouldered.

First Timers at Jungle River Lodge

- Bought stuff in the street market.
- Climbed up Mayan temples.
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LEARNED…
- About the Mayan Culture at Copan, including that the captain of the winning team a ceremonial activity (a game) was sacrificed, and that this was an honor!

Mayan Museums & Living Quarters

- The root of the Ceiba tree can grow up to 2 kilometers in its search for water.
- How Archeologists would number blocks of stone to try to figure out how to put them back into their original temple form.
- That ancient Maya were masters of drainage engineering and modern Hondurans still have not figured it out.
- More of the Spanish language, including curse words.
- How to equalize their ears when diving under water.
- That cows in Honduras look different than cows in the States.
- The many uses of a machete.
- That a house can be made of mud and sticks or bamboo and palm fronds.
- How pineapples grow.
- That a Honduran public school day lasts less than 4 hours a many days are missed because the teachers are frequently on strike because their wages are low and they frequently don’t receive their paychecks.
- That there is no shortage of sugar and bread products to satisfy Turner’s need for carbs.
- That their 40-something year old Aunt and Uncle can swim better than them.
- About the Pirate Captain John Coxen (Coxon).
- That their Aunt Dawn reminds them of their mother.
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INGESTED…

Food for Austin and Turner in Honduras!

- New tropical fruit (and how good fresh tropical fruit is compared to some American fruit).
- Licuados!
- Fresh coconut water out of a coconut, and horchata, tamarindo and jamaica juices.
- Baleadas.
- Fried plantains, thick ones, thin ones and super crispy chip-like ones!
- Lots of chicken and rice, or rice and chicken.
- Pastillos.
- Fresca, their new soda of choice.
- Jim’s homemade pineapple upside down cake.
- Fried yucca.
- Fresh right out of the oven pan de coco.
- Super sweet coconut candy
- The Garifuna’s style of a cinnamon bun.
- Coconut M&Ms…yes they exsist!
- And local beer (only Austin though).
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AND NOW A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THEIR VISIT:

Austino and Turnito’s Trip Start to End

DAY 1 – Picked up from airport, drove for 3-4 hours squished in the pseudo back seat of a pick-up truck.

DAY 2 – Went to the Copan Mayan Ruins and Macaw Mountain.

DAY 3 – While Austin was sick and asleep all day, Turner and Uncle Jim went to the Copan Museum, which they both thoroughly enjoyed. Then afterwards they went with Aunt Dawn to another archaeological site where the Mayan nobility of Copan lived.

DAY 4 – Four-wheeled drove to an indigenous mountain village in the back of the pick-up and then drove all the way across the country to La Ceiba.

DAY 5 – Took a boat to the island of Roatan, went to a fundraiser party for the Roatan Marine Park and snorkeled at Black Rock in West Bay.

DAY 6 – Snorkeled a lot in Half Moon Bay and then relaxed. That evening we celebrated Turner’s 16th birthday at an asian food restaurant where they had karaoke. Unfortunately the few people that were there only sang country, Turner’s NOT favorite music! But we hope Aunt Dawn’s surprise song, Happy Birthday (with everyone there helping out) and his second chocolate brownie for the day made up for it!

DAY 7 – Went to Gumbalimba Park for the day, hiked, learned some history of Roatan, saw parrots, monkeys climbed on us, swam in a pool and snorkeled more!

DAY 8 – Took boat back to La Ceiba and volunteered at Casa Del Nino in the afternoon. Austin and Turner introduced the slack line to the boys. The boys loved it and tried to do it over and over again and wanted Austin and Turner to show them how to do it again and again.

DAY 9 – Relaxed in the morning and volunteered in the afternoon. Soccer was played and Turner said they kicked his butt. The younger boys enjoyed having big guys to climb all over and the teens enjoyed having American peers to hang out with, and even though there was a language barrier…they seemed to communicate just fine! After volunteering we went up the mountain and stayed at the very rustic Jungle River Lodge on the very beautiful Cangrejal River.

DAY 10 – White water rafted on class 3 and a bit of class 4 rapids, bouldered all over huge rocks, jumped off cliffs and rocks from 20-35 feet up into the rushing river, and the boys even tried some rock climbing. Then drove back to La Ceiba for more volunteering in the afternoon. We were very impressed how well Austin and Turner jumped in with volunteering with the boys. We have seen so many college kids come volunteer this past summer that didn’t have nearly as much confidence and the now how to even play with kids! I hope Austin and Turner keep on volunteering and maybe come back with us to visit the boys again!

DAY 11 – Went souvenir shopping in the morning and then the last day of volunteer work for Austin and Turner. Some of the older boys even hugged Austin and Turner good-bye!

DAY 12 – Slept in and relaxed during the morning and then took a bus (not the old American school local “Chicken bus” as planned, but rather a “directo” more comfortable bus with no AC and plenty of locals cramming on) to the beach town of Tela.

DAY 13 – Got up early for kayaking through the mangrove jungles
at Punta Izopo, visited two Garifuna beach villages, swam in the Caribbean sea and had lunch. Got to see coconut bread being made in a Garifuna village and ate some fresh out of the oven.

DAY 14 – Got up and took a taxi to the airport and hung out for
a while saying good-bye to Aunt Dawn and Uncle Jim.
(Aunt Dawn did not cry until they were out of sight).

Turner’s Art & Life Shots – Honduras 2009

Aunt Dawn and Uncle Jim really enjoyed seeing their nephews and sharing with them so many new experiences! I hope Austin and Turner enjoyed their visit just as much!

And now 40-something Aunt Dawn and Uncle Jim will rest up after trying to act really young to impress their 16 and 17 year old nephews!
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