Week one down!

What a great weekend! We got a fabulous introduction to Honduras cooking, family style, on Friday night. The family that owns our apartment (and lives below us) invited us over for a family dinner (grandparents, cousins, uncles, aunts, the whole gang!) It was delicious! They grilled 3 or 4 kinds of meat - the chorizo and pork were our favorites. The meat was accompanied by tortillas, avocado, salsa, beans, corn on the cob and cheese. I made some brownies with the help of Alex (our landlord´s son). We had to bake them in their house though since we don´t have an oven! They enjoyed them!

We spent Saturday with the group from Chicago. We began the day with devotions then did a tour of the new female group home. It is a place for the emotionally and mentally disturbed girls and women to live in order to get some special attention. They currently have 6 girls living in the home and two tias (care takers). Be thankful for all you have.

After visiting the house, we headed over to the construction site where we moved approximately 1000 bricks (about 25 pounds each) from the ground to the top of a two story building! It was quite a feat, but we did it! Needless to say, we were quite sore the next day! After refueling with some Wendy´s, it was time for the boy´s soccer game. There were several of us at the girl´s orphanage with no vehicle. Mario (one of the older orphans in college) suggested that we take the bus. I was adamantly against it from the horror stories that I heard. Worst of all, we would have to walk through the neighborhood outside of the girl´s orphanage to get to the bus stop. (My first time here two years ago, I was warned NEVER to walk in that neighborhood). So, after much nagging and begging and against my better judgement, I was somehow convinced that it would be okay to move forward with this plan. So, Greg and I, 2 junior high boys, another American girl, and Mario...or fearless Honduran guide...were off. By the grace of God (I truly mean that) we made it safely to the farm. There we met with the rest of the boys that would be playing in the game. We prepared to load up to head out, and realized, there was no vehicle for us to take! Again, we were forced to ride the city bus! I did feel a little better this time since there were about 15 Honduran boys with us, but nonetheless I was not happy about it! Finally we arrived in La Villa de San Antonio to play the futbol game! The boys wanted Greg play, and the other team allowed it! Greg was so excited to play in his first ´official´ Honduran soccer game! He was so fired up that he scored a goal and had an assist! The boys in yellow, the orphans, won 7-3. It was a great game! Fortunately for us (well, me at least) the rest of the group met us at the game. That meant NO MORE BUS!!! I was excited! Greg also was excited because he was given the keys to a brand new Toyota Hilux to drive the kids back to the orphanage! This would mark his first time driving in Honduras (I swear, they should require a special clearance to drive here. There are COMPLETELY different rules ....or maybe the problem is that they don´t have any rules...who knows!) Anyway, so with 6 people in the front, and rest of the boys in the truck bed, we headed back to the farm. Greg did a great job driving, and actually got a little too comfortable and started passing cars and speeding. We were so exhausted when we finally got home that we decided to just go to bed! We had a big day coming!

We met the our landlords and their family at 7am to depart for San Pedro Sula. Neither of us had been there before, so Greg and I were excited. I was really surprised that the little ones don´t have to ride in car seats here. The 18 month baby that was with us rode up front with her mom. Occasionally, she would lay on the floor, or jump into the back seat for a change of scenery. It scared me at first, but then I got used to it - it is their custom here! It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive, but we stopped halfway to get some breakfast. They ordered us a typical Honduran meal (eggs, avocado, fresh butter, a slab of meat, beans, and huge fluffy tortillas) and coffee with fresh cream. It was super tasty! On the way, the family taught us new Spanish words and we helped them practice their English. (Funny story...I will have to tell you later!) After much anticipation, we finally arrived at Zizima, a new water park in San Pedro! It cost L150 per person to get in (about $7.50). The park had water body slides, inter tube slides, a wave pool, a lazy river, a children´s area, lots or refreshments and a cabana area. We had a great time!

We headed back to Comayagua around 4:00pm. On the way, we stopped at one of their favorite seafood restaurants, Power Fish. It is located right on Yahoa Lake and had a beautiful view! As always, the family ordered for us - but we got somewhat of an idea what we would be eating when they opened up cooler to selected the fish they wanted to have cooked. After a few minutes of waiting, they presented us with our meals. The plate contained an entire deep fried fish (eyes, fins, skin and all) accompanied by some plantain chips. The family taught us to peel back the skin of the fish, season with a little lime and salt, then dig out the meat with our fingers (Greg and I used forks). After I got past the fact that there was a whole deep fried fish on my plate staring at me, I finally decided to dig in. Greg and I both really enjoyed it! Once we had skinned and consumed one side, we flipped it over and dug in to the other side. I was proud of myself for participating in this new experience! :) We were all exhausted by the time we got home around 8:00, bedtime came about 30 minutes later! It was a wonderful day, and a great ending to our first week here!

Greg and I are so thankful for the wonderful people God has put in our lives here. The family here has been so generous and kind to take us in and treat us like family...and we have only been here for 1 week! They are truly good people! We want to always remember how open and inviting they have been to us and treat others the same way. We have seen God through their actions this week and are extremely grateful! And don´t worry, we won´t taking the bus or walking through the girl´s orphanage neighborhood anymore!