En La Ceiba

What a whirlwind today has been! After eating breakfast at the hotel, I left Teguc and had a nice short flight to La Ceiba where I was met at the airport by the program coordinator - Rafael. He speaks English pretty well. My host mother, Srta Argentina, does not speak English. However, my room is next door to a nice Nigerian girl who is volunteering in a local hospital as part of her studies at Manchester University. As it turns out, she was born in Manhattan! Suffice it to say, she has helped me translate. My host mother's daughter is on vacation but will return tomorrow. From what I can tell, she speaks English as well. 

My host mother was very grateful for the soaps, book about Rochester, and pottery dish I brought for her. Tita, my Nigerian neighbor, had gone to work when I gave them to her, so I didn't get most of what she said. I got a hug out of it though, so I know it made her happy!

When I was boarding the plane in Tegucigalpa this morning, I met three friendly women traveling from Victoria, Canada, to deliver 22 quilts to a school nearby. It's so great to see people around the world reaching out to help one another!

My host mother prepared us a rather large lunch of carne asada (roast beef) with cheese, rice, papaya, torrillas, and a side of pasta with peas and cheese sauce. I'm guessing the pasta was supposed to be an American dish? It wasn't very good, but I didn't have the heart to tell her that. 

After lunch, Joel (pronounced ho-ell), a young volunteer with the agency, gave me a tour of the city complete with a warning of the areas to stay away from! Unfortunately, he spoke in Spanish for the most part, and I only got about half of what he said. He was very helpful, though, and I was able to get a cheap phone to make local calls and stay in communication with my host family and the volunteer agency. It poured for a short period of time, but other than that, the weather has been nice and hot. 

Dinner consisted of corn, some sort of tea, and soft tacos with meat, cheese, and avocado. I had an attempt at a conversation with Srta Argentina, and after much confusion, I learned that she wants me to make sure I unplug things when I am not using them as to avoid wasting electricity - which I had already planned to do. The place I am staying is quite nice - there are two "hotel rooms" behind the house. Both have a bed, TV, dresser, nightstand, bathroom with shower, and most importantly, a fan! 

So far, the language barrier has proven to be more difficult than I had envisioned. However, this forces me out of my comfort zone and to learn Spanish faster. I am looking forward to starting my classes tomorrow morning and then meeting the kids I will be working with after lunch. 

Already so grateful for all that I have back home and beginning to get a broader picture of the world we live in!

The first three pictures below are from my hotel in the capital. The last one is a picture of inside my room with the host family. 

Adios, Tegucigalpa!

Hola, La Ceiba!