Monday, May 26, 2008

It was an interesting two weeks that ended with me back in Honduras, and poor Alice awaiting medical clearance to travel. A little infection is all, but she couldn't get approved for travel. We're hoping to be reunited this Thursday so we can get back to work, and so I don't depend on the neighbor as a doggy sitter.

Our visit to the States was fantastic, made so mostly by lots of love and support from our friends. It was also really weird. Entire days felt like a dream, not a wonderful dream, just a portion of your life that seems imaginary. I realized that right now, I have no real home, and won't for a while. Honduras is where I live and work, but I will always be a foreigner here in some ways. Life in the United States moves on very fast, and some people had visibly left me behind. I get this feeling I will struggle with these issues my entire life, I love new things, and I can’t see this being my last experience abroad. The friends I still have in Tulsa showed a great deal of support, dealt with me being flakey and indecisive, and did so cheerfully. My old roommate didn’t mind at all I had parties at his house or that I never knocked before letting myself in. Luckily, neither did his new roommate. People showed up when they could, and one of my friends managed to go with me to OKC within the two weeks, even though we had planned to go but never went in 6 months before I left. Sadly, I found that I was less than dependable, due to my limited time and having become accustomed to a different culture, but I did my best. If someone feels left out, I am truely sorry.

I’ve never been hit by culture shock as bad as other people, but I did learn one very important lesson. When reentering a culture, try to surround yourself with people who at least claim to be normal. Places not to go should include the renaissance fair. I like the ren fair, but from here on, I know better than to go my first day back. At one point, I was fairly certain I had gone insane.
Joel’s wedding was wonderful. Seeing Alice’s family was nice as well. My Dad came down from Iowa to hang out for a few days, and my Mom was there the whole time. Our Families are dependable, and lucky for us, they are all a little crazy too, so we fit in just as well as ever. For a change I have picture, so here are a few.


This is the waterfall we visitied with Shawn. It was wonderful. Sorry it took so long to get this picture up. I am just a bit lazy some days.
So this picture is from a slightly different angle, and Shawn helps with the scale. As you can see, it is big.


This picture shows my wife very confused. She seems to have fallen aslep and mistaken our dog for a hat.


Thats my dad and me. He is still slightly taller than me, but he has been sliding into his feet for a few years now, so hopefully I will be taller before too long.




This picture is proof I did something right, as I am obviously married to the most beautiful woman in the world. And thats what I look like in a skirt.


It seems wrong to go to a wedding and not include a picture of the bride and groom, so here is is. Alice's brother and his new wife.

So, I tried to solve the office internet problem with a router a bought, and nearly caused a repeat of the office printer problem, but I got it worked out. Now only one person is without internet, and I can fix this quickly with the right cable, or USB wireless modem. Either way, I did my part.

Now I have to go eat lunch. I am certain you will all hear fom me again soon. I am getting good at this blog thing I think.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Coming home and coming back

Drew and I are coming home to visit in about 4 days.

The week before my trip home has helped me remember how different living here really is from the states.

For example, the last two weeks, our water has been unreliable. I have taken a real shower twice in the last two weeks, the rest of the days I showered with a bucket and cold water. I have found, you just don’t get as clean…..all I could think about was a warm, two knob (one for hot and cold, not just one generic one), pressurized showerhead that I will use at least once a day every day I am home in the states for two weeks. And, washing dishes with warm water, being able to flush any hour of the day…ahh such luxuries. It was okay when we just had water during the day and not the night, but when the water stopped working as much during the day, things get a little rougher. Our pila(cement water tank) to store water for times when we don’t have it, is one of the smallest ones I have ever seen in Honduras. So, it doesn’t help out as much as it should….when we say water is life (agua is vida) it means more to me now than it did in the past.
This last week, (Drew) and I have been trying to catch up on laundry. As I was getting a bucket ready with bleach and detergent, I took a good look at our white socks. Well, I first noticed that they just aren’t that white anymore. They look a bit worn. (sarcasm) And some of the dirt stains won’t bleach out. Thank God they will soon be replaced by bags of new fluffy white cotton ones from some store in the states. Drew and I favorite jeans are past that “cool” worn in look and will go in the trash once they are replaced, or used in some recycling project. Drew’s clothes all hang off of him since his “Honduras weight loss program” and my shoes have been tested by mountainy dirt and cobblestone roads.

I was walking to work today and passed about 4 street dogs, a horse randomly tied up near the side of the road, a guy on a horse with a big bag of rice headed up the mountain, and kids playing in the park because the Honduras teachers are again on strike and classes are cancelled for today. The park though was in bloom as always, as if it is always constantly Spring in Valle de Angeles. Only here does that seem normal. In a few days, I will be taking highways to get everywhere, see more stoplights than there are in the whole country of Honduras, and have convenience on every corner. No one lets their dogs roam free and I only see horses when you get way out in the country. They aren’t used as a form of transportation. All the cars will be about 5-10 years newer and the people at least 20-50 pounds bigger. I have to tell you, I love both countries. I look forward to being home, I look forward to sharing what I have learned here, and look forward to telling people about the states when I get back to Honduras. After all, two of our three goals in Peace Corps are to teach Honduras about American culture and to teach Americans about what life is like in another country. And in both places, life is good, life is different, life is interesting. And after the locura of a two week see-everyone-you-can-eat-tons-of-food-buy-clothes-do-familiy-stuff-etc I am sure I will be ready to come back to Honduras, which in a strangley comforting way has become my home.