So my morning started off a disaster. I don't know if it was something I ate, but I got pretty sick. One of my trip leaders recommended that I stay in the hostel today and rest, so I begrudgingly agreed. I spent the time practicing some of my Spanish, and I only threw up once.
Luckily around 11, the woman who takes lunch to the worksite offered to drive me and another trip leader Amy (coolest girl ever) to the worksite if I was feeling better around noon. Well, I bounced back pretty quickly and Amy and I caught a ride with her and a couple other people.
Something I love about Honduras is how the people are like never ending taxi drivers for one another. You see a woman with groceries and her house is on the way to your destination? You pick her up and drop her off, no questions asked.
The most exciting part of arriving late was that Amy and I got to ride in the bed of the truck that drove us. I stood the entire time and took in EVERYTHING. We went speeding through El Progreso and I thought I would die a good 5 times, but it was so much fun! There is no better way to ride in a foreign country than the way the locals do it! It was a totally different experience in comparison to the volunteer bus I usually ride. I felt so connected, and like I was one of the locals. I'm pretty sure I was grinning like an idiot the entire ride.
Culture Shock Moment of the Day:
Armed guards stand in front of most stores, and while they're typically friendly, they carry pretty huge guns with em.
We finally arrived and brought the food out to the work site. Everybody cheered out my name and were incredibly welcoming to Amy and me. I felt like Katniss Everdeen riding in on my fire chariot when we rolled in with me standing on the back of the truck!
For lunch we had kabobs and tortillas and fresh pineapple. I only ate a bit because my stomach was recovering, but it was a very good lunch.
We got stuck in a heavy rain storm that delayed us getting back to work, but we spent a good 3 hours working on the school we were building. I did a lot of shoveling, spreading cement and throwing mud with the kids. I even played with a perroita (puppy) that the kids brought out to show us.
I witnessed a lot of hard work today from Students Helping Honduras and the community members that helped. We all made an excellent team! It wasn't all work either; people were socializing, laughing, and flirting (Honduran boys are shameless). I was pretty focused on working since I had missed the morning, and the language barrier still proves difficult for me, but I spoke a little more to the children and it went well! Here is a boy named Darwin that I met, and his puppy that was unnamed. I suggested Socks and he just laughed at me.
On a side note, the Hondurans love Skrillex and Eminem. Who knew?
On the way home we visited a young girl's grave site. Her name was Abigail and she died of cancer last May. She lived in the girls' home in the orphanage run by SHH. She was 8. I never knew her, but I do know my kids who are 8, and they're barely at the start of their lives. Entering 2nd grade, making friends, learning about life...it's too damn young. Hondurans leave so many flowers for their deceased loved ones. Each grave is a mini floral shop. It's beautiful in a dark sort of way.
On a happier note, dinner was muy bien and hopefully I won't wake up at 5am with my face in the toilet. For dessert we got "Honduran donuts" which for the record are way better than American donuts.
In the evening we had a bonfire with the kids and I met a 14 year old boy named John Carlos who allowed me to practice my broken Spanish on him. He was playful and encouraging and practiced his English on me. It was really comforting having somebody so patient that didn't snicker at me every time I mispronounced a word.
But over all today was a solid day, and I'm sure tomorrow my roommates and I can joke about how the only Honduran native in the group was the only one to get sick!
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