When we first moved to Honduras, there were several things
that were strange to us. Since we were so used to the United States, it was
weird to see how certain things were done in Honduras. We had only come on a
week missions trip before moving, so we weren’t experts on Honduran culture.
The
first place we lived in was called Yamaranguila. Yamaranguila was in the middle
of nowhere, high in the mountains. It was past another town in the middle of
nowhere, called La Esperanza. It took about thirty to forty-five minutes to get
into La Esperanza. So when we went into that town, we’d usually stay for quite
a while. We would go into La Esperanza to do our grocery shopping. We would
have to go to three different stores to buy all the food that we would need for
six people for a week or so. Other people would not only be staring at us for
having white skin and for speaking English, but also for buying so much food. Most
Hondurans would shop for that day and then come back tomorrow for tomorrow’s
food. They didn’t plan ahead or have a grocery list like we did. If they forgot
something, they would just come back for what they missed. We would have to
wait until the next time we drove into La Esperanza, that’s why we made sure we
didn’t forget anything.
We would
also drive into La Esperanza to go to the internet café. We did not have
internet at our house and the only way we could access the internet was by
going into the town. The internet café was a small building with a little desk,
a little bathroom in the back, and finally a row of cubicles with a computer
per cubicle. You paid for a certain amount of time to use the computer. We would
go for an hour or two so that my parents could update people in the States
about what was happening with our family. A lot of times we would split up and
have one parent go to the café and the other goes shopping; we kids would
choose
 |
| This isn't the one we went to, but it was similar. |
who to go with. When we went as a whole family to the café, the kids
would sometimes use a computer for “homework” our dad would give us; as he
homeschooled us for a while. Going to the café wasn’t that much fun but it was
necessary to go. I remember one time I got sick with diarrhea (I know it isn’t
pleasant but it happened!) when we were at the café. I had to go into that
little bathroom, because there was nowhere else, and I had to bring in my own
toilet paper and sit down on the gross seat. It was horrible. I felt terrible
and that bathroom was so disgusting. But I loved that bathroom, as it was such
a relief to have somewhere, no matter how icky, to go.
In
Yamaranguila we owned this little van/bus and we called it the busito (little
bus). Now this busito was a terrible car for Yamaraguila. The roads were so dusty
that the car would fill with the white powder and then shut down. We got
stranded a couple times on the road to and from La Esperanza. Once the car
wouldn’t turn on in La Esperanza so we couldn’t go home, we were stuck there. My
dad stayed to get it fixed and the rest of us took a yellow bus half way to
Yamaranguila and I think someone from the complex we lived on picked us up from
there. Now, for those who do not live in Honduras, a yellow bus is a school bus
used as a form of public transportation. These buses are not the safest or the
most comfortable. They tend to be overcrowded and smelly. They cost about a
dollar to ride but you never know what will happen on them. Thus we did not
want to be on that bus for very long and were happy when we finally got to get
off. Another time a rock from the road shot up into the underside of the car
and caused it to stop working. We were stuck on the actual road to La Esperanza
and had to call someone from the complex to pick us up. That busito might have
lasted longer had it not been through those Yamaranguila roads. We no longer
have that car, as it doesn’t work anymore and it costs way more to fix it than
it did to buy a new one.
There are
many other things that occurred in Yamaranguila, even if we only lived there
for a couple months. In another post I will add to these adventures, but for
now this is all. Yamaranguila was a fun time, yet crazy. There were so many
weird things and odd customs that we did not understand. We were first time
missionaries and we didn’t know if this life would work. Now we live about
three to four hours away from Yamaranguila and we no longer have our crappy car
(sorry if you don’t like the word, there is no other way to put it). We don’t
have to drive for a long time to get to a grocery store, nor do we have to go
to three different ones. We also don’t have to go into the city to an internet café
as we have internet at our house. Many things have changed since Yamaranguila,
it seems as if it were for the best though. I sometimes miss it but I’m glad I’m
where I am now. I’m happy and safe, no worries about shopping at three
different places or cars getting filled with dust. Yamaranguila, even with the
crazy stuff, wasn’t a bad place to live; it was actually quite fun!
Goodbye,
until next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment