Time in Tegus

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Weekend in Tegucigalpa

Last weekend we had a welcoming dinner and fiesta in the city, Tegucigalpa, or also known as Tegus. Its about an hour from the ranch, and the closest real city. We all went to dinner Friday at a local Tegus restaurant. It was pretty cheap, and the food was really good. Afterwards we went to a discoteca, or like dance club. There were a ton of us, so it was really fun. Anyway, so that was Friday night. Saturday we went to Cristo statue of Tegus. Its this huge statue of Jesus Christ on the top of the mountain overlooking the town (just like in Taxco, sandy and jess). Its soooo cool. So our friend Natalie (a volunteer) has a friend Andres who lives in Tegus and he picked us all up, 8 of us, crammed into his car and we drove up to the top of the statue. It was the best view ever, we took a lot of cool pictures! One really cool part was when we were walking up there, we saw a monkey! He was just chillin on the side of the road by a couple Honduran women. We thought he was wild but he turned out to be from this little zoo that was further down the road. Anyway, we took a bunch of pictures with him, it was hilarious. So yea, we went up to Cristo and it was an amazing view. Then, we went back to the hotel for a little while and ended up going out to dinner at this really good little Italian place and it was so nice to eat Italian food (not that I’m complaining cause I really do like the ranch food for the most part). After dinner, Natalie’s friend Andres brought us Sangria and we had some sangria in our hotel room, and watched “Mr.Deeds” with Spanish subtitles, and went to bed. Nothing else too exciting, but it was a nice “welcome” weekend.

This weekend is a “working weekend,” but we still get one day off- we only work half the weekend. So, yesterday afternoon (Friday), after we were done working at 1pm, we went to Tegus again, and we just had to be back by 5pm today (Saturday) for Misa. Last night we walked around the city a little, and sat in the Centro, which I guess is sorta like a town square. Its really nice and theres a huge church there, no cars can drive through but its like the center of the town. I LOVE just sitting there and people watching. Almost always someone will come talk to you, and its usually interesting conversations. Of course, some people are annoying, which is when you pretend you don’t speak Spanish and they leave you alone. I love seeing couples in love, and little children playing, old people always smile at you, and I even saw one of those people who scream the bible at everyone, yelling bible verses in peoples faces. I watched 2 kids chasing each other with balloons made out of swords, laughing their heads off. They were so cute. It’s just interesting how kids are all just kids no matter where you go, and you find the same kinds of people everywhere. Crazy preachers, cute old people, teenagers in love, the friendly, the weird, the crazy, the creepy.. I had one older lady sit next to me and tell me for like 15 minutes how careful I have to be cause there are soooo many “ladrones” which means like thief or robber, and she lectured me on how to carry my bag and where to hide my money.

Anyway, so I was people watching yesterday while my friends went into some of the stores in the centre. All of a sudden I hear like a marching band. Then this group of like army looking men and women, probably like 30 of them, marched by, all carrying folded Honduran flags, in government uniforms, they all kicked their legs up together in unison. Just marched through the centre, randomly. Im thinking, “what the…..” And before I know it, the centre is FILLED with like 15 different marching bands, all marching around, playing drums and trumpets and instruments I have never seen before. Literally, there were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people parading around in perfect lines, playing in their marching bands, dancing while they were playing, along with pom-pom like girls dancing, army people saluting, and all the locals forming groups around watching, like a 4th of July downtown Chicago parade. Apparently this was much bigger of a deal that I anticipated, as it went on for like 2 hours, then all the bands stopped and sat on the street and they had this big pavilion set up with all these important people sitting under it. They said a bunch of stuff I didn’t really understand. By this point, I had found my friends again, and me and Natalie were watching this all together. The government people under the pavilion said a prayer, and took down the Honduran flag from the flag pole in the middle of the centre. This was like a huge deal, and we finally asked this man what was going on and he told us it was the beginning of their celebration of Independence Day, which is September 15th, but today was the “day of the banner” which I guess they take down the flag and do something, maybe put it back up on Sept. 15th? I am not really sure, but it was very entertaining.

Anyway, so that night we just went to dinner, and then stayed the night in a hotel. We all naturally woke up around 7:30 because that’s what time we are used to waking up. We went for coffee and breakfast, shopped a little, and got ready to come back to the ranch. It was just Natalie and I at this point, because we went our separate ways, as other people had other stuff to do. Anyway, so as we were on our way to the bus stop to get back to the ranch, just walking through Tegus, and we passed 2 people sleeping on the side of the street. Now, poor people just sitting on the side of the streets are normal, just like in Chicago, asking for money. Sometimes we give them a few Lemps (1 lemp. Is like 5 cents., and they are all in dollar bills, not coins). Anyway, these 2 particularly caught my eye because it appeared to be a man and a kid. Now this wasn’t down some ally, it was right on the road in public, just like against the side of the building. I told Natalie I had to go back and give them something cause there was a kid there. She agreed, and we turned around and bought 2 bags of water (they sell them in bags here for like 10cents, or 2 lemps) and 2 bags of chips. I went over and squatted down and pushed the kids shoulder, and said “Permiso” which means like excuse me. I thought he was dead, because I shook him like 4 times and he barely moved. I got really scared until he raised his head, and so did the guy sitting next to him, who sat up halfway first, had his shirt wrapped around his head and peeked through the head hole of his dirty ripped shirt. I saw his face and my heart sank because it was another very young boy. They couldn’t have been older than 10 or 12. I would have felt better if it was a young boy and his father, but 2 little kids made me feel sick. I know its prevalent here, and I know our kids at NPH come from situations like this and probably worse, but I guess it was the first time I saw it face to face. All of our kids at NPH are already “saved,” if you wana call it that, they have a home and a family here at NPH, have food and people who love them here. But where were these kids’ family? Do they always sleep here, and what do they eat? It was around noon and they were passed out, dead to the world, in the middle of a big city, alone. I gave them like 40 lemps, which is only like $2 US dollars, but that’s what the average person makes here in an entire day. The kids were really out of it, and seemed confused, but said Gracias, and gratefully took what we gave them. We left, and I felt really guilty, wanting to do more, go back give them more money or more food or something, but I know there probably wasn’t much else we could do.

It just reminds me i guess, of what we do for our kids here at NPH, and all that even they take for granted, not to mention me.

Then Saturday, when we returned to the Ranch to work, we got a new family. At mass, they introduced the newest members of the NPH family, one being the now youngest we have at the ranch, a little girl 9 months old named Dulce (meaning "sweet"), along with her 2 brothers and one sister. The boys were around 8 and 10 years old, the sister was probably 6. It was really sweet, and when they were introduced, everyone cheered for them. Seeing the little boy hold his baby sister in front of everyone, knowing these kids now have a home and now won't ever be hungry or cold or alone was so nice and another reminder of what NPH does for kids, providing a family and structure when theirs has been lost.

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Photos

Jesus Cristo
Cristo Statue

The Girls
This is half of us before we went out for our welcoming dinner party. Its from left to right~ Jennifer, Brittany, Natalie, Me, Soroya

Enjoying the Weather
Ridin in the back of a truck, enjoying the scenery and the weather.

The Monkey
He looks like an old man doesn't he?

The Monkey
He was hilarious- imitating our faces. It was really funny.

Me chillin
Just hanging out in Tegus sittin on this building structure on the way up to Cristo

The View
The view from up at Cristo. The girl is a friend, Loes, the art therapist.

The City
The view from up at Cristo, too. The City of Tegus.

Jesus and Me
Me gazing in awe at Jesus.

The girls
Drivin around Tegus~ Me, Jennifer, Soroya, Cate and Loes

In the hotel
Natalie and Me in the hotel. Its only like $20 US a night, so its super cheap AND we get hot showers, although the sheets are like tissue paper and the shower curtain is like, well, like tissue paper too...

Loes
My friend Loes up at Cristo

Soroya
Soraya up at Cristo deep in thought

Soroya
Which looks cooler, this one or the sepia colored one?

Me and Natalie
At this little cafe we go to alot

Natalie, Cate and Me
This was from when we went out one night and got really annoyed at everyone speaking English to us, so I told everyone Cate was from Spain (her spanish is awesome) and Natalie was from Germany (she studied in Germany for a year) and neither spoke English. It was quite interesting, and, might I add, hilarious.

Comments

[Erica]

Hello friend, So I just caught up on all the journal entries and I must say, keep them coming! This travelblog is such a wonderful idea to stay in touch and keep everyone updated on your life. I miss you terribly and am praying for you and all the lovely children of the NPH honduras. Keep smiling! Love your cous, Erica

[cuzo sarah]

hi
hey krisss sounds like its cool over there just letting you know i read these in my dorm haha! and that monkey is really cute and that cockroach was really disgusting i saw about 2 cucarachas over here its kinda sick. lol like how i said cucarachas i knew that was cockroach bcuz in the bathroom this morning there was a sign that said dont throw outside garbage in the bathroom so the cockroaches dont come back and there was a can of raid sitting there with a big nasty picture of one. lol but anywayyyyy....... well have fun talk to ya later

[Mom]

Whoa, what a cute monkey. Great pictures and I love the creative angles. Sounds like you are having a wonderful time, but I hope you listen to the old woman, I am sure she knows what she is talking about. Other than San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa has the highest crime rate in the entire country. Have you read the book I gave you?? Don't take the advice of the elderly woman lightly, she lives there and she is older and wiser. BE CAREFUL!! In reference to the last blog, your dads comment about cutting the grass and your plea for me to come to your rescue, I will say Yes, you did cut the grass once about 9 years ago with a push mower. And, once about 7 years ago you used the riding mower and drove back and forth across the lawn for a couple of hours, unfortunately you never turned the blades on-remember??? Since then I am not sure you have even been home long enough to cut any grass. Love, Mom

[Kristen In Honduras]

mom, thanks for recognizing my attempt at creative photography. i am about to post another that i love of my friend soroya. anyway, thanks for the comments everyone, i love reading them and i love you all for thinking of me and reading all the stuff i write. sarah, im sorry you have cucarachas in your dorm. that really sucks.