Parents Visit & Returning

I know it's been a while.  There has been a LOT going on.  In my last post I talked about my parents coming to visit me.  We had a wonderful time together.  So much happened, and I would love to say that I'll go and post in detail everything, but in all reality it's never going to happen.....

Some highlights from their time in Honduras:

They bought us a water tank.  I guess they weren't too excited about saving water in buckets for more than half the day.  We LOVE it.  It's SO nice to have water running 24 hours a day.  We have it set up so that we are using the water from the tank all the time, and when the water goes out two valves need to be turned and then Marco's parents also have water.

I found a store close to the bus stop in Santa Rosa that sells Cheddar Cheese!!  Now this may not be big to some people, but I'm so excited.  We all like cheddar cheese and knowing that it's only a short bus ride (1.5 hours) away instead of longer ride of 5 to 8 hours is very nice.

My parents experienced the market (and got starred at a whole bunch).  They were here over Semana Santa which is a pretty big holiday in Honduras.  The market was almost as busy as it was during Christmas.  I'm not sure my parents have ever been blatantly starred at that much in their entire life.  Seriously.  People three feet away had no problems just stopping and looking right at you for an EXTENDED amount of time.  We lost track of how many people actually followed my Dad around.

We went swimming in Gracias and visited the castle.  Around where we live there are lots of natural hot springs.  We went to one of the bigger swimming holes in Gracias.  As always people stared.... we couldn't figure out why, was it because we were foreigners, because we were big or because we were wearing swimsuits (apparently it's an oddity).

We planted fruit trees and flowers in the backyard.  We got some dirt (which was totally harder than it should have been) and a bunch of flowers and fruit trees and planted them in the area I've been working on in the back yard.  It's a really good start.  In a few years it's going to be beautiful!!

We went for a few drives around Lepaera.  This was so nice.  Life without a car is not exactly fun, especially when you've had access to one your entire life!!  We checked out some of the surrounding villages and even went across the valley to take some pictures of Lepaera.

Visited the Copan Ruinas.  I was a little skeptical about this one.  There seems to be a lot of hype, but it was actually pretty cool.  If the pool at the hotel had been a little warmer I might have made the argument to stay at the hotel instead and go swimming, but it was pretty chilly, so we ventured over to the ruins and were not disappointed.  We had a guided tour which was good he gave us lots of information but moved VERY quickly...  it would have been nice to stay and ask more questions, but as things were it all worked out for the best.  By the time the tour was done the kids were ready for naps (aka meltdown time).  I loved the big ceiba tree that was 400 years old and the tunnels were pretty cool too.  I'm glad we had a guide... I would not have liked getting lost down there.

Experienced life in Lepaera.  My Mom wanted to learn lots while she was visiting.  How to wash laundry by hand, how to prepare and grind corn to make tortillas, how to make corn tortillas & pupusas & flour tortillas, how to sort and cook beans, how to sort, roast & grind coffee, how to cut out a dress (and skirt) without a pattern (only measurements)....  At one point I remember a phone conversation where my mom said that maybe I should wash my own clothes so that I would have something to do..... then she came here and she took back everything she ever said about it.  My parents saw the poverty and tried to help where they could.  They saw how we live and how others live and I think they gained a greater appreciation of life and things in the US (especially the roads..... they leave a LOT to be desired here) They got to know our friends and played a LOT with our kids.  They got to know the kids again (they've changed a lot in 6 months).  We watched afternoon rainstorms wash the garbage down the road.  We sang Happy Birthday by candle light.  Marco & my Dad hung lines in the "laundry room" so that when it rains our clothes can dry.  They made plans for a kitchen counter so we can install the sink (apparently doing dishes in the bathroom sink isn't fun!)

San Pedro Sula & the Coast.  We spent the last two nights of my parents visit in a B&B/Hotel/Hostel in San Pedro Sula.  San Pedro Sula is just a FEW degrees warmer than where we live in the mountains.  It is necessary to have AC there.... at our place it's a luxury that adds to the electricity bill.  Getting around San Pedro is a little difficult, we had Marco's sister's husband meet us after we entered town and guide us to where we were staying.  We relaxed in the air conditioned rooms that evening and then headed out to the coast the next morning.  We drove toward Puerto Cortes and then headed to Omoa.  We had wanted to find a nice beach in Omoa, which looks like a laid back beach town, but there weren't any beaches.  So we kept driving... we saw a sign "Cabana's for rent" and tried to find them.... It was a little difficult, and a few u-turns later we finally found them..  We ended up in Masca with the beach to ourselves.  It was beautiful!!  My dad said it was "20 minute sun".  We got a little burned that day.  When we were out in the ocean it was sand, cabanas, restaurants & pulperias, and then green tropical mountains in the background.  I could see why some people go on vacation to places like that and want to stay.



Wow, this blog is longer than I had planned..... it's a good thing the kids are still sleeping.
After our little stay in San Pedro Sula, the kids and I said 'See you later, Daddy' and made the trip with my parents back here to the States.
I am torn at being back here.... not only because I miss Marco, but I am experiencing a bit of cultural shock.

Here are a few of the thoughts I had after we got back....

-Everything is so clean and shiny.
-The roads are SO straight and flat!!
-My parents home is so beautiful and decorated SO nicely (not childproof, but beautiful.)
-Cooper thought walking on the carpet for the fist time was a little weird.
-The fridge is so big!
-There is a kitchen sink!! and a dishwasher!!
-The bed is so soft on bottom & top (mattress and blanket).
-I have SO much unnecessary stuff in boxes.

I am re-addapting, but things are a little weird...  Sometimes its almost as if that life in Honduras was a dream, that Cristina didn't really do our laundry.... that Orfito wasn't really Maria's best little friend... that the dust wasn't there... that we didn't have eggs and beans all the time....     But it did happen, it all still exists and we're going to go back.  Life is different there.  It's relaxed, adaptable, poor, sometimes hungry and shoeless.... Here things are so fast.... don't be late to this, do 101 things before 2 in the afternoon.  There are a lot of good things in both places...  I love that in the States things get done, people move, but I also love that in Honduras, it's OK if things don't happen now.  I'm going to have to do a lot of thinking/soul searching/pondering/praying/etc. to figure out what I want my life to be like, and then try to adapt and keep those things in my life no matter where I end up living.