Hola Friends!
Feliz Ano Nuevo or Happy New Year from Honduras! I hope the new year is filled with joy, peace, love, and laughter.
December 31- January 1st:
I was up at 6 a.m. this morning with a temperature of probably lower 40s upper 30s and cool mountain air to wake me up. I grabbed what I needed and headed to the shower, except when I turned it one, nothing. No water came out, so I went next door to where the bathroom was and tried to turn on the faucet and still nothing. "I knew I should have showered last night!" were my thoughts as I grabbed a jacket and shoes and headed from my apartment over to Job and Adria's house. I felt bad because it was 6 in the morning and I was asking about the water, but they are usually up at around 5 so it wasn't a huge problem. Job grabbed shoes and headed to check on the well. -Side note: (The place Adria and Job are living, the people who own the property dug a well so the water is safe to drink, there is a functioning(mostly) toilet, and a small shower(There is warm water for a bit, but if you aren't quick, you're showering in the cold, which is not pleasant in the morning when you are already freezing). After he turned the well on I scampered back to the shower to try again...No water, so I walked back down and he explained to me that the tank needed to refill before it would work. Yeah "city" girl does not know anything about living on a farm or how wells work. I felt so embarrassed, so I left and did my devos and organized my room a little more before I went and the shower worked!! YAY! But the water was not warm... But I had running water and I was clean so there is no reason for me to complain. At around 8 I headed to the house for breakfast where we had cooked kidney beans with tortillas and sour cream. After breakfast Job and I headed to town to run a few errands. We stopped out his parents house for a few minutes to see how the tamale making was going and then headed to one of the farmer markets where we got Honduran popcorn balls and cabbage leaves for the cows and sheep. After we headed to the mechanic because Job's car has been having issues. Turns out it was going to take awhile so Job's father came and picked me up and we headed to his house where it was just a big party of cooking tamales and chicken and potatos. Here in Honduras, Christmas Eve and New Years Eve are HUGE! Stores are closed and everyone gets a new outfit and all jazzed out for these two days. Fireworks are going off everywhere! Fireworks that would be very much illegal in the U.S. Back on topic- I spent most of the afternoon Making tamales and getting to know Job's family. One of his relative was my age and knew a pretty good amount of English so we added each other on snap chat and talked about our favorite things and the differences between the U.S. and Honduras I talked to her in Spanish and she talked to me in English and we taught each other new words and laughed a lot while filling the banana leaves with tamale filling. It was just a great time of laughing, cooking and experiencing a true Honduran family tradition. Once Job arrived back from the mechanic, we headed back to the farm all took naps before the big party began. We left for church at around 5:30- Sidenote: (If a Honduran says they are going to leave at a certain time, add about 15 minutes to the time and you'll be on time). Church starts at 6 on NYE and then there is no church on Sunday so everyone can sleep in after the big party. This was a completely Spanish speaking church. No English and it lasted 2 and 1/2 hours... That's a long time for any church service, especially if you have no idea what is going on. after church I met some girls from the church that were my age and spoke English very well. we talked and laughed and had a good ol' time! I am starting to adjust to the culture and how everyone greets each other. The common greeting is a good hug and a kiss on the cheek. Once we were finished at church we headed to Job's parents house to spend the rest of the evening, where I had the most American meal I have had since I've been here. We ate ham and potatoes, barbecue chicken, and a great Honduran rice. Job's mom is an amazing cook!! She also made me a quesadilla earlier in the day for lunch, and I am not kidding it was probably the best dang quesadilla I have ever eaten! We finished eating and then sat and talked with more of his family. After a bit we walked a few blocks to fireworks stand and then ran back to the house to light them off. they are loud and bright! It's crazy how wild it gets! Many Hondurans also make a scare crow type thing that looks like an old man and at midnight they set it on fire to represent getting rid of the old year. The excitement wore of a little and we headed back to the farm to get some sleep, which I actually got more than 2 or 3 hours of sleep last night.
This morning I woke up around 9 and hoped in the cold shower and prepared for the day. Once I was ready I sat to do my devos and started to feel sick. I ran to the bathroom and threw up all of the water I had drank that morning. I brushed my teeth again and walked to the house to get some salada's(crackers) and sprite. It is 12:30 as I am writing this and I still have yet to touch either one. I feel a ton better, but letting my stomach calm down before I take in anything. We still are not sure if it is the stomach flu or if it is from all the changes I'm experiencing and all the different and strange foods I have been eating. Prayers that I am better for tomorrow would be greatly appreciated, as we are going back to Puran to see the gardens and meet more people. School starts on Wednesday, so prayers for that would also be appreciated. I still have no received the lesson plans, so hopefully it will not be terribly difficult of hard to follow/teach. I am starting to feel more adjusted, my Spanish is kicking in a little more, and I am not as clueless, which is a nice feeling. I can't wait to see what God continues to do through this!
Love,
Rebekah
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