Witnessing nature -- and man's effect on it

June 29, 2007

One of the things I have been looking forward to most about going back to PA for a short visit (other than seeing family and friends) is being able to drive at night on back country roads with the windows down. I rarely go anywhere around here at night. Yet last night I left the city later than usual and so as I was returning to camp it was practically dark. (The Williamsons were also returning from the city in another vehicle so I had back up should the vehicle have broken down.) There was a storm brewing too so occasionally I would pass through a rain shower. The sky ahead of me frequently lit up with streaks of lightning that sometimes headed straight for the ground and other times went sideways from one cloud to another. I enjoyed being on the road at night but because of security issues, it is not as wise to do around here.

Over the past week, I have witnessed -- what to me and my North American mentality of public lands – does not make sense. The land immediately alongside of the roads is public property hence people can use it for whatever they want. There has been a large truck moving farther and farther down the road the camp is on digging out soil from areas where the ground has eroded and trucking it out. Currently he is now directly across from camp. Steep banks eroded away, creating patches of bare soil and from here people come and take what they want – thereby causing the banks to erode even further. I think that soil erosion is definitely an issue that I want to address in the Outdoor Education program. I am designing a short program for some children in about 2 weeks and I think I will be tying in the topic of erosion.

A positive change that has been coming about at camp is the return of the iguanas. In the past they were hunted and so had pretty much disappeared. Last week I saw an adult iguana run across a path in the jungle and when I looked further into the brush where it had disappeared I saw a young iguana too. An exciting find.

Life in a zoo?

June 17, 2007

I have begun to feel as if my home or at least the front porch is a zoo. I thought that when I left Black Rock, I might be done with caring for and cleaning up after animals, such as I did for many years in the Nature Center. Ironically some of those same animals now inhabit my house and porch. Last Thursday evening Cindy and I were having our Bible Study when all of a sudden she said, “What was that?” There, under the table was a small tail sticking out from behind the surge protector. I was actually quite relieved to see that it was only a small mouse – the cute kind with the big eyes. I had heard more than enough about rats and cockroaches the size of mice that I could be thankful for just a mouse. We tried to shoo it out but were unsuccessful so for the moment it still resides somewhere inside.

The porch on the other hand is a party each evening when the lights go on. A pair of cane toads, Fred and Elsie, (there is an interesting documentary about how cane toads have affected Australia) show up each evening, probably to hunt the myriad of insects that also gather. The cane toads can reach 20cm in size and seem to almost hiss when you try to shoo them away from the door with a broom. They have glands just behind their eyes that secrete defensive poisons which can irritate if absorbed through open cuts. The insects include large beetles, moths, wasps, and praying mantises. A smaller toad (I am calling Eggbert) also wanders on to the porch from time to time. Then of course there are the geckos, both in and out of the house.

Tradition continues in that wherever I travel, I seem to find the ticks (or they find me). My nickname of “tick magnet” still holds true. Apparently the ticks were not as plentiful here until I arrived. I feel bad for everyone else too. Thankfully the ticks here do not carry Lyme’s Disease so I am better off in that sense.

And finally I am in the middle of a battle with termites. They create long tunnels with dirt that run up the walls. I had ignored them for a while but realized that I needed to start bulldozing the tunnels and so I did. But every time I re-enter the house, a new tunnel (in the same place) is under construction. I think that I am finally winning though they have been very persistent. Perhaps they are finally giving up. I know it’s bad though because I have started to dream about insects.

I have found some more exciting insects out in nature (where they belong), one of which you can see here. Finding out the specific names of the various insects is proving challenging because of the limited resources that I have. I have a lot of internet research to do someday when it is possible.

The adventure of standing in line

June 16, 2007

In comparison to some of the past weeks, this one was less eventful – a good thing. On Thursday Wes and I went back into the city and I began the day at the government office where I needed a card that would allow me to buy a car. We asked questions and I was directed to one of the lines so I proceeded to stand there for the next 2 hours although there were maybe 10-12 people in front of me. It was a long wait, but could have been worse. When I finally got to the window I gave the woman my papers and waited to see what was next. After only a moment she told me that I was in the wrong line and needed to go the next window. I stared at her incredulously unable to believe that I had just wasted so much time. I moved to the end of the next line and though the people seemed to feel sorry for me, no one offered to let me move closer in line. The guy behind me also had to change lines, perhaps because he had followed the same information as I had.

By this time it was almost 12:00 at which time the office would close for an hour. I think that I could have used the hour to get married had I wished. There was a young man next to me in this line and he began to ask me the standard questions –Are you a tourist? Do you have any children? Why not? To the latter question I gave my standard response that I want to be married before having children. I only heard one word from him in his next comment which was Latino? I pretended to not understand but I was pretty sure he asking whether I would consider a Latino. Later in the conversation I pretended ignorance again when he said that it is difficult to get into the US – unless you marry a North American. I hope that I did not understand everything that he said, but I am quite certain that I did. He then asked for my phone number to which I politely declined and said that I do not like to give out my number. The adventures never cease! He did not return to the line after lunch and when I finally got to the window it took about 3 minute, and then I was told to return to another line in 40 minutes for my card. I have yet to figure out why the line moved so slowly in the first place. During the 40 minutes I left and found an internet cafe. A much better use of my time.

Mountain views

June 13, 2007

Today I made a trip up the mountain behind camp to get my allergy shots at a medical clinic up there. I had no idea that there was such beautiful sights outside my “backdoor.” To be up on top of the mountain looking down over valleys and hills of pine forest with occasional dark, menacing clouds, and other times clear blue sky was a delight. Getting up the mountain was a bit of a challenge, especially when we took the wrong road and had to turn around. The fuel injectors on the car are not working right so starting on a hill is nearly impossible. Once at the clinic I got to meet the missionary nurse, Lisa, who lives down in the village. It was neat to have another connection and to hear her perspectives on being a single female missionary in the area. She just adopted two very young children so she is now tied down or she would have been one to explore more of the country with. She has definitely chosen the way of immersing herself almost completely in the Honduran culture and has very few close North American contacts. I look forward to getting to know her better.

Tranquil moments

June 12, 2007

Yesterday as I was driving up the hill to camp, I was impressed by the view – white cumulous clouds contrasted against the blue sky above dark mountains below. It was a moment of being thankful for being in the country once again. Later that evening we had a “delicious” thunderstorm meander through camp. At first I thought I might take a walk in the rain but I did not act quickly enough and soon it was a downpour so I stayed put in the house and simply relaxed – e-mails and a movie.

This morning the electric went off at 5:00AM and by 7:00 it was still off so I was beginning to think it might be another “one of those days.” I was dreading opening the fridge which warms up so quickly. As I was bemoaning the problems I have with my food during these power outages, I was struck with the realization that I need to learn to live in simplicity. I had been talking with one of the Hondurans on staff, Marlene (her name in English) and she was saying how they do not have a fridge. They buy the meat for a meal that day and they do not have leftovers. I, on the other hand, buy my food days in advance and then have to store it through all of the storms that arise. I also cook too much, have leftovers, and then have to preserve them. Part of the problem for me is that buying meat in the town is not a good idea because with all of the power outages it is not easy to trust the quality of it. But I could eat less meat and more beans. I was reminded of the Israelites and the manna that the Lord provided. He instructed them to gather only enough for that day and not to store it up except when the Sabbath came. I do not think that the Lord is telling me to start shopping for my food every morning but I have realized that I have a lot to learn from the people in the villages about simplicity.

Later in the day after my work was done I was relaxing in my hammock that one of the staff helped me to put up. I had planned to journal and read while it was still daylight but Marlene came over to my porch and sat down. We ended up chatting for probably an hour which actually was good. I found out later that her children and others on camp were playing soccer so I was disappointed to have missed out on that game, but this way I got to do more talking. Just as I was headed into my house to prepare supper, the electric went out but it came back on in time for me to use the toaster oven instead of the gas stove. The Willamsons had gone to the city for 2 days and they came back with lots of mail for me. Homemade baked goods and long letters … it was awesome! Every time I have left Lancaster for either a mission trip or even college, I have been so blessed by the support of friends, my family, and my church body. I was challenged to think about how poorly I do at sending little notes and/or gifts to others who are far away from their family and friends.

I am not alone

The following entry includes a bunch of stories from this past week. My perspective during the events was often not the greatest as I simply saw one problem after another -- some bigger than others. But as I look back I can smile and laugh and realize that it was not as bad as I thought while in the midst of the challenges. I hope that you can laugh too. I hope too that most of you cannot identify with the week but I know that we all, whether living overseas or in our hometown, have these challenging days. I am glad that I can learn from the challenges but also look forward to brighter days. I am glad that I was reminded yet again that I am not alone and that I need the help of others -- whether in tangible help, prayer support, or in words of encouragement. God works through people. Okay,here is the saga and I tried not to dramatize it too much.

Perhaps the week started off all wrong when I was making tea and found a tick drowned in my purified water that either came directly out of the bottle or had found its way into the closed pot on the stove. I looked at it, decided I did not want to waste the purified water and simply fished it out with a spoon (which I later used without washing). It was at this point that I thought, "So is this what missionary life is like?" or something to that effect. It was also the beginning of the week when I discovered that though I could hear others when they called me on my cell phone, no one could hear me. And the problem was more than just the fact that I do not talk a lot. Thankfully I got the phone fixed in the village on Wednesday. Little did I know how important it would be to me the next day.

On Thursday morning I headed to the city to do some car shopping and hopefully internet research and to make more contacts. Before I left I grabbed my cooler from inside the freezer and was horrified to see a cockroach inside of it. I thought the freezer would be the last place to find one. Perhaps it crawled in over the weekend when the electric was out and managed to survive the cold. I met up with a Honduran Insurance salesman from the church, Tony. He drove me all around the city for about 6 hours looking at different cars and talking to various people. He had to make a few stops for his business too so I really had no idea when we would be done or what the plan was. Originally I thought that he might take me to one lot and that would be it. By 4:30 we were at his office and I knew that if I was to get home before dark I needed to leave very soon so I asked if he could take me back to the mall where my car was. (actually it is not my car, it is the Williamson's and that was what made the next part of the story worse)

At the mall I had to purchase a phone card and I tried to check and send e-mail but my computer at first would not turn on and then when it did, I could not get on-line. Feeling frustrated, I headed out to the car. As I approached the car I tried to unlock it with the button, but it would not work. Suddenly fear set in because I wondered if I had left the lights on. I had been in a parking garage first thing in the morning and then ended up parking outside later but possibly forgot that the lights were on. Sure enough I opened the door with the key and tried to start the car (thereby setting the alarm off) and not a sound. The alarm kept going off every 30 seconds or so no matter what buttons I pushed. I called back to Cindy at camp and she said she would call 2 families we know here in the city and see if either could help me out. With the alarm going off constantly, the stupidity of my action looming in front of me, and the other stresses of the day (and probably week) I was in tears. There was a guard nearby and he came over and then a man drove his truck over to jumpstart the Patrol. It took a long time to get the battery charged to where it would start and by that time it was too late to head home so I had to ask to stay at someone's house. The one couple was gracious to let me come over and they had a battery charger which was good so I headed across town to their home. Being in the city overnight did have its advantages -- internet, vonage phone, and a chance to calm down. I felt bad about being there though because the other staff had spent the day fighting a fire on the edge of camp and if it flared up again, I wanted to be able to help. Driving alone after dark though was not an option, so I stayed put. And the fires died down even without any rain which was a big answer to prayer. But the next day the adventures continued.

I left the missionaries' home around 8:30 and started down the road but I stopped for gas. The car had started right up previously so it seemed like it would be fine. But at the gas station the car would not start and the alarm kept going off again. I called the couple and they graciously came back to help me out even though they were on their way out of the city. The guys at the gas station helped get the car started but then Mark wanted to check and make sure the battery was charging properly. In the end it was and possibly the problem had been the alarm because apparently if it is going off you cannot start the car until you push the "secret" button.

I decided that I would attempt to run some more errands in the city and pray that the car would work fine. I ended up stopping by the MCC (Mennonite Central Committee)office and meeting a few of the missionaries there (I got a name of a girl who is doing Enviro. Ed. somewhere not too far from me). I then went to lunch because I knew the government office where I needed to go would be closed for an hour. When I got to the office, no one seemed very sure what line I should be in and the line I was in did not move for 15 minutes so I decided not to risk getting up front and discovering I needed to be somewhere else. I just left. I was also exhausted and I knew I would get a headache standing there for several hours.

I then went to try and get internet connection at the mall but that did not work. From there I tried to see if some friends were home and they were not, so I headed to the grocery store -- my last stop. I still wanted to do e-mail while it was free and there is a good connection so I decided to try some parking lots of fast food restaurants because some of them have wireless access. I pulled into one and it did not so I turned right out of the drive onto a side street and headed towards the main street, maybe 200 feet away. I do not remember seeing any signs, but as soon as I got onto the road, I had a feeling that I was on a one-way street. It was wide enough for 2 (or 3) cars so a head-on collision was not really a concern. I cannot remember if I could have turned left into some parking spots along the road but I realized I was practically on the main road so probably the best thing would be to just go and turn right like I needed to. I pulled up to the road and just as I was pulling out, I groaned inwardly because I saw a cop car coming my way. Sure enough they saw me and flashed their lights so I had to pull over. For some reason I was closer to laughter than tears because I could hardly believe that yet another thing had gone wrong. The policemen came up to my car and I tried to explain that I had no idea it was a one-way street but either they did not understand or did not care. I had broken the law but it was very unintentionally. He told me he would have to keep my license till Monday and then I could pay $50 to get it back. I explained that I do not live in the city and so I would not be here to pick up. I think he said I would have 30 days to pay the bill, but all I could think about was that I was not sure I trusted leaving my license with the police. I had not yet talked with the missionaries about what happens when stopped by police so my thought was to get out of their as soon as I could. I also had memories of reading of a friend's encounter with the police and how he just paid them a little money at the moment and they let him go. So I asked if I could pay him now. At first I said $10 and he said no. I then opened my wallet and pulled out all that I had there which was only about $18. (Thank goodness for pockets!) In the end he went to the other side of the car and took the money. Thankfully he gave me the car registration and my passport back but I was worried for a bit. After talking with the missionaries I discovered that when paying the fine you do recieve your license back and so in order to not encourage the corruption in the police, I would be better off retuning later to pay the fine. Now I know.

I then headed to the grocery store and went in the wrong direction, mostly because I listened to what I thought the police said was the way to go. Needless to say I was ready to leave the city. The drive home went fine but I was exhausted and my legs hurt as if I had exercised a lot but it was probably only from the stress and tension. I wish that I could say my time in the city had been productive but I only have a few car leads (one of which is bright yellow and therefore not exactly a vehicle with which I could blend into society at least in the country) and I never ended up being able to do internet research. I did get to speak in Spanish a lot and I also learned that when I live in the city I might be able to join a women's basketball team so there was some good in the midst of the stress.

Saturday morning I went to wash my hands and no water came out of the spicket and I looked at it in amazement. My thought was, "Lord, no! I cannot handle no water right now!" I wondered which I would dislike more in the end -- no water for 48 hours or no electric. Thankfully after asking some other staff I discovered that someone had turned the water off to work on another area. I spent the rest of the day cleaning and trying to relax a bit. I also got to play soccer for the first time since my arrival with some of the staff, roofers, and children. Today (Sunday) was rather uneventful. The biggest disruption to the "norm" came when when one of the camp dogs walked into the area where we were having church this evening and we all gasped and choked because of the overwhelming odor of skunk. She must have taken a direct hit and we also suffered for it. Unfortunately her second entry seemed to distract us all from focusing and Wes had to wrap things up. Quite the week is all that I can say. But I survived and I know that God is still in control and has a plan in the midst of the seeming chaos at times. He is faithful!

To the Copan Ruins

The other week I had the opportunity to join up with the Mayterm class from Houghton and also a work team from South Dakota and visit the Copan Ruins. (They are from the Mayan Indians). I had been there before with the Mayterm class but that was many years ago and I actually found that I was more appreciative and learned more this time. The professor who leads the trips is the same one who was in charge back when I came 10 years ago. It was good to catch up with him and also to meet some new people. The group from South Dakota had just arrived so I was able to give them a few pointers as far as food and travel go. I also enjoyed having the opportuntity to help others with their Spanish even though it was only a little bit. And of course piling 17-19 persons into the back of pick-up was fun! I actually missed that adventure in Costa Rica because the laws were more strict.

In the evening one of the girls and I walked around the little town of Copan Ruinas and I found comfort in that it was a safe place where walking at night was okay. I was not sure how I was getting back to camp but in the end I got a bus ticket and hopped off at the turn off to my town. It was fun to have that independence again and be able to take the public transportation. The sign for the bus line was a bit deceptive because it showed a nice coach bus and said "air-condition" and "bathrooms." In the end it was more like a school bus but I had to laugh because a sign up front said that there might be a security camara on board. Many buses come from the States and they continue to boast signs and names from whatever town or county they first came from.

After the rain

From one adventure to another it seems. The rains came on Thursday but with that apparently comes power outages. Friday the power was going off and on all day so during one of the "on" times I prepared everything I would need for dinner and made it easily accessible in the fridge so that it would lose as little cold as possible if I opened the door. Sure enough at 6:00PM the power went out again. I eventually made dinner but spent most of the evening reading. I forgot about candles until 8:00 so I was wasting the batteries of my flashlight. And by that time I was ready for bed. This morning I awoke to still no power and I delayed breakfast as long as possible, not wanting to open the fridge again. But by the time I was ready to leave for the city at 11:00AM there was still no electric. I took a few things from the fridge and realized that the milk and meat was going to be bad by the time I got home. I had forgotten that I cannot stock up on food here for the reason of power outages. I just hope that all of my meat and leftovers in the freezer were okay.

I arrived safely at the house where I am dog and house sitting. A big storm has hit San Pedro Sula now and the electric has been flickering but thankfully there is still power. I managed to find a flashlight and some matches just in case I run into troubles. The dogs (one of which is partially Pit Bull) were both terrified of the storm and it took me a while to figure out why they were hanging around me all of a sudden. Meanwhile the car alarm went off because the thunder was so loud. I am loving the mint chocolate chip ice cream though -- a definite plus of the city.

New Month, New Adventures

This new month dawns with a very new appearance. When I walked outside my house this morning, I walked out into a world that had been refreshed. Gone are the smoke, dust, the ashes, and appearance of creation thirsting for just one drink.

It has certainly been quite the week. On Tuesday the smell of smoke was so heavy around camp that we were sure there must be a fire close by. Entire burnt leaves and ferns were falling from the sky. (The ashes themselves were a little reminder of snow--but only a little. Now having heard from one of my friends who saw snow while backpacking in the Adirondacks, the ashes don't seem so snow-like.) Both Cindy and I walked around looking for the fire and saw nothing. But only an hour later, as dusk began to settle into the valley, we clearly saw the flames dancing and crackling on the hillside on the other side of the creek. That evening most of the staff gathered out at the amphitheater and watched to see how far the fire would descend towards camp. It was a beautiful evening to be sitting outside. The moon was nearly full and the glow from the fires was actually a cool sight. At 10:30 we decided that the fire would not reach camp anymore that night, so we returned to our homes with the watchmen planning to keep an eye on the fire during their rounds.

The next day was the day off for the Honduran staff, so only the Williamsons and I were on camp. Wes and I went to the Internet Café earlier in the morning than usual because we knew that the fire danger would be greatest in the afternoon. I was just finishing up lunch and about to head outside to check on the fires when Wes called to say that fire had reached the creek and new fence posts. I hurried down to the creek, but it was a small fire and two of the Williamson girls were working to put it out, so there was not a huge rush. I waded through the creek and helped to put out some of the flames and also wet some areas to prevent the fire upstream from crossing over. Further downstream there was a fire of concern, too, but the winds (which were blowing opposite than normal) were taking the fire back up the hill and not sending the sparks down to camp.

By mid-afternoon the fire-fighting was over and I went home. Up until this point, the constant smoke had not really bothered me, but by evening my eyes were burning from the smoke. Often the air outside of the house was less smoky than inside because the smoke entered and accumulated. I was glad that I was going to the city the next day, where perhaps the air would be cleaner. Early Thursday morning I awoke to a light rain, which was a big praise, but actually nothing in comparison to what came later in the day. Around 1:00PM it began to pour at camp and continued to rain into Friday morning. That is the best fire prevention.

I finally drove in the city and it was not too bad, but I did have a navigator with me. After walking around for a while in various parts of the city, I realized that I am a little tired of the stares of the people as they see a white girl walking around. A woman who had been in front of me in a line for an ATM that did not work saw me later and asked if I had been able to get money out. At first I could not remember who she was, but of course she had no trouble recognizing me because I stand out in the crowd.

When we arrived back at camp around suppertime, I was met with yet another surprise. Perhaps it was the first rain, or maybe it was just coincidence, but the Williamsons' house was swarming with flying insects. (I have yet to figure out exactly what they are). I began to identify with the Egyptians and what the plagues must have been like. I also thought of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the swarms of locusts that were described at least once in her books. The insects would fly into the house (squeezing through the screens even) and eventually lose their wings, but still they crawled around. It only took a few minutes in the house before I could feel them crawling all over me. We ate in the only room that was not teeming with them and kept most of the lights off.

I dreaded going back to my house to see what the damage was, but Becca, one of the Williamsons, came with me to help with the cleanup. Much to my surprise I walked into my house and did not see even one of the insects. I was very thankful. Perhaps the house had been too dark for their liking, and since the rain was heavier they had disappeared again. I can only wonder what the next adventure will be. Actually, it will probably be Saturday’s trip into the city alone. I get to house-sit for some other missionaries and have access to Wireless and a Vonage phone. I am excited.