Catch-Up

July 15, 2009

Back to blogging – at least I hope. I cannot promise how well I will do with keeping this site more up to date, but I will try. Currently I am flying over some part of the US on my way to Houston and then San Pedro Sula. I just spent a little over a week and a half in Pennsylvania where I enjoyed a relaxing trip to the mountains, basketball at Black Rock, visits with family and friends, my sister’s baby shower, a wedding, and other random events. Oh, I cannot forget one of the highlights from the mountains – finding myself in a wild blueberry patch that had ripe blueberries. It was great to eat both blueberries and peaches again.

For the most part I did not have much culture shock with returning to the States. I have been back often enough that usually there is not too much which is unusual. Many a time though I wanted to respond to people with a Spanish word instead of the English equivalent. It did not make sense to me because when I am in Honduras the Spanish words do not come to me.

Yesterday I had something happen in a drugstore that reminded me of one cultural difference which I have mentioned before. I saw a sign sitting in front of some drink mixes that said $1 so I thought I would buy one to take to people in Honduras. When I took the item to the register though, it came up as $2. The cashier and I went over to the sign to see what was wrong and at that moment I saw that it was advertising a different drink mix even though it was in front of the one I had chosen. The cashier (or manager, I am not sure which) removed the sign and said that he would give it to me for a dollar. I was shocked because I am so accustomed to never being right as the customer. And I had been wrong this time so I simply planned to not buy the product. It was nice to have something happen in my favor when it comes to shopping for once.

As I head back to Honduras it is with lots of questions. Mediation between the old Honduran president and the new government will resume this Saturday with the Costa Rican president again mediating. The question is, what will happen if a resolution is not soon reached? Will Zelaya be content to keep waiting? I do not think so. I am on my way back to Honduras realizing that the unrest is not over and that I will need to evaluate my role and what is happening with the camp when I arrive. Meanwhile I will probably keep an emergency bag packed. I am afraid that my first few days will be taken up with trying to get my car fixed since I was rear-ended the day before I left for the States and had no time to do anything about it.