Monday, January 11, 2010

Things I'm Learning About Honduras.


Although I’ve only been here for about 36 hours, I’ve already learned a lot about Honduras. Well, at least about El Progreso, although the staff members from SHH tell me that things are similar throughout the country. Anyway, here is what I’ve learned throughout the day.

1.) If you wear contacts and/or glasses, put them on first thing when you wake up.

The reasoning behind this lesson follows in #2.

2.) Don’t be surprised to find wildlife in your bathroom.

After waking up at 5:50 this morning and stumbling into the bathroom to turn on the shower, and after turning on the shower, I was (un)pleasantly surprised to find a small frog leap out from the hot water knob. Without my contacts in (hence, #1) I thought it was a large spider. Needless to say, I was freaked out. I showered with the frog hanging out on the curtain, because I didn’t know what to do with him… so I let him be. Thankfully, we kept the bathroom door closed throughout the day while we were at Por Venir and Villa Soleada, and I was able to capture the frog with my hat after we got back to Hotel La Cascada. He’s now outdoors, where he’s probably much better off.

3.) Make sure your camera batteries are charged.

I speak on behalf of one of my roommates and myself when I say this. If you’re looking to take photos, charge your batteries the night before. Thankfully I have both my SLR Nikon D60 and my Point and Shoot Canon PowerShot SD600. I was able to use my Nikon throughout the day, even though my battery for my Canon was dead. Obviously, I’m charging both batteries tonight so that I’ll be prepared for whatever tomorrow brings.

4.) Just because you’re offered more food, does not mean you should eat it.

Yes, the people here take pride in being able to offer a guest food. However, most people don’t even have enough to be offering one serving, let alone more than one. So when a person offers food, eating one serving is showing gratitude, while having more than one is not exactly impolite, but it’s not exactly polite either.

5.) Not being able to speak a language does not mean communication is futile.

Communication is often done with language, but it’s certainly not the only way we can understand each other. Pictures, actions, and simply being in another’s presence can be enough communication, especially with children. However, having a translation dictionary and/or a phrasebook never hurts.

4 comments:

  1. Glad I don't wear glasses or contacts, but I may still have had a shock to have a frog jump out from the shower knob...not something we face here in NJ, USA! But I do recall visiting Barbados in '88 and the hotel where we stayed had dozens of pretty little bright green to yellowish tiny frogs - the size of a half dollar - hanging out on the walls. And often they would get INSIDE your room and surprise by jumping. They had tiny suction feet, were quite harmless but seemed to be everywhere! Can't wait to see your photos.

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  2. Ola!!! Wish I was there...I am with your Mom @ the salon...hope you are having fun!!!

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  3. I so love Honduras... I've spent much time there since I was young. Give the ground a kiss for me!

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  4. That's awesome! I've only been there once, but I'm hoping to get back to Honduras sometime in this next year. I will definitely give the ground a kiss for you when I return :-)

    Where in Honduras have you spent time?

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