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Our Family - click the pic below for more pictures

Our Family - click the pic below for more pictures
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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Johana's house and soon mine (well, at least my parents)!


I had a fantastic time visiting with one of our student’s family this weekend before I left (on the airplane now).  As with most families in Honduras, Johana’s family is highly valued and many family members live under the same roof or at least in the same village.  Johana’s brother just recently returned from The States and now lives at the house with his wife and parents.  Though the house is pretty small comparatively speaking (to the US), it was very comfortable for all of us to be there and share space, maybe that was cause I got my own bed and bedroom, but nonetheless, it was comfortable, even when we ate or spent time together in the living room. 

Johana took me on a quick tour of her small community where most people work in the cal business.  From what I understand cal is like (or maybe is) limestone.  Rocks are heating up in a large silo type thing for about 8 days before they are removed and drenched in water.  This causes the rocks to more or less explode into a white powder that is used in agriculture and in cooking.  We also walked to a small dulce “factory.”  Dulce is just the Spanish word for sweet, which is also used for many candies.  Here they extract the pulp from sugar cane, boil it for a while, then pour it in a mold and sell the “caja dulce” – I think that is what Joha called – block candy.  We walked right up to the factory on the street and gave ourselves a tour, including doing some of the work; taste testing!!  It was pretty awesome!  After we returned to her home I was telling her that I’ve always wanted to try actual sugar cane, so she got her dad to get some sugar cane from a farm close by.  Chew on that for a while for a sweet treat!  Yum!

Joha’s mother cooked me some of the best food I’ve had in Honduras, even though it was fairly typical Honduran food and her dad constantly told jokes to the family and me.  I also got to play video games and watch movies with her brother.  I really felt like part of the family.  We also visited her ill grandfather and grandmother who were very sweet.  I got offered coffee, bread and “chi cha,” a homemade jungle juice of some sort.  The bread and the coffee were good.  We also walked 300 meters into a cave that is near her house, and I was able to learn a little bit of Spanish while I visited the family as well. 

On a totally different note…I finally get to see my family today!  Well, at least Sarah, since she will be picking me up at the airport while the girls are hopefully asleep.  The time away from my family has really shown me that life is meant to be spent with others.  And as I wrote in the previous post, maybe we just don’t know that until we have it, then lose it (or in my case, have a 2 week break).  There hasn’t been a day since Sarah and the girls left where I haven’t thought of them several times.  I can’t imagine what life would be like without them for any longer length of time. 

Thank you to Johana and her family for putting me up for a couple nights and showing me a part of Honduras that was new to me!  I loved spending time there.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

To my girls

It has been a productive week living as a bachelor.  I have been able to do a lot of things, like studying more Spanish for example, spending more time with the students and teachers and sleeping.  I stayed pretty busy the first few days which kept my mind mostly off of not having my girls here with me, but now, however, things have slowed down a bit and I have more time to think.  And when I usually go home and get hugs or play with the girls, nobody is home to welcome me.  Plus it's just weird when the house is always so empty and quiet (though the quietness is nice in the middle of the night).

The cliche is true though, you don't realize what you have until it's gone (even when it's not gone for very long).  And before Sarah left for the US, I have to admit, part of me was excited to be by my lonesome for a short while, basically so I could have a little more time to myself to get some things done.  And I have, but it almost feels like it's all for not, sort of.  I mean I know I'm doing a lot of good things for me, for the students here and for the university long-term.  But when I walk to the house and nobody is there for a hug and kiss or nobody is getting into trouble or nobody is crying, there is a small void.

I think it has been very good for us to realize the importance of each other while we've been separated.  For example, I had to sweep the house and organize the books that have been out since Sarah left.  And I miss the girls yelling and playing.  I miss Olivia's craziness and her wacky questions, and Sicily copying Olivia and me, and Sarah's gentle nurturing of the kids and me.  But most of all it's the companionship.  The sharing of my life with the others.

I know we will have to catch up when I arrive home, but for now I miss you guys lots.  I love you!  See you soon!