Today was Sunday the 21st, and after breakfast we went up to the school at Guadalupe for church with the little kids. After church, Anita took me by the hand and led me part way back to our casa.
Then we went to the corner store to enjoy some snacks. I had 1/2 litro of tropical banana pop and a package of eight Emperial cookies. It cost me veinte y tres lempiras ($1.15).
After that we went to La Paz. We walked through another busy market, but this one was quite a bit different. The market in La Paz is more foot traffic and less cars.
We walked through the market, and then a few more blocks before starting our way to see a church up on a hill. We traveled all the way, several blocks up the large hill, just to discover that the church gates were locked. We made the most of it though. On the way down, the girls were being harrased again by the locals. We went back through the market again to get to our bus, and I got my Real Madrid bag.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Honduras #4 "Comayagua"
After lunch on Saturday we went to Comayagua, about 25 km away from la casa. We took one of the public buses, which are just yellow school buses converted for public transit. One of the things I've found interesting is all the stickers on the vehicles, including buses. My favorite so far have been the transformers stickers on the hoods of cars.Apparently, Transformers was quite big in Honduras. So is Katy Perry.
Anyway, back to my story.
We arrived in Comayagua safe and sound, in the middle of the market that our bus had somehow navigated. The market here is crazy. The cars drive slowly, but only inches (or less) away from street vendors and people, and never stop unless they have to.
We walked 5 or 6 blocks before reaching an open plaza, where we could finally walk freely. The 2nd oldest cathedral in the westeren hemisphere was located there, and the second oldest clock tower in the world, which a few of us payed 20 lempira ($1 US) to walk up the inside to the top.
After getting back down, we had some great ice cream (pistachio), and got to enjoy the safe feeling that only a armed guard with a shotgun can provide as we stood in the plaza. Then began our walk back into the market the way we came, this time with more shopping then just trying not to get run over.
We made our way to a shopping mall, where all of us kids went looking for futbol jerseys. This included an interesting jaunt where we almost got lost, and an encounter with a breast-feeding vendor.
Eventually, we made our way back to a bus and began a long ride home. Long because a crash in the other lane slowed traffic to a crawl, but fun because every other song was one that we knew. All of the locals just laughed as we sang along with the songs.
Anyway, back to my story.
We arrived in Comayagua safe and sound, in the middle of the market that our bus had somehow navigated. The market here is crazy. The cars drive slowly, but only inches (or less) away from street vendors and people, and never stop unless they have to.
We walked 5 or 6 blocks before reaching an open plaza, where we could finally walk freely. The 2nd oldest cathedral in the westeren hemisphere was located there, and the second oldest clock tower in the world, which a few of us payed 20 lempira ($1 US) to walk up the inside to the top.
After getting back down, we had some great ice cream (pistachio), and got to enjoy the safe feeling that only a armed guard with a shotgun can provide as we stood in the plaza. Then began our walk back into the market the way we came, this time with more shopping then just trying not to get run over.
We made our way to a shopping mall, where all of us kids went looking for futbol jerseys. This included an interesting jaunt where we almost got lost, and an encounter with a breast-feeding vendor.
Eventually, we made our way back to a bus and began a long ride home. Long because a crash in the other lane slowed traffic to a crawl, but fun because every other song was one that we knew. All of the locals just laughed as we sang along with the songs.
Honduras #3 "Mi Casa"
Right now we're at the visitor center for the mission. It will be our house for the next two weeks. A short 5 minute walk up a nearby hill brings us to a school building. So far, all of the work we've been doing was there.
The first two girls we met were Anita and Eliza. I helped paint the fifth grade room, and Anita helped me. Eliza is more outgoing , and a little mischievous.
The next kid I met was Jose, who can't be older than five. So far, my favorite kid is Bladimir. He is nine years old, and knows a bit of english. He showed Joe and I a different way to fold a paper airplane. Then Joe and I chased Bladimir and Miguel around, chucking paper airplanes made out of homework at them. They would pick them up and then chase us, and vice versa.
Today, Joe and I promised Bladimir that we would play futbol wth him. We just got done with lunch. I'm pretty sure the food is getting better everyday.
The first two girls we met were Anita and Eliza. I helped paint the fifth grade room, and Anita helped me. Eliza is more outgoing , and a little mischievous.
The next kid I met was Jose, who can't be older than five. So far, my favorite kid is Bladimir. He is nine years old, and knows a bit of english. He showed Joe and I a different way to fold a paper airplane. Then Joe and I chased Bladimir and Miguel around, chucking paper airplanes made out of homework at them. They would pick them up and then chase us, and vice versa.
Today, Joe and I promised Bladimir that we would play futbol wth him. We just got done with lunch. I'm pretty sure the food is getting better everyday.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Honduras #2 "Tegucigulpa"
We landed (kinda hard) in the capital city, Tegucigulpa. After a quick stop at customs, we were on our way out the door.
Oh yeah, we had El Presidente with us on our airplane from Houston to Tegucigalpa. The actual Honduran Pres. It was pretty legit. He was in first class, and boarded first, so we all got to walk past him.
After we got outside of the airport, we took all of our bags down to a pickup truck, where they were (carefully?) piled high, and tied down (securely?) with ropes.
After a 4 hour trip in the Apufram van, we arrived at the mission site and met Father Emil Cook. He took us on a tour of the Flores mission site, which was mostly empty because the school year had ended. He explained to us how he missed all the commotion. He said that after "living in a hurricane", all the quiet when the kids were gone was rather lonely.
Oh yeah, we had El Presidente with us on our airplane from Houston to Tegucigalpa. The actual Honduran Pres. It was pretty legit. He was in first class, and boarded first, so we all got to walk past him.
After we got outside of the airport, we took all of our bags down to a pickup truck, where they were (carefully?) piled high, and tied down (securely?) with ropes.
After a 4 hour trip in the Apufram van, we arrived at the mission site and met Father Emil Cook. He took us on a tour of the Flores mission site, which was mostly empty because the school year had ended. He explained to us how he missed all the commotion. He said that after "living in a hurricane", all the quiet when the kids were gone was rather lonely.
Honduras #1 "Houston"
So we flew into Houston for a night before heading down to Central America. The boy's room stayed up all night watching a program on the History Channel about Revelation. The voice they used for John was kinda weird. Apparently he was half robot. The plane we took was a smaller one, but it actually had a surprising amount of leg room, which is good for us Treptows.
Honduras!!
Ok, so for those of you who don't know, I went on a mission trip to Honduras very recently.
And, since I'm in college English, I have to write 80 lines of journaling a week. It's like pulling teeth with rusty pliers, but I do it anyway.
Anyhow, I didn't feel like writing 240 lines when I got back, so instead I wrote 160 lines-ish while I was down there, with the intent of posting them on here.
So without further adieu, the next 10 posts are my "Honduran Expedition"...enjoy. :)
And, since I'm in college English, I have to write 80 lines of journaling a week. It's like pulling teeth with rusty pliers, but I do it anyway.
Anyhow, I didn't feel like writing 240 lines when I got back, so instead I wrote 160 lines-ish while I was down there, with the intent of posting them on here.
So without further adieu, the next 10 posts are my "Honduran Expedition"...enjoy. :)
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