Thursday, March 27th, 2008
Greetings friends and family!
We have safely arrived in <honduras after only a few hours of sleep and a shower at 2:45 AM to wake us up. Our flights from Chicago to Miami and Miami to Tegucigalpa, Honduras went smoothly. We were shocked to discover that both of our flights were in First Class seating–definitely unexpected.
After passing through Immigrations and Customs without a hitch, we met Ana Joya, our CRWRC representative, who took us to the AJS office for a detailed orientation about the inner workings of the organizations.
Later, it was finally time to meet our wonderful host family–la familia Cerrato. The Cerratos are Dennis and Carolin and their five adorable kids Dennis (11), Kevin (19), Jonathon(9), Isaac (7), and Celeste (5). They have been very welcoming and have made us feel at home through their many meaningful conversations, delicious meals (including our favorites–pineapple tea and cafe…yum!), laughter and play (mostly clapping games with the kids), and patience with our growing Spanish. At night, the three of us slee in a cozy room with a bunkbed and a mattress on the floor. Besides the crowing of roosters and barking dogs next door, we´ve managed fairly restful nights of sleep.
Well, we just wanted to let you know that it´s been a wonderful first day–full of more blessings than we can count. Thank you for your continued prayers! More soon! ¡Hasta luego!
-Maggie, Allie, and Brittany
First Impressions of Honduras:
Maggie – My first impressions of Honduras come from my inability to resist comparing everything with Guatemala. Like Guatemala City, Tegus is a city surrounded by stunning mountainous terrain. It encompases a mixture of antique, rugged charm mingled with the modern “Americanized” atmosphere of fast food restaurants, bustling tiendas, and traffic congestions. There is something so amazing about seeing these somewhat familiar elements in such a different cultural landscape. I absolutely adore our host family and the people we´ve met so far. My Spanish is very rusty and coming slowly so I feel like I´m playing the awkward gringa role, but it will probably just take a few days to adjust. I can´t wait to see what we will experience next! Until then–¡Adios!
Allie – Man what AMAZING weather! Upon landing in this mountainous country and delving into the Honduran culture, I have participated in many amazingactivities and created memories that will last a lifetime. The first thing I noticed was the relaxed and stress-free attitude of the locals–what a change from the US! It seems an individuals priorities are different here ad consist of friends, family and God–all superficial items are secondary. In my opinion, a family could be living in poverty, but according to them they are satisfied with life because they have their family and the Lord. I now realize how important it is to take a stepp back once and awhile and consider what is truly important in life. I can’t wait to experience more of this amazing country!
Brittany – Upon arriving in Honduras, my first impression was that of warmth, friendship and wonderful conversations. Fond memories of my previous time in Honduras flooded my mind and excited my spirit. After seven months of planning, fundraising and praying, the long-awaited day has finally arrived! I have returned to Honduras – the place I can almost call home, and the place I have only longed for, since the day I left almost two years ago. Everything about this country feels like home to me. The mountains, the pulperias, the churches, the style of life, and most of all the people. There is no place in the world that can calm and bring peace to my soul than here in Honduras. Words can not describe how grateful I am to be back here, and how excited I am for the rest of our trip to unfold.
