We Move to "La Casa Grande"

My dream home.

You cannot convince me that God does not have a sense of humor. When we moved here to Honduras I was ready and willing to live in a small mountain village in an adobe house. I still am. Anybody who knows me knows that one of my pet peeves is that almost every American when they move to another country will end up with the nicest, the biggest, the best house in town. Why? Because we can.

So where did we end up? Nope, not in the mountain village. Not in the adobe house. Yep, you got it. In the nicest, the biggest, the best house in town. Some people call it "the mansion". We just call it "la casa grande".

La Casa Grande

We are here because this is the new home of the Honduras Spanish Institute.

This past September I was asked by the founder of HSI to take on the position of project manager for the school. Barbe and I love the teachers and the students who come here to study and felt that with our experience and gifting that it would be a good match for both us and the school, especially as the school and the students were already such a large part of our lives. The language school, which has been growing steadily since it was started three years ago, had been experiencing growing pains as it began to be a legitimate and recognized alternative to the language schools in Guatemala and Costa Rica. Several missions organizations had begun sending their people to us and as the number of students grew it became very clear that the school, which had been sharing classroom space with a local seminary, needed it's own space in order to continue growing.

Although growth and success cannot be guaranteed, there are a few things we can do to help insure them. A commitment to excellence in all areas, quality staff, a true focus on customer care and ambiance.

Ambiance is an often overlooked, but very important factor in the success of an institution. People want to come to a place that is conducive to studying. Part of the ambiance may include natural beauty, a landscaped lawn, a well maintained, secure facility and an atmosphere of quiet comfort. This place has all that.

Four months ago, when I first came across "la casa grande", I knew as soon as I saw it that it would make an excellent headquarters for the school. As the house was then currently occupied, we waited until it became available a few weeks ago and... here we are.




My family and I will be living in the house, mainly on the second floor and sharing expenses with the school. During the day, the school will use the house with it's many nooks, alcoves, porches and gazebo for classes. The kitchen will be available for breaks, lunches and the occasional party we throw, which usually includes making baleadas and pupusas. From time to time, we may also have one of the single students staying with us.

It is our hope that one day, should the school continue to grow, we can move on and let the school take over the entire building. Until then, we are enjoying the spacious rooms, the lawn and the view from the second story porch. I love my porch and it is going to be a challenge for me to do anything more than just sit, look at the mountains and drink coffee all day.


The view from the second story porch.

On a personal note, I have finally come to terms with living in this mansion when so many here in Honduras live in poverty. Many of you will find this odd, but for me it really was a moral struggle. After many arguments with God about this move, I can now see this place as a gift from Him and receive it with joy and thanksgiving. As with all things, I am convinced that we should hold on to this place loosely and not become too attached or comfortable here. The time may very well come when we will be asked to live in much humbler circumstances. It is my hope that when that time comes that we will be just as willing to live in a 2 bedroom adobe house in a mountain village as we are to live in an 8 bedroom mansion in Siguatepeque.   

Christmas in Honduras

To be perfectly honest, it's always been hard for me to get into the "Christmas spirit". (My family refers to me as the Grinch.) This year was even more difficult. I suppose because I grew up in Maine, I associate snow with Christmas. Believe me, there is no snow here in Honduras, which is actually something I am really coming to appreciate the older I get.

 

On top of that we have no Christmas tree this year. In past years we would always go out on our own property and cut a tree. Here it is illegal to cut pines without a permit, so all trees are the plastic version. The main reason we had no tree though is because we moved to a new house last weekend.  

 

So here it is, Christmas morning, sun brightly shining, no presents await us under the tree and we have been up half the night. Here in Honduras, and probably all Central America, the tradition is to stay up very late visiting and lighting off fireworks and firecrackers. The whole city erupted in noise at midnight. We were at the home of friends last night and their house sits on a hill over looking Sigautepeque. From this vantage point we were able to look down on and across the city and the fireworks. It was actually very beautiful. The moon, although only half, had just risen over the mountains and was beautiful. A light fog, or maybe a haze from the fireworks, lay over the city and we could see the twinkling of the lights through it.

 

Fireworks are a huge part of the Christmas/New Year season in Central America. I still remember, quite vividly, my first experience of a Central American Christmas. It was 1980 and I was seventeen years old. We had been living in Antigua, Guatemala for several months already and I went down to the beautiful central park to watch the festivities. A man with a pyramidal shaped, bamboo rack over his head and shoulders, laden with lighted fireworks charged into the middle of the crowded park. Fireworks were exploding in every direction. People were screaming and running. I hit the deck, covering my head and ears as I was enveloped in a blaze of sound and light. There are a lot of people who question the truth of this story, but believe me, I was there. It was a one of a kind experience. 

 

Another tradition here at Christmas are tamales. Barbe spent half of the day yesterday in the house of friends, they are actually more like family to us, learning how to make tamales in the traditional style, wrapped in banana leaves. Later, we went back to share a meal with them.  

 

One of the things we are learning as we adjust to living here is that the nostalgia of what used to be, whether it is food, family, traditions or memories, can be a hard sentiment to deal with at times. We love it here in Honduras and we love the new friends and the new life we are building, but this Christmas, the not having snow, not being at our friends Blue and Lisa's traditional Christmas Eve party with so many people we have so many memories with, even the hustle and bustle of last minute shopping at Walmart was missed.

 

Next year we will have new memories and be starting new traditions, but this year we felt the loss of the things we left behind. It was by no means an unbearable or even an overly sad time and I am finding that it is good and healthy to miss all these things. How sad life would be if we did not have these memories to miss.

 

So, from the Grinch here in Honduras...Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

 

 

 

 

Gracias Lempira

Two weeks ago Barbe and I traveled to Gracias, Lempira, partially for business and partially just for the drive. Leaving Sigautepeque, the road winds up and over a pine covered mountain range before dropping into a drier and much warmer valley. After crossing the valley the road again climbs steeply before reaching La Esperanza. I love this part of Honduras. It reminds me a bit of western Montana, except for the banana trees scattered in among the pines. And the sky isn't quite as big.

The road between La Esperanza and San Juan is being reworked and will soon be a very nice highway. The same cannot be said for the road between San Juan and Gracias. Here the road is full of potholes and washouts. Even still we made good time driving the 150 kms  in just under three hours.

Leaving La Esperanza I was not sure which road to take, so I stopped and asked directions from a man standing by the roadside. Oh... he just happened to be headed in that direction and would gladly show us the way. He hopped in the pickup bed and off we went. Driving slowly through Yamaranguila he banged on the roof of the pickup, the signal he wanted us to stop. I did. Oh...there was a family on the corner he knew and would I mind giving them a lift. In they climb and away we go again and that's the way it went all the way to Gracias. Letting people off and picking people up. All of them were very polite and would come to my window to offer payment. "No gracias. Es un regalo de Dios" Everyone left with warm smiles, handshakes and friendly waves. And why not? Gifts from God should be received joyfully. When we arrived in Gracias we had only one man left with us. He too wanted to pay us and when I refused payment he came back and offered us six oranges from his bag which we accepted...joyfully.

One of the reasons we visited Gracias was to spend a few hours with our friends Melissa and Kevin Goodwin. They are missionaries with A.I.M. and are in the beginning stages of starting a children's home. They just received their first child, a boy of four and half years who has some mental disabilities. For most of those four years he has lain in a crib staring at the ceiling. Because of this he cannot even hold his head up because his neck muscles have not had a chance to develop. Kevin and Melissa are good people. Check out their website Goodwin Global. I know that as they start up this new home they are going to have a number of financial needs. If you are looking for someone to give a donation to this Christmas, I feel very comfortable recommending their ministry as a place to do that.

The courtyard at the Posada de Don Juan, Gracias, HN

We spent several hours visiting with them and then decided we needed to head back for Siguatpeque so we could arrive home before dark. We made a quick detour in to town just to look around and ended up deciding to spend the night. We checked into the Posada de Don Juan located two blocks off the central park. It was very nice, although I thought a bit pricey at $50 for a small, but comfortable room including two breakfast. The hotel was built in the old Spanish style seen in Antigua, Guatemala with rooms opening into an enclosed courtyard with a pool surrounded by plants and flowers.



After checking in we wandered the streets until dark, stopping for a "cafecito" and an inexpensive meal at a local restaurant. We stopped to talk with one of the fireworks vendors preparing for the Christmas season. Fireworks are very popular in Central America at this time of year. This gal was a very determined sales person.

The next morning we climbed the hill to the old fort that overlooks the city. Even though it was worth the visit and the $5 we paid to enter, the trees have been allowed to grow up around the star shaped walls of the fort and have pretty much obscured what once must have been a commanding view of the city below and the surrounding area.

Leaving Gracias we headed back towards La Esperanza. There are still many Lenca people living in this area. One of the things they are known for is "atol". This is a sweet corn drink made with milk and sugar. There is also a bitter type which I do not care for.  Barbe and I decide to stop at Atol Lenca just out side of La Esperanza for a bowl of the warm drink served in a gourd bowl.

We had a very enjoyable trip, just the two of us. Although sometimes I really miss our boys being children, having them as responsible teenagers who can stay home alone and watch over the house, Alfredo the Donkey and Terrible Tiger has it's benefits too!



A bowl of atoll



The Lenca family who owns Atol Lenca