I am well and truly riding an emotional rollercoaster at the moment! Last night was the most fun I’ve had in ages!! Related to....football. John you will be soo proud of me!!!
So, last night was our last chance to qualify for the world cup. No-one held out much hope. In order for us to win we had to beat El Salvador AND the USA had to win or draw with Costa Rica – this was the hard one!
I went round to watch the game with Lorena and the boys – bracing myself for the disappointment afterwards. They had bought meat which they cooked on the small BBQ outside – the only way to cook it here! Zuko was there – a chance to have a break from his family for a while. Both matches were on the TV at the same time – different channels, so we sat flicking between the 2. Honduras were winning 1-0 and the States were losing 2-1. Then in the LAST minute of extra time the US scored another which meant Honduras would pass through to the World Cup. The first time in 27 years!! Unbelievable.
We all jumped in my car and went round to Zuko and Carina’s house. They couldn’t really celebrate in the same over excited way as us but we wanted to share with them. Poor Zuko and Anael were just crying with it all – understandably!
Now when Honduras wins they have a ‘Caravan’ going through town after the game. Basically, everyone piles into cars and pick ups and drives through town and everyone takes to the streets and goes to the Plaza. So, you guessed it we all piled in my car and went to town! All 9 of us! There were hundreds of cars and literally thousands of people. Pick ups full of people jumping up and down. In my car Jaime climbed out of the sun roof and sat on the roof – as did Chele (not a small man!!) Adelson, Zuko and Kristian (the boy from the river) were in the boot/trunk/back part (depending where you are reading this!) and I can lower my back window so they sat on the back part of my car. Lorena was sat on the window of one side of my car (as in Window down, sat leaning on roof). It was insane. We followed Kike’s pick-up full of camp people screaming and jumping. We went to the plaza and everyone lined the road and any car stupid enough to actually pass through these people was rocked and kicked and banged! We all jumped, cheered and sang – until people starting breaking the plant pots in the middle of the road and throwing dirt at the passing people...and the over excited person who shot his pistol!!
So, having bumped into everyone we knew, we stood around in the plaza itself for the next hour just chatting. They had turned off the plaza lights (like street lights) to try and get rid of everyone. It was beautiful, looking up at the stars. The boys stood and re-lived the matches and discussed how it would affect the country and lift the spirits of everyone and politics etc. They are right, for one night the golpistas and Resistencia joined together for a common goal. I lay on the floor - in the middle of town just thinking how I was celebrating with all my closest friends here!
Then, having dropped various people off we went back and set off fireworks outside Lorena’s house! I still had some left over from my Firework shopping spree at Christmas!
Everyone celebrated the entire night. Today, all public services, banks etc are closed as a National Holiday to celebrate (and because everyone was out last night celebrating!) And the best bit...the big restaurants in the cities are offering free food today..Pizza hut, Burger King etc to celebrate!! So I’m off to Comayagua tonight to get my free Pizza - if I can stay awake long enough!!!
So from tragedy to extreme excitement! What next?
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
From the highest of highs to the depths of the seas
After the highlight of football, we had Monday to look forward to – it was a national day off. But what started off as a day of relaxation with friends turned into a huge and sad tragedy.
After having lunch with Lorena and Jaime on Monday I went off home and immediately got a phone call to get back with my car. Zuko’s dad had had an accident in the river up in the village and the current had swept him away and they needed help to search for him - i.e Jaime and Adelson. So we piled in my car and set off for the village – about 30 minutes away. It was perhaps the most beautiful road I have ever driven on – simply beautiful, but this was not the time to appreciate it!
Don Antonio (Zuko and Carina etc’s dad) had gone fishing near the village he grew up in, with Anael (his son) and Kristian(14) and Caleb (12) his grandchildren. He had the net out and the current was so strong and the water so deep it pulled him under and his hand got caught up in the net. Poor, poor Anael could do nothing to save him, he tried but the current was too strong (Anael feels so guilty because of this). So Antonio drowned but they couldn’t find the body. Anael called Fredi for help who called around all the men in church to go and help search. We all turned up and the men all went in against the strong current. Eventually, after they took turns to dive down one of them touched his body. However, they couldn’t lift it out. Jaime went down and said it was so freaky touching the body that he was scared and went to the side to help with the ropes instead! After about an hour they managed to drag his body out with ropes. He’d been under the water on the river bed for 2 hours. Now this is the family that I spent Christmas and New Year with, who invite me to all their family functions. Dina – the youngest daughter is getting married and I’m taking all her photos and having her hen party at my house etc. Carina is a really good friend of mine. (Dina, Zuko, Carina, Anael and Belquis are all really good friends – Belquis painted my face at the football!) All I could do as we watched was to stand and hug the 2 boys who were just watching the whole thing they had seen him drown and were still watching as they pulled their grandfather out. They had somehow been left alone in the upset. Then when Fredi had to go and help with carrying the body I took his place to comfort his wife Belquis.
They pulled the body out, laid him on the beach and untied his hand from the netting. He was swollen and blue. Zuko was amazing and closed his dad’s eyes, gave all the info to the police and was very together. He was so strong. Jaime and Zuko did everything – put the man back out of his swimming trunks into his pants (the police said they had to!?) I had thought to take along towels and blankets and so I ran to get them so there was something to cover the body with. The boys sorted it all out with amazing strength, whilst the girls just watched and wailed in pain. It was simply awful. Poor Carina had been for a day at the lake and so didn’t make it to the river to watch all this and was waiting at home. They put the body in the back of Fredi’s car and Zuko and Jaime climbed in the back with him to stop him rolling around etc. They went to the village hospital to prepare the body – when they got there, there was no one in the hospital so they went straight back to Sigua to the house. I took Kristian and Caleb back in my car with me.
Now in Honduras you have the funeral straight away – I guess because there is nowhere to store the bodies and because of the heat. Poor Carina just watched as her dad was bought into her house, dead. We got to the river by 2.30, pulled the man out by 3.30, were back at the house by 4.30 and by 6pm we were in the church and Antonio was prepared and lying in the coffin! Tradition here is that everyone comes to the church to see the body and be with the family and then family and close friends stay all night in the church with the body. The coffin is open so everyone can see. A man who has suffocated and drowned is very purple. They made him look very dignified in his suit. However, due to how he died he kept bleeding out of his nose, and so the women dutifully kept opening it all up to mop him up and spray his aftershave. Apparently it was fairly unusual the amount of times they opened up the coffin completely. He was such the loveliest of men and very much the family man, sometimes in his own way. 2 of Zuko’s brothers live in the States and wanted to watch the service and so my job was to find a web cam and computer so they could watch. By the time I set it all up, the poor men just couldn’t do it – they couldn’t watch their dad in a coffin over a web cam! Understandably.
So, I stayed at the church with the family and a few other close friends the entire night!! Chatting and comforting – and drinking coffee – pure organic coffee..10 cups kept me awake the whole night. By 6.30am I had to leave to go home and change for work! I went to school, gave my English class and then went back to the church for 9.30am for the funeral itself! There were hundreds of people there this time. After the service, about 20 cars and a bus followed the pick up with the coffin and the men in the back and went off to the memorial garden. It was so awful, watching the girls sobbing and screaming, hugging the coffin. Not 24 hours before, he was at home with them preparing to go fishing – his favourite pastime. Such a shocking tragedy.
They lowered the coffin and then put wooden planks over it, then a wire mesh and then covered it with cement which was smoothed out. When the cement dries they will cover it with the earth again.
I’ve definitely experienced all areas of life here now. But, this family are so close to me. Lorena’s family and Carina’s family both completely welcomed me as one of their own (the 2 families are like one!) I joined in the crying – how could anyone not?! I was grateful I could be there to help out with all the small details for them. Each one came separately and thanked me for my support and care for them, which made me feel I had been there for a reason.
So, now I am looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Finally. Please pray for this family as they come to terms with this horrible tragedy.
After having lunch with Lorena and Jaime on Monday I went off home and immediately got a phone call to get back with my car. Zuko’s dad had had an accident in the river up in the village and the current had swept him away and they needed help to search for him - i.e Jaime and Adelson. So we piled in my car and set off for the village – about 30 minutes away. It was perhaps the most beautiful road I have ever driven on – simply beautiful, but this was not the time to appreciate it!
Don Antonio (Zuko and Carina etc’s dad) had gone fishing near the village he grew up in, with Anael (his son) and Kristian(14) and Caleb (12) his grandchildren. He had the net out and the current was so strong and the water so deep it pulled him under and his hand got caught up in the net. Poor, poor Anael could do nothing to save him, he tried but the current was too strong (Anael feels so guilty because of this). So Antonio drowned but they couldn’t find the body. Anael called Fredi for help who called around all the men in church to go and help search. We all turned up and the men all went in against the strong current. Eventually, after they took turns to dive down one of them touched his body. However, they couldn’t lift it out. Jaime went down and said it was so freaky touching the body that he was scared and went to the side to help with the ropes instead! After about an hour they managed to drag his body out with ropes. He’d been under the water on the river bed for 2 hours. Now this is the family that I spent Christmas and New Year with, who invite me to all their family functions. Dina – the youngest daughter is getting married and I’m taking all her photos and having her hen party at my house etc. Carina is a really good friend of mine. (Dina, Zuko, Carina, Anael and Belquis are all really good friends – Belquis painted my face at the football!) All I could do as we watched was to stand and hug the 2 boys who were just watching the whole thing they had seen him drown and were still watching as they pulled their grandfather out. They had somehow been left alone in the upset. Then when Fredi had to go and help with carrying the body I took his place to comfort his wife Belquis.
They pulled the body out, laid him on the beach and untied his hand from the netting. He was swollen and blue. Zuko was amazing and closed his dad’s eyes, gave all the info to the police and was very together. He was so strong. Jaime and Zuko did everything – put the man back out of his swimming trunks into his pants (the police said they had to!?) I had thought to take along towels and blankets and so I ran to get them so there was something to cover the body with. The boys sorted it all out with amazing strength, whilst the girls just watched and wailed in pain. It was simply awful. Poor Carina had been for a day at the lake and so didn’t make it to the river to watch all this and was waiting at home. They put the body in the back of Fredi’s car and Zuko and Jaime climbed in the back with him to stop him rolling around etc. They went to the village hospital to prepare the body – when they got there, there was no one in the hospital so they went straight back to Sigua to the house. I took Kristian and Caleb back in my car with me.
Now in Honduras you have the funeral straight away – I guess because there is nowhere to store the bodies and because of the heat. Poor Carina just watched as her dad was bought into her house, dead. We got to the river by 2.30, pulled the man out by 3.30, were back at the house by 4.30 and by 6pm we were in the church and Antonio was prepared and lying in the coffin! Tradition here is that everyone comes to the church to see the body and be with the family and then family and close friends stay all night in the church with the body. The coffin is open so everyone can see. A man who has suffocated and drowned is very purple. They made him look very dignified in his suit. However, due to how he died he kept bleeding out of his nose, and so the women dutifully kept opening it all up to mop him up and spray his aftershave. Apparently it was fairly unusual the amount of times they opened up the coffin completely. He was such the loveliest of men and very much the family man, sometimes in his own way. 2 of Zuko’s brothers live in the States and wanted to watch the service and so my job was to find a web cam and computer so they could watch. By the time I set it all up, the poor men just couldn’t do it – they couldn’t watch their dad in a coffin over a web cam! Understandably.
So, I stayed at the church with the family and a few other close friends the entire night!! Chatting and comforting – and drinking coffee – pure organic coffee..10 cups kept me awake the whole night. By 6.30am I had to leave to go home and change for work! I went to school, gave my English class and then went back to the church for 9.30am for the funeral itself! There were hundreds of people there this time. After the service, about 20 cars and a bus followed the pick up with the coffin and the men in the back and went off to the memorial garden. It was so awful, watching the girls sobbing and screaming, hugging the coffin. Not 24 hours before, he was at home with them preparing to go fishing – his favourite pastime. Such a shocking tragedy.
They lowered the coffin and then put wooden planks over it, then a wire mesh and then covered it with cement which was smoothed out. When the cement dries they will cover it with the earth again.
I’ve definitely experienced all areas of life here now. But, this family are so close to me. Lorena’s family and Carina’s family both completely welcomed me as one of their own (the 2 families are like one!) I joined in the crying – how could anyone not?! I was grateful I could be there to help out with all the small details for them. Each one came separately and thanked me for my support and care for them, which made me feel I had been there for a reason.
So, now I am looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Finally. Please pray for this family as they come to terms with this horrible tragedy.
Sunday, 11 October 2009
Si se puede!
So football....yesterday was perhaps the most random day I’ve had for a while.
Yesterday Honduras played USA for a qualifying place in the World Cup, it was the most important game. The match started at 8pm and the gates opened at 2pm.
I set off with Jaime, Adelson and Kike at 11am and we stopped off at the lake for lunch. Here the randomness began. We stopped into the ‘cafe’ – and as it’s by the lake the only option is fish – and you go to the fridge and choose which fish you would like. They are gutted and have the scales taken off and are then left in the fridge. They cook ‘your’ fish. We sat overlooking the lake eating our tortillas with a new kind of cheese (freshly made straight from the cows milk – no pasteurising or anything – I’d never tried anything like it – and could probably survive not eating it again!) The fish arrived – still very fish like staring up at me from my plate – and we tuck in. Easier to eat with fingers than the fork and so you just pull it apart. When Jaime started pulling the head apart to check for any extra meat I just found myself laughing. There I was on the way to football with some of my closest friends, discussing football, in Spanish and pulling a fish apart. It was all just too weird.
We went back on our way again, with Jaime still blowing the football horn at every single person we passed.
We made it to the stadium by 2.30pm and joined the incredibly long queue. We managed to get in by 3pm and found Fredi, Zuko, Adony etc – a whole load of guys from church. We then had the next 5 hours to wait for it to start. By 5pm the stadium was completely full – and still another 3 hours til it started. I was so sad I had left my camera in the car, when we arrived it was raining and we figured it’d just get too wet. The waiting wasn’t to bad – as it was the most important game they had a marching band in the stadium and as we got closer to the starting time there were fireworks - and even 3 men parachuted into the stadium with the Honduran flag flying behind them! This game was important to the World Cup and also because it was what the Hondurans were looking forward to to raise the spirits of everyone amongst this political crisis. America is involved with our politics, has withdrawn aid from us – but we were going to win at the football.
Kike bought his facepaints and so we dedicatedly had the flags drawn on us. My face was half white and half blue. Fredi’s wife Belquis did it and so it actually looked good! The match was great – until it was 3:2 to the USA and we had a free kick – and missed! Yes..we lost! The silence in the stadium was phenomenal.
At the final whistle I suddenly felt like I was at a giant funeral. Fredi’s car load all rushed off and as I turned round Jaime was fighting back his tears and sat looking forlorn and Adelson was just sat crying! This meant everything to them in so many ways and everyone was devastated. Now, I like football and yes felt bad we lost, but this was a whole new thing. I didn’t know what to say. Everyone filed out of the stadium quietly. Kike drove back and the car ride was like I was going to a funeral. They were just so devastated. We got home about 1am.
The last match is in El Salvador on Wednesday, but we don’t have much hope apparently. One thing is for sure I won’t be watching with my friends – I can’t take the disappointment afterwards!!
Yesterday Honduras played USA for a qualifying place in the World Cup, it was the most important game. The match started at 8pm and the gates opened at 2pm.
I set off with Jaime, Adelson and Kike at 11am and we stopped off at the lake for lunch. Here the randomness began. We stopped into the ‘cafe’ – and as it’s by the lake the only option is fish – and you go to the fridge and choose which fish you would like. They are gutted and have the scales taken off and are then left in the fridge. They cook ‘your’ fish. We sat overlooking the lake eating our tortillas with a new kind of cheese (freshly made straight from the cows milk – no pasteurising or anything – I’d never tried anything like it – and could probably survive not eating it again!) The fish arrived – still very fish like staring up at me from my plate – and we tuck in. Easier to eat with fingers than the fork and so you just pull it apart. When Jaime started pulling the head apart to check for any extra meat I just found myself laughing. There I was on the way to football with some of my closest friends, discussing football, in Spanish and pulling a fish apart. It was all just too weird.
We went back on our way again, with Jaime still blowing the football horn at every single person we passed.
We made it to the stadium by 2.30pm and joined the incredibly long queue. We managed to get in by 3pm and found Fredi, Zuko, Adony etc – a whole load of guys from church. We then had the next 5 hours to wait for it to start. By 5pm the stadium was completely full – and still another 3 hours til it started. I was so sad I had left my camera in the car, when we arrived it was raining and we figured it’d just get too wet. The waiting wasn’t to bad – as it was the most important game they had a marching band in the stadium and as we got closer to the starting time there were fireworks - and even 3 men parachuted into the stadium with the Honduran flag flying behind them! This game was important to the World Cup and also because it was what the Hondurans were looking forward to to raise the spirits of everyone amongst this political crisis. America is involved with our politics, has withdrawn aid from us – but we were going to win at the football.
Kike bought his facepaints and so we dedicatedly had the flags drawn on us. My face was half white and half blue. Fredi’s wife Belquis did it and so it actually looked good! The match was great – until it was 3:2 to the USA and we had a free kick – and missed! Yes..we lost! The silence in the stadium was phenomenal.
At the final whistle I suddenly felt like I was at a giant funeral. Fredi’s car load all rushed off and as I turned round Jaime was fighting back his tears and sat looking forlorn and Adelson was just sat crying! This meant everything to them in so many ways and everyone was devastated. Now, I like football and yes felt bad we lost, but this was a whole new thing. I didn’t know what to say. Everyone filed out of the stadium quietly. Kike drove back and the car ride was like I was going to a funeral. They were just so devastated. We got home about 1am.
The last match is in El Salvador on Wednesday, but we don’t have much hope apparently. One thing is for sure I won’t be watching with my friends – I can’t take the disappointment afterwards!!
Saturday, 3 October 2009
Fun with friends!
Finally, time for another update. Things here have calmed down finally. The ex-President (really...which other country has 2 presidents at once?!) is still in the Brazilian embassy and life seems to have moved on and left him there. We haven’t had curfews for a few days now – he doesn’t have the support he’d hoped for and so when he rallied for people to turn up last Monday – no one went really, there were no major demonstrations or anything. So there he remains for a while apparently
I went to Tegus this week and you’d not have known there were any political problems going on at all! My friend Jaime finally graduated and so Lorena and I went up to his graduation. Lorena and Jaime are my closest friends here and are like my own brother and sister (they are siblings) - and they view me as their sister too. I love them both to pieces and my life here would be very different without them. So after class on Thursday I drove to Tegus. We stayed with Mario, a friend from church who has gone to work in Tegus and lives with his parents there in a gorgeous house. We had lunch with him, changed and went off to the first part of the ceremony. In the first part ( juramentacion – swearing oaths) the graduates go up and swear their oaths etc and then have to sign all the paper work. Then after that they put on their togas for the graduation part of the ceremony. It was actually really good. I was the official photographer for the day as no one else from his family went. Jaime is the only person in his family to have gone to university and so it was a proud moment for everyone! He is now a fully qualified PE teacher!
Jaime and I
Lorena, Jaime and I
After the ceremony, Lorena and I went off and wandered around a bit whilst Jaime did official ‘stuff’ and then we all went out to dinner – Jaime and Lorena, Jaime’s 2 house mates and Mario. We went to El Gordo which is a fantastic restaurant that just serves meat!! Meat, meat and more meat! Fantastic – apart from the large part of liver I tucked into thinking it was beef!! Then the 3 of us went to stay at Mario’s. They actually talked me into watching the movie Friday 13th – I never watch scary movies...luckily enough it’s not that scary, more amusing! So we all just had fun hanging out together.
Then yesterday Lorena and I made the most of being in Tegus and went to the mall and just relaxed before we drove home to Sigua in the afternoon. My dream is to be able to bring these 2 to England with me for Christmas this year. At the moment it’s only a dream as I’m trying to find the money for me, let alone them. But please join me in praying that I can find a way for them to meet my culture and family, as they have accepted me into their family and culture here.
One exciting part of my trip was that I got the very LAST tickets in Tegucigalpa for next weeks World Cup qualifying match for Honduras. It’s Hondy’s last match here and the tickets are only on sale in Tegus and San Pedro. My friend Kike called and bought 2 tickets in San Pedro for me and I queued up for 45 mins in the bank in Tegus and Praise God – I got the last 3 tickets in the city!!! So the boys and I (my usual football crew) are off to the stadium next week!! I’m very excited.
So all in all I’ve had a great week!!
I went to Tegus this week and you’d not have known there were any political problems going on at all! My friend Jaime finally graduated and so Lorena and I went up to his graduation. Lorena and Jaime are my closest friends here and are like my own brother and sister (they are siblings) - and they view me as their sister too. I love them both to pieces and my life here would be very different without them. So after class on Thursday I drove to Tegus. We stayed with Mario, a friend from church who has gone to work in Tegus and lives with his parents there in a gorgeous house. We had lunch with him, changed and went off to the first part of the ceremony. In the first part ( juramentacion – swearing oaths) the graduates go up and swear their oaths etc and then have to sign all the paper work. Then after that they put on their togas for the graduation part of the ceremony. It was actually really good. I was the official photographer for the day as no one else from his family went. Jaime is the only person in his family to have gone to university and so it was a proud moment for everyone! He is now a fully qualified PE teacher!
Jaime and Lorena
Jaime and I
Lorena, Jaime and IAfter the ceremony, Lorena and I went off and wandered around a bit whilst Jaime did official ‘stuff’ and then we all went out to dinner – Jaime and Lorena, Jaime’s 2 house mates and Mario. We went to El Gordo which is a fantastic restaurant that just serves meat!! Meat, meat and more meat! Fantastic – apart from the large part of liver I tucked into thinking it was beef!! Then the 3 of us went to stay at Mario’s. They actually talked me into watching the movie Friday 13th – I never watch scary movies...luckily enough it’s not that scary, more amusing! So we all just had fun hanging out together.
Then yesterday Lorena and I made the most of being in Tegus and went to the mall and just relaxed before we drove home to Sigua in the afternoon. My dream is to be able to bring these 2 to England with me for Christmas this year. At the moment it’s only a dream as I’m trying to find the money for me, let alone them. But please join me in praying that I can find a way for them to meet my culture and family, as they have accepted me into their family and culture here.
One exciting part of my trip was that I got the very LAST tickets in Tegucigalpa for next weeks World Cup qualifying match for Honduras. It’s Hondy’s last match here and the tickets are only on sale in Tegus and San Pedro. My friend Kike called and bought 2 tickets in San Pedro for me and I queued up for 45 mins in the bank in Tegus and Praise God – I got the last 3 tickets in the city!!! So the boys and I (my usual football crew) are off to the stadium next week!! I’m very excited.
So all in all I’ve had a great week!!
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