Apologies for the delay in blogging. After 1.5 months in Honduras and 1.5 months back in the US, I've now been in Honduras for another 2 months and still getting settled. But all in all, I'm really loving life down here.
Hondurans joke that "todo es posible" in Honduras- everything is possible. Which, being a 3rd world country, refers not to any innovative advancements but more to the mindset that anything goes. There's a disregard for rules and a resourcefulness that comes out of necessity. Let me give a few examples:
- Driving Contravia: going the wrong way. For example, going in reverse down an on-ramp. Or going onto the freeway from an exit ramp. Or driving on the side of the highway the wrong way because the u-turn is just inconvenient. Any way it happens, it keeps the drive to work interesting.
- Dancing Salsa: While I've yet to go to a ballet class with my friend, I'm now 2 months through Level 1 of salsa at a local Cuban restaurant/dance floor. This has become the highlight of my week. The class starts off by practicing old steps and learning new ones. Then we pair up and practice some more. Each time they yell out "cambia de pareja" the guy moves to the next girl to keep practicing so you get to dance with everyone in the class. However, there are half as many guys as girls, so I end up dancing by myself half the time. Which inevitably ends in me facing the wrong way after a turn, cause I can't quite keep track of my invisible partner.
- Identical twins: Ok, so it's possible to meet twins in the US as well. BUT do they have the same name? That's right, I have now met Marcos 1 and Marcos 2, which was exactly how they introduced themselves. Obviously I immediately broke into laughter, internally quoting Dr. Seuss Thing 1 and Thing 2. Thankfully both twins are tall and love dancing salsa, so it's made for a fun Wednesday night of dancing after class.
- VIN tells all: Given that I've been driving the company car for a few months now, it's time to get my own car here. Which has become quite the month-long saga; I've learned quite a bit. Basically there are 2 options: 1) buy a used car from a car dealership or 2) buy from an autolote or random newspaper ad. These seem fairly straightforward until you realize that used cars at car dealerships are expensive because the dealership brings them in new from the US, pays high import taxes and only buys back used cars that were brought in by car dealerships because.... the rest of the cars in the country are pretty much all totaled cars from the US that import with lower value and then get fixed up and resold. So 90% of cars in this country are automatically lemons, typically without airbags. So to find a cheap but safe option, you have to play a game I've developed. First, you find a car online or in the newspaper or at a used car lot. Then take a photo of the VIN, return home and google images... Did the airbags go off? [YES] Was it really hit in the rear like the salesman said? [NO, it was hit in the front and the side] Was it just a light wreck? [NO the car rolled over and the roof collapsed]. Basically a disheartening game that always ends inevitably back at square one.
Oh Honduras, you never cease to keep things interesting!
Hondurans joke that "todo es posible" in Honduras- everything is possible. Which, being a 3rd world country, refers not to any innovative advancements but more to the mindset that anything goes. There's a disregard for rules and a resourcefulness that comes out of necessity. Let me give a few examples:
- Driving Contravia: going the wrong way. For example, going in reverse down an on-ramp. Or going onto the freeway from an exit ramp. Or driving on the side of the highway the wrong way because the u-turn is just inconvenient. Any way it happens, it keeps the drive to work interesting.
- Dancing Salsa: While I've yet to go to a ballet class with my friend, I'm now 2 months through Level 1 of salsa at a local Cuban restaurant/dance floor. This has become the highlight of my week. The class starts off by practicing old steps and learning new ones. Then we pair up and practice some more. Each time they yell out "cambia de pareja" the guy moves to the next girl to keep practicing so you get to dance with everyone in the class. However, there are half as many guys as girls, so I end up dancing by myself half the time. Which inevitably ends in me facing the wrong way after a turn, cause I can't quite keep track of my invisible partner.
- Identical twins: Ok, so it's possible to meet twins in the US as well. BUT do they have the same name? That's right, I have now met Marcos 1 and Marcos 2, which was exactly how they introduced themselves. Obviously I immediately broke into laughter, internally quoting Dr. Seuss Thing 1 and Thing 2. Thankfully both twins are tall and love dancing salsa, so it's made for a fun Wednesday night of dancing after class.
- VIN tells all: Given that I've been driving the company car for a few months now, it's time to get my own car here. Which has become quite the month-long saga; I've learned quite a bit. Basically there are 2 options: 1) buy a used car from a car dealership or 2) buy from an autolote or random newspaper ad. These seem fairly straightforward until you realize that used cars at car dealerships are expensive because the dealership brings them in new from the US, pays high import taxes and only buys back used cars that were brought in by car dealerships because.... the rest of the cars in the country are pretty much all totaled cars from the US that import with lower value and then get fixed up and resold. So 90% of cars in this country are automatically lemons, typically without airbags. So to find a cheap but safe option, you have to play a game I've developed. First, you find a car online or in the newspaper or at a used car lot. Then take a photo of the VIN, return home and google images... Did the airbags go off? [YES] Was it really hit in the rear like the salesman said? [NO, it was hit in the front and the side] Was it just a light wreck? [NO the car rolled over and the roof collapsed]. Basically a disheartening game that always ends inevitably back at square one.
Oh Honduras, you never cease to keep things interesting!
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