La Multa

Yesterday a friend and I were in the "City Center" in Coxen Hole. This is where there are all of the goverment offices and many banks, etc. We were at the bank for 15 minutes. We came back to the car we had left parked, like many other cars on the street, on an unpainted curb ( indicating there are no parking restrictions). The parking attendant was in the middle of writing up our ticket with a fine ( la multa) of 500 lempiras or $25. We were frustrated especially because he had no response to our inquiry as to where the no parking information is to be found on the street.

When we looked closer at the ticket and to our contentment, we realized that there were absolutely no numbers or information that could trace the car back to this ticket. The ticket simply describes the car as a "Kia with 4 doors and no license plate". Knowing that this was enough to make us laugh it off and certainly not enough to find us and throw us in jail, I put good use to the ticket and immediately scanned it to share here, on my blog! Enjoy! I call this one, "La Multa".

Plat Pollin' n' Such

The Plat Pole is like the May Pole and it is a famously famous cultural break dance. Our friend Morris and his entire empire showing us how it is done!













SBAS Teacher Retreat, Survivor Much?

Pati is 30

 

 

 

 

Precious

I have been tossing around for about an hour, just a little longer than the yapping dog has been barking outside, it has not stopped. I try my usual fall asleep routines I began to perfect when I was a public high school teacher; deep, slow breathing, the Our Father and the Scientific Statement of Being. It is as if something cannot rest. Each time I begin my prayers, my mind wanders to some problem to solve or a character in the movie, “Precious”, I watched right before bed. As I sit here in the middle of the night, I think back to being in Miami visiting my mom and as I can’t sleep I write a letter to God as a prayer about my mom. I chose now to finally wake up because quite definitely there is something for me to notice. Why do dogs bark at nothing for hours? Why don’t some mothers defend their children? I connected with the purpose of the characters in this movie. Precious wanted only to be someone else, somewhere else and her teacher spent her day with her movie star looks sticking it out as a flashlight in the dark for her students who just by the mere fact of their uneducation, stood alone. Precious admits that as she sits listening to her teacher and her partner converse, she has no idea of what they are saying. I realize tonight that many of my sleep-deprived nights as a teacher might not have been due to stress of my own but that of my students.

I and I a Pirate

Looking this good at 60, U Dun Know!“ Ya mon. I got da hole ting ready.” These, the words from Alstead, the captain of our maiden voyage, honoring Bobby’s 60th birthday. Alstead and Eddie had told me many times, “It dun ready”, referring to the ladder, seats and overall repair of Alstead’s sturdy, old-school Coxen Hole fishing boat. Eddie promised to supply the beverages. 30 minutes after I arrived at the dock with the surprised birthday boy, Eddie explained that his son had drank all the beer that night before. He did tell me this same story 3 times in a row. He apparently doesn’t realize the power of the disappointed teacher stare he was receiving at that moment. So, after the 15 party passengers arrived on time for the surprise, we watched as the preparations were made. Alstead made 3 trips with an old beat up truck. The first load consisted of a borrowed pulperia table and chair set, which like the contents of the second load, a huge sofa, were lashed to the railings of the boat with rope. The third load was 4 cases of brew and ice. It was a Sunday, no liquor sales on church day, so good thing Alstead’s niece owned the beer depot!
Barely made it out of Coxen Hole
After 45 more minutes of watching Alstead and what now appeared to be half of the mechanics in the neighborhood pluck and turn engine parts, the generator shut off, the roaring engine stood on its own and we were off. It was a leap of faith, we knew if that vessel left the harbor, we’d be in for a true island cruise.
Holy Sheiks, even in the Caribbean

As was promised, we were able to use the ladder to get back on the boat after our bathroom breaks. Knowing the dangers we faced to get back aboard the vessel, we threw caution to the wind and jumped into the huge swells in the deep, south side waters. Bobby was able to lash this giant wooden ladder to the side of the boat with the help of 2 of our “crew”, for whom, there was a fair ration of dark rum. Mind you the beer was reserved for us land dwellers. We threw ourselves back over the 4-foot high deck rail of the beast, sliding back to seated positions as soon as possible, trying to avoid cracking our skulls on the deck, which was now slick with spilled fuel.
Gracie, she don't swim, but she climbs a mean ladder!
Although signs of precarious conditions abounded, such as countless glass beer bottles aboard our slippery boat deck, not a radio nor rescue device in sight, and a diminishing ice supply, we prevailed, staying true to our pirate ambitions. We dropped anchor in a calm protected cove, the color of a turquoise blue swimming pool. The food, which Datson and Gracie had brought on board, was soon brought to the table, and the cannon ball dive competition from off the top deck ensued. In celebrating our good friend’s birthday, all onboard having originated from different parts of the globe such as the Honduran mainland, the Island, the States, the UK, Argentina and Holland, we found ourselves pirates for a day. Now familiar on this fiberglass boat which became famed not for looks, but for style.
I and I, We Pirates

Christmas Trip to SF and Oregon

At Hip Hop Party


Krissy Fields


Breaking out!


Jamie and I at the Academy of Sciences in SF


Weave Shop on Market Street


Bobby and the Brothers Flanagan

Free Flow

Although none of my entries are edited, I thought on this particular Saturday night to let it flow. I paint my nails a Carmen Miranda-shade of orange and try on clothes that don't make me look like too much of a tourist with my rare, sunburned skin. I am waiting to head to West End to join up with Bobby and his band for a few songs. I acknowledge my recent absent-mindedness when it comes to being grateful. In a world full of extremes, I am challenged to meet the individual in my thoughts. We can catch ourselves in a whirlwind of disappointment even in paradise, on the sunniest day. That is how pessimism works, I guess. It feels natural to slide with the gloom, many times we remember of the 15 great occurrences in a day, the 1 that chipped our shoulder. This poses, as I am learning, so many problems!
So, I hereby swear to do my damnedest to see the light that is always on. One of my inspirations in this task is Darwin. He is a small guy, trying to get into his first year of what is the Honduran equivalent of freshman year of high school. He, is a true angel. We met because he showed to have a special drive to learn, so I invited him to English class last year. He showed up, each class. He is no nonsense when it comes to seizing an opportunity.
His mom wanted to get to the States for work and money. She left her 5 kids,including Darwin on the coast with a woman none of her family knew. She had asked her teenage sisters to take care of them, but they had the smarts to realize they were just learning how to take care of themselves, not quite ready to mother 5 kids. After a year, we got all the kids back on the island. When Darwin, all 4feet and a half of him walked into my school, my heart jumped, like when the man you love dearly appears in front of you. A few days later, after I picked up a gross $5 chicken salad from Wendy's ( the newest installment of America here on the island), Darwin dropped in for me to take him to get some new shoes. His only pair of functioning flip flops broke. We walked to the little tienda on the beach. This kid smiling and flopping his small arms around my waist. This kid has won me over. At first the only sandals are for girls, but the lady pulls out more sandals with our insistence. We find a pair that cost $2 and we spend the rest of the $5 dollar bill on 3 pounds of bananas for Darwin to take home. The lady with the shoes grins and we are all so excited about this purchase. Darwin and I chat on the way home about the expenses he has to cover to go to public school in a few weeks. I realize I just spent $5 on an American salad in Honduras, and Darwin is alive with gratitude and excitement with his new $2 treads and giant bag of bananas.