This week has been quite the experience for me already. I have traveled to many places but never to central American and never without knowing someone traveling with me. I was a little nervous about coming at first but the nervousness has rapidly disappeared. Upon arriving, I collected my luggage and we headed to the mall in Tegucigalp to eat. Holman who is our driver for the trip drove the interns that arrived to the mall. At the mall, I saw a Wendy´s and decided to eat there. Ordering proved to be quite difficult because I´m not up to par on my Espanol quite yet. I received a little assistance and proceeded to eat my hamburger. We went back to the airport to wait on the rest of the interns to arrive. After they made it through all the procedures of coming into a foreign country, we loaded up and began our three hour ride to Mission Lazarus. This provided plenty of time for the interns to begin to get to know each other and for me to realize that it was going to be an awesome summer. We stopped to eat and get groceries in Chuloteca. We then headed on to the ranch. Chad and Shelly told us some of the basic ground rules for the summer and then the guys got to see the humble abode that we would call home for the next nine weeks. We definitely got the best part of the house. Since arriving, we have toured the ranch and all the places that we will be working as well as met the other directors of the individual areas of Mission Lazarus. All I can say now is that I´m looking forward to an amazing summer with some pretty awesome folks. Adios amigos.
Loren
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Welcome to Honduras
Well, I have now been in Honduras for two weeks now. The other ACU students from the International Agriculture course left last Saturday. I stayed with Chad and Shelly Hedgepath during the weekend and then we went to Tegus to get the other interns on Monday. It was fun to meet all of them. There are eight of us right now, but soon another girl will join us. We also met a highschool senior named Todd. He is only staying in Honduras for two weeks as a senior project. He is very cool. It was late when we finally got into Choluteca on Monday night. We went to the grocery store and then had Pizza for dinner. We made it to the intern house at Las Palmas very late at night.
The next morning, we had free to get to know one another, explore our new home and hang out around the ranch. The research legumes that my group had planted with me last week had begun growing. At 11am all the interns went up to the Posada to eat lunch and have orientation. The food was wonderful and the orientation allowed everyone to express his or her objectives and expectations for this summer. Afterward, we went down to San Marcos to learn about the town and its layout. We had some difficultites with our cell phones, but hopefully they should be in working order soon. Shelly and Meredith made us spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner. It was so good.
Wednesday we went down to Choluteca to see the Mission Lazarus office. We went down to the medical clinic at Las Pitas. I will hopefully be spending some time down there interviewing farmers about local farming practices. We returned to Choluteca for lunch. I had the most amazing taco ever!!! Then we visited one of the Mission Lazarus schools near the ocean. Then we hung out at the office for awhile. I was able to catch up on email, which was nice. We returned to the ranch and ate dinner.
Today, we went to the daily ranch devotional and got to see aspects of the ranch. Then we traveled to the other Mission Lazarus schools. I am very pleased that I will be able to help in the schools.
Tomorrow is my first ranch day. I am hopeful that I will be able to subdivide my legume research plots with the help of other interns. I can not wait to start working on the ranch and helping in the schools. Also, tomorrow night we are going to have a movie night with some of the children in the refuge. It should be lots of fun. I pray that God will teach me a lot this summer and that he will be glorified.
The next morning, we had free to get to know one another, explore our new home and hang out around the ranch. The research legumes that my group had planted with me last week had begun growing. At 11am all the interns went up to the Posada to eat lunch and have orientation. The food was wonderful and the orientation allowed everyone to express his or her objectives and expectations for this summer. Afterward, we went down to San Marcos to learn about the town and its layout. We had some difficultites with our cell phones, but hopefully they should be in working order soon. Shelly and Meredith made us spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner. It was so good.
Wednesday we went down to Choluteca to see the Mission Lazarus office. We went down to the medical clinic at Las Pitas. I will hopefully be spending some time down there interviewing farmers about local farming practices. We returned to Choluteca for lunch. I had the most amazing taco ever!!! Then we visited one of the Mission Lazarus schools near the ocean. Then we hung out at the office for awhile. I was able to catch up on email, which was nice. We returned to the ranch and ate dinner.
Today, we went to the daily ranch devotional and got to see aspects of the ranch. Then we traveled to the other Mission Lazarus schools. I am very pleased that I will be able to help in the schools.
Tomorrow is my first ranch day. I am hopeful that I will be able to subdivide my legume research plots with the help of other interns. I can not wait to start working on the ranch and helping in the schools. Also, tomorrow night we are going to have a movie night with some of the children in the refuge. It should be lots of fun. I pray that God will teach me a lot this summer and that he will be glorified.
Welcome to Honduras
We arrived here in Honduras on monday morning and afternoon. My plane was the last to get here, and after going through customs myself and three other interns, who were on my same flight, met up with the rest of the group. From first impressions it seems that we have a great group of interns who will be able to work together easily. The house we have to stay in is on the Mission Lazarus ranch just outside of San Marcos. The house is great, the boys have the upstairs loft area, while the girls have the downstairs area. The porch has many rocking chairs and hammocks which we can relax on after a hard days work.
The first few days here we have just been growing acustomed to life in Honduras, and what it will have in store for us. We have been touring all of the Mission Lazarus sites and projects, which are spread out from the ranch, to Choluteca, to San Marcos, and all of the country side in between. The interns have a full time driver, named Holmon, that has been taking us around, and will be our driver for our entire time here. Tomorrow marks the first day that we will get into our daily routine. For me that means working on the Ranch. Working on the ranch is great, because every morning all of the ranch workers meet at one of the barns and have a devotional, while I can not understand what they are saying, it is great to be with ones brothers and sisters in Christ. I have found that so far the people down here are very warm and loving, and while communication is not easy for me, they are more than willing to try.
I am very excited about what this summer has in store for me, and the type of person I will become because of it. If these first few days are any indication of what these next few months will be like, I know that I am in for a summer of a lifetime.
David
The first few days here we have just been growing acustomed to life in Honduras, and what it will have in store for us. We have been touring all of the Mission Lazarus sites and projects, which are spread out from the ranch, to Choluteca, to San Marcos, and all of the country side in between. The interns have a full time driver, named Holmon, that has been taking us around, and will be our driver for our entire time here. Tomorrow marks the first day that we will get into our daily routine. For me that means working on the Ranch. Working on the ranch is great, because every morning all of the ranch workers meet at one of the barns and have a devotional, while I can not understand what they are saying, it is great to be with ones brothers and sisters in Christ. I have found that so far the people down here are very warm and loving, and while communication is not easy for me, they are more than willing to try.
I am very excited about what this summer has in store for me, and the type of person I will become because of it. If these first few days are any indication of what these next few months will be like, I know that I am in for a summer of a lifetime.
David
Kyle week one
So they told me that it would rain quite often, say once or twice a day. Pack a raincoat. I did and it is. On and off all night and all morning it has been raining. It is quite nice though, cool and soft. The walk up the hill to meet for the devotional made me damp but you get accustomed to it.
Living in the A-frame is awesome. The guys have it best. The upstairs has a high ceiling and plenty of room. We even have our own stove and fridge if we get ambitios enough to cook. The DVD player doesn´t work upstairs but that is fine with me. I have plenty of reading and studying to do.
So far we haven´t really done anything but tour all of the Lazarus facilities, at the ranch, in San Marcos, in Choluteca, on the mountains and everywhere in between. Tomorrow is the day we start work. I will be headed to the clinic in up the mountain. Saturday we have the day off to recoup from our one day work week. I am sarcastic about it now, but I will be thankful for the day off in a few weeks, I´m sure.
I´m looking forward to spending a day on my feet instead of in the back of our Land Cruiser. Nothing is wrong with Olman´s driving skills, but my legs need a good stretching.
Saturday we are planning to go horseback riding. I´m a bit apprehensive. Not the greatest rider.
I´m reading Brave New World by Huxley. It is a fun contrast between the Honduran culture that I´m experiencing.
Last night after watching Gladiator David and Loren and I went outside and shot David´s slingshot at the giant bullfrogs surrounding the house.
Jaclyn smells funny.
Levi makes me laugh everytime I think about him, and I will never forget to pray for him, ever.
more to come...
Living in the A-frame is awesome. The guys have it best. The upstairs has a high ceiling and plenty of room. We even have our own stove and fridge if we get ambitios enough to cook. The DVD player doesn´t work upstairs but that is fine with me. I have plenty of reading and studying to do.
So far we haven´t really done anything but tour all of the Lazarus facilities, at the ranch, in San Marcos, in Choluteca, on the mountains and everywhere in between. Tomorrow is the day we start work. I will be headed to the clinic in up the mountain. Saturday we have the day off to recoup from our one day work week. I am sarcastic about it now, but I will be thankful for the day off in a few weeks, I´m sure.
I´m looking forward to spending a day on my feet instead of in the back of our Land Cruiser. Nothing is wrong with Olman´s driving skills, but my legs need a good stretching.
Saturday we are planning to go horseback riding. I´m a bit apprehensive. Not the greatest rider.
I´m reading Brave New World by Huxley. It is a fun contrast between the Honduran culture that I´m experiencing.
Last night after watching Gladiator David and Loren and I went outside and shot David´s slingshot at the giant bullfrogs surrounding the house.
Jaclyn smells funny.
Levi makes me laugh everytime I think about him, and I will never forget to pray for him, ever.
more to come...
Bienvenidos a San Marcos
We have now been in Honduras for nearly 72 hours. I love it here. We spent Monday afternoon and evening driving from Tegucigalpa to Choluteca to San Marcos, eating our first dinner in Honduras at Pizza Hut, and buying groceries. Of the eight interns who are here so far (one intern, Heather, arrives next week), Kendra (aka Consuelo) knows the most Spanish. She seems to converse effortlessly, and doesn´t hesitate to start a conversation with any of the Hondurans who work for Mission Lazarus. I know probably 75% of her vocabulary and grammar, but I am slower (and less confident) about putting it all together and understanding native speakers. I am much more comfortable with practicing my Spanish with Chad, Shelly, Meredith, and my fellow interns. I waver between expecting to be fluent by the end of the summer, and wanting to let Consuelo do all of our speaking for us!
For another week or so, we also have with us another student, Todd. Todd is Taiwanese, about to graduate from high school in Washington state, and planning to study at the University of Washington. He is working with the Mission Lazarus clinic for two weeks for his senior project, a graduation requirement. Todd is a hoot. He knows probably about as much Spanish as I do. He loves to talk, and the thigns he says and the ways he says them are just funny! Sadly, he is not staying at the intern house with us. And he is only working at the clinic, so I might only get to see him one more time before he leaves.
The past few days we have been travelling around to visit different places that are part of Mission Lazarus. The intern house and Refuge (the children´s home) are at the ranch, a huge spread about 5 minutes´ drive from San Marcos. San Marcos is a cute little town with lots of colorful buildings, a small central park, several churches, a few schools, and lots of people. I find it interesting the way Honduras get around. Some people have American, European, or Asian cars and trucks. Automobiles and autobuses full of people bounce along the streets. Many more people have bicycles, or use their legs to travel around. On the highway between Tegucigalpa and Choluteca, we drove along a two-lane road at 45 miles per hour, with people on bikes or on foot passing by within 12 inches of the vehicle. We see lots of children walking along the shoulder of the road also. Fearless.
Today it rains. It has rained lightly but steadily since 5:00am. I don´t mind. But it´s a little chilly. I´m in capris and a t-shirt. By the way, there is another interesting thing about Honduras. Technically we are in Central Time Zone, but there is no Daylight Savings in Honduras, and right now the sun rises at 4:30am and sets at 6:30pm. While we are here, we have been waking before 6am, getting hungry for lunch by 11am, getting sleepy around 4pm, and going to bed by 9:30pm. This schedule could be good for me!
--Haley
For another week or so, we also have with us another student, Todd. Todd is Taiwanese, about to graduate from high school in Washington state, and planning to study at the University of Washington. He is working with the Mission Lazarus clinic for two weeks for his senior project, a graduation requirement. Todd is a hoot. He knows probably about as much Spanish as I do. He loves to talk, and the thigns he says and the ways he says them are just funny! Sadly, he is not staying at the intern house with us. And he is only working at the clinic, so I might only get to see him one more time before he leaves.
The past few days we have been travelling around to visit different places that are part of Mission Lazarus. The intern house and Refuge (the children´s home) are at the ranch, a huge spread about 5 minutes´ drive from San Marcos. San Marcos is a cute little town with lots of colorful buildings, a small central park, several churches, a few schools, and lots of people. I find it interesting the way Honduras get around. Some people have American, European, or Asian cars and trucks. Automobiles and autobuses full of people bounce along the streets. Many more people have bicycles, or use their legs to travel around. On the highway between Tegucigalpa and Choluteca, we drove along a two-lane road at 45 miles per hour, with people on bikes or on foot passing by within 12 inches of the vehicle. We see lots of children walking along the shoulder of the road also. Fearless.
Today it rains. It has rained lightly but steadily since 5:00am. I don´t mind. But it´s a little chilly. I´m in capris and a t-shirt. By the way, there is another interesting thing about Honduras. Technically we are in Central Time Zone, but there is no Daylight Savings in Honduras, and right now the sun rises at 4:30am and sets at 6:30pm. While we are here, we have been waking before 6am, getting hungry for lunch by 11am, getting sleepy around 4pm, and going to bed by 9:30pm. This schedule could be good for me!
--Haley
First Week
We arrived in Honduras on Monday with quite a bit of turbulence on my flight! Our first order of business was to drive 2 hours to Choluteca and go grocery shopping and eat at Pizza Hut. Following that we went to the ranch and got settled into our house. The view from our house is amazing, and it is pretty sweet to wake up to the sounds of cows mooing outside of our house. I am a huge fan of the little calves running around by the house. The past few days we have been travelling around seeing all the different places that Mission Lazarus works in, my favorite thus far has been the clinic that they have set up in the mountains. I am really looking forward to working there each week!
Tonight we have Spanish class which I am ready for, I want so badly to finally learn to speak Spanish! This morning we were shown around the ranch, and had morning devotions with all of the ranch hands. Hopefully, if the weather is nice we are planning on trail riding on Saturday which is going to be a blast with all of the interns! I am really looking forward to this summer with all of the interns, I already feel at home. Working in the clinic is probably going to be my favorite. Shelly told us that those of us who do clinic on Monday are going to be working in the pharmacy, telling the patients when to take their medicine and how much. My spanish speaking abilities are about to improve! Those are just a few of my first impressions, I am in love with living on a ranch in Honduras, and I honestly can´t think of a better way or place to spend my summer.
Katie
Tonight we have Spanish class which I am ready for, I want so badly to finally learn to speak Spanish! This morning we were shown around the ranch, and had morning devotions with all of the ranch hands. Hopefully, if the weather is nice we are planning on trail riding on Saturday which is going to be a blast with all of the interns! I am really looking forward to this summer with all of the interns, I already feel at home. Working in the clinic is probably going to be my favorite. Shelly told us that those of us who do clinic on Monday are going to be working in the pharmacy, telling the patients when to take their medicine and how much. My spanish speaking abilities are about to improve! Those are just a few of my first impressions, I am in love with living on a ranch in Honduras, and I honestly can´t think of a better way or place to spend my summer.
Katie
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