Honduras and Copán Ruins

I was really excited when I saw the rainbow the first morning in Costa Rica. However, my hope quickly washed away as I looked out my porthole yesterday morning and there was torrential downpour. I was fearful that this was a sign—and I didn’t think it’d be a good one. Because of the rain, the excursions were delayed by about two hours; mostly because people in Central America move a lot slower than Americans and the rain just made it move even slower.

Despite the delay, everything seemed to move slowly. The FDP went smoothly overall. A lot of time was spent on the bus, watching American movies and observing the scenery and areas, through which we drove. I wasn’t anticipating such a long bus ride to arrive at the school, and we needed to walk through the town because the bus did not fit on the rural streets. Fortunately, the roads were in much better condition than in Costa Rica. The bus ride offered unique insight where the visual interactions I had left me perplexed. I sat in an air-conditioned bus looking out at these people and their streets, homes, buildings, and overall infrastructure, but I wondered, were they having more of an impression on me? Or was I having a greater impression on them as they peered back at me? Walking through the town of the school we visited, Trinidad (ironic, I know!), I noticed that many people would stand at their front doors or windows and stare at us. It was a peculiar stare, that I had never really witnessed before. Many stood with their arms acrossed their chests, but they smiled and were outwardly friendly when I would shout “¡Hola!” I guess their body language (the stares and eye contact, the smiles, the glares, the gestures, the stances) had confused me. Elijah mentioned, it must be bizarre to have a group of 50 tourists walking down the middle of your quiet streets taking pictures of everything in sight. Although the feeling of being in the down was rather welcoming, I still felt a sort of invisible cultural barrier.

Part of this cultural barrier was due to the language or the simple fact we were going to go our separate ways in a matter of hours after being introduced. I was very impressed by the school, called “Cruz Alberto Madrid (1972)”. It was on a school yard with about 6 separate buildings (one for each grade) and a recess area in the middle with a stage. The students put on a theatrical presentation for us, about the peer pressures that students get about attending school. Some join gangs at young ages, but fortunately the rural area of the Sula Valley that we visited doesn’t have this common issue. After the show and presentation, the class broke the group into 3 smaller groups and conducted their lessons. My professor was not very decisive about what I should do (I am not in the class, for which this FDP was designed, hence I did not participate in making a lesson plan.) So I wandered between two groups and shared the silly bands and tattoos, which were both a huge hit! (Thanks, Mom!) It was a great experience to be about to work with the primary school kids and practice my Spanish. Unfortunately, it was a bit rushed because of the rain and travel delays. However, these kids are a group with lots of hope for the future and I hope to be about to help contribute in some way to this community. I should also mention they had a few treats for us (tajados and empanadas) which were delicioso! After what felt like too short of a time at the school, we returned to the bus and headed to our hotel at Copan Ruinas.

The town of Copan Ruinas is situated next to the Copan Mayan Ruins. I enjoyed the cobble-stoned roads in the town, which reminded me of the city centers in Germany. Hotel Yaragua was rather modest, but very comfortable to spend the night. It was annoying to hear some people complain. I got my own bed and pillow, so I was as content as a clam. The dinner was good, and I got to sample two of the local beers. SalvaVida has been much favorite beer thus far, but not because of taste, but I really liked its logo. Another pleasant surprised in the town was the costs of the souveniors. Many t-shirts are created in textile mills in Honduras and exported. Everything was extremely cheap…that was a big shock to me. I had a relatively quiet night, interacting with some locals (Luis) and some SASers. After so much time in the bus, we were all exhausted by 10 o’clock.

This morning, we had breakfast and walked to the Copan Ruins. We got a glimpse of the town in the daylight. It looked drastically different than at night. The walk to the Copan Ruins was longer than anticipated, which naturally led to bickering about having to walk. The German in me wanted to say, “Suck it up, and enjoy the fresh air!” But the American in me kept quiet. I’d like to also mention that there a special aroma in the air, which was similar to farm lands. Moreover, we got a tour of this huge ruins complex. It was fascinating to see how nature has both set the Ruins in a beautiful area, as well as is slowly deteriorating this ancient civilization’s remains. There was lots of walking involved, plenty of stairs, and I took a ton of photos! I don’t feel like a description could do it justice. But the Mayan history is very interesting, and I feel like the structures at Copan were very similar to the structures at Tulum (in Mexico.) (The picture at the top of the blog is from Tulum.) The symbolism and intelligence of the Mayan civilization is mind-boggling! They were able to construct these massive structures for living, worship and recreation. Additionally, they were scientifically-advanced, especially considering their calendars are still relevant in modern-times. We concluded our visit of the Ruins with lunch. I inhaled a chicken burrito. It was a 4-hour car ride to return to the ship. Looking on a map, we literally drove through the entire country of Honduras (from Puerto Cortés to Copan Ruinas). I have watched 5 movies in the last 36 hours, and still managed to take nearly 300 photos. I almost forgot to mention that Elijah was on the trip too (he’s in the class for which this FDP was designed), although I had another roommate in the hotel.

And I must say I have enjoyed the food the most in Honduras! I had some great conversation and interactions with locals, and I would say based on my impression of Honduras, they are a very content people. Their demeanor never seemed to reflect their political and economic issues, but then again, I was there for less than two days. Honduras, however, touched me in a way that no other country has thus far that is difficult to articulate. I felt this yearning of wishing to relate to them more, or at least spend more time with them to understand more. They seem simple and have a different way of life. They are free of constant electronic interaction and seemed to be just as happy as any American kid. They smiled and played outside. I found everyone to be very cordial. The way they carried themselves stood out the most to me, and would like to interpret further. Maybe I’ll post a picture or two to better explain how their stance was so unique, in my eyes. It’s not very easy to explain through words.

Although there weren’t any rainbows, everything went smoothly in Honduras, and we’ll be landing in Guatemala in a matter of hours. I better rest up! I have a service visit tomorrow in Puerto Barrios.

¡Hasta pronto!
Matt

P.S. I surprised my hotel roommate as my sleeping alter-ego was quite chatty.