Vegetables

On Saturday night, the new team of volunteers in Las Mangas (Karolina, Sandra, and myself) went door to door to introduce ourselves. In an effort to get to know the community better and to feel safer, we talked with each family (most of whose children take part in Guaruma) for a few minutes. At many homes, we were invited in for Coke and bread, which is very generous as the families in Las Mangas don't have much to give. Amy 0, Honduras 1.

The houses in the village are simple. Most are made of a sturdy wood with very bare insides. The majority of the houses that I entered had a family room, two bedrooms (one for the adults and one for the children), an outdoor bathroom, and a kitchen with a wood burning stove.

I noticed a pattern in Las Mangas, which I'm sure has been the focus of a previous sociology study. Many of the families have children with disabilities and even more of their children have half-brothers and sisters. I imagine that with such a small, self-contained community (no more than 20 separate families in the village), there has to be an overlap between families.

The community is also very religious, even the children. It is looked down upon to play secular music and we have to be conscientious of church times. I'm not sure if/how Zumba is going to fly here.

Today was my busy day - 3 classes in El Pital. I ran up the mountain (this time more running than walking)! The students were rowdy today but I managed to reign them into to learn the months of the year and how to say their birthdays. After my second class, two of the girls stayed to chat with me. All of a sudden, they started speaking so fast and I could no longer understand them. They kept giggling and I was getting so frustrated. 5 minutes passed before I realized that they were speaking jibberish and were purposely trying to confuse me. It worked. I started speaking really fast in English and they thought it was hilarious. At least someone thinks so! Amy 1, Honduras 1.

We got pretty good at making banana cake. The dough tastes amazing, and the cake only slightly less amazing. We've made it twice now and I have the recipe memorized. Something to bring home to the States:

1/2 c sugar

3/4 stick of butter

2 tsps baking powder

2 c flour

2 bananas mashed

cinnamon to taste

1. Soften butter and mix with sugar.

2. Slowly add flour and baking powder mixture until thoroughly mixed.

3. Add mashed bananas and stir well.

4. Place in greased bread pan and put in the oven for 50 minutes. (We have a gas oven and no temperature gauge, so your guess is as good as mine. We stick a fork in it to see if its done.)

5. Eat, drink, and be merry. Very good with peanut butter.

There is a God! The vegetable truck is here! I snapped a picture:

Now my fridge looks like this. Jealous? Amy 2, Honduras 1.

Mosquito Bites: 7

Final Score: Amy 2, Honduras 1