The Pros and Cons of Political Unrest...while vacationing in the Caribbean

I just returned from what was intended as a 3 day weekend at the coast, but turned into a 7 day stint at a seaside hotel under government imposed curfew. As many of you may have heard, the political situation in Honduras has been intense. Since the coup in late June, things have been relatively calm and peaceful. There had been no evidence of increasing unrest. However, Mel Zelaya, the ousted ex president, returned tot he country on Monday afternoon. He returned as a fugitive and was harbored inside the Brazilian Embassy. This past weekend just so happened to be a four day weekend for all NPH employees so some other volunteers and I had taken what we thought would be a long weekend jaunt to Tela, a coastal Caribbean town.

Tela itself was a wonderfully relaxing getaway and a much needed break from the day to day grind at the Ranch. On Saturday, we spent the day relaxing on the beach at the hotel Telmar. On Sunday, four other girls and I went on a day long boat trip to Punta Sal and the Jeannette Kawa Parque Nacional. This was a beautiful trip that included hiking through a rain forest, snorkeling, and spending time on a gorgeous secluded Caribbean lagoon. Snorkeling in the coral reef was definitely one of the highlights. Here we saw a variety of tropical fish, rays, and other underwater life. The beach was amazing with white sand and turquoise water. There are only two families that are allowed to keep residence in the park. They have grass huts near the beach and are totally isolated from all modern technology. On Monday, before Mel returned to the country, we took a bus to a little Garifuna village called Tornabe about 8 km outside of Tela. Garifuna is the name for the culture that arose along the coast after the immigration and trade of Africans that had been brought to the America´s on slave ships. They have a very unique culture and language. They speak a language that is a mixture of Swahili, French, Spanish, English, and a variety of other African languages. Their style of music is very African/Reggae. In Tornabe we relaxed on the beach (again!), and had incredibly traditional Garifuna sea food. We ate at a beach side restaurant where we ordered, watched the fisherman take his boat out to catch our fish, and then waited as he brought them in and grilled them. I really enjoyed spending time in this little town because it is a place that is off the beaten path for most tourists. The restaurant owners told us that they rarely get American or European tourists in their village. It is usually just a very tiny, calm fishing village. Life there seemed extremely slow, but very enjoyable.

While we were enjoying our freshly caught fish, we heard the news that Mel Zelaya had returned to the country and was barricaded inside the Brazilian Embassy. At the time, in our personal paradise, it didn´t seem like a big deal. Non of the Hondurans nearby seemed to think much of this turn of events so we continued our meal, swam a bit, and headed back to Tela. Once in Tela we learned that a Curfew (Toque de Queda) had been imposed on the entire country. This quarentined us to the Hotel Bertha until further notice. In Tela, we were in absolutely no immediate danger. The protests and unrest was going on in Tegucigalpa. We heard from friends at the ranch and in Teguc that things there were extremely out of hand. There were thousands protesting the de facto government, Honduran military troupes, vandalism, and civil disobedience. Tegucigalpa had turned into a very dangerous place to be within a matter of hours. People were vandalizing and looting stores, defacing public property, and holding large demonstrations outside the Brazilian Embassy. In Tela, things were calm as usual. There was virtual no evidence that any sort of political crisis was erupting within the country. We spent the evening inside playing cards and eating baleadas provided by friendly neighbors. The next day the Toque de Queda extended the entire day so we yet again spent the day inside. This was somewhat torturous being so close to the beautiful Caribbean Sea. Finally, on Wednesday they lifted the Toque from 10 am to 4pm. People were allowed to leave their homes for food, water, and medications. The lines at the grocery store were astronomical! People waited for more than 4 hours to receive food. Many were buying in bulk for fear of an extended Toque de Queda. Also, the lines at the bank extended for blocks and blocks while people waited to withdraw the majority of their money from savings accounts. Many people are afraid that the political crisis will lead to economic failure as well.

My experience in Tela during the Toque de Queda gave me a lot of insight into Honduran politics as well as into the viewpoints of many Honduran people. What I have learned is that the Hondurans that are interested in politics are supportive of Micheletti. There are a handful of Zelaya supporters that seam to be causing the trouble. In the grand scheme of things, most Hondurans are without opinion in the political debate. According to one employee at the Ranch, "The poor will be poor no matter who is president. Neither of the two presidents actually wants to help us." The majority of people just see this whole political mess as a threat to their lives, their home, their job, and their economic stability. Thousands of small and large business lost substantial amount of business and money this week during the imposed curfew. The women selling Baleadas next to our hotel asked "Who is going to pay for my children to go to school now that I've lost so much business? Micheletti or Zelaya?" Overall the Honduran people are tired and weary of the political turmoil in their country. They just want a resolution so that they may return to a normal way of life.

As an American in Honduras, it is somewhat frustrating. The U.S Government has backed Zelaya from the beginning because the Coup was undemocratic and unconstitutional. While this may be true, it is also true that Mel Zelaya has committed many unconstitutional acts and is alligned with extreme leftist leaders such as Hugo Chavez. In fact, Zelaya has recieved most of his funding and backing from leftists leaders like Chavez. In my opinion, Zelaya seems to be seaking nothing more than power and fame. However, the US still supports him. The US has removed all aide to Honduras and is refusing to recognize our elections in November. Also, the Organization of American States has reneged on their promise to provide funding for the November elections. Honduras and Micheletti's de facto government refuses to back down even while recieving pressure from the entire world. This creates quite a difficult situation. The real problem seems to be that no one cares about Honduras and its seemingly little problems. Its true that there are currently bigger fish to fry and other things to focus global time, money, and interest on, but Honduras needs a solution. We are not going to reach one without support from the global community.

Today (Friday) was our first full day without the curfew. Life slowly crept back out into the streets and appears to be normal for the most part. I was able to travel back to the Ranch with little trouble. There were a few government check points and evidence of the protests in Tegucigalpa, but overall things were very calm. Oscar Arias, the president of Costa Rica has offered to hold peace talks again between the two opposing presidents. I hope for the country and people of Honduras that some sort of resolution can be reached. Overall, I am extremely glad to have made it home after the unexpected, extended trip. It feels great to be back at the Ranch after such a long time away.

Pros of Political Unrest While Vacationing in the Caribbean

1. Had more time to float around in the Caribbean Sea. We enjoyed every moment.


2. Made new American friends. While in Tela we met two older men in their late 60's ( Norm and Al) from Vermont. We became their adopted grand daughters and were even invited to a surprise birthday party for Norm.
3. Ate delicious sea food multiple times in the past week.
4. Honed my Banana Grams skills while confined to the hotel.
5. Increased our creativity, resourcefulness, and patience while spending over 24 straight hours in a small hotel room with 5 other people. We undertook endeavors such as fort building, trivia contests, etc.

Cons of Political Unrest While Vacationing in the Caribbean

1. The obvious, Political Unrest
2. Spending a torturous amount of time just blocks from the beach, without actually being able to go to the beach.
3. The harm that this political situation does to the Honduran government and economy.
4. Spending way more money than I intended to, due to my unexpected vacation extension.
5. The unresolved political situation still looming in the future.
   

Obvisouly the Cons by far outweigh the Pros. We are just glad that we made it back to the ranch safe and sound, and that all seems to be back to normal for the time being. Please pray for peace in the country of Honduras.

Peace, Anna

This vacation was brought to you by the irresponsibilty of Mel Zelaya.

Lice and Beans

As you've probably guessed from the title of this blog, this past week has not necessarily been my week. Casa Suyapa is a wonderful place to be, but it definitely has its downfalls. One of the main ones being that it is frequently subjected to head lice epidemics. I try as I may to evade this, I wear my hair in a bun every day and I don't let the girls play with my hair. This week all my avoidance tactics failed and my hair and scalp unfortunately succumbed to these unwanted creatures. I was the first of any of the new volunteers to get it, and with my abundance of hair it was not a pleasure to remove. Luckily, I am so blessed to have Tezra, a fellow Michigander, as a friend and co-volunteer. She spent 4 hours on Monday combing through my hair and making sure that these little friends would not return. I have a lot of hair! It was a rough job. I've never had lice before and in fact, have had quite a phobia of it. I took this lovely little infestation as a "welcome to Honduras!" from the lice community here at the ranch. I know have a sign in my room that says "Lice free since September 15!" Unfortunately, I know there will come a day when I have to cross this off.

Other than this unfortunate and semi-traumatizing event, things at the Ranch have been wonderful lately. Yesterday (Tuesday the 15th) was Honduran Independence Day. The entire ranch went by bus to a nearby pueblo called Talanga. There we participated in a parade with children from 8 other area schools.The kids worked long and hard to prepare for the parade. There was a percussion group, baton twirlers, decorated cars and trucks, kids dressed as historic Honduran people, and much more. Hondurans are very serious about their patriotism and have a deep love for their country. It was a big job to live up to their standards in the procession, but it was nothing that I couldn't handle after my decades of involvement in the world famous Tulip Time. Because I work in the clinic, I rode in the ambulance with Ana Karina, another nurse. We didn't have any major injuries or problems. Just a few band-aids, aches and pains, and plenty of thirsty children! It was incredibly hot and dusty. Two children fainted from the heat and got to spend the rest of the parade cruising in the ambulance. Over all the parade was a great success and our kids from NPH did a phenomenal job. We spent the rest of Independence Day relaxing and re hydrating.

The more time I spend in Honduras, the more I realize what a valuable opportunity it is to be here for the year. The longer I'm here, the more I fall in love with the children, the culture, and the language. I know that I am learning so much and hopefully changing for the better as a result. Also, I am really enjoying strengthening my relationships with people I work with and with the kids. I already know that it is going to be so bittersweet to leave next August.

Peace,

Anna

Top 5 Moments of the Past week or So (in no particular order).

1) Eating chocolate chip banana bread made my another volunteer

2) learning to do stitches, then using my new found skill frequently!

3)Completing 7 small surgeries this morning before 11:30 am

4) Finding time in my schedule to finish "The Grapes of Wrath"5) Waking up on Tuesday to a louse free head.

Top 10 things that Make Life at The Ranch this Week an Adventure

10) Scratching my mosquito bites for more than three consecutive minutes.
9) Eating Pancakes for dinner on Tuesday night.
8) Playing Banana Grams with my roommate while listening to NPR podcasts.
7)Watching the children of Casa Suyapa tie 25 helium balloons to a Dora the Explorer doll and send her into orbit.
6) Watching the Honduras vs. Trinidad Soccer (Futbol) game on Saturday night with my kids.
5) Man with a large Machete wound came to the clinic on last Wednesday. He cut through tendons and bone in his arm.
4)Swimming in the Represa, a large reservoir a little ways up the mountain from the Ranch.
3) A girl was carried to the clinic unconscious. Later it was found out that she was knocked out with a baton while practicing baton twirling for the parade next Tuesday. She is doing well.
2) Being smothered by hugs from sweaty children in Casa Suyapa every evening.
1) Riding back to the Ranch in the back of a pick up truck with at least 24 singing children ages 3 to 6.


This past week an a half has been a good one. Finally feel like I am really settling into my place here at the Ranch. I have mastered the names of all kids in Casa Suyapa (Approximately 50), implemented hand washing at the clinic, and continued to build relationships with other volunteers and coworkers. So far the year is definitely off to a good start. Poco a poco (little by little) Honduras is becoming more like home.
As I continue to get to know the country and the people of Honduras, the overwhelming poverty here becomes even more evident. In my job, I see it every day. I lack so many of the resources necessary to provide quality medical care that these people deserve. I see it in the stories of the kids that are here at the Ranch and in so many other ways. It is a very interesting dynamic to be be an American volunteer. I have been so blessed to have what I need and more, and to have received a quality education. Things that I have taken for granted as being common place are luxuries here. The challenge is that here my blessings seem to form barriers between me and many Hondurans. Education, health care, clean water, and a safe place to live are all things that the majority of Honduras strive for, but may never attain. As a Christian, I believe that it is my responsibitlity to strive for justice and peace. It is my goal here in Honduras to be engaged in solidarity with the people. I don't simply want to be another volunteer that comes and goes. I want to understand the way of life and serve in whatever ways I can. I think one of my biggest challenges here is to form relationships with Hondurans and look past the cultural, economic, and social barriers that arise. I think that my experience here at Rancho Santa Fe will teach me so much about striving for peace, living simply, and loving others.


Peace,
Anna


"If you want Peace, work for Justice." - Pope Paul VI