It’s
Stream of Consciousness Sunday at Jana's Thinking Place. Five minutes of
unedited brain dumpage on whatever we want or on her optional prompt. Set
timer, write, hit publish.
Today’s
optional prompt: Roughing it
The
true concept of “roughing it” didn’t appear to me until my adulthood and 10
years ago in the third world country of Honduras, the city of Comayagua on a
mission trip to Hogar de Ninos Nazareth, an orphanage.
Our
accommodations at Hotel Quan are far below basic. Their standard of clean is
not even close to ours. The family running the hotel is sweet.
We brought
our own bedding/pillow to fit over what is there. And towels. Hot water for
the shower is compliments of an electric heating element with exposed wires that is the shower head (scary). Mouths kept closed when showering, plastic cup
over faucet to remind us to brush our teeth with bottled water. Tried not to
look very closely in corners or under beds. We squashed large spiders.
We slept fully clothed our first year.
An armed guard stands out front all night (we think) and gunshots are fired into the air all night long in celebration of something but probably a soccer win or Saint's Day.
We slept fully clothed our first year.
An armed guard stands out front all night (we think) and gunshots are fired into the air all night long in celebration of something but probably a soccer win or Saint's Day.
By day two, Hotel Quan felt like home of sorts with a bare bulb next to our
beds to read and some of the best coffee I’ve ever tasted. We developed a
groove like a big 26 person extended family. And the same people/families give
or take a few, sign up to go again every year.
I’ve
been back 8 times (I have Goddaughters there) still not looking too closely in
corners. I haven’t electrocuted myself in the shower obviously or developed “Montezuma’s
Revenge” from the water.
Sometimes I feel I could live there. Being happy with so little. It's a beautiful country.
Sometimes I feel I could live there. Being happy with so little. It's a beautiful country.
And I can say I’ve never felt so comfortable with just the clothes on my back.
**********************
(The lovely Hotel Quan, Comayagua, Honduras)
Note:
We travel to Honduras with the intention that what we bring, we leave. All clothes,
bedding, left over personal items and luggage (which people donate to me and
the orphans use as dressers under their beds) stay and we fly home in our
travel clothes with only a backpack.
http://mythoughtsonthesubjectareasfollows.wordpress.com/2012/12/02/thanks-for-the-liebster-award/
ReplyDeleteHi. I nominated you for a Liebster award because I really enjoy your work.
Thanks so much, Bo! I'm so excited and honored!!!
DeleteWow Gina. I am in awe. Your roughing it story is amazing. For all the good cause in the world I don't know if I could #1 squash a spider #2 sleep with spiders present #3 return after squashing a spider. It makes me sound like such a wimpy girly girl but spider and caterpillars are those bugs that will make me hurt myself trying to get away from.
ReplyDeleteI'm totally used to it now. The first few days the first time were so different from anything we'd ever done before. Oh, I had to squash them because if my daughter saw before me she would freak like you've never seen before. With the biggest/hairiest one the first trip, it was on the wall above her bed. I told her to get up and go get ready. As soon as she shut the bathroom door, I smashed it and threw it outside. I HATE spiders but I couldn't have had another roommate for that week! I can "do" spiders. Snakes are another matter altogether.
DeleteI probably would have killed the spider for Christopher too in order to not see him freak out. Mama Bears protect the cubs ;-)
DeleteI KNOW you would have, scared or not!!! That's right!
DeleteThis is incredible. And somehow so much deeper and more precious than mine! LOL. I grade papers for an ESL professor about people from Honduras immigrating here illegally and how hard it is for their parents to support them there so they come here to send home money but the kids would rather have their parents than the money. I love that you did/do this still. What a blessing you are to the Honduran people... and everyone else along the way.
ReplyDeleteHappy SOC Sunday!
I have to go read yours. Everything is personal and meaningful to us and I know I will find yours precious as well. As a girl from a metropolitan area, renting rustic lake cabins was roughing it and I've never properly camped (I would. I just haven't). This is the only real roughing it I've had.
DeleteThere's a book called Enrique's Journey and it's about just that, illegal immigrating by children to be with their parents in the US. It's a really good yet heartbreaking story. They are the blessing to ME. I am better having spent time with and knowing them. They are happy people who live simply and struggle much. We help by being consistent in their lives. It's dangerous there now and I hope I get to go back this next summer.
Some people don't realize how good we have it here until they visit some places and begin to understand that in comparison our poor are rich.
ReplyDeleteThat may not be true across the board but...
It is great that you give back that way. I love that you leave what you bring for those that you visit. That is very cool.
This is very true. Actually, the orphans live a better quality of life than most children in families there, at least from my experience in the city of Comayagua. It is third world which is far different than anything we have here. It provides a very harsh frame of reference between what we have, want and truly need. It's always been important to us that our kids see this. They both thrive there and have many friends, especially Mateo. They love the crazy blonde boy who plays soccer with them all day.
DeleteWe bring two suitcases full of clothes, gifts, crafts, stuff, our clothes, bedding and it all stays. I usually have to remind myself to set some clothes aside to wear home. Oh and we delouse the morning we leave so you need an extra comb too!
This was great! It sounds like your yearly mission trip is wonderful, both for you and for the people you help. I love that you leave your things behind.
ReplyDeleteI laughed at the shower head heater :) The concept of what is safe there, electrically is not exactly the same as here, is it? Ha ha. I had no hot water when I lived there, because my heater burned out and I never wanted to risk another one. It was just easier to take a cold shower, or a bucket bath with heated up water poured into the bucket. The nice thing was, when I would go to Teguc and had to stay the night with a group, that shower in the hotel was the the most luxurious thing I ever felt. That, and walking barefoot on the carpet. Hot water and carpet were the two things I missed the most :)
Kianwi! I know you understand what it's like there. It is wonderful to be with our "other" family and friends every June. The situation there is very dangerous right now (they've pulled Peace Corp), we travel with armed guards. Right now there is a men's group there so I will have to get a recounting of what it is truly like and how my girls are doing.
DeleteThat heater has always freaked me out. Some of the rooms don't have one so if yours does, it's a luxury. I wouldn't touch it either. I've done the bucket bath there too. AND I wear socks in the room at all times because of the tile floor (gross). It's amazing how those two things become the luxury items when you aren't used to them anymore.
I LOVE that you leave your items there!
ReplyDeleteI remember reading earlier posts about your going there and your godchildren, but this gives even more insight into what a great person you are!
I hope you get to go back next time!
It's so very freeing to come home with nothing. Puts things in perspective but I get to come home to a lovely house and family. They are well off compared to most in that country. You are so nice to say that but I'm the selfish one. I get far more out of it spiritually and emotionally than I feel I give. It makes me cry.
DeleteI hope my husband will let me go next June. He doesn't prevent me from doing one single thing but he fears for our safety and I hate that he worries. I will never take both kids at the same time if he doesn't go as well because I did once and he was a wreck the entire time with his family in an unstable country.
I can totally understand his viewpoint. I have had relatives in "unstable" areas and even had some held hostage temporarily. It is so scary when you cannot be there to hold them, protect them, or just see that they are ok.
DeleteWe have a very good friend, male, who swore to my husband that he would take care of us like we were his own when my husband couldn't come but if the whole gig goes down, my husband is all alone. We did this maybe 6 years ago when the country was "quiet". He came the next year and had the time if his life but we were together as a family so we had that.
DeleteOur church goes to Honduras every year. I need to go. My children are old enough now that they can live without me -- with a baby sitter -- for a week. I need my eyes opened.
ReplyDeleteJamie, where in Honduras? I highly recommend it when the country settles down some (unless your group is guarded and comfortable traveling there now). Yes, they do get along, and sometimes better, without us. It's one of the most rewarding and spiritual experiences you will ever have. At least it has been that way for me. You will want/need to go back.
DeleteWow, you are so awesome for taking these trips! I really love your stream of consciousness Sundays.
ReplyDeleteI get much more out of it than I put in, I guarantee you but thanks for the nice comment. Sunday is the perfect day for stream of consciousness. Samantha...join us! It's so easy. Set a timer and write what you want. It's so carefree!
DeleteThat is truly amazing! It's so terrific that you do that. Kudos to you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, mod mom! It is an amazing experience and wonderful people in a beautiful country. I highly recommend doing any sort of serve project (locally, within the US or a third world place) with your children. It's very grounding. Now if I would only learn more Spanish...
Deletewhat an incredible way to ROUGH it..I am sure that many of us (me included) could not do that for one trip and yet here you are, all these years later, still going. That is inspiring. Truly.
ReplyDeleteSure you could. You look past all the differences, just smile and hug the children. You realize pretty quickly that our world is much bigger than "us". By the time you fall into bed on night one completely exhausted, you can't wait for the next day. I recommend some sort of serve project to anyone/anywhere.
DeleteI thought using the outhouse growing up was roughing it. Not cut out for that for sure. Sleeping in the car one night, because all the hotel rooms were taken was bad enough. Okay I am kind of whimpy. But I definitely admire the folks that do such a wonderful selfless act of kindness.
ReplyDeleteMary
Using an outhouse when growing up it totally roughing it and much more long term! I've only slept in a car as we were driving straight through to SW Colorado. You aren't whimpy; you just haven't done it. I admire the people I go with and the children I know there.
Delete