Baleadas Express

We finished teaching a taller at 5 today. K helped Hna S finish cleaning the CRE while C introduced me to popular rock music of the 80s and 90s such as Enanitos Verdes and Fito Paez, so we didn't leave until around 6. Of course we were hungry, so we decided to go to Baleadas Express for dinner. We figured it was fitting to have Honduran baleadas tonight, and then Salvadorian pupusas when we're in El Salvador tomorrow.

We've gone to Baleadas Express probably about five times since we've been here, and today was the first time we successfully ate them without using a fork. A baleada is a tortilla with beans, sour cream, and eggs. You can also get other stuff on it like chorizo and avocado. They just fold the tortilla in half with all the stuff in it- and these are like, fresh flour tortillas that are pretty big. The first time we got baleadas mine totally fell apart and I had to eat it with a fork and knife, and since then I've gotten a fork to use to eat my baleada. Well, today we didn't even think about getting silverware to eat our baleadas. K and I were both about a third of the way done with our baleadas when I realized that we were doing pretty well at eating them without them falling apart. I had just thought this when I looked up to see mantequilla strewn across K's face, and thought that maybe that wasn't so true. However, K wiped the mantequilla off her face and we proceeded to finish eating our baleadas without them falling apart or making a huge mess. Here's a picture of K eating a baleada the other week(this is a smaller one that she made herself).

Graduation numero cuatro

We just graduated our fourth group today. It was a big group- on the first day 24 people came. It was a lot more people than any of the other groups we've taught, but things ran smoothly and it was a really good group. 16 people graduated today; here they are:

It was fun because this group decided to have a party when we got done today, so they all planned ahead to bring different things like cake, tamales, and golocinas. K made lemonade, too, which is fitting because throughout the workshop they make a business plan for fake lemonade stands.

On a different note, lately I've been noticing a lot of things that cost way less here. For example, K and I went to the distribution center the other day and bought two Conference Ensigns for L 6(which is like 30 cents, 15 cents each). I thought I heard wrong when I heard 6, like maybe it was 106, but no, it's just that cheap. Other things at the distribution center cost way less, too. Like, most of it seemed like normal US distribution center pricing, but other stuff was significantly cheaper than it is in the US. I will definitely have to take advantage of that while I'm here. It isn't just stuff at the distribution center though. We went to get haircuts on Saturday. It cost L 140, which is about $7, to get my hair washed and cut. This place wasn't like the crappy places you can go to in the US for a $12 haircut, either. It wasn't like a super nice place, but they did an excellent job, and it definitely cost way less than it would have in the states.

And, here's another song I really like that's pretty popular: Mi niña bonita by Chino y Nacho.

Música

So you know how I mentioned how I could never sing a solo in front of people? Well, basically I did on Sunday. I lead the music in Sacrament meeting, and K and I choose the hymns before church every week. I believe our conversation in deciding the hymns went a bit like this:

K: Should we sing Por la belleza terrenal (For the Beauty of the Earth)?

me: Sure. Do you think they know it?

K: I don't know. Probably not.

me: Oh well, it's a pretty song.

It is a pretty song, and we discovered on Sunday that no, they do not know Por la belleza terrenal, as I was the only one singing it as far as I could tell. I think someone in the bishopric was trying to sing it by the last verse, but I really felt like I was singing a solo there. I didn't look up the entire song, and I remember thinking, 'do they think I am performing a solo? cuz I'm not.' Why I said "Oh well" the day before I don't know- but now I know I CAN sing a solo in front of a bunch of people. It did make it easier that I was waving my arm in time and not looking up the whole time. We don't think they knew the closing hymn we chose either, ¿Donde hallo el solaz? (Where Can I Turn for Peace?), because again I felt like I was singing a solo the first verse. I looked up that time and was disappointed to see that lots of people NOT moving their mouths. The second verse more people started singing, and the third verse even more people were singing. Either they were learning the song as we sang it(or rather, as I sang it), or they forgot the hymn number that had been announced before the last speaker and it just took them really long to find it. After Sacrament meeting, a member of the bishopric told K thanks for teaching the ward new songs and to make sure we sang them again so they can learn it better. I wonder how many times I'll sing For the Beauty of the Earth solo before they start joining in.

Speaking of singing, last Tuesday K and I were invited to meet the maestro of the Honduras Philharmonic Choir. We went, and ended up singing WITH the choir, which was not our intent when we went. We thought we'd just meet the teacher and see the choir practice. It was pretty cool though. I haven't been in a choir in years so it was something different to do. I sat next to a boy who's probably about ten years old. His voice hasn't changed yet, so he gets to sing soprano with the women. When I sat next to him he asked if I was from Honduras(though he was obviously thinking that I must not be from Honduras- I am pretty gringa). He sang pretty well, and at the end he complimented my singing in perfect English. We had a good time, so we're going back tomorrow to the full practice instead of just some of it. Oh, and we had to tell someone we can't do a musical number on Tuesday night for a missionary setting apart because we had already agreed to coming to this choir thing again. I am definitely developing talents here I never thought I would.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Yesterday we went to Valle de Angeles, which is a touristy town north of Tegucigalpa. We had a lot of fun walking around, eating pupusas, and taking a bunch of pictures. We've noticed that Hondurans have a different picture-taking expression than the big smile expression Americans tend to make for photos. So, we took a bunch "Honduran style" and then "American style" photos.

Honduran style

American style

Honduran Style(except C did the opposite we were doing in these two pictures)

American Style

Honduran

American

And, of course, here is K chasing a cow. It's not Honduran style,

but then again it's not American style either- not sure what

you would call it... The cow really was scared of her though.

Mi sangre es su sangre

K and I donated blood today. It's a big day for donating blood here in Tegucigalpa. They had setups at different chapels throughout the city for it, and we were asked to take pictures and video at a few different buildings. We went to the first building this morning and both K and I tried to donate blood. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough iron because my iron is always low and I haven't been eating a lot of high iron foods lately. I had plenty though, so I went on to donate blood. After they had checked my iron levels and asked me all their questions they gave me a blood bag to carry to the other side of the building for them to use. I thought it seemed strange and a little less than sanitary, but you know, whatever. The guy rubbed my arm with rubbing alcohol(I'm hoping, but it definitely wasn't iodine) and then stuck the needle in. I didn't notice until K pointed it out, but they weren't wearing any gloves. Also it is normal to rub iodine on your arm to sanitize it when you donate blood, but they didn't do that either. When I was done they gave me a cotton ball to hold on my arm. I stopped using it after I dropped it on the floor like five minutes later, but I wished I had a bandaid or something. Oh, and they told K her iron level was too low to donate blood so she was disappointed.

Notice the absence of gloves and bandaging for my bleeding arm

(that's just a cotton ball sitting there on my arm).

So we went to the next building to get some video and pictures there, and K got her blood tested there to discover that her iron level was high enough to donate blood. It was kind of weird because it was like, definitely high enough, not like barely. We're not sure what was up with that first place...

At this second chapel it was a different company doing it, and it was quite different. One of the ladies there saw my arm and asked if I lost my bandaid. I told her I didn't have one. She was like, it must have fallen off, and immediately went and got me one. She acted almost worried that I didn't have a bandaid. I was glad to get one, though, it was kind of gross to not have one. The cleanliness standards at the second chapel seemed equal to those that I am used to in the US. They also gave blood donors a lunch box, so K has one of those now.

Here they are testing K's blood. Notice the presence of

gloves even at this stage of the blood donating process.

I'm glad that we got to donate blood while we're here, since we won't be able to donate in the US for like a year after we get back from Honduras. It had been a few years since the last time I donated blood, too, so it was really good we had the chance to today.

Olga 'Algo' Herrera

Today has been a very busy day. First, we taught the last portion of our third workshop, so we graduated nine more people. Yay! Then we spent much of the afternoon making calls to people about our taller that starts on Monday, which we now have 11 people signed up for. I am not really a phone person- I don't like making calls in English, and I like even less calling people in a language that I'm not super comfortable with. Well, today I had one very interesting phone conversation. I was calling a lady on a list from a bishop of about ten members who he thought might be interested in our workshop. There's not really a good way to describe how this conversation went, so I will try to write it out as best as I can remember. Oh, I'm renaming the guy Bob.

Bob: Alo

Yo: Hola, Se encuentra Olga

Bob: ¿Quien? ¿Oscar?

Yo: No… se encuentra Olga, Olga… – uh (Realizing there was no way I could pronounce her second name, which started with an X and was most definitely Mayan, I decided to explain why I was calling, hoping later in the conversation the guy would understand "Olga" and go get her)Pues, estoy llamando del Centro de Recursos de Empleo SUD, y quiero invitar a Olga a un taller de Autoempleo que vamos a tener la semana que viene.

Bob: Lo siento, no entiendo.

Yo: (Mas lento y con mejor pronunciacion)- Estoy llamando del Centro de Recursos de Empleo SUD, y vamos a tener un taller de autoempleo que va a comenzar el lunes el 13 de junio.

Él me preguntó sobre mas detalles del taller, como los tiempos especificos y el lugar. Le dijé la información.

Bob: ¿Cuantos cuesta?

Yo: Es gratis, es de la iglesia

Bob: ¿Cual iglesia?

Yo: (pensando el no es miembro de la Iglesia y este es un numero incorrecto) La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias... entonces, ¿es este el numero para Olga?

Bob: ¿Quien?

Yo: Pues, Olga,.. no se como se dice, es Olga 'algo' Herrero

Bob: Oh, si, yo conozco a una Olga Herrero que vivía en este barrio… pero ella murió.

Yo: Oh

Bob: Ahora este es el numero de Bob Villa

Yo: ¿Bob Villa?

Bob: Si

Yo: Ok, gracias..

Y terminamos la conversación. No sé si él va a venir al taller pero eso fue una conversación única y muy interesante y extraña. Hey, at least I understood it all, even though he had trouble understanding me at first.

Speaking of conversations, earlier this week K and I were walking to the CRE, and she was telling me some story about something very normal. We walked by a group of guys walking the opposite direction, and they passed right by me. K stopped in the middle of the story to ask, "Did they touch you?" I said no, and she continued on with her story. Then I realized that was a weird question to have been asked and answered as though it was a completely normal everyday question. It's really not completely out of the blue here though, I had a guy who not only catcalled at me but actually grabbed my arm the other week.

But anyways, after we left the CRE we came home for a bit, and then we went up to the church. The reason we went to the church is because we were practicing for a musical number we're going to be in this Sunday. I actually think it's pretty hilarious. Me, K, and two guys are singing Acompañame in Sacrament meeting. I'm the soprano. I have never in my life performed something where I was the only person singing a part. I don't like to be the center of attention- a solo is something I don't think I could ever do, and honestly I never really thought before that I could be the only person singing a part in a group. I'm not very confident in my singing- I like following the piano or at least another person. This Sunday, however, it will be me singing the soprano part. Oh, and we're singing it acapella. We'll see how this goes. Espero bien.

Cookie Fail

I have never really enjoyed cooking or baking. I am fully capable of cooking or baking, but I choose to make whatever is easiest whenever it is necessary to make something in the kitchen. At school I joined a dinner group, which meant I only had to cook once every three weeks for the group. On the weekends I had to fend for myself for dinner, which sometimes meant I just had Cooler Ranch Doritos and Strawberry Orange Banana juice for dinner rather than make an extra effort to make real food. If I did decide to make something in the kitchen for myself for dinner it was usually some kind of breakfast food such as pancakes, french toast, or boiled eggs. I don't know why I've gone to so much detail here, but my point is- I make the easiest thing ever when I cook. This is why no-bake cookies has been my dessert of choice to make when I am craving something sugary. I am actually known in my family for making no-bake cookies just right. They taste great, and they always set right- not too gooey, not too dry. My no-bake cookies are even something my family missed while I was on my mission, and they insisted I make them shortly after I got home. Well, last night I made no-bake cookies, and I completely failed. There are a number of things that could have gone wrong with our lack of measuring cups, the weird texture our butter seems to have, and the cheapest brand of oats from La Colonia, but whatever happened, it was a sad day. It was like a soupy chocolatey oatmeal of sorts. Here's what happened when I tried to put a cookie on the foil:

The chocolate liquid was way too liquidy to stay with the oats. The good news is it still tastes good. Instead of cookies we have a pot of oatmeal chocolatey goodness. I'm very lucky that I do not rely on my own cooking here. K loves cooking and trying new things in the kitchen, so I am not stuck eating breakfast foods for dinner.

Temples

Can I just say I love it here? This is for many reasons, one of which is our manager is awesome. Hno. V is so good to us- maybe it's because he has daughters our age, or because he was taught by sister missionaries when he joined the church(and since everyone seems to think we are sister missionaries we very well could remind him of them), or maybe we are just really cool people he likes.

Today we finished teaching a workshop at noon. I told Hno V we were leaving for the day, and he asked what we were going to be doing this afternoon. When I told him we were going grocery shopping he asked where, and then he offered to drive us so we wouldn't have to walk. We accepted his offer to drive us, and he took us on a detour to eat crepes- K and I both got crepes catrachas, and we split an order of really good crepes with white chocolate and strawberries. Hno V loves to take us out for lunch, and he's introduced us to a lot of Honduran food. After lunch today he took us to the grocery store and waited patiently as we ransacked the place for no bake cookie ingredients, tortillas, limones, and jello. He is so nice; I am glad we have the chance to work with him here.

On another note, yesterday in Relief Society we had a lesson about temples. It was a good lesson; I really miss being able to go to the temple. Currently the nearest temple here is the Guatemala City temple, which is quite the trip to go to. I have been so spoiled to live so near temples. Especially where I live at college, it is so easy to go to the temple frequently. On Sunday I was thinking about how it's seemed like forever since I've been to the temple and how I wish I could go, and then I started thinking about the members here who aren't spoiled like me. It is really cool though- right now the Guatemala City temple is the closest temple. They are building a temple in San Salvador, El Salvador that will be dedicated in August that will be closer, and the Tegucigalpa temple will be dedicated next summer. There is also another temple in Guatemala that will be dedicated this December. There are so many temples being built here in Central America right now.

Guatemala City Temple

At the end of the lesson about temples the lady teaching handed out slips of paper for people to write down goals to go to the temple this year. I was thinking about how when I get back to school I should go more frequently. When she got to handing papers to me and K, she told us our goal could be que casarse (get married). I'm not sure if she meant that we should have that goal in the same time frame as everyone else- within the year, but I can tell you that will not happen. I do already have the life goal of getting married, but I did also make a goal to go to the temple more often when I again am living near one. Here are some temples I've been to:

Louisville Kentucky Temple

Provo Temple

so apparently I don't have a picture of this temple without a bunch of people

in it, so just ignore the circus of missionaries surrounding the temple.

Newport Beach Temple

This is the temple I went to on my mission.

Adventures en la capilla

Last night we went to a YSA dance at our chapel. I learned how to dance bachata, merengue, and punta. Okay, so really that statement is pretty generous. I tried to dance bachata, merengue, and punta. It was way fun. Here's some of us at the dance:

K and I also ended up walking home after the dance, where we had the unique experience of being catcalled by transvestite prostitutes. This was an experience that I had never thought of to want to avoid.

We arrived home safely at the super late hour of midnight(for those of you who know my sleeping habit tendencies you know I'm being sarcastic, but at the same time I'm being serious because here I have grown accustomed to going to bed at 11 because I actually have to get up at a normal time in the morning). Since I was up late it felt super early when I got up this morning for our taller at 8am, which was back at the chapel. At least for that walk we didn't have to worry about transvestites catcalling us.

It was the last portion of the taller that we taught today, which means they all graduated. This is the second group that we have graduated now. They are such an amazing group! Here they are:

Hna N, one of the graduates from today, came over and helped us cook an amazing meal today. One of the other participants gave us presents today; they're little Mayan statues. It was so sweet of him. Here we are with T and our little Mayan statues:

Already junio?

I can't believe it's June already. Time is just flying by- we only have two months left here.

Our friend P helped us find some good panaderias, which we have enjoyed mucho. The other day we went and got cake. K got tres leches cake and I got chocolate.

I have missed my American chocolate candies(aka Reeses, which do not exist here as far as I know, and chocolate chips that cost less than five dollars a bag). There is some chocolate candy here, but it costs an arm and a leg to buy. So far though K has made brigadeiro and I have made no bake cookies, so we do get plenty of chocolate. Ok, so I also sort of have some of my Easter candy that I have been saving. But once that's gone, no more Reese's till I'm back in the States.

Another thing there is a shortage of here is root beer. Root beer is not a popular drink in Latin America. I, anticipating this, brought with me from Utah root beer extract. It is pretty much amazing. I made it the other day(there is a recipe on it where you don't need to use dry ice). It's super easy, and super yummy. They do have a soda here that I really like that they don't have in the States as far as I know. It's tropicana banana flavored. It's sort of like my root beer replacement when we go to restaurants, well, unless there's horchata.

I already mentioned that we started a new taller on Monday. Well, today we taught the second portion of it. There is a sweet lady in our class who K and I both adore. We have a list of the participants that we keep on the computer, which we print out to make sure we have everyone's information who comes to the class, but we don't usually write up an attendance list. Well, today, this cute elderly lady passed around a piece of paper for the asistencia for us. It was so sweet of her. She also was way on top of her tarea. She made a little poster to go with her business idea. I was very impressed. Here are a couple pictures of some of our participants.

I feel like this week I've actually been on top of my school work. There is a lot of interesting fun things I get to do for my schoolwork here. One of the things I'm trying to learn about Honduras is what music is popular here. For those of you who know me, you know I love music. I've had fun learning about the music here. So far my favorite song that someone suggested to me is Llama al sol por Tito El Bambino.

So basically, I've been here long enough I've missed some things from the U.S. (chocolate and root beer, two important food groups), but that is so minor, especially considering I am just getting started diving into Honduran culture and loving it.