Ready and Waiting – Dec. 18

Good news. The delegation coming to visit us phoned and said they were leaving Tegucigalpa. Phew. I had worried that they would cancel the visit. Bad news. They phoned after 8:00 a.m. But, they should be here in an hour or so.

All of the CPI Honduras Board showed up this morning and are waiting with us. The two boys working on the yard continue apace. Today they are digging up two permanent beds. When they finish those they will cut some grass and other biomass to finish filling the banana circles that we laid out. Yesterday the yard was cleaned, the last of the shrubs planted, Moringa seeds planted and yard raked and stones picked up. It looks like a yard now and not a derelict post-construction site. Two days of light evening rains and cloudy days have meant ideal planting conditions. The shrubs planted on Monday are already sending out new leaves.

The tables arrived from the carpenter at 1:00 p.m. yesterday. Wow. The same day they were scheduled to arrive. They look wonderful. A little tall but that is nothing that a hacksaw can’t remedy. Our carpenter is proving to be an excellent workman. It is such a pleasure to have an idea translated through an interpreter and scratch drawings turn into something workable. Often, the only person who has ever seen such a thing is me so it is a stretch for everyone else involved.

We took a trip to the local material shop and got some lovely tablecloth material which features bold green squares alternating with squares of sunflowers and a boarder of sunflowers. Bright and cheery. Hopefully it will look as nice in a year. Jessica, one of our future Grade 8 students who is also a teacher in the Grade 1-6 Educatodos Progam, took the cloths home to hem them. We spread them this morning, lifting and moving the computers to squeeze the cloth underneath.

With tables and computers all organized, the place looks like a real office/tutorial centre. The activity has caused lots of comments in the community and I notice passersby slowing to read the sign and, if I am outside, ask questions. For our dignitaries, we first thought of having them plant a shrub. Well, I miscounted numbers and had planted too many of the shrubs before recounting. So, we went to Plan B. We bought 5 flowerpots and filled them with dirt. Then, with each pot, the dignitary will receive a packet of four Moringa seeds and a beribboned document that outlines some of the qualities of the plant. All are pleased with Plan B so that is a relief. I went down to the material to shop to buy the ribbon this morning.

As I write, the first students are having an introduction to computers lesson. How to turn it on and find the typing program are first lessons. Will see how it is going in a few minutes. It is rather intimidating for them to have me towering behind them.

Lunch is here for the guests. Not sure what it is going to be but I am sure the ladies will do us proud. We had a mid morning snack – white buns with heavy cream. Cream is used as a substitute for butter and the same word is used for both. Confusing to someone like me. One of the things about English is how very precise we are with hundreds of extra words for everything from unbred female pigs to a zillion kinds of cheese. Often that same precision exists in other languages but in areas that we are unfamiliar with (Inuit words to describe ice and snow for example).

Tried to do some emergency repairs on the toilet this morning. Sigh. One never knows when you will hit the wall of the last plumber’s lack of experience, lack of parts or lack of will. The good news is that nothing is broken and water is not flooding any part of the bathroom. The bad news is that we will have to rely on buckets for flushing. The good news is that our pila out back is full of clean water. And, there is no doubt that every one of our visitors will be able to handle the system with experience.

Last night, as I sat having baleadas, everyone in the restaurant, including the owner, started hustling out to the street. Not to be outdone, I followed. The excitement was over when I got there. Evidently, up the hill a ways, two electrical wires were shorting and causing an impromptu display of fireworks. The owner looked at me, grinned, shrugged his shoulders and said, “This is Honduras.”

Because we have computers here in the office, it was felt that we need a guard at night. Julia found a young man named Harrison to come and sleep in the office. I gave him my foam mattress and he slept here. I noticed that he had slept with a machete beside him – it was still on the floor this morning. I guess that there is a drug addict who hangs out in the empty lot beside us some nights.

Finished the requirements for my bank account this morning. The forged signature passed muster and the stamp we had made did the trick. The lady was happy with the document and returned my cheery “Merry Christmas” with a will. Manuel’s question was, “Why did the documents we made work here and not for me at my bank?” He will try another bank. Sigh.

I notice that more and more things from my kitchen are appearing here. It will be a challenge to get them all back to my place once the festivities are done. I wonder what my place is looking like. With all the strange ladies going in and out of my apartment, I hope that the neighbours don’t start too many stories. Men might be coming to me for advice. What a waste of their time that would be.

Time to check on the classes.

Bryan