Al Fin (In the End)

The interior of Honduras has given my trip a welcome blast of adventure. The scenery is spectacular and the town of Copan Ruinas is beautiful and refreshing. After a week of muggy island living, the afternoon rains are a nice change of pace. This morning I got up early and visited the Copan Ruins, which is an unsettlingly tranquil spot filled with elaborate Mayan architecture. This settlement was the most important one in Honduras for a long time and it is famous for producing the stone sculptures that are found throughout the region. Wandering around the town is also fun because it has a distinctly different feeling than life in Guatemala, even though the boarder is a few miles off. Along with the excitement of this new discovery comes the feeling that it is impossible to see enough of Central America, to dive deeply enough into the life of it's people, or to understand the systems of government, nature, and society all converging under the same sky. 

There was an amazing book store in Antigua that I stumbled across and I wanted to read every book on the shelf about this place and its painful history, which would inevitably lead me on an intellectual journey across the world and through the human psyche. An overwhelming thought is just how many different regions of the world there are out there to 

explore, with parallel complexities and histories to this small piece of the whole. Each day, billions of people are experiencing life in an infinite amount of ways, and I can't help but observe how powerfully our lives are influenced by where and to whom we are born and be inspired by the incredible strength of people all over the world who are finding their own innovative ways of changing their condition. My good friend wrote these words when we were fourteen: "If something is etched in stone, all you need is a little dynamite." She has given me strength to believe that there will always be people who will find a way to overcome even the most atrocious injustices, and I am bearing witness to that in Central America today.

One more quote, but this one is in Spanish: "La vida is corta, pero ancha." Literally, "Life is short, but broad." Just how "broad," or deep, life actually is seems to be  a matter of how we seize it, how we process our experiences, and who we have to remember our moments with. This trip, although it is at its end, seems to be unfolding more with every day. It will be a part of the direction of my life, as is the case with everything we do. It is nice to look at the end of something so moving as this adventure on foreign soil and see it as an opening. It makes me blink away those silly nostalgic feelings that make leaving difficult. And so, it with these open-ended feelings and reflective thoughts that I smile more freely than before and step with a little more energy in the direction of home.

Unraveling in Utila, Honduras

I´m in love. In the past few days I have spent nearly as much time under water as above, and I am completely enthralled by the world down there. It has been many years since I felt so excited or passionate about a new activity, but this is truly unique. Admittedly, I just got scuba certified in one of the world´s most beautiful diving spots. What has been most exciting about it is seeing the same kinds of organisms under water here that we are familiar with back on Catalina but in different variations. Since it´s not really possible to jump up and down with excitement in water, I was swirling around and doing flips down there, just enjoying the feeling of being suspended in water and observing a new world. The impressive quality about the fish and other critters down there is that they just let you stick your face right up close to them and observe, often without fleeing if you approach carefully. I found myself thanking them yesterday for giving me the opportunity to see life in a different way. Maybe that was the nitrogen narcosis, but either way, it was close to something spiritual.

Can I list a few of the things I saw without boring the reader? The list is impressive: turtles, sting rays, moray eels, squid, nudibranchs, fireworms, comb jellies (they really exist! unbelievable!), sea horses, christmas tree worms (really big ones), jellyfish, parrotfish, sponges and corals, tiny fish that hide in holes, anemones, flatfish, and the list goes on and on. We logged all of our dives, so the geeky ocean explorers out there who are interested can hear more details later. It is just like Finding Nemo, where you are there on this reef and then sometimes it just drops off into open blue ocean. It is so fun to watch everything interacting-- to watch fish feeding on plankton, to

 find their homes in crevices, to see a sea horse wrap around some algae to keep from floating away. I´m just so excited!

When I got here Monday, Meagan and Courtney greeted me and we dropped my stuff off at 

their house and jumped directly onto the boat for a snorkel. Then Tuesday was a theory day and Wednesday the diving began. It took some serious concentration, and trust in my lovely 

instructor Meagan, to pull my mask off and put it back on under water. That was challenging. It brought on this panicky feeling but I´m getting over it slowly as I get more comfortable 

breathing underwater. Between Wednesday morning and Friday at noon, I went on 8 dives, including the grand finale, which was a deep dive where we went down to 100 feet. That felt just about like 40 feet, but the bag of chips that Meagan brought down was totally compacted and I know I was supposed to think of my lungs and remember to always keep breathing. Scuba diving could be a form of therapy because you never ever stop breathing slowly and steadily. Anxiety or distress are just not options. Every movement is slow, deliberate, and calm.

This weekend is all about rejuvinating and enjoying the relaxation of being in the arms of good friends in a beautiful place. We celebrated a friend´s birthday last night by treating her to a 

sunset sail around the bay. We laughed for an hour and a half straight with our German guide and then made our way into town to continue the celebration. My hosts have been the 

most gracious you could ask for and the week here has flown by. The unraveling that has taken place for me is the best kind, just like falling in love where you let yourself relax into something much bigger than yourself. I guess I let the whole mellow feeling get away with me the other night when I left my wallet in the bar. It only had 50 cents in there and some lip gloss, so no big deal, but I´m going to have to readjust for the departure. Well, what more can you ask for in life than this? I guess I´ll have to leave soon, but even then, the journey to come sounds amazing: visiting some ancient ruins on the way back to Antigua where I will get ready to fly out. (Make any requests now before the bags are filled!) And the further adventure of returning to my beautiful home, great friends, and amazing job keeps me feeling positive even about the end of this amazing journey.

Giving Way

The women in El Salvador certainly did not waste any time shedding whatever traditional or conservative clothing their ancestors may have once worn. The number of indigenous people still alive in El Salvador is very low, and the conservatism of the mountains of Guatemala gives way to a steamy coastal lifestyle here. By far the most entertaining thing about being here are the bus rides. There is a custom here of exploiting the opportunity that the buses provide to sell, sell, sell! So every time the bus stops (or almost stops), on jump hoards of ladies in tight tank tops and short skirts toting any number of local foods, plus children selling water and cold juices, and men from the market trying to sell you an ice cream or a bag of cucumbers. You can eat very well on a bus. My favorite treat was the fresh coconut sorbet they I got on one particularly hot day on the way to the city.

San Salvador itself seems like an interesting place to explore... worlds apart from Guatemala City, where I did not really even consider getting out of the colectivo. El Salvador catches some bad press for its gang activities that account for most of the country´s high murder rate. Mostly, it is like gang activity in the US where you don´t even see it if you are not involved in that life. There are much more dangerous places to travel, that is clear. People here are generally warm, open, and very candid once they get talking. They also seem to have a business savvy that functions very well.

There is a striking contrast between Guatemala and El Salvador not just in the attire and overall culture that is dominated by Latino influences, but also in the development rate. Here there are shiny new malls, modern roads, and billboards prompting us to throw our trash in the bin to keep El Salvador beautiful. Here you find a country that is really ready to jump into the modern world full swing since they have little to tie them to a traditional past. That is the impression, at least. I really wanted to jump off the bus up in the mountains and explore the lush green hills and remote towns to see how they differ from the coast, but alas, the journey goes on, and much about this country will remain a mystery.

Yes!

There is no way to describe the past week in the time I have, so I´m just writing to say that I´m here in Utila with Meagan and Courtney (good ol´ island friends) and just completed my first scuba dive! I will write more in a bit, but wanted you all to know that I am happier than ever and having a great time here in Honduras. More to come soon,
H

Frog in the Shower, Dog in the WC

... and happy to report that there are no scorpions in my bed, yet. The frog in the shower, I understand, but the dog sleeping next to the toilet? Not sure what that´s all about, but I could have guessed it because the little WC smells just like a barn and I am grateful that it is outside. This is where I am staying, and it´s great so far. We could have opted for the luxurious yet rustic resort next door, complete with a swimming pool, restaurant, surfboards and surf classes. But we can use all of their services anyway, so we might as well pay less to sleep. This is El Salvador. It is certainly a lot more raw than Guatemala so far, and I wish I had more time to spend here.Yesterday I attempted to surf. It´s been a while and after a few hours trying, I was actually able to ride a few waves in. Well, do you call surging whitewash a ¨wave¨? I´m gonna count it as that because the waves themselves scare me. They are like our biggest days on the island, with that same close-out nature. I could have sworn I was pulled out a bit in a small rip current yesterday. It was around the time that I found myself uncomfortably close to the bigger waves without trying at all. Good thing I spent so much time looking at the Oceanfront Lifeguarding book last spring. I did read this morning that there plenty of rips here, but I´m not so worried about them. For the most part, the water is much more pleasant than I´m used to, with gentler wave action and almost too warm! Did I really say that?

So what am I doing in a cyber cafe if the surfing is so great? Well, first of all, it takes all my might to paddle around out there since I´m not talented at this sport, so I need the rest. Secondly, my face go burned yesterday, despite my efforts to plaster on the sunblock. It´s 

unavoidable, unless you just take a break from the sun. Anyway, it´s fun exploring town a little and seeing what the locals are up to. Over time, I feel as though my writing is degenerating into train of thought sentences. I really don´t talk much here, so I´m in a similar state verbally, caught between languages and long hours of letting my mind wander. I have been reading a book on Rigoberta Menchu that was left on the island (Kenny?) and the story is staggering. She is a Mayan woman who grew up in the 60´s and 70´s in Guatemala, and you would think she was writing from a hundred years ago or more. The stories of the oppression of the Mayan people and poor ladinos are beyond what I could have imagined. After overcoming countless barriers in her life, she ran for president last year without victory in a newly created indigenous party. Talk about overcoming. My next text is in Spanish and is also about the history of Guatemala.

The restaurant service here is really different from what I am accustomed to. You have to place an order at least an hour before you want to eat. Does this mean that everything is very freshly 

made? I think so, because a few weeks ago when I was visiting the market in Santiago with some teachers, the other students were using the old joke, ¨Are they out there killing the chicken or what?¨ Well, just about a minute later, the waitress came bustling in with some eggs from the market to make our breakfast. This is the norm. I watched a woman at a fresh fruit stand run across the 

street for more sugar when she ran out in Guatemala City. And a while ago some friends commented that they had never gotten into a collectivo without stopping for gas on the way out of town. Well, I thought that it was pretty great the other day in San Salvador when even the taxi had to stop at the gas station before bringing us to the bus station a few miles away! Is it a hand to mouth existence or just a cultural quirk?

I may not have time to write again until I am up in Honduras next week. If not, enjoy your weekends! People only sort-of have those here, which has put our whole work system into a new perspective for me. Life is work. You can work for vacations, work for more money, work for a nicer home, work to travel, or work just simply to put food on the table. Being here has certainly made me want to learn so much more about how this society was created and what the nuances are between each part of Latin America. I could go on and on traveling and never get the full answer. But one thing I have been wondering: has anyone written ¨The Bicycle Diaries¨ yet? That would be a good story about this place. I´m sure it´s been done. Although I do not know much about El Salvador, beyond what is in Lonely Planet, the use of the US Dollar as currency speaks volumes. The dollar?? It says ¨United States of America¨ right on it. Oh, that´s right. We gave them over $6 billion not so long ago to aid in the further repression of the poor majority to rise up and be treated humanely. I probably should not simplify what I don´t know much about, but I imagine it was just easier to phase out their old currency and keep ours.