So today was a great day, and a very successful one at that. I managed to go to the mall alone, purchase a bigger Spanish-English dictionary (as mine was not sufficient for these environmental and political terms I seem to be needing), credit for my little cellular phone that Sandra and I picked up yesterday (I just need to figure out how to make international calls now! and Kim its way nicer than my Canadian one...here's to hoping I don't destroy the keys on this one too), some hair clips to hold back the ridiculous mess growing out of my head (why o why did I not chop of a substantial amount of this thick mane of mine before I left Canada?), some sunglasses, and dinner...and I think I only got ripped off once! Coincidentally the 'accessories' place I got the hair clips and sunglasses from could have easily taken an extra 40L of mine due to a little mix up, but she didnt.
Who I may/may not have been ripped off from (verdict is still out) was the lady I purchased my Subway dinner from. I know, I know, I usually am not a fan of getting North American food in places that are not North America however Sandra recommended it, I have never done it before, and heck I figured I will be here long enough to get all of the typical Honduran food I could ever want, so might as well dig in...I was at the mall after all. While I was eating it I realized I probably was doing a couple things I really shouldn't have....eating vegetables washed with questionable water? sitting alone in a mall in Honduras? about to take a cab back to my hotel..alone? All of these things I was warned not to do, and here I am, my second day on the job, just throwing caution to the wind...haha well not so much.
I have adopted a food mantra here, and I have already used it a couple of times...when put in questionable food related situations I ask myself..."What would Clair-o do?" And then usually I dig right in...it hasn't steered me wrong yet. Mind you I have only been here a few days, but I have eaten very very questionable subway, drank some questionable water, and I had some delicious street Pupusas for dinner yesterday and I most definitely put that pickled stuff on top that you should definitely not...but heck it tastes that much more delicious. So far so good...Im hoping my gullet of steel will continue to pull through for me...and if she does(with only minor issues of course), I have my father and his questionable immigrant cooking and foods safety styles to thank? Moral of the story is that was my first, and will likely be my last Honduran Subway experience...if I have any choice in the matter anyways.
I was pretty proud of myself, managing to get all the things I needed to get done all by myself :) I walked around the mall scouting out stores and asked the right questions in my very broken very apologetic Spanish. I had more trouble in the TIGO store buying phone credit...maybe because of the jargon associated with cell phones? But it was also a success, which was good because I had to use my phone about a half hour later.
In the 'accessories' store I decided to pick up a pair of sunglasses because I left mine at home. This women started chatting me up, she seemed very happy to practice her English (which was pretty comparable to my Spanish), and I was happy to practice my Spanish with someone who was a bit more sympathetic. We tried on sunglasses and talked, she told me I had a beautiful name (which I have gotten a lot so far...thanks Mom and Dad!), and possibly by coincidence while we were talking she switched her choice of sunglasses (after trying on about 15 of the same style) to the exact pair that I had decided to put on. Then she and I got in line at the same time...with the same sunglasses. Now I don't want to read too much into this, but it seems pretty coincidental and makes me think...why do people like us gringos so much? Im really not that cool...not even a little bit. In fact I think its the opposite haha. O well, it was an interesting observation and an enjoyable conversation to say the least.
Taxis, taxis, taxis. Every taxi I take, even if its the same distance, is a different price. EXCEPT for George, who is my new 'taxi buddy'. He drives me to work in the morning and gave me his number for "anytime day or night" as he told me. I enjoy driving with him and this morning we had a good talk...or as good as my chats in Spanish get. He warned me about the white cabs with the yellow. They are no good. Im gonna trust him on that one. Cabs are one of the things that frighten me. I have no idea where i am going, or what's right or wrong. I have no idea how much it should cost, and I don't know enough Spanish to get myself out of any trouble if I find myself in trouble. It is good to know that there are people looking out for me, and Sandra has told me which cabs to look out for as well. When leaving the mall there are certain cabs that are safe and have permission to be in the mall gates. They are okay to take, however today Sandra got me to call her so she could talk to the taxi driver before I got in...she made sure to get his cabs number, and I think she got me a deal because it was cheaper than yesterday.
My Spanish is coming along but that's not saying a whole lot. I translated a ton of stuff today, still have to get a bit more done before dinner, but I am practicing and coming to terms with sounding like a fool and skirting around words that I dont know by using an additional eight to explain myself. Also getting a handle on the development and environment terms that Intro Spanish did not cover. I am very excited to be getting out of the city tomorrow and head to Catacamus (?) for this workshop/conference...and as a bonus Sandra is coming, so I will have a couple more days with some help, which will defiantly be useful as I am assuming this workshop will be completely overwhelming and intense for my brain. I also think being out of the city will be good for learning. And I did not pack for the city haha. Everyone dresses very very nicely, and I packed for a more conservative rural setting so I pretty much not only stick out because I am 6 ft tall, but I also am very under dressed. I think I'll be less likely to get into trouble out in the country, and Ill be able to see more (beyond skyscrapers, malls and hotels anyways) And! I'll get to begin getting into a routine, which is also pretty sweet.
Con Esperanza y Amor
Delaney C.
Where this time C stands for 'Cristina' which is a lot easier to pronounce :)
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