Weekend

I feel a little guilty that this post isn’t about the orphans, but I feel compelled to write about my weekend off because I wrapped it up with this wonderful feeling of being settled. So, I get every other weekend off, and as with most descanso weekends, I headed into Tegucigalpa with friends. I am getting really good at managing my own transport, from buses to colectivos to rapiditos to taxis. We had a very fun and productive time in the city. We went out dancing both nights, did our grocery shopping, ran errands (I finally bought an umbrella), ate baleadas in Dolores, stayed in the Hotel Granada, took a cab up to the big fancy mall and felt like we were back in the States, and hung out with our Honduran friends. There wasn’t anything particularly special about it except that I felt really confident. Not in a cocky I-couldn’t-possibly-get-robbed kind of way. I’m very much aware that Tegus is the most dangerous city in Central America, and I’m very careful. But I feel like I’m getting around much better. I remember thinking during our tour of the city that I’d never figure it out, but I feel more and more ubicada each time I’m there. It helps that my Spanish is getting better every day as well. I’m quite pleased with it if I do say so myself. I tend to take a backseat when someone is with me who speaks better Spanish than I do, but everyone has been so complimentary and encouraging, that I’m speaking up all the time. And every time I’m successful, it feeds that confidence and makes me want to practice more and more.

We came back from the city Sunday afternoon in plenty of time for our cena amistosa in the volunteer house. Every few weeks, we have a potluck dinner all together. People pair up and sign up for different dishes. Sometimes we have a theme, and this particular dinner was Italian, as dreamed up by Laura. I was really tired, so Leila let me take a nap while she prepared our pasta. When I woke up and headed out my room toward the kitchen/dining area, I felt like I was walking into Vince’s ready for dinner with Grandma and Grandpa. Lauren had taken the lace curtains out of her office to use as a tablecloth, Dean Martin was playing, and someone had taken empty wine bottles and put taper candles in them for ambience. We had bowls of chopped garlic with olive oil for dipping bread and Jessie made gnocchi from scratch. There was pizza, salad, bruschetta, and red wine. We topped it all off with chocolate cake and ice cream. It was so lovely to share an evening with this group of people. We have all meshed so well, and on nights like these I really feel like we’re a family.

I’m happy here. It’s not that I don’t miss home. I definitely do. But on a day-to-day basis, I’ve really come to cheerfully accept that this is my life. I love walking around the Ranch and hearing my name called or getting hugs from precious children, I love sharing the company of an awesome group of volunteers, and I think I love this country.