KB in Honduras: Who knew a medical trip to the capital could be fun?

I didn't get much work done this week because I had to travel to Tegucigalpa for medical reasons. New volunteers also are not allowed to travel at all or stay away from their sites overnight for the first 3 months of service, but medical reasons are an exception. This was to have been my first time traveling alone and my first time alone in Tegucigalpa without the constant supervision we had during training. However, to my joyous surprise, it was the same week as midterm medical exams for the other group of Youth Development volunteers who have already been serving for a year. I figured this out when I saw Stacie, the YD volunteer that I visited weeks ago, walking towards me at the bus stop. Benefit #1, I had someone to travel with for the 5 hour bus ride! And it turned into a 7 hour bus ride because there was a road block on the highway that held up traffic. A group of people were holding a strike in the middle of the highway, although I never figured out the reason for the strike. But they blocked the road with boulders and stood there shouting and waving machetes for hours so that buses and trucks were backed up on both sides for miles.

We arrived safely in Tegucigalpa and I discovered benefit #2, I had a group of Americans with whom I could eat dinner and share taxis. This was a huge help since I knew nothing about the city, where to eat, how to get to the PC office on my own, or how much I should pay for a taxi (they use a bartering system here). Benefit #3 was that I didn't have to stay alone in the hotel, which was kind of sketchy. During my 3 days there, I had a lot of free time and various people showed me around the Central Park and the different malls, one which has a real Wal-Mart. On my second morning, I was in Dunkin Donuts ordering my first bagel with cream cheese in months, and I saw two famous Hondurans, a soccer play and a dancer! They are dance partners on a show similar to Dancing with the Stars that I watch every Sunday night with my host-family. The dance partners always include one professional dancer and one famous person who learns how to dance. I didn't have my camera, but it was the highlight of my day. That, and eating American food. Later that day I bought M&Ms at the Wal-Mart, which is an extremely special treat because for the most part there is no chocolate in Honduras. Then we went to Denny's for dinner, and although it wouldn't be my first choice in America, it seems extra special in Honduras.

One of the girls from H-17 (the older Youth Development group) brought an iron, felt, and puffy paint, and taught us all how to make shirts! I was not prepared ahead of time with any grand ideas, but I still learned something new and came away with a "new" old shirt! All in all, my week was a lot more fun than I had predicted and it was really nice to spend some time with other Americans.

The line of buses, delivery trucks, and cars that we waited in for two hours.

Celis, Monica, and Lisa waiting in Denny's

Doesn't get much better than a chocolate milkshake!

We met these two guys from New Zealand in the hotel lobby. They don't speak any other language but are traveling around the world and appreciated our company during dinner.