Time: Nature’s way of preventing everything from happening at once. –Evan Esar
July 7th, 2002
Dear Friends and Family,
Happy 4th of July. We hope it was safe and memorable. We celebrated with just the two of us back together in Honduras. I (Jennifer) am back in Concepción de Maria after spending a total of six weeks in Washington D.C. for my knee surgery and recovery. It will take 4-6 months for full recovery, but the doctor said I was well enough to return to Honduras and could continue therapy on my own. There are limitations on how much I can exercise. For example, I won’t be hiking to the nearby mountain villages for a while. But, that’s ok since we have other projects to concentrate on for the next few months. With the relaxed lifestyle of the Honduran culture this may just be the best place for me to heal.
We are learning here that everything takes time. One of our best surprises this past month was a package that arrived from our friend, Tara. She sent it last August and it took over nine months to arrive. Everything was in tact except for the expired Hostess Twinkies; the creamy filling had disintegrated into clear syrup. Can you believe we still ate them? It was more out of curiousity and intrigue than anything else.
After being gone for a month and a half, I was amazed that my return felt more like coming home, than returning to a foreign place. I received many greetings from our neighbors, the local children and our friends. People smiled and hugged me, happy that I was back. It was nice to be missed. The townspeople kept telling me how sad Shawn was without me and that he was so lonely he couldn’t eat. They were very happy that I was back to make sure he would be fed! Shawn is actually a great chef, but we don’t brag about that here since it is nearly unheard of for the man to cook. If word got out that he liked to cook people would start to wonder what was wrong with him or me.
I loved coming back to our small, two-room house, where I could finally sleep in our own bed with my own pillow. Such simple comforts; easily forgotten until one goes without. It is hard to believe that I ever missed our kitchen without its indoor plumbing or conventional oven or even a real coffee pot (I was spoiled in D.C. with a Starbucks on nearly every corner!) But, at least here I know where everything is; I understand the system now, the process of grocery shopping, and how to survive on the basics. Most of all I have felt very welcomed coming home to my "marido" –married one!
Of course, reality also has its friendly way of settling in and making itself at home. I was soon re-introduced to cold bucket bath showers, which I still can not seem to convince my body, even on the hottest days, that this is a good thing. The heat does seem hotter to me after enjoying the springtime in Washington. Shawn just laughs as he reminds me that it has cooled off considerably from when I left. We are now in the rainy season and there are giant frogs that visit our patio during the night making the most bizarre "ribut" sounds. Since being back I have found spiders in our kitchen pans, an oversized cockroach in our laundry basket and a nest of baby crickets in our bedroom. Shawn has killed four scorpions seeking shelter in our humble abode from the storms. With the rainy season more and more bugs appear and the need to constantly clean increases.
I left at the end of the dry season when every thing was dusty and dirty. The mountains resembled quilt patches of brown and yellow from the dried grass and dying trees. The rainy season will last about six months. Shawn has been taking some photos at night during the rainstorms. Attached is one of the lighting shots taken from our bedroom window. The difference between the seasons is definitely noticeable. While driving up the mountain to Concepción de Maria, I was in awe of the various shades of green; more than I could count. The depths of the colors are breathtaking.
It is good to be home. Shawn and I are enjoying this time together as we begin our second year in Honduras. We hope you are enjoying your time as well…however fast or slow.
Till next time,
Jennifer and Shawn
The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. –Bertrand Russell
P.S. We apologize for not emailing sooner. Our internet access has been down in our town and we are only able to use internet when we travel to a larger city. Hopefully, our internet in Concepción will be up and running soon. Keep writing! We love to hear from you and will respond as soon as we can.