Friday was the earliest morning I've had in a while; Calvin & I had to be up with the car loaded to drive to Ali's house in Colleyville to carpool to the airport. Surprisingly, the day before hadn't been as traumatic as packing tends to be for me... I was actually organized and packed at a decent hour (thanks to my handy-dandy list) and ready for a decent nap. Ali asked us to be at her house by 4:15am so her husband Stan could cart us with all our luggage to DFW airport. When I say all our luggage, I do not exaggerate. Calvin and I each had been given an extra duffel full of quilts for children in the daycare and Ali was carrying a duffel full of shoes donated by members of The Hills Church of Christ to outfit people in Tegus and Campamento who were without. In addition to our own luggage and carry-ons, it looked like we were leaving town for more than a week!!
Stan was a wonderful driver; we got to the airport in record time (mainly since NO ONE is on the roads at such an early hour) and we were anxious to get checked in and through security.
Check-in: where we encountered the trip's first hiccup. My confirmation number wasn't recognized in the system so I had to get an airline agent involved. She took one look at my print out and said "yes, it's not working because you're at the wrong airport". Excuse me? How is that possible? A minute detail overlooked by a number of people who reviewed my booking through Expedia and my own moment of less-than-brightness by assuming (I hate that word) the only airline to use Love Field is Southwest. Wrong-O. Fortunately, for a mere $100 (total), Calvin and I could depart and arrive in and out of DFW. Yes, thank you, so appreciated!! I didn't want to trouble our ride by coming back for us only to go across town to the OTHER airport in the Metroplex (why do all these big cities need more than one anyway?? Detroit only has one...). Our itinerary was changed, Calvin swiped his Visa, and the agent took our bags. Phew!! We had tickets!!
Security: no issues, thank goodness!!
Domestic flight to Houston: a quick surprise when Calvin, Ali, and I made it though security to check our boarding passes for our gate info. We were still putting on our shoes when we realized we were at different gates, which meant different flights, only to find the flight the agent had put Calvin and me on was boarding at that moment. A quick goodbye to Ali and an immediate board to head to Houston. Good thing we checked or we would've tried to board the wrong plane!!
Houston, TX: a few good hours to relax. We found the food court near our gate and enjoyed an early breakfast while we waited for the rest of our Continental group. The airport is a great place for people watching, even though we spent most of our time wandering and shopping for pens.
Departure!! Adios, Texas :)
We'd been warned the flight into Tegucigalpa, Honduras is lovely but the landing made the top 3 most scary on a number of lists. I can't say either of us was worried but we definitely had others on our flight who were nervous. As we rounded the city on our descent, it was easy to look out the window and preview the angle at which the plane would have to land. Let me just say, I have a great deal of respect for the professionals who land planes that size because all the hype leading to the trip had people scared for no reason. One of the smoothest landings I've experienced; I've had rougher landings in Chicago!!
Bienvenidos a Tegucigalpa!! One of the easiest strolls through customs imaginable, followed by a great welcome from Marc Tindall, one of Bread's wonderful Honduras contacts. He had drivers ready and other men there to help handle our bags and load the vans. He even had guys on hand to exchange currency and help us navigate a very scary walk across the street to the Pizza Hut we ate lunch at.
Yes, Pizza Hut in Honduras tastes the same as it does in the US. Well, the pizza does at least. I can't say the same for the salad bar...
We spent a couple hours visiting and absorbing the environment. Just listening to a few people around me and reading the menus, I was surprised at how much Spanish came rushing back. Kind of like riding a bike...
Ali got pictures of a very shady clown wandering the parking lot... he was making balloon animals but he was as scary as clowns in the states are. Who likes clowns??
Once the second flight arrived, containing the rest of our group for the week, the vans were filled beyond capacity (Bobby had to rent a truck), we piled in for our journey to Campamento. To this day, I don't know how I was lucky enough to land the shotgun seat, but I'm so glad I did. I had a front row seat to see Tegus...
"Even with the garbage & poverty, Honduras is home to a quiet, humble beauty that would be hard to capture in a photo. The landscape is breath-taking & even though the homes are shacks made of mismatched materials, the people here are blessed and happy" (Day 1 journal entry)
We were able to drive along and enjoy the scenery for a while and even stopped at a gas station for refreshments. There was so much to take in... we were stopped at a few police check-points (I don't know if we ever learned what they were looking for), we saw a man walking a pig on a leash, half a dozen horses wandering the road and being followed by a boy on a bike (who we guessed was herding them that way only to watch the bike turn another direction and the horses continue on, unattended), and an old Datson flatbed with rails being used as a horse trailer - something I seriously wish we had a photo of but I think every one of us was so surprised and fearful for the horse, grabbing the camera was not a quick reaction for anyone.
Now being from Michigan, I know what it's like to drive on crummy roads. It's a joke up north that Michigan has 2 seasons: winter & construction. I will never again complain of such conditions because the road from Tegus to Campamento was worse, times 50. Huge potholes, weird transitions from pavement to gravel, no painted lines, no lanes at all actually, occasional cliff drop-offs on either or both sides (without guard rails), need I continue?? It was scary and drizzly and calling it bumpy would be putting it lightly. You can imagine the anxiety once it got dark because the roads aren't lined with street lamps and the headlights on our van were not good. At one point our driver, Jonathan, stopped to use a bottle of water and clean the dust from them!! For a 19 year-old, that kid quickly became my hero. He and our other driver for the week, Freddy (21), were two of the best guys imaginable and God bless them for being brave enough to drive a bunch of crazy gringos all week.
Four hours and approximately 60 miles later, we arrived at the daycare facility Bread partners with in Campamento. The building is painted Pepto Pink and decorated in paintings of American characters such as Aurora (from Sleeping Beauty), SpongeBob, Bob the Builder, Ariel, and so on. They had decorated with Christmas lights, stockings, and a tree to celebrate the season. Craft foam mobiles cut into flowers and honeybees were hung from the ceiling and dancing in the light breeze through the open courtyard. I was immediately enchanted.
We were served a hot meal and soon after driven to the encampment where the majority of us would be staying: a coffee plantation, gated and guarded by a smiling man with a shotgun. Once through the gate, we drove down a steep hill into a lush valley of palms and coffee plants.
The dorm rooms were modest and simple but inviting and wonderful. My roommates, Ali & Linda, got settled in while I kicked off my shoes to spend the evening in bare feet. My shower was brisk and refreshing (aka COLD!!) and when I returned from the baths, I found a crew in my room cutting tulle and hot gluing pearl-encrusted hair combs for the brides who would be married the next day.
After gluing 18 simple veils together, we visited in our rooms and were able to unwind after the crazy day of traveling. The beds were warm and comfortable; a blessed reprieve from the chill we've been experiencing in Texas. I journaled quietly and tried to take it all in. Since it was my first mission trip, I had no idea what to expect and so far, I was feeling a little guilty about staying somewhere with a good roof and foundation, running water, electricity, and a warm bed. From what I'd seen, not many people living there could say the same. We slept with the window open, blowing in a central-American breeze with the sounds of the forest, lulling us to sleep. Bed was early because we couldn't wait to see what the week held for us...
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