Having it Maid

Hello once again from Tegucigalpa! Things are finally beginning to get settled around here...at this point I am waiting for the boxes I shipped off about a month ago to arrive. I have been able to meet the returning teachers and see my classroom, and I am really looking forward to the school year, although it seems like it will be very different from what I had imagined.

For anyone who has known me for awhile, I suppose you know that I am a "cause" girl. I always have something or someone that I am fighting for, and poverty and injustice have always been at the top of my list. Ever since I have been able to go on mission trips and serve some of the poorest of the poor, I have felt this huge calling to go out and do something about it, hence my decision to move to Honduras. Honduras is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, and Tegucigalpa literally has millions of people living in extreme poverty. So, I think to myself that I will be amongst the poor, eating crumbs off the table along with them and living very humbly, but needless to say I have been very surprised by my surroundings. First, let me preface this by saying that I am not complaining by any means...just trying to adjust to differences.

My apartment is much bigger than anticipated, and it also comes with a full time maid. Yes, a full time maid. This whole concept is so foreign to me----I know that by having a maid I am providing a person with a way to put food on the table, so I can deal with that. I mean, who wouldn't want someone to help around the house and have the satisfaction of being able to help feed a family with the money you give them? Rosie works for us for about 110 lempiras a day, which roughly translates to about $5.15 total for approximately 7 hours worth of work. I am more than happy to pay that, especially split between 3 roommates, but I had a question in the back of my mind..."How can I possibly come up with 7 hours worth of work 3 days a week for this maid to do?" Finally i asked someone, and since maids are so common here, I guess some people forget that there are people not used to having maids. When I was told of all of the things she does around here, I was shocked. Rosie does dishes, cleaning, laundry, ironing, sewing, cooking...anything really. She will press and fold all of your clothes, put them in the drawer for you, make your bed...anything. I am afraid now that when I come back to the U.S. I will be completely spoiled and unable to do anything for myself. I am very excited about having her cook though, because she is known for making fantastic homemade tortillas, tamales, paella, and refried beans. (Sidenote: The refried beans here are the best in the entire world. I could literally make them for every meal.)

Another thing I was surprised about are the types of students here at Los Pinares. Although I knew that the students would need to be a little more well off than just the average Honduran since they pay tuition, I wasn't really expecting it to be to the degree that it is. Most students are wealthy, and many have been raised by nannies and maids. There are some students for whom it is a struggle for their parents to pay, but they value their child's education so much that they make the sacrifice. There is also a small mission kid population at the school, but the overwhelming majority are very rich. As I was saying earlier, I have always seen myself as somewhat of a crusader for the poor and downtrodden, so to find myself in this situation feels a little strange. As I have gone through the various school meetings and such, I have begun to see a bit of the big picture that lays before me.

The students that attend Los Pinares will undoubtedly be the future leaders of this country. It is known as the best school in Honduras, so former presidents have sent their children here, politicians send their children here, and these are the people with the connections and resources necessary for these children to enter into government positions. By teaching them in a Christian atmosphere, they will perhaps be the biggest influence in this country to move forward instead of perpetuating the corruption from high up. It has been stressed many times that there are people out there to help and serve the poor in Honduras. In the week that I have been here I have seen 3 work groups already from the States--the poor are not an invisible people group here. Don't get me wrong; there is still overwhelming amount of need amongst Hondurans, but the upper class are one of the least reached groups in the country, and yet they hold the most power.

This is all ironic to me, because I was able to have some of these things revealed to me this past summer. I was having a conversation with somebody, and I began to go on one of my rants about the rich and excessive lifestyles that so many people lead, and I felt convicted about it. I began to feel sorry for the wealthy in our country, because so many of them are just surrounded by people that will only tell them what they want to hear for fear that they might be fired or what not. The rich churches do not challenge them, fearing that the pastor will be asked to leave or that the money will leave the church, and the closes that most of these people are allowed to get to poverty is a big fancy benefit celebrating the money that was given. In a way, we are protecting this bubble around "big money" and shooing away anything that might poke and upset the bubble. I am finding this out for myself, and I am seeing a glimpse of just how empty it can be at the top. Especially in Latin American cultures, family means everything. Even if you are super poor, you have the love of your family surrounding you, but many of these kids hardly see their parents anre are used to people serving them because they are paid to, not out of love.
So I suppose that God does work like that---completely changing your views and allowing you to be put in a situation where you have to confront your judgments and prejudices. I have been hoping for growth in my walk with God, and I think it will come here.

I have been able to leave my little compound up here in the mountains and venture down into the city quite a bit. Some friends and i the other night caught a ride with one of the secretaries from the school into the city, and we caught a movie, had some dinner, and walked around quite a bit through some markets around the national cathedral and national theatre. While walking around, we were able to catch this awesome raggaeton concert, and it was so funny to look around and be as tall as if not taller than half of the audience, even with their heels on. I also got up at 6:00 on Saturday to take a trip to the farmer's market, which was just a sea of fresh fruits and vegetables that were so delicious and dirt cheap. Everything is so new and different that I just want to soak it all in. Life up on my mountain (which is about a 20 minute drive from the city....very steep twisting roads with no guard rails that offer panaramic views of the city in the valley) is so calm and laid back with a different tempterature and even different flora, and life in the city is so different. Tegucigalpa is so alive and bustling, and probably chaotic would be appropriate. There are taxis and buses and people everywhere, and I feel like my senses almost go on overload: the sites and bright colors of the buildings, the sounds of traffic/music/street vendors, and combined smell of car exhaust and fresh tortillas from the local comidas--all new and exciting.

Alright--i suppose i should wrap this up so yours eyes don't start bleeding. Continue to pray for me as I get ready for my students to come on the 21st. I just want to be effective for both my students and the people of Honduras. If nothing else, even if I am a lousy teacher, I just want people to be able to see God's love through me, even if it means that I may be away from family, friends, and a sense of normalcy. Until next time, Dios te Bendiga!