Sunday, January 22, 2012

A Cabin in the Sky


Last Saturday Ivonne invited me to take a short road trip to Ojojona, a small town less than an hour outside of Tegucigalpa. There she and her husband have purchased several acres of land near the new windmill farm.
On our way to their cabin we stopped at Ojojona. We visited a couple of small shops
and purchased freshly made, warm tortillas from a home/resturant. The grandmother of the house welcomed us and shared that she was 90 years old and had been in a film that was shot on location in the town not long ago. She recited her lines for us. She is standing next to the tradtional wood burning stove. Everyone was very welcoming even if we did interupt their breakfast.
They have built a one room "cabin" with a front porch that offers a panoramic view of the valley that holds Tegucigalpa.
The cabin is a joint venture with another couple who have been friends for many years. Both couples have children in the same age range. Almost every weekend the families join forces and have worked to clear, landscape and build "conveniences". The cabin is solid and has one room with a sleeping loft. The cabinets and table, ladder to the loft and other elements are made from shipping crates that her husband's materials for his custom window business come in. The windows were a project for the dad and the kids. They have a well and have figured out a water system. There is a shower and toilet system some distance down the hill from the cabin.
They contribute to their community in many ways. Their church has a medical mission on nearby land that they plan to develop into a community resource center.
At the cabin Ivonne made pancakes and shared stories about her mother, her family and growing up in Honduras and then moving to the US and coming home again. We had a feast of warm pancakes, tortillas, cheese, hot coffee and fresh air. I filled my eyes and camera with views and with details of the many small wild flowers. I especially enjoyed the swaths of blue that cut across the landscape. We had a long slow drive home through saturday afternoon Tegucigalpa traffic. I was ready for a nice afternoon nap by the time we arrived home about 2:00pm. A lovely morning. I am honored and happy that Ivonne shared this very personal space with me. A labor of faith, love, family and friendship.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Up All Night and a Visit from the Prince



I had the library lock in last night with the now 11th graders who started the project when they were in the 9th grade. We didn't finish but we can see the end. They are already pleading for another "up all night" lock-in work session...Oh my, I am not sure I have it in me. But they make it so easy. My two colleagues Warren and Vincent were really the ones who made it possible, both coming about 10:00 pm to do the "overnight" part. I went to the nurse’s room about 10:30 and had a reasonably good nights sleep on the “sick bed” until about 5:00 am. Then I was up - bird bath - and started the "coffee" for breakfast. The kids were tucked in all over the library. As the rooms got lighter I would see someone in a sleeping bag under a shelf or between stacks of books. The coral reef room looked like dolphins had beached themselves with five sleeping bags lined up in a row. Sleepy heads munched on fruit loops, chocolate chip cookies, drank coffee and hot chocolate and went off to class, some of them still in their PJs. We have a half day today, with parent conferences in the afternoon and then a three day weekend for MLK. Sleeeeep, I want sleeeeeep and quiet.


Emails I most probably will never receive again after I return to the states.
From the high school principal: “Dear Teachers,
The B- - - - family will not be in school on Thursday, and will leave early on Wednesday due to the visit of the Prince of Spain to Honduras.”

Father is the Spanish Ambassador to Honduras. The email just kind of tickled me. Thinking of all the excuses for absences I have received in the US, never one like this!