holidays, school, eating, holidays...marching

Well, I am officially two weeks behind in blogging – meaning I have not told you about marching in the Independence Day Parade nor of spending the weekend snorkeling and swimming on one of the Bay Islands. And so: telling commences.

I mentioned earlier that marching is a SERIOUS business in Honduras – with practicing for two hours a morning (some schools did not even have school the week of the parade). So we marched up and down the dirt road behind the school – making numerous stops in the shade to practice the ‘Saluto Publico’ (a salute to the public when they get on their knees and salute to the people in the street) and to practicing ‘alto’ (stopping) in rhythm with marching. I am quite sure that as I watch people march I see the cartiledge in their knees disappearing.

Insert tangent: something I learned about Honduran culture along the way. As we were marching (I was assigned to a squad of 10 boys from Gr 7-9) there were guys working in a building who started yelling. Now, I am learning to ignore the cat calls, the “I love you baby”s and the ‘che-che’s that are my constant companion when I wonder anywhere in this country. (No folks this is not because I am bestowed with killer good looks or a killer figure – but it is the simple fact of being a novelty white girl.) So, I was not paying attention until one of my boys started to translate what the guys were saying to me. I told him to stop and told the squad to turn around and march. When we stopped for a drink a few boys brought it up again - and they were kinda laughing and saying “Miss, they were flirting with you.” And I then explained to them that where I come from – it can be considered rude to say those things to a girl. And honestly, their faces just fell! They thought it was the biggest compliment that I had these guys saying these things to me. Maybe it is a compliment to a Honduran girl – who does not stick out like I do – but it seems quite rude. I am learning to laugh it off.

So marching. We marched on Saturday morning through the centre of town – standing for like 2.5 hours in the hot sun with no water breaks and people thronging the sides – mothers hovering in case their darling child needed anything…(it was a little ridiculous at times.) Of course there were bands playing – which are amazing. We marched through the centre of town, past the mayor and his officials, and then we disbanded. All in all – an interesting experience.

That afternoon my roommate Katherine, fellow teacher Noel, fellow teacher Esther and her husband, and myself took off for the shores of the Caribbean Sea. After five hours of driving we arrive at a hotel in Le Ceiba – which still bears the marks of Hurricane Mitch. There simply is not the infrastructure to rebuild. Early the next morning we took a ferry over to Utila and spent two days lounging and snorkeling and eating (most important). I have seen fish like I have never seen before – some looked like they had a florescent light inside of them. I hope to go back there and get my diving license! Below are some pictures...

Above: fellow teacher Esther and her husband Dave

Right: Eating out on Utila

Below: View from our porch.

It still blows my mind that we can spend a WEEKEND on the Caribbean Sea.