Copan Gossip and American Slang

Hey, America!  In my last post, I wrote a ton about the family I'm staying with, so this week, I thought I would tell you a little about Copan Ruinas, the city I'm living in.

First of all, it's a beautiful little town.  As a born-and-raised Florida girl, mountains have never ceased to be amazing to me.  I find them majestic--there's no other accurate description.  My first impression of Copan (which has proven to be fairly accurate) was that it's a small town where everyone seems to know each other (or be related...) but there still seems to be plenty to do.  There's tons of little shops (some Honduran-focused, others touristy), several cafes (including wifi cafes and Mamma Mia, the Italian restaurant), a park (usually bustling with people selling cotton candy, balloons, or souvenirs), and, of course, the Mayan ruins.  My heart was offically won over, however, when I realized that there is an ice cream shop on practically every corner.  And if you can't find an ice cream shop, follow the sound of that tinkling bell!  Oh, Honduras... how did you know my weakness?!

So anyway, I knew it was a small town.  Lauren told me she can't really do anything, buy anything, be anywhere in town without everybody knowing about it and talking about it the next day.  I laughed.  Surely, an exaggeration!  Nope.

A little story:
I have a Tigo modem for my internet, which looks similar to a flashdrive that I stick in my USB port.  To actually put internet on it, you have to go to the store and pay to put money on your account.  Then at home, you can use the money on your account to buy a "package deal" from the Tigo program.

A month's package is 500 limpiras--which is about $25--so I go to the store and ask to put L500 on my account.  Well, the clerk apparently thought I was out of my mind.  "All of it?!" she asked, wondering how much change I was looking for.  "Yes, of course," said I.  The ABBA teacher who was with me (trying to help out the poor American that doesn't understand Honduran money) leaned over a whispered, "I think L100 is enough."  No.  That will only allow me to buy two days worth of internet, and then I'll have to come back to the store again!  So I paid, and, even though I repeatedly told her, "Yes. L500," the clerk still tried to give me change!  Eventually, I got the amount I wanted on my account and went home amused at the experience.

Today, I was telling Lauren my story, still confused as to what the big deal was!  At one point, one of the other teachers starts conversing with Lauren in Spanish, so I wait for them to finish.  And Lauren told me this, "She said that her sister is the clerk at that store.  She called her yesterday after you left saying, 'You'll never believe what just happened!  Some white girl came in and put L500 on her Tigo account!'"  Long story short: Lauren was right.  Now I'm apparently the talk of the town.  Oh well, I have internet.

Last night, I was able to go to an American Bible study in town.  Lauren told me about it, even though she couldn't go, so I went by myself.  It's a small group of Americans (and Canadians, I think?) who work in different schools or organizations around town.  They meet once a week for a pot-luck and study.  I joined them for their prayer and worship night.

You have NO IDEA how nice it was to be able to talk to and worship with people who speak the same language as me and understand my culture.  I know it sounds silly, but it was the slang that did it for me.  Some one said, "Slap me some skin!"  And I felt right at home.  Sometimes, you just miss stupid American slang.  you just can't translate some things...

Anyway, it was wonderful to finally be able to praise God in my own tongue.  There's a comfort in it.  I'm looking forward to joining them every week from now on!

Lessons from Honduras
Something I've noticed: kids are the same EVERYWHERE.  It doesn't matter the language... I love them in any language.

So here's a Gilbert story for you!
(while learning about photosynthesis)
Me: "What kind of food do you think plants make for themselves?  I'll give you a hint!  It's something really good that you wish you could have all the time."  (Sugar, of course, right?)
Gilbert: Baliadas! (a tortilla with refried beans inside)

Yes, Gilbert... plants make baliadas...  :P