I haven't posted in a while...

...because I have secretly become a Honduran money launderer.

Just kidding! Although I did just wash these bills from my hubby's pants pocket by accident.  I think the new
 plastic 20 lemp bill held up the best :P

Here's a quick update on my life.  Despite the blog's name, I am no longer Diana IN Honduras, although I am temporarily back for the month of July 2013.  In July 2012, after completing my third year as a science teacher at a bilingual school in Comayagua (and completing my M.Ed. online), my husband and I moved to the US.  I had my half-Honduran daughter there in January, and we are back introducing her to her Honduran family here this summer.  Lots of big life changes!  But Honduras and its people are always in our hearts, minds, and prayers.  I have a few updates from my time back so far to post!  Stay tuned...

What´s a party without food??

A little cultural note. So there´s this weird thing about parties in Honduras... I have noticed this at the Senior Graduation party last year, baby showers, at pretty much every work-related party and even at kids´ birthday parties at church. Any party in Honduras that is not hosted by Americans will be this way...

They don´t serve food until the VERY END.

At first I thought maybe coming fashionably late to a party was, well, fashionable. Now I think it´s a survival technique. You see, when you get to an American party there are usually hors d´oevres or some kind of buffet table. In fact, this may be the only food at the party, but it keeps getting replenished as the night goes on. When you arrive at a Honduran party, there is NOTHING. Maybe soda. Maybe one bag of chips for 50 people. People warned me when I first got to Honduras especially before work events that I should eat something before I went. I was like oh no, I shouldn´t eat too much because they will serve the food soon and then I won´t be hungry or I´ll eat too much. Now I eat a full dinner and then go to the party where I will *maybe* eat another dinner 6 hours later. I say this because I actually left one party because I was so hungry and thought I would be able to eat within an hour of arriving. I simply couldn´t take it anymore and went to fix dinner at home (the hosts were kind of mad at me, but hey, lesson learned)!!!

So the big question is... why?? There is a common saying here in Honduras that something like ¨Indio comido, indio ido.¨ ¨Indio¨ here is more used to insult oneself than to actually insult other people (that I´ve noticed) and it´s kinda like hillbilly. So Hillbilly eats, hillbilly leaves. Based on general bad manners of wanting a free meal, people serve the food at the VERY END, like midnight if the party starts at 6 or 7, because they want people to stay and keep them company. They think everyone will leave if they serve the food too early. I think it´s kind of a vicious cycle... the longer you wait to serve the food because you want people to stay, the more they just want to leave!!! So next time you are invited to a Honduran party, enjoy the company, the games, etc., but please, do yourself a favor and EAT before you go :)

oh, that language barrier :P

I would like to think that I'm pretty good at Spanish, but one thing that always throws a curve ball at you are the regional expressions and meanings of words. One of my favorite examples that my friend Lily and I laugh about it that in Cuba, "coger la guagua" means to take the bus. Pronounced exactly the same, but with a dangerously different meaning in Bolivia is "coger la wawa" which means to f*ck the little girl. Ooops. I also was VERY glad that before I went to the Dominican Republic, I read in my guidebook that when asking for a bag for one's purchases, you should always use the word "funda" instead of the elsewhere-commonly-used "bolsa," because otherwise you would be asking for a scrotum. Also highly awkward.

I had a funny moment like that here in Honduras the other day, but it wasn't quite as bad. Locally, people will often use the verb "andar" (to walk) in place of "tener" (to have) such as "Andas lapiz?" (Do you have a pencil?) or "No ando pisto" (meaning, I don't have any money, another fun Honduran slang word). The situation is as follows: I was in a cab and, for whatever reason, it is notororiously hard to be able to get any large amount of change from any sort of vendor here. Since I only had a 100 lempira bill (about $5), and a taxi ride only costs 20, I generally try to make sure folks have change on them. Also, instead of using the word "cambio" (change) for small bills here, people often say "suelto" (like "loose" bills). So, thinking I would finally start trying out the more Honduran grammatical constructions... instead of saying "Tiene cambio?" (Do you have change?) I said, "Anda suelto?" The guy was one of these older, good-natured chatty guys, so his immediate response was "A veces, pero creo que a mi mujer no le gusta." (Sometimes, but I don't think my wife likes it very much) HA! Oh man, that'll teach me for trying something new :P It was just funny how "Do you have change?" could also be taken as "Do you run around like a bachelor?" (soltero, meaning "single," or suelto essentially means loose or released) HA!

Anyway, hopefully I will begin to incorporate more hondurenismos a little more seamlessly into my speech in the coming months :P