A Day in the Life...

6 am. It’s lights out. Did I oversleep? Nope, alarm won’t go off for another 30 minutes, but now I’m up and it’s time for coffee.

6:30 am. Coffee and some reading. I think Economics of Microfinance. We are going and revising all of our procedures for the upcoming round of loans, so it is good to run back through this.

8 am. Coffee’s gone. Time to head out. Bottle of water and iPod in my backpack and I’m off to meet Gilberto.

8:30 am. Meet up with Gilberto at his house and we are off to his field in Llano del Venado.

9 am. We arrive at his field, where I have planted an area of corn and beans. This is my first time here since I was in the states and, although I was told about it already, I am disappointed to see what used to be my beans. A plague of insects came and ate them in a day while I was gone. Fortunately, my corn is still looking good.

9:15 am. Gilberto shows me how to sharpen the hoe, and I start cleaning the field.

9:17 am. I am in a full sweat. This is hard work.

9:30 am. I step in an ant hill. They are the “angry ants” as they are known here, and I am quickly reminded why.

Noon. I have cleaned my part of the field while Gilberto planted yucca. Gilberto tells me that it would take a full three days to clean his portion of the corn, and I now understand why. His field is relatively small (he has about 1/4 of a manzana or about 2/3 of an acre planted), but looks monstrous next to the four rows that I just cleaned. I enjoyed the work, but now it is swelteringly hot and I am ready for lunch.

12:30 pm. Baleadas for lunch. I don’t have time to cook them, so I get them the little restaurant across the street. They aren’t bad, but they use reheated tortillas and beans and you can always tell the difference.

12:45 pm. Time for a shower. No running water which means bucket shower today. I grab two buckets, fill them with water from the pila (reservoir behind the house for such occasions) and am refreshed by the icy water.

1 pm. Showered and shaved, it’s time to start preparing dinner. Tomorrow is Trisha and Malia’s final day in La Unión and we are making a final dinner. I start some beans boiling and go to grab stuff to make dough. Tonight’s menu: nachos. pizza of various types (Hawaiian, cheese, pepper and onion, roasted tomato), onion rings, and cake and coffee milk shakes for desert.

1:30 pm. Trisha and Malia show up. Trisha and I go shopping while Mike starts prebaking pizzas and Malia fries tortillas. Cooking continues for the rest of the afternoon. I love cooking.

6:30 pm. With all of the food ready, guests arrive. First Martier and his family, then Gilberto and his family, and finally Rolando and Rosa (with whom Trisha and Malia live). In total, 18 people.

9 pm. After several hours, several courses, and a good time, dinner is over. It is late for La Unión and everybody except us Gringos go to bed.

9:30 pm. The gringos hang out, exchange music (a favorite pastime) and reminisce about the experience that the interns have had this summer. It has been great having them here, and I am sad that they have to head home to start school up again.

10:30 pm. It’s been a long, but great, day off. Time to hit the hay and start over tomorrow.

Such is a day in the life of a Gringo in Honduras.

Until next time, Adios,

Patricio