Meet my Honduran Host Family! The girl to the left is 16 and has a 94 year old pen pal/sponsor from the states. She enjoys it, but it is also a big investment for the family, as the sponsorship helps with clothes and school supplies. We had fun taking turns reading and translating her first letter. She wrote back things like, "You are so beautiful!"... questions about family and religion, information about Honduras. The girls are very sweet and a big help around the house. They say it is very difficult to learn English in their schools because their Honduran teachers are not strong with the English language themselves. It is considered a great privilege to have the opportunity to learn from a "gringo."
The woman in the middle is the Mom of 8 of these children, the ring leader. She wakes up with the roosters at about 4:30 a.m. to start making food for everyone. She goes to sleep around 11 at night. (This is one of her daughters beside her.) She has a baleada stand out front of the house. She is known for the best! These are tortillas containing pickled veggies, bean spread, cheese and meat (eggs, chicken, etc.). They are delicious! Both of these women make my meals most of the time!
Host Father... He is very sickly, but a lot of fun. The electricity went out during a huge storm the other night. It was literally raining on my bed. There was a little flowing river on the sidewalk on the side of the house. We were at the dinner table. They lit a candle and handed me a bag of juice. I was trying to open the corner with my fingers. They told me to stop and motioned for me to bring it to my mouth and showed me their teeth. I ripped off the corner and spilled it down the front of me. They laughed and made jokes about their "primitive" way of eating!
The famous baleada stand...
Babies are very much a full family member. The children greet and speak with Alejandro each time they see him. They take turns carrying him around like a rag doll. He loves every second of it!
The family thinks it is funny when I try and figure out who is actually a member and who just ends up in the home each day. I have seen about 20 regulars and can't tell who is who even after a week! The Dad has 10 children, 8 with the mom. I hear all, but 9 of them still live at home because they aren't married, but there are rings on some fingers and children everywhere, which leaves me thoroughly confused. This is Dorin's family, one of our Honduran teachers. However, she is never home???? Ha! Sometimes the only way to cool off is to sprawl out on the tile floor...
