Host Family

Again I am very lucky to have a wonderful host family. My mother’s name is Ruth and she runs a Pulperia (little store) out of the front of the house. There are many small businesses here that sell just a few items and the store is the front of the house. At Ruth’s Pulperia you can buy pop, water, various spices, meat, some toiletries and random shoes that have probably been sitting there for years. The front door of the house is the entrance to the store and is kept shut most of the time (see photo of store front and front of house). From the back of the store you walk into the rest of the house. So when somebody comes up to the door they yell vendame (sell to me) and somebody goes into the store to see what they want. Ruth also works as a bus attendant on the bus that her son drives (the attendant is the person that takes peoples money when the get on the bus). On Saturday she also sells meat and fish. I have a 19 year old brother named Raphael who drives a school bus (see photo) and a 14 year old brother named Antonio who is still in school. My 16 year old sister Navidad is wonderful and very helpful. She is in her last year of school this year and hopes to continue with University. The father of the family is working in Spain and the oldest daughter is in medical school in Cuba. The mother-in-law lives down the street and usually comes to visit. She thinks I am hilarious and always calls me gringita (little American/white person) or muneca (doll) although I usually can’t understand a word she is saying.

The house has a family room (see photo), kitchen, three bedrooms, two bathrooms (one inside and one out) and a large area in the back with a traditional stove, storage area and two pilas (area to store water and wash dishes and clothes). I am lucky enough to have my own room (see photo) and bathroom which is very nice so I don’t have to worry about getting in to use the shower in the morning. Unfortunately my few isn't as nice as in my last house (that concrete wall is outside my window). There is electricity and sometimes there is running water, although the shower in my bathroom doesn’t work so I take bucket baths (I am finally getting used to the cold water) and the sink is still sitting on top of my closet. I finally put up my mosquito net here because I was getting horrible bites all over, the ceiling was dropping things on me (like dirt and leaves) and I didn’t want the geckos that live in my room to crawl on my bed while I was sleeping, oh and I don’t want to get malaria. Overall the living situation is great.

My family cooks three meals a day for me which is very nice. They won’t let me do a thing, not even clear my place after I am done eating. Like my last family this family thankfully understands the concept of not eating meat and they have fed me well. However, my pants are starting to get a little tight. My family insists on feeding me a lot of food, usually the largest serving, even more than the boys. I always tell them I don’t think I can eat it all and they always having encouraging words to convince me that I should try. Hondurans love to fry almost everything. They love to use Manteca (crisco) which comes in huge tubes (think chocolate-chip cookie dough tube that you buy at the store, but Costco size, about a foot long). So I am trying to get some healthy food in me and avoid the massive amounts of oil that they use. I have been lucky enough to find a new favorite treat, choco bananas (frozen bananas covered with chocolate) which cost about $.05! I love them and I eat them every day.