Tegucigalpa after Dark

September 13th 2009 8:30am

I met Luis Felipe at Plaza yesterday right on time, and I recognized who he was, so I feel like I am progressing in leaps and bounds. We took our same three buses to get to work, and along the way, he pointed out places in the city that are fun to visit. Restaurants, stores, shops, outdoor markets. It all looked like a lot of fun.

When we got to the CCD and the Seminary, Heidy was there with her oldest daughter Naomi. Naomi and I played a few games for a while, and beat Heidy's high scores on her computer. Then it was off to class.

Last week, I had felt like the first class went much better than the second class. This week, I felt the opposite. It was really frustrating to not be able to answer many questions, but I think that the classes got what I was trying to get across to them. After my second class, I was ready to go, but Luis Felipe asked if I had my materials from last week and could share those with another class.

I had my papers with me, so I did my first week's lesson for the third class. They seemed to really enjoy it, though their responses to some of the questions and exercises were significantly different than the other two classes. After the last class, I went back to the office, where Juaqin (my English speaking friend) was. We talked for a while and then one of the girls from my last class came into the office speaking very quickly and looking excitedly between me and Juaqin.

I asked Juaqin what was going on, and he shook his head, and told me...I'm not translating that. She's just very happy you're here to teach.

Juaqin then showed me around some of the areas where I hadn't been. There is a playground, a library, and many more classrooms than I thought there were. While we waited for lunch, I talked with Heidy and her friend Anna for a while about music. I showed them a couple of good websites like Pandora and Grooveshark, and they both seemed to really like it.

Betza was there yesterday, and she and I talked for a while about my classes, her work, and more dance lessons. As we were talking, Luz reappeared out of nowhere and started chatting up about how she and Betza are best friends and they even made a recording together on the computer. The two of them sang a duet earlier in the morning and let me listen to it. It sounded very nice and I was very impressed with Luz's ability to hold her own while Betza sang harmonies.

Edgardo was at the office too, and around lunch time, he drove those of us who wanted to Plaza, where most people got rides home. I walked home and rewashed my clothes before falling asleep for a little while. When I woke up, Freddy called me and asked if I was going to Elmer's party. I had completely forgotten that earlier in the week Elmer had mentioned that he was throwing a party for his daughter's birthday and that I was invited.

I said that I would love to go, and Freddy told me that he would pick me up around 7:30. I spent the next couple of hours working out on the roof and making a quick dinner before we left for the party. We picked up Jasmine and one of Freddy's friends who went bowling with us the night before.

On our way up to Elmer's house, Freddy's friend and I talked about how Tegucigalpa expanded so rapidly over about 10 years, that there was no urban planning, and the city is really a mess. There is not enough water for the city, and most places only have access to water three days a week and only at night. A lot of houses have huge tanks where they store the water for the days they don't have it.

The poorer parts of the city are especially vulnerable, because they only get water maybe once or twice a week. And in the hurricane season and the rainy season, they are succeptable to mudslides.

Elmer lives in a neighborhood which literally means "The Big Hill", and when we got there, we delved into the Tegucigalpa that I was expecting. As we drove, the road was only paved here and there. Twenty yards of pavement, twenty yards of dirt road. When we finally got to the top of "The Big Hill" you could see the whole city lit up. I can't believe I forgot my camera.

When we parked, Freddy and his friend Sadat suggested that the four of us stick very close together. We walked in a group down through a couple of pathways that led us to Elmer's house. The pathway was only about two feet wide, and the ditch on one side served as the sewer system for the area. The houses ran together and were crammed on top of and beside one another. Inside the houses, people were packed in like sardines, but there was a lot of music playing, and people seemed to be having fun.

Elmer greeted me with a big hug and a drink that I only sipped once, as it did not agree with me. I met his daughter, then headed into the kitchen where there was an immense amount of food. Freddy and I loaded up, then went out into the front room to go sit with Yasmine and Sadat. The music was very loud and Elmer's daughter and all of her friends were laughing and dancing. All of a sudden, the power went out. I asked if this was normal, and was told no. Elmer brought out candles, and the kids brought out their guitars. They sang Spanish country songs, while we sat around talking about the political situation.

Our group was split between supporters of the coup and supporters of the old president. Everyone talks about it here all of the time. Even the kids, when they got done singing would yell "Viva Michelete!" (the interim president) or "No! Viva Mel!" (the old president) From what I hear, the country is not as polarized as my circles of friends are. There seems to be much less worry about it elsewhere, as elections are approaching in two months and neither the interim nor the old candidate are on the ballad.

The power stayed out until we left a couple of hours later. As we went to leave, I walked on up ahead, because the pathway was small and I did not want Yasmine to be first in line. I was walking faster than my companions, and they had to caution me not to get too far ahead. They were very clearly uneasy about the part of town that we were in.

We dropped Yasmine off, and Freddy, Sadat, and myself went to Freddy's apartment and watched Assault on Precinct 13. I didn't get back until after midnight, and Freddy insisted on driving me home even though my apartment is only two blocks away from his. People are definitely afraid in the city after dark.