¡Que barbaridad!

This is a fun phrase to use - ¡que barbaridad! It looks like "what barbarity!" although my dictionary translates it as, "what nonsense!" or "what an atrocity!" Let me share a few barbaridades with you:

1. Cold - People keep telling me that since I'm Canadian, I ought to have no problem with the cold fronts that come through La Campa during the colder months. It's true that Canadian winters are significantly colder than Honduran winters, but there we have indoor heating systems, and houses that seal (more or less). Although the temperature here has not dropped below 10C, I believe that I have been colder here in La Campa than I have been in most Canadian winters since there is no way to warm up unless you go to bed. However, I don't have the language to explain how cold it actually gets in Canada. On the coldest days, I get asked, "Is it this cold in Canada?" And I say yes, but can't describe it, because they've already appropriated the coldest words for the weather here: helado, hielo. Both words are related to ice. As a noun, helado means ice cream!

2. Young men - Young men, and occasionally older men as well can be a real nuisance. Although I am now a (mostly) normal appearance in La Campa, many young man still like to stare at me as I walk past, or make comments to each other, or make the sound that is the equivalent of a whistle, or practice a few phrases of English ("hey baby" is popular). And last week I got a text from an unknown asking me to be his girlfriend. I ignored the text, so he phoned me the next day, saying he was my admirer. So I hung up. Luckily, I've had no other propositions.

3. Dust - It's dry. No proper rain since December 1. The roads are made of dirt. Cars drive on them regularly. The roads are rarely flat, so the cars sometimes spin their wheels while trying to climb the hill. These are perfect conditions for the formation of dust. The dust outside my house is probably close to an inch thick in places, but I've walked through two inches of it. I've never understood why dusting a house daily is necessary in many old books that I've read, but now I can understand the purpose. Items that I used in the morning feel grainy by night.

4. Insects - I'm normally not bothered by insects. At university, I was the one to get rid of any unwanted little friend. I'm still not bothered, exactly. A disgusted fascination is more accurate. Large flat spiders who run really fast, and whose legs detach remarkably easily if you don't aim the boot right. The odd cockroach or two. Or a long, narrow unknown bug, approximately the size and shape of a highlighter, with pincers. The little girls next door called it an animal, not an insect.

5. Disappearance of soil samples - Back in November, five people from a nearby village collected soil samples to be sent to a laboratory for a nutrient analysis. They were boxed up properly, taked to the shipping company in Gracias, and shipped. Fast forward to January, when I called the laboratory to ask why I hadn't received the results yet. They told me they never received them. So I called the shipping company, and asked if they could track where the package had gone. No help from them. So now these samples need to be taken another time.

¡Que barbaridad!

Country Mouse Visits the City

The country mouse lives in La Campa, a tranquil rural town with about 400 to 500 people well dispersed throughout a lovely valley. However, most of the country mouse's fellow MCC workers live in the cities. After Christmas, the country mouse ventured out of her comfort zone to visit some of these city friends. Her experiences were rich and exciting, and completely outside of the zone of comfort that she had developed over the previous months in the campo.

The country mouse met up with a city mouse friend in front of the main church in Tegucigalpa. While waiting for her friend, the country mouse looked around the bustling plaza, and estimated that there were more people in that small area than people who live in the entire town of La Campa. The two mice boarded a rapidito (a 16 person van/bus) to go to the colonia (neighbourhood) where the city mouse lives. The roads were full of vehicles going in all directions, with no care about pedestrians. The country mouse is accustomed to the streets of La Campa, where she can stroll down the centre of the road without a care. She felt overwhelmed by the noise and bustle and was relieved to arrive in the colonia, which had a more rural atmosphere.

The country mouse is accustomed to going to bed at 8:30, or 9pm at the latest. In the city, this is prime evening fun time. The young mice from the colonia like to get together and watch movies in the evening, or perhaps head out to a fair, not going to bed until 11pm. When the group of young mice went out to the fair, the country mouse couldn't help remembering all the warnings she had received about the dangers of venturing through Tegucigalpa after dark. But all the other mice had no qualms, so along she went. The country mouse had lots of fun, but was quite ready to go to bed by the time they all got back to the colonia.

The country mouse eats tortillas three times a day, and beans and eggs at least twice a day. Her fast metabolism likes this diet. In the city, she ate toast for breakfast, and the tortillas at supper were paper thin, instead of 1/4 inch thick - not filling at all!

The country mouse admits to having cravings for food that she enjoys from living in Canada. Recently she dreamed of baking powder biscuits with cream of tomato soup. Since there is only one or two ovens in La Campa, the country mouse could not fulfil this dream. So when she was at the MCC office in San Pedro Sula, she took advantage of the oven, and enjoyed big, fluffy biscuits.

There are not many young adult mice in the country, as the country mouse has found out. There are limited work and study opportunities, so the young mice go to the city. The country mouse spends her free time with grandmothers, young children, and a couple of teenagers. She was rather surprised at the vibrant social life with other young people that her city mouse friend enjoys.

The country mouse returned to her small town yesterday afternoon. She was happy to go to bed at 8:30, and to get up and eat 4 thick, hot tortillas with beans for breakfast. Only roosters disturbed her sleep, as normal. She thoroughly enjoyed her time in the city, realizing, however, that her experiences were only from one perspective. She had a wonderful time with her other MCC workers. Despite the differences between the city and the country, she enjoyed being with other people experiencing many of the same difficulties that she is.