Por Los Niños

I’ve got a few things to catch up on in blog writing; but I just got back from a very memorable weekend that I just have to share now.

Two weeks ago Tess, Rob, and I caught a jalón/hitchike from Tegucigalpa to the ranch from a very Southern couple from Texas, Les and Jeannell. First impressions were that they were very nice; going out of their way to move all their groceries and shopping bags into the cab of the truck so that we could sit inside. As we got going, we learned that they had been in Honduras for three years. They are directors of an orphanage in Catacamas called “Por Los Niños”/For the Children. Les is a preacher as well. We started comparing our orphanage, NPH, with theirs. There are many differences. Here are a few:

NPH: 600 kids, PLN: 38
NPH: ages 8 months – 30-years-old, PLN: does not accept children over the age of 6-years
NPH: institution-type living (3-story bunk beds, large dining room, very much community living), PLN: three homes, each child shares a room with 1-3 other kids
NPH: tíos/tías act as caregivers, PLN: each home has a mother and a father, a real married couple, their kids live there too
NPH: been around since 1956, PLN: been around maybe 10 years or so
NPH: lots of the kids have HIV/AIDS, PLN: will not accept children with HIV/AIDS, or any kids who have behavioral problems for that matter

They were a very friendly couple, very open and chatty. When we arrived to the ranch we exchanged contact information with the plan being that we may come visit them sometime.

Well, that’s exactly what I did this weekend. Julia and I left the ranch Saturday morning heading to Catacamas. We caught a jalón from the ranch to Guaimaca, which is about 45 minutes away. In Guaimaca we waited for another jalón. When we found one they said they were only going as far as Juticalpa, but we hopped in thinking we would find a third jalón to get from Juticalpa to Guaimaca. When we arrived in Juticalpa, our jalón told us they would keep going the extra 30 kilometers to drop us off in Catacamas...very nice.

We found Les and Jeannell’s house and were welcomed with open arms. Talk about “Southern hospitality”! Jeannell has a little Chihuahua-looking dog named Biscuit. He welcomed us too, with his loud barks. Their house is in the city of Catacamas and used to be a medical clinic. Les and Jeannell only use the back three rooms of the house as their home and the other rooms are set-up as guest rooms; each having one or two beds, towels, shampoo, a ceiling fan, and a bathroom (with hot water).

Julia and I got settled and then joined Les and Jeannell in their kitchen. Wow. Upon entering their kitchen I felt like I was back in the States. A refrigerator full of magnets, pictures, newspaper clippings; a pantry full of American food; and little apples painted on the walls.

The main attractions of Catacamas are the Cuevas de Talgua/caves. Les and Jeannell offered to take us there and explore the caves with us. That sounded great seeing as Julia and I had no idea how to get there. Before heading out though, they offered us lunch. Out came loaves of bread, cold cuts, mayonnaise, mustard, pickles, chips, candy bars, and a variety of pop...heaven. We had a nice American lunch then Les packed up a cooler with bottled water and we headed out. He gave us a driving tour of Catacamas, which is actually quite large. Catacamas is in Olancho, which is known as the “Old West” of Honduras. It is very dusty, cattle are everywhere, and people walk around in cowboy hats carrying machetes and guns. Les and Jeannell kind of fit in because of that I think, with their thick Southern accents.
When we arrived, Les paid for Julia and my entrance fee (these people are too much!). We hired a guide and we ventured into the cave. I had never gone into a ‘real’ cave before. It was pretty cool. Before Hurricane Mitch hit in 1998, visitors used to be able to hike about one kilometer into the cave and then go up a ladder, which led to a burial ground. This is the oldest burial ground in Central America, with the bones dating back to as early as 1000 B.C. (before the Mayans even). The bones are preserved because of all the calcium droplets that fell onto them. Plus, the calcium gives the bones a phosphorescent glow. That’s what the guide and the guidebooks say, but since the cave has not yet been repaired since the hurricane, we did not get to see them firsthand. It was still pretty cool; brought me back to tenth grade Earth Science class with Mr. Gribas talking about stalactites and stalagmites.

After seeing las cuevas we headed back out in the truck. We stopped on the side of the road to buy about 8-10 sandías/watermelon to bring to the aldea/village (how they refer to the orphanage). The aldea is situated just outside of the city and is right on the street. The yard is surrounded by beautiful pink flower bushes. When we arrived many of the kids started running towards us in the truck. While to many this would be a special moment, I am so used to kids running at me that I didn’t think twice. It wasn’t till we started serving the watermelon that I began to see the differences in NPH kids and PLN kids. These kids waited their turn to get watermelon, were very polite and patient, and when they reached the rind of the watermelon they set it aside until one of the kids came along with a trash bin. This was impressive. I am used to the kids on the ranch tackling one another to get food, cutting in line, and screaming and shouting. When NPH kids get to the rind of the watermelon, they don’t stop...they keep eating, until it’s all gone. After serving one piece of watermelon to the kids there was still watermelon left over. On the ranch, the tía would yell out “doble”/seconds, and all the kids would come dashing for more. Here at PLN, when Jeannell offered a second piece to the kids, many declined with a polite, “no gracias”/no thank you. I was shocked.

Les gave us a tour of the aldea, which didn’t take too long because it is so small – PLN consists of three homes, a bodega/store room, maintenance shed, and a school that’s in the process of being built. There are also some gardens and playing areas for the kids. As I mentioned earlier, about eight to ten kids live in each home. These homes are huge, bigger than the size of one hogar/home here on the ranch (note: one hogar = about 25 kids). They are also much newer. Whereas on the ranch the kids all sleep in a room full of three-story bunk beds, at PLN each child shares a bedroom with two to three other kids (a big bedroom with nice beds). They also share a bathroom that has real toilets, real sinks, and real showers (unlike what we have at the ranch). This is five-star Honduras living. Each home has a kitchen, playing/living area, and in the back live the parents. The parents are paid employees who take care of the kids. However, unlike the ranch where they come and go as employees do, the parents are a married couple who permanently reside with the children. The kids even call them “mom” and “dad” (well, in Spanish of course). I have to say, I was quite impressed with their facilities.

After our aldea visit, we headed back to Jeannell and Les’ home to shower and relax. In the evening, Julia and I helped Jeannell make dinner. We made a chicken salad with canned chicken, pineapples, raisins, apples, and mayonnaise. We served it up with crackers and pop and it was a pretty good, easy meal. Les served cookies and candy bars for dessert. Afterwards, we spent the entire evening just sitting around the kitchen table and talking. We stayed up until 11:00pm just chatting away. These are amazing people. I felt like I could’ve been staying up talking the night away with my parents. I think they might have felt the same about us, as they have two children back in the States; a daughter who is 24 and a 21-year-old son. Jeannell admitted to us that she likes to “take care of us” since she is not able to be with her own children. The next morning, Julia and I awoke to find the kitchen table all set for us with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, pop tarts, oatmeal, and....COLD MILK. Wow, it was delicious. What a difference cold milk makes on your cereal. It really is the small things in life that make you happy. On the ranch I use powdered milk with warm bottled water. It’s that or the ranch’s hot whole milk that comes directly from the cow. Yuk! After breakfast we joined Les, Jeannell, and all the kids from the aldea to go to church. We first stopped at the aldea to pick up the kids. They all jumped into the cab of the truck – it was packed with kids. We headed to a neighboring pueblo called Sosa. They do not have a church yet, so each Sunday someone offers their home to hold services. This Sunday a very old woman (I’d say about 80-years-old) with long gray hair and a million wrinkles invited everyone in to her one-room house. The house was about as big as a dorm room, had mud floors, and a tarp to separate the bedroom from the living room. The ceiling had light leaking through the cracks and holes and there was one light bulb. More than 50 people squished into this teeny, tiny house, some of us being lucky to have a plastic chair to sit on. The mass itself was very impromptu with random people standing and reading from the Bible, singing songs, and making up sermons. For Communion, we used tortillas and Welch’s grape juice. It dawned on me during this makeshift mass that this is why I’m here. How much more of a cultural experience can you get?! I was very humbled by all of this.

After mass, Les and Jeannell invited Julia and I out to lunch. We went to the local Texaco gas station, which is the Sunday hang out. This Texaco had a gym for kids to play in, a restaurant, clean bathrooms (with toilet paper), and a great convenience store with lots of American products. I’d say that this Texaco was better than any I had ever visited in the U.S. Les and Jeannell treated us to pizza and pop. Yum! It was so good – better than all the Pizza Hut I’ve had in Tegucigalpa. Who would have thought that a gas station would have such good food?!

After lunch, we returned to Les and Jeannell’s house and Julia and I packed up our things. We left a thank you note on the night stand, along with 400 lempiras “por los niños”/for the children. I walked around their house outside and saw they had a huge mango tree. Jeannell brought me a plastic bag and helped me gather the fallen mangoes to take home. Man, I love mangoes! To top off the enormous generosity this couple has offered us all weekend, they both (along with Biscuit) drove us the two-and-a-half hours from Catacamas back to the ranch. They really are incredible.

I have been telling the volunteers that they all need to visit. This couple really deserves the Noble Peace Price and a seat on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Their Southern hospitality, genuine spirit, open hearts, and dedication to the children have left a lasting impression on me. We really are here “por los niños”.