evacuated from the island of Utila

Dear friends and family,

I'm back safely with my host family in San Juan del Obispo, Guatemala, a day ahead of Hurricane Felix. We were evacuated from the island of Utila, Honduras and so I didn't get to finish my last two dives. However I did do four dives and successfully completed the PADI open water SCUBA diving training. I aced my final test and so I'm certified to go diving anywhere in the world up to depth of 18-meters (60 feet) or less. The night that I passed my test, I went out to celebrate with a friend and a pickup truck from the government was announcing in both Spanish and English that all tourists needed to evacuate the island the following morning if they wanted to leave the island before the hurricane. So the next morning most of us left on the 6 a.m. ferry and we headed inland six hours by bus to Copán, Honduras.

Copán is a lovely little town near some Mayan ruins. The next morning we woke up and while eating beans, tortillas, fried plantains, and coffee with lots of sugar, we heard that the hurricane was moving inland and was expected to hit Tegucigalpa (the capital city) that afternoon. So I quickly bought a bus ticket back to Guatemala and headed off to enjoy the ruins for a couple of hours before once again jumping on a bus.

Of course there's many more stories to tell, but I wanted you to know that I'm safe and sound after my two and a half week journey around Nicaragua and Honduras. By the time Felix hits Guatemala, hopefully it will just be a tropical storm instead of a category five hurricane. Please pray for all the people who couldn't leave.

You may have heard that I'm moving back to Humboldt County for at least the next little while. I will once again be working part-time for Disabled Student Services (DSPS) at College of the Redwoods, while I apply for graduate school. I hope to earn a master's degree in information and Library science. I will be arriving in Eureka/Arcata on Thursday, September 13.

PADI scuba diving school

Hi dear friends,

I´m with a friend Betina from Switzerland. We're at Cross Creek, PADI scuba diving school on island of Utila off the coast of Honduras in the Carribean. Been studying hard last night and this morning. 3 days of Open Water Diving certification. PADI Certified. Lots of good schools on this island, but after looking at a few we chose Cross Creek. http://www.crosscreekutila.com/

I remember my brother Rick getting PADI certified. Now it's my turn. Later when I'm back in Humboldt I'll explain this in more depth (ha-ha). I have to get to class. Training for 3 days and then 2 free fun dives. Very cost effective and safe here.

Blessings,William

on the north coast of Honduras

I´m now on the Honduran Caribean coast. Went for a walk with a new friend to see Garifuna (descendents of black slaves) Villages. We saw monkeys in the trees, swam in the very warm sea, and drank coconut milk out of freshly cut coconuts. It´s very nice here, tropical wonderland: long beaches, palm trees, rain at night, very warm. Yesterday I rented a bicycle and rode around the town and around some old banana plantations.

On Sept. 13th I´ll be returning to Humboldt to work at CR, temporarily. It seems that my skills are needed there right now and it will be wonderful to be around old friends for a while.

From León, Nicaragua

So far I have found the Nicaragua People to be some of the friendliest, cosmopolitan, outgoing, and kind people I’ve met in Central America. Although their country is statistically only second to Haiti in this hemisphere in terms of poverty, they have some great art and culture.

If you ever travel to Nicaragua, remember to ask when the water and lights will be out. Due to corruption and a deteriorated infrastructure, the electrical system will not power the entire needs of the country, therefore the electrical water pumps don’t always run. So here in León, Nicaragua, we don’t have running water from approx. 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. It’s not that big of a deal because people just fill up their little wash tubs and buckets.

Things I will remember from León:

The variously colored colonial buildings, the Benjamin Linder Café where people with disabilities work, , tiled sidewalks that are wide enough, the shoe shine boy who told me Nicaraguan legends and fables, reading poet Rubén Darío and then visiting the place where he lived, beans and rice and chicken lunch for approx. $1.60 at the comedor, palm trees, nameless streets, friendly people who helped with directions, the photos of the Sandinista revolution, the University HR guy who came to my table to eat lunch with me and talk to me about my views on Nicaragua, my haircut from ex-Sandinista soldier who told me about his brother who was killed during their fight for independence, groups of school children visiting “The 21,” wicker furniture, political murals, people who love talking to North Americans even though they disagree with U.S. Government policies, Internet access for 60 cents an hour, horse drawn carts, milk in milk cans, geckos on the walls, the sound of birds, church bells, ice cold bottle of soda, hammocks…

Granada:

More colonial architecture, the elderly couple who rented rooms, buying fresh mangoes and star fruit in the boisterous market, squealing pigs being carried by boys, horse drawn carriages, pizza with spinach, being asked for handouts, kids throwing stones in an attempt to procure mangoes, the little bookstore and her nice smile, eating beans and rice while talking to Italian grad. student at the Bearded Monkey, reading Rubén Darío by the lake, the guy who warned me it wasn’t safe for extanjeros to walk in the park solo, the Third Eye, sushi, art, the churches…

Managua:

The National Library, beautiful smiling women, helpful / friendly taxi drivers, the bookmobile with “libros para todos,” vegetarian soup and rice, motorcyclists wearing helmets, rows and rows of tents of banana workers demanding better wages from Nicaraguan and U.S. companies, people dancing in the National Palace, school buses without paint, the old Cathedral with its bullet pocked tower, the young Spanish speaking British medical student who has been working in rural northern Nicaragua, the beggars, the guy twirling in the street, so many piles of garbage, street vendors, the new Cathedral with Jesus under glass, Bismarck and drinking Toño and Victoria and talking politics….

I’m now off to Northern Honduras (heading past Tegucigalpa to San Pedro Sula), a 12 hour bus trip from Managua. I leave tomorrow (Saturday). I will have plenty of time to read and think about what I’m going to do next with my life.

Visiting Managua, Nicaragua

After a 2 day bus ride (with sleepover stop in San Salvador), I arrived in Managua, Nicaragua 2 days ago. The power was out when I arrived and I had no cordobas—the national currency. But U.S. dollars often work around here and luckily I had some. I paid $5 for a little dive hotel and then took a taxi to local mall to use a cash machine.

I’m staying in a little neighborhood near the TICA bus stop. Lots of little hotels and restaurants, I heard it called “gringolandia.” They say crime is rampant here, but I haven’t encountered anything strange except for a bunch of kids and drunken guys asking for cordobas. Right now I think Guate. City and San Salvador are much more dangerous.

I’ve actually been having a great time here. I walked down the street to a local bar and drank some beers with Bismarck, a Nicaraguan guy about my age who works at the local Coca-Cola bottling plant. . We talked about politics and U.S. policy.

He said that the Coke employees here haven’t experienced the same oppression and the union leaders have not had problems like in Colombia. He told me that most people here do NOT dislike U.S. citizens, but they need our help especially after the U.S. backed contra war which has literally devastated this country.

Yesterday I took the bus to the old cathedral, partially destroyed in the 1972 earthquake and it’s no longer used. It is very picturesque in a stygian sort of way. It was a Sunday and it was wonderful to sit under a tree and look at Lake Managua, and feel the tropical breezes. I ate great local food and watched the people going in and out of the free UNESCO bookmobile that had “libros para todos” (books for everyone) pasted on all four sides. They don’t lend out books and people can read all day if they so desire. I watched some parents trying to entice their children to stop reading and come with them, sometimes without much success. It made me think even more about the possibility of being a librarian. Here in Nicaragua, before the 1978-79 revolution, less than 49% of the citizens could read. Part of the Sandinista revolution involved sending out young people to teach reading. After the literacy campaigns, 90% of the people could read. How can I be proud of my country which tried to stop people from learning to read or from trying to get better medical care?

Nicaragua is probably the poorest country I’ve ever been in. But I’ve found many of the people to be friendly and talkative and I feel grateful to be here. I plan to head off to Granada tomorrow and then we´ll see where I end up next.

Blessings and peace to you all.

Before I leave Central America

More life changes for William. I decided to quit my volunteer job three weeks early serving kids from the garbage dump with Camino Seguro. I hope all the kids are well, but I don't need to get burned out before trying to go back to work.

I finished my 10 weeks of intensive Spanish study and I did pass my written and oral Spanish tests. I will be receiving six rural Guatemala University credits.

Before I leave Central America I want to travel some more. So I'm heading down to Managua and León Nicaragua, and then around Honduras. Exact travel plans are indefinite, although I would like to see the social projects run by a saintly Catholic nun in Honduras. She supposed to be somewhat like Mother Teresa.

I'm a free man and this is my chance to spend some time learning some more about the world, and my Spanish is good enough. After my adventure here, we'll see what I do. Still considering to which grad school programs I wish to apply.

By the way, if you plan on traveling in Central America. Here are some suggestions (below).

Peace be with you all,
William

Survival guide for Guatemala -- or what gringos should know

• Toilet paper goes in the basket next to the toilet, not in the toilet or else it will block up the pipes.
• Don´t drink the water unless it's purified or from a sealed bottle.
• This includes don't brush your teeth with tap water unless it is purified, and close your mouth in the shower.
• If the street is empty, day or night, it might not be best to go down it alone
• watch your feet at all times, there are lots of steps, truck tires, holes and other dangers
• watch your head, iron bars on windows and other obstructions abound at head level while walking Antigua's narrow sidewalks
• traffic will not necessarily stop for you at intersections
• men: always take off your hat/cap before entering a church, and also during mealtimes
• don't take pictures of indigenous Mayan people without asking, it's considered rude and demeaning
• cipro can be purchased here in local pharmacies, make sure you have some on hand
• If you want a warm shower with a flash heater, don't turn up the water pressure. You can either have warm water or pressure, but not both at the same time.
• wallets are for money that you may want to share with other people in public, i.e. pickpockets; passports and money that you really want to keep should be kept in hidden waist, belt, etc. carriers
• use every chance you can to get change -- 100 quetzal notes are often almost worthless at times depending upon the situation
• hint: if you exchange money in a bank, try to get 50 quetzal or 20 quetzal notes for at least part of the transaction. Or go to the “Bodegona” supermarket and buy something to get change for your 100s.
• chicken buses will generally not stop for you unless you are on a city corner or a straight stretch of road
• a simple arm wave will let the driver know that you want a ride
  always ask the driver before getting on where the chicken bus is going -- don't assume the painted sign on the front of the bus is accurate
• as soon as you get on the bus, hang on...
• and also hang on to your backpack -- hint use a carabineer to keep prying hands out
• you don't pay when you get on the extraurban buses, someone will come around to collect
  stand up and start heading towards the front or the back of the bus at least two blocks before your stop
• usually the electricity works here, not always, but usually
• usually there is running water here, not always, but usually
• many people eat with both hands above the table, tortilla/bread goes in the left hand
• index finger flicked side to side = NO
• Saturday evening, expect to eat Guatemalan tamales which are different from Mexican tamales -- whatever the case, don't eat the banana leaves
  
  
  William Straub
  

What am I doing?

14 July 2007

I've been in Central America for over four months. What have I been up to lately?

I am again taking formal Spanish classes, five days a week, and in four weeks I will take both a written and oral exam to receive credit from the Rural University of Guatemala.

In the afternoons, I've been volunteering at Camino Seguro. On Mondays I teach computer classes. The other days I help the children with their schoolwork and/or other activities such as English language acquisition, horticulture, playing soccer, playing on the swingset, Legos, etc. Some of the children's behavior issues remind me of jobs I had many years ago.

I have been enjoying volunteering at the little library in the town of San Juan del Obispo every Saturday afternoon.

I'm considering the possibility of having the experience of living in a different village/town other than Ciudad Vieja in Guatemala.

Blessings and peace to you all,
William