deliciomundo!

That's a word that my brothers made up- but since they don't read this blog, I can take total credit for it: Deliciomundo means a whole world of delight surrounding you, touching all the senses, and lifting your spirit. It's best said in a shout, 'Deliciomundo!!!'

Here are some deliciomundo experiencias of Honduras from my first week:
1. Our first free night, my three colleagues & I went to a 'restaurante tipico' of Honduras (which we found out means that it's completely for tourists). While we ate mountains of food (taquitos, queso, pinchos, cerveza, vegetales, etc) and shielded our eyes from the gaudy decor, a mariachi band serenaded us with 'Que nos deja.' I learned of the dramatic Mexican mariachi music, and we spoke some hilarious mixture of spanish & english. I've never seen so many stereotypes rolled into one location, but it was great.
2. The hotel pool is so small that I can't swim laps back n forth, so I swim in circles... that's right.
3. One of the meetings we had with politicos was in someone's home - it's considered a great honor to host guests, and we were treated like royalty - special lemonade, fruit cocktail, & digestive biscuits. It was a challenge to focus on conversation with such delicacies in front of me - I am having that problem a lot here.
4. Hondurans speak in paragraphs - you ask one question, and it might be 20 minutes before the next pause. I've never seen anything like it.
5. Last night we drove up a mountain to this beautiful restaurant called El Picacho, and ate a fabulous dinner overlooking the city lights. The sprawling hills of Tegucigalpa and the evening air made for a fabulous setting.
6. My two colleagues (Carlos & Olga) and I got mistaken for a family. Carlos now calls me 'mi hija.' And he wants me to marry his son - not sure exactly how that is going to work.
7. My favorite part of being in a foreign country is visiting someone's home - to me, it's the best way to grow to love the culture. Olga, Mary & I were invited to the home of our dear local guide (her name is Andrea) for dinner. Andrea's parents of course treated us like dignitaries - but it was wonderful to see the inside of a home: the walls are covered in central american art - beautiful paintings, frescoes, and woodwork. The home is filled with ornate catholic symbolism, yet it feels peaceful. Moments pass, Mama leaves to check dinner with the cook (yes, cook), and everything feels very measured. Drinks are always flowing, food is delicious, and the conversation (still in paragraphs) is comfortable. You wonder if it's always like this - pleasant, courteous, formal yet kind -the epitome of hospitality. And just as kindly, the hosts usher you gently into the evening - and I guess you will continue to wonder. In Honduras, people welcome you into their home proudly: because they are your equal, it would be their honor to provide you a welcome into their country. What a lovely mixture of hospitality, national pride, and generosity.