At 0330 this morning our bags were packed and our group
leaders were on their way picking up group members at their homes to meet at
the airport. Many of us had only taken
naps that night while some of us hadn’t slept at all. When we arrived to the
airport, we labeled our bags with our names written on brightly colored duct
tape . The 50 pound medication bags we packed last Saturday are lined up and
checked in for our flight. We grab a
quick breakfast and board the airplane for our first flight to Atlanta. Already
exhausted, many of us are falling asleep in the upright position with our heads
bobbing like we’re at a rock concert.
Our second stretch from Atlanta to Honduras was much longer. For those
of you who do not know, the airport we fly into in Honduras is Tegucigalpa- one
of the most dangerous and difficult airports to land in. Pilots have to be
specially trained to land here. Mountains surround Tegucigalpa and the pilot
has to descend into the city just scraping by these mountains and homes built
on them. Not only this, but the runway itself is very short. Our pilot lands
perfectly and everyone applauds and breaths sighs of relief. We make our way
through customs and discover that Maria has been taken back by immigration
because she needs a visa. Rosa stays with her as the rest of us grab our bags
and load up the Heifer bus. Maria and Rosa finally make it through and we are
ready to go! Our drive is not very long. Our first stop is the outskirts of
Tegucigalpa where Heifer International houses us. Along the way we get a
glimpse of houses lining the roads- they look as if they are made of adobe.
Some newer houses had been built on a hill, but the poor construction led to
the houses toppling over down the hill where they lay in ruins. It’s a
different world down here. We arrive to Heifer International’s camp where we
are provided bedrooms with bunk beds, fresh linens and clean bathrooms. The house is beautiful. It is one story and
bright yellow with the pillars of the building painted with murals of the
jungle with parrots, palms and flowers. It is about 90 degrees outside. We
unpack and lay down for a short nap. We awake to Dennis telling us that a
woodcarver has come to sell his works. He is right outside of our room laying
beautifully carved jewelry boxes and wall décor. The jewelry boxes are cedar,
with the tops carved into flowers with hummingbirds or a picture of a house
surrounded by palm trees. He spends over fifteen hours on his pieces and
charges only $28.00 (U.S. dollars). He was able to send one son through medical
school with his craft and is now working to send his daughter to school who is
only six years old. Next a silversmith comes to offer his goods. He lets us
choose between black opal and the kind of setting we would like it put
into-bracelets, necklaces, and rings. They take great pride in their work. The
women who work as staff for Heifer International cool a beautiful meal for us.
We have refried black beans, rice, mini sausages, fried plantains and fresh
made tortillas. Most of us became addicted to the plantains. That night we have
a man from Heifer International come and talk to us about Honduras and the work
that has been done to make communities more sustainable. This includes delivering cows and chickens to
communities where they can live off of the milk and eggs. They are an
organization that I would recommend you look into! That night we also organized
pills into different quantities and packed them into mini ziplock bags to
distribute from our pharmacy. We listen to music and have fun laughing and
joking as we divided up pills. We start talking about putting our trip up on
Instagram and began hashtagging everything…..I think delirium has set in after
such a long day. We finish with the medications and all head to bed happy and
with full bellies.
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