.Honduras cultural day 3 Honduras cultural day honduras cultural day 5

Today was our cultural day. As a group we went to get coffee for the last time at Espresso Americano, everyone loved their granitas, which are like frappe’s but a little different and more delicious. We then spent one last breakfast with Carlos. He cooked our favorite foods, including fried plantains. We are going to miss him and his delicious food. He actually gave us a recipe for his amazing avocado salad. We were so lucky to have him with us this week and all he brought to our bellies and our conversations. We then piled in the van and headed to Valle de Angeles (valley of angels), which is an open area plaza with lots of shops and stores to buy locally made gifts. It was fun to interact with the locals there and be goofy as a group about the little nick knacks everyone was buying. We then made the half hour drive to lunch at what has become our favorite lunch spot. It serves what is called a pupusa, which is like a thicker tortilla stuffed with certain meats, cheese, and beans and is so delicious! After stuffing our faces we headed to the Christ Statue at the top of a mountain just on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa. The statue is meant to be a replica of the Christ statue that looks over Rio de Janeiro, but this one is about half the size. The views from the park up there are always breathtaking as you get a bird’s eye view of this beautiful city. Sitting there taking in the views and talking with other group members is a great way to think about the week we have had and all our experiences. We then headed back to the hotel to change for our celebration dinner with our group and translators for the week. It felt like a big family dinner in which we could get to know our translators’ families more and explain to them how we saw Mario, Danilo, and Belkis as part of our family now. We thanked everyone and said our goodbyes to two of our new family members and headed back to the hotel to have our final debrief. This debrief consisted of 4 questions that helped us think about what we were shown this week, our feelings about leaving, and what we plan on doing about what we learned this week upon returning home. We then spent the next 2 hours going around and everyone would say what they loved about each individual group member from what they saw and learned about them throughout the week. This activity was so powerful and emotional for everyone to see how we cared for each other and affirm each other’s hard work this week.

 

We are actually writing this on Sunday morning and have already said our goodbyes and are traveling home. We did sneak some time in to visit the Tegucigalpa central church and new mission house and catholic basilica. It’s bittersweet for all of us. Today will be a long day of travel, but we are looking forward to celebrating Rylie’s birthday in the Atlanta airport!

We appreciate the love and support of those back home reading our blog and we look forward to sharing our experience with you in person!

For our friends and family in Honduras, this is simply an hasta luego, not an adios. Thanks for the love and hospitality you’ve shown us.