The Next Chapter... One Week In!

Well, I've been in San Pedro Sula at the CURE hospital for one week now! It's been wonderful so far, and although it's been just one day after another filled with a hectic schedule of getting settled into life here, the CURE staff is beyond wonderful to work and live with- I am beyond blessed to be here!

For those of you who don't know, I am the new CUREkids Coordinator for this hospital. I get to take photographs of the patients and tell their stories for those who support CURE and sponsor surgeries for the kids.

Some news and observations from the first week:

- For the first six days here, I lived within the walls of the hospital in the apartment upstairs with the Bridgeman family- Dr. Jay who is an orthopedic surgeon and the new medical administrator here at CURE Honduras, and his wife Pauline who is a medical doctor, and their three girls, Abigail (7), Lillian (5), and baby Charlotte (1), who have become my three little buddies in no time flat! Having these little girls around makes happy and right at home :)

The Bridgemans have been here for about a month now, and are very thankful that God has finally provided a wonderful house for them after much house hunting! They also found a nice apartment for me in another neighborhood just down the street (unfortunately I can't live in their same complex because it doesn't allow dogs). I'm also just a few minutes from Aracely, our wonderful Spiritual Director, which is really nice because she and her family can easily pick me up to go on outings.

This week was spent traveling all around San Pedro visiting nearly every home furnishing store, and after much searching and purchasing of nearly all their home furnishing, a car, internet, ect., The Bridgemans have moved in to their new home and I've moved into my apartment. I'm thankful that the apartment I got is already furnished- I didn't realize the extent of furnishing an empty house until I experienced it firsthand! And this is Central America, so everything takes just a little bit longer and is just a little bit more difficult to accomplish! Pauline is my new hero and I can now empathize with new homeowners just a little bit better! God's grace through all of this has been so prevalent, providing everything in His timing. Pauline and I were talking about how we tend to worry so much about every little thing, and granted there are many concerns and so many moving parts with moving to a new country, but how God must be laughing at our franticness and thinking, "why do they worry? Why do they not trust in my perfect plan and timing?" God has been faithful from the start, and our worries only show a lack of trust in our all-knowing and all-powerful God.

- The Honduran staff here are some of the most dear people on earth! From all of the doctors and nurses to our guards, to Ruth the hospital Director and Aracely our Spiritual Director, to Gina our cook and Tito our maintenance man and Koto our driver and assistant extraordinaire, to Grace our club foot program coordinator (and personal driving/shopping/living/ guide), and everyone whom I have yet to meet, everyone is such a blessing to these children that they serve at CURE and have made me feel part of their family from day one.

- The heat is pretty killer but I'm learning to live with it. I'm getting used sweating as soon as I step outside, and even inside my apartment since electricity is so expensive so I'm sticking with my fan... we'll see how long that lasts. I try to ignore the sweat and it and think of it as normal, and I'm getting there... I keep telling myself, "this is healthy! This is healthy!" Having AC at the hospital is a true gift!

Tonight I ate dinner at the Bridgeman's house, and as we sat around the table outside, sitting in the stagnant heat, Jay had my doubled over laughing at his complaints about heat. He was asking, "so when does fall time come in Honduras? You know like when the leaves change colors and fall to the ground, and then we get snow... when does that happen here?" As I was dying laughing Pauline gave him the honest truth and said that she thinks this is actually one of the coolest times of year. We unanimously agreed that we needed to go to the air conditioned mall and get frozen yogurt.

- One of the first few nights that I was here, we were on our way home to the hospital, and Jay asked me if I know how to drive a manual car. I told him in theory I do but it has been several years since I've done so. He told me that everyone needs to know how to drive in case of emergency, so we are to have driving lessons. I responded with an enthusiastic "ok!" and but quite frankly, I've been here for only a week and I'm going to start at some point soon learning to drive a stick shift car on roads with no rules, filled with cars, trucks, busses, bikes, pedestrians, dogs, cows, horse-carts, you get the picture- this should be an experience!

- My first full day in my apartment was yesterday- and shortly after I got home in the afternoon I was putting groceries away, and it started down-pouring with huge flashes of lighting and rolls of thunder. I love storms, and especially here it turns the weather cooler, but as it rained I noticed a little water seeping through the cracks of the big window in the living area. Great, a leak already. I then looked down and noticed a giant puddle growing bigger and bigger- water was streaming under my front door, making its way under my couch and across the living room. My landlady didn't tell me a river comes through the door when it rains! Thankfully several bath towels were able to contain the water until the rain stopped. I hope it doesn't rain when I'm not home.

Here are some pictures of the fun things we did this week- I'm looking forward to sharing the work side of life so stay tuned for stories of our CUREkids here in Honduras!

Friday, my first evening in Honduras- movie night in the apt with the girls and Sarah (a friend of the Bridgeman's who visited for a week)

Saturday we went to City Mall- one of the very big malls in SPS with a massive food court and every kind of shop you can think of!

(r-l: Pauline, me, Abigail, Sarah, Lilllian, Aracely, her three sons, and her husband Heraldo)

We (especially Abigail because she likes to take them food and is always concerned about their well-being, and me because I like to talk with them) like to spend some time in the evening chatting with the guards and eating exotic fruit with them.

(back row l-r: Jay, guards Jose and Bilhilio, [the night guards which two who I've gotten to know], me and Charlotte, Lillian and Sarah [with fruit!] and Abigail). Note Bilhilio holding the girls' Dr. Seuss Spanish/English dictionary that he and Jose like to read!

After church on Sunday, we went to drop Sarah off at the airport, and we happened to see Miss Honduras on her way to Miss Universe in Brazil! We were pretty excited about this random happening!

(l-r: Pauline, Lillian, Miss Honduras, Sarah, Abigail, Me, Charlotte)

We are always on the lookout for new fruits on the roadside fruit trucks- here we have lychees which is a Chinese fruit, but I originally had them for the first time in India. They are one of my favorites! Some people here call them "orangutans" because the Honduras lychees have "hairy" skin.

My very favorite new fruit is the mangosteen- everyone should get to try one of these! It has a thick skin and in the center there is a sweet juicy white fruit... it's like magical.