Last night I fell asleep more easily than expected. I realize today that problem solving in Spanish is twice as exhausting than if all of this had happened in my primary language. But today I got a little giggle. I called the front desk to ask for a toothbrush and comb. When she started rattling off some reply in Spanish I asked her to speak in English please. She seemed very surprised that I needed English. So must be I'm pulling off the Spanish pretty well. The hotel does have toothbrushes and combs. My clothes, which I had washed in the sink, were dry. The shower felt great. Should have done that last night, but I was too tired to think straight.
My cousin, Carolyn, is in the Peace Corp in Guatemala. This morning she was on Facebook, so I asked her to call Jairo and tell him my flight number and SUPPOSED arrival time in Teguc. She called and gave him all of the information. I told her, "Super. Thanks." She said, "That's funny, that's exactly what he said when I gave him the info." I told her must be I am acclimating well if I am already talking just like Jairo. I wish she could come and visit me, see my apartment, meet my friends... but the Peace Corp has a travel ban for certain areas right now, so she can't. Maybe I could visit her sometime.
So Jairo has all of the info I can offer at this time. I got a good nights' sleep and a shower. Nothing to do now but wait for a shuttle to my plane, which should come in half an hour.
I must also add that my mother was very calm through all of this. I am sure she would prefer me to be in Teguc with my friends, not alone in El Salvador. But she seemed fine, which helps me feel better too.
I met an interesting man on the bus ride from the airport to the hotel last night. He was from Belgium, but now lives in Nicaragua. He said he has heard that Coapan is the most beautiful place in Central America, but he said Nicaragua is safest, least touristy, and has the nicest people. I would like to see Coapan. He said that about six years ago he worked on the water system in Tegucigalpa. He said there were many problems with the water system, but the biggest was that gangs would not let the companies operate without paying them off, and the companies refused to pay.
This quote was at the top of my journal last night. I liked it and thought it fitting:
"What we feel, think and do this moment influences both our present and the future in ways we may never know. Begin. Start right where you are. Consider your possibilities and find inspiration...to add more meaning and zest to your life." - Alexandra Stoddard
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
The Lone Gringa
I was supposed to be in Honduras by now. But instead, as my new friend Rachel said, I am on an adventure. At least I'm trying to see it that way. As I wash my underwear and shirt in the sink and soak my contacts in a dish of water it's not so easy to put a positive spin on this. Plus my luggage is missing.
Everything was pretty uneventful until I got to El Salvador. Of course there was mad scurrying in Phoenix to figure out how to get an extra 9 pounds of luggage into the plane - the answer was to stuff it inside my pillow case. I slept on the first two connections with my pillowcase full of shoes and books.
In Houston there was only one other obvious Gringo on the plane. Everyone else was speaking only Spanish. In El Salvador I was definitely the only Gringa left. They didn't even translate messages anymore, which made it more difficult when, as we were taxiing for take off, they suddenly turned around said something about "conditions". That's really all I caught - and the fact that we were headed back to the airport. The woman next to me asked me when they had said, so apparently it wasn't very clear to even the Spanish speakers.
We got all of our personal belongings and were told to wait for 15 minutes. I knew that was too good to be true, so I begged a phone from a nice lady and called Jairo to warn him I was running late. Then they said the plan was fixed - (HURRAY!) but the flight crew was over their allotted flight time and could not fly the plane. Since the airport was closed there was nobody else who could fly us either. They told us there is an 8 a.m. flight tomorrow, but it's full. Not sure why they even told us that. Then they said they are arranging for a whole new plane to come and take us to Honduras. In the meantime we will get dinner at Hotel Intercontinental, and a free room, as well as a $200 voucher.
All of that is great except that in my scurrying to arrange my luggage I brought nothing I would need for this situation. Yes people, I had a carry-on and a pillowcase full of stuff, but no deodorant, contact lens solution, clean clothes, etc... Let this be a lesson to you as well, I am now in one of the nicest hotels I will probably ever experience, but I don't have the things I need to fully enjoy it. And you should also know that when you ask for sleeping pills "pills for sleeping" in Spanish, you get a very strange look and almost a lecture from the man at the front desk about the fact that the hotel does not sell "street drugs".
Had to fill out an immigration form that asked for my occupation. Initially my head was blank until finally I realized that officially now I am a missionary. CRAZY!!!
Saw a cool volcano as we flew over El Salvador. The sunset was gorgeous. I kept thinking the thing I was most nervous about is my language skills. Nothing like getting thrown into the fire. Figuring out what was going on was tough. And I keep getting caught off guard - like calling the front desk to ask for contact lens solution, then realizing I have no idea how to say "contact lens solution" in Spanish. So I asked for a something to clean my eyes. He said he'd be right up with a towel. I said no! A liquid to clean my eyes and again he said he would send it to me in a minute. Nothing ever came, so I went down and asked in person. They don't have contact lense solution, or sleeping pills, or free internet, or deodorant. But they do have soft sheets, a cushy mattress, a flat screen tv as wide as the bed (but I'm not turning it on because I've heard enough Spanish for the day) and good food with servers who were really top notch.
I will try to sleep in tomorrow. Hopefully, my next entry will be from Honduras!
Buenas noches desde San Salvador.
Everything was pretty uneventful until I got to El Salvador. Of course there was mad scurrying in Phoenix to figure out how to get an extra 9 pounds of luggage into the plane - the answer was to stuff it inside my pillow case. I slept on the first two connections with my pillowcase full of shoes and books.
In Houston there was only one other obvious Gringo on the plane. Everyone else was speaking only Spanish. In El Salvador I was definitely the only Gringa left. They didn't even translate messages anymore, which made it more difficult when, as we were taxiing for take off, they suddenly turned around said something about "conditions". That's really all I caught - and the fact that we were headed back to the airport. The woman next to me asked me when they had said, so apparently it wasn't very clear to even the Spanish speakers.
We got all of our personal belongings and were told to wait for 15 minutes. I knew that was too good to be true, so I begged a phone from a nice lady and called Jairo to warn him I was running late. Then they said the plan was fixed - (HURRAY!) but the flight crew was over their allotted flight time and could not fly the plane. Since the airport was closed there was nobody else who could fly us either. They told us there is an 8 a.m. flight tomorrow, but it's full. Not sure why they even told us that. Then they said they are arranging for a whole new plane to come and take us to Honduras. In the meantime we will get dinner at Hotel Intercontinental, and a free room, as well as a $200 voucher.
All of that is great except that in my scurrying to arrange my luggage I brought nothing I would need for this situation. Yes people, I had a carry-on and a pillowcase full of stuff, but no deodorant, contact lens solution, clean clothes, etc... Let this be a lesson to you as well, I am now in one of the nicest hotels I will probably ever experience, but I don't have the things I need to fully enjoy it. And you should also know that when you ask for sleeping pills "pills for sleeping" in Spanish, you get a very strange look and almost a lecture from the man at the front desk about the fact that the hotel does not sell "street drugs".
Had to fill out an immigration form that asked for my occupation. Initially my head was blank until finally I realized that officially now I am a missionary. CRAZY!!!
Saw a cool volcano as we flew over El Salvador. The sunset was gorgeous. I kept thinking the thing I was most nervous about is my language skills. Nothing like getting thrown into the fire. Figuring out what was going on was tough. And I keep getting caught off guard - like calling the front desk to ask for contact lens solution, then realizing I have no idea how to say "contact lens solution" in Spanish. So I asked for a something to clean my eyes. He said he'd be right up with a towel. I said no! A liquid to clean my eyes and again he said he would send it to me in a minute. Nothing ever came, so I went down and asked in person. They don't have contact lense solution, or sleeping pills, or free internet, or deodorant. But they do have soft sheets, a cushy mattress, a flat screen tv as wide as the bed (but I'm not turning it on because I've heard enough Spanish for the day) and good food with servers who were really top notch.
I will try to sleep in tomorrow. Hopefully, my next entry will be from Honduras!
Buenas noches desde San Salvador.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)