The air is full of smoke today. I went outside to wash clothes and realized my clothes are likely to smell like smoke too when I hang them out to dry. But they can't compare to how I smelled last night. I reeked.
On the way to the church yesterday we stopped at a photo studio. Jairo needed a small photo of me because the lawyer has been asking for a photo for my residency card. I have to think that means they are actually making the card if they need a photo. I am really excited to have my residency. Without a residency card people can only stay in Honduras for 90 days. My residency card will be for lifetime. I could stay forever if I wished.
We had the yummiest lunch yesterday for the kids at the Breakfast Program! It was Honduran style chicken salad sandwiches. We got many, many cans of chicken parts as a donation from the Mennonite Church. In the past we have put the chicken into spaghetti sauce or made chicken and rice, but this was the best. Lourdes was able to get some yummy sort of hamburger shaped buns inexpensively. Each kid left really full and it didn't cost very much at all.
We have been trying to make food last longer because food prices have gone up and we are struggling to pay to feed the kids. It seems that just when we think we don't have enough food for the next day, we get an unexpected donation. We made two weeks worth of food last three weeks from the last shopping trip.
After the kids left for the day, we went grocery shopping. First we went to Price Mart (Costco). We got cereal, pancake mix, hot dogs to put in a rice/veggie dish, frozen veggies, tomato sauce, and some other things there. I found Jetty's brand of cat food at the Costco, which was exciting. Then we went to a dairy store where we got all kinds of cheese and lots of eggs. Finally we went to a state run store for bulk foods.
On Monday there was a fire on the way up the mountain and down by El Hatillo. Jairo said they had 300 firemen working on the fire near El Hatillo because it was approaching the houses of the president and the mayor. The fire on the way up the mountain was put out on Thursday night, but in the meantime more and more fires started. By yesterday we could see more fires than I could count. The whole valley is full of smoke. As we drove through the city we saw plumes of smoke in every direction and large areas where the fires were spreading. I got a better understanding why my landlords have spent every weekend cleaning up the property.
When we got back to the church Lourdes was napping. Jairo was at work in his office. The men all hung out in the kitchen, but it was so hot in there I escaped to the computer office. A while later I went to check if Jairo was still working. I could smell smoke more strongly than usual. As I got to the preschool classroom big pieces of ash fell started to fall on my head. As I got to the bottom of the stairs to Jairo's office I could hear the loud crackling of fire. Smoke was pouring out from between the buildings. At first I thought the fire was on the church property near the rode between the two buildings. Jairo came out of Eunice's office and I called to him. He told Danny to climb up and see what was going on. Then he told Don Juan to start cleaning, which means cutting down anything that will burn. Danny came down and told me to stand back a few feet and look up. Across the street from the church there was a fire. It led right up to the road and up to Luis (a boy from the Breakfast Program)'s house. Luckily his house is cement. The wind was blowing the fire right toward us. Danny went up to the field above the church with a machete and began cutting everything down.
I was scared that the building with the preschool, computers, Jairo's office and the indoor church were going to burn. The smoke and ashes were coming our way, so surely sparks could come too. The field above the buildings was yellow grass, chest high. Jairo told me that field has caught fire before. We hoped that firetrucks would come, but they don't come to Los Pinos under normal circumstances. I knew they were not going to come today when there were so many other fires to put out. Lourdes and I prayed.
I climbed back up to the street and saw that the fire by Luis's house had burned itself out. His family was standing outside. They said everything was fine. Now the fire was spreading down the mountain away from their house. It was also moving in a direction that was less dangerous for the church. There is less at the bottom end of the church that can catch fire. Don Juan and Danny continued cleaning.
We had to leave to pick up Aaron and Joss. We ran some errands. The smoke clung to my hair and clothes. We stopped and saw a newborn baby who had just come home from the hospital a few hours before. Lourdes received clothes in a donation yesterday that were perfect for the baby, so we dropped them off. The family asked if I wanted to hold the baby. Of course I did, but it was an awkward moment. In Honduras sometimes you eat things you don't want to eat and you do things you don't want to do, in order to avoid offending people. I reeked of smoke from the fire, which Lourdes said bothered her asthma. I couldn't remember the last time I had washed my hands with soap. I finally just said, "I am too gringa. I am too dirty and I haven't washed my hands. I do want to hold your baby, but I don't feel comfortable." It was a hard decision, but the Mom invited me back another day, just to hold the baby. I think she understood that I was trying to be respectful, not disrespectful. Lourdes and I talked about the different points of view - exposing kids to things early or not. I can see the benefits of both. But to me, his first day home is awfully early to expose him to heavy smoke and dirt. When I got home and washed my hands that night, the sink was black with dirt from my hands. I was glad I hadn't held that baby for my own mental peace.
On our way back up the mountain it was dark. We couldn't see the fires. But we did see something really cool. Jairo slowed down the car and pointed out people gathered around a table in front of a house. They were singing. All along the street there were tables in front of certain houses with candles, statues, and drapery. Jairo said that it was Catholic people doing the stations of the cross. Each home represented a different station. After the people prayed and sang, they enjoyed coffee and sandwiches or some sort of treat at each house. It was so cool! Almost like Christmas caroling with more purpose in Lent.
I came home and called my Mom to tell her about my day. She couldn't answer her phone because she was enjoying a fish fry at her church and doing the stations of the cross back in Colorado.
This morning I got all of my laundry done early. I am gaining weight. My skinny jeans are getting tight. I am fine with that. I don't need to be skinny. I will be healthier with a little extra weight. I almost gave my bigger jeans away - good thing I didn't!
Lourdes called to ask why I wasn't at Anna and Guillermo Mario's garage sale. I explained I didn't have a way to get there. It's only a 20 minute walk. Normally I would prefer to walk. Lourdes thinks it would be okay for me to walk alone, but Jairo has told me that I cannot. Marcela's family doesn't let her walk alone either.
Walter came and got me for the garage sale. I bought a crock pot so I can make soup and a pork loin I think Jairo would like. I am going to start inviting people over for dinner. I also got a bunch of hangers, a whisk, a glass baking pan to make bread, a springform pan, a photograph frame and matching tray which will look nice with a candle, and a pewter heart with a cross, all for $20! Then I went back to Lourdes' house. Lourdes, Jairo and I watched Warren Miller skiing films for a while this afternoon. We enjoyed watching skiing. I live in their world so much. It was fun to share one of my passions with them.
Strawberries seem to have come into season overnight. Today men were selling strawberries in the streets where the women have stands to sell flowers from La Tigra. They had bags of strawberries. This is the first time I have seen strawberries this season. Apparently selling flowers is womens' work and strawberries are mens' work. It is supposed to be 89-92 degrees for the next ten days. No rain in sight.
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