Greg in the truck, rolling out to San Pedro
Teachers from outer villages ready to head out Friday Morning!
Arrival to Libreria Coello in San Pedro where the teachers chose books to include in the community library and the traveling library.
Friday May 20th
by Greg
It took us gringos a little bit to get started as the bus leaving El Rosario to La Lima was waiting for us with all of the Honduran teachers inside. But nobody worried as a small “church group” style bus and a rented flatbed truck set sail for San Pedro Sula/ El Rosario down the rutty dusty road with plenty of time to spare.
I spent a half hour in the bus, knowing full well that Honduran drivers were much more aggressive (to say the least) than American drivers. I was not disappointed. The hired driver of the bus would take mountain road corners at max speed, spending most of his time in the oncoming traffic lane, veering back just before hitting a car coming right at us. Towns would set up roadblocks made of chord and caution signs stretched all the way across the road. He would incessantly blow right through them at full speed. It scared the crap out of us Americans in front. Needless to say, I switched from the Honduran driven bus to the American driven truck. I heard later that he was just in a hurry to get back to Yoro for another job. Even Hondurans are selfish, sometimes.
We get to the Banana Inn, a quaint and nice hotel for being in such a boisterous community as La Lima. The owners are very accommodating to everyone and the place is very well maintained. The teachers are exhausted, but part of this trip went on the stipulation that we visit this bookstore to procure more material for the traveling library. So everyone meets Emily, one of the American teachers who has been there from the night before, we have a quick sit down in the lobby, and we are off to the bookstore in the truck and a different bus. This driver, I was told, was much better.
The teachers seemed excited to be at this store. The owner was, too. ACTS spent a lot of money. It seemed nice that most of the materials in the store were geared towards teaching, pedagogy, and school subjects. They did have some other sections that were much smaller but very good. So as opposed to most American bookstores who’s focus mainly on the best sellers and mainstream books, the bestseller shelf in this store was about the size of an armoire.
We get back to the Banana Inn and we have 45 minutes to relax before the health skit, which Trevor and Alison, the medics, have prepared for the Honduran teachers. We wait… no Trevor and Alison. We hop in the pool (no Hondurans went in the pool. This doesn’t surprise me)… no Trevor and Alison. Hurry up and wait. That is the battle cry of Latin America. They finally arrive when the dinner is ready. Just in time.
We have a nice dinner and put on the skit. Earlier in the week, the teachers expressed interest in learning about general first aid, so it was great that we had the doctor, the nurse, and most of the teachers present to exchange such information. Since the skit was for the Hondurans, the gringos did all of the acting. Most of the cast had some goofy way that they got burned, cut, or bitten by bugs and Lisa, who played the medic, had a goofy way of properly taking care of the situation. Everyone had fun. The real treat was that all of the schools received first aid kits as well as thorough instructions for care (in Spanish, of course).
It’s Saturday morning, here at the Banana Inn. The new day brings new adventures. Up next, a fabulous, daylong literature workshop followed by a good journey back to the hills of El Rosario.
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