Expat-n-Honduras

Why Outside the U.S.?

2011-09-03T15:06:00.000-05:00

In every radio, television and blog interview I am always asked the same question: “why did you choose to move outside the U.S.?” The ‘gringos’ story mentions changes going on in our family and the need to be closer, which was true. However, the bottom line was the Universe told us to.

My husband, Ordin, and I loved the people and life on the island of Hawaii, but the same wet pocket that made our acre of paradise green and beautiful was also causing us to be uncomfortably cold. We had bought an older plantation house with single wall construction; charming and well-built, but cold enough (to us) during the winter months that we considered buying a wood stove. Well, discontent creates change.

The housing market was in full boom so we couldn’t afford to buy another house in a drier location. Then, add the fact prices of everything were going up and we were looking toward retirement. So we made a list of what we wanted (based on what experience had taught us we didn’t want) and began to meditate daily with the list.

The Universe has such an amazing way of weaving loose ends together. We had been selling herbs at the Farmers Market in Hilo for years. Part of what we enjoyed about it was the friendships and conversations that sprung from those weekly commitments. For about a year there had been a lot of buzz about Costa Rico and Central America but the light never went on until after we had started our meditations. 1+1 became 2 with a great, ‘A-ha!’

There were several pros and cons about Costa but what the ‘awakening’ did was expand our thinking to the idea of US moving outside the States. So, we dusted off the office globe and began to renew our knowledge of Central American countries.

Gringos in Paradise: Our Honduras Odyssey explains how we narrowed our search from south of the border and north of the canal. However, the chain of world events that have passed subsequent to surviving our first year reconfirm our decision and hold me in awe.

This “3rd world”or “underdeveloped” nation reminds me so much of the areas of the U.S. where I grew up during the 1950s. The same freedoms and values that used to be so fundamental to daily life yet have seem to silently faded from U.S. life under the guise of security and protection still exist here.

I’m glad to have my U.S. passport so that I can occasionally return to the Wonder of Shopping World for a fix but otherwise life is good (easy and affordable for average folks) here on the Caribbean Coast. AND, I am certainly not cold anymore.

WWOOF!

2011-05-11T16:17:00.000-05:00

I am so excited! A wwoofer is coming to my home. First 'wwoofer' in Honduras, I believe. Wwoofers are volunteers like the others that come into Central America however their focus is on organic farming and permaculture.

A Big Island Hawaii friend, Drean Barley, has a number of acres and has hosted many of these volunteers. This one is a PhD candidate that needed a short 'get back to the earth' vacation. The introduction came just as I was trying to figure out how I was going to balance time for research and writing. I am writing a book on healing from chronic conditions and food for healing is an important aspect of that theory

.

I don't live on a farm nor do many folks suffering with chronic illness but everyone can plant and grow something. There are some great urban farming projects in the inner cities; our urban project is scaled down to flower gardens and pots.

She should be here in a week. I'll keep you posted.

Parade of Volunteers

2011-02-10T13:03:00.000-06:00

I can’t recall ever hearing of volunteer programs other than those of missionaries or Doctors w/o Borders until I moved to Honduras. Now I am surrounded by people ranging in age from 20’s to 60’s from all around the globe. Occasionally some stay with us in the downstairs rooms of our house.

This month we have a retired couple from Canada, here to teach English at the local school. This is their second time to visit El Porvenir. I met them when they were here a year ago. They must have enjoyed the experience since they not only returned but they stopped off in Nicaragua for a community project before coming here.

Last month we hosted a young (early 40’s) single woman from Canada who wanted a positive focus for a bit while she sorted out changes going on in her life. Within a 5-year span she had gone through a divorce, lost a brother, been diagnosed and treated for cancer and was currently dealing with aging parents ill-health.

We also got to know a newly married, young couple from Australia around the same time. They were moving to the U.K. and this gave them a chance to have downtime, help others and see a bit of Central America before arriving in London to job hunt and reenter the everyday world.

Sometime this summer we will host a family from Poland. It’s the mom, dad and two primary school aged children (9&11?). They are coming to help at the public school and a local orphanage. What a beautiful bonding experience to share with your children or even grandchildren. I love getting to meet so many wonderful folks and learn about their lives.

Who would have thought that living in a little beach community in Honduras would seem

so similar to standing in the entry hall at the United Nations building.

The Day Of the Dead

2010-11-01T22:26:00.000-05:00

Today begins the Day of the Dead festivities in many Spanish-speaking countries south of the Rio Grande. This is a time to honor loved ones who have passed on. It is also a time to celebrate the goodness of life, in general. In many countries, graveyards are decorated with brightly colored fabrics and flowers. Music is played, songs are sung and the favorite foods of the departed are prepared and enjoyed in their honor.

Nov. 1st is dedicated to the ‘Innocents’: A day to remember those that passed before they were old enough to have tasted life at all. Although I lost a sister within hours of her birth, today day holds special significance for me because it was the day my younger brother, Ralph, dropped dead just six years ago. He was 53 years old.

His life was never easy. He was conceived after our father had had lost his job and homestead. Dad and Mom already had to young babies to feed; I was only nine months old at the time. They had to pack up what they had and return the D.C. area to live with Mom’s family until Dad could find work. I don’t think life was intended to be easy for this one. It was as though he was an angel, being tested to earn his wings. He was only nine years old when a tobacco truck catapulted him thirty feet off his bicycle, breaking his right arm and left leg. He spent two tours in Vietnam Nam; dealt with the hardships of divorce and much later suffered third-degree burns over most of his body when a battery vat blew up at his work. He was never able to work in daylight again.

Any one of these (and other) experiences could have forged him into a bitter man. Many people use the hardships of life as an excuse to act out their pain and anger, however Ralph never seemed to lose his sweet, caring demeanor. He and his second wife, Kathy shared their home with over twenty children besides their own during the years together.

I don’t have many pictures of my brother. But the favorite that I do have and that I dig out each year around this date, is one taken of he and I with our older and younger brother. That sweet expression on his face is one he never lost.

Election Day in Honduras

2009-11-29T14:42:00.000-06:00

Today is a big day for Honduras; even the weather is participating. Three days of rain ended and the sun came out to oversee the electoral process. Today’s election removes all the outside pressure and internal concern while the government begins the process restoring management of the country to an elected official.

I watched on television this morning the first person to place their vote. It was a 93 year old woman. There was also a man voting who had come all the way from the United States. He was a Honduran citizen who had been living in N. Carolina for 35 years. This was his first time to return to his country in all those years. He made a statement to the press about this being a time of change for Honduras. I believe everyone feels that way.

Since the purging of the office of President in June, the world wide attention Honduras has received has pulled this little country out of its hiding place in Central America. It won’t be as easy for public officials to line their pockets anymore. This is what the elders are seeing and they are traveling to the polls in mass.

Each vote is individually cast and each paper ballot counted. The polls will close at 7pm and the outcome announced at midnight; one department (state) at a time.

And on, and on, and on, and on…

2009-11-18T11:16:00.004-06:00

Again,estoy mucho tarde in posting an update. Outside my travel schedule I have no excuse other than waiting for something to change on the political front here in Honduras. I don’t think we’re gonna see that happen until after the November 27th elections.

The US has insisted on involving itself in the problem instead of focusing its attention on repairing conditions within its own borders. Ms. Clinton and Pres. Obama refuse to back down on trying to make Honduras govern itself according to the dictates of the US. Ousted pres. Manuel Zelaya still refuses to develop any form of conscience toward abusing taxpayers’ money along with the trust of the country. It still seems to be all-about-Me[L]. Meanwhile the Congress and Interim President Roberto Michiletti are still standing firm on the Articles of the Honduras Constitution.

November is the 5th month since the purging of the presidency began. It has been a intriguing experience to observe. There have been so many private agendas involved yet the safety and peace of the citizens has seemed foremost in the priority set by the current [Honduras] administration. In the area of Honduras where I live, it has been pretty much ‘business as usual’ but I’m sure the citizens will be happy to have the gears of the government back in synch.

The old photograph attached recently passed through my e-mail. By the white border, I’d guess its vintage to be about the 1950’s. It’s a young Manuel Zelaya, dressed for a costume party or dressed for work? Who can tell?

World Cup-World Class

2009-10-25T16:17:00.002-05:00

Shouts and screams of excitement filled the night air as Honduras beat-out San Salvador 2-1 and qualified for the World Cup Soccer Competition. This bright spot in an otherwise discouraging year was the burst of new life the country needed. It has been twenty-seven years since Honduras has qualified for this world championship.

The year began its downward spiral when (then) President Manuel Zelaya , in an effort to buy the loyalty of the country’s poor, created a new law that tripled the minimum wage. It also required employers to pay a bonus of one month’s salary every year. White-collar workers already receive what is called a 13th and 14th month bonus in June and December; now there would be another. The elated workers soon found that their employers could no longer afford them and many businesses closed their doors.This devastating financial blow became a force in the ripple affect of the sinking U.S. economy. The pressure caused by each one became a heavy weight on the rising middle class; an important ingredient to lifting any country from poverty level.

The end of May startled Honduran residents with the first earthquakes the country had experienced for over twelve years. Residents along the Caribbean Coastal areas as well as the Bay Island rode the waves of land undulations from the quakes and resulting aftershocks for over two weeks. The 7.+ earth movements must have been the tool to awaken people from their dispirited state. Within two weeks s the Congress of Honduras put their foot down by removing Manuel Zelaya from the office of president and then from the country.

The ensuing drama reminded me of behavior of my youngest brother. He would tease or incite a situation and when others would retaliate he ran squealing to hide behind our mother. She would then protect him just to have peace restored. And so it was with Zelaya, only mama’s skirts were worn by U.S. President Obama. Although the removal of Zelaya was in accordance to the Honduras Constitution it was viewed as unacceptable. Obama justice was dealt out with a heavy hand. An embargo was placed to try to starve people into submission, then visas where revoked and ambassadors removed from the U.S.

The interim president placed by the Congress, Roberto Micheletti, has been a model of propriety and consideration. He has been open to offering cooperation to mediator’s efforts to resolve what some of the world sees as a problem. However he will not compromise the country’s constitution by surrendering to economic pressure from the outside. He may be a politician but he is also a patriot. His priority seems to be to keep peace in the land while defending the Constitution.

An interesting synchronicity has become apparent. Twenty-seven years ago the Congress of Honduras established its current constitution. Possibly the surge of honor and veracity felt with those freedoms was carried onto the soccer field in 1982 to qualify for the World Cup finals. This year the same constitution was challenged yet steadfastly defended. Did the country’s faith in their constitution awaken that same sense of honor and steadfast belief? We are seeing history repeat itself; Honduras has reclaimed its place.

Military Coups, Insurrection?

2009-10-20T14:14:00.003-05:00

Not in my corner of Honduras. Come walk with me through my barrio.

The view from my porch.

The old and the new share the same vista.

Who Twists the News?

2009-09-30T17:19:00.004-05:00

What was meant to be a daily update of changing politics in Honduras failed to meet its goal. Impart, to my neglect for order and method but more accurately because of the conflicting pieces of information circulating through the country and news media.
The US sources were the worse. I was amazed at the bias reporting of a supposably neutral country.

In the past I have always relied on CNN for truthful reporting. What I was now hearing was not only partial to the Zelaya position but antagonist toward members of Honduran government trying to explain their position. In Central America this form of reporting is typical from CNN-Espanol since it is an accepted fact that the C before the double NNs stands for Chavez. However, once rumors became mixed with misinformation here in-country there was no reliable source for me to quote.

Normally I try to stay out of politics here. I am a guest in this country; my votes are cast in the US. However the deliberate misinformation being delivered to the people of the US jarred me out of my complacent position and forced me to look beyond rumors to the cold hard facts.

The most important one being that Manuel Zelaya tried to change the constitution of Honduras. Their constitution, just like the US Constitution, allows for growth and change. Yet it is stated in that same [Honduran] document that the first five articles can never be changed. One of those five states the the term of president should be no longer than four years. To even attempt to change this is a form of treason. Also, anyone aiding the criminal is considered a traitor as well.

That's pretty clear and precise…a bit like the ‘thou shall nots….’ Not really meant to be suggestions. The fact that the congress tried to maintain peace in the country by allowing Zelaya to be exiled instead of imprisoned was the flaw. It is never a good idea to allow someone who has thrown their personal integrity out the window and has no obvious regard for their country to have free airfare to escape from the consequences of their actions. I use the term ‘no obvious regard’ since he [Zelaya] presented his plan to the congress for approval ahead of his back-door attempt at an illegal election and was told unanimously ‘NO.’To me it sounds like he abandoned the country of his birth long before he even approached the Congress with his plan.

Thanks to twisted reporting I have learned a lot more about the country I have chosen to reside in. I have also become a fan of the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and other newspapers that have boldly printed the other side of the story. I also thank the reporters that have traveled into Honduras to get the facts.

No More Raisin Bran

2009-07-05T14:17:00.003-05:00

Day 6

We woke yesterday morning to find that Manuel Zeleya had arrived in Honduras by water. This has still not been announced by the news but a small country is like small town; news travels fast.

I’ve been more and more impressed with Roberto Micheletti as he fields the accusations of CNN and the OAS and stands his ground as the current leader of the Honduran people. He and the Congress are a accomplishing what no president has done for decades; unifying the Honduran people.

There is an organization of Central American countries that predates that of the OAS. Like a family, it unifies these(sibling) countries into one united front. They may go to war over a futball game but will stand shoulder to shoulder against an, economical, attack from the outside. This is what the 5 stars on the Honduras flag stand for.

Each of these countries rely on and support each other in supplying milk, coffee, cocoa, beef, electricity and other commodities. They also have border agreements to expedite trade. They agreed yesterday that they would not take part in the embargo against Honduras.

There will be no outside money loaned to Honduras and their rations of Raisin Bran and Cheerios will come to an end. However, we’ve got rice and beans and lots of determination. We’ll continue to watch and wait.

Coup or Re-coup?

2009-07-05T13:39:00.002-05:00

Days 4&5

Thursday and Friday seemed to meld into each and to the extent that in looking back it is difficult to tell one from the other. As people marched in support of the Constitution, President Micheletti and the decisions of Congress the military acted as police to keep the peace and contain any dissident demonstrations from becoming riots. A number of the more riotous demonstrators were from Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Everyone waited to see if Manuel Zeleya would return to Honduras. At first he declared he would return on Thursday and then later stated Friday. President Micheletti simply replied that the Congress and military had an arrest warrant waiting for him whenever he arrived.

In the meantime as events unrolled the World Bank declared they would remove financial support from Honduras the same day the embargo was enacted. An interesting fact that came from that interaction was in learning that the World Bank shows an account of having loaned President Manual Zeleya $240,000,000 to build new roads. During his term in office he had been requested by congress repeatedly to produce a budget. It was never composed, nor have there been any new highways built. All the more reason to extend your term in office, heh, Mel? As president he can continue to put off having to account for all the money that has flowed through his hands.

Along with these disturbing facts came video proof that linked him to Venezuelan drug traffic through Honduras while the recall of his official credit card in which $80,000 in clothing had been purchased since his arrival in Costa Rico. This same credit card also showed 40 rental cars and at least that many cell phones.

At this point I need to apologize to all who have contacted me to check on our safety. I have used the term that the US news media has applied to this event; “a military coup”. As I have learned more about the workings of the Honduras Constitution it becomes apparent this was NO COUP. When the (then) president Zeleya refused to follow the decision of the Supreme Court of the country and used troops to force his way into a military base to reclaim the illegal ballots he had ordered from Venezuela the government issued a warrant for his arrest and called the military to act as police. Zeleya could be imprisoned or sign a resignation and be exiled to Costa Rico. He chose the latter. The government followed due process of law.

This has been a thrilling time to be in Honduras and witness the determination of this little country as it plants its feet, holding tight its right to follow its own Constitution. I am also beginning to understand why so many organizations and countries oppose the events here without ever investigating the order of its law. They are afraid that this could happen in their own country. With so much corruption eating at the foundations of governments throughout the world and (naive but) trusting people dazed as their dreams of freedom for themselves and their children vanish. They believed that their votes counted and that the rights their founding fathers left for them were guaranteed. However there are many cases under the guise of democracy that laws have been twisted until “Democratic” is only a label for socialism or worse yet a twisted form dictatorship. This is why the people of Honduras have awakened. viva Honduras

More Mel and Micheletti/ Day 3

2009-07-02T17:07:00.002-05:00

Day 3
Just after posting yesterday’s blog word came that the OAS had placed an embargo against Honduras. The World Bank supported the act by withdrawing its support as well. These actions will go into effect on Friday if we don’t take Mel Zeleya back.

The word “embargo” immediately strikes fear into the hearts of the people. For an “under developed nation” Honduras has managed to create a fashionable lifestyle modeled after images from American television programs and movies. U.S. textiles and fashion are eagerly bought up. Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, MacDonald’s, and Applebee’s do a thriving business in the larger cities here.

However newly installed President Micheletti spoke in a televised conference yesterday informing the people and reminding them that this was a matter of integrity not suffering. If the island of Cuba could survive under an embargo for thirty years Honduras people could take six months. The next national election is scheduled for this fall and would fulfill the OAS need for a democratically elected leader. How soon we all forget Nixon and Watergate. What if he hadn’t resigned? Micheletti told the people, “Tighten your belts, and clinch your teeth. Drink water instead of other things.” The U.S. and the OAS were listening to only one side of the story. Honduras government had broken no laws.

The response from the people has been in marches of support. The streets have been filled with peaceful university students, teachers and even churches; all pulling together to defend their country’s right to govern itself. The people are ready to put their motor scooters away and return to bicycles and buses and as they prepare for rationed gasoline, electric and food.

Meanwhile, thank goodness for the Military’s stabilizing effect. The small number of Zeleya’s supporters are being aided in their tire burning and demonstrations by illegals (supposedly from Nicaragua) that are coming in across the border.
Ex. Pres. Mel has stated that he will return to Honduras tomorrow (Thursday) escorted by leaders from other Central and South America countries. Unfortunately each one is from a country where elections have been known to be deceptively manipulated. The Congress and people of Honduras refuse to be deceived and there will be a warrant for Zeleya’s arrest waiting to greet him.

In the meantime as the administration took over the president’s official home, presidential offices, and accounts where they have found and confiscated more than $60 million U.S. dollars which is unaccounted for. Not too shabby a nest egg for the president of a third world country, heh?

Waiting out Honduras political changes

2009-06-30T12:37:00.003-05:00

So much for a weekly blog. After a winter of power outages and computer problems my good intentions are, again, over run by the resistance born of shoving an industrialize lifestyle into a country that uses the word “later” as a synonym for Never-Never land.

Days 1 & 2

By this time anyone following world news knows that Honduras removed Jose Manuel Zelaya as their president. Many locals had been complaining for some time about his personal use of tax money and misuse of office but it was after he refused to follow the laws of the land that the people blew the whistle. In an effort to rewrite the constitution he had petitioned the Supreme Court of the country for permission to call a special election. His term of office was due to expire in December and the Honduras Constitution states that a president has only one four year term. He wanted another term in office. When his referendum was refused he fired the Minister of Security, the top 5 generals and then started distributing the ballots he had printed in Venezuela earlier. He felt free to call for the special election and he scheduled for Sunday morning.

Honduran military is sworn to serve the people and with that directive they were sent out with a warrant for President Mel’s arrest. He had already sent his children to the U.S., his wife was on their homelands miles from the capital, Tegucigalpa. Why he had only the young woman with him when he held his conference in Costa Rico is open to speculation.

Even before news of the events reached our north coast of the country we knew something had transpired. The electrical “plug” had been pulled before breakfast and most phone service had been blocked. The three major airports were closed and the sale of liquor restricted. Instructions were given to the people to stay off the streets and that travel should be limited to emergency only as national troops moved into place to insure peace. Every possibility for violence and bloodshed was being anticipated and averted.

Hondurans are friendly, easygoing people. They are folks who wait, watch and then decide. The last thing they want is violence. The people chose a democratic lifestyle and the preference is to keep it untainted by the influence of communism or socialism. Just as the United States has steps outlined in its constitution to impeach a president, the Honduran constitution also has guidelines to keep their laws from being misused. When Mel Zelaya broke the law the government followed the steps stated in their constitution to remove him from office. How can a country insist that the people follow the laws when their leaders won’t?

With señor Zelaya no longer in office the constitution offers two choices; one is for the military to run the country until the next election, which is in six months. In that choice five top generals jointly make any necessary decisions. That option can also extend to two years if it is deemed necessary to insure there is no long-term residual from an ousted administration.

The other alternative is to swear in the President of the Congress. He is the second in command, similar to our Vice President. At this time that position is held by Roberto Micheletti. My understanding is the current military leaders feel that, since correct procedures have been followed throughout this development there is no reason for them to do more than observe and maintain the peace.

No one except the people involved know the exact details of what occurred and I’m sure each will tell a little different story. But according to my inside sources protocol has been followed.

The national army is preserving peace and the congress installed Congressional President Roberto Micheletti as the new president of Honduras. He’s not exactly a popular man from the gossip I’ve heard from locals but right now they’ll take him over Mel Zeleya .The new president has promised in a televised interview with the nation to serve out only these six remaining months of term and conform to the constitution by not running for his own four year term.

As of this last day of June electric and phones are back in service, but curfews are in place. Businesses and schools are in session again but we are still asked to restrict travel. I’ve just learned that pressure from the U.S. and the Organization of American States has the Honduran government considering caving into demands to bring Mel back into the country. The only other unrest has been a small group of Zelaya supporters burning tires in the streets of the capital, a group of teachers in La Ceiba attacking the Pizza Hut and a strike being held on a central bridge into town.

Meanwhile my Honduran neighbors are milking their cows, feeding their families and doing chores around their homes as they watch and wait.

EXPATRIATE or EX-PATRIOT?

2008-11-29T09:52:00.003-06:00

When we moved to Honduras in 2006 it was not as a statement of contempt for the condition of the U.S. Although, like many, I could see the country was no longer the land of my youth. The gold was long gone from its storage in Ft. Knox, and the country’s economy revolved around debt (credit); the new economics displayed the stability of a leaky balloon. I had also begun to question our involvement in another war. History shows the U.S. involved in a war or conflict every 10-15 years since the end of ‘The War to End All Wars’ (WWI). My grandfathers, father, brothers, and sons have all served in military conflicts outside U.S. borders.

Although many of the millions (registered) of Americans living in Mexico and Central America consider themselves ex-patriots: people who no longer wave the U.S. flag, vote, or pay taxes, I still consider myself an expatriate. An expatriate is simply a person living in a country outside their native land. I still cherish the rights that I have as a U.S. citizen. One of which is the right to travel to any country that will accept me and another is to live outside the U.S. (again in any country that will accept me). The lower cost of living is only one of the attractions.

Watching televised news that has not been politically or economically influenced has been an eye-opening experience. It is fascinating to see U.S. information reported without bias. Like watching a television sitcom about a dysfunctional family; mine may rattle my chain, but watching similar behavior acted out without fear of losing love or approval allows one to see the humor without pain.

This process of standing outside looking in does tend to dispel much of the rosy glow that colors American complicacy. As an example, image a country on the verge of bankruptcy whose population celebrates gratitude with the slaughter of billions of animals for a single day glut? Add to that legacy the odd tradition that occurs the following day. A great number of that same population leave home before sunrise to perpetuate debt with a ritual called “Black Friday.” It might seem an interesting decline in priorities from those of the original illegal aliens that fostered the land of opportunity.

Ex-patriot or expatriate? There is more involved than a choice of vowels.

Is The U.S. Truely a Democracy?

2008-11-03T18:15:00.003-06:00

After much mental deliberation, I mailed my absentee ballot for the presidential election into my home state back in mid-October. I guess I spent enough time thinking about it that my mind had become attached to the subject and could not let it go. I found myself wondering if my ballot’s journey would carry it safely from Honduras to its final destination in Florida. Following that thread of information, my mind offered the question of whether my ballot would even be honored by the state with the bizarre history of election finals.

From there my mind continued to follow its exploration of the subject. It found an unanswered question left over from my 8th grade social studies class: is the U.S. truly a democracy if the country does not have a popular vote?

In Webster’s New World dictionary (printed in the US) the definition of democracy (root word démos, the people) is a government in which the people hold the ruling power either directly or through elected representatives; ruled by the ruled. Also, a majority rule. As I pondered over the definition I had found, my mind whispered “well then, what about the Gore/Bush election? Didn’t Gore win the popular vote, why didn’t Gore become president?” But, of course, my mind already had already retrieved the answer, “We have the Electoral College that votes for us.” These are representatives selected to place the final ballots for the people or the states...or just who do they represent? The 8th grader again raised her hand to ask why the outcome could be different.

A little internet research on the Electoral College brought some disturbing information to light. The people have no federal constitutional right to vote for President or Vice President or for their state’s members of the Electoral College. Instead, the Constitution (Article II, section 1, clause 2) provides:

“Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress….”

“In short, the appointment and mode of appointment of electors belong exclusively to the states under the constitution of the United States.”

I have come to believe the founding fathers chose to work with an electoral college rather than a straight popular vote for two reasons: 1. Because of the great distance and possible hardship that voters might have to endue to cast their vote during the early days of our country’s development. 2.That they were considering the lack of education that existed among much of the population at that time. If that seems rather elitist, remember that decision was made by the same founders that penned documents of freedom for all men, yet reserved the right to vote for only the white, the men, and those who were not indentured.

My mind, which will still not let me rest on this subject, now wonders why, with computers that allow us to do banking, download postage stamps and register to vote, we can’t have a popular vote. It would mean creating an amendment to the Constitution, a very popular activity of government, and muddying up the waters that keeps us restricted to a 2 party system. I am currently living in a country that is considered “third world” yet it is a democracy with a popular vote. Russia even has a popular vote but its ballot goes one step further... under the list of candidates there is one final choice which is “None of the Above.”

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A Coward Finds a Dentist

2008-10-08T08:40:00.004-05:00

A year ago it happened; I finally had to find a dentist. As a Naturopath, I had not been overly concerned about locating a doctor for my general health when we moved to Honduras. As a realist though, I did research the quality of emergency care available at the walk-in clinics in La Ceiba, just in case. However, since only in a bad dream would I ever consider paying money to someone to hurt me, I found it easy to delude myself into believing I would not need a dentist. Dental meant giving permission to a stranger, to crawl into the deep recess of my personal space and do only who knows what, where I could not see or stop them.

I had been vaguely aware that something was amiss with my gums during my last trip to the States, but the morning after my return to the La Ceiba area I woke up to a full-blown abscess. I immediately started my own herbal treatment but knew the search for a dentist was at hand.

There is no such thing as a phone book in my little beach community and I have yet to see one in La Ceiba, so as usual, I started selecting which of my neighbors or friends I should ask. If I were going to let someone crawl into my mouth I wanted to be able to communicate with them; that meant I needed an English speaking dentist. A level of English fluency is required of all professional people to receive their license. Yet if most of their patients are Spanish speaking, overtime the skill to habla inglis could fall by the wayside. I settled for asking our real estate agent friend who has been a Honduras resident for over fifteen years. He is a kind and patient man who speaks mainly English, he would know a dentist of the same caliber.

When I spoke to the dentist on the phone, I was impressed with the ease of her English. I explained the referral had come after my request for an excellent dentist who spoke English and was patient with cowards; she laughed and gave me an appointment for the next day.

I have never before had such a pleasant experience in a dentist office. After giving my name and phone number to the Spanish speaking receptionist, there was only a short wait before la dentista came to personally usher me into the examination room. No one had asked for my social security number, a credit card number or even a name of a resposible party to pay for the service. The dentist was professional, kind and attentive to my needs.

The fee for the hour’s work was 500 Lempiras with an extra 200 L. for the x-rays; a total of $36.00 (U.S.) I was so impressed that I’ve made another appointment for the following week to have my teeth cleaned and checked.

We decided to move to Honduras...

2008-10-07T12:17:00.002-05:00

“ We decided to move to Honduras. Why we chose that portion or any portion of Central America has no firm answer.” Yet, in February of 2006 my husband Ordin and I sold our home and most of our possessions, left the land of our birth and headed for Honduras’ Caribbean Coast.

The emotional roller coaster experience of letting go of friends and family, uprooting our pampered feline and immerging ourselves in a foreign culture are all part of the adventure published as “Gringos in Paradise: Our Honduras Odyssey.” However the friends made along the way and through sharing the written adventure wanted more experiences. “What’s it like now that you’re not newbies, now that you can speak a bit of the language?”

I consider our little beach town of El Porvenir like a Spanish speaking “Mayberry.” We chose not to live a gringo enclave; Porvenir is a typical Honduras community with only a smattering of English speaking inhabitants. Our first year in the country felt like we vacillated between living the “geee wiz” role of Goober Pyle and the knee-jerk reactions of nervous, up-tight Barney Fife. Now, as we end our second full year I feel that we approach each day with a bit more of the relaxed confidence of the program’s sheriff, Andy Taylor.

We own a home; have acquired Residency and a license to do business. We even have a Honduras driver’s license. We can speak the language well enough to get what we need, have found an excellent lawyer, a great mechanic, dentist and doctor (in that order). We’ve learned how to navigate through the hardware stores, the street markets, and found great places to have clothes made when you’re not built like a Honduran person.

This blog space is dedicated to sharing the continuing life experiences of gringos in paradise …? Come along, write a comment or ask a question. Vamonos, mi amigos!