my new home

Is a home of palm trees, severe humidity at times, one dirty beach, giant mountains in the background, black people, white people, latino people, english, spanish, creole, baleadas, coconut chicken, seafood seafood seafood, a decent party scene.

Today I went to the mountain in the morning to talk to Oscar, my boss. He is an x honduran military man who happens to be from Siguatepeque. He is cunny and sharp and extremely socially awkward. He can bearly handle being in the city - he lives at the Lodge despite his wife and 3 young children living in Ceiba - and comes here only upon necessity. People seem to really respect him a lot, which is reassuring to me. All business people in and around town are quick to talk to him at the hardware store or wherever and the guys working at the supermarket gladly accept his big tips and make jokes with him. He is not arrogant, he is successful and well known, he is unsettling at times. I am very interested in knowing him better.

Let me back up. Yesterday I went up to the Lodge in the afternoon so I could talk to Oscar....just to talk to him about what I have been up to. As we were driving up to the Lodge we passed Oscar coming down to Ceiba. When I got to the Lodge I was talked into going on a canopy tour. Not like I needed convincing. So I spent the warm afternoon traipsing through the jungle and zipping on a wire through the trees. I love the forest so much. Every time I am in the forest I feel so comfortable at the same time totally aware of everything and even a little scared I will encounter something! After the canopy tour I went cliff juming into the late day. Being in the river is a profound experience. I think that has to do with the love I´ve felt everytime I am in that river. I just let the current take me and I trust it. I don´t push it, but I am able to embrace these rapids adn let them move me away. It is freeing in a way. So yesterday while I did not do a thing that I was supposed to do, I did everything that makes me happy.

Then I got home from the Lodge......let me describe this - our transportation for the guests to get to and from the lodge is a giant old WWII army truck. It is obviously for passengers and not for war, but you sure look badass on your way into the jungle. I will have to take a picture of this. The driver is a man called Salerno. He is tall and thin with a beer belly and wears nice trousures, has a moustash, wears flip flops and collard shirts which are always mostly unbuttoned......So i got home from the Lodge and my new friend Silvia came by. She is German she is working at the public hospitals in Ceiba in the delivery rooms. Last night she came over to look on the internet for information regarding a birthing class she is giving. She is great and knows all about my job because she used to work here at the Banana Republic. She only worked here for a month before she realized she really wanted to be in the hospitals. But she is very interested in helping me do a social diagnostic for El Naranjo. She knows a lot of people up and down the river and is taking me tomorrow to meet lots of people. I have so much to learn about this place and what is going on! But I am totally into it....not like before.

My reflections on La Orquidea. I did not feel like we were incorperated into any sort of community there. It was a family that was all tired and pissed off at the end of the day. Our life in SIguatepeque was not set up for mental health. I felt like a mule who was pushed to work too hard and offered no support whatsoever. I tried to put everything in the best light, but in the end I was miserable until I found a place for me in the jungle.

That said. People here are happy enough and make jokes and include me into everything. They call me jéfa. The teach me Ceiba slang and incoperate me into everything. My work crew are the following people- Maura the cleaning woman who has a contagious laugh and a smile that reminds me of my old friend Q. Nando is the nightwatchman who is about 65 years old. The other night he helped me with my spanish by letting me read aloud to him El Principito. Oscar el feo is my right hand man. He is from Roatan so he talks patios. And he is always asking for money (but only for work related things.....he used to be the man who held all the money before I came) and really had a heart of gold. He makes me laugh a lot because he is always making good jokes. Spicer is the daytime receptionist. He has been with Jungle River for something like 10 years. He has some crazy stories from the past. He is now married and is a seventh day adventist, so he doesn´t party like he used to but sure doesn´t mind retelling the past. He has given me the most pointers about my job because he understands my job better than anyone.

I like it here and I finally feel like I am part of a good community of people. It feels good to be happy.