A bit lighthearted...

Some unusual sights and lessons learned thus far during my 2 1/2 months here in Honduras. Also included are some sights I don't find so strange anymore...

-Plucking one's armpit hairs with tweezers is not only acceptable, but doing so in a central location (like the town square) seems to be the preference. Additionally, it's not all that bizarre to engage in this habit while performing ones job as a food vendor (No, I don't buy fruit from these people!)
-One can take a full shower (including washing, shaving, and washing and conditioning ones hair) with a 5 gallon bucket of water. I know this first hand. We had no water delivered to us for 2 weeks so my water supply was SUPER limited.
-it IS humanly possible to live off of eggs, beans, cereal, and rice. I substitute this excellent diet with the occasional salva Vida (the local version of Bud Light) or better yet, a bag of Peanut M&M's or Cheetos. I have also learned that people over the age of 22 (college age) DO eat Top Ramen still. NOTE: I don't recommend you folks try this at home...but when everything else sends you running to the facilities at lightening speed, you have no other options!!!!!
-Know how Kiss 108 plays the same 20 or so songs REPEATEDLY in the States? Well here in Honduras, divide that by 5. They play the same four songs over and over again.
-The verb "Molestar" does NOT mean what one would automatically think that it does had they never studied Spanish. I'll leave this one alone.
-Having a flushing toilet is a hot commodity. A hot commodity that I do not have. After living 2 1/2 months without one, it is not unusual for me to hunt down places in town that DO have them. I make sure to frequent these places on my daily errands. If I'm REALLY lucky, the same "bano" will also have their own toilet paper and running water too. I definitely can't hold my breath for all 3 though. (As a sidebar; a friend from home told me about her new condo and the "aggressively flushing toilet" it has...and it was then that I realized that jealousy is a human flaw that I definitely possess!)
-Keeping the sense of humor light is key here in keeping one's sanity. For instance, I suggested to my roommates tonight that we make each other coupons as compensation for us giving one another a bad time when we are not in a good mood. For instance a couple could read "I owe you....one bathroom cockroach disposal" or "I owe you...one night of warming up your pila water on the stove for your bucket bath on a cold night". Everything really IS hilarious when you make a joke out of it...you have to have fun under these conditions!
-Opening your door in the morning at 6am to be greeted by Porky Pig or Domenic the Donkey is as common here as opening up your door in the morning at home to find your neighbor's dog or cat. I barely bat an eyelash at these random animals these days. Similarly, I don't flinch when I am in the middle of teaching and I hear a "MOOOOOO!" bellow loudly through my classroom.
-On the subject of animals, I have never been one for National Geographic. However; my love for this magazine is starting to grow as I realize that I could submit a lot of my own material now. Every venture into the shower is like opening a fresh monthly copy of the magazine. One never knows what they might encounter. Four inch grasshoppers? Red Ants the size of your thumbnail? 3 inch Cucarachas crawling out of the drain? Doesn't matter how bad the economy is when I leave here...I have enough material to offer that they could NEVER turn me down for a job!

That's all for now! I'm sure the list will continue to grow! I hope I am able to get a few good laughs out of this post! Hope you are all doing well! MISS YOU ALL! I'll be home in 6 weeks for Christmas break...a time where I don't want to see a single grain of rice OR a bean! :-)