The United States is easily depicted as the grass being greener on the othe side by so many here in Honduras. And the truth is, it is a world of opportunity. I don't like that people go illegally to the states, but after living here, I get it. There are people who I have met who know that they are working themselves sick and barely providing for their children while their children could have clean running water, three meals a day, and clothes to wear even if they are caught while crossing over the border and put into a home. At some point, meeting the very most basic of your childrens' needs drives you to desperation. Others go for other reasons, but for the sake of this blog, lets just focus on the fact that the majority of families that I know have some outside support coming in from family who has made it to the States or somewhere in Europe and they make money and send it back. Makes it easy to see why the United States is thought of as the promised land. Money made in the states pays for many a Honduran child to go to school, families to eat, and children to be clothed and have a place to live.
As I process going to live in the US however, I have a little bit of a different point of view. I love my country, don't get me wrong, and I am proud to be an American. I don't agree with everything and the way that it is done, but I am thankful for the roots that God gave me. At the same time, I am so thankful for the time that I have had to live elsewhere. American culture is missing some really rich things that I have found in the Latino culture here in Honduras. Some are things that I adjusted to easily because I felt like they were already part of me, and some of them I accepted kicking and screaming and now can't believe that I will leave them behind.
I want to be careful that as a family we don't lose some of the valuable lessons that this culture has taught us as we head back to the more focused, hurried culture of the US.
Hospitality. The people here get it right. I cannot tell you the number of homes that I have been invited into and the meals that I have eaten from someone else's table. And you know with every bite that it is a joy for them for you to be there. And no one cares that there are 7 people in your family, or that you were really just stopping by for a second or that they didn't have time to clean up. We are about people and relationships. Even on the day before pay day when there isn't any money, we can all sit around and drink a soda and chat for awhile. So come on in. This feels right and natural to me. We have had more people live with us, stay a few days, sleep on the couch, eat at our table, borrow some clothes and stay an extra day, then I can even count. I am not an excellent housekeeper, come on, I have 5 children. But to be hospitable, I don't have to be. I don't have to keep extra food around or worry that I haven't made enough when extra people stop by. So everyone has a tiny portion instead of a normal portion, no big deal. Or you make some scrambled eggs. No one cares. Its about being in each other's living space and living together. And because most people don't have private transportation, if it gets late, they stay. And there is nothing weird about that. And I may wake up and find them in my kitchen making tortillas or sweeping the floor. And then I beg them to never leave :) Just kidding. But really, I don't want to lose the ability to just have people come into our life and join our crazy. I am thankful that this was modeled to me as a child although it is not normal American life. I come from a long line of women who love to have people in and feed them, probably one reason it seemed so easy!
Waiting. Growing up in the US I didn't learn how to wait. Especially now with so many things automated, I feel like there isn't a huge need to learn how to just be and wait and do nothing. Here there are so many places to practice! And people rarely seem frustrated about it. Yes, waiting in traffic is aparently the exception and the horns going off prove that. But go into a bank where you have to have your phone turned off and people will wait standing in line for over an hour just being. Kids learn from a young age that waiting and sitting or standing for long periods of time is just part of life. I'm still not great at it and I certainly don't like it, but I feel like I have gained an essential life skill of just patiently waiting and being because you certainly can't do anything to make it faster. My friends laughed because after just a few months of living in Latin America, I was home for a friend's wedding and didn't even notice that the pastor was an hour late to the rehearsal. Waiting was already habit!
Family. We leave a lot of family behind. And a really close-knit community of family. Lesther grew up hearing that you siblings or who you have in life, depend on them, lean on them, use them, and expect that they will need you as well. They do things in a group. When one wants to buy a car, everyone pitches in because they know that is the car taking them to the hospital at one in the morning when they have an emergency. When someone is sick, they all work to make the money to pay for the hospital and medication. They are each other's childcare system. Between Lesther mom and sisters there is almost always someone who is home and can care for my kids, even at the last minute. And they don't call asking when I'll be back... if it gets late they just assume the kids are staying and the bathe them and put them to bed. I want to instill this in my kids, but it will harder to do when we don't live here. You are each other's best allies in life. Be good examples for each other. Take each other's side and stand up for one another. Support each other and point each other to Jesus in everything. And be there for each other whatever it takes.
Food. I crave chick-fil-a and a good steak pretty much all the time. But Hondurans put on a good spread. And they also know how to work with a budget and serve yummy food for cheap. I love that I can take my whole family out to dinner for $15. And I love that I can take my inlaws dinner by picking up tortillas and cheese on the way to their house. Or I can have people over and serve tortillas and eggs and that is a totally acceptable dinner. I'm doing my best to learn our favorite recipes, but I don't make them like a Honduran grandma does, that's for sure. And oh how I will miss fresh fruit from a roadside stand or being able to buy all manner of things by sticking my head out the car window. True story, I was in line for medicine at the pharmacy drive through when I realized the store next store has a drive through window right next to me and they sell cheese. Well, I need cheese, how convenient! I regularly by my kids bananas from the side of the road for snack if we are out longer than planned. And the avacados and mangoes... so good!
There are so many more... may have to be another post :)
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