BUT, it is way too early to get into a post that might make me cry! So instead I decided I would choose 5 things to tell you about that I have come to really appreciate or love while living here!
- Mentioning God like He's your very friendly next door neighbor. I'm not just talking about the typical response to: "How are you?" being: "Bien, gracias a Dios!" (Good, thanks to the Lord). I'm still learning to put into words the cultural differences I see here, and I struggling to find good ways to describe many differences. But, something I have found so encouraging, is that I hear regularly how something happening is thanks to God. And its not in serious conversations, or private conversations, or a context you would expect (i.e. church, bible study, etc.). I noticed this particularly after a lady I was talking to in a coffee shop asked me if I was a Christian, and I said yes. She told me: "I could tell as soon as I asked, you have not always had a good experience answering this question, because it immediately seemed like you were revealing something very private about yourself, and you were preparing to defend it." When she pointed this out to me, I realized that I did feel like I had revealed a big secret, that in some ways it scared me. I'm not this way because I am ashamed of it, but I did not grow up in a safe Christian bubble, and so I had to learn to prepare myself for any kind of response to my answer (b/c sometimes I hadn't been, and it backfired hard). But by living in a place where I hear:
"God has been so good to me this week!" "With Jesus' help we will try!"
"The Lord provided for me!" "I will pray for you/him/her/them/this!" I witness the amount of faith people have in God every day; which has given me a new perspective on a life in a community, where it is encouraged and expected for God to be front and center in our lives. I spoke to a parent last week about his daughter seeming a little sleepy in class, and asked if she was getting to bed early. His response made me smile: "Well in the evening she always says she is not tired, but we will work on getting her to bed sooner. In Jesus' name we will try our best." I did not expect this, even though the only English phrase this man knows is "God bless you!" (which he tells me any time he sees me), but it made me happy that this student has this environment at home.
- People are very friendly. Emphasis on friend!
People here have an incredible talent for making you feel like a good friend even if you have only talked to them for a few minutes. Between the 3 countries I have lived in so far, I would describe people in Germany as hospitable, in the US as polite (this is limited to my Oklahoma experience), but people here are friendly in the sense that they truly make you feel like a friend any time you see them. I'm not saying people in the US are not friendly, and I'm certain the island culture here differs from that on the mainland. But people here truly value other people. When you see someone you met at some point, you stop and talk to them for a little while. I've been told this is one of the (many, many, many) reasons people are always late. Because time does not take priority over the opportunity to interact with a friend. I made friends with one of the boys who bags groceries at our store, simply because I was waiting on my friend to get a taxi and I felt too awkward just standing there in silence, when I knew people liked to be friendly here. But we talked for a little bit, and now when I go to the grocery store I get to stop and say "Hi!" (and I get to practice my Spanish because he speaks 0 English). It has been an interesting thing for me, especially as an introvert who had to google "how to do small talk" my first semester in Oklahoma, but it has brought me out of my "I hate small talk"-shell a little bit, and I have discovered that I actually could bear to be a little bit more friendly! 😁😁😁😁 - Passionate is an understatement.
Miss Deborah always tells me: "We don't know what came first, the Honduran or the Telenovelas..." (Telenovelas are the very dramatic soaps here). While calling people here dramatic is like calling the sky blue, I have subtly found an appreciation for the passion and emotion which people invest in different things. There have no doubt been moments where I have rolled my eyes, or widened my eyes at the sheer amount of drama... but in other ways I don't really feel that emotions are such sensitive topics here as they are in other places. Something in particular I have loved is the emotions and intensity when people pray here.When we give children tests at school we say a short prayer before, and one time I prayed thanking God for this girl, all her hard work, and asked that God would help her do her best. We finish praying and she looks at me and says: "Miss Julia... why do you pray so fast?", me utterly speechless just kinda mumble: "haha ok takeyourtest." But I thought about having visited their church and hearing some of my adult students pray... and their prayers are very long, very emotional, and very passionate - its noticeable not just from the sound of their voice but in the words they use, and what exactly they are talking about. I can assure you I do not sound that emotional when I am praying... my "out-loud" prayers are pretty logical, specific (it may be my German side) and don't usually take much time (partially cause it makes me nervous to pray out loud)... also when they pray in Spanish it adds a whole other level of beauty. Please don't think I am now judging how people pray out loud- good grief no! This has simply been something I have enjoyed here.
- The Peaceful way of life.
I haven't spent enough time on the mainland of Honduras, but I'm fairly certain this is more specific to the island culture. The pace of life is much slower here -and if you think about it- Roatan is an island....but on top of that its an island tied to another culture which already has a reputation of being late (remember this is from the perspective of someone who grew up in the land of punctuality!) ...so hispanic+island culture makes for a very slow paced lifestyle haha!! It's ok, life still happens eventually, and as someone who had a horrible reputation in Germany for always being late, I really don't mind it (shout out to my college friends from Rwanda and Burundi who taught me how to properly be late, I was well prepared!). Besides everything happening later than we actually say it does, island people here have a reputation for being very peace-loving. At the beginning of this year, before I arrived, there had been some protests because of an election, and Miss Deborah told me that although there were some people who tried to start something of the kind here, the locals refused because they truly value the peace they have here on the island. I've been told one way you can spot "mainlanders" here, is that they don't know how to stand in line they always want to get to their turn quickly, which I experienced first hand: A few weeks ago I had to get my phone fixed and was at this shop waiting my turn like a good German, :) when a taxi driver rushed in trying to ask a question quickly, but the guy working there told him calmly he had to wait his turn. When time does not matter as much to everyone, it takes away a lot of stress, I think. Since you can't rely on taxis or busses to be punctual, you can guestimate how long something will take...and then do your best. It also helps to only live 5 minutes walking-distance from where you work. - People! People! People!
I can't tell you enough about how kind people have been to me here. Not just polite, friendly, or nice in passing by. I have had adult students ask me how my family is doing in Germany, been invited out to spend time in with others in community, and just consistently hear appreciation for things I've been doing. I do believe people here truly want to make others around them feel cared for. I've been told repeatedly here in our neighborhood, that I am now part of the family (in our neighborhood everybody is essentially related somehow), and again and again I realize that they don't just say that to be nice, they truly consider me part of their community and world. I thought that coming here I would learn by observing and understanding other cultures, what it means to love without any borders. But as people have welcomed me into their lives, showered me with kindness and hospitality, I learn through my experiencing their love, I am breaking down more and more barriers/borders that I never even knew were there.
I hope I have been able to give you a small look into the culture, I have been blessed to experience till now! If you have any specific questions or thoughts about it, please feel free to contact me! The organization I have worked for has updated their website! If you would like to check out more info about where exactly I am, and where in the world this small island is, and how the school in this small community started feel free to check it out!
www.roatanhorizons.com
Until next time!
love,
Jules
