I'm Here

Originally written Late June '08

Buenos Dias,

Well, I made to Honduras and to the orphanage. Let me just say it was trip to be remembered. Thursday started early and was crazy. I can’t believe my mom and I were able to get almost every thing I wanted to bring packed. But we did, with the help of a scale. I somehow got to the airport when I wanted to and got through security without a problem. Unfortunately, the airplane taking me to Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) couldn’t the airport online like I did. But when we finally did land in FLL, the plane hit so hard, the oxygen masks fell out of the ceiling across the aisle from me. I saw my dad and Pauola (I’m so sorry on the spelling) in FLL and when I went back through security, the TSA agent working the x-ray machine had problem with my book bag, saying I had a liquid. First she kept talking to me like I knew no English. Many of you know how I really enjoyed that. I told her, in clear, American English, there isn’t a once of liquid in that bag. Well after my bag getting ripped apart, not a single once of liquid was found. I just smiled at her as I walked away.

The flight was nothing special, just a normal boring flight until final approach. First people need to understand the seatbelt sign, definitely after the pilot tells us we’re landing. But the pilot had some problems making the landings. The engines started to rev up and the pilot started to climb then the throttle was dropped and the plane started a deep decent, and this went on couple more time. Finally the plane pitched left and stayed left. The engines lit up and we were climbing again. We missed the runway. Time to give it a second try. The second try was good, a little rough, but it got us on the ground in one piece. But again, no one could stand to wait in their seats until we get to the gate, and that little seat belt turns off. We stopped on the taxiway for a moment and all craziness erupted in the plane with people getting the bags. The flight attendant had great patience telling the people to sit down and close the overhead bends. No one listened to him, so he had to walk back and grabbed bags out of people’s arms and throw them back in the overhead bends. It was good he did that, b/c the taxi to the gate was a bit jerky.

Immigration was no problem since I had been Honduras before and they had my picture on file. The only questions were, “have you been before and when?” That’s all he asked and customs was a joke. There were some x-ray screeners “watching” the monitor as my bags when through the machine, but they were to busy talking and listening the music. I guess everything was fine. No one was there to take my customs form, I just put my bags in the x-ray machine and picked them up on the other end and walked out of the airport. David, director of Proyecto Alance, was right there to get me. We got the truck, which is a old pickup, like a Ford Ranger, with a shell on the cab. I guess the back glass had been broken out, b/c it no longer exist. He had another guy him, so I got the lay in the bed of the truck under the shell. Now at this time, it’s 12:45 am local time, 2:45 am back in the ATL. So I’m tired, really tired. The bed of the truck had a couple seat cushions to sit again and a little mattress to lie on. So I climbed in there with my bags and comfortable. The worst thing was the humidity, it was nasty. Well I was fast to realize I was actually too tired to sleep, half of the way I laid there almost about to go to sleep. Plus I don’t think the BUMPS in the road helped me sleeping either. I got woken up once when we came across a police checkpoint at a bridge construction. Of course I understood nothing. One police officer looked at me the walked back to the front and the other officer came to the back to check on me. Our officers in the US carry mag lights to shine in the eyes of others. Honduran police, they use their cell phone as a flashlight. They did carry M-16s so I guess I would pick the extra firepower over a flashlight. But after a 2+ hours BUMPY ride, I did get about an hour of sleep, we got to the orphanage.

So I’m here now, I guess I was able to sleep through the kids yelling and playing outside my open bedroom window at 5 am. David asked me if they woke me, since they woke him in the back of the house. I told him, “nope, I didn’t hear a thing.” We have to pick up roofing materials today to fix a roof. I hope I don’t have to go on the roof, I HATE heights. But I’m out for now.

Take care and God Bless Everyone!!!!!