Easter Break

If you want to skip reading all of this nonsense and just want to see the pictures (no offense taken) FOLLOW THIS LINK.

Last week was Easter and I got the chance to have a little vacation with Hannah (the nurse from California) and Oda (YWAMer from Norway). We flew into La Ceiba on the Wednesday before Easter and went out for an amazing sushi dinner. We ended up splitting what was literally a boatload of sushi (I’m sorry, I don’t have a picture of it) and it was absolutely delicious!

We spent the night in town but the next day we took a cab to Pico Bonito and spent a night at the Jungle River Lodge that was right off of the river. It was just gorgeous! We were in a river valley so unless we were looking at the river, we would see a wall of green going straight up. The lodge is placed so that you can walk out of your room and pretty much jump right into the river. At one spot, there is a 20 foot cliff that drops into the river and upon seeing it, Hannah and I knew we had to jump off of it! The water and weather were perfect for swimming around for a while without getting too chilly and then sunbathing without getting completely fried. That evening we went for a walk to Omega Jungle Lodge for dinner and drinks and had another great meal, this time surrounded by lush green foliage. We even got to try Gifiti which is a rum based drink that has roots and plants soaking in it and - according to locals - supposedly a cure for many ailments.

After breakfast the next morning we went for a long hike to the waterfalls. I can’t explain how beautiful the falls are, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking. When we got there, we were so hot and sweaty that we jumped in the water and got under the falls and let the water pound us. Right as we were about to climb out, we saw a snake that was sitting six feet away from us. We carefully got out and avoided it, but as we watched it from afar, we realized it was simply enjoying the falls, bobbing its head in and out of the water.

Once we got back to the lodge, we cooled off, packed up, and headed back to spend the night in town. We were catching the 5:15 am bus to Copan the next morning and not wanting to get up any earlier than we had to, we decided it would be a good idea to be close to the station. The bus ride to Copan usually takes around six hours - three hours from Ceiba to San Pedro Sula and another three hours from San Pedro to Copan. However, about and hour outside of Copan, our bus broke down! Luckily we had a great driver and he had the bus running again in a half hour.

When we arrived in Copan on Saturday, we walked to the Hotel Don Moises. It’s more of a hostel, but I highly recommend it for someone traveling on a budget and wanting to feel safe. We had three beds, A/C, TV, and a bathroom for only $8 per person per night and all the restaurants and shops are a just short walk away. The first thing we did was walk to the center square and do one of my favorite things: buy and eat mangoes from a street vendor. Soooo good! Later that night we came across a great little restaurant with a rooftop terrace. They had great two-for-one drinks, an amazing view of the town and the sunset, great food and deserts, and very nice live accordion music. Later in the evening we went out to the center square to see the festivities. We went to an Easter vigil that was in the church by the square. The vigil was going all night so we only stayed for a little while. Very hot inside the church, but we got to hear many readings and songs, some of which I knew the tune to.

The next day we walked over to the Mayan ruins. It really is amazing to see the remnants of a once powerful civilization. Hannah explained that although other countries have larger structures, Copan is the best site in terms of seeing the intricate designs in the stone, as you can see from the pictures.

After the ruins, we tried to find Los Sapos, a small town with more ruins, but after walking for 30 minutes and not finding anything, we caught a cab and headed for the pool, where we got to eat, swim, and relax. That night we went back to the terrace restaurant and enjoyed some chocolaty goodness. In the morning, we hopped back on the bus and headed home.

If anyone is interested in traveling and wants to go somewhere less known, Honduras is the place. Roatan has the ocean and the big resorts and touristy stuff; La Ceiba and Pico Bonito offers great hiking and cheap places to stay; and Copan has the fantastic ruins, good shopping, and very affordable rooms. Because it takes so long to load all of the pictures on to my blog I have linked over to my facebook page, which anyone can see, whether or not you have a facebook profile. CLICK THIS TO SEE THE PICTURES.

For my quote on this post, I refer you to a video of Comedian Jim Gaffigan explaining Easter. You're welcome.

Running

My running routes: A-B-C-A is the airstrips route and A-D-A is to the Patuca River and back.

I’ve been doing a lot of running during my time here in Ahuas. When I was rehabbing from my Achilles tear, I realized how much I took for granted my mobility. I decided to take advantage of my health and get myself back into shape. It started out as just something I wanted to do, but the more I ran the more I realized it was something I needed. I’ve always relieved my stress by being physically active and getting my blood flowing. Back home that would consist of hitting the weights or playing basketball with friends. With those two not really being an option for me here, I turned to running. I started with running up and down the two landing strips which was a little more than two miles. I would also run the path that headed towards Ribra and stop at the first big mud pit, but with all the rain, that trail became hard to run. Now I run down to the Patuca River and back, which is about 4ish miles.

With lifting weights, I’d get rid of my stress by getting all hyped up and releasing all that built up testosterone. With basketball and other sports, I de-stress by letting my competitiveness take over. With running, it’s really different for me. As friends and family know, I tend to over-analyze things. But when I run, my mind is blank. I can start a run feeling angry or sad or depressed - some negative emotion - but after a half mile or so, it’s all gone. It's a very cathartic process for me. And when I finish I’m always relieved that I’m done, but proud that I didn’t give in to the voice in my head that says, “You should just walk that last half mile”.

Last things:
- I’ve enjoyed running so much that I have registered to run in two 5k races when I get home, the Color Run and the Rugged Maniac, which are probably the two most opposite races I could have chosen.
- I recently read a Kindle Single entitled The Long Run by Mishka Shubaly. It’s his personal story about his struggles with drug addiction and how running helped him. Really interesting read.
- If you want to take a look at Ahuas on Google Maps, search "Ahuas Airport, Ahuas, Honduras".


“You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.” - Steve Prefontaine

The Month That Was: January

Dinner at Eagle Ray's

Sunset from Luna Beach Resort

Zip-lining in not Barrow

This last month has been a busy one filled with new people and new experiences. For Christmas and New Year’s, I was in Roatan with my folks and my girlfriend and had an amazing time! After finishing the first half of the school year, I needed to recharge my batteries, and by lounging on the beach with a cold drink and finishing The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Trilogy, I was able to do exactly that. If anyone is looking for a fun place to go on a vacation, I would highly recommend Roatan. Great food, beautiful beaches, cool snorkeling, fun activities on land (like zip-lining), and a happening night life are all available on the island.

One reason January seemed to fly by was that Hannah and I actually had lots of company up above the operating room. There were volunteers from North Carolina who came to put up the new hangar; Hannah’s mother, two brothers, and three friends visited and either worked in the clinic or worked down at the YWAM base on the new student house/classroom; a surgical team from Barcelona; and two doctors from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. It was great to see all of these people volunteering there time and efforts for the clinic.

One exciting thing coming up this next week is that Gerard, Norvelle, and Peter will be going to Michigan for two weeks to check out schools for Peter. Peter and I have been practicing interview questions that the private school is going to ask him. I think he’s going to do great!

I’ll try to keep the blog posts coming at a more frequent pace from now on.

If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do things worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

Student Profile: Peter

Name: Peter
Grade: 8
Age: 14
Birthday: March 28
Soccer Position: Defense
Favorite Musician: Lady GaGa
Favorite Movie: Legion
Favorite Food: Pepperoni Pizza
Favorite Soccer Team: Manchester United
Favorite Player: Carlos Puyol
Favorite Subject: Math
Wants to be: Airplane Mechanic or a Pilot
Other info: Peter loves to play soccer in his free time - rain or shine - and is the captain for Team Clinica. He is also very interested in joining the Navy or Marines when he is done with college. Peter is great with his little cousin Lemuel. Overall, he loves to joke around and have a good time with friends and family.

Special Guest!: Camilla

Name: Camilla
Grade: 2 (Just finished 1st grade)
Age: 6
Favorite Animal: Cat
Favorite Flower: Rose
Favorite Movie: Tangled
Favorite Food: Rice and Beans
Favorite Subject: Math
Favorite Disney Princess: Sleeping Beauty
Favorite Color: Pink
Wants to be: a grocery store cashier or a ballerina
Other info: She is the younger sister of Toby and Ben. She has tons of energy! She loves to swim and play on the hammock. She just recently lost her two front top teeth, bringing the total to 4 lost teeth. She came and hung out with us today and sat with the kitty, Mila.

Student Profile: Toby

Name: Toby
Grade: 7
Age: 12
Birthday: February 18
Soccer Position: Midfield
Favorite Musician: Rihanna
Favorite Movie: Hot Shot
Favorite Food: Lasagna
Favorite Soccer Team(s): Manchester United and Real Madrid
Favorite Player(s): Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo
Favorite Subject: Literature
Wants to be: Professional soccer player or a soccer coach
Other info: He is an avid fisherman and prankster. He enjoys playing XBox and soccer. He loves Churros and ice cream. He has his scuba diving certification. And he believes he is the funniest person in the world.

Student Profile: Ben

Name: Ben
Grade: 5
Age: 10
Birthday: May 8
Soccer position: Defense
Favorite Music: Reggae
Favorite Movie: Cowboys & Aliens
Favorite Food: Spaghetti
Favorite Soccer Team: Liverpool
Favorite Player: Luis Suarez
Favorite Subject: Science
Wants to be: a pilot or a soccer player
Other info: His hair doesn't normally look like that but he wishes it did. He is learning to play the guitar. He has lots of energy, loves to laugh, and likes to sleep in.