One of the most surprising things I have realized about myself this year is how easy it has been to get along without reliable running water and consistent electrical power, not to mention having a lack of variety in food items and the true absence of any comfortable furniture to unwind on after a long day. While we BECA gringos are certainly not living like the average Honduran here, we are definitely taking a BIG step down from the life of easy convenience and thoughtless excess that we must struggle not to live in the United States. Our team is on a daily basis exposed to mosquitoes that may carry dengue, open sewers that could breed cholera, roads littered with decaying animal carcasses, fetid trash, and feces from many different species. Our team on a daily basis risks being robbed or worse while walking through town utterly defenseless, and have heard enough horror stories of muggings gone bad to always be walking with our heads half peering over our shoulders.
Why is it easy to get along in a society that lacks most of the trappings of a U.S. American existence? I guess because we are here for a higher purpose, because we are here to feel at least a little bit what billions of human beings of limited means across the planet experience every single day of their lives, without much hope of it changing. If we feel the fear, loathing, and worry (not to mention physical discomfort) that the average Honduran feels, at least part of the time, then it means we can build a bigger, better bridge of understanding with them.
Life in Cofradia is about developing human relationships, not about accumulating stuff. It is about hanging out on your porch, swinging in a hammock while engaging Don Max and other locals in an intense political discussion, not about retreating to a swank living room and staring at a gigantic idiot box for five hours straight. Life in Cofradia is about people and their central role in the universe as we know it.
The truth is, the social encounters that this year has presented are so much more memorable, and life-changing, than anything life in gringolandia could ever offer.
