The Heat of Copan

There is nothing better to refresh yourself than a little vacation away from what you know. It is great because you find comfort in solitude, but even more comfort when you go home to a place you can call home. Needless to say, this past month flew by! With teaching extra classes so a coworker could get home, cramming in  a lot of subject matter in a small period of time, Spanish classes, and getting ready to move into a new place I was ready for a breather.

I decided a trip to Honduras was very much in the cards. After working with MyFight this summer I wanted to get a feel of the country. Even if where I ended up going is only 10 km past the border, I could see a clear difference. Beyond that, I was testing a boarder run theory. Honduras is part of the C-4 with Guatemala, which is basically an organization that makes it really difficult for those of us spending more than 3 months in a country to do so legally. If you travel between El Salvador, Guatemala, Hondruas, and Nicaragua you don't get your passport restamped for a fresh new 90 days. Yet, what most people don't know is that agreement was terminated long ago and there some areas that will renew your passport. The crossing at Copan Ruinas is one of those so I headed out to test my luck.

I jumped on the shuttle I booked through one of my students at 4 am headed out to Honduras. The shuttle itself was PACKED full, but that is all a part of the Latin American experience. We headed out for a 5 to 6 hour ride, and as it turns out I was very blessed to have that shuttle driver. When crossing the boarders I asked him why I didn't get a stamp to exit. He quickly tuned into the fact that I was looking for more time in Guatemala and took my passport and told the people that I was not just going to Copan Ruinas so I needed a 90 visa instead of the short visa they give you to see the ruins. With his help I slid through easily and now have a new 90 days to play around with. Thank goodness because I was not ready to deal with all the govermental stipulations in the city.


As we pulled into Copan Ruinas I could feel and see a whole new culture in comparison to that I left behind in Antigua. The men were walking through the town with the classic cowboy hats and work shoes ready to work in the fields, while the women were still sparatically dressed in their traditional clothes. I felt like it was more of a community, and it turns out I was right. I was greeted off the bus by my new friend Kristin that I had met during Semana Santa in Antigua. She walked me up to their humble abode so appropriately named "the castle." I was  immediately embraced by a big hug from her roommate Jason, who I had met with her in Antigua. They made me feel right at home and did everything they could to make my visit the best it could be.

I spent the first day having coffee with Jason, and walking to the river with Kristin. The little town of Copan is beautiful and was quite relaxing to explore despite the intense heat. During my stay in Copan, I easily consumed more ice cream than I had eaten in the past four months. I am determined to figure out how they did it in Copan, because it was utterly fantastic.The three days of ice cream there will be forever burned in my memory until I can master the art myself.

Beyond the food, the huge attraction to Copan is the actual ruins that can be found just a fifteen minute walk just outside the city. The second day of my trip we headed out there in the early morning heat. I don't know what I was really expecting, but I can tell you that it satisfied my quench for some history, while also helping me to establish they opinion that the Incans are way cooler than the Mayans. The ruins themselves were pretty magnificent with the neat theories about why certain animal and plant statues were placed throughout the ruins. The part that was most interesting to me was the "soccer field." The Mayans had their own soccer, in which you couldn't use your hands or feet. This was a game set up to worship the sun and always ended in a honorary self sacrifice of the winning teams captain. Yet, despite all the history within the ruins the Mayans did little to impress me in comparison to the and Sacred Valley that I trekked through in Peru.

 

The best, and most satisfying part about my trip to Honduras was a nature walk just outside the ruins. I ventured off to this alone when the others were busy with work. The walk itself was beautiful and peaceful. Being surrounded by this beauty wasn't all that made it great, the best part was that it reminded me of the trails I run in at home. It was that sense of home that I had been missing so far in my travels, and there it was right outside famous Mayan ruins. Que lindo! The inner peace from a walk like that is priceless, even if I did take a wrong turn and got a little off the beaten path.

Kristin and Jason are volunteers for a non-profit called Urban Promise Honduras.They work with local children as an afterschool/camp that is focused on not only education, but education through God. It was inspiring to see them in action. It was evident that they were a huge part of the community and were making an impact by being there alone. This was amazing to see, revitalizing as well. Often I don't feel like a part of the community in Antigua. There is a divide between all the ex-pats that live here and they locals. Seeing that this is divide was not always evident was uplifting. Upon returning to Antigua, I was able to find this connection in my own classroom and with my students. My community is here, just not as evident as that of a town with 1/8 as many people. I was thrilled to see my students and I am excited to see what the next month can bring us.

That being said it is great to be back. I washed away the Honduras dirt and sweat accumulated over my short stay, but not the memories.  I am now moved into my new place with a hammock set up just my room for my free time in the days.... viva la viva!