Gracias, Adios!

After many days and nights spent in my home away from home I am overwhelmed by a flood of emotions now that I am leaving once and for all. Over the past two months I have experienced more on a personal level then I have in my entire life. Having so much time to reflect has been nothing but positive and the more I think about it the more grateful I am for the time I spent here. Leaving my familiar, comfortable life in Bozeman was no easy task but I sought adventure and change. I didn't know what to expect when coming to Honduras and now that I am leaving I know I came here for a reason. These last few months I have realized everything I took for granted and I have found a new appreciation for life. I don't think I would have realized how truly lucky I am if I didn't experience a life apart from my normal one. I always knew people throughout the world were not as well off and had bigger problems then the people I am usually surrounded by but I never knew the feeling of actually experiencing it first hand. I have now seen the world through the eyes of the people of Honduras as well as my own. Before coming here I never thought twice when I got in the hot shower in the morning or when I walked around freely at night not having any worries. Every time I fill up my glass from the sink or make myself a nice, balanced meal I will think of how not everyone has these simple luxuries. In the last two months I have met new people, spoken a new language and eaten new food. I loved the new experience and I am thankful for this amazing opportunity I had. My view on life has changed dramatically and I know it wouldn't have if I had not chosen to embark on this journey. As I re-adjust to life back in beautiful Bozeman I will enjoy every moment  experiencing all of the old in a whole new light.

Escape to Roatan

After an especially slow week of school I was not looking forward to my empty schedule of a weekend I had ahead of me. During class my teacher of "Hosteleria y Tourismo" pulled Ella and I into the hallway and began rambling about a school trip. I caught the words "Isla de Bahia" and "la playa" and I was sold. The next two days I packed up my bags for our weekend get away to the island Roatan, 2 hours of the coast of Honduras. This island is known as one of the best scuba diving destinations in the world and has the reputation of being a completely different world from Honduras. Waking up at 4:30 on a Friday is not easy for me and then piling 14 people into a van meant for 10 doesn't help my day to start off any better. After 4 hours spent bouncing over pot holes and taking detours due to the flooding we made it to the port town of La Ceiba. Once there our teacher informed us that we had missed the ferry by 5 minutes and the next one didn't leave for another 6 hours. That was 6 hours we could have spent on a tropical island that was instead filled with roaming around a mall and watching my classmates consume more then enough Wendy's. After what seemed like forever we boarded the ferry and Ella and I spent the next two hours socializing with the incredibly friendly island natives on their way home. We made some friends who told us where to go on the island and what to do. By the time we got checked into our hotel it was 7 o'clock and dark outside. Ella and I were hungry for good food and when we were served a hot dog, beans, quesillo and tortillas we agreed to find other means of nourishment. We walked down the muddy road and on the way we met an Australian woman who lived on the island. She was helpful and showed us where to go in the West End. We started off by going to a place called Fosters that was built over the water and was known to be the local hang out. Ella and I sat at the bar and instantly made friends! I was already loving the islanders. We both were getting hungry and wandered down the sand road towards the restaurants in the center of "town." We had a delicious dinner for a change! After finishing a pizza between the two of us we headed back to Fosters and met up with out teacher and classmates. More people had gathered we had to yell over the loud music. We spent the rest of the night dancing and laughing with our many new friends. Ella and I walked home barefoot getting soaked by the rain with huge smiles spread across our faces. A dip in the hotel pool and it was off to bed.
The next morning Ella and I woke up early and had pancakes at the hotel restaurant. We breathed in the fresh air and soaked in our breathtaking surroundings. We began the day at an Iguana farm, feeding the iguanas and looking at the other wild life they had. We fed barracudas and sat on the dock over looking the crystal clear waters. Our class toured a couple hotels and then settled in at a small beach for a couple of hours. Ella and I immediately began to swim. Looking around we noticed our classmates weren't getting in the water or they were just wading in. Later on, after talking to them, we found out none of them knew how to swim! Keep in mind the live about 4 hours away from some of the most amazing beaches. After enjoying fresh fish sticks for lunch we left to stop somewhere else so the rest of our class could eat. Once again by popular demand Wendy's was chosen. I was so thankful I ate an early lunch! Afterwards we went to the most famous beach of Roatan, West Bay. It was sunset and the view was amazing. I wanted to stay longer but it got dark and we had to be on our way. When getting back to the hotel Ella and I were both feeling sick so we called it a night.
Waking up refreshed and rejuvenated I started my day of right with a hot shower, which I had not had in about a month and a half. Our teacher told Ella and I we could have the morning to ourselves while the rest of the class went to tour more hotels. We were anxious to explore more of West End and to eat as much good food as possible before we left. After walking up and down the main road we chose a small breakfast place that overlooked the ocean. We ordered egg sandwiches with cheddar cheese, fresh squeezed orange juice and a local fruit salad. I savored every cheesy, delicious, bready bite and the fruit was some of the best I have ever had. We bought brownies for the road and left to explore more of the town. When walking down the beach a older islander man began walking with us and proceeded to tell us his life story which included falling in love in Denmark and owning a fishing boat in Roatan. He was a riot and certainly very entertaining. He knew everyone we passed and managed to introduce us to almost all of them. After we parted our separate ways Ella and I spent the rest of our time browsing souvenir shops and planning how sometime in our lives we would live in this little, tropical hidden gem. We found an international restaurant for lunch and we both ordered pasta, mine with fresh fish and Ella's with bolognese. Our meal was cut short when our bus rolled up and told us it was time to leave. We finished off our last bites of good food for the next few months and then joined the rest of our classmates on the bus. Driving to the ferry I kept wishing we would be late and miss it but of course we were there with time to spare. I sat solemnly reminiscing about the short time I spent on the island and cooking up plans to come back. Watching the island disappear into the fog and rain clouds Ella and I found ourselves tearing up. Thank goodness I had my brownie to help soften the blow!