Owner: La Gringa's Blogicito URL:http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com Join Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2007 01:24:28 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Gardening and living in La Ceiba, Honduras. Neither are easy for this American woman. Site statistics:Click here
Another cultural difference 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I just had an interesting conversation with El Jefe that pointed out another cultural difference
. (Yes, we have many. It's an ongoing process working on that!) He was saying that he really didn't like something a friend had said.The friend said, "I hate people who ...." and the rest is not important. Let's just substitute, "who park their car in the street" or something silly like that.El Jefe's point was that the friend should have said, "I hate WHEN people ...." I was surprised at his strong reaction. I'm often guilty of doing the same thing − saying I hate green cars or warm Coke or fat men who don't wear shirts, when I really mean something much less strong than 'hate.'An online dictionary gives the following (partial) definition:Hate-verb (used with object)1. to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest: to hate the enemy; to hate bigotry.2. to be unwilling; dislike: I hate to do it.I think in everyday Englis
A handy tool or a deadly weapon? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What did they use those pinkie nails for anyway?There is something I see here in Honduras that has been baffling me. I see men, young and old, farmers and city boys, black and brown, respectable and maybe not so, who have this long pinkie fingernail. I mean really long. What is that about? Is it for picking? Most really don't appear the type who would be using it for snorting coke. Our favorite water man quit the business and his new replacement has one. That's what brought it back to my mind. What on earth is it for?(Later....) Not wanting to leave the article open-ended like that, I went to ask El Jefe. He started laughing before I even finished with the question. His first guess was for picking the nose and cleaning the ears. Eeeeeewwwww! Tell me it's not so! His second guess was for scooping coke (the powdered kind, not the liquid), but I nixed that based on the people I've seen with it. His third guess was for something sexual. That also seems doubtful to me as I'm having a h Read more:deadly
Blogger -- Aarghhhh! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I have an article ready to post regarding Wednesday's contest. I have been trying to upload some photos since yesterday and Blogger
won't let me!!!! Not even if I try one at a time.Aaaarghhhhh! I hate am annoyed by Blogger.I'll try again this evening. I have things I HAVE to do today or El Jefe may go back to his mother and my pets may run away to look for a better home!P.S. Warning for those of you who receive La Gringa by email from Feedburner: Later on I'm going to recategorize some posts so they are all going to be spit out in the newsletter as new posts. Please forgive my obsessive-compulsive nature but I have a new category and I absolutely must categorize these articles properly. I've tried not to for two days. I can't stand it. They must be categorized correctly.
We have a winner! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 We have a winner
to La Gringa's What is it? contest announced on Wednesday.Just for fun, I'll show you another view of the contest photo item and let you think about it for a minute:Any new ideas?That's okay. I'll wait while you think about it . . . .. . . .. . . .Here's are two pictures from today, five days after the contest picture:New leaves unfurling, sago palmCycas revoluta, sago palmThe answer is new growth unfurling on a sago palm (common name). Cycas revoluta is the Latin name and the species that I think this one is, also called Japanese sago palm.Taaa Daaaah! And the winner is Annie in Austin! Technically the first part of Annie's answer was a question, but I'll accept it. ;-DIs this some Honduran variety of Cycad? The photo resembles Sago palms when they are unfurling.Annie at the Transplantable RoseI don't know if it is a Honduran variety, so I wasn't looking for the exact species, just 'new' or 'unfurling' growth on a Sago or Cycad and you got it!Congratulati
Trash everywhere 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Trash along the road to La CeibaI'm sorry to say that after the mountains, the first thing I noticed when I saw La Ceiba six years ago was the trash, the next thing was the electrical wiring, but that is another story. There is trash everywhere
− it is even worse out in the country than it is in the towns. It is hard to find a tourist travelogue that doesn't mention how dirty La Ceiba is, even those tourists who have traveled to other Central American countries comment on it. Having grown up learning what a sin it is to litter, I couldn't help but be shocked by what I saw.My first trip to La Ceiba was in a taxi from the airport after dark. All along the edges of the highway, there were burning piles of trash. I was scared! I thought it was some sort of protest and that I had come to a war zone for vacation!In fairness to many Honduran people, trash pickup service, trash cans, and recycling bins are scarce to non-existent. Some people just can't afford to pay for pickup service ev Read more:Trash
Honk, honk! We're here! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Doorbells are little used things in La Ceiba. The custom is to loudly and insistently honk the car horn when arriving at someone's house. If the homeowner or maid hasn't immediately rushed outside to attend to the visitor, he honks some more. About every 30 seconds seems to be the usual rhythm.At one of the apartments we lived in before our house was built, someone apparently went to work about 4:30 a.m. The taxi would arrive and blast the horn, every 30 seconds, until the passenger came out. I thought about putting a pile of rocks by the window to throw at the taxi but I'm not that good a shot.We often have people honking outside our gate even though we have a doorbell and intercom. Usually it is a delivery person in a very big truck (you know the kind − with the really loud obnoxious horns) asking for directions to someone else's house. I am expected to stop whatever I am doing and rush out to see what they want. And I'm considered quite rude if I don't.Even if I do rush, the
Ever drink out of a plastic bag? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Drinking out of a plastic bag
was a new one on me. The first time El Jefe stopped at a pulperÃa to get me a soft drink and returned with a coke in a plastic bag, I asked him, confundida (confused), "What am I supposed to do with this?"It turns out that it's very common to serve soft drinks or juice in flimsy plastic bags. Purified water is prepackaged in half liter and liter bags as well as plastic bottles. A corner is ripped off (usually with your teeth) and the water is sort of poured or sucked out of the hole in the bag.I had a really hard time getting the hang of this and had to get El Jefe to demonstrate more than once. Another problem is that you have to finish the drink immediately, you can't set it down because the bag will flop over and spill the contents.Juices and soft drinks are usually served with the bag tied around a small straw. Those are a little easier to handle but I worry about whether these bags are food-safe. Not all plastic is food-safe and many bags have a st
The Americanization of Honduras, more seriously 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Lenca indian style pottery, Yaba Ding Ding Gallery, Roatan, Honduras
The Americanization of Honduras, bit by bit article was tongue-in-cheek, not meant to discuss this serious issue, but David made this comment:So many Hondurans I know revere North American culture from afar. Sorry this is kind of a downer comment, but I can't help but think that Honduras, in its complex, takes on a great deal of negative 'Americanization'. Additionally intriguing to me is the idea that Americans may be actively Americanizing Honduras in certain ethnocentric respects, feeling it's a good thing.I agree about the negative Americanization of the Honduran culture − you just don't see much Honduran culture at all other than the Garifunas, at least where I live in La Ceiba. It is as if Honduras has picked up what is worst about the US and lost what was best about its own culture. It is very sad to me.When I read blogs from Mexico and other Central American cultures, it's wonderful to see the pride in
A Honduran Proverb 1970-01-01 00:59:59 A fisherman was selling live crabs in the market. An old woman went up to him and looked at one bucket of crabs while he removed the cover to show her the other bucket of crabs. She asked, "Why do you have that bucket of crabs covered but not this one?" He replied, "Bueno, the bucket with the cover has North American crabs. If I don't keep it covered, they work together to build a chain to the top of the bucket and help all the others climb out to freedom. I've lost so many gringo crabs that way." The woman asked, "But what about the other kind? Don't they climb out, too?" He sighed and smiled, "No, these are Honduran
crabs. Whenever one tries to climb to the top, the others just pull him back into the bucket."
Things I learned in Honduras (really) 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Central America is where all of the old unsafe yellow school buses go to begin life anew.Women still wash clothes on rocks in the river.Cars can actually be kept running for 25 or 30 years.Leather molds. (shoes, purses, belts, notebooks, suitcases)Wood molds. (cabinets, doors, furniture)Books mold.Raw spaghetti molds.Snakes like to live indoors, too.Polio, measles, mumps, and tuberculosis still exist.Mosquitos are the most dangerous critters on earth.
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The good, the bad, and the ugly 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What do Hondurans do well? Not so well? And down right horribly?The GoodPlastic Bags: They make the best plastic bags I've ever seen. They don't tear, they don't leak, and they will hold 50 pounds with no problems. A bag can be reused 20 times. An odd thing, though, is that they only come in broad orange and white stripes. Soups: It is strange to me that in a country that is so darn hot and humid all the time that soup would be so popular. A lot of restaurants in the U.S. don't have soup on the menu at all. Those that do generally won't have more than one or two selections. Even small Honduran restaurants often have 4 or 5 soups on the menu. I've seen menus with 10 different kinds of soup. The sopa de caracol is to die for. And when they serve soup, they serve soup! There are none of those little teacups. If you order a small soup, expect it to come in a liter sized bowl. The large order is embarrassing − washtub sized.Tajadas: It's the potato chip of Honduras (or tortilla
God willing 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Friday I used the "Si Dios quiere" line. (If God is willing.) Sorry to sound disrespectful. I don't make fun of people's religious beliefs. El Jefe and his family are very religious and I respect that.In Honduras, however, religion is sometimes used as an excuse or a sales tool, with businesses describing themselves as "Christian" in their advertising and on their business cards. I don't like that. In fact, in my business dealings in this country, some of the self-proclaimed Christians have been among the worst cheats of all. It's one thing to wish someone to get well and hearing "si Dios quiere," because getting well probably is in the hands of God, and quite another to say "see you tomorrow" to someone and have them say "si Dios quiere." You know full well that it really means, "If I feel like working tomorrow" or "If I feel like fixing your car today" or "If I don't spend your money instead of ordering the part that you just paid for" or "If God suddenly puts 72 hours in a da
Honduran Christmas traditions 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Christmas lights on palm trees outside Restaurante La Palapa Mexicana in La CeibaChristmas traditions
in La Ceiba aren't so different from those in the U.S., depending, of course, on the income level of the family. The traditions here in La Ceiba may have been influenced by the long-time presence of the Standard Fruit Company (Dole Co.), at one time the largest employer in the area.Presents Christmas is very commercialized here, too. Right now the newspapers are full of ads for clothes, appliances, computers, and cellphones. The stores are full of trees, lights, decorations, and Santa Clauses.Children almost always receive a new set of clothes and shoes for Christmas. Often that is all that the family can afford and for some it may be their only pair of shoes.I know some very poor families and I can tell you that those kids are as happy and proud to receive a new outfit as many North American kids may be to receive thousands of dollars of gifts. Dolls for girls and toy cars for boys a Read more:Christmas
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Things I learned in Honduras 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Rain makes you sick.Drinking ice water makes you sick.If you get your hands wet after ironing, you will get arthritis. (So, then, how do men get arthritis?)All other illness stems from pressure (high blood pressure) or sugar (eating it? or diabetes? I'm not quite sure about this one.).Coca Cola will cure a backache.All meals must be served with tortillas or bananas, but never both. (I get horrified looks every time I suggest a meal without either or with both.)Hamburgers may be safely stored at room temperature for up to two days.Eating soup with a fork will make your teeth fall out. (I'm still trying to figure out this one, too.)Red beans are the only edible variety of bean.White corn is the only edible variety of corn.Sinks and toilets are not clean until all of the white is scrubbed away.If a black butterfly enters your house, someone will die.So, now you know, too. ;-)
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I've become very tall 1970-01-01 00:59:59 JoeyI'm only 5'1", but suddenly I feel like a tall person. I kind of like it. I feel more authoritative. All of my life I've stared into people chests, had to block the sun from my eyes when I looked up to talk to them, and felt claustrophobic in a crowd because I couldn't see in front of myself. Now I've become an average, or even, dare I say it, tall person.People are very small in Honduras. I often stand eye-to-eye with the men and positively tower over the women, especially the older people. Oh, of course, there are tall people here, too, but the majority of the people are much smaller than North Americans. Especially the poor people.I suppose it is partly in the Mayan genes, but mostly, I think, it's from life-long malnutrition. When those same people move to the U.S., they have giant children. El Jefe has a nephew, born to the good life in the U.S. He was taller than me when he was 10 years old. Now he's 15 and almost 6 feet tall. El Jefe's mother is about 4'9".Chloe an
The Americanization of Honduras, bit by bit 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Conchita, Ramona, Ramón, and CarmenOne time El Jefe mentioned Ramón, our rooster, by name to the elderly previous owner. After her jaw dropped, she started laughing, asking "You name your chickens? Jejeje! How strange!" (Note: 'je' is pronounced 'he.')When he told me about it, I thought, "How strange not to name them." He said it just never occurred to them to name them. I said it never occurred to me not to name them. Another cultural difference, I guess. I mean, if for no other reason than to call them or get their attention, they need names, right? Well, a couple of weeks have gone by and guess what? Now all of their chickens have names, too.This might also be called the Hondurization of a North American, since I never had chickens before I came to Honduras
. Jejeje! A cultural exchange.
Littlewoodenman, another ex-pat Honduran blog 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I just got caught up on Matthew's blog. I stupidly thought he hadn't been posting because no articles were showing up on my Bloglines, until I realized that I hadn't set up his blog feed. Jeesh!Anyway, littlewoodenman has some great insights into Honduran
life from the perspective of two Canadians in a smaller (than La Ceiba) Honduran town.Most recently Matthew gave a short lesson on cussing in Spanish. When trying to show off your Spanish-cursing abilities, be warned, however, that the meaning of some words vary considerably from country to country.For example, the word 'pendejo' is a perfectly acceptable word in some South American countries, meaning kid or silly or foolish in an affectionate way. In Honduras (and Mexico, I believe), however, it is extremely insulting, meaning a**hole, stupid, or fool. I hear that word a lot, mostly from employer to employee, and no, I never ever use this word.In Honduras, insulting someone's intelligence (even when they are being very, very st
Can I mini-size that for you? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Before I left the U.S., the warehouse stores had become really popular. Even the normal grocery stores were getting into bulk sales and restaurant-sized packaging, and many shoppers, including me, seemed to enjoy the value and convenience of large-scale shopping sprees. When you buy army-sized boxes of cereal, 12-packs of canned vegetables, cases of soft-drinks, or 10-pound packages of chicken breasts you don't have to go shopping so often. That fad hasn't hit La Ceiba, Honduras, yet. A 2-lb box of something generally will cost exactly twice what a 1-lb. box costs and a 4-lb box will cost four times as much, sometimes even more, oddly enough. I often notice that, for example, one bar of soap will cost 7 lempiras and a 3-pack will cost L.24. Doesn't make sense to me.Because food spoils so much more quickly in this tropical climate, it often isn't even wise to stock up on anything, although I have to admit that I still do. I take my chances because I really don't like to go grocer
A country of retirees 1970-01-01 00:59:59 This article was translated from an opinion column by Otto MartÃn Wolf, La Prensa, Honduras, December 4, 2006. Sr. MartÃn is a regular contributor to this newspaper.A country of retireesOur principal export product is people. We send people outside the country and these people send money back to us: las remesas (money transfers).After las remesas are the conventional products of exportation that have a big problem: We have to work to obtain them. For example, when you send a box of shrimp (or any other product) to the exterior, in return comes a check. The difficulty with this type of exportation resides in that, if you want another check the following month, you have to send another box of shrimp and for this you have to work.But, if you export people, most likely a check will come every month, maybe for life!This is the reality of Honduras; it is our reality.We have to be clear that our economy is sustained by the money of remesas. The growth of banks, shopping centers, the sales
The lonely organic gardener 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Double Miami PalmsI miss having real gardening friends. I have some internet gardening friends and have recently begun corresponding with the delightful Gardener in Mexico. Not that they aren't real people! My internet friends help to fill the void but there is nothing like a friend stopping by to stroll the garden to see what's new and leaving with a bag full of cuttings or vegetables or seeds. Even better is when that friend is a gardener
experienced in the area.Most people I've met in La Ceiba aren't that interested in gardening. They hire someone to take care of all those things and never get their fingernails dirty. And the only suggestions I ever receive are to buy this or that deadly chemical which is sure to solve all of my gardening problems.Gardeners I've known are the most generous people, always willing to share advice and plants. I've had extra plants from dividing, some very large and nice plants. I tried to give them away because I really hate to see plants go to w
Cultural differences 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Thanks to my brilliant readers and commenters, I have received lots of ideas for new articles about cultural differences
between English speakers (primarily North American) and Spanish speakers (primarily Honduran).Several of La Gringa readers come from multicultural households, like I do, and many of the readers are expatriates living in Central American countries. What a wealth of information we have here.Some cultural differences are amusing, some annoying, and some are considered just downright rude to the other culture. However you feel about them, if you are living in another culture, you have to get used to them and do your best to adapt.However, I believe that just because something is "the way things are done" doesn't necessarily mean that it is right or the best way. Corruption is an example. Corruption is a very real part of the culture in Central America. It is generally accepted and even laughed about (I guess you have to laugh at things you can't change), but it is a ve Read more:Cultural
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Cultural differences: Communication 1970-01-01 00:59:59 One day after lunch, when I was sitting on the terraza with our housekeeper (yes, it was long ago), our handyman/yardman Carlos (yes, it was the good old days), and El Jefe, I called a Honduran-American friend. The conversation went like this: LG: Hi E! It's (La Gringa). Do you want to come over for dinner on Friday night?E: Sure, what are you having?LG: You are in luck! We're having filet mignon and homemade ice cream for dessert. E: Great! What time? LG: About 7 p.m. E: Okay, sounds good. I'll bring a bottle of wine.LG: Okay! We'll see you then. Bye! E: Bye! I hung up, looked at my phone and it said 56 seconds. Cheque! Menos de un minuto. (Check! Under a minute.) In Honduras, cheque means okay, I understand, I agree, or accomplished as in checked off the list.I looked up to see three astonished faces. I burst out laughing. I knew exactly what they were thinking. How could I have possibly called, greeted, given information, confirmed the time, and said goodbye in less than o Read more:Cultural
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Angry sky at sundown 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Picture taken standing in my breakfast area window at sundown.
This is what I've been waiting for 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Looking out the sala window onto the bougainvilleaIt is the custom in La Ceiba to surround homes with a high concrete wall which can be very depressing to look out upon. Especially so when the wall hasn't been painted yet like ours. It is definitely reminiscent of a prison setting.Our west wall is the highest because we had it built with the adjoining property owner and he wanted a tall wall. We were so happy that he was going to share the cost of the wall (very rare to be so lucky) that we went along with his wishes. Most of the rest of our muro (fence) is low with decorative open ironwork.We don't have much space for planting on that side, so I designed a metal wall trellis for vines and had four of them made and installed on the west wall outside the windows so that we would have something pretty to look at.I've tried starting some shade tolerant tropical vines from seeds for two of the windows but haven't had any luck with them germinating.For the wall outside the desayunador
Blogger comment tip 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I've been having a terrible time reading comments and commenting on certain Blogger
blogs for the past few months. Some pop up comment windows open to a window too small to read the comments and it can't be resized. Usually I try several times and finally end up giving up without commenting.One of those blogs was from Mr. Brown Thumb, who seems to be a technically savvy guy, so I just wrote him and asked him if he knew why that was happening. I figured he would want to know in case other people were having problems commenting on his blog, too. Since most of us bloggers love to get comments, we want to make sure it is easy for people to leave a comment.He was nice enough to answer me right away and gave me a solution! In Firefox (and I think the new Explorer, too), you can right click to open comments in a new full size tab or window instead of the pop up window. Then, of course, like all devoted bloggers, he immediately wrote an article about it, as I knew he would. ;-) The article
We're expecting! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Poor Zoe! She's carrying around an extra four pounds (1.8 kg.). When you start with only eight pounds (3.6 kg.), that makes a big difference!I'm estimating we'll have pups sometime between Sunday and Friday. We can feel them kicking!
Garden renovation again, ho hum 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Before and after, Heliconia and Rhoeo spathacea;within 9 months this bed will be overflowing onto the sidewalk again.When I first started gardening in a temperate climate long ago, I remember someone telling me that new landscaping won't look it's best for three years. Major garden renovation isn't necessary for − what would you say? − 10-15-20 years. Unless, of course, you are like me and spend more time rearranging your plants than your furniture. Ginger, before thinning on right, after on leftIt's really only been two years since we first began planting our garden. Last year we trimmed, thinned, moved, and dug out a bunch of overgrown, invasive things. This year, here we are again, digging out an amazing amount of plant material because it is just so overgrown. This time we are being even more ruthless. It is incredible how fast things grow in the tropics! I just wish that I could find other gardeners to give some of these plants to. I've offered so many times, but peopl Read more:Garden
Cultural differences: Signals 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Pointing with the finger to give directions is common in North America. "It's over there on the table." "Turn left at that Texaco station." "Talk to the women over there in the red dress."Here in Honduras, many people point with their chin, as pointing with the finger, even at an inanimate object, seems to be considered rude. Accurate directions from points with a chin are just a little harder to decipher.In the USA wagging the index finger negatively at someone is usually reserved for teachers indicating a wrong answer or that someone has been a bad boy.It is also used in Honduras to indicate that the person disagrees or that they think you are wrong. However, wagging of the Honduran index finger usually is in response to questions like "Would you like some more coffee?" or "How about some dessert?" Sorry, but in this situation, "No, thanks" strikes me as much more polite. I'm still a little taken aback at this one and always feel like I've done something wrong. The other day, El Read more:Cultural
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Hand me that pick ax, I need to trim the roses 1970-01-01 00:59:59 DieffenbachiaYou gardeners would cringe if you could only see how plants are handled here in La Ceiba. I know I do all the time.We have had a worker here for a couple of weeks who is moving some plants for me. Frank has done some others and seemed to know a little bit about it so I felt comfortable to let him do his job.Mangled Etlingera rootsI just went out to check and found Frank using a pick ax to remove the plants! A pick ax! The plants barely have any roots left. Some of the tubers are mangled and shredded.A clump of Etlingera that I saved from the pick ax.When moving a plant, good gardeners generally dig around the plant leaving as big a root ball as possible so as not to damage too many roots. Then they cut underneath with a shovel and gently lift the plant, root ball and all.Here they cut off all the roots within one inch of the stem with a shovel and then pull it out of the ground. That is when they aren't using a pick ax. If it is a small plant, sometimes they just jerk it
La Gringa had a visitor today 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Honduran milk snakeWhen the workers found this snake, it was already dead. They think that the chickens killed it. My little chickies? I'm not sure about that, but maybe. After more than two hours of research, I'm proud to give you the name: Tangerine Honduran milk snake, Lampropeltis triangulum hondurensis. Imagine that − finding a Honduran milk snake in Honduras.I was mainly interested in whether or not it was venomous. It wasn't. Everyone always wants to kill every snake they find. I'm trying to convince them that not all snakes are bad but I'm not having much success.We found two snakes last year that I still haven't been able to identify. They were well over six feet long (2 m.) and at least 2 inches in diameter (5 cm.), black with thin yellowish vee-shaped markings. One of them was hiding in our garage. Needless to say, these both met the fate of the machete without too much arguing from me.
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