Day one

We made it to the airport early and had to wait for them to open the check-in counters. We were accompanied by a group of young Asian children dressed in matching leopard print jackets. We all smiled at that one. 

Both plane rides were booked full but there were no screaming children and they were less than 3 hours long.  We had a short layover in Houston, and we were off to Honduras.

The famous landing at the Tegucigalpa airport did not disappoint.  We came in fast and close to the ground. We could see into people’s houses as the plane dipped over the mountain on the last turn of the descent.  Our fellow passengers cheered and clapped as the plane touched down and slowed without running off the end of the runway. 

The director of the program at Zamorano met us at the airport, and we headed through Tegucigalpa along the Panamericana Highway towards the University.

The weather is great. It was sunny today with a few large, puffy white clouds in the blue sky. There was a slight breeze which made the 85 degrees feel great!

We checked in to the hotel on campus, and while discussing plans for the week, we munched on fresh fruit from the market stand across the street; pineapple, papaya, melons, plums and even some carrots and tomatoes kept us busy while we made plans. 

We spent the afternoon touring the campus, talking about higher education in a rural valley and the potential conflicts between the university and the local communities.  There is so much going on here: projects, community relationships, social and economic changes, political influences etc.  It’s fascinating to see how it plays out in a day to day context.

After a quick dinner, and a short dip in the pool (I love swimming in March), we made our way back to the hotel and just relaxed, wrote in our journals, and discussed what we had seen and heard today.  The group is excited to be here and although tired after a long day of traveling, we are having a great time!