FAQ Part 2

Here's part two of my frequently asked questions. There will be a part three coming soon!

What is church like there compared to church here? Are there any major differences?

I’ve enjoyed church here, but it is a little bit different from my church in the states. Most noticeably, the service is in Spanish here. But the hardest part for me was not knowing any of the songs. At St. Michael’s by the Sea in California, we sing hymns with an organ. At Holy Spirit, we sing hymns/songs with a guitar and/or keyboard and a cymbal. I enjoy the songs, and I’m starting to learn the words but it is different than what I am used to. The format of the service is the same, since the Episcopal church uses the Book of Common Prayer to guide the services. So even though the words are in another language, I still know what’s going on. Plus, it helped me learn new words in Spanish since I already know the prayers in English.

Where do you do your shopping? What do you eat?

There’s a supermarket on the way out of town, Maxi Despensa, that has pretty much everything that I need. I take a taxi out there with one of the other teachers about once a week to get staples like rice, beans, milk, cereal, pasta, chicken, fish, household items, snacks, and some fruits and vegetables. There is a market one block over from my house where I shop at least once a week. It has a smaller selection than Maxi Despensa, but it’s perfect when I just need to run over and get one or two things. They have delicious freshly made corn tortillas and ice cream, too. I also get a lot of my fruits and veggies like potatoes, carrots, avocados, plantains, bananas, and lychees (while they’re in season) from street vendors downtown.

How do you prepare your food?

I live in a furnished apartment, which came with a lot of cooking utensils, so the way I prepare food hasn’t changed too much. My oven isn’t working, so I can’t bake anything, but I have a stove and a microwave. I eat a lot of chicken and fish with a lot of beans, rice and tortillas. Pasta is also cheap here, so I eat a lot of spaghetti. Sauce, however, is not very cheap, so I’m working on making a good marinara sauce from scratch. If you have any tips send them my way!

What’s the typical food like?

First off, Honduran food is not Mexican food. An enchilada is what we in California would refer to as a tostada. In Honduras, if you order a tostada you will probably get toast (which is what the word tostada actually means). The school cafeteria serves tostada francesa (French toast) about once a week. From what I’ve experienced, the most popular food in Honduras is the baleada. It’s a flour tortilla with beans and Honduran cheese folded in half. A lot of people eat baleadas with scrambled egg. You can also order it with avocado, chicken, meat – pretty much anything, and you can eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or any time in between. Another popular dish is tajadas, or fried plantains. They are often served as a side dish to fried chicken, but they are also served like nachos with a bunch of toppings on top.