By reh on 7/4/2008

July 4, 2008, Friday

5:30AM At Airport, in line. Already 15 people ahead of me and I can see why! Every stop, ticket counter, tax paying cashier, security #1 and #2, was long and slow. I don’t know if the congestion is due to the Teguci Airport closure or if this is SOP. At the gate in plenty of time but it was a very tedious morning.

By reh on 7/3/2008

July 3, 2008, Thursday

Dr. Avila’s contact never called; I’ll put UN visit on front of next trip, not on back.

8:30AM Called bus station, ticket to San Pedro Sula is Lps. 480. Since time is short and I can’t afford to get there to an already full bus, I took a cab to the bus station to buy a ticket. Actually, a good thing; most of the seats were already taken.

1:30PM Bus left on time and arrived in San Pedro Sula on time.

5:30PM Ask taxi driver for a secure/clean hotel near airport. He calls one that is full then recommends one. Like an idiot I said OK. Took me to a third rate hotel in the city center. No way! He took me to another just as bad. Clearly, he gets a cut for everyone he takes to these particular motels. I showed him one in a brochure by the airport and we went there. This motel/apartment complex reminds me of an old, rundown Best W ... Read More »

By reh on 7/2/2008

July 2, 2008, Wednesday

8:00AM Finished breakfast with Fernando and Jessica and headed back to Tegucigalpa for our meeting with our lawyer regarding Sigfredo’s letter.

11:30AM In Hotel Maya.

2:30PM Meeting with lawyer Ochoa. Good meeting; he is very thorough. He will get letter for Sigfredo to sign to Jessica tomorrow. Jessica will print the letter on L4L letterhead and set up meeting with Sigfredo.

3:30PM Jessica’s husband picked her up.
Still no word from the UN. Am out of time and must get to San Pedro Sula tomorrow for my flight home. I will set up meeting with Dr. Avila early in my next trip, rather than at the end. Am disappointed but remain confident that Dr. Avila will help us in its own time.
If Valle District was out of the way when the Teguci Airport was opened, it is much further out of the way now. For a ... Read More »

By reh on 7/1/2008

July 1, 2008, Tuesday

7:30AM Jessica and I headed south to Nacaomi.

9:30AM At Fernando’s house finishing up info to go with GPS map locations.

11:00AM Meeting with Roxana. Discussed her projects:
• Evaluate average grades prior to L4L and see if trends are developing.
• Work with Principals to write a monthly letter.
We talked till 12:30, Roxana understands what I want and seems enthusiastic; we’ll see.

2:00PM Drove out to look at school kitchen progress at Rincon.

3:00PM Need phone minutes so drove to Sal Lucas. Had dinner at my favorite fish restaurant. I took this opportunity to explain to Fernando and Jessica that we are very pleased with the way they are managing things and they should continue with every confidence that we are satisfied with their management. I asked if ... Read More »

By reh on 6/30/2008

June 30, 2008, Monday

10:00AM Jessica arrived in anticipation of our meeting with Sigfredo. We reviewed several historical facts, dates and details. Called Fernando for confirmation of a few items. The whole story:
At the very start Roxana did not understand the management function of an accountant. She was insulted by Sigfredo’s prying. On his part, by virtue of his position as a “Licencia” from Teguci, Sigfredo’s approach was pretty heavy handed. We hired Fernando who is also an accountant who studied in Teguci. Things improved but Sigfredo continued to beat the drums of probable corruption that he is trying to save us from. The original agreement with Sigfredo was that he provide two weeks of accounting services per month for $350 per month. This accounting service would include enough time in Valle District to assure that materials moved as per our management system and that all accounting is accurate and com ... Read More »

By reh on 6/30/2008

Honduras Operations
The infrastructure implemented in Honduras is operating very effectively and efficiently under the leadership of Fernando Cortez. He is absolutely the right individual to lead our in-country operations. On many occasions during my visit, he demonstrated his effectiveness in building and maintaining relationships with people, which is a critical skill in the oversight of our organization. Additionally, Fernando affirmed with his words and his actions that his mission is to protect the best interests of L4L as well as the well being of the kids in our program.

Additionally, Jessica Gonzalez, who often works as L4L’s in-country interpreter, has become an increasingly important person in our organization. She has a tenacious spirit and a skill for getting things done on behalf of L4L that might ordinarily take the U.S. management team a long time.

Kitchen Projects Read More »

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The Motorcycle Diary

By reh on 6/29/2008

June 29, 2008, Sunday

9:00AM Checked out of Hotel El Picacho. Too bad; large room with sitting/study area and small kitchenette, but no kitchen and no restaurants close by.

11:00AM In the Hotel Maya. Compiling notes and getting ready for next week. Finally got on internet. Set up meeting with Dr. Avila for tomorrow at 2:15PM and a meeting with Sigfredo at 11:00AM. Jessica will arrive at 10:00AM to review notes prior to meeting with Sigfredo. 

4:00PM End of day.

By reh on 6/28/2008

June 28, 2008, Saturday

8:30AM Checked out of motel and driving toward Teguci.
10:30AM Hotel El Picacho. Was told of this nice hotel on the other side of town that costs $75/night (+/-); this gets us back below $100/night. It’s on the road that leads to the US Ambassador’s residence and other very large houses compounds. The hotel is clean and secure with spacious rooms; kitchen opens at 6:30AM. The road goes up the mountain north of town with a spectacular view of Teguci. Signed in, went to room. Settled in, watched some CNN, world events haven’t changed over the last week. Went down for late lunch; kitchen is only opened for breakfast! No snack shop, no bar, just a hotel. I am told there is a “nice” restaurant around the corner; a short drive up the hill and, of course, many down the hill in the center of Teguci. I really don’t like driving in town so decided to go up the hill. This “nice” restaurant is a small ... Read More »

By reh on 6/27/2008

June 27, 2008, Friday

Took the day off. Went to Choluteca sightseeing. There are reasons it’s not on the lists of tourist attractions. Ate dinner at my favorite restaurant in San Lorenz. Took a nap.

By reh on 6/26/2008

June 26, 2008, Thursday

6:30AM Fernando and I took the GPS and went to each school, designated the school, and Fernando listed School name, Community name, Principal’s mane, number of teachers, and number of students. I will get that info to with coordinates to Hanan and have the website map updated and accurately labeled. Anyone that has been here knows the condition of the dirt roads and the distance between schools; even recognizing the correct designation of certain schools without driving all the way to them, this was still a full day’s job.
Stopped by the high school to pick up report cards of the two girls. We are 16 weeks into the school year. We were told that grades come out next week. It took a while but I finally got across that I wanted a copy of the report card for the previous term. The next part I couldn’t get so called Jessica. It seems that no report card was issued at the end of the first term; ... Read More »

By reh on 6/25/2008

June 25, 2008, Wednesday

6:00AM Fernando, Kristi, Jessica, I left for El Salvador International Airport.

9:30AM Having breakfast at a cafeteria within the airport compound. After breakfast, Kristi and Jessica walked over to the terminal to process baggage in, get boarding passes, then see if they can find pail of vitamins.

11:00AM I was going to go check up on Kristi when I met Jessica. A customs officer wanted documentation for transport of “medicine”. Vitamins are not regulated as “medicine” and there is no restriction on quantity, nor is there and documentation required. I know that from 4 years of transporting vitamins. The customs official was a kind of macho guy who had made a mistake. By the time I got there he had dug his heals in. He was insisting that Kristi take them back. There is no way that pail would find its way back to a plane from the customs side in one ... Read More »

By reh on 6/24/2008

June 24, 2008 Tuesday

8:00AM Fernando’s house for breakfast. Typical breakfast of refried beans, egg, sausage, cheese (salty), tortillas, coffee and juice. Fernando’s wife had left for work (owns a medical laboratory) so the maid served us.

9:00AM Explained that we want Fernando and Jessica to try to get the attention of various companies with US ownership that we have not been able to reach. These companies include Alcoa, 3 M Corporation, and Tabacolera CA (sub. of Philip Morris).
Went onto the internet and looked at the Honduras map we have installed on our website. We explained that each “push pin” represents a school. Each school can open to a page dedicated to that school. We want Fernando to get pictures, letters, other stuff for each school page and email to Hanan. After some discussion, it became clear that I had improperly named some schools. Fernando and I will re-do all scho ... Read More »

By reh on 6/23/2008

June 23, 2008, Monday

8:30AM Fernando, Kristi, Jessica, Roxana, and I were all congregated to motel restaurant waiting for Abierto Abrazo group.

9:30AM Abierto Abrazo group arrived (Kristi will compile names, titles). We split up into two groups. I went with one group, Kristi went with another. Each group went to two schools. I will let Kristi provide details as all schools are similar and my story would be very similar to Kristi’s. Fernando did an excellent job of coordinating the entire tour. When everything in a one-day tour as large as this one goes so smoothly that it seems effortless, you know someone put a lot into the coordination. Thank you, Fernando!

3:30PM At motel for summary meeting and late lunch/early dinner. Everyone agreed that the effort was worth the time and wants to continue to explore ways to work together for the benefit of the children.
Read More »

By reh on 6/22/2008

June 22, 2008, Sunday

8:15AM Jessica took a bus to Teguci last evening as she has a family reunion. Fernando arrived with a young lady (just graduated from high school this year) to interpret for us. Drove to El Amatillo to check on each of the 7th graders (I will keep today through noon Wednesday short as Kristi will critique these days). It seems that Fernando missed 3 days of bus ride and 2 days of lunch money during one of the months. When he came to set up for the next week the mother of Elsa Waldina Lazo Lemus (Waldina) asked for the back money. Fernando said the girls had gotten to school on their own and he wasn’t compelled to “make up payments’; and besides we expect the families to help (maybe the best approach, maybe not; but it was Fernando’s and I’m ok with it). About two days later, an older sister of Waldina’s called demanding the money “that was theirs” and accused Fernando of pocketing the money. We walked alo ... Read More »

By reh on 6/21/2008

June 21, 2008, Saturday

6:00AM Fernando, Jessica, and I headed for the San Salvador Airport. Long uneventful drive.

9:30AM Breakfast at the airport, waiting for Kristi’s 11:30 flight.

11:30AM Waiting in the area outside the customs door. 12:30; not too worried, an hour is common. 1:00PM, starting to worry. Finally, something after 1:00PM Kristi emerged, minus the vitamins. She had waited, not knowing when bags from her flight had all arrived then line a mile long at baggage claim window. We’ll pick the vitamins up when we bring her back on Wednesday. It was time to leave for Honduras if we are to get to the hotel before dark.

5:30PM Dinner at the hotel, sat on the veranda winding down.

8:00PM End of day.

By reh on 6/20/2008

June 20, 2008, Friday

7:30AM Drove out to look at the second school kitchen. Not the workmanship of the first (and third) kitchen but it is certainly functional. It seems that bats have already taken up residency. The principal is not concerned as the smoke from the kitchen fire drives them out each morning. I notice the droppings on the floor just below the main support beams (since then, I have noticed droppings on many school building floors; it seems that bats are a common nuisance). The space between the roof rafters that sit on the wall sill and the roof is left open on purpose so cooking smoke from the wood fire can escape. After a little thought, I told Fernando L4L would pay to put screens in this space in kitchens that we build to keep the bats out. It just seems that bat poop on the kitchen floor and all the critters that ride around on/in worm-blooded animals hanging from the beams probably isn’t real sanitary. < ... Read More »

By reh on 6/19/2008

June 19, 2008, Thursday

6:00AM Walked across a private overpass to the beach. Beach is black (sand is derived from volcanic rocks, not sandstone). Unfortunately, the beach is never cleaned so there are coconut hulls, pieces of Styrofoam, plastic bottles, old shoes, etc at the high water line. So much for pristine Pacific beaches.

8:15AM Waiting for Fernando to pick me up. The place is ok, but I won’t come back.

10:00AM Fernando arrived. We were headed back to El Amatillo by 10:00.

1:30PM Border crossing at El Amatillo. Central America border crossings have really been upgraded since my first trip 5.5 years ago. Now, once you process into any Central America country and pay the $10.00 fee, you can travel back and forth without re-processing. When we got to El Amatillo, all I had to do was pay a $3.00 fee for a 90 day pass to travel in/out of Hon ... Read More »

By reh on 6/18/2008

June 18, 2008, Wednesday

5:00AM At the Montgomery airport. Sealed 5 gallon pail of 25,000 children’s vitamins went thru inspection unopened (happens about 60% of the time; good luck, Kristi). Got to the gate at about 5:30 for a flight that should leave at 6:18AM. Marque said plane will leave at 8:30AM. That means I’ll miss my connecting flight out of Houston. Called Elise, she changed for 5:30PM flight out of Houston. Brought along Obama’s book “The Audacity of Hope” (regardless of my sensibilities, I might as well know how our next President thinks) thinking I could read a few chapters during interminably dull evenings in the compound. Read 80% in airports between 5:30AM and 5:30 PM.

8:45PM Thru customs. Both bags arrived! All is good. Got a cab and drove 3 or 4 minutes up the road to a Quality Inn. It is full. Next nearest clean and secure hotel is 30 miles away on a Pacific beach. Fairly nice hot ... Read More »

By reh on 4/15/2008

April 15, 2008, Tuesday

7:15AM Breakfast at the Maya with Dr. Avila. After preliminaries that included an update on Dr. Avila’s (he is becoming more involved in academia and expects to be appointed as the rector-our version of dean-of the Honduras University system) travels and on L4L, I explained that L4L needs a more stable financial base. I explained that I only know about the United Nations and the World Bank what I read in the news magazines but want to approach one of them for a grant. I know that, while the paperwork is important and applying with the right department within the organizations in important, presenting the proposal to the right person is most important. I understand the process will take time; my goal is to have results within a year, not within months. I would like Dr. Avila to coach me over the next year on the best approach. His reaction was instant and enthusiastic. He will talk to people today, when ... Read More »

By reh on 4/14/2008

April 14, 2008, Monday

7:30AM On the road to Teguci.

9:30AM Calles Dr. Avilea. No answer. A little later, Jessica called to tell me that Fernando had called; the interview wasn’t taped. While on the line, she told me this is a national holiday so all businesses are closed. Am sure Dr. Avilea wasn’t thinking of the holiday. Guess I’ll miss him this time.

Am still not sure how to gauge “success”. If success is completing “to do” items that prompted the trip, than this certainly was not a success; as it turns out, most trips are not. If success is keeping the program moving along, than this was a successful trip. Possibly, another way to gauge success is by cost effectiveness. I suppose time will tell if we derive value for time and dollars spent.
Clark always counsels patience. I guess I would say that has been my mantra during this entire trip. Some part of p ... Read More »

By reh on 4/13/2008

April 13, 2008, Sunday

9:00AM Fernando at the motel. Jessica called, on the way from Teguci their pickup had a flat. They are only 10 minutes north of Nacaomi so Fernando and I drove to the pickup, loaded the tire in the trunk and Jessica, husband and 2 kids in car. Stopped at tire repair shop on the way back to Nacaomi and left the tire, husband and kids ant went back to check on Roxana. She had not arrived and said she couldn’t make it. Drove to T.V. station but we were at the transmission location; the recording studio is on the other side of town. Fortunate Nacaomi is not a large town. Walked in studio at minutes before 10:00AM.
The studio is a square room approximately 15x15feet. A long table with a rounded front side sits far enough from the wall that 4 captain’s chairs can fit between the table and the back wall. There are 2 couches along the wall with the door; these are all out of the view of the camera ... Read More »

By reh on 4/12/2008

April 12, 2008, Saturday

8:00AM Fernando came by. Drove to El Amatillo. Roxana has classes but Suyen went with us.
9:00AM Dr. Castillo and assistant arrived. First school was Andrea Ganzales (Roxana’s school). Kida, teachers, parents waiting. Dr. set up one person to take names and one to give pills. It took about 3 minutes to realize that we would be there all morning with all the kids that shows up; students, kids too young for school, and post 6th grade. I suggested we set up two lines. Even with 2 lines, it took almost two hours to accommodate everyone. The response to this type of effort is pretty impressive; the parents know the importance and really come forth when the opportunity is presented.
Dr. Castillo insists on making these events a party so the children will see the event as a positive, party type of event so passes out a lollypop (bomba) to every kid and brings a piñata. We knew ... Read More »

By reh on 4/11/2008

April 11, 2008, Friday

8:00AM Packing, setting agenda for next few days.
9:00AM Call from Dr. Avila, we will have lunch Monday. We will confirm place at 11:00 Monday.
11:00AM Headed for Nacaomi. Lots of traffic through Teguci.
2:00PM In motel in Nacaomi.
3:30PM Fernando came by and we discussed coming events.
5:00PM End of day.

By reh on 4/10/2008

April 10, 2008, Thursday

8:30AM Call from Rosibel Ramirez asking if we can meet at 1:00PM (of course we can)
10:00AM Fernando’s reporter friend’s name is Luis Rodrigoez. He is the financial reporter for El Heraldo (El Heraldo is written for a more educated audience-like the Wall Street Journal) – I’m impressed. We were received cordially by Mr. Cuevas and started by talking in the receiving room while standing. I started by explaining that I know he cannot do a follow-up at present and that human interest stories are fillers to be worked on when time permits; I simply wanted to stop by as a reminder to keep us on his list for future stories. I think he really appreciated that I wasn’t trying to push for immediate results. I, then, explained that the young lady in the US who did the story is very young and inexperienced. As a result she did a story about a little girl; we are feeding 1000 students at 14 schools an ... Read More »

By reh on 4/9/2008

April 9, 2008, Wednesday

9:00AM Not a good day. Jessica explained to me that the AP reporter really doesn’t want to see us.
Called Alcoa, the receptionist said Ms. Paz is in a meeting; same answer Jessica has been getting for 2 weeks.
Called 3-M, the receptionist won’t even tell us who we should talk to.
Called Tabacalera Centroamericana (Philip Morris subsidiary), the person we must talk to “is not in”; same answer Jessica has been getting for a week.
Called Ms. Ramirez (VP’s wife’s secretary) she will check Mrs. Santo’s schedule and call back; I think she will.
Called Dr. Avila’s office. He is in Venezuelans this week but his secretary will check his schedule for Monday or Tuesday of next week; we’ll see.
All in all, not a good morning.
On the road to Teguci by 11:00AM
2:00PM Signed into Maya. Took notes, relaxed. ... Read More »

By reh on 4/8/2008

April 8, 2008, Tuesday

8:00AM A continued search for schools that can best present and explain the L4L program. Drove to 3 de Octubre. New principal (only on the job for a week). He Robinson Cruiz and the other teacher, Ms. Maya, who has been there since the program began, are very capable of coordinating a visit. While this is the best school, the roads in are very long and in very poor condition.
11:00AM Stopped by Rincon and saw Anabel. She has grown much taller and looks to be in good health. I was surprised how glad she was to see me and how easily she talked with me. She has matured a lot; she asked about Elise and attends school regularly. She said she is living with one of her sisters and she is very happy. I said that possibly she could go to lunch with us one day soon. She explained that we would have to go by her sister’s house and get permission (remember, this is the same girl who came and went at wi ... Read More »

By reh on 4/7/2008

April 7, 2008, Monday

7:00AM In anticipation of reporters, contributors, other entities wanting to review our program, we will review 3 schools that we think represent the program; criteria: principal that can communicate well. Drove to El Coyolar and talked with principal Anabel Lazo. We walked through one of the poorer areas. The principal is very outgoing and can explain the L4L benefits. Drove to Los Almendros, principal is Aracely Gonzales Calix. Principal is not outgoing and will not present the program well.
Drove to La Pena #1, Principal is Celina Cruz. Principal is outgoing and can explain the project well. 1:00PM These schools are quite a distance apart on bad dirt roads. We left at 7:00 and didn’t return to the motel till 1:00. Jessica was waiting so went to San Rorenz for fried fish dinner.
3:00PM At motel. Tried to call Alcoa Valesquez, 3M, Phillip Morris. No luck.
Fernand ... Read More »

By reh on 4/6/2008

April 6, 2008, Sunday

4:30AM Courtesy van ride to airport. Even with pre-printed boarding pass, I had to use kiosk for baggage ticket (which gave me another boarding pass!). Uneventful flight to Houstin. Uneventful flight to Teguci; plane half full – first time I’ve seen such an empty plane on any Teguci flight. Immigrations took no time, bag arrived with flight, right through customs. Nobody at Avis so wasted a bunch of time there. On the road to Nacaomi by 12:30PM
3:00PM Checked in at motel in Nacaomi. Fernando came by about 4:00. We simply discussed events of next couple of days.
5:00PM Dinner at a restaurant that is a patio on the second floor of a downtown bank. Beautiful view of downtown plaza, nice corner breeze, clean dining area. Mediocre food.
7:00PM End of day.

By reh on 4/6/2008

April 6, 2008, Sunday

4:30AM Courtesy van ride to airport. Even with pre-printed boarding pass, I had to use kiosk for baggage ticket (which gave me another boarding pass!). Uneventful flight to Houstin. Uneventful flight to Teguci; plane half full – first time I’ve seen such an empty plane on any Teguci flight. Immigrations took no time, bag arrived with flight, right through customs. Nobody at Avis so wasted a bunch of time there. On the road to Nacaomi by 12:30PM
3:00PM Checked in at motel in Nacaomi. Fernando came by about 4:00. We simply discussed events of next couple of days.
5:00PM Dinner at a restaurant that is a patio on the second floor of a downtown bank. Beautiful view of downtown plaza, nice corner breeze, clean dining area. Mediocre food.
7:00PM End of day.

By reh on 4/5/2008

April 5, 2008, Saturday

4:00PM Birmingham Holiday Inn. Overcast all the way, raining most of the way.

By reh on 3/2/2008

March 2, 2008 (Sunday)

9:30AM Bags packed. Waiting for taxi.
1:20PM Uneventful flight
9:00PM Home, end of trip.

By reh on 3/1/2008

March 1, 2008 (Saturday)

Worked on notes. Packed pottery. Jorge brought by coffee. Admin stuff. Ate dinner at a new place with great food and patio with pleasant ambiance except the music is lousy. Ended day early.

By reh on 2/29/2008

February 29, 2008 (Friday)

8:00AM It seems that, somehow, the Alcalde Valesquez, felt that he was uninvited to the school kitchen meeting, yesterday. Fernando and I, both, told him and remember hearing the other. Who knows? However; we set out to find him to clear up this minor misunderstanding before I head for Teguci., and the US. We may or may not find him but he will know we were looking.
As it turns out, he was coming along the dirt road from Goascoran as we were going in. Mr. Valosquez’s enunciation is very hard for me to understand but it was clear that he felt he had not been invited. Within 15 minutes we were all on the same page again.
He asked when I was leaving for Teguci. I said I was leaving as soon as I check out of the motel. He asked if he could ride along (it seems that his vehicle is in the Nisson shop in Teguci. and is ready for pick up. I said I would welcome his company.
Read More »

By reh on 2/28/2008

February 28, 2008 (Thursday)

9:00AM Fernando and I went by Mr. Ochoa’s office. This is the first time I have seen him since we received our registration documents (if you recall, he was not invited to our meetings with Dr. Avila and Director Carlos Berganza when we actually received the signed documents). I wanted him to know that I understand all of the setup/behind-the-scenes work he did during the previous 2 months so that the final papers could be brought forward during our one hour-meeting last week. I also asked that Mr. Ochoa set up the paperwork to officially change the L4L Person of Record in Honduras to Fernando. Mr. Ochoa prepared these documents while Fernando and I completed some chores (among the chores is ordering an official L4L rubber stamp; it seems that every corporate check must be signed by an authorized person and stamped with an official corporate seal-don’t ask me, I just follow the rules).
... Read More »

By reh on 2/27/2008

February 27, 2008 (Wednesday)

“Patience is a bitter tree that bears sweet fruit.”

You thought that, since we are successfully registered in Honduras, we could simply walk a bank in and open a checking accouter, didn’t you? Wrong!

8:30AM Fernando, Jessica, and I walk into the bank and explain that we want to open a checking account in the (registered) name of L4L with Fernando and me as authorized signatures to the account. The bank manager asked who is listed in the registration and Fernando said “Roxana”. The manager said Roxana must write a letter authorizing Fernando. I said (possibly in a direct way), “that’s not correct, the Registration documents speak for the Corporation, not for one individual. Suppose Roxana gets run over by a train, then what? (all thought the train metaphor was amusing, possibly because there are no more trains in Honduras)” The manager said “N ... Read More »

By reh on 2/26/2008

February 26, 2008 (Tuesday)

8:00PM Checked out of Marriott – there has to be a better (less expensive) option.
8:45PM Jessica arrived and we headed south.
11:00PM In Nacaome, signed in motel, ate lunch.
1:30PM Principals start showing up.
2:00PM Fernando had arranged for a local doctor to explain the importance of the daily vitamin. The Dr. Juan Pablo Cerrato took an entire hour to explain the inter-reaction between each vitamin in the daily multiple-vitamin, including natural foods that contain the vitamin! Fortunately, he is a good speaker and everyone was interested. As I have mentioned in the past, meetings are events and long talks are enjoyed by all. Actually, I had little new to relay; just wanted to get everyone together for a meal.
I thanked the principals for all they do for the lunch program, explaining that all involved with L4L understand that t ... Read More »

By reh on 2/25/2008

February 25, 2008 (Monday)

9:00AM At the gate of the guard house of the V. President’s house. Jessica explained that we were here for a meeting with the V.P.’s wife, Becky de Santo at 9:30. The guard checked his records and signaled us in. No metal detector, bag search; nothing. Receptionist showed us unto a very pleasantly appointed, fairly large sitting room.

Kristi: The next part is a narrative of the meeting. Please read because by the end of the meeting I volunteered you to coordinate a joint effort with the V.P.’s office and L4L. We will talk a great deal about this coordinated effort among ourselves and, hopefully sooner than later, you will be down here working with the V.P.’s wife, Becky de Santos and her secretary, Rosibel Ramirez, putting this together.
The V. President: Elvin Santos
The V.P.’s Wife: Becky ... Read More »

By reh on 2/24/2008

February 24, 2008 (Sunday)

8:00AM Drove to Teguci. Marriott. Stopped on the edge of town and had a taxi driver guide me through Teguci. to the Marriott. Paid taxi $5.00. Kept the rental car just in case we do see the V.P. at 10:30AM on Tuesday, February 26, 2008. After that meeting we will have to make a mad dash to Nacaome for the principal’s meeting at 2:00PM.
11:00AM Am still trying to establish a corporate account with the Marriott. Nobody can do anything on Sunday. Believe it or not, I ironed my shirts (very wrinkled from traveling) and other mundane chores.
6:30PM walked across the street for some papuces.

By reh on 2/23/2008

February 23, 2008 (Saturday)

Note: Yesterday, after our conversation with Roxana, I invited her to join us for lunch at the seafood restaurant in San Lorenz. She insisted that we stay for lunch; Zareth is cooking and expects us to stay. I said I would be glad to but she will have to go to lunch with Fernando and me tomorrow. This is tomorrow so am marking time till lunch.
8:00AM Drove out to the place that makes Linka Indian pottery to check out her stock. Set aside a few pieces to pick up next Wednesday.
9:30AM Working on expense account; as usual, my receipt keeping is failing me.
11:00AM Fernando, Roxana, Suyen, and I were on our way for fried fish in San Lorenz. One of my favorite places to eat.
1:30PM At an internet café attempting to send scanned copy of the scanned Honduras Registration material and Trip Log through yesterday. Not sure how successful we were. ... Read More »

By reh on 2/22/2008

February 22, 2008 (Friday)

5:30AM Received email but still can’t send. Very frustrating; I am mad at myself every time I waste time with the internet. It seems that everyone has the latest gadgets and they all work…almost.
7:30AM While checking out I talked with a “business manager” about a corporate rate. He will do some figuring and will send me an email (that I may get some day). Maya has gradually crept up from $64 to $90 and their service is not what (I think) it should be. If the Marriott comes close, will stay here. We really don’t need this many creature comforts but the cost of next-best is so close and we’re not staying at also-ran places; not in Honduras. More as details drift in; the long-and-short of it is that we will be close to $100 in Teguci to maintain a prudent level security and cleanliness.
9:00AM Airport, Avis rental car, on my way to Nacaome.
11:15AM In the motel ... Read More »

By reh on 2/20/2008

February 20, 2008 (Wednesday)

8:00AM Fernando met Jessica and me at the motel. Still no word from the Mayor Antonio Valosquez. We decided to ride out to the Mayer’s office in Goascoran. If we cannot find the Mayor, at least he will know we are serious about seeing him. He was not at his office so decided to check on Elsa Lazo so Fernando could show her to the cafeteria cook. Pictures of the high school and cafeteria to follow. We met Ms. Canas who explained that Elsa and her mother arrived as scheduled. Elsa was assigned to a class but she was very uncomfortable because she thought the class was all rich kids (actually, none of the kids were from El Amatillo so she knew nobody) so she was reassigned to the class where Helda is assigned and all is well. When Fernando summonsed Elsa to meet the cafeteria cook, both girls came and they both looked very comfortable in their new environment.
9:30AM Decided to drive to ... Read More »

By reh on 2/20/2008

February 21, 2008 (Thursday)

7:00AM Breakfast with Jorge Lineras.
8:30AM The events of yesterday got ahead of me. I didn’t expect to walk out with our registration papers in hand. I was going to use the day knocking on doors of friends and officials that Roxana, Fernando, or I had contacted over the last 3 months. Instead we simply called most of them to thank them for their (real or perceived) assistance.
Also, tied up a bunch of loose ends; turned in rental car junker, mover to Marriott (not cheap but not $200 per night either).
3:00PM Making notes, resting up. The Marriott has wireless internet but, guess what, the internet provider is having trouble. I really want to get copies of our Honduras Registration documents in the hands of others as the originals will travel with me for 10 days and that’s not a good thing.
It turns out that Roxana is really upset because we c ... Read More »

By reh on 2/19/2008

February 19, 2008 (Tuesday)

Drove to Policarpo Paz Garcia elementary school, Principal’s name is Mrs. Sory Ilbea Rivera The children cleaned the school rooms yesterday are cleaning up the school yard today (beginning of the school year activity). Kitchen is ready. The principal already had a preliminary meeting with mothers to set up cooking schedule and will have her annual meeting with all parents this afternoon. We were invited but I think she was being polite; this is her meeting with the parents.
Mrs. Ilbea asked if we could supply half of the cement to build a wash basin for the kitchen. The families will provide sand and labor. Half the cement necessary is left over from the kitchen job. The cost of the cement will be $40. I told the Principal I would think about it. Later, I told Fernando to provide the cement. Always a very pleasant visit to this school.
Meeting with Alcalde is off so we we ... Read More »

By reh on 2/18/2008

February 18, 2008 (Monday)

7:00AM Breakfast
7:30AM Jessica arrived in anticipation of the rental car. We made several call