Technology, Trees, and Plato Tipico

Hello again,

Below are a couple photos from the weekend. The first is a photo of what they call the typical meal here in Honduras. Basically if Mama doesn't have any recipe she wants to make, she can always whip together this meal pretty quickly. The next photo is a view over the town from one of the organizations we are working with, followed by a pool in a local hotel, and the cute new puppy that lives at my house. 

"plato tipico"

The new puppy

Since we arrived on the weekend the students had a couple days to settle and adjust to their new homes. Meg and I spent most of the two days organizing, planning, and revisiting our group budget. So far everything is working out great. The entire group went to a pool on Sunday to cool down a bit, and we had our first group workshop to reflect on what we saw during our travels from San Pedro Sula to Copan Ruinas.

Some really good topics were brought up, including the contrast between our North American completion complex (coloured beige) and the seemingly colourful and spontaneous infrastructure here.  To be a bit clearer, picture a typical subdivision today where the trees are flattened and streets are named after them. Most of the houses are shades of neutral colours, property lines are distinct (often by a fence), and the house is not complete until every room is decorated just right on the inside. Contrast that with houses that seem to be blended in with natural greenery from the start, and often more greenery is planted later, houses that are regularly expanded by a room, or connected to the next house because the extended family lives there, and an overall aesthetic of what we might consider “incomplete.” I understand this response because I myself am a hyper organized person. However I am starting to recognize the beauty that exists in a different set-up.

In the conversation I was also reminded that technology is not neutral (see Jacques Ellul). A simple example is the creation of cars, and the expectation that they will take you from point A to point B. Thus in many places we continue to make cities more car friendly at the expense of other modes of transportation. I don’t intend on expanding on this point here, but it reminded me of a conversation I had with a good friend back home. At what point are we comfortable enough? In other words how much more “efficiency” and luxury is needed before we are satisfied? I have seen very clearly (as many others also have) people without most of the amenities we enjoy at home, and yet living a perfectly content life. Of course it makes sense that we will never be satisfied living inside the current mentality of perpetually striving for “better” with little or no cause, and this strikes me as man’s obsession with being his own god, Babylon style. What could possibly go wrong striving for greater, bigger, faster “things . . .?”

I am starting to regain some of my Spanish although for the most part I get frustrated with how much I have lost. Still, I have been able to do enough translating for the students, so that is a relief. It didn't take long for me to enjoy a Super Jugos fruit smoothie. They are simply the best. Actual fresh fruit that isn't doctored or transported far. In other words the oranges actually look splotchy greenish orange not highlight orange like in our supermarkets. The large fruit smoothie cost me 37Limps, or about $1.80.

We were welcomed by somewhat “cool” weather (I use that term loosely) but it is getting hotter every day. I believe last night it cooled down to 29 degrees. I hope you all enjoy these ramblings, and if you are interested in more you can check out the Huron University blog: http://dam-happenings.blogspot.com/

Hasta pronto