Cusuna

To start, the teachers strike is over and Tegucigalpa is a much safer place. No te preocupes mom J

I just got back from a 5 day trip to Cusuna, a small little village on the north coast of Honduras without electricity. They are a community from Africa who live a very different life from anything I’ve seen. I feel like I was in Africa the past week because everyone looked African and spoke Garífuna (Spanish too) and it was swelteringly hot.

The Bus ride to Cusuna was mas o menos 13 hours in a yellow school bus across flooded roads and around winding mountains. The girls slept in a house with bunkbeds, misquito nets and a bathroom while the guys slept in a different house on the floor with bug spray haha.

The first day we were there they people performed a presentation for us about their culture, which included awesome tribal dances and singing. It was all in Garífuna so we couldn’t understand anything. During the day I taught a bunch of the Garífunas how to play ultimate and we had a game on the beach. The ocean was crystal clear and full of gogos! (jellyfish) The kids followed us around everywhere and were hanging on us like crazy. We did a lot of swimming and playing fútbol with the Garífunas. During the night we had a bonfire on the beach, watched the stars, and had a big dance party by the fire where 2 guys played drums, the locals sang and everyone did this weird dance where you basically just shake your hips back and forth.

I saw tons of sweet animals like an iguana, tarantula, praying mantis, a million crabs, 2 scorpions, and a HUGE sea turtle; Our neighbors caught it and chopped it up for dinner. It was kind of shocking.

On Sunday we went to a church 30 minutes away by Lancha, which is a big canoe with a motor on the back. We went through a crazy river that apparently is filled with crocodiles at night. The service was pretty nuts. The people got super into the music and were shouting in Garífuna and dancing the whole time. We sang a few songs in English too where I got to play a drum and a turtle shell. It was sweet.

I really enjoyed the trip, especially learning about the people. The community was very content with what they have. No one owns any land, but they share gardens and use the land they live on but it doesn’t belong to them. A lot of trading goes on with food instead of purchasing with money. Although it was cool, I couldn’t live there. The poverty was pretty extreme. I saw a lot of emaciated kids that looked like they hadn’t eaten in a long time. No one owned clothes without holes in them and a lot of young kids only wore underwear. I’ve felt malnourished with the food I’ve been given here but it’s a ton more than anyone who lives here. When I go back to the states I'll definitely have a greater appreciation for everything.

A few more pictures...