Mack's 2010 Trip #6 – Children's Day at Zizima

A post from Mack:
After changing into swim clothes, we started out the day playing on rings in the wave pool. I think that was the favorite activity for all of our kids, and they probably would've been happy staying there all day. The wave machine was turned on occasionally to add excitement, and about every 15 minutes, a big barrel filled with water and dumped down onto the heads of the children waiting eagerly below. (You can see it in action in the background of the photo of Victor's three boys)

Our "camp" was set up in the shade near the wave pool, where the mothers sat in chairs and guarded our stuff. We would return there for drinks, breaks from play, and (in my case) to switch out camera batteries. All was well until we tried to venture forth into other portions of the park.

I was afraid that my older kids were getting bored in the wave pool, so I petitioned the group to relocate to the slide area. Chaos ensued at that point … well, for me, anyway. I wanted to go down the water slides with my boys, but I also wanted to be on hand to document every moment of our park experience on film*. This task turned ugly, because now everyone was scattered hither and yon. Most of our group members were engaged in the cycle of zooming down a slide, then hiking back to the top to go again (happily, the lines to ride were nowhere near as bad as they get in the U.S.). But the slides were too scary for some of the younger kids, so Sam and Darwin disappeared into the kiddie area and Victor took Carlos on a float around the circular "river". Somewhere during all of this, little Wilmer was discovered missing. An immediate hunt took place, and he was quickly located playing by himself in "Laguna de los Micos". (I have looked up the Spanish translation of "micos" and have learned that it means either a long-tailed monkey or the external parts of a woman's genitals. I assume the park was aiming for the former definition, because their mascot is a monkey.)

*I should mention that I was using my scuba diving camera, so I was free to frolic in the water and take endless photos all at the same time.

We re-grouped and returned to the wave pool, while Victor went to order lunch for everyone. This was where the park's over-population problem really hit us. The line to order food was long, and the line to pick it up even longer. Eventually, though, we were all seated with our drinks and chicken boxes. Ick. At least it was inexpensive chicken, as I heard Victor saying that the bill for feeding 23 people was only $60. Sixty is the magic number at Zizima, I guess.

After lunch, I brought out about eight inflatable beach balls for the kids to toss around. First, they had to be inflated, which proved to be a difficult task. Jonathan was able to blow his up right away, and Axel eventually managed one. I'm not sure how the rest got done, but the kids had a really great time once the balls were round and ready to go! The older ones showed off their soccer moves, while the little ones just knocked 'em all over the place. At 15 cents each (on a post-summer bargain table), the beach balls were well worth the money I spent!

The kids were allowed to play for probably longer than they should've been … but all too soon, we were told it was time to leave …

To be continued …

Mack's 2010 Trip #6 – Children's Day at Zizima

A post from Mack:

Before we get started, here's a quick review of our group's Honduran sponsored kids …

I sponsor two boys: Jonathan and Wilson

Victor sponsors three boys: Axel, Carlos, and Wilmer (not to be confused with Wilmer in Guatemala).

Sam sponsors one boy: Darwin

Joining us on our day out would be a mother/relative for each child, plus a collection of siblings. I only know the names/ages of my own kids' sibs, but here's the breakdown:

Jonathan = One brother, Jimi (17)

Wilson/Axel = Two sisters, Sayda (13) and Soreli (9)

Carlos = One brother (13?)

Wilmer = One sister (7-ish) + one cousin (11-ish)

Darwin = One sister (teenager)

Our CI hostesses were Irene (the sponsor relations director) and Miriam, one of the women who accompanied us on our mall trip in 2009. Jessica, our other 2009 hostess, could not join us this year because she is expecting a baby, but I got to see her during my visit to the SPS headquarters.

We arranged to meet the CI reps and our children at the Zizima Water Park entrance at 10 am. This allowed me plenty of time in the morning to slather my entire body in ridiculous-looking white sunscreen. At about 9:30, we loaded the back of a taxi with gifts galore and headed to the park.

When we arrived, there was a line-up about a half mile long waiting to get inside. This was surprising, as the park had been practically empty when Victor took the boys in January. We'd expected a better turnout this time around, but nothing like the crowd that milled before us!

While Sam and I waited with all the stuff, Victor took a look around to see if the CI vans had arrived. They had, and he was actually able to spot our group amongst the masses. Fortunately for us, the mothers had staked out a position near the front of the queue waiting to enter the park. The only thing we lacked were our tickets, which I planned to pay for with my credit card. Irene went with me, and together we schemed to lie to the ticket agent about the number of people in our party – claiming that we had MORE, not less! We needed to purchase entry tickets for 23 people, but if we'd had 25, we would pay half-price for everyone. It wasn't entirely a lie when we told the park employee that we were a group of 25 … we simply bought tickets for the two van drivers, even though they had no desire to come with us into the park. With the discount, the total for everyone's tickets came to about $60.

To explain the crowds, Irene told us, "It's Children's Day in Honduras, of course. That's why you came today, right?"

We had to admit that we had no clue about the significance of the day we'd selected for our visit. It was complete dumb luck. Besides, I wasn't entirely sure we were lucky to be sharing the park with so many other guests. With the place so packed, it was difficult for us all to stay together and do things as a group. On the other hand, Victor thought that this second visit to Zizima was better than the one back in January. All park activities were in full swing and there was plenty to do. The other time, the staff had been reluctant to even turn on the water slides for such a small number of guests, and only one restaurant had been open.

To be continued...

Mack & Victor's Honduras Trip Part 7

CI Day, Part 7 – Lunch at the Mall Food Court:

With all the kids and moms finally gathered, our caravan headed for the Megaplaza mall in El Progresso. As we went inside, Victor was holding the hands of his two small boys, so somebody (I think one of the CI reps) decided that I should be holding hands with my own two. I'm sure that my teenager and near-teenager felt a little silly walking like this, but they were amiable enough about the idea. Connor took a picture of us, but it came out blurry since he never holds still while he uses a camera. He learned about photography on the run from the Jim Carey movie "Yes Man".
I felt a little self-conscious myself about the hand-holding, so I was glad when we quickly arrived at the food court. It seemed the ideal place for lunch, since we had so many people who may want to eat different things. However (and with no prompting from me), the kids unanimously chose Pizza Hut - the company I work for.
Victor and I ordered "meal deals" of large pizzas + two liter bottles of pop, which were surprisingly cheap. We all sat down at a table to wait for the food to come, which gave me an opportunity to try out my Spanish skills while asking Jon and Wilson a few questions about themselves. Apparently, I suck at the language, and all I got out of them were shrugs and embarrassed smiles. I resorted to using the translator, but the boys still treated my inquiries as a potentially hostile interrogation. Victor was having a much easier time of things, and was probably thinking up better questions to ask, but I'll let him tell you more about that!
The pizzas came, and everyone dove in with enthusiasm … except me, of course, since I don't much like Pizza Hut food anymore … I was pining for those tamales that were spoiling out in the van. I don't know how often these kids had an opportunity to eat pizza, but they really seemed to love the stuff. Watching them eat reminded me of how my young friends in Pakistan always begged me to take them to Pizza Hut - which was the height of fine dining in Karachi at the time. Once we were there, my Pakistani guests were disappointed and only picked politely at their food. If your culture is not one that customarily consumes cheese, the stringy substance can be a very strange and icky thing to chew on! Apparently, Hondurans eat enough cheese so as not to find it 'weird'.
When we finished all the food, I ran back to the booth and got crazy paper hats for all the kids to put on so we could take pictures in front of the restaurant (I collect Pizza Hut photos from different countries). Looking back through our photos, I see that Carlos took his hat off right away, Axel had his off and on, but Jon and Wilson kept their silly hats on for the rest of the day. I wonder … did the boys think I wanted them to wear the hats, so were indulging me? Did they forget they even had them on? Or were the flimsy mementos of their lunch actually special to these kids who have so little of their own?
Victor's Thoughts: I had said that I wanted to take the kids shopping; I am assuming that the CI people took us to this nice mall because it's not the sort of place these kids would ordinarily get to shop in. As Mack has said, it wasn't the cheapest place in the world, but I think they just wanted the experience rather than a bunch more stuff. As the boys were walking in, Axel, in particular, was staring into the various store windows fascinated.
I was ready for the kids to eat wherever they wanted at the food court and expected to have to hop from place to place paying, but I think the CI reps and the Mums realized it would make sense to all eat at the same place and pizza was a popular choice. I had my two kids on either side of me and a translator directly opposite, so it was very easy to talk to them and they were quite comfortable. To me the key was to take it slow; rather than an endless stream of questions, just ask one every so often and talk to the translators a lot. They had lots of useful information.
After lunch, well, I'll do any number of goofy things, but putting on those Pizza Hut hats was not one of them. I would have had to have taken off my glasses and I'm as blind as a bat without them!

Victor and Mack's Trip to Honduras Part 6

(Bathroom)


(house pet)

CI Day, Part 6 – Wilson and Axel's Home:
Wilson’s family had the most primitive living arrangements of the three homes we visited, but they were the proudest, and most eager to show off their house. The home consisted of two one-room structures separated by a courtyard area containing a large wash basin – almost big enough to qualify as an outdoor pool!
The room furthest back seemed to be the primary living area, in which I counted three beds. Not enough, really, for so many people, but I don’t know where they would even put any more! I didn’t notice a whole lot about the inside of the home, so I hope Victor can supply better details in his comments. I do recall noting that “Axel’s bed” – the one Victor had sent money to buy – had a lot of girly toys along one side. Either the kid sleeps with his sisters, or he’s man enough not to be ashamed of playing with dolls!
I’m all about the animals, so what interested me the most about Wilson’s and Axel’s house was their pets. They have a very nice – if irritable – aquatic turtle, and also a pet bunny rabbit. There were chickens and a duck that wandered in and around the house, just as it should be with pets you probably intend to eat someday. You want to know where they’ve been!
Wilson’s grandmother was a very gracious host, and she insisted on cooking us up a batch of fish tamales. Unfortunately, we did not wish to spoil our appetites because taking the kids out to eat was one of the top things on our agenda. Also, we had spent more time at Axel and Wilson’s house than anywhere else, and we were anxious to get on with our expedition. The grandmother packaged up our tamales to go, and we took them along with us for later. Of course, they weren’t safe to eat for dinner after sweltering in the back of a hot SUV for six hours … but I had one that night, anyway, since Grandma had gone through so much trouble. It was pretty good!
Victor's Thoughts: Axel's mother told me that one bed was for Axel, one was for Wilson and that she and the three girls slept in the other. I'm sure that's not the case; it's probably that since a bed was one of the things Axel got from a special gift I sent down she was probably worried what I would think if he still had to share a bed. Of course I wouldn't care; I would only be upset if he still had to sleep on the floor or something. My guess is that Axel and Wilson are in one bed, the two older girls in the other and then the toddler with Mom.
I had given Axel a picture of myself in a frame, and as before with Carlos, his mother put it up by the TV. She also showed me some other (unframed) pictures of some of Axel's uncles that she had up on the wall. None of his missing father, though. The house was also the least organized of the three but I suspect that has to do with the fact that they have very little places to put things. Not much in the way of drawers and shelves.
I knew that Granny wanted to play host some more, but we had to get on the road. Also, despite living in an island nation, I'm not all that keen on the taste of fish but I would have had to choke it down and smile if everyone else had started eating the tamales.

Victor and Mack's trip to Honduras Part 5

At Wilson and Axel’s place, we weren’t offered drinks – they were automatically provided in the form of glasses filled with warm Pepsi. While the family’s generosity was appreciated, I was at a loss about what to do with my drink. I needed my hands to carry and distribute the gift bags I’d brought, and there was no good place in the front yard to set my glass down. The best option seemed to be drinking the stuff quickly, except I can’t stand cola. I honestly don’t know what happened to my Pepsi. I might have set it down on a rock and ‘forgotten’ it, or maybe I handed the glass to my mom (who hates cola even more passionately than I do)? In any case, I was less focused on the pop than on the awkwardness of passing out gifts to the kids.
Axel had quite an audience for the presentation of his presents from Victor. In his front “yard” (made of dirt), there were siblings, cousins, a bunch of random adults, plus the other sponsored kids and their mothers, who were watching the proceedings from just outside the fence. Axel accepted his gifts with the same enthusiasm as Carlos had, but, again, the older Wilson seemed more embarrassed about the spectacle and didn’t want to look inside the backpack of goodies I’d brought for him. I cut him some slack and skipped straight to the bag of soccer gear, which was particularly special because everything had the brand name “Wilson” emblazoned across it.
I had brought my own bag of things for Axel, along with tons of stuff for Wilson’s sisters (the two I’d known about, anyway). I felt bad about Jonathan seeing me give these things to the siblings of my ‘other’ sponsored child, because I hadn’t brought anything at all for his two older brothers. The reason for this was simply that I had no idea what teenage boys in Honduras want/need, and it’s super easy to shop for little girls – teddy bears, coloring books, and My Little Pony. I had brought identical gift baskets for the two mothers, so everything was even in that regard, at least.
I also felt bad that there were so many kids around the place who weren’t getting any presents. I’d tried so hard to make sure nobody would be left out! Luckily, I had brought over 200 candy canes along on the trip, so I had SOMETHING, at least, to pass out to the others.
My gift-giving inadequacy problems were solved – somewhat - because Axel and his sisters did not open their gift bags outside in the presence of everyone. The bags were whisked off to the back of the house, where the cousins and Wendy’s youngest sister were able to help explore the contents and share in the Christmas-like atmosphere. Also, Jonathan and his mother were not able to see how much I’d brought for Wilson’s siblings.
Victor's Thoughts: I wound up drinking Mack's coke; her mother passed it on to me. The logistics of handing out the presents were a bit tricky. I decided right away I didn't care about diplomacy; I'd brought presents for my sponsored child and I was realistic enough to know that probably all the kids around would get a chance to play with Axel's toys. One of the things I'd gotten was a pack of four nice water guns, so I was counting on there being other boys for him to play with. One of the translators came to help me; setting up a chair for Axel to pile the clothes on after viewing them. He showed equal enthusiasm about the clothes as he did to the toys in fact. Probably my most poignant moment on the whole trip was after I had presented all this stuff to Axel, he turned and whispered something to the translator. She then told me what he'd said; that he couldn't believe that all that stuff was for him. That more than anything else brought home to me what sponsorship can mean for a child who has really never had opportunities to own much that is nice and new. When he hugged me, I thought he was going to break my neck!
I sort of felt a little bad that Wilson didn't show as much enthusiasm as his brother had, but that's just the difference in ages again.

Victor & Mack's Trip to Honduras Part 4

CI Day, Part 4 – Meet Wilson and Axel's Family:

Our last home visit was at Wilson and Axel's house. We drove up and up into the hills on a rutted dirt road. The view out over the valley was breathtaking! The area should have been prime real estate, but the only homes around were tiny and run down. The road to Wilson's house was inaccessible to cars, so we parked where it ended and walked further down. Because it would be too hot to wait out in the sun, the other sponsor kids/parents came to the house with us.

It was immediately evident to Victor and me that this family is needier than Carlos' and Jonathan's (which is good to know). Their house is merely a two-room shack made of wooden slates and sheets of tin. There were kids swarming around everywhere! I never did sort them all out, and learn all their names, but I think I've figured out which 11 actually live in the house + which were visiting relatives.

From what I gathered (and I could be wrong, lol), these are the household members:

Wendy (the mother)

Wendy's mother (the children's grandmother)

Wendy's kids:

Wilson, age 12
Sayda, age 11
Axel, turned 10 just a week after our visit
Soreli, age 7
Baby girl, age 2-ish

Wendy's youngest sister (maybe 14?)

Another of Wendy's sisters (not present)

Wendy's two small nephews by the absent sister

That's it for introducing the family. Next up, our visit to their home …

Victor & Mack's Trip to Honduras Part 2

CI Day, Part 2 – The Other Community Center + The CI Reps:

We stopped next at another community center – the one near Jon and Wilson's houses. It was a much nicer looking place, at least from the outside. This one even had a playground. We did not get a tour of the inside, as we were anxious to take the kids shopping. In the back of my mind, I assumed that we would return there later, but we didn't. Next time I visit, I will definitely make sure to see the inside of the center!

Everybody was waiting in a large covered play area for our arrival: Jonathan and his mother + Wilson, Axel, and their mother + another CI representative.

We all greeted each other and posed for pictures before getting back into the cars and heading out. Both CI ladies came with us – I assume it was one from each project area? Or was it a group leader + a translator, like had been talked about in the visitor's brochure?

I kind of regret not paying more attention to the who's and why's of the representatives. I was too focused on the kids. Both women spoke English in addition to Spanish, so they were interchangeable as interpreters. Both were very friendly and accommodating. The reps seemed just as happy and excited about the visit as the kids and their families were! They were good (maybe a little TOO good, lol) at pushing the sponsors and children together, and making sure we were interacting with each other to the fullest degree.

The only slight complaint I have about our representatives was that they were sometimes discouraging about the extravagant purchases that we were making. I can see their point – kids whose families are hurting for food and other necessities really don't need a $35 toy! But what else were we supposed to do? I'm sure that visiting the modern mall was a lot of fun for children who seldom get to go to such places, but it was hardly an economical place to shop! We were paying only slightly less for things than we would have in the United States, when we would have been better off making our money stretch further for the family. I will have to think about a way to fix this problem next time. I have some ideas along those lines.

In any case, I thought that overall the CI representatives did an excellent job of organizing our group and moving us from one step to the next without being "bossy" or taking control away from the sponsors and what we wanted to do … if that makes any sense?

Victor's Thoughts: The second CI center (in El Progresso) was much nicer. I suspect it was a combination of being in a larger city and the result of some specific sponsor's generous gift. At the time I was much more focused on the kids and getting a move on than looking at the center. A large portion of the day was spent driving - this couldn't be helped because we wanted to see the kids' actual homes, so that meant two center visits, three home visits and then going back later to the three homes to drop the kids off at the end of the day. Because we were a group of five, we were in our own car. If I was there with just myself and perhaps one other person, I would see if I could ride in the CI van with the kids and the translators so I could spend more time with them. Also, for my next trip, I probably wouldn't feel the need to visit them at their houses again so more of the day could be spend doing some other activity given that time is limited.

The translators were very good at their job - with the size of the group it was very useful to have them both. I also had to fight the urge to flirt with one of them as she was quite pretty! They were very organized and I was quite impressed with how they handled the group.

Meet Victor's 2nd sponsored child Axel!

Victor's Second Child, Axel
I started sponsoring Axel in June 2008 after losing a child to a miscarriage. It seemed like a good response to what was otherwise a rather upsetting event. I didn't care about age that time - just searched Honduras/Male and saw what that brought up. He was on the first page, but I went through the entire list before I went with my gut and picked him. It's always a bit of an odd feeling when you pick one - you want to pick them all, of course, and I sometimes feel bad for the ones I don't choose but you can only do so much. The fact that Axel was being raised by a youngish single mother was part of the consideration, as I felt she probably really needed the help.

Axel and his family live in the hills overlooking the small city of El Progresso - a half-hour drive from San Pedro Sula. Their house is comprised of a concrete room perhaps 12 foot square which serves as sleeping quarters for Axel and his immediate family as well as their living room and an adjoining ramshackle tin structure which is where they cook and the extended family sleeps. As I have been sponsoring him for less than a year, the special gifts I have sent down have gone more on things such as a bed and fan for Axel rather than any home improvements. I never put conditions on what the family uses the money for - I feel they (with CI's guidance) are the best judges of what their most pressing needs are - but I hope that they are able to make some improvements over the next couple of years. The toilet and bathing area are both outdoors and seem reasonably hygienic if not ideal.

Axel just turned ten two months ago and his favorite subject is math. He's a tad short for his age, but not out of the norm and seems quite healthy in all respects. His mother and grandmother are both lovely people - very friendly and quite vocally appreciative of Axel being sponsored. Axel said twice in his first letters to me that he would like "to know me through a picture". I think he was quite pleased and surprised when I delivered the requested picture in person! His favorite futbol team is Olympia - one of the things I was able to buy for him was a team jersey so he can proudly show off his allegiance. He has one older brother and three sisters; one older and two younger. Overall, he is a very friendly and playful boy and I consider myself lucky to have him as one of my sponsored children.

Age: 10
Gender: M
Date of Birth: 2/26/1999
Height: 4 Feet 2 Inches
Weight: 59 Pounds
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any:
3. Attends School: Yes 4.
Favorite School Subjects: Grammar/Math
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with dolls
Chores at Home: Sweeping
Talents or Hobbies: Dancing
Languages Spoken: Spanish
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $105.00
6. Name of Father: Desconocido Age: Occupation: (If not present, why?) Abandoned family
7. Name of Mother: Wendy Yamileth Age: 29 Occupation: Homemaker (If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Sayda Julissa Age 11 Gender F
Name Soreli Nicolle Age 7 Gender F
Name Wilson Jose Age 12 Gender M
9. Child now living with: Mother
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One Bedroom, Living Room, Kitchen
Cooking Facilities: Earthen stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Folding beds
Home Construction: Walls Concrete block Roof Corrugated metal Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services: Water Source/Storage: Running water in home Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Latrine