This is what happens when the entire country goes shopping at once

Today the Micheletti government lifted the curfew from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. to let the country stock up on food, water, medicine, gas, and whatever else people needed. Is this a sign that we should prepare to hunker down for at least another few days?

We walked to La Colonia, a big grocery chain with two stores nearby. We try not to shop there too much, preferring instead local venders, but some things are available only here--chickpeas, split peas, lentils, peanut butter, etc. Enough justifying.

It was crazy. Stockers couldn't keep up with demands, as people stocked up on essentials, such as rice, beans, tortilla mix, flour, meat; non-essentials, such as Coke, single serving sugary yogurt drinks, frozen fish sticks, pre-pureed beans; and things I wouldn't think of buying in a crisis, such as doll sets and drying racks. The most popular item: styrofoam Cup-o-Soups. That aisle had been ransacked.

The meat section had been totally picked through.

We didn't eat before we left. Big mistake.

The line we waited in for two hours. Hope we don't have to do that again for a while.

Curfew extended

The curfew was extended last night until 6 p.m. tonight, though some news sources are reporting that it will be lifted from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., possibly for a pro-Micheletti march. We are going to take advantage of that time to visit some folks in our community.

Last night was an ugly night in Tegucigalpa. Tires burning, people shot, police repression...you can read about much of it at www.hondurascoup2009.blogspot.com.

Laying siege

The Honduran de facto government has essentially laid siege to the Brazilian Embassy, where Mel Zelaya has been holed up since yesterday morning. While there have been threats that soldiers may storm the embassy, the government continues to say it will respect the embassy's sovereignty. This is a big waiting game.

But in addition to the embassy, the government is essentially laying siege to the entire country, with a curfew that has been extended until 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. That will be 36 hours of continuous curfew, and with all of the demonstrations happening in various parts of the country tonight I would guess they will extend it again tomorrow. (We pray they won't.) Radio Globo is reporting that people desperate for food have begun sacking food distribution centers. Consider that many people here live day to day, buying only what they need for the day because it is all they can afford. Additionally, many people depend on the wages they receive every single day selling tortillas, fruit, vegetables, housewhares, etc., in order to buy the food they need. If everyone is in curfew, they don't sell. Add to that the fact that many of the corner stores where many people buy their rice and beans are running out of food, because the distribution trucks are not allowed on the streets. This is after only one day.

As we sit here eating delicious red bean veggie burgers, taking stock of the food we have saved up we can't help but recognize the privilege it is to have enough food to get through a week. Hope it doesn't take that long.

They may be preparing to storm the Brazilian Embassy

1.) We are under a curfew until at least 6 p.m. tonight.

2.) Thousands of people camped out at the Brazilian Embassy last night in a peaceful protest to protect Mel Zelaya, who showed up unexpectedly yesterday morning. The military dispersed them with tear gas and pressured water.

3.) We are listening to Radio Globo right now, and they are reporting that the military seems to be preparing to storm the Brazilian Embassy.

Here's an excellent blog to read with context.

Please join us in praying for peace.

Unexpected and dramatic news from Tegucigalpa: Mel's back

According to new reports and confirmed by the US State Department, deposed presidente Mel Zelaya snuck back into the country and is in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa. Thousands of Mel supporters have gathered outside the embassy. The Micheletti government, up until recently, has been denuing that Mel is back. And, surprisingly, the government has not issued curfew, and military are not in the streets. It is hard to separate fact from rumor, but all signs point to Mel actually being in the country.

I have no idea what's going to happen.

Here is a blog I wrote for Sojourner's.

Almost Famous

Andrew's on a podcast! You should listen to it!
http://www.mcc.org/podcasts/

Really? September?

We have been BUSY lately... Andrew and I have made two trips to San Pedro in the last two weeks; first to pick our two new one-year volunteers up from the airport and get them started with their orientation to Honduras, and then to see off our friend Caleb Yoder, our friend and fellow MCCer, as he finished his 3-year term this month, and then drive back to Tegucigalpa with Laura and all her things as she will be living not too far from us. We were especially glad to see Caleb safely on the plane, or at least headed in that direction, since he was just recovering from a bout with typhoid fever... he gets the award for coming down with the most serious illnesses in MCC Honduras history, after suffering from dengue fever and then a staph infection last year. Go Caleb! Stop getting sick!

Some highlights from the trip and the last two weeks:
1. I finished up with my second round of beginning English classes.
2. I learned how to make a really fancy piñata.
3. We were able to spend two nights on the farm with the Stephens family during which we got to taste my all-time favorite hot sauce that Stephanie made (they gave us a jar - we are putting it on everything) AND (this is the best part), we got to climb up and hang in hammocks that Sean strung 50ft up a big tree behind their house. I'm hoping we can sleep in them next time we stay there, but for now it was fun to make it all the way up and do a little tree climbing. I got a tree burn on my right arm as a trophy.
4. We ate a great fried fish dinner on the way home by the lake.

In other news... Andrew's position at ASJ has changed a bit - he now will be writing pretty much exclusively for revistazo.com, ASJ's online spanish publication. He's starting some in-depth investigative reporting on the illegality of the coup, and will be overseeing two writers that will join revistazo shortly. He's a little stressed.

It's been two months now and the coup and coup-related tensions continue. It's frustrating how long it's being drug out and how little regard for public opinion, safety, and human rights the government and military are showing. For some, marches and demonstrations are a daily reality as they struggle to resist the coup; for others, life continues as normal.

Dinner at the farm.


All harnessed in and hanging up high.

Max is admirably fearless.

Goodbye Caleb.

Welcome back Rachel and hello to Andrés, our new fellow MCCer from Colombia. Here waiting for fried fish at the lake.