Well, everyone, this is my last travelogue. I want to thank you all for your interest and support, and for travelling electronically with me on this journey. I hope these updates have been informative and interesting. I want to let you know that all of my photos from the semester are available online at http://community.webshots.com/user/Autumnrose1125 with detailed captions. Peruse at your leisure!
As you know by now, I ended my travels abroad with a short trip to Honduras. Mom and I traveled together on a 1st-class "luxury" bus from Managua to Tegucigalpa, which nevertheless did not excuse us from being stopped at a police check and having all our luggage and carry-ons checked. After a short night in a cheap, but safe, motel, we took an early morning 2nd-class bus (comfy seats, but no bathroom or air conditioning) to La Ceiba, on the northern coast of Honduras. What a surprise, as Mom and I were waiting in the bus station for the bus that would take us to Limón, when all of sudden my dad showed up! He was travelling from Copán, where he'd been at a language school for two weeks, but we hadn't expected to cross paths on the way to Prairie's, thinking he'd be a few hours ahead of us. When all three of us arrived at Prairie and Beth's house in the early evening that Sunday, we were greeted with surprise and joy, because they didn't think we would get there as soon as we had, figuring it wouldn't be until the next day!
I had a lovely week with my family--having all four of us together in the same place has become a rarity in recent years, although we were all at home for 4 weeks together around Christmas. We swam in the Caribbean a few times and took a walking tour of the little town, but mostly just sat and talked with my sister and Beth and joined in their everyday living routines--pumping water, washing clothes, going to the store, cooking meals, and doing devotions.
Prairie is helping Beth start a women's monastery up in the hills outside of town, and we went and visited the property and worked in the garden with them. Construction was still underway while I was there, but just recently they moved their living quarters permanently to the mountain!
After my parents left on Saturday, I spent four more days at Prairie and Beth's house, making two more trips to "the mountain" and preparing to leave. As foreigners, they have to leave and re-enter the country every three months or so, and so they took the opportunity of my departure to do that. We travelled to La Ceiba and spent two nights at the Methodist Church in a nearby town, then went on to Copán for some vacation time and to visit the Mayan ruins.
