Leaving Honduras

Wednesday was my last full day in La Ceiba, and, coincidentally, Andy's day off. Since I wanted to see some water before I left, we took a mini-trip to the ocean with Josh and the McCanns (Andy's teammates). We drove about 45 minutes outside of La Ceiba to a hotel called The Canadian, where the beach was clean and completely unoccupied, two pools were available for the little ones (or those who didn't like the ocean), fresh fish and yummy beverages were all served poolside, and admission was $1 for the whole day. We're not totally sure how this place stays in business, but it was pretty incredible. (Only check out photos below if you're not too prone to jealousy!) ;)

(In case you looked this far, and are now bitterly jealous, let me alleviate it somewhat by saying that I have the most awkward sunburn all over my body. Apparently, I do not know how to apply sunscreen evenly, so I just have random red blotches everywhere. Feel better? I hope so!)

The rest of the day Wednesday was spent running errands around La Ceiba with Andy, which was great just to get some time alone with him to talk about how things are going. I am constantly so thankful that both of my brothers are now the age where we can really be friends, and I admire them both immensely. Andy was a phenomenal host the entire time I was there -- translating for me, cooking for me, willingly embarassing himself to buy me 3 bottles of Diet Coke (I really did drink them all), cramming in as many different experiences as he could at the expense of his own rest time, sharing his excitement about the different ministries in La Ceiba with me. It was one of the most wonderful vacations I've ever had.

And now I am home safely in Boston! :) I'm not going to recount my travels in great detail; suffice it to say, I puked twice before I was an hour outside of La Ceiba; I got "adopted" by a woman at the airport (it wasn't completely random, but very close) who introduced me to all of the security guards as her American friend and had them change our airplane seats so we could sit together (but she did translate for me!); and completely convinced myself that my flight from New York to Boston was about to land in the water several times (I've been watching too much news coverage). The end result is I am home and extremely grateful to have made it safely, even though I already miss Andy (not to mention the warmth!)

I do not, however, miss toilets that do not flush toilet paper. Hooray for American plumbing! It's good to be home.