En La Calle

I only have a few days left here, but they are packed full of activity in a laid-back Central American way. The missionaries have discovered that I can drive! Not many people can drive standard down here or for the Hondurans, drive at all. So I have been spending a lot of time behind the wheel. Its hair-raising because you have to watch out for cows, horses, donkeys, kids, suicidal teenagers on bikes, angry taxi-drivers, teams of cattle plodding down the street. Plus, you have to gage how many rules you have to break to keep the other drivers happy. When I drive the English teachers to school in the morning, I have to drive splashing through a river both ways to get there! The Hondurans have a special gene for balancing on a bouncing truck. When everyone is crammed into the back on a mission, they perch at the most dangerous angles with only one hand relaxedly holding onto the edge. Sometimes, when we are en route, we will pick up hitchhikers along the way, women with bags or little kids--as long as there is room in the back.