Never too late to learn something new

I shall spare you my alleluia chorus regarding the hotels I’ve been staying in this past week (hot water, air conditioning and clean, fresh sheets *insert choir of angels*!) Needless to say, it’s been nice.

What has also been nice is the discovery that the rest of Honduras (the part that isn’t Tegucigalpa or the Olancho district) is actually not so bad…well it’s nicer than Juticalpa at least. Not to say that the people are all that different, it’s just that they seem to actually have a sense of community beyond their front door.

Juticalpa has a lot of rich families that have built high, concrete walls topped with barbed wire around their personal paradises. Outer walls seem to push everything else back as far as possible, trying to shut out the rest of the city. Sidewalks become barely passable, and trash litters the ignored streets of the town. What matters is YOUR home, YOUR family, YOUR stuff. The rest of the city can take care of itself.

I now contrast this to the idyllic little town of Copan Ruinas, nestled into a verdant valley at the other end of the country to Juticalpa. The town gets its name from the ruined Mayan city of Copan, just a short walk from the town center. All the roads are paved with cobblestones (rather than pot-holes, and the houses are decorated and well maintained. This care is not just for show to the tourists either; it extends all the way out to the residential areas of the town (Dad and I went for a little stroll our last mourning there.) There is no garbage on the ground, and the dogs (while still present) seem to not be so on-edge (although I still was…could be a while till I feel comfortable around canines again.)

Now, I don’t expect Juticalpa to be exactly like this. After all, Copan does have the benefit of a major tourist attraction right there on their doorstep. But honestly, that isn’t really any excuse. The trash problem could be easily changed if people simply STOPPED THOWING IT ON THE GROUND. The caves and mountains alone could attract tourists and sightseers…if the city itself was actually one you would feel welcome in.

More importantly, it would be good for the people who live there. When you live surrounded by that kind of majesty (the mountains are truly breath-taking) you don’t turn it into a dumping ground. When you reach out to your community, you make it a better place for yourself as well. I am very pleased to know that not all of Honduras is like this, and it gives me hope that one day maybe Juticalpa won’t be either.