Communicating

Living in a country where the primary language is not your own can be very interesting at times, and we have all had some issues communicating. Whenever Gordon introduces himself as “Yo estoy Gordo” – he gets some funny looks because he is saying “I am fat” and people don’t realize that Gordo is his name. Chantalle has decided to go by Nicole because the way people were pronouncing her name meant “piggy”, and she didn’t like the giggles that often accompanied her name. I thought a lot of people in one town were named Lisa because I kept hearing people saying my name, but then Chris told us that Lisa means “slippery”. Natalie’s name doesn’t appear to have a double meaning, but she has had her share of communication mishaps nonetheless.

Natalie seems to have some trouble when it comes to discussing relationships. We were in San Pedro and someone asked Natalie if Gordon was her “novio”, and she smiled big and said, “si, si”. The man gave her a funny look and left. Later she realized that he had asked if Gordon was her lover, and she had said that yes, he was… therefore the funny look! Another time when we were talking with a young man, he asked Natalie if she had a boyfriend, and she started giggling. He asked why she was laughing, and she meant to say that she was embarrassed (embarzoso), but unintentionally said that she was pregnant (embarazada). He asked her if she really was, and Natalie, still thinking he was asking about a boyfriend, replied, “no, not right now, but it’s possible in a short time”. He looked VERY confused!

A couple of days ago, we went to Siguatepeque with Chris, and Gordon and I dropped Chris and the girls off at a market and went to tour a cemetery. (They have some of the coolest cemeteries here! Very much like New Orleans…) We were walking around, and a man asked us if we needed help finding anything, and we said no, but he continued walking with us. After awhile, he asked, “do you have family here?” I thought that he was asking if I had family in Honduras, so I said yes, and he asked what the family name was, so I told him “Rivera”, and he nodded his head, and took us to a different section of the cemetery. After about half an hour of walking around and reading tombstones, I realized that he was looking for the grave of Chris Rivera, which, of course, was nowhere to be found. We did find four graves of people named Rivera, and he told us that he would look for the grave of Chris Rivera and if we came back, he would show us where it was.

So far, it has been a really interesting experience living in a different culture and standing out wherever we go. Natalie and I went to the doctor, and Chris called the doctor, who said that he would send someone out to get us, and I wondered how he would know who we were, but everyone knows who we are here! It’s a little strange when we take a taxi home, and the driver, whom we have never met, knows exactly where we live. Sometimes we feel like aliens, and sometimes we feel like royalty around here. All of the attention can be very tiring, and it’s nice to take some days off to spend with just our family. After this experience, we will all definitely have more compassion for foreigners in our own country!

In spite of all of our mis-steps, overall we are having a good time here, and I think that our impact overall is a positive one. We enjoy the natural beauty of this amazing land that God created – it is absolutely breathtaking here, with a lot of waterfalls, lush greenery, amazing animals, and beautiful people who love to smile. As with any place, there are people who try to bring us down and discourage us, but we are trying to keep our eyes on God, and realize that ultimately He is the only one we have to please, and that relieves the negative pressure.

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”