@ San Pedro Sula, Honduras

After mom dropped us off at O'Hare this morning, I told Josh I felt like this was the first time I'd ever been on vacation. Yea, pretty much, he agreed. It's just totally different traveling sans parents. The new passport I got only yesterday now has its first stamp! Hooray!

I did a double take as our cab drove past a gas station that read 64.09, surely a sign of the end times... The official exchange rate is about 16 although the locals will give you about 19. There are lots of Wendy's here.

Everything is en Espanol and I'm realizing that ¿Donde estan mis pantalones? really is only useful when I've lost my pants. Good thing Uncle Tim can converse in his Spanish/Portuguese jumble. I'm all confused -- what time is it? Miami was CST + 1 hour and here is Miami -2 hours? Not sure. International flights are like time travel.

After a long day of airports and airplanes our first meal of choice was McDonald's, which in Honduras has menu items such as Pollo McCrispy (Fried Chicken... better than Harlem. Word.), McNifica (something between a Quarter Pounder and a Big Mac. Almost Whopper-like), and of course Cajita Feliz (Happy Meals). The Coca-Cola here tastes different, it's flavored with cane sugar instead of obesity I mean HFCS. Like the yellow-cap kosher Coke bottles they sell in NY certain times of the year. The sandwich bread was different (better) as you can see in the picture, unfortunately the fries were stubby and sub-par.



Instead of a drive-thru this McD's had a walk through, just in case you were walking by and wanted to order from outside instead of the nicely air conditioned insides. I don't quite get it. I'm looking forward to the 80/90 degree weather here though the air is already starting to feel heavy.


Ronald McDonald is as creepy as ever. I hate clowns.

Homeless people everywhere, and mobs of men loiter on the streets... I thought I left Harlem last week.

The frazzle still is following me from last week's NY-Baltimore-NY-Philly-Naperville and then spending all of Tuesday at the Chicago Passport Agency... Last minute packing, drugstore & bank runs on the way to the airport this morning... Got home 1am Sunday and my stuff did on Monday at noon with my brother & his Budget truck, so we spent the day unloading. I've barely even unpacked yet, so packing was a bit difficult.

Man am I looking forward to a good week of (hopefully) unwinding. That's if I don't die of malaria, stingray, dysentery, or exploding lungs. Or melanoma. Police around our hotel have carbines strapped to their legs (real comforting). I'm all ready and armed with SPF70 and DEET. Haha that means tomorrow I will smell like brain damage.

At Last!

Hellloooooooooo home. =)

Zom

Driving! Oh how I have missed thee. GPS is real confusing; keep left then keep left... Road signs are worse. How the heck do you get onto the Qboro Bridge? The rental Toyota Rav4 V6 drives nicely and just about fits all my things. My skin turns Elphaba green the less sleep I get but I'm past the point of no return. The rents and Aunt Ruth snore in the background. Today my right index fingy incurred a blood blister = noob + folding umbrella. What to do? Feel like there's slug in my finger. Took mumsy and padre to Grand Sichuan, TKettle, Veniero's... Unfortunately they decided to saaaaaaaaaalt all the food at the restaurant and blah, the rents gave me the task of complaining to the waiter which I've never really done but it was quite liberating. On the walk home from dinner/breakfast what? at Tom's Restaurant I thought of that weird worship thought clone moment and funny thing is I think I am the subject of amazing pity love. Oops jokes on me. Packing up to go home. All year long I thought today would never come and here it came and went. Familiar is the tension, irritation, restraint, lack of. A relief. I know how this works I can handle this. I can restate what he just said to you so you hear it even though it's his thought. I can ask you into wanting to do what she wants even though you thought it was a really dumb idea. Can you guys please stop gnawing at each others' necks. Picked up at Vav today, where last I stopped. Finally played with camera today. Many loose ends to tie up at 10027. Contacts have been in since Monday morning.

5/21-5/23 Baltimore, MD
5/23-5/24 New York, NY
5/25-5/27 Chicago, IL
5/28-6/4 Roatan, Honduras
6/6-6/11 Hawaii
6/12-7/2 Taiwan

Mommers woke and told me to go to bed.

Oh, p.s. JJ RED MANGO IS DEFINITELY BETTER THAN PINKBERRY!

What Proof Do You Have?

A facebook note by a girl from my high school asking evidence for God's existence. Ophelia says, "I might as well know before I check into hell." Check in? My dear, I'd like to tell her. Without God, you're probably already there... Okay, yes I realize there are many flaws in that statement.

A little thread from this discussion:

E:

George Beadle (Biologist): "Is it any less awe-inspiring to conceive of a universe created of hydrogen with the capacity to evolve into man, than it is to accept the Creation of man as man?"
I don't think you'll prove or disprove anything from an evolutionary perspective... Though we may dig deeper into regressive causes, there is no way to escape the irrationality of an impersonal original cause.
As you put it, "one will keeping looking for answers until a reasonable conclusion is reached" and you know... Several rational minds have found such a satisfactory answer in God's existence.

N:

And yet, so have they found answers in God's non-existence. :) To each his own, I say. (To each his own? No absolute truth? *shudder*)

E:

Sure... Both reasonable conviction of God's existence and of His non-existence require a leap of faith. I guess your rationale is respectable, but just please consider a little bit of what we've agreed on the next time you reduce belief in God to folly, a crutch, for the uneducated and simple-minded.
The answer of His existence might never be evident and acceptable for all...
Perhaps a creator-God so far above our ways, with thoughts that are not our thoughts, or in your words "far, far superior, intelligent" really does "just completely overshadow" what our minds can conceive. What are created beings to know their creator, as though a puppet should understand the intricacies (or even the existence) of the marionette, or a lump of clay its potter!

N:

I don't think I was trying to get across that belief in God is something horrendous; though I myself disagree with the idea that there is a deity, I do respect others' beliefs. Besides, I know where you're coming from. Not long ago, just half a year, I was a pious believer.

I haven't had to offer "proof" (is there such a thing for this matter the way we understand the word?) on many occasions. Probably because I rarely take the opportunity to share or defend my faith. I definitely know that it is tiny, and that I am most often not articulate enough, not sure enough, not consistent enough in my actions... Though if I really sought to promulgate the power of God and the sufficiency of that message in itself and not the wisdom of men (i.e. my eloquence, logic, morality)... Well, nevermind that's like saying if I had more faith I would be more faithful.

My friend tells her, "I wouldn't really worry about it, Ophelia; your time can be better spent on other things." Really, Ally J? Here's your shoutout, since you're like 1 of 3 people who read this thing. While the question of God's existence might never be exhausted no matter how much time is spent in pursuit of the answer... I can think of no worthier pursuit. What can matter until you at least consider the verity of God? If you decide He is false, a creation of man, then yes, anything you spend your time on would be more important. And of course if indeed that He is creator is true, He is of infinite importance, He is life itself. I already know you disagree. Thanks for your lovely comments here... They are always welcome, no matter how scathing (I'm inviting your dissent, homie... jump on it).

What proof do you have that God exists?

Oh Dad

Somewhere along the way I bought a lie that You're a disciplinarian in the business of withholding good things from Your own children for sport.

Zut.

Dear you. Thought about all the reasons I had for not wanting to go -- would rather settle down at home for a week before more hectic travels, would rather not risk lung explosion, would rather catch up with the girls, would rather frisbee with the home on the Wednesday we'd get back, would rather not waste money and exploit the land and indulge in so many lavish things, would rather not as you say beach and drink and tan. But none of those reasons factored you in and come to think of it, there's not too much I would love more than to unwind on a beautiful island with you and spend some time away, because we won't have so many chances together anymore and I could never buy back time I wish we'd spent discovering someplace new. Today you told me of losing conscious control of your faculties and then I started experiencing the same of my lungs, can you see those hands that held you back? I heard the sounds of hell, of you being mastered though you were died for to be freed. When will we snap out of this. If I say these that you don't want to listen to, you wouldn't even hear anymore so I'm not sure what can be said to or done for you but by God alone and when you ask where He's at I also wish He'd be slightly more obvious and severely more deafening for you and for me but maybe I can start with just simply being by you again and maybe when we're totally immersed in splendidly created seas we might for a moment together have no doubt about their Creator.

One Day I'll Fly Away

I want to see from Your side of the sky.