Anxiously Waiting

While life continues here, it hinges on what might happen today between the ousted President and the President appointed by the Honduran Congress. Here is a recent article from the Miami Herald regarding the political situation in Honduras.

Miami Herald - Posted on Friday, July 17, 2009 Talks seen as last chance to end Honduras' crisis By Freddy Cuevas, The Associated PressTEGUCIGALPA, Honduras --

Allies of Honduras' ousted President Manuel Zelaya say U.S.-backed talks in Costa Rica Saturday may be the last chance to avert a clash, perhaps even civil war.
Zelaya is threatening to return to his homeland with or without an agreement on ending the standoff and has said Hondurans have a constitutional right to launch an insurrection against an illegitimate government.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley called Friday for nations to support the talks that are being mediated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for helping to end Central America's wars.
He also appeared to allude to remarks by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a Zelaya ally who has called the negotiations a U.S.-backed trap and said on Friday: "In the next few hours, Zelaya will enter Honduras and we'll see what the gorillas are going to do" about it.
"No country in the region should encourage any action that would potentially increase the risk of violence either in Honduras or in surrounding countries," said Crowley, speaking to reporters in Washington.
Interim President Roberto Micheletti has said Zelaya might try to sneak in by crossing Nicaragua's jungle-cloaked border with Honduras, but the ousted president apparently was still in Nicaragua's capital on Friday.
Zelaya told Venezuelan state television late Thursday that the weekend talks hold out a moment of hope for a solution, but he was still readying for a return.
"I am preparing various alternatives: by air, by land, and others," he said. In Honduras, meanwhile, about 2,000 Zelaya supporters blocked two highways connecting Tegucigalpa to the Caribbean and Pacific coasts for several hours Friday.
American Airlines temporarily suspended its two daily U.S. flights to the capital because of the political crisis, airline spokeswoman Berna Osorto said. Continental and Delta were continuing their flights.
Arias has presented a series of possible compromises to both camps, but indicated a power-sharing deal in which Zelaya could return to serve out the remaining months of his term with limited power would dominate the talks.
Arias said discussions also will cover possible amnesty for Zelaya. The Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for Zelaya before the coup, ruling his effort to hold a referendum on whether to form a constitutional assembly was illegal. The military decided to send him into exile instead on June 28 - a move that military lawyers themselves have called illegal but necessary.
Many Hondurans viewed the proposed referendum as an attempt by Zelaya to push for a socialist, Chavez-style model of governing.
Arias said Friday both camps have "softened, and I think we are going to find more flexibility." In the first round of talks the two sides agreed only to meet again.
Micheletti told Colombia's RCN Radio that his government is open to dialogue but argues that Zelaya committed crimes against "the economy, the citizenry and against the constitution" and cannot be allowed to return to power.
He accused Zelaya of "calling for bloodshed." Micheletti said he is willing to move up the elections as a way out of the crisis. The congressional president, sworn in to replace Zelaya, also said he would resign "if Mr. Zelaya stops inciting a revolutionary movement in the country and stops trying to return here."
If no agreement is reached, Zelaya's foreign minister Patricia Rodas has said he would return to Honduras to install a parallel government "to direct what I will call the final battle." She did not elaborate.
Zelaya's Sunday deadline for the coup leaders to back down falls on the 30th anniversary of Nicaragua's July 19, 1979, Sandinista revolution that toppled dictator Anastasio Somoza.
U.S.-backed Contra rebels later used Honduras as a base to attack President Daniel Ortega's socialist Sandinista government.
Rumors abound in Honduras that arms are once again being sent in through Puerto Cortes, that Venezuelans and Nicaraguans are infiltrating groups in the country and that uprisings are being planned in two or three provinces, according to political analyst and columnist Juan Ramon Martinez.
Ortega called rumors of Nicaraguan infiltration "a total lie," and countered with reports that Honduran soldiers might try to disguise themselves as Nicaraguan troops to spark unrest.

Fiesta de Pizza!

I have to tell you, this English class has been my favorite project here. My students are there because they really want to learn. They show up every Saturday, do their homework and really study for the quizzes and tests. Not only do I have a working relationship with this group of people, but we are truly friends too. Here are the dipolma earners on the last day of the first English class. I am like a proud mama.

Speaking of mamas, here is Iris accepting her diploma. Her daughter Isabel and son in law Oscar are also in the class. One day the class had an assignment to interview a classmate. Iris interviewed Isabel`s best friend, Alicia. Not only was her English terrific, but the way she talked about her daughter`s best friend brought me to tears. She said how she feels like Alicia is her very own daughter and how she has been special to her since she was a little girl and how watching her grow up with Isabel has been a joy. I thought of all of my best friends and how close I am to so many of their moms. I am so lucky to have so many people in life to love, and the list just keeps getting longer.
Ok, so this one is kind of random and off topic, but this is Alicia`s little boy Angel. I usually hold him and play while everyone is working on independent assignments or tests. I call him my little boyfriend and the class gets a kick out of it. The other cool thing about it is he is almost exactly the same age as my best friend`s son, who I have yet to meet since I had left for the Peace Corps before he was born. I try to imagine sometimes that it`s him I am hugging and snuggling. Can`t wait to meet you Pax!

9 of my students earned a diploma, obtaining a 70 percent or better. From the beginning of the class I had promised that the top 3 from each class would earn a trip to Pizza Hut. At the last minute, since there were only 3 more than I had planned, Susan told me to invite everyone. Well, it couldn`t have been better timing, it was a perfect time to remove ourselves from the earthquakes, H1N1 flu and political goings on for an afternoon of some serious pizza eating.

Here`s Idalia (one of only 2 kids from the basic class who earned a diploma) and Karen, one of the better students in the more advanced class. Both of them had the best attendance only missing one class each. Idalia lives in a community which is about a 45 minute walk to the place where English class is held. Through rain, earthquakes and 100 degree heat she has shown up. Remember when I talked about the good advice I received regarding focusing on "one"? If Idaliah is the only person to get something out of my being here, it will have been worth it.

Special thanks to Susan and my friend Mary from home for making this awesome outing possible.

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