#46H  Stuck, Stuck, Stuck

                Stuck, stuck, stuck is the story of Wednesday and Thursday:  stuck at the top of a hill, stuck in the arm, and stuck in the mud.  And to think that I had neither a camera nor the video camera.  But now I am back to the comforts of home, and the sun is shining.

                Wednesday I went under duress to Tegucigalpa.  We have been warned that it is dangerous there, so don’t leave anything anywhere that could be stolen, and don’t carry anything with you that could be taken during an assault.  Therefore I had left the cameras at home.  I was lucky to get a seat on the big yellow school bus before all the seats (3 people on left, 2 on right) filled.  We proceeded in the rain as more people got on and filled the aisle, some standing for hours.  We stopped to let people off or on wherever someone was waiting or whenever someone got to their destination, with the cobardores helping people with suitcases, boxes and packages.  We also stopped when the driver , leaving the bus running, got off to buy a couple  baleadas to eat along the way.  Patience is a virtue here.  Soon we were seeing flooding and having to drive through small rivers going very slowly so as not to slip and slide in the mud.  Coming to the top of one muddy hill we were stuck, not in the mud but waiting for a bus to get up the hill where only one lane remained.  The passengers came walking and shortly later the bus came up.

                Arriving in Tegucigalpa, six instead of the usual 5 hours later, I took a taxi to the Peace Corps office where I was stuck for the second time.  I received the unwanted flu shot, because Peace Corps gave me no other option except being sent to the USA.  The medical office in DC also refused to answer any of my questions regarding the vaccination.  I lost the battle, but the war is not over.  Only one other volunteer was in the office, probably because it is not a very welcoming environment.  Peace Corps doesn’t want volunteers in the capital and the office unless they have a medical appointment or other urgent matter.  It also seems that rules and regulations are much more important than volunteers and their projects.  This is very different from the welcoming and supportive feeling we had in the Dominican Republic.

                Yesterday at 6 a.m. I arrived to the bus where most everyone was in stocking caps and sweaters because it was cold.  Before we left and all along the way vendors would get on the bus yelling out the items they were selling and finding plenty of buyers.  I could have bought onions, garlic, tomatoes, manzanillo, peppers, Mexican avocados, socks, scarves, belts, wallets, cell phone covers, DVDs, watches, soda, juice, water, tejadas, chips, cookies, crackers, burritos, tacos, empanandas, medicine, gum, candy, rolls, sweet bread, pizza, caramel corn, and more.  It really is quite convenient.  The radio on the bus announced another weather alert for the north coast and for the area through which we would be heading.  The trip was uneventful during the first half while we were still on paved roads.  The breakfast stop was longer than usual, and this was the first time I have heard people complain.  In the end we found out that we were waiting for another bus that carried some passengers who needed to be on our bus.  Soon it got muddy and our bus slowed down considerably during the ups and downs through the mountains.  We passed the eight logging trucks (one stuck and others waiting) that had been stopped beside the road near where we were stuck Wednesday. We headed up the hill slowly, but soon we were slipping backwards and sliding towards the ditch.  We were stuck and everyone got out of the bus.  The women headed up the hill through the mud while the men, those from the bus and others standing to the side just to help, pushed and pulled the big yellow school bus.  This is when I most wanted that video camera I had left at home.  Twenty minutes later we were cheering and re-boarding the bus for the next part down the mud on the other side of the hill and through the river at the bottom. 

                So that is how I was stuck, stuck, stuck three times in 24 hours.  Be thankful you have your own vehicles and can quickly drive where you want when you want.