Yes we have no documents today

So many catalogs, so little time

Doing the right thing in Honduras is no easy task. You try, try, try to learn the ropes and jump through all the government hoops, but if the agency is not out of paper or ink, not on strike, or the system is not down, there will be something else to prevent you from getting those documents! Always has been, always will be. The most frequently spoken sentence of government employees seems to be: "Come back next month."

Most any government office anywhere...
on a good day

License plates

Shortly after President Lobo came into office (January 2010), La Prensa published an article saying that the government had run out of vehicle plates early in Zelaya's administration, none were purchased, and there was a huge backlog of people waiting for plates.

The new head of that department in DEI said that it would take at least a year to do the public bid process and receive the plates. He wanted to do an emergency purchase, which in Honduras means that somebody gets rich and favors to friends, family, and political benefactors are repaid. With my suspicious mind, I figured that it could only take that long because they had to ensure that the proper people got the proper cuts of the contract. Apparently that took a loooong time to work out.

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Whew! I'm legal again

Just got back with my shiny new annual Honduran residency card so I'm legal again (still) for another year. Here, let me give you a laugh at my expense:

There is no time limit on Honduras residency once it is granted, but you do have to go renew your residency card and prove that you still meet the requirements every year or five years, depending on the type of residency. Every single year, my stomach ties itself in knots when that time comes around. I'm sure that when I present my old card at the extranjero (foreigners') desk for renewal, I'll find that there is a migratory alert out for me and they'll give me 24 hours to get outta Dodge. "Oh, you are that gringa with the blog? Ahah! We've been looking for you!"

This is totally irrational, I know. Or I think I know. Or I think that it probably is. That's what El Jefe tells me anyway. He wouldn't say this, but I think that he thinks this fear is idiotic. And it probably is. Or maybe it is. I hope it is.

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Kinder, gentler US immigration laws

Americans like to think that they live in the freest country in the world, but many have had a shock when they find out that their government has something to say about who they fall in love with in and whether they are going to be allowed to live happily ever after. Well, not so much who, but whether the American will be allowed to live with their spouse in their own country of birth, in the land of opportunity among their friends and family.

I've heard from hundreds of Americans married to Hondurans who families are being or have been torn apart because of US immigration laws. Their choice is to leave the only country they've known in their life or to split up their families and let their children grow up without a father for years while the spouse goes through the lengthy immigration process. In the case of Honduran spouses, that could mean living a life of extreme hardship by chosing to come to a country where there are no jobs, where there is no decent healthcare in many areas, where it will probably be impossible for them to earn enough to pay for even adequate schooling for their (US citizen!) children, and where the crime situation is frightening. Is that what the US government wants for its citizens, its children?

And before you hard-hearted people say it's their own fault and they should have known, I propose that a lot of people did not know the immigration laws! Maybe not so much now, with the stink there has been about immigration in the past few years, but before that, yes, I think most people only had a very vague idea of what the US immigration laws were. I think that many thought they could marry whoever they fell in love with and if they weren't US citizens, they could just apply for them and boom! Their spouses would become citizens, too.

Many American spouses had the shock of their lives to find out that their loved one had to leave the country to apply for a visa, and sometimes, depending upon their status, had to stay away for 3 years even if they entered the US legally or even up to 10 years if they didn't.

The Obama Administration has now proposed a “tweak” in the immigration law. The New York Times reports, “Although the regulatory tweak appears small, lawyers said it would mean that many Americans will no longer be separated for months or years from family members pursuing legal residency.”

I think this is a good thing. Immigrants who are married to US citizens should be given priority and US citizens shouldn't be put through the hardship of being separated from their spouse for many years. As one interviewee put it, “We can’t survive without each other,” she said. “I should have a right as a U.S. citizen to live in my country with my husband.”

I hope this helps many of the people who have written to me with sad stories.

Exile

All roads lead elsewhere

I've been doing some thinking about 'exile' lately. I live in Honduras and don't plan to move back to the USA, but I have to admit that it is nice to believe that I have that option if things become worse in Honduras.

Much has been made about former president Manuel Zelaya's self-imposed exile from his homeland. We've seen thousands of articles claiming that Zelaya was forced out of Honduras (in his pajamas, no less!) at gunpoint and not allowed to return for two years because of political persecution and death threats.

The military was sent to arrest then-president Zelaya for breaking the law and violating the constitution and flagrantly ignoring court orders. Witnesses who lived nearby and heard the commotion have claimed that Zelaya was dressed normally and a soldier was carrying his suitcase when Zelaya left.

Personally, I believe that on the morning of June 28, 2009, Zelaya begged the military to take him to Costa Rica rather than facing the shame of arrest and the horror of a Honduran prison. That just sounds to me more probable and more like the Zelaya I knew. Working that through the chain of command would explain the long delay before his arrival in Costa Rica. But we'll probably never know the whole truth. We do know that President Pepe Lobo has been inviting Mel Zelaya to come back for the past year and a half.

What about the other 'exiles'?

We constantly hear that every Honduran anywhere in the world has the right to return to Honduras without fear and that Zelaya is no different. The Blogicito has a lot of expatriate Honduran readers from all over the world and I've gotten to know some of them through their emails, blogs, and Facebook.

It occurs to me that there are more than a million Hondurans living in exile, some 10-15% of Hondurans live outside the country. Some are very successful doctors, lawyers, engineers, economists, architects, teachers, businessmen and businesswomen. Many have left because of lack of educational or economic opportunities in Honduras. Many others are blue collar workers, but have made a success of their lives and provide a decent life for their families while at the same time sending money regularly to their families back home — as much as US $2.5 billion in total per year.

Maybe now that the most famous of all the exiles has returned to Honduras, the government will have the time to start working on the many serious problems that prevent the other million-plus from returning. Honduras desperately needs educated and hard working citizens who have had a vision of the world from outside of Honduras, where nothing ever seems to change. Honduras needs more of those citizens who can clearly see that when you keep doing the same thing, you'll keep getting the same results, something that none of the Honduran administrations seem able to comprehend.

Real examples

Many of these citizens of the world have much to offer and would like to come back to their home. One doctor has considered it but found that to be licensed in Honduras, she would have to commit to work one year public service at no salary, which she cannot afford to do. Additionally, she's very concerned about the crime situation and does not want to spend the rest of her life living in fear behind bars and walls. This exile will visit occasionally but probably will not return here to live.

Another exile who is an agricultural economist desperately wanted to come back to help his fellow countrymen and share what he had learned. He offered to work for a modest salary but the only thing that was of interest to his potential employers was who were his political connections. He had none and was not offered a job. So what does he do now? He travels literally all over the world advising other countries how to improve their agricultural programs. This exile's knowledge and expertise is greatly appreciated everywhere except his homeland.

Another friend who has left Honduras is a skilled computer programmer. He is also a brilliant writer, in both English and Spanish, but he left after a series of jobs in which his pay was delayed for months or not received at all for political or economic reasons. He suffered six muggings in his last year in Honduras and several of his middle-class family members were also crime victims.

A Harvard graduate came back, thinking that he could make a difference in the government. His family had the connections, so he got a job. Much to his disappointment, nobody wanted to hear his development ideas. They put him to work on political campaigns. How to get more votes and win the next election was as far ahead as the powers-that-be wanted to think. After closely escaping being a kidnap victim, this exile left and said that he would never return to live here.

I've heard from many other Honduran expatriates. Most live ordinary but productive and successful lives in the US, Canada, Spain, Mexico, Japan, Brazil, Korea, France, and elsewhere. What's the difference? In those countries, there are educational and job opportunities that only a few can have here in Honduras.

Lately, I've heard more Hondurans talking about emigrating to other countries. Two of them are a successful professional couple who have received several "Express Extortions" in which they are told over the phone that if they don't pay money, one of their children will be killed. They are fed up with the crime situation and don't want to live in fear.

I've also heard from many American wives of Hondurans who have or will become exiles from their country in order to move here to Honduras with their husbands. Some move to Honduras with excitement and a little fear, but hoping to make a life here permanently. Many more move here to bide the time until their husbands can return to their country, knowing that their children will have a much brighter future anywhere than in Honduras.

No, the military did not deposit these people in other countries, nor did they flee from arrest warrants, but they are exiles none the less, driven away by lack of opportunity, lack of social and legal justice, and fear of crime.

Update on Liz

A photo of Liz from February 2010

Our friend Liz has had all of the tubes removed and is getting a little stronger every day. She has been released to go home by her doctors but the hospital will not release her until she pays her bill or gets a co-signer on a bank loan to pay it.

Sure, the private hospital needs and deserves to paid. There is no doubt that they saved her life and have to be paid in order to keep offering the quality of medical care that they offer, but you might ask how is it possible that a person can be held hostage for a bill? All I can say about that is that this is Honduras and that is the way it is. The hospital has been burned by foreigners and others before so they have to protect themselves.

A lot of money has been raised for Liz by her friends. The first night in the Roatan hospital (US $5,000) has been paid as has the medical evacuation flight to San Pedro. Approximately US $20,000 has been paid toward her San Pedro Cemesa Hospital bill so far.

We've heard that some of the kind doctors at Cemesa have waived or lowered their fees for treating Liz, given the circumstances. Unfortunately, she is still left with more than US $39,000 to pay on the hospital bill for which it looks like she is going to have to get an expensive bank loan. We know that Liz is also going to have hand surgery, medical followups, and expensive dental work later on.

A lot of people are outraged that the victim in this case is facing long term financial hardship through no fault of her own. I've learned over the years — the hard way — that it rarely accomplishes anything to stand up for what is right or just, or insist on what should happen, or shouldn't happen, or who should be legally responsible or who shouldn't. I know that is a sad statement, but this is Honduras, where justice of any kind is a very rare commodity for anyone.

When I made my donation, all I could think about was that Liz was in critical condition and needed the help that she could only get in a private hospital. I am 100% convinced that had Liz stayed in a public hospital that she would no longer be with us; public health care is that bad. What happened to Liz could happen to any one of us, expatriates and Hondurans, and we need to pull together to help out an innocent victim of a horrendous crime.

To those of you who have donated, I thank you very much. To those of you who have been thinking about it, please make your donation as soon as possible because every bit received before Liz has to sign the bank loan will help. Just email me for Liz's bank account information both at BAC here in Honduras and her bank in the US.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Liz has been really overwhelmed by the generosity. And here is a personal thank you from Liz herself:

I have been thinking about how to write a thank you to everyone who helped me in all the different ways since the attack Dec 17.

Piecing together the events, I do not know all your names or even the actions that you took during this time. I do know that my Roatan family of friends, neighbors, acquaintances, business people, Oak Ridge Police, and co-workers, were all there for me from the moment I was discovered, carried, and placed in the police car - held in the arms of two construction workers who prayed the entire way to Coxen Hole and kept telling me to "Hang on, Miz Liz".

I do not remember much after that - flashes of people, as many men carried me up the stairs to surgery. I thought then I was going to be dropped, and also thinking that Ben was going to hurt his back lifting me. I saw Steve H, I remember a flash of being put on the plane and Patty G beside me squatting on the floor, and the seat right above me being put in place and thinking if that falls on me....Bernadette telling me all was going to be ok....next waking in ICU in Cemesa Hospital and seeing my sister Rebecca and Vegas and being told it was a week later.

I now know that so many of you donated a lot of money to cover the medical care at Woods Clinic, where the excellent surgeon Doctora Sanchez is credited with saving my life with surgeries. You provided money for the medical flight to get me from Roatan to San Pedro Sula and more money toward the medical bills here at Cemesa. You have sent and are still sending prayers, healing light, positive thoughts. I know that many friends from the East and West Ends spent the entire night at Woods watching over me, thinking the damage was too extensive to survive.

How can I truly express to each of you how deeply I love and appreciate all you have done for me? I am trying with this email. Hoping that those who do not have email will be passed this message of thanks.

Cemesa Hospital has provided excellent care for me from the doctors to the aides and nurses. I am told that costs have been reduced by the hospital as well as by doctors. These people are very professional, hard workers, and I am so impressed with their abilities.

Again, I thank everyone for all you have done for me. Yes, there is more to do, much more recovery, and medical bill issues that have to be worked through. Poco a poco....step by step.

Thank you each and every one for every thing you have offered and given,
from my heart,
Liz Riggs

~~~~~~~~~~~

See the story of what happened to Liz here: A friend in need

A friend in need

This is Liz, a friend of mine and many other expatriates and Hondurans alike. Isn't that a great smile? This is the story of what happened to her, written by another friend:

Hello Friends of Liz Riggs,

Some of you might know that Liz Riggs moved to Roatan, Honduras several years ago, to make a life for herself in the Bay Islands, after the economic downturn in the U.S. She is well known and respected on the island. Liz has worked tirelessly to promote the island to tourists and investors. Tourism is vital to fuel the economy in Central America, where poverty is the rule to the exception. The service industry, and related industries, like construction and retail, have literally permitted local families to put food on their table and roofs over their heads.

Unfortunately, on Friday December 17, 2010, while working in an office of a real estate development, Liz was brutally attacked. Just after a work crew stepped off the property, a small and crazed man entered. He didn't ask for money or say anything. He beat Liz with the butt of a pistol. Liz is a strong woman, so she fought back. However, the man pulled a knife and started wildly stabbing Liz. She was stabbed three times in the abdomen, twice in the throat, and once in a lung. One of the stabs in the throat went clear through her neck, cutting her airway. The stab to the lung caused it to collapse.

Thankfully, a worker came in to use the bathroom. The assailant pulled the gun on the worker and the worker fled to summon help. When they returned, the assailant was gone. Liz was left bleeding on the floor. The local police, who only recently inherited old police cruisers by the efforts of expatriates on the island, showed with a vehicle. They transported Liz to a local hospital. Liz had angels on her side that day, because the police cruiser had absolutely no gas left in its tank when it arrived at the hospital.

Doctors worked through the night to stabilize Liz, perform a few surgeries, get an airway going, inflate her lung, for transport to the mainland. None of the wounds in the abdomen struck any organs. The wounds to the throat were serious, and a tracheotomy was performed. The surgeon got the wounds to the airway closed, but it has been a struggle to get Liz to breath on her own, and to consume supplements. The crazed man knocked out much of Liz's teeth, and the wound to the throat has prevented intake of solid foods, until recently. This has hindered healing.

Liz is now barely able to stand, let alone walk, or talk. Within a day after her attack, at considerable expense, she was able to be life-flighted to Cemesa Hospital on the mainland Honduras, San Pedro Sula. She had been receiving intensive care since her arrival a mid-December 2010. A few days ago, she was placed in a normal hospital room on her own. Liz is impressed with the level of care she has received from medical staff at Cemesa.

It looks like Liz is going to be okay, but it is still difficult for her to breathe. She is extremely weak. But, with significant determination, in the last few days, she has been able to walk to the washroom, and eating some solid foods, like oatmeal, very slowly. She is on the mend, is doing much better, but still facing hurdles. She must have surgery on her hand to repair a cut tendon on her wrist (she cannot do a "thumbs up" and the extensive nerve damage has caused a constant "numbing" sensation in her hand). Doctors want to remove the trach tube, but do not want to do it until she is able to eat solid foods, a challenge without much upper teeth left. Hopefully, a dentist in the area can get Liz some teeth. Doctors are trying to pull strings to make that happen. It's important for Liz to have significant dental work, so that she can eat more solids, and thereby gain strength, and once again flash us all her great smile.

Liz does have a Blackberry, so has been able to stay "connected" with friends and family, through her Yahoo email and Facebook. Her sister had been able to spend a few weeks with Liz, but is now home in the U.S. with her own obligations.

Incidentally, once Liz was conscious about a week after the attack, she was able to identify her attacker in a photograph, as did one of the workers who saved Liz. The attacker is now in prison, and the Court found that there is enough evidence to make him stand trial. The police have not found any connection between the attacker and Liz. The man was believed to be under the heavy influence of drugs at the time of the attack, or possibly simply deranged. Random acts of violence like this can and do happen everywhere, Liz has concluded. She is thankful for the efforts of officials to accomplish swift justice and get this man off the streets.

Liz's goal is to get home to Roatan, where her home and heart is situated. She has talked about how much there is to do to help people on Roatan and how much she wants to get back here. She is concerned about the mounting hospital bill. Once a week someone from the accounting office of Cemesa Hospital comes to visit her and ask when is another payment going to be made. This inquiry is hospital policy, and surely disturbs Liz, because she can't afford to pay the mounting bill.

The estimates for her current medical care are about US $5,000 a week, then doctors billing, and more for procedures/surgery; she's had a number already, and more pending, and no firm hospital release date yet.

She could use your assistance.

It's simple to donate.

You can go to the Clinica Esperanza link (see below):
http://clinicaesperanza.homestead.com/

Then click "Donate Now" upper left green box. If you intend to donate to Liz, please put her name on the dedication line. The donations are secured through the Network for Good, and the site indicates it's tax deductible as a 501c3 charitable organization. They send a tax deductible receipt to your email detailing your donation.

If you would like to send a check or to use a Paypal account, click the "Send Check" button. (Currently the direct Paypal button on the front page is not working.) On that page, you'll find the US address for checks as well as the clinic's Paypal email address (donateBICHA@yahoo.com) used for making a payment through Paypal. Until the direct Paypal link is fixed, you'll need to copy and paste that email address into your "send money" page in your Paypal account. You can use funds from your Paypal account if you have one, or a credit card, even if you do not have a Paypal account.

If you know anyone who might be interested in helping Liz, if only they knew what happened, please feel free to pass this email on to those people, or local news sources, if you are able to make a connection with them.

Thank you for your consideration.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So that is the shocking story. I think that it was only through a series of miracles that Liz is still with us. Since this was written on January 16, Liz has improved greatly. We were there at the hospital when her first meal was delivered. But without teeth, she had a very difficult time of eating any of it. Liz is also suffering from nerve damage in mouth, face and throat so that eating is like after you've just had your mouth numbed by a dentist.

Her trach tube was removed yesterday and she expects that the gastro tube will be removed shortly. She can talk now! But she is still very weak and is facing at least one additional surgery on her hand, a boatload of expensive dental work, and doctors' followups and rehab work. She initially spent almost two weeks in intensive care and has been in the hospital for five weeks now.

Liz had no insurance though she had tried for three years to obtain it. Liz has always worked to make ends meet but it will be awhile before she is strong enough to go back to work. The medical bills are devastating for her limited budget. Incredibly, Liz has maintained an amazingly positive attitude throughout all of this and is anxious to get back home to Roatan, but the constant worry about this hospital bill is not good for her health.

If you can find it in your heart to pull together with Liz's friends to help her, I sincerely hope that you will. If you are in Honduras and would find it more convenient to send a bank transfer, please contact me and I'll provide you with Liz's Honduran bank account number and you can send something directly to her.

Please help!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Find the update on Liz here.

It's not just about Arizona

The last article, which was a photo of graffiti and one sentence, reaped an avalanche of comments, some heartfelt, some informative, and at least one a typical example of ignorant racism. I can't answer them all individually, but here are some of my thoughts:

1. I am against illegal immigration in any country. Period. But that doesn't mean that I don't have empathy for those who feel it is their only hope or for US Americans who families are torn apart because of immigration laws.

2. Illegal Immigrants: There are many more illegal gringos in Honduras than most of you realize. They are illegal here for most of the same reasons (I don't qualify, it costs too much, it's too complicated, I won't be here that long, I didn't know the rules!, and so forth.) I have empathy for some of them, too.

The main difference is that most Latinos in the US know that they are there illegally and most gringos in Honduras rationalize that they are justified in staying here illegally "because they have money". Because they aren't rounded up, held in jail cells for months, and then put back on a plane to their home country, it just doesn't 'seem' as illegal. BTW, a wanted US American murderer was deported from Honduras last week. And there are gringos who do work illegally in Honduras and take jobs that Hondurans could do. Those who live in glass houses....

3. US Tax Law: Don't know why anyone would assume that British and US tax laws would be the same. US Americans pay income tax and continue to pay property taxes on their US properties regardless of where in the world they live. So I have paid hospital tax for hospitals that I don't use, school taxes for schools that I don't use, junior college taxes for colleges that I don't use, city and county taxes for roads and services that I don't use, as well as income tax.

I made that comment about taxpayers for all the people who use taxes as justification for their outrage and/or racism. Most of the taxes that I pay are going to support white and black people as well as rich white bankers, stock brokers, and politicians, not brown people, since so many people think it is important to make that distinction. Everyone pays unjust taxes. Anyone looking for fairness and an equal share of their tax dollar needs to look for another country and I don't have any idea where that would be!

4. Racism: There is no other word for anyone who assumes that all Latinos are lazy criminals out to destroy the US.

5. Right/left; Conservative/Liberal; Democrat/Republican; Nacionalista/Liberal (Honduras); Blue/Red (Honduran or US): As completely impossible as this seems to be to believe, I don't make any of my decisions on whether an issue is R/L, C/L, D/R, N/L, B/R. So those who love my opinion one week, may not the next. So be it.

"I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever in religion, in philosophy, in politics, or in anything else where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent."

-Thomas Jefferson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Click map to enlarge

But the main point for posting that photo was completely missed by most readers. That is: Everything the US does has broad reaching effects, including on American citizens living or traveling everywhere else in the world. I know that we are a small, unimportant minority, not much appreciated by the US to whom we pay taxes or by the countries in which we live to whom we also pay taxes. There is no reason that we should be. I'm not asking for sympathy, just asking you to think outside of your own little world.

If you are wondering why there is so much anger against the US, why there are so many terrorist attacks and attempts, I would suggest that you delve a little deeper into what the US has done and continues to do in other countries. And by that I mean, don't only rely on what you read in the mainstream US media, because, as many of us have discovered from personal experience, it is NOT reliable news and it often bears no relation at all to actual facts.

For example, how many US Americans know that after two years of harsh "economic strangulation" didn't get results, the US invaded Panamá in 1989, complete with air strikes dropping over 400 bombs, resulting in as many as 4,000 deaths and 20,000 displaced Panamanians in a violation of international law condemned by the UN? Why? − to remove the very same 'dictator' that the US had been supporting years earlier. (Sound familiar? How many times has the US backed the wrong guy?) Read more from their independent truth commission, including claims that the US media was used first to "psychologically prepare" the US public for the invasion and then to cover it up afterward.

If you are of the common belief that the universe revolves around the US, you may not even be aware of this brewing anger. I suggest that you should be. It isn't only 'crazies' who have a grudge against the US, and more and more, that anger and hate seems to be within the US as well. Pretty scary.

And again, for anyone who didn't get it the first 10 times I've said it: I am against illegal immigration in any country. I believe that every country has the right to set the immigration laws that they want to set and that they will reap the benefits or suffer the consequences, depending upon how wise those laws are and how effectively they are enforced.

Oh, great...

"If in Arizona, they don't want Latinos,

in Latin America, we don't want gringos.
Viva Latino Power."

− graffiti in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Thank you very much, Arizona,
from the millions of US American taxpayers living in Latin America,
who, incidentally, get nothing for their US tax dollar.

Would you buy a dress without trying it on?

(John Travolta looking good in his dress)

Photo: David James/New Line Cinema

Most women would not buy a dress without seeing it, touching it, trying it on unless there was no other choice, and − this is a big one − unless there was a pretty good guarantee that they could get their money back if it didn't fit. For sure most men would never buy a car without first taking it for a test drive and kicking the tires. Lots of people won't even commit to buying a new flavor ice cream unless they can taste it first to make sure that they like it!

Why, why, why, then will so many people quit their job, 'sell the farm', pack up and move to a foreign country without trying it out first? Or even worse, buy a property in a foreign country without ever seeing it or after only a week-long visit to the country, listening to promises about how all the locals are so nice and there will be water, electricity, security, roads, .... some day. "As soon as enough lots are sold...." Hah!

The truth is, for both foreign and local investors, that day doesn't always come. The money is spent and the contractor or the developer, and maybe the nice attorney to whom he probably introduced you to handle your purchase, have both moved on to fresh territory. The Honduran courts rarely help foreigners to get their money back from a fraudulent deal and that probably is true for most Central American countries as well as Mexico.

Some people say that they can't afford an exploratory trip here or their work schedule won't allow them to stay for an extended time. What?! You can't afford not to. The money that a trip would cost is cheap insurance. Those who quit their job, 'sold the farm', and moved only to find out after a few months or a couple of years that the life in a third-world country is not for them are the ones who are really suffering needless expenses.

While there are no real statistics on this, it is often estimated that 50% of expatriates do not stay past a year or two. The adjustment is just too much. What is the hurry? Is it because the real estate agent said that the lots won't last long, the prices are going up, or he has another interested buyer? Uh-huh. I thought so.

It's not cheap to move your belongings abroad and even worse to move them back. Money spent applying for residency is down the drain. You could be stuck trying to sell a property in a foreign country for months or years while meanwhile trying to figure out how and where you will live in another country since you no longer have a liquid nest egg.

I suppose that at least part of the answer to my question is that many think of moving to a foreign country as a great adventure. I was guilty of that myself. It was an adventure all right, just not always exactly in the romantic way I had in mind. I had been to Honduras, but as a tourist, and believe me, from the minute I stepped off the plane as a potential immigrant with my Honduran spouse, everything was vastly different than when visiting as a tourist.

Even the climate felt different! As a tourist, I stayed in air-conditioned rooms cleaned by maids, laid around the beach or pool, was served my meals in breezy champas on the beach. I wasn't cleaning house, gardening, cooking, or living in a tiny airless apartment when I was on vacation. Of course, it isn't the same!

Things that are quaint and make you feel like a pioneer on vacation can get old when you have to deal with them daily. "Oh, my! The water went out for 20 minutes yesterday just when I wanted to take a shower!", said a tourist. − Try not having running water for 23 days!

Get to know the area you are considering. Some locations in Honduras have most of the things you could want. Others, not so much. Maybe an hour drive down a dirt road once a week to buy groceries sounds like fun. What will you do when rainy season or a hurricane or earthquake washes the road and bridge out and you can't get there? That quaint little colonial town may seem an ideal place to live....that is until you need an auto part, a tool, or some ingredients for your favorite meal and the only place you can get it requires a day-long trip.

What if you have health problems or have an accident? Believe it or not, there are many places where no doctor or hospital is available, or at least not one that you would want to go to. Driving a few hours once or twice a year to visit a good doctor in the big city doesn't sound so bad. But what if you are injured or too sick to make that drive?

Do you have school-age children? Younger children may adjust very well, but some children may be very unhappy. Education is a huge issue. You probably will not want to send your children to a Honduran public school and good private schools are hard or impossible to find in some areas.

You can and should find out about all of these things in advance of a permanent move. Renting a house in the area where you think you want to live is cheap (in Honduras). Oh, sure, many of us think that paying rent is throwing money away. In this case, many expats (chime in here!) will tell you that it is the cheapest 'travel insurance' that you can get. If things don't work out for whatever reason, all you have to do is pack up and leave. Hopefully, you will still have a house to go back to. If you decide you like it, you will have the knowledge and experience to make good decisions

Now in 2010, there is a whole lot more information about Honduras, immigration, and the expatriate life on the internet than there was when I came in 2001. I think that reading blogs of other expatriates in other countries is one of the best ways to find out what daily life is really like. Honestly consider the negatives as well as the positives. It's the people who can't bear to read a negative word about Honduras who I think will have the hardest time in the long run − or more accurately, in a very short time. You have to be realistic.

Just remember, though, that people who didn't make it in their new country will rarely be blogging about it, nor will you likely find them talking about their experiences in internet discussion groups. Those could be the most enlightening stories of all, but you probably won't read about them. It's just human nature that people don't want to admit to bad decisions.

While reading everything you can about these topics is a very good first step, there is no substitute for trying it out yourself personally. No one else can know how or whether you and your family will adjust to life here.

No, it's not hell on earth. I'm not trying to say that! But it is different and everyone has different expectations and different tolerance levels for change. The way to find out if your expectations can be met is come for a long stay. I recommend six months. Rent a house, buy your groceries, cook your own food, meet the locals, experience the real life in Honduras.

By now, if you are in the exploratory mode, you might be saying, "Oh, she's so negative! I know that we're going to love it. It's paradise compared to where I am." You are probably also saying, "...and it's so cheap to live there, too!" How cheap it is, is a whole other topic, but let me just say that while many expatriates think they will be content to live like a local resident, they probably won't.

They will probably want a house just a little bigger and better appointed. They will probably want a kitchen with more than 18 inches of counter space. They will want to be in a safer area. They will want internet service, a good sized TV, cable service, and their own car. They may want to travel and go out to eat a little more often. They may want to splurge every now and then on those expensive imported items that they miss from home. They will probably not want a wood burning stove or to wash their clothes on a scrub board. After all, who wants to move to another country in order to live like a pauper?!

Maybe you and each of your family members will be among the lucky ones who do love living in Honduras or another foreign country. Maybe you'll even find the perfect dream house on the internet being sold by an honest person. But why risk it when it is possible to take that country for a test drive first?

Guest blog: Diaspora, remittances and immigration

Honduran Flag

While Honduran patriotism is so strong, I thought this guest blog article might spark some thought.

Diaspora, remittances and immigration
by José Falck Zepeda

Honduras has become a country dependent on the charity of international donors, remittances from the Honduran Diaspora, and the vagaries of the international geopolitical interests and its chess masters. Rather than taking charge of our destiny and recognize how shameful this situation is, our politicos took the easy route out and instead adopted the attitude "the less people we have in Honduras, the more tortillas we have to eat." This is nonsense and a defeatist attitude.

Don't get me wrong, our Diaspora is a reality and in the short and medium term we need to support our fellow country persons in terms of facilitating the process of coming, being and going to their "chosen" destinations. In fact, one of the things we need to do is to first analyze what are the real costs and benefits of the diaspora, and then try to magnify benefits and reduce costs as much as possible.

We know that the Diaspora has the immediate benefits of remittances back home. However, we also know that the longer a person stays in a foreign country, the less money he/she sends over time and the likelihood that the flow of money is interrupted, increases. We also know that there are really high costs to Honduras in terms of the brain drain, families torn apart, and communities and their tight social networks being disrupted.

We also know that immigrants into other countries, accumulate a significant stock of knowledge in terms of management and technological abilities and, of course wealth.

As a nation we should try as much as possible to repatriate the brains lost, while attracting the Diaspora's investment in Honduras. One very interesting possibility is the creation of programs where incentives are put in place to motivate Honduran scientists, high-level managers, and other valuable human resources, to repatriate themselves back home, either on a temporary basis, but also on a longer term /permanent basis. I am thinking of the same sort of benefits given now to retirees from industrialized countries to settle in Honduras. We could also think about facilitating the process of people investing their well earned money in Honduras. Think this Utopian dream? Well, I've seen programs of this nature being implemented in India, China, South Korea and The Philippines.

Of course some people will argue that this will only work if there is a well concerted devised program by visionary people in government and other decision making spheres.

I would agree to a point, in terms of the need to create /modify legislation to accommodate these efforts, but otherwise would actually be looking forward to the private sector and innovative efforts by individuals and progressive groups in Honduran society to work this out.

However, in the end, it is up to us, as Hondurans living in country or abroad, to push for a real change in the way things are done and for equitable and sustainable social and economic growth and development. The Diaspora can only be a temporary situation. Less is failure.

~~~~~~~~~

José Falck Zepeda is a Honduran Agricultural Economist, Agronomo Zamorano, and Visiting Professor at the Panamerican Agricultural School (Zamorano), who is currently working with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington, DC. He blogs (in both English and Spanish) at Honduras: Libre, Democratica, Independiente.

This article was originally published in May 2007 on Honduras Policies: An Ag-Economist Speaks. Thanks go to José Falck for allowing me to republish it. I hope that it sparks a small flame of interest among the Honduran expatriates living all over the world. Honduras needs you.

If you are a Honduran expatriate, Jose and I would both love to read your comments on this article.

Honduras Living, the group

Not the best photo, but this is Tegucigalpa, Honduras

January 3 was the third anniversary of our Honduras Living Yahoo discussion group. It has been very successful. When we first started it, we thought we might get 40 or 50 members...eventually. We had more than that the first week! Now we are up to more than 1,000 members. I never dreamed it!

It is a great group of people with lots of questions and helpful information about living in Honduras. Newbies tell us that they have learned a lot about life here from reading the message archives and I know that I've learned a lot, too. I think that our group is very honest and helps to prepare potential expats for life here better than the majority of the Honduran websites.

I mentioned the group to someone once and he asked an interesting question. He wanted to know if it was connected in some way to International Living, the real estate group. No! Absolutely not. It never occurred to me that anyone would think that. It's just a group of people living in Honduras or considering living in or visiting Honduras who share information and experiences. The group has been completely non-commercial and it looks like the majority of the members want it to stay that way.

So if you are interested in living in Honduras, or already do, please join our group by clicking below:



Click to join honduras_living


Just one word of warning, though. It is a high volume email list so set your membership accordingly. There is more information about that in the group's guidelines which you will receive after joining.

Also, if you do join, please be sure to READ the group's guidelines before posting. I just hate having to remind people to follow the rules.

Consider this your personal invitation to join. La Gringa looks forward to seeing you there! :-D

Immigrants vs. Expatriates

Immigrant or expatriate?

Second in a series of articles expounding on expatriates

In the last article, What is an Expatriate?, I mentioned how the words 'expatriate' and 'immigrant' have different connotations. Some people think of an expatriate as an adventurer who has gone off to live in an exotic foreign land, while some − not most, hopefully − but some think of immigrants to their own country as somehow lesser beings, not quite equal to a natural born citizen.

Throw in illegal status and neither noun needs to be used. Those people are simply called 'illegals.' Most ironic of all is when illegal immigrants in Honduras complain about 'illegals' in their homeland. Hah! Yes, believe it or not, it happens, and they don't seem to recognize the irony.

In the past few years, I've begun to think of myself more as an immigrant than an expatriate. Being married to a Hondureño makes the challenges of Hondurans more real to me. I see and feel the injustices, the fear, and the hopelessness. I'm not sure where I fit.

When thinking about the current times in Honduras or looking at Honduras' future, I think in terms of 'we/us'. We need to stop corruption. We need to be safe. Our children need decent educations. Even if I was here 20 years, I could never say "We Hondurans need....". That wouldn't be allowed. I would be told that I am not Honduran. But just because my individual needs are being met, I can't ignore what is going on in the country.

Putting aside the seemingly growing pockets of racism and anti-immigrant sentiment in the US, people can become Americans and will be accepted by most of their neighbors and co-workers no matter where they or their parents were born. (I hope that is still true!)

After all, the USA was built by immigrants. "Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Though the immigration issue has become more complicated, many of us still believe in those words on the Statue of Liberty. Those words bring tears to my eyes! Am I romanticizing about my home country?

No one can become a Honduran. Not ever. It is possible to become a Honduran citizen and attain the right to vote but you will probably always be considered the gringo or the extranjero (foreigner) no matter how tightly intertwined your life is with Honduras. Innate things that you can't change, such as your accent, posture, the way you walk, even your height or hair color may point that out. I realized this one day when a neighbor referred to a man who has lived here for some 20 years, is married to a Honduran, has Honduran children, and to my ears, speaks perfect Spanish as "the old gringo". I'll always be an American and I know that I'll always be treated like a gringa in Honduras. I can't change that but I accept it.

Eddie of A Third World Shopkeeper wrote a couple of excellent articles comparing immigrants to expatriates that have stuck in my mind for many months now. In Migration - Are we all expatriates now?, Eddie mentioned that the difference between expatriates and immigrants is a matter of future outlook.

Immigration implies a permanent move. As an expatriate, there is always that possibility that you could repatriate (go back to your home country) if you wanted to. Some expatriates are here for a definite term, 6 months, one year, two years. Those might even be called 'visitors' instead. A set future move date helps with acceptance and provides a mental lifeline. "If I can just get through the next 6 months, I'll have electricity and clean water 24 hours a day!"

In the old days, immigration implied a goal of complete assimilation, if not for you, certainly for your children. In part II, Eddie mentions how expatriates sometimes set themselves apart from the general population. Their friends are expatriates, they belong to expatriate clubs, go to expatriate restaurants, maybe live in expatriate enclaves or developments catering to expats and the more affluent of the local society. Some try to fit into both cultures and some immerse themselves into the new culture. Eddie mentions how global communication helps expatriates and immigrants to keep in touch with the homeland. That is a comforting thing that can make the transition easier, but in some ways can also serve to maintain the 'difference'.

In my opinion, the difference between those who think of themselves as expatriates and those who think of themselves as immigrants also relates to degree of commitment. By that I don't mean commitment to length of time, but a commitment to the country. 'Visitors' often find it easier to ignore the more unpleasant aspects of the country. Immigrants should care about what is happening in their adopted country.

Oh, I don't have the answers. The truth is that some days I think of myself as an immigrant and some days as an expat. Other days I feel like a lost soul and some days I even feel like the million desperate Hondurans who want to escape to anywhere else. But I feel a strong commitment to Honduras and want to see it a better, safer, kinder place for its citizens.

I'd love to read your thoughts on this. Please comment.


Next: What are fakepats?

Previous: What is an expatriate?

What is an expatriate?

Someone asked why I call myself an expatriate (expatriado in Spanish). I guess because so many people that I know across the internet are expatriates, it hadn't occurred to me that not everyone is familiar with that term.

The dictionary definition of expatriate is here, but the basic, easy definition is this: Anyone who is living in a country other than their home country. It can be temporary, like for a job, an assignment, or a mission, or permanent, like for retirement, love (!) or other reasons. Expatriate comes from the Latin word patria (homeland) and also can be a verb. Repatriate means to go back to the homeland.

Spelling lesson #87: Being an expatriate (often shortened to 'expat') has nothing to do with patriotism or love or lack thereof for their home country. I think that misconception may come about because the word is so often misspelled as 'expatriot', which definitely sounds like someone who used to love their country, doesn't it?

You might also be interested in where US expatriates are located. The Association of Americans Resident Overseas has a list of the top 10 countries as well as an interactive map in which you can view a list of the top 10 countries in each continent (based on 1999 estimates). The global list puts Mexico at the top with more than 1 million US expats, Canada is second with 687,700, and the UK is third with 224,000 US residents. State Department estimated that 6.6 million US citizens live in other countries in 2005.

Figures vary, but about 90% of Honduran expatriates live in the USA followed by Canada and Spain in some order.

Another thing that I find very interesting, and maybe a little telling, is that English-speaking persons usually refer to themselves as expatriates while referring to others who have migrated to their old country as immigrants. The words do have a different connotation, don't they?

Coming up: Immigrants vs. Expatriates

Do you need to speak Spanish in Honduras?

Bathroom sign

Do you need to speak Spanish to live in Honduras? I'm sure that to Hondurans, that question sounds a little ridiculous. It's a Spanish-speaking country, dummy! But you might be surprised at how often the question comes up.

Can you come here on vacation without knowing Spanish? Sure. No problem. Most hotels and tour groups have people who speak English. They can hook you up with an English speaking taxi driver. A lot of restaurants have someone who sorta speaks English, but a lot don't. You can always hire someone to be your guide.

Living here is a different story. If you are going to go shopping, go to the bank, take a taxi, ride a bus, talk to your neighbors, read a newspaper, take a job, open a business, get a driver's license, buy or build a house, need a plumber, answer your door, get sick, hire someone to cut your lawn or clean your house, or ever run into any kind of problem (like that never happens in Honduras), then you'll probably need to know some Spanish.

It's fine to learn "Dónde está el baño?" but what do you do when the answer is "idru &^$# ()gjeor% ufe#rgt wo*&#*cwst, señor!"? Sure, sometimes you luck out and someone will be around who speaks English. It may be fine to rely on that person to tell you what is going on with the bathroom, but do you really want to rely on someone else's translation when you invest in a house?

Those of us with Honduran spouses have it a little easier, but do you want to be dependent on your Honduran husband or wife or friend or neighbor for even the simplest things? Will they always be around when you need a translation? Will they even be able to accurately convey what it is that you are trying to convey?

Adjusting to a new culture is difficult enough. If you don't have a clue as to what is going on around you, you'll really be lost.

I just think that anyone who moves to Honduras without knowing at least a little Spanish is putting himself up for a very frustrating time. I know people do it, but I have to think that they must feel a little like an outsider looking in at the rest of the world around them.

I regret that I didn't learn more Spanish before I came here. The first few years could have been much easier − for me and for El Jefe, too. Even now, though my Spanish reading ability is very good, my speaking ability leaves much to be desired, which still can cause frustration and misunderstanding. I want to have intelligent discussions about things that are beyond my Spanish vocabulary! Even with simple subjects that I know very well, like cooking or gardening, I find myself completely stuck trying to find the right word.

Some people can pick a language by hearing it, others need 'book learning.' So, my advice − if you want it − is to use whatever time you have before you move to another country to learn the language.

So, the simple answer to the question is: Yes. I think you'll be much happier. Just my opinion.

Ways to know you are becoming more Honduran

Honduran north coast mountains

Ways I know I’m becoming more Honduran:

I say 'buenas' for all occasions.

I see someone wearing shorts and I think 'gringo!'

I can maintain my place in the front of the line with the best of them.

I'm no longer surprised when cattle, horses, or sheep are herded through my neighborhood or down the highway.

My voice mail is broken and I don't care.

I no longer ask 'why', at least not really expecting an explanation.

I don't even look up when I hear someone unload an entire clip full of bullets in my neighborhood. (The second clip still gets my attention.)

I know to ask directions from a minimum of three people, and ask again on every block.

I (sometimes) take a 'Si Díos quiere' attitude about things that used to stress me out.

I could eat beans and rice every day and not mind.

I'm starting to like (some) comida tipica.

I know that 'mañana' does not mean tomorrow.

Schedules-Schmedules! Who needs 'em?

Playing the dumb immigrant card

Immigrants anywhere: Admit it. Have you or have you not ever played the 'dumb immigrant card' to your advantage? Not ever?

You've never said, "Discoolpay. Yo no intendo." or "Me no espeak English."?

Instead of standing in line like everyone else, have you never wandered around with a dumb look on your face hoping someone will take pity?

Have you never met "Hey, you can't do that..." with a confused response in your worst accent?

Or, most shameful, have you never pretended to be a dumb tourist (the people who get all the breaks) when you've really lived there for 5 years?

Hey! Immigrants don't get many advantages anywhere, so what the heck! Why not? (Note that La Gringa is not talking about committing crimes, just occasionally avoiding those little inconveniences.)

I saw the transito police road block just as I pulled over to the side of the highway near the gas station to drop off El Jefe. Oh, no! Not having planned to even drive out on the highway, I didn't think to take my purse and therefore didn't have my driver's license and car registration. That lack of documentos is one of the few delitos in Honduras for which the perpetrators will always be punished!

I thanked God I hadn't gone out in my jammies as I had briefly considered doing. I truly had an flashing vision of me cowering in my nightgown in the middle of the police station while everyone pointed and laughed.

The situation was that El Jefe had to go to a meeting and I had to go pick up someone at the airport later. So he asked me to drive him down to the highway to catch a taxi so I would have the car for later. I didn't plan on driving out on the highway, but he couldn't quickly get the attention of any passing taxis so he said to drive on down to the gas station where there might be some waiting taxis.

Pulling over just before the roadblock of course is very suspicious. I rolled down my window as I always do when the police are around. (This is a tip for all the ladies in Honduras: Apparently there are very few women car thieves, so when they see a woman driving − or at least one with an honest face like me ;-D − they just wave you on.*)

This time, however, all of the police were intently staring at me and looked none too friendly. After all, I had pulled off the road just before the road block and a man had jumped out of the car and ran for a taxi. A tad suspicious, no? The head guy hollered across the street to me, "What are you doing?". I hollered back, "My husband needs to catch a taxi." (All this in Spanish, of course.) He frowned and then made what looked to me like an irritated arms-wide sort of shrugging gesture.

I didn't know how to interpret that. I thought that maybe he had said, "Dale!" (okay, go ahead) but he was in the middle of the highway with traffic going by and maybe he was actually saying "Halt!" or something like "Don't move or I'll shoot!". I didn't want to take a chance that they would get angry or shoot out my tires. (Immigrants everywhere have an exaggerated fear of the police, no?)

The police can impound your car if you don't have your registration card and going about with no ID is a big no-no. This has happened to El Jefe. Once I had to go to the police station before they released the car and another time I was able to get a neighbor to take me to the roadblock with the registration card so they let him and the car go.

El Jefe, who is generally very protective, incredibly just got in the taxi and left me to my fate as the criminal I was! After a few moments of looking confused and inching the car back and forth to turn around for my getaway, a female officer took pity on me and hollered that I was free to go. Not only that, but the police stopped the traffic from both directions so I could get back on the highway! Whew! That was a close one.

You'll be happy to know that El Jefe did call me (an hour later!) to make sure that I wasn't in jail. He said that the taxi driver refused to wait. I told him what happened. Damn!, he said. Not that he wanted anything bad to happen to me, he was just a little jealous of my 'dumb immigrant' status. ;-D

---------------------------
*Aside: This preferential treatment of women irritates El Jefe to no end. In the 7 1/2 years that we've been here, he has been stopped by the police and checked for license and registration, oh, probably 200-300 times! Granted, he drives a lot more than I do, but I've been stopped, oh, maybe once.

Sometimes they even search the car or him personally, putting him spread-eagled against the car while they check for weapons or drugs − never when I am with him, though. Since we have to pass one or another of their favorite road check spots to get to town, sometimes he's been stopped on his way to Wendy's for hamburgers and stopped again by the same person on his way back. Waving the Wendy's bag with protests of "Don't you remember me from 10 minutes ago?" fall on deaf ears. The rules are the rules. Unless you're a woman or a dumb immigrant, that is.


So, have you ever played the dumb immigrant card and how did that work out for you?