Osama's Shoes

I'm having a good time playing soccer with the boys in the neighborhood. We play in a narrow street with stone walls and house as boundaries, so the play is often interrupted by cars, motos, or pedistrians. A sewage lane runs down one side of the street, filled with trash, water, and other mysterious material. We make extra effort not to put the ball in the cuneta.

Sometimes, the parents watch the game, chatting to each other and making an occassional comment about the fútbol. Usually I focus on the play, just so I can keep up with all of the other muchachos. I had to stop and laugh when one of the mothers declared that there was something different about the shoes I was wearing. "Los zapatos de Osama! (Osama's shoes)," she announced. I later told her that I had stolen them from Bin Laden himself.

Just an interesting story about how a Latin American views a North American clothing item. I would guess that her view is probably influenced by North American presentations of Middle Eastern clothing. I wonder: How does a Honduran perceive the Middle East, and how has this been affected by the U.S. media?

Honduras

In 1502, a European named Columbus arrived on the mainland Central American coast and called the land he stood upon Honduras. This name, "depths," was meant to commemorate the deep waters off the coast.

I arrived here yesterday. With skin conditioned to the gray Chicago Spring and Spanish stumbling out of my mouth, I walked into the humid Honduran sun and into a taxi provided by the organization that I will be working with the next six months. I will be interning under Asociación para una Sociedad Mas Justa, an organization that provides legal support and advocacy in the areas of labor, land, and domestic abuse.

I will delve into the deep waters of my life here in future posts, but for this introductory post, I simply want to note my arrival. Hopefully this blog will have equal narration of what I'm thinking about and feeling. The connection of human well-being with land will probably emerge as a frequent topic, since it is the subject of my study and the focus of the legal team that I will join in a couple weeks. Income inequality and access to resources will assuredly come up. Of course, hearing my ups-and-downs as I learn Spanish will also be something to look forward to as well.

One final word: I will try my best to avoid a narcissitic, twitterish presentation in these blogs. I like stories and you like stories, and I want to share my experiences with you, but don't worry, I won't be talking about how I brushed by teeth this morning. Life goes on for all of you, so please keep me updated regarding your happenings as well. This is a journey that I do not embark on alone, but with all of you on my mind and heart.