The Varela Birthdays

-
Continuing on then with the birthdays this past week we had both Carlitos, also known as Chihua, and his little sister Dariana. I love this family, the way the take care of each other, the way they all tend to their mother...they way all 7 of them sleep in one bed. They're incredibly close and their daily interactions and ventures just leave me in stitches. We had a good 2 days celebrating the back-to-back birthdays.
the youngest of the varela crew...still not sure how i feel about him

ok, this isn't related to anything...it's just Kaka half-observing the fiesta. he's been hanging around a lot lately, on the fringes. which is fine, he's a joy to be around, it's just a bit curious.

chihua is now 15. i remember the first time i met him 2 years ago - it seems like yesterday that i invited him and his brother to go to the river with us. he has become such a huge part of my life and door to so many other people within the community. he has enormous influence with the other kids and it's almost always for the good. chihua is such that if i need to sway the opinion of a group of kids i go to him first and allow him to do it - he's like the pied piper of los laureles.

and then there's his simpleton sister, dariana. megan keiser anyone?

having eaten his cake it's now time to escape

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Coming to Honduras

-
Image
The other day in philosophy class I was teaching about existentialism, a philosophy with which I have myriad problems. The universe is absurd, life is meaningless, authenticate yourself with irrational leaps of faith! Hopeless and disconnected from reality if you ask me. Get out of the café Camus, mix with some common folk! Nevertheless, as I was introducing the material I mentioned that the existentialists really probed the questions of Life's meaning and purpose: "How do I create myself to be unique and significant?" "How do I live an authentic existence?" "How do I give my life meaning and purpose in an otherwise meaningless universe?" These seem to be questions that are attendant to societies that possess extreme wealth and privilege and an over-abundance of leisure time. I have serious doubts that 15th Century English peasants or even nobles for that matter, spent much time contemplating how they might make their lives unique or leave a...
Read more

10 Years In Honduras

-
Image
My good friend Jessiel Rivera reminded me the other day that it was 10 years ago this month that I arrived here in La Ceiba. I remember my arrival here from Costa Rica fairly vividly. I had been getting teary-eyed on the plane from a combination of sleep deprivation, my longing to remain with my friends in beautiful San Jose and some sad indie music on my iPod. It was a hot and terribly humid Sunday afternoon when I landed in the La Ceiba airport and when I stepped off the 10-seater hotbox of an airplane onto the tarmac I was sweaty, bleary-eyed and disheveled. I looked like a typical gringo backpacker except for my mountain of luggage that I had in tow. Two members of the Central Mennonite Church picked me up in their car; how they knew I was the Gringo they were supposed to collect was beyond me but they got it right. I remember them remarking on the number of suitcases I had brought (3) and their heaviness (maximum weight allowance); and the resulting weight of embarrassment I felt ...
Read more

Chucu & His Homies

-
Image
William, I've thought about what to write all day now and while part of me would like to continue exploring the theme and meaning of Justice from philosophy class, or rail against the seemingly monolithic, lock-step acceptance and use of P.C. language and how it's destroying our culture and ability to communicate with each other, or stake out my claim against the tyranny of gay-marriage; I'm left thinking that in that I haven't truly written anything since September of last year it might be nice to begin this new season of writing and opining with a fresh and sunny story from Los Laureles. Thus I bring you Carlos Jose Ucles Ferrufino, affectionately known in Laureles (and other parts) as Chucu. I shan't write a long bio on him as I did with Chihua; at least not today. I do though want to share with you a scene from his birthday back in November. Normally when a birthday in Laureles rolls around I arrive with a cake, we sing a song, say a prayer, eat, drink co...
Read more