Hola!
I hope everyone is doing well, I have lots to share from the past week or so.
Today is Saturday so that means I've been here in Roatan for little over a week plus a couple days. My time here has felt like something of a whirlwind. Completely busy at times as some days simply fly by. While others seem to drag along, the sun never moving an inch from the last time you looked upon it hours ago. Dad has been recovering from a small case of the flu, so the last few days have seen a bit more activity.
Although when he was ill I was free to walk down to West End and enjoy the beach with one or two Puerto Royales, or sometimes just wander down to the dock in the evenings and watch the sun set upon the ocean. Island life reminds me of Iowa in many ways. The afternoons pass by as they may, nobody seeming to be in too much of a hurry for anything. The steady rhythm of the sea seems to keep everyone at its own pace around here. Not too fast nor too slow, but one unified beat. The Scene from our dock at sunset is shown (above), and my favorite cabana in West End (right).I'm afraid the one place on the island which can process my film had a broken developer (of course!), so I will have to wait even longer to see my negatives until I make my way home from Costa Rica in about three weeks. The coastal city of La Ceiba has the nearest working device, but unfortunately there is about forty or fifty miles of the Atlantic Ocean separating the mainland from the island. It is yet another reminder of how little control you have over certain things here.
All the while I have been photographing the faces and occurrences at Clinica Esperanza. Everyone there has been extremely friendly and I have been granted full access to whatever I feel is necessary to document. Thursday was a big day at the Clinica. Ms. Peggy arranged for "Kids Day" and that was a lot of fun. Pinatas, balloons,
y muchas dulces para los ninos! I'm not so sure the dentist was real happy with all the candy being handed out, but what can you do. Ingrid, one of the little girl's of the Valle family I spoke about in my last note was there for a toothache. But of course there she was after the pinata had been broken, scrambling for chocolate!
As well as kid's day, a cruise line had donated around 30 bed sets to the clinic and I had scheduled an appointment to follow one of the receiving families into La Colonia. Although the original family didn't show up, I asked my way into hitching a ride with another who lived in the same barrio. Imagine this! Two bed sets including mattresses, pillows and blankets; a family of five, and some Gringo
with a camera all squeezed in the back of a tiny pickup truck. A scene straight out of Roatan I assure you! While I was shooting I insisted on setting aside my camera and helping a young boy attempting to move two frames all his own. I was trekking up the hillside and twisted my knee something fierce. Walking has been difficult for the last day or two but Dad has me on a Ibuprofen regimen so I should be back to normal soon.I plan to show what photo work I have done thus far to Peggy this coming Monday. So I should know what direction I need to take for the Clinica next week. After that, the plan is to hopefully perform the same service for one or two of the local schools here, and possibly land a teaching job next spring.
Tonight power went out unexpectedly around the entire island for about two hours. I tried to sleep but without a fan the heat was simply too much. The stars out here are obviously breathtaking, but for the most part hard to see. Most houses around here have exterior lights for security reasons, even in the some of the poorest barrios in Roatan. That is unless someone pulls the plug... I love making star photos!That's it for now. Thanks so much to those of you who responded, I really enjoy your feedback.
God bless and much love to you all!