What a day we had here in the Mayan ruins here in Copan! Our original plans for hiring a guide fell threw, but every thing happens for a reason; we found Yobani. He started his career studying to be a guide then changed to a focus in eco-tourism. Only a few years later, he started his own company here in Copan. In working more closely with the local people, he has found that some forms of eco-tourism can disrupt and even destroy a culture. He now devotes his time to redefining eco-tourism in the area to make it more of a partnership with the local indigenous communities.
To give you an example, most eco-tourists say "don´t cut the trees for firewood!" If the villagers in this area do not cut trees for their fires a signifigant piece of their cosmology and tradition will be lost. In the spiritual sense, the smoke from their fires is a means of connecting with Spirit. No smoke means the connection with the upper world is lost. That first smoke from their morning fires is also a sing to their Spirit saying "we are here, we are still alive". Also, the smoke from the traditional open-pit fire coats their celing with black soot and in the ight, this becomes their ¨sky", a close and visible sign of the Spirit within their own homes.
Yobani's future plans include introducing a more efficient lorena-type wood stove that would reduce the amount of trees being harvested, yet also honor the local traditions. What an amazing example for us as we search for sustainability in action!
- Steve (Resident Counselor)

Home Away from Home

The cobble stone roads of Copan add to the authenticity of this home away from home. This being my first homestay experience, I was anxious to learn the typical dynamics of a local honduran family. My mother here is Orfilia, who is widow with no children of her own, but she lives with her mother, father, her sister, three nieces, and one nephew. Her sister lives in New York, and sends money home to the family here in Copan. Orfilia is the ultimate caretaker; on top of feeding her family, myself and the various relatives that wander in for a meal, she cares for four dogs, two cats, and one hampster. Over the two weeks I discovered a new pet almost daily. I have come to realize that the family dynamic is nothing shor of what I have left behind in the US. I am learning that the ultimate wealth is a community of loving people, people who help their neighbor, not because they owe someone, but simply because that is how it is; that is what they know. I feel blessed to have already become familiar with this style of kinship. It is something I hope everyone has the opportunity to see and feel in their lifetime.
-Amber

Wow 10 days in Copan and what a whirl wind tour we've had! Currently I'm sitting at a cafe eating a cookie which strongly reminds me of a childhood cereal, "cookie crisp". It is raining and I am refelcting back to on our visit to the Mayan ruins, or ruinas Maya as they say here. Our guide, Yobani, was an amazing interpreter and explained to us all about the ruins that once marked one of the greatest Mayan cities in it's prime. We were greated at the begining of the tour by several wild macaws, the national bird of Honduras, and a very simbolic bird in the Mayan culture. We learned how the Mayans respected the earth and used animal as symbols for each ruler. Their buildings were built to mimic the mountians, but also had a complex tunnel system below the earth. From sacred ball ceremonies to the discovery that one ruler was a queen, the history and belief structures were undeniably foriegn and beautiful. Visiting this rich historic place has enhanced my current understanding of the modernday town of Copan, and overall enriched our experience here in Honduras.
-Amanda

Homestay Thoughts

I have been learning a lot about myself in the first few days of this trip, and about habits I have had on and off for most of my life that I have only become really aware of now. My host family is incredibly great, but on the first night here I offended my host father Cesar, by putting my own views out there too much, and feeling that I should correct some of his. For most of my life I have been surrounded by many like-minded people - in the town I grew up in, and for the past few years at the school I’ve gone to. But now I see that I have also been surrounded by people who share my views because many times when someone expressed a view I thought was wrong or offensive, I felt that I should correct them. And through that I alienated friends who had a different view on one particular thing. I wonder now why I have ever felt that I need everyone to share the same high minded, inoffensive upturned-nosed, bland views that I hold? What do I need to “correct” someone else’s views or statements for? Even if I feel someone is really wrong and they should think differently, telling them so will rarely change thinking, it will just make them feel resentful towards me, and towards the ideas I tried to force them to accept. To anyone I have ever done this to in my life, please let me know, if you would. I'm learning should let differences in opinion and statements that make me uncomfortable pass, because they're not important. And I’m recognizing the great amount of truth in the old rules of being a good guest. My host mother Lupe is the most gracious host you could ever find, and Cesar has done his best to be gracious in spite of the fact that I have not. I’m here to be a guest, to listen and to learn, and to talk about myself and my views when people ask. I'm not here to try to change anything. If I do change anything it will be by just being myself, being interested in what I'm interested in, and being respectful.
-Dan