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 an
d 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 so
meone, 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
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