Dear Friends,

One never knows how quickly or slowly something will happen here. Let me give you an example.

As you may know, I have a strong sense of support for public education and the public library system. Here in a country with a bankrupt government, they need a lot of help. We have stayed in contact with the public library in Limon and notice that it doesn't have much. The major clientele are the junior high students looking for answers for their homework.

The librarian had no excyclopedia, and one one-volume dictionary (that we gave her a few years ago). We valued the idea of such a reference material but didn't know where one could be obtained nor at what price.

In November of last year, we stumbled across the Oceano store in Tocoa. They sell reference books. They had a couple types that might be suitable for our public library. One for about $780 and the other for about $720. The saleslady talked non-stop, offering us a free two-volume Honduras encyclopedia if we bought both. She obviously misunderstood our financial situation. She let us look at the books, but wouldn't give us any peace while we did so, so we just left--in the middle of one of her sentences, no doubt. She had offered to come visit us. We didn't give her instructions for getting to our place.

Well, we thought about it. You know we do Quaker process for decision-making. Quaker time and Honduran time are congruent. In August, we decided that we should try to make this happen. I sent an email to friends who have a big heart and more money than is good for them, asking them to send a check. They did.

In September, we received this news. Good news. Of course, since we don't get to the Internet often, turn around is slow. We stopped at the store on our return from Belize, LaCeiba, etc. The saleslady wasn't there. We left a message for her that we were interested and had a donor. But we didn't know yet which set was the suitable one. We would like to have her bring them to a meeting at Limon in which the teachers could review them and make a recommendation. We got her name and telephone number.

The next Monday, our day was so busy that we didn't get to the library during its morning open hours. No problem, we'll try again next week. With higher priority. We did connect to the library, but the young woman wasn't who we thought she would be. The librarian is on vacation for October and will return in November. OK, no rush.

About a week later, the saleslady showed up at the monastery!! With her Man Friday, of course. She had decided which one we should have. She is a teacher and she knows. Well, we had another high pressure sales talk.

I thanked her for her expertise and her opinion, and told her that I really needed the opinion of the local teachers, who, of course, are expert about what is needed in this community.

I gave her the librarian's telephone number and name. The prices have gone up in the year since we began this investigation.

That brings us to this week. On Monday, we visited the principal of the junior high to ask him to set up such a meeting. He listened politely and told us that he has visited the store and has reviewed the materials. He told us which one he recommended. It was the one the saleslady had recommended. This is a little surprising since it was the less expensive one. This teacher is one whom I know and I respect his opinion very much. He was the mayor for a while and I liked what I saw then, too.

(This was a little disappointing in one way. The other one would have been the one we would have chosen for 7-9th graders in the states. These kids just don't have the academic background to benefit from an ordinary encyclopedia. This theme-ordered didactic encyclopedia will be of greater use. Some day, maybe someday.)

So, we now accept the decision of which one. We are still not in a hurry. There is a great dearth of trust in Honduras. Concern that items of value will walk away. The principal recommended that we be sure to entrust the volumes to a specific person. The set comes with CDs, too. We thought we could give them to Mamuga (a Garifuna organization that has an office near the library, is open to the public--Garifuna or not, and has computers). The principal said that their computers aren't working. And if and when we give them the CDs, to be sure to hand them off to a very responsible person. He happens to have a computer here at the junior high and he happens to have a library here at the junior high. The students do not have access to the computer, however. The general public does not have access to the library, either. So, we thought we had better stick with our first plan and talk with the Mamuga people. The Mamuga office was closed (Day of the Soldier holiday, transposed to a Monday, you know). We were pleased with our progress on this project and plan to visit Mamuga next week.

Tuesday, who should show up at the monastery? You got it--the saleslady and her Man Friday. She had called the librarian. The librarian has moved to the states and there is a new libarian. She got the telephone number of the new librarian and set up a meeting. The librarian, a kindergarten teacher, an elementary school teacher and a junior high teacher were present. Needless to say, they produced a document advocating for the encyclopedia that the saleslady recommended! One must never laugh when negotiating such an important purchase, but there was a temptation.

She was prepared to take us to Bonito to the bank to withdraw the money to pay for it. No one walks around with that kind of money, after all. I mentioned that the bank in Bonito had burned last month. Was it open already? Yes, the driver/Man Friday said, he saw people outside the bank this morning as they drove through. Well, OK. I put on my shoes, got my passport and bankbook and off we went. We left our lunch (of leftovers) sitting on the table inside the house. (Here in Honduras, you do all socializing outside. Inviting someone inside is a very big step of intimacy.)

Well, the bank in Bonito is next to a credit union. The driver had seen people waiting at that door, not the bank. There is a new building being prepared to house the bank, but it, of course, is not yet ready. So, on to Tocoa.

Since the day before was a bank holiday, the bank was packed. I am now of the third age, so our saleslady got me in the front door (in front of people who looked older than me). Then inside the crammed bank, she got me to the front of the line of third-age people. This is all very irregular. Later she told me that all of the tellers are her old students. She was very proud of how fast and efficient this all was. While I was in the bank, Prairie bought a few ripe bananas and lychas, and a green papaya to enjoy with the cousins when they arrive (today).

We stopped at her house where they picked up meals and ate them in the car as we continued our trek. Prairie commented that it is good that we know how to not eat now. (And how nice that we could make little comments in English that don't have to be edited.) We stopped to buy 25 pounds of corn, which I wanted to take home since we had transport. (Paid 3 Lempiras a pound--up 50% from last year, but still half the cost of buying corn flour.) This was a nice favor to us and it also helped her to understand in a concrete way a little more about our financial situation.

Next stop, the public library in Limon. It was now getting on in the afternoon, even with speedy Man Friday at the wheel. The library was closed. We stopped at the mayor's office for information. We could leave the box there if we wanted. I didn't want.

They took us home and helped carry the stuff to the house. We finished the transaction. She counted her money and I counted the volumes. All OK. It cost $781. Pretty cool.

So now we have the volumes at our house. We will take them to the library one or two at a time when we understand better just who is the librarian and is she really on vacation. And what about Mamuga and their computers?

It was late for lunch and for afternoon prayers. We did prayers, then ate our lunch. Immediately, we made a nice hearty dinner and ate it, too, by lamplight.

Our saleslady got the mayor's office telephone number. Lucky them. We don't have a telephone. Lucky us. We know how to contact her if we ever fall into a bundle of money. She really does have some great stuff, still untapped.

This one lady will do more for getting reference books to students than any number of outsiders could possibly do with whatever "higher" motivation than profit and making her quota of sales in a month.

be well,

beth