A Day in Honduras

by Madeleine Hodur

Honduras● Language: Spanish, many people

learn English as well.● Industry: Sugar, coffee, textiles,

clothing, tourism

● Agriculture: Bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp

● Exports: Coffee, bananas, shrimp, lobster, meat

● Life Expectancy: 71

● GDP per Capita: U.S. $2,500

● Literacy Percent: 76%

● Income level: Lower middle income

Tegucigalpa, capital city of Honduras

Daniel Arnada● This is Daniel Arnada ● He is from Tegucigalpa the

capital city of Honduras● He is from a wealthy family that

has ties to the local government● He is currently studying business

at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania

● “Honduras is a country with rich culture and welcoming people, but has suffered from gang violence and poverty” - Daniel

Daniel and my Family

A Typical Day for Daniel

● Daniel went to a private international school.

● He would be picked up at noon for lunch at home with his family, then taken back to school

● He played club football (soccer) after school

● He would come home by car, walking was too dangerous

● Daniel would have Sunday dinners with his extended family, who all live close by

● Daniel says he was very fortunate to come from a wealthier family, many people from his country are not so lucky and live in poverty, however, there is a strong sense of community in Honduras and everyone knows their neighbors and lends a hand when they can.

Daniel and his family overlooking the city

A Typical Honduran Day● Most people are awake and active by 6 a.m., and as

early as 4 a.m. for most farmers. ● At about 7, most people drink super-sweet coffee

with sweet homemade bread for what they call a pre-breakfas

● In the summer, sometimes the town plumbers cut off the water service for different neighborhoods at certain hours, to make sure everyone has water for at least a few hours a day.

● Most people eat breakfast around 9:30 a.m.—tortillas with beans and eggs, or anempanada (fried tortillas with cheese or squash or ham inside).

● Between 9 and noon are the most important working hours.

● Lunch is the most important meal of the day, and everyone is at home with the family between noon and 2 p.m. Stores close and the streets empty. In the afternoon, stores open again and people work, although at a much slower pace than in the morning.

● Between 4 and 7 p.m. when the hard work for the day, whether working in the field or making tortillas, is finished. The air cools and the dusty breeze dies down, and people sit on the sidewalk in front of their houses, chatting with neighbors.

Honduran Food

Essential Honduran Foods● As in other countries in the area, Honduran food relies heavily on the use of corn (maize) as a basic

ingredient. Nearly all traditional recipes contain corn or foods made from corn. ● Along with corn, kidney beans are one of the pillars that sustain Honduran cuisine. ● Given that Honduras is right in the middle of the tropics, it should be no surprise that plantains make

appearances in several places in the national menu.

An example of the classic Honduran breakfast. Egg, chorizo, refried beans, cheese, avocado, sour cream, and fried plantain slices.

Plato típico with extra plantain fritters at a restaurant in Gracias.

One tamal a typical lunch for a Honduran

Safety● Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador

have seen violent gang crime intensify

in recent years with incursions from

Mexican drug cartels.

● ''In 2011 alone, the number of deaths in

Honduras soared to 7104 or one person

killed every 74 minutes,'' found the

National Human Rights Commission.

● Honduras leads 207 countries with its

murder rate in 2012,, according to the

study that estimated it at 82.1 deaths per

100,000 people. It is followed in the region

by El Salvador (66) and Guatemala (41.4).

● The UN Office on Drugs and Crime has

called the border regions between north-

west Honduras and south-west Guatemala

"some of the most dangerous places in

Central America"

Gang members in Honduras

Daniel and Safety

Police force, Honduras

● “My Uncle is the Chief of Police,

so we feel much safer than most

families, but we do not drive at

night without an escort, because

of our connections with police,

we could be targets for

kidnappers” - Daniel

● “We live in a gated community

with armed security, but you

always have to be careful” -

Daniel

Bibliography

● http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/deadliest-country-is-honduras-20120312-1utyi.html

● http://www.unodc.org/gsh/

● https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=15888

● http://thisishonduras.com/Honduran_Food.html

● http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/stories/rural-honduran-day/