One of the most striking and surprising things about Honduras so far
has been the noise. It is absolutely
incredible!
It starts at about 4:30 in the morning when the roosters start their
crowing. Not only do you hear the ones
right next door, but if you listen you can hear thousands of them throughout
the valley and the surrounding mountains.
It sounds a bit like a crowd screaming for their favorite football
team. (Notre Dame, of course!)
 |
| One of the roosters out in the aldea, They are everywhere, including in the homes! |
Then, there are the dogs. Oh,
the dogs! They are everywhere, and they
bark . . . A LOT! We have one right next
to where we sleep that whines and barks through the night. Good thing for ear plugs!
Added to the roosters and dogs are the sparrows, probably 50 or more of
which have made their nests in the rafters under the metal roof covering the
gathering area of Casa Guadalupe. With
the amplification of the metal roof, their chirping fills the complex with near
constant sound. There are also geckos “laughing”
in the chapel, frogs croaking, and cicadas in the trees that make an incredible
din.
Finally, there are my favorite birds that strut around on the roof of
the building at its highest peak right near the cross. These are black birds about the size of a
crow, but somewhat thinner with a beautiful long tail like a mockingbird or
blue jay. These birds puff up their
chests and make a variety of calls, many of which sound like a high pitched
flute or car alarm. These are silly
sounds that make you smile!
It all reminds me of the last lines of Psalm 65, which we read today in
our morning prayers:
The hills are girded with joy,
the meadows covered with flocks,
the valleys are decked with wheat.
They shout for joy, yes, they sing.
To you, O God, all praise is due, for this wonderful, raucous world in
which we live!
 |
| Matthew and one of his friends |
No comments:
Post a Comment