Living in Honduras. Spring /20/2012. October 1987 August 1989

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Phillip Bennett
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Living in Honduras Central America October 1987 August 1989 Spring 1987 Informed of overseas assignment to Honduras Living in Los Angeles, CA I

meant: Permanent storage (2 yrs) Shipped items in November Air Freight (Kitchen) Clothing for July through October in Washington, DC 3/28/12 2

1 Living in Honduras Central America October 1987 August 1989 Spring 1987 Informed of overseas assignment to Honduras Living in Los Angeles, CA I worked for 2 entertainment attorneys Spouse in Wash, DC since January (Language School) Could only pack essential household items Packing in June meant: Permanent storage (2 yrs) Shipped items in November Air Freight (Kitchen) Clothing for July through October in Washington, DC 3/28/12 2 Transition to Washington, DC June 23 July 3 drove cross country to Washington, DC Continued working for same law firm at Washington, DC branch office 3/28/12 3 1

2 July 7 October 29, 1987 Worked in Washington DC Worked for a financial/banking attorney AND taught others in the office WordPerfect (DOS version). Used the Metro underground rail system to walk to/from work daily Got to do a lot of sightseeing 3/28/ /28/12 5 3/28/12 6 2

front outside covered deck Downstairs: kitchen, dining room (table seated 12), ½ bath, office, and living room. Behind house: Maid s quarters, washer/dryer, upright freezer.

3 Arriving in Tegucigalpa YouTube-Tegu_Plane_Landing.url 3/28/12 7 Settling Down in Tegucigalpa Embassy provided our house 4 blocks from the US Embassy fully furnished with Ethan Allen Furniture 3 large bedrooms + TV room upstairs + 2 full bathrooms + front outside covered deck Downstairs: kitchen, dining room (table seated 12), ½ bath, office, and living room. Behind house: Maid s quarters, washer/dryer, upright freezer. A 14 foot concrete wall was around the entire back and sides of the house Front had wrought iron out to the street. Had to open gate to bring car in or out of driveway. 3/28/12 8 Settling in Air Freight arrived 2 nd day Stocked kitchen from Embassy Commissary Carried Spanish English dictionary around Went to Embassy to hire a maid Maid present M, W, F Shopping: Mall with grocery store 1 block away Hardware store purchase push pins Shoe Store in Mall Open Air Market 3/28/12 9 3

Daily Life Water purification every 3 4 days Had 3 Soup Pots to boil water from the tap After water boiled for 15

gallon plastic jugs. Place fresher water at the back of a rotating group of 12 jugs.

4 Daily Life Water purification every 3 4 days Had 3 Soup Pots to boil water from the tap After water boiled for 15 minutes, turn off the flame, cover, and let sit until cool (balance of day) Transfer cooled water into Water Purification unit. Water would pass through ceramic candles and then drop to lower unit (took 24 hours) Transfer water into empty, clean gallon plastic jugs. Place fresher water at the back of a rotating group of 12 jugs. Used this water for: Washing all dishes by hand Brushing teeth (carried small thermos into each bathroom to simplify) Cooking pasta, etc. 3/28/12 10 Marine Ball November 10 First official formal event Formal clothing arrived the day of the Marine Ball in balance of shipped items. 3/28/12 11 Working at US Embassy After taking a few weeks to get the house unpacked and set up, I found out that I could not go out on the local economy to get a job: US agreements with poor economic countries prohibit non citizens obtaining a job that a local could perform. Consequently, my only source for a job was at the US Embassy. December 87 March 88 Worked for Deputy Chief of Missions March 88 August 89 Worked for Deputy Chief of USIA 3/28/

Obtaining Local Currency Paying Local Utilities Receiving mail Obtaining local currency Embassy provided an exchange office. Off shore exchange as well. Had no local bank account.

5 Obtaining Local Currency Paying Local Utilities Receiving mail Obtaining local currency Embassy provided an exchange office. Off shore exchange as well. Had no local bank account. Every local transaction was in cash. Mail delivery in Honduras No mail boxes. Mail tossed on the lawn. Quickly started using the APO mail service provided by the US Embassy. No FedEx or UPS. Paying local utilities in Honduras Phone, Electricity, and Gas Each utility would send an employee to the place where you work and expect payment in exact change in local currency when they would appear unannounced. Cable TV We would have to go to their office to make payment in local currency. Reception was pirated from Denver, Colorado satellite. 3/28/12 13 Neighborhood Vigilante security at the end of the block. Cows and calves routinely roamed the streets looking for food. Routinely, local photographers would be seen taking pictures of our house Manhole covers in the streets would be stolen and sold for cash. Driving was a challenge. People would sleep in the street because it was warm. 3/28/12 14 Burning of the US Embassy April 7, 1988 Honduran Government requested the US assistance to capture a notorious drug lord. He is still in a US prison. For 2 months, every aspect of life for Americans was in jeopardy. All leaves were canceled for 4 months. Diplomatic license tags changed to local tags. Cars parked on the street were Checked for bombs before driving anywhere for balance of time in Honduras. 3/28/

Nicaragua Refugees 3/28/12 16 Learned How to Defend Myself After the Embassy burning, my husband took me to the firing range to show me how to defend myself. Learned how to shoot:.

6 Nicaragua Refugees 3/28/12 16 Learned How to Defend Myself After the Embassy burning, my husband took me to the firing range to show me how to defend myself. Learned how to shoot:.357 Magnum Shotgun Ozi Machine Gun had deadly accuracy at 30 yards 3/28/12 17 Voting in New Democracy First democratic election in spring 1985 Spring 1989 Election met with lots of resistance People waiting to vote were shot if they were known to support one candidate over another Drug lords and major land owners were being challenged 3/28/

7 Guatemala City, Guatemala 3/28/12 19 Guatemala City, Guatemala 3/28/12 20 Returning to USA August, 1989 Tegucigalpa to Houston, Texas 3/28/

8 dâxáà ÉÇáBVÉÅÅxÇàá 3/28/

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