My winter break was like no other. I spent two weeks in Honduras, visiting family and experiencing a different way of life. It had been five years since I visited and I couldn’t be more excited. As the plane landed, I saw views of the beautiful forests, mountains and scenic views. As soon as I got there, everything was quite different from here in America. I had to get used to all the signs being in Spanish and the underdeveloped airport. It took us two hours to leave the airport because multiple flights landed at the same time and everyone had to go through customs. My mom’s family picked us up and we began our three-hour journey from the airport to the city to La Ceiba.

Driving was one of the scariest experiences ever. Some of the roads are unpaved and have holes that haven’t been covered so people have to drive with extra precaution. They also don’t have many traffic lights, which makes an accident more likely. The cool thing is that everywhere I looked, I could see views of the mountains and forests, which isn’t something I see in Florida. I also noticed many slums on the edge of the road. Wealth inequality is very obvious because the slums were next to residential, gated communities. I saw many things that I wasn’t used to seeing and realized that being immersed into this environment was an eye-opening experience for me. I had always read about extreme poverty but actually seeing it was completely different.

The weather over there felt like I was in summer. It was hot and humid on most days and it rained a few times, but overall, it was very similar to Florida. The coldest it got was only 70 degrees. I heard many startling things since Honduras was named as the most dangerous country at some point, but I did not feel unsafe being there. There are armed guards at all the restaurants and public places. It is dangerous but only in the bad neighborhoods, which we avoided, and the police are becoming stricter.

I left Honduras closer than ever to all my family members. I hung out with my cousins everyday and they showed me what life in Honduras was like. For two weeks, I felt like I really lived there. By the end of the trip, I knew my way around town and had gotten accustomed to paying in a different currency. I left with a greater appreciation for life in America because there are so many people living in slums, without water and no opportunities. I learned a lot about the country, the people, the lifestyle and I will never forget the memories I made.