My new job as a Busy Bee

Lots of people have been asking me about my new job down here. So far, things have been great! I am part time as a project manager with a construction company, helping with scheduling, budgeting, materials orders, etc. It is an interesting job to have on a remote island since the time is takes to deliver things here is so long. If we order something in the states it takes maybe a week to arrive at our freight forwarder, and another week minimum or so before they ship it, and another 2 weeks or so before it arrives on island, soooo… it takes some planning.

The other half of my job is doing marketing for our resort and executive assistant/admin work for the project as well– Coral Beach Village. We are building a “beach club” of sorts with the restaurant (already existing), private homes, and hopefully offering scuba, snorkel, and other amenities in the future. So I am working on promoting the restaurant in town, getting permits, administration, etc.

So, in the long run, I am just a catch-all for everything that needs to be done around the site. For example, last week alone I played the following roles:
Project Manager, Designer, Accountant, Marketing Manager, Wedding Photographer, Concert Promoter, Concert Booking, Waitress… I’m sure I’m forgetting a thing or two, but basically, I do it all!

Here are a few photos from the restaurant area. This is the only local restaurant on the South Shore (my area of the island,) as well as the restaurant part of Coral Beach Village. It is equivalent to about a few blocks from my house, with delicious cocktails!

pretty nice little sunday

had a great sunday– started with a long boat ride, searching for whale sharks.  but instead we found dolphins!  (as you can see, this photo is from someone else on the boat, but click here to see a video i took from the boat!)

spinner dolphins

it was a super cool experience.  even though we didn’t find whale sharks, dolphins were a pretty solid trade. 🙂  there were, however, LOTS of jellyfish out that day so most of us got at least a few minor stings.

also went on a nice afternoon dive down the beach, and took a beach walk searching for treasures with my neighbor.  once I start crafting with some of my findings, I will be sure to post!

here are a few extra photos from my Sunday dive.  once I start getting better at underwater photography, I will be sure to post some tips and tricks as I learn!

peacock flounder

trumpetfish

bridled burrfish

corals

one week down!

ive made it a whole week!  technically a week and a half.  i did finally get my bank account yesterday after jumping through a lot of hoops… apparently when there’s only one bank on the island, you pretty much just have to do what they say.

a few other things ive learned in the past week: money is a little different here.  the currency is a lempira.  L100=5USD.  the common bills to carry around are L1-L500, meaning the sheer number of bills around is a lot higher.  and then there’s coins below that!  so not only are you carrying around bills equivalent to a nickel up to 25$, there’s also coins.  not everywhere takes credit cards, so people carry around cash a decent amount, there’s just a lot more of it to get you just as far. a box of cereal is 9-13$.  a handle of rum is 12-15$.  whoa, whoa, lets back up.  did everyone catch that?  you read correctly, a box of cereal and a handle of rum are almost the same cost.  at least Honduras has their priorities straight?

another difference: water usage.  we catch all of the water we use, which means when it doesn’t rain, our water levels get a little low.  i feel like we are much more conscious of the water we use, which is great.  but this also means that when i shower, i turn off the water to shampoo, and turn it on to rinse, turn it off to soap turn it on to rinse, etc.  luckily its warm here, so i dont mind the on and off.

on that note, im on a new diet, everyone!  its called sweating.  its where you eat food, and then you sweat constantly.  so thats exciting.  i dont do scales, but i can definitely feel a difference.  i think im also a bit more active here as well, since i tend to hermit in the winter in colorado.  i do have a/c in my bedroom, and where i usually work has a/c.  but many of the businesses and restaurants around dont always run a/c since electricity here is EXPENSIVE!  so it gets pretty warm.  dont worry– when you come visit we can run a/c in your bedroom too!

we went on a search for whale sharks thursday, with no luck.  it was still a nice way to get out and start the morning with a nice boat ride and a solid dose of seasickness.  i kid, i kid– it really was a great boat ride around the east end of the island.  Since we had no luck we hopped in the water for a dive when we got back home– here are some of my photos!  yes, i’m still learning, no they are not great photos, but you know…  im trying!

corals

parrotfish

stoney coral

reef

bluebell tunicates

sponge starfish

red hind grouper

beginnings

well, the adventures are beginning already.  what im learning is…. sometimes things take a long time to get accomplished in 3rd world countries.  a friend warned me of this before i got here and i thought, HAH!  no sir!  he must not know me.  if i have anything to do with it, it will get done, and get done quickly!

well, turns out i dont have anything to do with it.  so, i have spent 2 days getting a whole lot of nothing done.  and it took a looong time to do all of that nothing!  but, thats ok.  here’s one of the stories:

i was so excited that i came prepared and organized with EVERYTHING i needed to open a bank account right!?  wrong.  i came with 1 bank reference letter stating i am a client in good standing, and 2 letters from businesses stating i am a good client.  a very important part of this process is a stamp.  the letter MUST have a stamp in order to be a valid letter.  (yes, i could probably go buy a stamp for a dollar of a butterfly, and it would probably count… as long as its a stamp.)  a friend literally told me, have them stamp is crooked so it looks like a stamp, and if you need to, smear it a little while it is still wet, just so they really know its a stamp.  true story folks.

here let me post a happy photo in the middle of my story so you have something pretty to look at.  here’s me on my way to my house from the airport with all my bags!

ok, continuing…  turns out i need not 1, but 2 bank reference letters (does everyone have 2 bank accounts??), 2 business references, and 2 personal references.  friends on the island called around for a few favors and got me the other letters i needed, other than the bank letter.  i went through several calls with various banks and credit cards, only to find out no one is around to sign and fax anything.  finally i got that taken care of which was exciting.  the bank on Utila approved the letters and sent to the parent bank in the capitol city to approve.  so i went to the bank this morning, certain it would finally happen!  false.  apparently it has to be an original letter, not a fax.  so i said, well im here inside the bank, so i cant get an original signature…  because im here.  not in the states.  alas, no luck.

these must all be new policies, because i know someone who opened an account a month ago with just the 3 letters.  so… not really sure what the next plan is.  a) i dont actually really have anyone in the states to get letters from because my banks are all online other than the 1 i already have, and b) even if i did, im here.  not there.

so, all that is to say, sometimes things function differently in other places than the u.s.  🙂  but thats ok.. i’m open to having the experiences, even if things are a little slow going.  thats what im here for!

the good news is, the whale sharks have been out the past few weeks!  so hopefully we will go on a boat ride this weekend for some fishing and a search for dolphins and whale sharks to swim with.  sounds pretty fun to me, right?

im still working out some kinks with my cell phones, so keep an eye out for some updated contact information page.

arrived!

hi all!  bear with me while i get settled, but i will be posting photos, anecdotes, and other little diddys from my time abroad to keep you guys in the loop.

in the mean time, here is a photo of my new front yard!  yes, im standing inside the screened porch so its a little pixely, but im SURE you can manage to get the gist. 🙂