Living in Honduras was certainly an adventure, despite its many problems, Honduras is full of amazing people, stunning scenery and great party!
Honduras is unfortunately situated in the Drug Triangle, as the majority of the drugs that arrive in the USA pass through Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. This has lead to gangs having large swaths of control throughout the societies. The country is extremely poor and criminality is common place. For most people living in Honduras, there are many problems that need to be dealt on a daily basis. From putting food on the table, to staying out of the way of gangs which continually terrorise local people. Here is an article about my experience of living in a dangerous city, the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa.
Hearing a Steady Flow of Gunshots Coming From Outside
After living in that location for three months, I had been accustomed to hearing gunshots on a regular basis, echoing across the valley below. Our barrio looked out over a poor and gang infested neighborhood. From my experience of doing couchsurfing in Caracas, Venezuela where the owner of the house, mentioned that three gun shots in a row signified drugs had arrived in the gangs. This was different however, more sporadic, like there was a constant war on, which there is, a drug war.
Predominantly the rival gangs in Honduras are the Mara Salvatrucha (MS -13 more popularly known) and the Barrio 18. Photo Latin America Affairs
Tips I Learnt From My Experience Of Living In A Dangerous City
- Make sure your living situation is secure
- When walking outside, do not carry any valuables
- Do you not walk on your own past 8 pm
- Be careful with who you spend time with
- When getting into taxis, always be aware of your surroundings
- When taking money out, bolt the lock in the ATM booths
- If you do get robbed, do not resist
Everything In My House Was Robbed
Latin people are extremely friendly and Hondurans are no different. It’s normal to be invited for food at someone’s house or to strike conversation with a stranger in the street. The problem comes when that has an ulterior motive.
With a communal area in the middle of the cabins where people relaxed and conversed, it was a great place to meet people and practice Spanish. However, being extremely naive, I trusted them and let them in my house.
After returning from a holiday, the front door was slightly a jar door, immediately giving me a sinking feeling. Walking in, I saw that someone had used sharp implement to smash in the wooden slats on the window and had proceeded to climb through the bars that line the ever window.
Using Children To Rob Houses
The only thing is an adult would not have been able to climb through the slats in the window, so the only conclusion I could think of, was they had a used a child to enter. I had heard, it was common for men to use their children to enter through tight places, such as the bars that lined all the windows in my house.
My bedroom where the robbers got in
Insufficient security outside
The alarm that was provided never worked
Even My Dirty Plates Were Robbed
Walking downstairs, I looked around my kitchen only to find absolutely nothing. I was at my lowest low, not knowing who to turn to, I started to cry. The only thing you can do in that situation is get yourself out of the situation and somehow find people you can trust.
Living in Honduras, means you’ll have a life without justice, due to corruption and lack of funding, police effectiveness is non-existent in places like Honduras.
With corruption common place in Honduras, justice doesn’t wholly exist. Having armed police snoop around my house, made me feel a lot more uneasy. It is horrible to have a feeling, that everyone is just out to get you.
What To Do After Having Everything Stolen From You
Not knowing what to do, I went to the only hostel in town and stayed there for the night. Sleeping next to a recovering patient who suffered Zika last month, I suddenly felt ill and thought “what the hell am I doing here?!”
I deleted all my so-called ‘friends‘ that I met at the mine from Facebook and started afresh. A friend that I met on my first visit to Honduras in 2009, took me in and assured me that everything will be fine.
He was amazing and from that point onward, I tried to surround myself with people I could trust. After this point I managed to have a relatively stress free final six months. Although, my dreams of setting up a school were dashed after being unable to obtain a working visa. All in all I still very much loved my experience of living a dangerous city, as I learnt so much, and it made me more appreciate the security people enjoy in my home country, England.
