Last week Mike was planning to return to Tegucigalpa to complete two classes for the short term that's going on right now. But some of the roads are still being closed near the capitol and he wouldn't have been allowed through on the bus. So he's decided to stay here on the island and cancel this classes because he's missed to many days to even get credit. He's rather disappointed because he's been working so hard to finish as soon as he can and things aren't working in his favor most of the time.

Since we're here we are trying to make the best of our vacation. We are learning how to cook island-style from his family (coconut bread, bush cakes--cakes made out of banana, pumpkin, yuca, rice, and other island roots, pineapple cookies, buttered fish, stewed chicken, and conche soup--my favorite!) Almost everyday we take walks on the beach and pick all types of island fruit (including coconut and mangos--I'm learning to tell the difference between the different kinds). Mike's taught me some things I didn't know before, for example that coconut turns into spunge once it's gotten old enough.

We've been going to Mike's church every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday (yes, three services...no actually four because there are two on Sundays). We've been visiting friends of Mike's and we've been singing and playing for them a few times...Mike on the guitar and somehow I got wieseled into playing the violin. Mike's sister Yuley (they call her Julie) sometimes sings with us too.

One day we decided to help Miss Leti (Mike's stepmom) roast cashews. Let me show you how it's done:

First you need a fire, a roaster, and oil. (Oh, and shelled cashews that fall off the cashew tree. You can't get the cashew nut out without roasting it first, the shell is too hard).

Put the shelled cashews on the fire to start roasting.

The roaster has holes in it to let the smoke go through and over the cashews.

This is Miss Leti stirring up the cashews so they are roasted evenly.

Then you light the cashews on fire. They burn easy because they secrete their own oil.

And here's how it's done. Just admire the technique.

The fire is put out with the green leaf method. They just cut down a branch from a tree and snuff out the fire with it. Mike said that another way it to just throw sand on the fire.

Here you can see the black, roasted cashews.

The ones that aren't all black need to be picked out and roasted again.

And here are all the piles of cashews we roasted:

After the cashews have been roasted you have to pop the shell open to get out the cashews.This is a long, laboring process. You better love your cashews if you want to do all the work.As I was popping the cashews, Mike told me I really looked like an islander. I think it was because I was hot, tired...and black. HA.