Miss Independent

Katie Hutjens

Miss Independent

Taxi Rider

Yup...that's me!

I was talking to a friend the other day and she asked me where I would want to live when I returned to the United States in December.

I had to think for a while and then came up with the response:

"I don't know, I could live anywhere"
I guess that is basically true. After 1.5 years of living at the Villa, I can live in pretty much any situation:
-no water
-no electricity
-no water or electricity
-"flying ant" invasion
-no car
-no water, no electricity, no car
(do you see a pattern?)

My patience has increased, my impatience has decreased, and I've learned that I can handle just about anything. Laughter keeps me sane!

But for having experienced so much here in Honduras, there was one task left to conquer...
...the Honduran Taxi System.

After 2 summers and then 1.5 years in Honduras, I had never ridden in a taxi alone. Not so much that it was unsafe (although it can be if you're not smart), but because I never really had a reason to take a taxi, and I was rarely alone.

Enter an early morning and a day off. I was on my day off, staying at Betsy's house but I had to be at Jericho by about 10:30 to go back to the Villa.
As I saw it, I had two options:
1. Go to Jericho at 6 am with everyone, and then sit around for 4.5 hours.
2. Sleep in, enjoy my morning cup of coffee, and take a taxi.

Marlyn and I discussed it (serious discussion) and decided that I would take the taxi.

I DID IT!
And I did it! I flagged down a taxi, negotiated prices, and then directed the driver through the streets of Tegucigalpa to get to Jericho.

And although this may sound like overkill, I cannot explain how excited I was to arrive at Jericho. In my mind, I had finally conquered Tegucigalpa and I did it alone, without anyone to help me through in case I messed up. Plus, I didn't get charged the "gringo" price which is a big victory!

Lesson learned: What I learned from my little taxi ride is that I am more independent than I thought I was, and I can do more than I think I can. Go ahead, jump with both feet...you'll hit the ground running!