In this episode, since it is the first Monday of the month, we will embark on a thrilling journey that will immerse us in the sights, sounds and stories of one country.
We'll connect with a local to learn about the country, its culture, and dispel some of those stereotypes that we may all have. In this episode, we won't just be tourists, we'll be explorers.
Meet someone who knows this destination better than anyone I know. Our guest today is Nidia. She will be our guide as we travel to Honduras.
Let's go!
In this episode, since it is the first Monday of the month, we will embark on a thrilling journey that will immerse us in the sights, sounds and stories of one country.
We'll connect with a local to learn about the country, its culture, and dispel some of those stereotypes that we may all have. In this episode, we won't just be tourists, we'll be explorers.
Meet someone who knows this destination better than anyone I know. Our guest today is Nidia. She will be our guide as we travel to Honduras.
Let's go!
[00:00:00] Hello everyone, this is Austin Bellino, the host of the educational podcast, Culture to Grow, where you get to travel the world and learn about different cultures from the comfort of your home, maybe your car, or if you're half asleep, your bed.
Hello everyone, this is your host, Austin Bellino, and I am thrilled to have you join me on this new adventure. In this episode, since it is the first Monday of the month, we will embark on a thrilling journey that will immerse us in the sights, sounds and stories of one country. We'll connect with a local to learn about the country, its culture, and dispel some of those stereotypes that we may all have. In this episode, we won't just be tourists, we'll be explorers.
[00:01:00] But enough from me, it's time to meet someone who knows this destination better than anyone I know. Our guest today is Nidia. She will be our guide as we travel to Honduras.
Let's go!
Nidia: I'm Nidia Maldonado. I'm from Honduras. So I'll share with you what my hobbies are. I like to read, I enjoy cooking, taking my dogs for a walk and going to the beach and the cafe. And I work at the Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Tela, UNA. I'm the foreign languages professor there.
Austin: Thank you for that introduction and I appreciate you joining the podcast today to share a little bit of knowledge regarding your home country. I would like to start off with how do we pronounce your country's name?
Nidia: It's Honduras in Spanish. The H is voiceless or a silent letter. Honduras would be in English.
Austin: Well that is a great start and I think it's extremely important that everyone pronounces it correctly. Now, how about can you introduce the country as a whole?
[00:02:00] Any facts or anything interesting you would like to share with us?
Nidia: My country is Honduras and its capital city is Tegucigalpa, which is the largest city. It has a tropical climate. It is the most mountainous country in Central America. So it's in the heart of Central America, that to say it's in the middle.
Austin: I love how you said that it's the heart of Central America. Which kind of gives the listeners a little bit better understanding of where this amazing country is located. Now to dive a little deeper into the culture. I would like to know if I was to go to a restaurant What would you recommend that I order that has some cultural connection to your country?
Nidia: So in my view, you should order the typical or plato tipico, which consists of grilled meat, carne asada, refried beans, cuajada, which is a cheese product made of milk, curd, or you would call it cottage cheese.
[00:03:00] A simple fresh vegetable salsa, which consists of chopped tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, or coriander, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. So it is mostly known by pico de gallo by most Americans. A sausage, fried bananas. Or fried plantains and corn tortillas. As a drink, I recommend horchata.
Austin: That one dish sounds like it has a little bit of everything. Some sweet, maybe some spicy, some salty, a little bit of everything mixed on to one plate. I love it and I will definitely order it in the future. Now, how about what would be something that I should know if I was planning to go there? Is there anything I should know before I travel to your home country?
Nidia: Yeah, so in my country we we have only two seasons which is winter and Summer, winter would be época lluviosa, like the rainy season, and summer like, the dry season.
[00:04:00] So we call it like that in Spanish, época seca, summer. So I would recommend to, bring with you some sunscreen and insect repellent. So you gotta be careful.
Austin: Thank you for giving me this update since it seems like I will not be going there during the winter season because if it rains while I'm there, I feel like I won't be able to take advantage of all the amazing places and things to see there. So I'll go there in the summer. Now what about some greetings between friends or between strangers?
Nidia: You meet a friend, you can hug that friend and... And either kiss him or her, just one kiss. And some people, you know, get to, especially teenagers, I would say that they get to shake hands, like that special way of shaking hands, and not formally, I'm sure you understand.
Austin: [00:05:00] So it does sound like the youth is similar from your home country and in the U. S. Because in the U. S., teenagers will typically use a special handshake to greet each other. Um, but the kiss was very interesting there. Now my favorite part of visiting a country is seeing the animals. What type of wild animals might I be able to see in your home country?
Nidia: Okay, so that depends on where you go. Honduras, there are many reserves. or Parque Nacionales, you know, like we would call them like, protected areas or reserves. So if you go to the Parque Nacional Janet Cahua, several species of fauna inhabit this national park, including howler monkeys, white faced monkeys, jaguars, ocelots, and goodies, caimans, and porcupines, among others.
If you go to the, the Lanzatilla Botanical Garden, which is also located here in Tela, in my hometown city, which is, also a protected area. You will find a lot of fauna.
[00:06:00] Among which are the torogos, the oropendola, which is a bird, parakeets, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, toucans, raven guards parrots, pumas, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, white faced monkeys, oceloteer, wild boar, armadillos. Lolampaca and many more. So, yeah, these are like two, two places here in, in my city.
Austin: Wow, so many different types of animals that we can rarely see in the U. S. unless we visit the local zoo. I love it. Now we're moving into my favorite part, which is a great way for listeners to kind of get a better understanding of one particular culture. Trying to get rid of those common stereotypes that they might've seen through the media and this is a great opportunity to cover that section. So my first question to ask you is, is Honduras unsafe everywhere?
Nidia: [00:07:00] No, not at all. Like I'm going to be honest. And it's true that larger cities, they tend to be more dangerous. So, in certain areas, especially if you're out looking for trouble, for example, or going out very late to bars or discothecs, but for the most part, Honduras is really safe. If you're smart about your trip and a careful traveler, you should be fine.
Austin: I love that. When you mention if you are smart and you're a Careful traveler, then there will be no issues. I think that's so important when anyone decides to travel to a foreign country. Since there are some elements that might be unfamiliar or unknown, but it sounds like it's relatively safe. So hopefully I will be able to go there very soon. Now my next question would be, All Hondurans speak Spanish?
Nidia: Well, our official language is... Spanish. However, in my country, there are nine ethnic groups.
[00:08:00] So, there are several indigenous languages which coexists with our official language, like Garifuna or the Afro Descendant people.
Austin: Wow. Nine. That's quite a lot there. Now, how about this last question here? Honduras is just beaches and nothing else worth visiting.
Nidia: Oh, I don't think so. So Honduras is a country that, consists of amazing beaches, but it also have like many other places where you can go to. For example, you can visit La Reina de Copan, which include the Mayan ruins. I'm sure that you have heard about the Mayans who were the most powerful of the indigenous tribes.
Very beautiful, place that you can visit and where you can find also coffee, since, coffee is one of the products that our country, you know, explored. If you travel there, you can.
[00:09:00] You can enjoy drinking coffee and all that. And as I said that, Honduras is the most mountainous country in Central America, so you can also go hiking.
Austin: Thank you, Nidia, for taking the time to share your culture with all of us. I truly appreciate it.
Nidia: Bye bye. Thank you very much.
Austin: Well, that is the end of this episode. I hope all of you gained some knowledge about Honduras, and remember, be sure to stay tuned for more episodes. Take care, everyone, and buh bye!