All we need now is a moat!

One of the most common questions we get (especially from our families) is, “Do you feel safe in your town/Honduras?”  The answer is yes.  The reality, however, is that Honduras is a dangerous country (petty theft is common as is drug related gang violence).  As part of our Peace Corps training we were educated on the safety & security situation in Honduras and given many practical strategies to reduce our personal risk.

There are two aspects to PCV safety: general travel safety and home security.  Strategies for traveling safely are pretty obvious and apply to travel anywhere: keep your bag with you at all times, don’t carry large amounts of cash or valuables, avoid traveling alone, take a taxi when in big cities, do not travel at night, be aware of your surroundings, etc.  We also hide money in several locations on our person, we never put our bag in the storage compartment under the bus (even if it means sitting uncomfortably with it under our feet), we pack as light as possible, and we don’t travel with valuable electronics.

On the home front, prior to receiving housing approval PCVs must fill out a security checklist.  Things to look for in a safe dwelling are: general location, proximity to neighbors, street lighting, fence or wall, secure gate, sturdy doors with good locks, sturdy bars on windows, etc.  We lucked out and were able to find a place that fit most of the requirements.  Although our landlord lives next door and keeps an eye on our house we were still very nervous whenever we had to leave town for extended amounts of time.  Due to the amount of time spent traveling and the likelihood of valuables in the house, PCVs make pretty appealing targets for home invaders.   Furthermore, living in a small town it generally doesn’t take very long for the entire pueblo to figure out the gringos are out of town.

So back in February, looking ahead to a March full of traveling, we finally decided to make the final adjustments to fully securing our house – metal doors or portones.  Our landlord was nice enough to pay for half (in the form of a rent-free March) and she also gave us a referral to a local iron worker.  Things started off on the right foot – the man showed up on time and measured the doors, gave us a reasonable quote, and scheduled installation for the following week.  As things often go around here, he was unable to find the materials and it took an extra week and a half to finish the doors.  At this point he already had ¾ of the payment so we were really hoping he hadn’t run off, but he is well known and we trusted him.

Finally he came with his helper to install the doors.  After installing approximately 2 screws the drill died and could not be revived.  Ample time was spent brooding and lamenting over the drill.  It was not expected that anyone would lend out an expensive power tool but surprisingly our old plumber buddy Tito saved the day.  After acquiring the borrowed drill, the first door was installed in about 20 minutes with no further problems.  The second door, however, did not fit…at all.  The guys stood around and scratched their heads for a while and eventually decided to start hacking away at the wooden door frame.  Splintered wood began piling up and hours passed and still they were no closer to making the door fit.  In the U.S. we clearly would’ve been outraged that these men were hacking at the door frame (without even asking, mind you) but that’s just how things are here, unfortunately.  One look at the cracked and uneven cement floors in our house and we knew there was no way our landlord would be either surprised or upset at the door frame.  So, on they went well into the evening until finally everyone was too hungry and frustrated to continue.

The guys returned the next day renewed and began again, this time with an electric sander.  There were some serious sparks flying and the house smelled of burnt wood but finally they were able to slide the metal door into the frame.  Success!  Or so we thought.  But then came the giant screws to secure the door which then made it impossible for the door to shut because the screw heads stuck out too far.  Fear not, more electric sanding ensued until the screw heads were sufficiently smoothed down ensuring that 1) the door would shut and 2) the door could never be removed.

The “casita fortification” project also included installing metal brackets on the inside of the side door so that a plank of wood could be inserted to secure the door.  Think medieval castle.

In the end the project ran us close to L.5000 or $265 which included: 2 metal doors with metal screen, 2 new padlocks to secure the doors from the outside, a new deadbolt for one of the interior doors which previously did not open, the medieval contraption for the third door, minus one month rent free (L.2000).  So we essentially spent an entire month’s PC salary securing the house but we now feel much safer and less worried about going out of town so it was definitely worth it for the peace of mind!

Before

After

Third door with interior "tranca"