Learning to dance

Here, dancing is something you learn when you're less than a week old. Moms and dads dance with their babies on their shoulders. When a child is old enough to stand up, he or she will be told "baile, baile" and be rewarded for dancing with applause and smiles. Noel's mom used to ask 2-year old Noel to dance for her whenever he asked for candy or a bag of chips. He danced, she smiled, and he got what he wanted. Nearly everyone I know is proud to show me the cell phone video they have of their child jamming to some Daddy Yankee reggaeton song. Parents are proud when their child can master the punta or can bump their little bodies to a popular beat.

Because dancing is so much a part of the culture here, no one is embarrassed to dance. When I first came to Honduras, I marveled this. At parties, the dance floor is full. It was a little awkward to be the Norteamericana who at that point didn't have the right moves to dance to the music. I didn't know the difference between the punta and merengue, or the bachata and salsa. And even after I learned the right moves, it took awhile for me to lose my fear and get out on the dance floor and try it. But, Honduras has changed me. Now, I'm ready to join the dancing at any point in time, even if I still can't move my hips half as well as the ten-year old girls here. Last weekend, I went dancing both Friday and Saturday nights and last night I spent two hours with some girlfriends making up dance moves here in the house. I don't know what I'm going to do when I return to Atlanta, yearning to spin around and shake my hips to some bachata. I'm either going to have to give some lessons or seek out a really good partner!