Tegucigalpa, Honduras Report of what it's like to live there - 02/10/16
Personal Experiences from Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Background:
1. Was this post your first expatriate experience? If not, what other cities have you lived in as an expat?
This is our sixth post. We have lived overseas since 2005. Previous posts are: Kinshasa, Nairobi, Dakar, India and Iraq.
2. What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?
3. How long have you lived here?
7 months. PCSed here in August 2015.
4. What brought you to this city (e.g. diplomatic mission, business, NGO, military, teaching, retirement, etc.)?
USG Department of State Foreign Service Officer
Housing, Groceries & Food:
1. What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
- Houses are small with small yards, due to the hills and the city's layout.
- The city is very managable and traffic is comparitively good. Commute time for us to the Embassy without traffic is 8 minutes. Traffic is bad, however, at rush hours, and people drive more agressively than they need to.
2. How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
- Decent.
3. What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
- None.
4. What typical restaurants, food delivery services, and/or takeout options are popular among expatriates?
- Most fast food restaurants are here. Below average prices.
5. Are there any unusual problems with insects or other infestations in housing?
- None. Few. Suprisingly few animals and insects here. In the Domincan Republic, for example, hundreds of bugs would surround our lights at night. Here, they're aren't any.
- Zika is a regional problem. If we were still trying to have kids we would likely avoid Zika zones. They're aren't that many mosquitos in Tegu, but there are still some, and we do get bit if not wearing bug spray. The government is spraying, but not enough to eradicate mosquitos.
Daily Life:
1. How do you send and receive your letters and package mail? Are local postal facilities adequate?
- Through the embassy.
2. What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
- US$300 - $350 a month for a full time maid.
3. What kinds of gyms or other sports/workout facilities are available? Are they expensive?
- Yes. Casa Campo is an excellent facility, but a bit outside town (20 minutes). Circa $75 / month.
4. Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?
- Fine. Most places take credit cards. We haven't had a problem. We use most ATMs as well.
5. What English-language religious services are available locally?
6. How much of the local language do you need for daily living? Are local language classes/tutors available and affordable?
- Considerable. Most well educated Hondurans speak excellent English, because the private schools are all in English. But the average Honduran doesn't.
7. Would someone with physical disabilities have difficulties living in this city?
- Probably. Few sidewalks. Steep hills.
Transportation:
1. Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
- No. Don't take the buses. The gangs rob them. The taxis are generally safe. You can flag one down. Better and smarter though to get the number of a private taxi service and use them. There are several.
2. What kind of car do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car do you advise not to bring?
- V8 with hills may help. Tint your windows when here like everyone else.
Phone & Internet:
1. Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?
- Yes.
2. Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
- No.
Pets:
1. Are qualified veterinarians and/or good kennel services available? Do animals need to be quarantined upon entry to the country? Are there other considerations regarding pets that are particular to this country?
- No quarantine. Good pet care. We flew our two mastifs in and they cleared the airport about 15 minutes after our bags.
Employment & Volunteer Opportunities:
1. What types of jobs do most expatriate spouses/partners have? Locally based or telecommuting? Full-time or part-time? Can you comment on local salary scales?
- Not many.
2. What volunteer opportunities are available locally?
- Plenty.
3. What is the typical dress code at work and in public places? Is formal dress ever required?
- Suit and tie or business casual.
Health & Safety:
1. Are there personal security concerns to be aware of at this post? Please describe.
- Crime. As you've probably heard, Honduras had the highest homicide rate in the world in 2014. There is violent crime, but it predominently is restricted to poor neighborhoods. Usually.
- There are not a lot of open or community spaces to stroll. A lot of people go to the (nice / modern) mall, for example, cause it's safe, or Villa Olympic to work out. You don't see a lot of people walking in the streets, and all the car windows are tinted very dark. I still run in my neighborhood, which is a semi-gated community.
2. Are there any particular health concerns? What is the quality of available medical care? What medical conditions typically require medical evacuation?
- Zika. Mosquitos. Good medical care. Many doctors in Tegu have studied in the U.S.
3. What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
- Excellent.
4. What do people who suffer from environmental or food allergies need to know?
- Good climate.
5. What is the overall climate: is it extremely hot or cold, wet or dry, at any time of year, for example?
- The weather is perfect. Better than Southern California. Very pleasant.
- The country is relatively unpopulated. 8 million people live here (12 million in NYC), and of those, probably 1 million live in the U.S. Thus, as soon as you get outside the cities, Honduras is very open.
Schools & Children:
1. What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
- Excellent. There are 4-5 schools that Embassy employees send their kids too. We had a hard time choosing. For us, it came down to Del Campo and the American School. Both were better than the school I went to.
- That said, the schools are not nearly as hard or intensive as Arlington County schools. Our kids were a year ahead of the work they were doing in Arlington. Del Campo thus created and tailored some "advanced" (Arlington = normal) classes for our three boys.
2. What accommodations do schools make for special-needs kids?
- Del Campo is accomodating.
3. Are preschools available? Day care? Are these expensive? What has been your experience with them, if any? Do the schools provide before- and/or after-school care?
- Yes. US$300 / month for our 3 year old.
4. Are local sports classes and/or activities available for kids?
- Our boys play on a local baseball team. It is okay, but certainly not like organized sports in the U.S. There is also swimming and futbol.
Expat Life:
1. What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?
- Small. Good morale. Few dip events or national days.
2. What are some typical ways to socialize, either with local people or with other expatriates? Are there groups or clubs that you can recommend?
- Mall, movies, hiking, bars, restaurants.
3. Is this a good city for single people? For couples? For families? Why or why not?
- It is an okay city for families. They are numerous restaurants, movies, malls, and easy getaways outside Tegu, but not much open space in the city.
- Singles... I wouldn't find it very dynamic for the dating and party scene, but there are some bars and clubs.
4. Is this a good city for LGBT expatriates? Why or why not?
- Unknown. We haven't seen many signs of it.
5. Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?
- Not much, but the Latino men do honk, leer and cat call at women.
6. What have been the highlights of your time in this country? Best trips or experiences?
- Day trips to the jungle north of Lago Yajoa, Yuscaran and Amapala. We found Roatan slightly overrated, but worth going if you're a small family (cheaper - we have 4 kids).
- The people. We have Honduran friends. This isn't always the case. We didn't, for example, find the Senegalese particularly friendly (but their Gambian cousins are!).
- The weather.
- The hills of Tegucigalpa are pretty at night.
7. What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?
- Lago Yajoa, Yuscaran, Tigres, San Jacito, Amapala.
8. Is this a "shopping post"? Are there interesting handicrafts, artwork, antiques, or other items that people typically buy there?
- Not many handicrafts.
9. What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
- The weather is perfect. Better than Southern California. Very pleasant.
- The people are friendly. Hondurans are very nice and much more culturally similar to Americans than the previous African or Indian posts we had.
- You get the exotic parts of living abroad, like the food, jungle, beach... and the benefits of the USA, like same time zone, Costco, Chilis (etc), movie theaters, watching American football....
10. Can you save money?
- Yes. Local food is cheap.
Words of Wisdom:
1. Knowing what you know now, would you still move to this city?
- Yes. We like it alot and are happy.
2. But don't forget your:
- Flip flops.
3. Recommended movies/DVDs related to this city:
4. Do you recommend any books or movies about this city/country for those who are interested in learning more?
5. Do you have any other comments?
We like Tegu. We're a family of six with 4 kids and 2 dogs.
