Honduras is a small country based in Central America; it is about the size of Tennessee. It borders the Caribbean Sea and is between the countries of Guatemala and Nicaragua. This country was once part of the Spanish empire and became an independent nation in 1821. It’s population consisted of seven percent of Mayan Indian descendants, ninety percent of Mestizos (indigenous Mayan mixed with Spanish and Europeans), along with 2 percent of blacks, and one percent of whites. Honduran terrain consist largely of a mountainous interior with coastal plains lining it lower perimeter. The official language is Spanish, yet dialects in Mayan and African do exist in various isolated regions. The citizens of Honduras live in mostly small rural areas in family units having the same neighbors for years. There are a few small metropolitan areas, the two largest being its capital, Tegucigalpa, and San Pedro Sula. The national religion is Roman Catholic, however, there is much credit given to its past culture infused with Mayan lore. Financially, Honduras is the second poorest nation in Central America and one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. It relies heavily on its agricultural exports, mostly of bananas and coffee. Most of its economic growth depends on the United States economy. There is a large divide in the small rich upper class and the rest of its residents which remain in poverty. Most of the decisions are made by the affluent ruling class, and based on personal opinion and emotions, not what may be best for the people at large.

Good health care is available to those who can afford it. Outside of the large cities medical facilities are few and far between, many do not have licensed professionals to provide care for the sick. Much of the health care is extremely expensive, medications must be purchased by the family, and hospital stays are very rare due to the overwhelming strain on the family both emotionally and financially, therefore are a last resort, an example being the patient must provide their own bed linens, along with other necessities. The medical staff is there as a support factor only, i.e administering medication, and general care. There are many similarities between Hondurans and other Spanish speaking countries. When communicating Hondurans are typically indirect and informal except when meeting someone of importance, at which point they begin to use titles and surnames and tend to stand at arms length and always make eye contact with strangers. In conversation it is considered rude to begin without personal socialization, for example asking how ones family is doing. Referring to an earlier interview with PR “As soon as I feel comfortable with someone they are like family, it is customary for us to be very familiar with others.” Many Hondurans use a lot of hand gestures and touching typically in the shoulder and arm areas. When PR feels close to others she has a tendency to hug and touch the face. Hondurans typically are never in a hurry to complete a task “it will get done when it gets done being with family is much more important “ (PR). PR only seeks medical attention when there is no other alternative. She generally follows the health practices taught to her by her mother and father. PR is very spiritual, she believes if a person gets sick is the will of God. She spoke of “La Familia sickness”, In English this means, the sins of your family’s past can cause the illness and god either condemns you to suffer through the hardship or brings you to deliverance. Along with prayer sessions and hands on healing, she believes in using herbs, and generations of homemade family remedies, including uses of certain teas, poultices, and rubs; using substances that are common in Honduras, such as Chamomile, Valerian Root, and Chula. These are very frequently used across Honduran culture. During the interview, PR interjected “You need some tequila for your cough, tequila fixes everything!” Good health is considered to be a day where one can put in a full day of hard work and support your family. PR states “In my country the man works all day the field, and the woman is in charge of the home. No matter is you feel sick or not you go to work and ignore any pains, because that is just the way of life. ” If a person gets sick it is the job of the family and the community to help that person get well. She can remember when her grandfather got sick and all of the neighbors banded together, and brought the priest, the shaman, and helped with food. Because most villages do not proper sanitation and running water, they are unaware of the diseases that can be spread, through contaminated water, human contact, and insects. With a lack of proper facilities, and distrust of western medicine, a stung community and belief system is what keeps Honduran culture alive, but repetitive sickness inhibits its growth. Diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease are all major hereditary diseases in PR’s family. Her son has diabetes, she suffers from arthritis, and her father died of heart disease. “My father started having chest pains three days before he died, and refused to go the doctor. My mother finally made him go the local shaman who told my father he was having a heart problem and needed to go to a hospital, but it was such a long drive through bumpy roads he refused to make the trip, and died in his sleep.” At a young age she resolved that when she became a mother her children would receive medical attention sooner. Hondurans have a variety of vegetables, fruits, and meats available to them. The families raise the produce, and livestock themselves, but as many are poor they bring them to the market for sale. Because of this practice of selling off most of their marketable goods, their main diet consists of rice and beans, with sparse consumption of poultry, and plantains. PR grew up having rice and beans with all meals, with eggs for breakfast and sometimes soups and chicken for dinner, and plantains were an everyday staple as well. In the community the role of a nurse is a very important one, this person is looked upon is a authority figure who plays the role of liaison of the Honduran People and medical world. She must be to be sensitive the culture and the mind set of her patients. She is an educator and must able to teach a patient and the patient’s caregiver how to do some of the practices will need to continue once the patient goes. In the hospital her role is more generalized. She is there to ensure the patient gets proper care, medicine administration but yet she still educates the patient and others for the transition home. Honduras is a country whose belief system in health care and generally, is based on tradition, spiritualism and native culture. The lack of communication and travel system to other areas both nationally and internationally greatly inhibits their contact to ideals and practices of the rest of the world. The role of nursing is one way to help bridge the gap between old world culture use of folklore and new and innovative ways of medical practice to come together