A Terrible Tragedy

This is a bit late, but I still think it's important to take the time to mention that on Thursday, April 10, Tela experienced a great loss. Rene, the owner of our local "mini-super" was killed in a car accident Thursday afternoon. By the time I arrived at my adult English class later that night, word had already spread across the our small town of his passing, and everyone was overcome with grief. He was extremely friendly and nice to everyone and had many family and friends, so it's no wonder why everyone was affected by this unfortunate event.

He was only 24, and was born and raised in Queens, New York. He was one of the few people who spoke fluent English in Tela, so right away when we met him in August, Sara and I connected with him. He had just recently moved to Honduras to be closer to family, and to start a life and family of his own. He had a young wife, Cathy, and a small son, about 5 years old. Sara and I could not believe the news! We see him and his family literally every day, their store is just down the street from our house and school, and we always by our groceries there. Rene was always answering our questions, asking us about our recent travels and experiences in Tela, joking around with us, and always willing to help us out. He always greeted us with a big smile, especially when he just got a new shipment in of food from the States, eager to tell us, so that we could feel more connected to home. Although we were not close friends with him, he was quick to welcome us to Tela when we first arrived, and definitely made our transition and life a lot easier here. He was a big part of what made Tela home for us, and I will miss him! Tela will definitely not be the same.