A Sodexo Apple and an American Flag Box Spring

The bus ride here was relatively pleasant. 8 hours on a pretty comfortable bus, far more space then Greyhound offers. They play two movies, old American bootlegs of course, Meet the Fockers (which cracks me up because of how much the Fockers remind me of my parents) and Meet Dave (which I found terrible but annoyingly kept me entertained enough to not read). Before entering the bus I handed my bag to a bus clerk who gathered all the bags in a room before placing them all under the bus - this bothered me so I waited outside until I found my bag in the mix of luggage ready to depart. A common form of smuggling drugs across boards is to stash them on someone else’s luggage and then, if it makes it to its destination, steal it back.

As commonly happened in South America the bus was stopped at a police agency, but bags were not searched, just each passenger exited and re-entered the bus after showing their passport to a guard.

The surroundings on the ride were mostly beautiful hills and a volcano or two in the distance of a kind-of dried out landscape.

The lady sitting next to me was clearly a native of Central America, I eventually discover of Honduras. Occasionally we exchanged a few words, but nothing complex. Away from the Mormon family, an older couple from Oregon, and myself there was truly nothing resembling the United States but the out of focused movies being played.

Then randomly the lady next to me asks if I would like an apple. Surprised at first, without thinking I say "si, gracias" to not be impolite. Immediately I regret my decision. She hands me a small red delicious apple that appears to have come straight from a week old Sodexo boxed lunch. Dry and with wrinkled skin I can tell it will not be enjoyable to eat but I feel obliged considering the kind gesture. Before I bite down I turn the apple to find a product of the USA tag. Literally the exact same apple Sodexo serves in the box lunches it gives to the Bonner Center. I was shocked! How did this lady get this apple? or just simply why is the apple here? For a moment I actually ask myself if we forgot to cancel boxed lunches for a huge event and shipped the apples to Managua? I struggle through a few small bites of the apple and after I notice she is attempting to sleep I slip the apple into the side pouch of my backpack to through away later.

The second irony of the day came as I arrived to the sketchy Hospedaje Sureno. The rooms don't have doorknobs just a hook that you lock to another to keep the door closed when you leave. Each room consists sole of a bed - showers, sink, and bathroom each outside and partly broken down. After I place my things down and get a handle for the area, I clip on my camera and just before I leave I notice the decor of the box spring. Clean, appears relatively new in contrast to the sheet filled with little holes that cover the mattress above it, and resembling the America Flag. As I pace two other open rooms I peek in to notice I am the only one with an American Flag box spring.