Well, I’m not sure how it happened, but I have become the smelly kid in PC Honduras. This became clear this past weekend when one of my friends sprayed my t-shirt with bug repellent as a way of improving my smell. In my defense I feel like this has come about despite my best efforts. I shower every day, I wash my cloths at least once a week (despite the fact that this has to be done by rubbing them on cement and then dousing them in water), and I always wear deodorant. But Honduras has been conspiring against me, and factors outside of my control have left me as the Pig Pen of the Peanuts strip that is PC Honduras (that’s right, I made a Charley Brown reference). First and foremost of these factors is the dampness of my site. I live just below a cloud forest and we are in the rainy season. That means that everything in my house is always mildly damp (this is not helped by my leaky roof). Thus cloths that are left on my shelf, or folded on my shelf (and by shelf I mean chip display rack that serves as a shelf) actually grow visible mold, many times before I get a chance to wear them. Also many times cloths left out on the line for the two to three days needed to dry (since we get minimal sun and regular thundershowers) start to mold as well. Thus most of the time I am wearing clothes that are just on the verge of getting moldy (bringing back the grunge look). Also contributing to my formidable man-musk is the fact that whenever I leave my site there is a decent chance I will be stranded out of my town for at least a night. Rather than plan for this inevitability I tend to think positive and not bring a change of clothes or soap or any of that good stuff, so that when this does happen I am forced to sleep in my cloths and spend the next day in them as well. Thus many times I am left hanging out with pcvs wearing day old cloths. Also contributing to the Stephen-stink is the fact that pretty much every part of Honduras besides my mountain village is hot as balls (pardon my French), and I am a sweaty guy, who has been blessed with thick and lustrous man pelt of chest hair (that while contributing to my masculine appeal, also contributes to my overheating). So basically this is why I smell bad semi regularly down here. On the plus side though, the campesinos in my town shower, change, and wash cloths far less than I do, (not to mention, do ten times as much physical labor)so in my town I smell like roses comparatively.
