Honduran Consulate: 403 mi

We could see it from the Interstate.  It rose twenty-five stories into the dark night sky of Atlanta.  It sparkled in ruby red, HYATT.  It took our breath away.

Upon exiting the highway, we pulled to the front of the hotel following the signs for valet parking (yes, valet parking!).  Grand columns banded in gold and big beautiful pots overflowing with seasonal color were stunning.  The scene was being set for these country bumpkins from North Carolina to spend the night in the lap of luxury.

NOT!

The fairytale was short lived.  At the registration desk in the lobby, as the clock struck midnight, our carriage turned back into a pumpkin.  The attendant informed us that the Hyatt one block down the road on the right behind the Rooms to Go Furniture Store was holding our reservation.

As it turned out, this Hyatt was actually a lovely hotel!  Clean!  Modern!  Very comfortable!  Quite affordable!  Free breakfast!  Five minutes from the Consulate!

FYI:

The Consulate is located in an area of Atlanta called Buckhead.  Some major roadways with hotels on them are Peachtree Rd., Piedmont Rd., Lenox Rd., Stanley Marcus Rd., and Buford Hwy NE.  The Consulate is located on the north side of Atlanta.  If your visit to the Consulate requires an overnight stay, hopefully this information will help you to find a hotel in the area of Atlanta where you need to be.

The Honduran Consulate is located in a building with the Latin American Services Agency as well as the Guatemalan Consulate.

 
When you arrive, what appears to be a large information desk in front of you is NOT where you need to be.  Take the stairs to the second floor and walk to the very end of the long hallway in front of you.  You will see a door with a poster on it, "CONSULADO DE HONDURAS".  Enter and you have arrived!

Take note of the business hours posted on the door in the picture above.  

You do not need an appointment.  You will just walk-in during regular business hours. 

This office is open from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, NOT 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM.


 

Maria Fernanda Rivera met us promptly and invited us to have a seat in her office.  On the wall beside her desk, she had an Albert Einstein quote,

"LOGIC CAN TAKE YOU FROM POINT A to POINT B, BUT IMAGINATION CAN TAKE YOU ANYWHERE." 

I liked her right away!

Her office was decorated with photographs of her homeland as well as many native Honduran crafts.  She was quick to say that this was the first time that she had ever been asked to write this kind of letter related to International Adoption.  I told her it was a first for us as well!  She efficiently pulled up a file from Gladney containing the template and information she would need to perform the task at hand.  Thumbing through our dossier, it was obvious that something was missing.  She finally spoke up and asked me to call the agency.  She needed, not only a license number for the adoption agency, but also a registration number to complete the letter she had written.

In the hours waiting for this information from the agency, we talked. 

Maria, a young newlywed, works at the consulate along with her husband.  She is the official signature; he is the treasurer.  For now, a majority of her day is spent issuing passports and granting dual citizenship to children born in America to Honduran parents.  The office was full of families!   

She has lived in Honduras all of her life, coming to America just a few months ago.  Tegucigalpa is her city and it was obvious that her heart is still there.  She spoke of the beautiful coral reef on the Honduran coast; the exotic rain forest and jungle in the northeast; the breathtaking Mayan ruins in the west.  She wanted me to know that Honduras is the only place in the world where you can swim the whale shark! 

Her dream is to open an authentic Honduran restaurant in the Buckhead Area.  She misses her traditional cuisine which consists of shredded meat, fried black beans, corn tortillas, a special "sour cream", and fried plantains.  Sunday is a day for soup in Honduras.  She would like to have a restaurant where the natives could come and get soup.  Her favorite is a coconut-milk based soup.   Maria is very excited for us to visit her country and meet its people.  She stated with confidence that once we go, we will not want to leave.  And, if we do leave, she placed her bet that we would certainly return for many visits.

FYI:

She will need to make a copy of your driver's license.

The letter from the Honduran Consulate will cost you $30.00.  Head's up:  She requested that we write a check.

She has a file set up for Gladney families so that when you go and identify yourself as such, the process from beginning to end will take a promised five minutes!  Yes, five minutes!  If you are not a Gladney family, know that she will need the license and registration number of your adoption agency in order to write the letter.



Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.  Psalm 115:1