3.26.08 First Charla!!

I have 2 exciting things to mention…one is my project for Spanish class and the other is that today, we gave our first charla at the high school in La Paz about HIV/AIDS!

So first, my project. Everyone in the advanced class gets to do a project instead of having formal Spanish classes for the rest of FBT. I guess they have more advanced speakers than they originally planned so they didn’t have a project for me and Jorge told me that they would come up with something because I’m too advanced to be with the intermediate class, despite me being with them during Santa Lucia. Anyway, I suggested that I could give health classes at the elementary school in Yarumela and Jorge told me he liked my idea! So I’m going to get the resources for the llavarse las manos y cero basura and I will get to give those classes at the elementary school here! I’m so excited about it! And depending on how old the highest grade is, I might even do an HIV/AIDS class. Plus the rest of this week we are spending getting more training that is definitely material I could use with that age group. Yay!

Second…today we had our first charla! We have spent the past 2 days in an HIV/AIDS ToT [training of trainers] to prepare us to give a charla to a group of high school students in La Paz. The training went really well...the majority of the time we spent just doing the activities ourselves so we knew what to do. I was actually really surprised that I was already familiar with a lot of the activities and that they are very similar to the training that I gave to my volunteers at the Condom Co-op. And while it was a good refresher for me, I can’t even imagine how I would feel if I didn’t have a health background…so I’m sure my peers who are in that category were feeling pretty overwhelmed. The training is good…but I feel like there are a lot of things that could be covered more in depth so I would definitely like to get involved with the editing of manuals and training and that type of thing. I mean, I know a lot of facilitating and presenting workshops is just practice but there are also some important things that I think should be included.

Anyway, yesterday after the training was over, they divided us into groups of 4 and each group gave the same presentation to a group of 25 high school students today. I was a little bit nervous the night before, not necessarily about the themes but more my ability to facilitate a workshop in Spanish because I’ve never really done it before. But 10 minutes into the charla, I felt really comfortable and energetic. I got to facilitate 4 sections of the charla…including lenguaje de la calle, where they had to write all the slang they could think of for biological terms which is probably my favorite icebreaker ever that we always did in the Condom Co-op trainings. I felt really good about everything, including my ability to just sort of go with the flow despite everything being in Spanish. I was really flattered because afterwards, the PCV who had been watching our charla told me that I speak really strong and clearly and that I have this unique laidback way of facilitating but that I still get my point across and make sure everyone understands. She also asked me if I had done this kind of work before and when I told her yes, she told me it shows. :) I just feel so good doing this kind of work…I know its what I am supposed to do and what I love.

3.23.08 Semana Santa

As if I didn’t already have enough things to love about living in Latin America, I now have another one: Semana Santa. Basically the entire country shuts down for 5 days [usually 7 actually] and everyone just rests, hangs out, goes swimming and participates in cultural activities leading up to Easter Sunday.

Wednesday we had our aforementioned Dia Cultural which was a lot of fun, despite a bit of technical difficulties and the lack of a dance group that we thought was going to come. We got to eat yummy Honduran food and spend time with our families, sharing a bit of US Culture with them and for that I was grateful. The group living in Yarumela watched “Juno” that afternoon which I highly recommend, it was adorable!

Thursday morning I spent at home, practicing yoga and relaxing. Then that afternoon Sarah and her host brothers [Alexander, Ariel y Edwin] took some of us to the ‘ruinas’ that are on the other side of the highway from Yarumela. It is basically just a stone hill that nobody has really taken care of so while it wasn’t Machu Picchu, it was still interesting to see. They are actually Lenca ruins which is an indigenous group from Honduras so that was cool. We goofed around on the top and the others took silly pictures and then we had a dance party on Sarah’s family’s bus…it was fun. We played volleyball/basketball/futbol that night which is always a good time.

Friday morning I got up at 5 am and went to Comayagua with all the PCT’s and Sarah’s brothers in the family bus. So in Comayagua and other larger cities in Honduras [and Latin America] people stay up all night making alfombras [rugs is the literal translation] on the streets. They are basically iconic art made out of colored sand, but really big. And they are amazing. Then around 10 am, the procession walks over the alfombras and they get destroyed and most people think of it as their sacrifice to God/Jesus. It was such a fascinating experience being there, there were lots of gringos and other foreigners there which was pretty crazy. I even pretended to not speak English when some guy asked me a question. Haha. I spent a lot of the day talking with our 3 Honduran escorts, all of who are super buena onda. I’m really looking forward to having more Honduran friends and feeling really integrated…I had such a wonderful time doing that in Chile and I’m anxious to do it again. We finally headed back to Yarumela after lunch at Pizza Hut of all places to watch I Am Legend, which was pretty entertaining.

Saturday a group of us went to La Paz to Internet and ended up hanging out at the house of 2 PCV’s that live in La Paz, which was fun. Then that night my brother Samuel and I went to Comayagua to have a drink and hang out. Because it was Semana Santa, a lot of places were closed so we ended up drinking a beer while sitting on the trunk of his car in a StarMart parking lot. [Note: this is –definitely- legal, there were even tables and chairs outside where lots of other Hondurans were sitting drinking and there were cops everywhere as always] We had a great time, my brother is super cool and laid back, he told me that I –must- come spend a weekend with him at his house in Santa Cruz which is about 2 hours away from here, I’m looking forward to it!

Sunday was pretty laid back. Samuel and I headed back to Comayagua to see a marching band procession which was interesting. I spent the rest of the day at my house, having visitors over and finally in the afternoon Josue and Karen came back from Tegus which I was ecstatic about. I missed them so much! We played Go Fish and danced to music and they told me all about their week.

All in all, an awesome week. I vote for Semana Santa as an official holiday in the US.

3.17.08 Pool Party

Yesterday was quite possibly the best Sunday ever. I woke up feeling lazy but convinced myself to get up and go with PCT Sarah and her family to this orchard and ‘pool.’ I convinced Joel to come and we all climbed into the back of this huge delivery truck and were on our way. It was a pretty short trip and when we got there, all the kids jumped into the ‘pool’ which was basically a huge pila, probably about 3-4 feet deep. Sarah’s host brother Edwin gave us a tour of the grounds, there were mangos, avocados, squash, coffee, and even some goats. We sat in the shade and ate fresh sandia [watermelon] and then finally decided to get in the water. It felt so good to swim around and the kids were so fun to play with. We ended up playing ‘keep away’ in teams and I totally got thrown around in the pool by all the guys but it was great fun. I forgot how much I love that kind of stuff. Pool play lasted for several hours until we were all bruised and exhausted so we headed home. I took a shower and helped Karen with her English homework…then I taught her, Josuye and Keren [my other niece] how to play A Pescar [Go Fish.] which was a lot of fun. [Sidenote: does anyone have any other easy card games that I can teach them? All I know how to play is Texas Hold’em and Gin.] All in all, a great Sunday. :]

3.15.08 Family Initiation

Last night I think I become a member of my family. J

I got home from a long [but good] first week of FBT around 5:30 feeling exhausted. We spent the last 2 afternoons talking about support groups for PLWHA [People Living With HIV/AIDS or PVVS in espanol.] Both of the sessions were led by current PCV’s who were both really knowledgeable and fun. A large majority of the activities were interactive so it made the time go by faster and I think it helped us bound as a group. I was surprised that I am only 1 of 2 people who have facilitated support groups in the past. It actual made me realize that I completely left out my experience with the Women’s Center in Santa Cruz from my resume I gave Jorge and Helmuth [the health project managers] I’m such a blonde sometimes…anyway. [sidenote: the rooster that lives literally outside my window just crowed for about a minute straight. Yay country living. Haha] We talked a lot about confidentiality which I was really happy about because its –so- important when it comes to a support group and dealing with PLWHA. Everyone here calls me la chismosa, which means the gossiper which I think its funny because when it comes to this kind of topic, I’m really serious about confidentiality. I know that I am pretty different in groups than I am one on one so sometimes I feel like a lot of my peers just see the goofy, outgoing side of me because a lot of them only know me in a group setting. That’s fine I guess…I just sometimes think that I’ve made this ‘image’ of myself and that is the personality that people will always have for me. Oh well…I guess if people aren’t willing to get to know me better, I can’t really let that get me down.

Okay, that was a complete tangent. I guess its something that has been bothering me lately. Glad I got it out. Another PCV who lives in La Paz came to visit us for a little bit and mentioned that for those of us who have a health background, the training might seem a bit repetitive and simple but to just stick it out because everyone is at different levels. I’m glad she said that because I have been feeling a bit like that. I know that is what happens when you bring together a group of individuals with such diverse backgrounds. I was really worried when I came here that I have a lot of field experience but not any formal health education but I’m realizing that its not an issue at all.

So I arrived home with the intention of eating dinner and then heading over to another PCT’s house for a ‘gringo get together.’ But my niece Karen invited me to go to the cancha de basketball and play with her, her brother and cousin and their uncle. I got excited at the idea of hanging out with them so of course I tagged along. We played for awhile which totally wore me out, but it was so fun. I’m super tall compared to all the kids so I had a definite advantage. My nephew told me that I play well which made me smile. Then Karen asked me if I had been to Comayagua, this city that is about 20 minutes away [also where the military base is.] I told her no and she asked her uncle if we could go after the game and he said yes. So I ran by my friend’s house to tell them I wasn’t going to come hang out after all. I felt bad, but I knew I had to capitalize on being to spend time with my family, especially because we hadn’t really done anything like that yet. So all 6 of us piled into my brother’s car [including my mom] and drove to this restaurant off the highway that sells Atol, which is this typical Honduran drink made of blended corn, water and sugar [I think…] and is served hot. It definitely has a distinct taste, it was tasty though. J I also had agua de mora [berry juice basically] which I love.

We all came home and played a little futbol and then Karen, Josuye and I had a dance party with my iPod, which they think is the coolest thing ever. Then I got to talk to Paul for a long time and tell him all about my good day. Every day when I wake up and I have to pinch myself and think ‘Wow…I’m living in Honduras…I’m doing something that people write books about’ which is a pretty amazing feeling.

3.12.08 Cero Basura

So I’m guessing that from now on, I’m going to have to write several blogs at home and then post them when I get the chance to go to Internet, which isn’t very often. Ho-hum. Anyway…yesterday was an exciting day. We went to a local elementary school where some PCV’s were giving charlas about washing your hands and not littering. We got to watch the 2 presentations and then all the kids gathered in the gym to watch a play that the PCV’s put on about littering and recycling. It was really fun…everything was really creative and well thought out. Plus, I got to play with a bunch of the kids before the play started which I loved. One of the girls was named Andrea too so we immediately become best friends. While I was knelt down talking to her and her friends, they all starting petting my hair and telling me how beautiful it was. I was so flattered…one of the other PCT’s got some pictures of it. I absolutely adore the children here…It definitely got me excited to get out in the field and do work. The campaign that they started is called Cero Basura [zero trash] and I can probably start something similar in my site which I think would be awesome.

Also, my Spanish class is in charge of organizing the Dia de Cultural that we are going to have next week with all the host families so we got started on that today. We need to make invitations and find a place to host it and decorate said place and some other things. I’m excited, it should be a lot of fun. And each class is going to do something that demonstrates American culture…we picked the Electric Slide. Yay!

I’m running late for class but more to come I promise!

3.11.08 FBT

As promised, more info about my new home. I guess I should explain the way training works for those of you who are a bit confused. First, all 46 of us were living in Santa Lucia, having Spanish classes and general PC classes. Then on Sunday, each project [there are 3 in my training class, Health, Water & Sanitation, and Business] went to a different city for FBT [Field Based Training] and that is where we will stay for 6 weeks. Then on April 20^th we will all return to Santa Lucia for another 2 or so weeks to process FBT, find out where we will be living for the next 2 years [called Site Announcement] and have the formal swearing in ceremony. Then on May 3^rd is when I will be moving for the last time to my actual site. Hope that all makes sense…

Anyway…here I am at my new house in Yarumela, which is a little aldea outside of La Paz, which is about 2 hours west of Tegus. The population here is almost 4,000 so it’s a decent sized town but there are few things here…as in no Internet access, cafes, market, etc. Everyone goes to La Paz or Comayagua [another town about 20 minutes away] to do any actual business. I like living more campo-style…its good for me. My shower is freezing cold and despite the heat here…I doubt I will get used to it completely. Other than having a serious problem with the mosquitoes –loving- me…I have no complaints about living here. J My new host family is super sweet…my mom is Maria Dolores but everyone calls her Lolita. She and her husband Carlos, have 5 children but they are all grown and have their own children, which translates into 10 grandchildren, 2 of who live with us, Karen who is 13 and Josuye who is 14.

Semana Santa is next week so we only have classes until Wednesday and then 4 days off. Training is going well…they put me in the Advanced Spanish class which has been interesting. The truth is, I’m right in between the Intermediate and Advanced classes so I’m in a bit of a sticky situation. But I’m sure everything will work out fine. I like being with the Advanced…even though I know I make the most mistakes, everyone helps me and I feel like I really learn in that class. I’m sure there is more to share, but my throat is a little sore and I need to get some sleep.

3.9.08 Volunteer Visit to Santa Barbara

Last week [Sunday through Wednesday] I went to Santa Barbara to visit another health volunteer. SB is about 4 hours northwest of here and whew it is hot!! It is the capital of the department so it’s a decent size with most things one would need. My volunteer was named Allison and she was part of my group except last year…so she has been in country for 1 year and at her site for about 10 months. She mainly works with an organization that helps put water filters in houses in low income neighborhoods outside SB but she also does Men’s Health Trainings and Workshops. It was interesting to see what the ‘real life’ of a volunteer looks like. She lives in the same apartment complex as Water & Sanitation volunteer so they see each other a lot, cook together etc. I got to have some really delicious homemade pizza and cake while there, which was such a treat!!

We spent one of the mornings at a workshop that was given by Jovenes Sin Fronteras, which is a group that was started by a PCV. It’s an HIV Prevention/Education group of youth, they give charlas on HIV/AIDS and other topics such a sexual abuse, machismo, etc. It’s a really cool organization, they are in 15 different communities around Honduras which is amazing. It was inspiring to see the idea of a PCV put into action and functioning well. That afternoon, a local doctor drove us to an aldea [outlying low income village] about an hour outside of SB. The organization had installed filters in a majority of the houses and we were going there to distribute de-parasiting pills to those who had filters in their houses. Ideally, they were all drinking filtered water so they wouldn’t get reinfected. It was definitely an experience there…the kids were so skinny, it really broke my heart to see so many of them like that. I know this is a poor country and I knew that before I came here…but something about those children really affected me. It sounds so naïve, but I wanted to take them all home with me and feed them and bathe them and take them to a dentist. They were all so sweet and grateful for us coming, I felt good about that. As I bit my lip trying not to cry, I realized that I could –never- ET [early termination] no matter how sad, lonely or homesick I get. I need to be here…to see those kinds of things, to realize how blessed and privileged I am as a human being, and to try and help some of those people and hopefully make a difference. I think its interesting how people always talk about ‘selfless’ PCV’s are but really…I think it’s a mutually beneficial experience. And as I always say in Spanish class…”yo creo que cuando una persona puede verse desde los ojos de otra cultura y otra manera, es una experience muy fuerte y bien importante. Creo que es algo que todos deberian hacer una vez en la vida”

3.3.08 Mi Pueblo Santa Lucia

Here is a collection of pictures...top to bottom...
1. a gorgeous sunset in SL
2. Ana and I super sweaty after our hike to the radio towers.
3. The view from the hike
4. The night view of Tegus from my house
5. The soccer field in SL
6. My room in SL
7. Mi casa in SL!
8. The church
9. The lake

Cumpleanos de mi Mama!

So March 1^st was my host mom’s birthday and we had a party! I made “Andi Pasta” and they all loved it! This being despite the fact that I didn’t measure a thing and didn’t have the right spices. Does that mean I’m a ‘real’ cook now? We also had a yummy chocolate cake and we all sang happy birthday while my abuelo played the guitar. It was fantastic and I’m pretty sure the first time they have celebrated my mom’s birthday with a PCV. Yay! Then my sister [who is really my aunt but only 28 so she feels more like my sister] and I went out for a drink and then to the disco. I learned how to dance meringue which was exciting.

More to come soon...I promise. I´m in Yarumela for FBT and Internet is limited. Love you all!!