I fell in love today...
with gardening :)
Tehehe. Yes yes, I'm not sure how green my thumb actually is...but I certainly -want- it to be green. And what is that quote...if we will it, it will be? Anyway...I planted some seeds over the weekend and delightfully discovered yesterday that they have sprouted into little seedlings! I have little cherry and beefeater tomato sprouting in pots, as well as some different kinds of peppers. And in the actual garden there are cucumbers, basil and bush beans sprouting up. Watching them grow is almost like watching a child grow...only faster! So I am really excited about my garden project. Thanks especially to my mom and grandma for all their advice. Hopefully there will be more news to come!
Also...work is insanely busy of course. I even agreed to work this Saturday at 8 in the morning...I know, I know. But its not like its an everyday thing. I also made my March calendar and every single day is booked with something. Wow. Luckily I will be taking a =much deserved= vacation to Belize in April! Woohoo!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
2.16.09
As of Friday, I have been living in Honduras for a year. Wow. In some ways, it makes total sense that I have been here for a year, I feel really integrated in my community, my Spanish rocks, I have work and friends and am generally happy. :)
Last week was absoutely insane. I was out the door before 8am every day and didnt return home until after 6 at the earliest. Whew. Totally worth it however. Wednesday was probably my favorite day...I went with the Health Center to do \"Paquete Basico\" in a -seriously out there- community, which consists of the doctor visiting with sick patients as well as vaccinating kids, distributing vitamins and other medicines and general health education. We went to Las Crucitas, which is where a midwife that I know lives so I was really excited to see her and just get to know more of the outlying areas of El Negrito. Arriving there was quite an adventure as always, I ended up in the bed of the pick up truck, surrounded by a 5 other Hondurans and boxes upon boxes of medical supplies. (wait...did I really just say, \"other Hondurans\" implying that I myself am Honduran? Ohmigosh...) At one point, the road was -way- too muddy and the truck couldn\'t climb up the hill so we all jumped out to start throwing rocks in the road to help with the traction. At one point, one of the nurses threw a big rock near me and low and behold, smackdab in a puddle of mud, which immediately splashed all over me. I was covered...from my feet to my face. It was ridiculous but hysterical at the same time. We finally arrived at the community and after chowing down on delicious coffee and baleadas, we got to work. I mostly observed, the doctor extracted worms from a little boys bottom and an ingrown toenails from a young man. I helped give a few polio vaccines and handed out vitamins. My midwife friend was -so- happy to see me and I left with coffee, lemons, cilantro and a promise to come back and visit soon. We stopped on our way back at a house to see a few more patients, where I encountered a 13 year old girl that was pregnant. Clearly, my work is not finished here. :\\
I finally made it home at 5:30, covered in mud and sweat but happy. Friday was another fun day, we went up to San Jose, the largest aldea in El Negrito and gave a workshop on weighing and measuring kids under 5 to the volunteers in the area. I got to see a few areas that I didnt know and play with some local kids which always makes my day. The weekend was as relaxing as possible, I finally acquired cow manure so hopefully I can get started on my garden asap before it gets too hot. Also, really exciting news...my mom and stepdad are coming to visit in March which I am so stoked about!! My first (but hopefully not last) visitors!!
Last week was absoutely insane. I was out the door before 8am every day and didnt return home until after 6 at the earliest. Whew. Totally worth it however. Wednesday was probably my favorite day...I went with the Health Center to do \"Paquete Basico\" in a -seriously out there- community, which consists of the doctor visiting with sick patients as well as vaccinating kids, distributing vitamins and other medicines and general health education. We went to Las Crucitas, which is where a midwife that I know lives so I was really excited to see her and just get to know more of the outlying areas of El Negrito. Arriving there was quite an adventure as always, I ended up in the bed of the pick up truck, surrounded by a 5 other Hondurans and boxes upon boxes of medical supplies. (wait...did I really just say, \"other Hondurans\" implying that I myself am Honduran? Ohmigosh...) At one point, the road was -way- too muddy and the truck couldn\'t climb up the hill so we all jumped out to start throwing rocks in the road to help with the traction. At one point, one of the nurses threw a big rock near me and low and behold, smackdab in a puddle of mud, which immediately splashed all over me. I was covered...from my feet to my face. It was ridiculous but hysterical at the same time. We finally arrived at the community and after chowing down on delicious coffee and baleadas, we got to work. I mostly observed, the doctor extracted worms from a little boys bottom and an ingrown toenails from a young man. I helped give a few polio vaccines and handed out vitamins. My midwife friend was -so- happy to see me and I left with coffee, lemons, cilantro and a promise to come back and visit soon. We stopped on our way back at a house to see a few more patients, where I encountered a 13 year old girl that was pregnant. Clearly, my work is not finished here. :\\
I finally made it home at 5:30, covered in mud and sweat but happy. Friday was another fun day, we went up to San Jose, the largest aldea in El Negrito and gave a workshop on weighing and measuring kids under 5 to the volunteers in the area. I got to see a few areas that I didnt know and play with some local kids which always makes my day. The weekend was as relaxing as possible, I finally acquired cow manure so hopefully I can get started on my garden asap before it gets too hot. Also, really exciting news...my mom and stepdad are coming to visit in March which I am so stoked about!! My first (but hopefully not last) visitors!!
Monday, February 2, 2009
02.02.09 Long time!
So I know...it has been -ages- since I wrote. It was definitely not my intention but I guess it just happens like that. I don't even know if anyone reads this anymore...but its worth a shot I guess.
Life has been really good lately. I had a nice relaxing 2 week vacation during Christmas and New Years. The staff at WorldVision had a Christmas lunch on the 19th of December which was a lot of fun. We played Secret Santa (I got a beautiful pair of earrings) and ate a tasty dinner. The past 2 months, my relationship with everyone there has really improved and I feel like a part of the team which is really great.
I spent vacation in El Negrito...a lot of time at Reina's house and a lot of time working on house projects. My friend Shawn was a huge help with a bunch of stuff and I can finally say I am content with the way my house looks. We painted my living room and kitchen light blue, built a bookshelf for my living room and also 2 tables, one for my fridge and one for my TV. I put up some pictures of friends and family and also postcards with art. I bought another hammock so I can relax in my carport and people watch. And I am still working on organizing my office (2nd bedroom) but it is definitely looking much better. I spent NYE at my friends Vanessa's house, eating tamales, dancing punta and surrounded by her family.
So I have been back at work since the beginning of January. Things were slow at first but now work is abundant and I am definitely going to be busy...and school hasn't started yet so I will probably be running around like a crazy woman in a few weeks. Haha. But I think we all know I prefer it like that. January was spent helping my counterpart Doris with graphs for when we weighed all the kids under 5 in our community. I also gave a workshop on respiratory infections to health volunteers last week which went well. I have been working with the HIV committee trying to get things started again after the break and figuring out our plan for this year. We had a really nice Christmas dinner at my house in December. :)
My birthday was 2 weeks ago and I had some friends over for a barbeque which was a great time. I even got my own personal cake (3 Leches, my favorite!!!) I know that 24 isn't old...but I freaked out a little about the fact that I am going to turn 25 next year!! I haven't left town since I got back from the States in November which hasn't really bothered me but I have been feeling a little itchy to go to the beach or something so I think a trip plan is in order!
February 13th is one year in country (wow time flies!)
Life has been really good lately. I had a nice relaxing 2 week vacation during Christmas and New Years. The staff at WorldVision had a Christmas lunch on the 19th of December which was a lot of fun. We played Secret Santa (I got a beautiful pair of earrings) and ate a tasty dinner. The past 2 months, my relationship with everyone there has really improved and I feel like a part of the team which is really great.
I spent vacation in El Negrito...a lot of time at Reina's house and a lot of time working on house projects. My friend Shawn was a huge help with a bunch of stuff and I can finally say I am content with the way my house looks. We painted my living room and kitchen light blue, built a bookshelf for my living room and also 2 tables, one for my fridge and one for my TV. I put up some pictures of friends and family and also postcards with art. I bought another hammock so I can relax in my carport and people watch. And I am still working on organizing my office (2nd bedroom) but it is definitely looking much better. I spent NYE at my friends Vanessa's house, eating tamales, dancing punta and surrounded by her family.
So I have been back at work since the beginning of January. Things were slow at first but now work is abundant and I am definitely going to be busy...and school hasn't started yet so I will probably be running around like a crazy woman in a few weeks. Haha. But I think we all know I prefer it like that. January was spent helping my counterpart Doris with graphs for when we weighed all the kids under 5 in our community. I also gave a workshop on respiratory infections to health volunteers last week which went well. I have been working with the HIV committee trying to get things started again after the break and figuring out our plan for this year. We had a really nice Christmas dinner at my house in December. :)
My birthday was 2 weeks ago and I had some friends over for a barbeque which was a great time. I even got my own personal cake (3 Leches, my favorite!!!) I know that 24 isn't old...but I freaked out a little about the fact that I am going to turn 25 next year!! I haven't left town since I got back from the States in November which hasn't really bothered me but I have been feeling a little itchy to go to the beach or something so I think a trip plan is in order!
February 13th is one year in country (wow time flies!)
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