Pictures as requested...

Top to bottom

1. Me and Reina

2. My kids at the bilingual school

3. The beach in Tela

4. Me and my friend Lidis at the beach

5. Me in all my glory, giving a chara

6 & 7 . The Rodeo in Morazan

8. My puppy, Miel

Details to come!

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6.16.08 Parasites Attack

Yesterday was definitely the worst day I have had in country by far.

My weekend started out really good…Friday night I gave a 2 hour HIV charla to a class of students of various ages that are studying to complete 6th grade. They have recess during July but in August I am going to go give them weekly health talks which I am excited about. They are a lot of fun. The education promoter for the classes, Sayda, is a friend of mine and we sat outside of her house just chatting afterwards which was the perfect way to unwind after a crazy week.

I slept in on Saturday and then spent the morning baking a cake for Reina’s birthday as well as completely cleaning my room. I took Reina her cake and a pineapple in the afternoon and got invited to a wedding reception with the rest of her family. I ran home and changed and we all headed to the reception, ate good food and danced. Then some of us headed to the fiesta at El Club, which was in full force. I saw a lot of people that I know…I felt like such a part of the town. I danced a lot and drank a few beers, had a really great time over all. And then the terror came…

At six in the morning on Sunday, I woke up with the most excruciating stomach pain I have ever felt. I couldn’t breathe; I was in so much pain. I staggered to my bathroom in attempt to vomit or something, anything really, but to no avail. I spent the next 20 minutes lying on my bathroom floor, sweating and literally feeling like I was going to die. I managed to crawl over to my phone and called my sitemate Emelina. She rushed over and my family called our doctor, who also happens to be my host mom’s son.

After throwing up and some meds from the doctor, I felt a little better. I spent the rest of the day sleeping, feeling nauseous and being generally miserable. Dr. Julio gave me antibiotics, stating he was fairly sure that I had parasites (after just having amoebas 2 weeks ago…yay) I got about 12 hours of sleep last night and woke up this morning feeling much better. I ate some tortillas and cheese a few hours ago and have managed to keep that down which is definitely a good sign.

I have to say…despite this being a terrible past 24 hours, I feel very well taken care of. My entire family has stopped in to check on me, bring me something to drink, etc. Dr. Julio has come back 4 times after his initial visit to see me (talk about good healthcare.) Emelina spent a good portion of the day with me and I’ve received several phone calls from Hondurans after finding out that I was ill.

So even thousands of miles away…I have still managed to find a place to call home :)

6.6.08 Chaos...begin now!

In a matter of one week (but really, more like one specific hour) my life here went from ‘I have enough work to feel busy and fulfilled but also time to relax’ to ‘OMG, how the heck am I going to do all that!’

Granted, most of you know that I thrive on being busy and an element of chaos in my life…but it sort of came as a surprise to me. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed, but mostly excited about the next few months…I am going to recount how this realization came about.

I went to Progreso yesterday with a group of about 15 or so Hondurans, for a workshop on the Special Law for People living with HIV-AIDS that they have here. I had learned about the law during training but it was nonetheless an interesting and informative workshop. I got to share my experiences and thoughts with others as well as listen and learn…plus I got to go swimming which is always a plus! At the close of the workshop earlier today, we got together in groups based on our communities to talk about our plans in terms of HIV education etc.

Sidenote: When I first got to site, I met with the HIV promoter from Morazan who have me a copy of an Excel spreadsheet that has all the HIV education and prevention activities that were happening for basically the whole year…focusing more on the upcoming months. He said whatever I wanted to get involved in, let him know.

Well today when those of us from El Negrito sit down to talk about the plan…guess what? NONE of the activities have been executed. The plan was made in February…its now JUNE. I make a funny face, not really understanding but a bit excited at the potential to assist and support the committee. Then I ask who exactly is capacitated to teach HIV education in Negrito…which is when they all turn, look at me, and say…’well, you right?’

I quickly begin scanning the Excel spreadsheet, trying to wrap my head around the fact that I have now been named responsible for carrying out all the events on the calendar. I suddenly felt faint and imagine that my already pale skin looked even whiter than normal. I took a deep breather and remembered why I joined the Peace Corps, smiled and replied that I would love to get involved and help in whatever way I can. We have a meeting planned for Tuesday with all the community leaders to make a new calendar.

So this is on top of me assisting with monitoring and weighing children under 5 in –all- the barrios of El Negrito, teaching health classes at the Girls School, planning the fundraiser for the Nutritional Center and helping the library get on its feet.

Grant me serenity…