There are five more weeks left of FBT! I am excited because that means there are only five more weeks left until I move to my permanent site, even though I don’t know where this is, but I will find out in about a month. On Thursday I had my second round placement interview to discuss more options about where I will go for the next two years. I really like my two municipal development directors and am always excited to sit down and talk with them about working on projects. Imagine their surprise when I broke down crying in the middle of the interview. The question was so simple, “How is your Spanish coming along?” With each day Spanish is a stressful topic and when I don’t feel like I’m getting it as fast as the PC would like it takes a toll on my brain and heart. There are so many words just flying around in different tenses that there was bound to be a day when I finally broke down; too bad it was in front of my boss. The truth about being in PC is, it doesn’t matter how many host families you have lived with before, how long you have lived away from home, each experience is new. You will always need to find new and inventive ways to “mesh” with people and get the support you need to help you succeed. It doesn’t matter if you have been a successful leader at everything in the past; even leaders hit a wall and need to breathe. I think only so much can be expected from one person. Especially when you are not only worried about learning a new language, but also worried about not getting dengue, not getting a stomach infection, getting accustomed to new foods, new time schedules, new cultures, don’t have the access to daily amenities you were once accustomed to, and sleeping in a bed that isn’t yours. After finally regaining my composure she told me that I wouldn’t be headed to a larger site and also not to the North Coast, so two strikes against my wishes, but everything happens for a reason and I know there is a community out there that really needs my skills. They are probably just waiting to teach me new Spanish words, too. My boss also told me I need to relax and be nicer to myself; unfortunately, there is no five star spa right down the street for me to whisk myself off to, so until then I continued to wake up early and perform yoga after my long weekend of hiking, and on the other days I have begun to enjoy the long runs through the hills of Honduras.
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| Random horse walking on the highway |
The mornings here are the best time to appreciate the day, when the weather is still cool and temperate, there aren’t too many men outside to piropo me and the sun is barely over the mountains of La Tigra. My friend Brad has begun to join up with me, so as I peak over the hill in La Colonia (an area right outside of town), he is waiting for me near a sign that reads “Pulperia Brenda.” Together we run past the early risers carrying their machetes into the fields, the horses grazing, and a few moto taxis honking at us in case we need a ride or just trying to garner our attention (as Brad says “honks mean so many different things in this country”). During these runs it is easy to see the divide between rich and poor in Honduras, the necessity for urban planners (as horses and cows walk on paved roads), and why a Honduran EPA could be beneficial to the people. Large black exhaust fumes come from old school buses and run down Honda’s, then float into the green hills holding rich resources that the country should be taking advantage of…not slashing and burning as fast as possible. On Thursday afternoon we received a presentation from SERNA about climate change and the contribution of global warming by region. SERNA is the ministry of natural resources and environment here in Honduras. She told us that the contribution of global warming by region includes 30.3% from USA, 27.3% from Europe, and 3.8% from Central America (eia.doe.gov) if someone with better Internet than me can check it out. This week we also learned how to use GIS for municipalities and my group mapped out all the intersections between the library and the fire station. This information can then be put into the computer and made into maps for the country of Honduras, Google Earth, etc. Some other projects currently being used by PC Honduras are: GIS on property to make property maps and collect property taxes, map out schools recycling and help them collect money for their efforts, map out all the health centers, etc.  |
| Pulperia Brenda, yes those are mules |
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| Funeral procession through town |
Dengue is still having a large effect on Honduras. Fumigation continues everywhere, the front page has headlines that read “42 die today from hemorrhagic dengue” and on Monday when I headed off to my new Spanish teacher’s house, I found out that she was in Teguz for dengue testing! Oh’, no! That makes four people in one week that I know who have/may have dengue. WTF Honduras, chill out! Stop taking people out with your wicked disease. (Let me just take a moment to thank the PC for the extra time and money they are attempting to throw at me with this one-on-one Spanish facilitator. I know it is very expensive and time consuming; I do appreciate it.) On Monday I am told that another PCV is in Teguz for blood work, again, I hope he doesn’t have dengue. I also hope I don’t get it, since apparently the mosquitoes are “buzzing” around. Another Spanish facilitator’s wife also had to go to the hospital for testing the same day. All of their tests came back clean and normal, which was great to hear, but other people have not been so fortunate. Just this week in town I have seen two funerals, one was from dengue. When there are funerals here, people walk in the street holding flowers, leading the casket while other men lift the casket over their heads. There is a line of people behind them until they get to their final destination. I don’t know where this is, b/c I have only seen them walking from the church, or in the middle of the street.
Other things happening this week;
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| My colegio friends serving up tortillas |
2. The colegio had “mental health” week, so each night there was an event in the park including a soccer game, food festival, karaoke, dance competition, and movies.
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| The winning dance team celebrating |
4. I made a sign asking me how many cookies I eat a day…this has not deterred me from eating cookies in this town…or ice cream.
5. I attended an Educatodos class, which had four students in it learning English. One of the first two vocabulary words they had to learn was sailor and nurse.
6. I now eat at least 10 tortillas a day, but most of the time it’s more like 12.
7. While sitting in the biblioteca getting a safety and security charla, three cows walked by the front door, on the sidewalk, very nonchalantly.
8. Mail day came and I hit the jackpot. I love my friends D’Ann, Katie, Brianna, and Ron for taking the time to pop a package and card in the mail to me. It is like Christmas when I see those things waiting for me! I will send you snail mail back, but I’m waiting until I get to my permanent site where it’s easier to buy stamps. There is no post office in my town right now.
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1 comment:
You are going to be fine. You have so much to offer others. Anyone would have the stress you are experiencing if they were in the same circumstances. I believe in you and love you very much. Just think, you walked in on Dad and he survived!
Mom
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