The one with the Cold Front in Honduras (?!)

Yes, that’s right… ITS COLD IN HONDURAS! (not all the time though, as shown by this photo, taken mere weeks ago) But what does it mean to be cold here? It means is actually isn’t that cold, maybe 50/60 degrees… but…. Nothing is insulated, houses and buildings are usually missing part of the roof or maybe lack a wall, and this girl didn’t come prepared with proper cooler weather clothing! Don’t take my experience to mean that its “cold” all over the country… actually… it’s not… most parts of Honduras are hot all the time… a lot of my friends from training are still sweating buckets every day… but out west where I am, we experience a more “fresco” climate… which is much more pleasant and bearable that hot all the time with no escape (just like there is no insulation, there is also no air conditioning).

I went to a Ropa Americana store last week to get a few scarves and another sweatshirt… the sweatshirt is great, I’m pretty sure it was part of a two piece set that perhaps someone’s grandmother wore to go power walking in… its velvety, and I thought it was pink, which is why I chose it, but in some lights it looks more red… Oh, and thanks to some wonderful people back home (mom and Courtney) I’ve received some warm pajamas. Thanks! I do also think that my blood has thinned out since being here... a girl who grew up in the frigid winters of New England shivers along with her Honduran neighbors saying "que frio!" when it's 60 degrees? Excuse me?

This have been going well, a bit more tranquilo since its “summer break.” I’m still working on building the support group for pregnant adolescents, trucking through Yo Se Leer, which is going slower than anticipated because you can’t teach sounds to kids if they can’t identify the letters, but that’s ok, I’ve got time and they need the basics. Funny how the usage of the phrase “the basics” gets put into perspective when you’re working in a place like this… not just syllables and vowels… but literally, one letter at a time. My English class ends this week- I can’t believe how much I have enjoyed teaching adults English… I have to admit I wasn’t thrilled about the idea in the beginning, but I had a blast! And it was great practice for when I give the course to teachers in a few months. I was also approached 3 times last week for "psychological" advice... because i'm a psychologist, right? Well,I told all three of these people that per PC rules, I can't give medical advice, because I'm here as a Youth Development Volunteer, not as a psychologist, however I would certainly talk to them "informally." It went well, I was so happy these people trusted me enough to confide in me.... ayy i thought maybe this experience would help me narrow down what I want to do with my life, but it seems to be giving me more ideas instead....

World AIDS day was December 1st, there was a parade (I marched with the Youth Center) and presentation at the park. HIV/AIDS awareness is all over the place, which is good, because out of all of Central America, I believe I read the Honduras has the highest rate….. basically you have to preach protecting yourself, and fidelity. However with the teen pregnancy rates, it’s clear that not everyone is practicing safe sex.

Working with my counterpart from the youth center has been wonderful... i am the third volunteer she's worked with, so she understands Peace Corps goals, and is a well-educated, super responsible, motivated person... the Youth Center hasn't had a YD volunteer for a few years too, which is nice because although they reference past volunteers, it was a while ago so i am not continuously being compared to former volunteers (i know a lot of PCVs have trouble with this, especially when they are sent to replace a former volunteer). It is, however, becoming more evident to me the misconception of what international aid should be when I am working at IHNFA. They have not had a long term volunteer, ever. It's a challenge to explain WHY i need to be working WITH personnel at the organization rather than working so someone else doesn't have to. Its normal here for international aid groups to come in, give money or donations, and leave. While that's wonderful if you have the means and you want to give, it doesn't help the long term development of the organization, nor the overall functioning of the country. Its not sustainable. I need to be training and collaborating with Hondurans so that when I leave, hopefully some aspect of their organization will have been improved and will continue to improve in my absence. THATS why Peace Corps service is 2 years.

Que mas! My hotel is all decked out for the holidays, I really appreciate everyone’s contributions from home! My landlady gets a kick out of the things you all send me. I think her favorite was my sequenced Santa Claus sweater that just arrived…. But when I showed it to her, she asked if it was ME!

There was a nice concert at an abandoned church this past weekend…. It was an orchestra and choir from one of the Universities and they did some of my favorite classics, silent night (noche de paz), little drummer boy (nino del tambor), and glooo- ooo ooo ooo, oo oo oooo o ooo, ooo oo o o oooooria. This picture is me and my friend from Argentina (whose here for 2 years working as well) at the concert, with candles for silent night... notice the scarf... and thats my new used sweatshirt! Looks red, right?
And this week the bilingual school is going to have some sort of Christmas show in the park! I’m psyched for that!

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season…. Is it snowy?? I don’t suppose I’ll see a white Christmas this year… maybe next year…. Just remember, THE BEST WAY TO SPREAD CHRISTMAS CHEER IS SINGING LOUD FOR ALL TO HEAR! (I over-quote that, I know, but it speaks the truth!) Speaking of singing…. My site mates, and the other volunteers I’ve asked, have NEVER heard Dominic the Donkey…. ?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Tell me if I am wrong to think it is a fairly popular Christmas song….???

The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singling loud for all to hear!!

The one with all the Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!!! So… my first big holiday celebrated away from home as come and gone… it was… different. Actually, it was lovely- I couldn’t have imagined a better way to spend it if it had to be spent in Honduras. My site mate’s hosted a lovely gathering, with just a few other volunteers from my training class who live near by, and a whole bunch of volunteers that I met for the first time (and a few random Americans who happened to be passing through). There were two turkeys, stuffing, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green bean casserole, a few pies, a cake… all the trimmings! Well, almost all the trimmings…. No NHS football game, eggnog, mulled cider, scrambling to feed Nana before her blood sugar freaks out, chewing like grampy, or pictionary. But, I made “Indian” feather headbands and pilgrim hats for all who chose to wear them, we ate lots of food, we played my trivia game (complete with 4 categories- Thanksgiving, Honduras, Peace Corps and Christmas), and I met lots of awesome people (it’ll be a miracle if I can remember all of their names). OH, and I guess it’s pretty cool that my town is called Gracias (thank you), and that is where we celebrated Dia de Accion de Gracias (Thanksgiving). It was an appropriate location, for sure.

Last week I hosted my first visitors! Monica and Anna (from my Youth Development group) and Anna’s friend who was visiting from the states came and stayed with me for a few nights. It was so much fun to shout COMO ESTAN and get a proper response! We went to the hot springs, and went hiking up Mt. Celaque, the highest peak in Honduras. Yes, we made it to the tippity top….. no… just kidding… we made it to… rest area numero dos… but it was still fun! We took Freckles, my site mate’s puppy and he had a great time! Their visit gave me a chance to figure out the best places to go out to eat in Gracias (I haven’t eaten out much since I’ve been here)- We found a charming little place that also sells hand crafted pottery made right here, and met a super nice lady that makes homemade bread.

Yo Se Leer is off to a good start! I hope the older kids stay through the school vacation- they just had their graduation, though I imagine if they’ve been coming the past two weeks since school ended, they’ll continue to come until the end of vacation. Speaking of graduation… I was invited as a special guest to attend the graduation of the preparatoria class at the kinder located next to IHNFA. These are the kids I did my pre-basica English class with. What a show, it was! Presentation is everything in this culture, from decorations, to graduation caps and robes, fancy invitations and diplomas…. WOW! And, unbeknownst to me, I was invited to sit at the “mesa principal” (principal table, up on the stage, with all the important people). They called my name at the start of the ceremony, and up I went! I got to shake the parents hands and everything!

I’m also starting a support group at the youth center for young girls who are already pregnant. We’ve been doing our prevention campaign, but the reality is that girls are already pregnant, and they have to deal with it. They need support, as mental health resources are far and few between in this country. The doctor we were working with at the Adolescent Clinic called me last week and asked me if I could come to their next pregnant women’s meeting because there was such a rise in teenage attendance. I went, and invited anyone interested to come to the youth center next week for the first meeting of the support group. About 12 young girls (ages 14-20) signed up… we’ll see who shows up this week!

I went hiking the other day to find some other hot springs, and both my phone and my camera died. Completely died. It was sad. I found a cheap phone for 350 lempiras, which is maybe 15 or 20 US dollars…. Lost a bunch of numbers that weren’t saved to my SIM card, but my number is the same! As for my camera…. At least it wasn’t stolen, so I didn’t lose all the pictures on my memory card. My site made lent me her old one to use until I can replace mine, which is WONDERFUL! I am so grateful for that, as I am kind of obsessed with photographing EVERYTHING.

Jorge, our landlord, took my site mate Emina and I to his brother in law’s coffee farm… it’s about an hour away, in the department of Intibuca, out in a little aldea. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a freshly killed chicken hanging upside down from a tree branch. We also got to pick coffee! And I got bit a lot by some little black flies that left me little blood spots all over my legs. Any photos you see from that day should be credited to the artistic work of my site mate Emina.

Oh, happy CHRISTMAS SEASON 2010!!! My Honduran nook is all decorated and ready to go- bulbs hanging from the ceiling fan, garland on the door, lights in and out of the room…. I was making some construction paper/glitter glue decorations and shared the wonder of glitter glue with my landlady Imelda, and the trabajadora Bety (a young girl that lives/cleans here… they call her the “muchacha” but I find that a bit derogatory.. Hondurans either say trabajadora or muchacha as the job title)…. They had never used it before! Cheers to Peace Corps goal number two- to foster a better understanding of Americans on the part of the people’s served!

That’s about it for life in Honduras! It’s weird to be in a tropical climate this time of year… no fallen leaves, no early morning frost, no making donuts out of your breath! It makes it hard to remember that it’s almost December… the changing seasons really keep you on track about what time of the year it is, but now I have to rely on my gut instinct that it IS in fact an appropriate time for Christmas carols and candy canes.
Love, Lisa

2 Months in Site!

Hola! I write this blog entry from my new home, a little nook in the corner of Gracias! I finally made it through five months of host families, and now I can sleep late on the weekends, mosey around and make coffee in my pajamas, and not be embarrassed about it. Little by little, I’m making my room into my home, adorning it with pictures, Christmas decorations, and awesome artificial fall leaves (thanks Mrs. Wooten!!).
Last week marked 2 months in site as an official Volunteer! They both flew by! My counterpart was saying how it feels like just yesterday we were in Teguz for the swearing in ceremony. People tend to say that life as a volunteer has its ups and downs, and sometimes time goes by like *that* but other times it crawls... I think keeping busy helps with making the time go by. Only on the weekends do I usually have hours at a time to do nothing, at which point I welcome the free time (with open arms!).

Things have been busy…. We’ve reached almost 600 high school kids with our campaign against teen pregnancy. With final exams coming up, I think we’re done with the schools until February, but we might expand to Church groups over the school vacation (the school year here starts in Feb, ends in Nov, and Dec/Jan is “summer vacation”). After the last section I did, almost have the group, about twenty 15, 16, 17 and 18 year olds swarmed me for hugs… HUGS! FROM HIGHSCHOOLERS!!! I was SO happy, I know little kids hug all the time, but to earn a hug from a teenager is quite an honor.

A local youth group at a church here in Gracias solicited my help… they sent a letter to the youth center requesting the support of the “psychologist” from the Peace Corps (I've let that one go... so they all think I'm a psychologist, it could be worse). I went last weekend to talk to the older kids about setting goals and making decisions about their future. It was a lot of fun, and at the end one of the girls stood up to formally thank me on behalf of her classmates, and told me that a lot of people come talk to them, but this time, she thinks they will actually apply what I taught them to help themselves in their futures. It was a great bunch of kids, and they meet every Saturday at this church- some are from here in Gracias and others are from outlying aldeas (rural communities). Next weekend I am going back to talk about basically the same topic, just with a younger group.

I’ve been getting all my materials ready to start Yo Se Leer next week! Thinking about how these 6 year olds can’t write their name, or even identify the letter A, puts the lapse in the education system here into perspective. These kids go to school, they just don’t learn because they are not properly taught. I am not saying I know how to teach- far from it! But I do know that memorization and regurgitation won’t get them very far. This isn’t to stereotype all Honduran teachers, I am SURE there are some wonderful teachers, who teach with their hearts. But the reality here is that teenagers can graduate from high school at 17 and be certified to teach when they haven’t themselves had adequate preparation. I love the program I’m about to start because it’s all about early intervention. Even if I only reach a handful of kids, if they are successful in the program, they will go on in school with (hopefully) less difficulties (at least in reading), less frustration, and a higher chance of staying in school longer. The longer they stay in school, the better shot they have at a better future, and the less likely they are to hang out in the streets all day, get involved with gangs and drugs and the like.

My project director is coming next week for my first site visit! Every project has a director in country, and we get periodic visits to see how things are going. I get along well with mine so I’m not too worried, but I’m a bit nervous because it’s like my first Peace Corps test! Eek! It should be fine though, being the first visit, they just want to see that I’m integrating well, and have some sort of plan for the coming months. Please note the book featured in this photo- Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day! My mom sent me some children's books in Spanish! Thanks Mom! This one was one of my favorites growing up... I made the kids at IHNFA shout terrible, horrible, no good, and very bad each time those parts came up (in Spanish, of course). They loved it to pieces.

Oh!!! I want to thank everyone from home for all their support (again)… yesterday I got three packages, filled with awesome supplies that I can use in all my projects! Thank you to everyone whose thought of me, either with a package, letter, card, email, or even a simple facebook check-in- I really appreciate it! And yes, this is a goat, hanging outside the youth center... just... chillin'. No leash. I've seen him around the neighborhood though, I suppose he must live nearby!

That is all for now... miss and love you all! OH! And if you've sent me a card at any point, please know that it has been taped up to the back of my door! :)

Pintarse la cara, Color esperanza

I can’t believe it’s already November! I’ve almost been in Gracias for two months (so close to move out day!!). Things are still going really well, a part from the recent family tragedy. This past week was definitely the hardest so far, in the 5 months I’ve been in Honduras. But, life has to go on, I know my uncle would want me to keep doing what I’m doing here. I just got back from a 3-day workshop where I got to see some of my friends from training, and meet other volunteers- it was definitely good timing, and I had such a wonderful time!

Since my last real update…. Emina, the health volunteer in my site, and I, took Gracias by storm for Global Handwashing day! We did ten charlas in two different schools (to second and third graders), the clinic, and IHNFA. It was complete with a glittery dinamica (literally, we put glitter on our hands and shook every ones hands, and showed them how germs spread), intense handwashing information, a demonstration, and a song! We also got a group of kids to come with us to the local radio station and had them sing the song over the radio! Then Emina and I talked about the importance of washing your hands and how it prevents diarrhea and all that jazz.

I met the Presidente del Congreso Nacional (President of the National Congress) at the Youth Center last week. He gave us a huge donation of several computers and desks. I still don’t know a whole lot about him, but he is pretty important in Honduran political life. He’s from Gracias too, which is why he so kindly made the donation. Camera crews were there, and the filmed a question/answer session with him and some youth who attended the ceremony. It was so nice to hear the kids speaking out about the problems in their town and how they want to take some sort of action. There are definitely some motivated youth in this country, it’s just a matter of giving them an opportunity to act.

We launched our campaign about preventing teen pregnancy! We’ve covered almost all of the classes at one of the high schools, and are hoping to get the rest of the other high school classes before final exams start (oh yeah, the school year here goes from Feb-Nov). I did my first one with one of the doctors from the clinic whose helping us out, then I graduated to doing them on my own! I’ve worked so much with little kids the past few years that I’ve forgotten how much fun older kids can be. It feels really good telling them that a girl can get pregnant her first time having sex, and having them be shocked but so relieved that someone told them. In this picture, that group is shouting out their response to a pressure frase... so one group yells out something like "everyone does it!" and then the other group responds with something like "Well i'm not everyone, i'm me... etc"... its one of my favorite dinamicas! they get so into it.

Everything’s going well with my English class… they seem to be learning… and want to sing We Are the World (in English)! Apparently there’s a Spanish version, and it’s their favorite song (mine too!).

And with the little munchkins at IHNFA.... I found out none of the 5,6 or 7 year olds can write their letters, never mind their names.. so I’ve been working with a small group of the older kids, having them trace, copy, and write their own letters and names. I just talked to the director and I am going to start Yo Se Leer, Youth Development’s literacy tutoring program… probably within the coming weeks.

The training I went to was for a program called Yo Tambien Merezco, a self-esteem, abstinence, masculinity program for boys between 11-15 years old (Yo Merezco was started for the girls, and this is the boy’s equivalent). We spent 3 days in Santa Rosa de Copan, about an hour from my site, staying at a nice hotel, getting free food, and participating in a really good workshop! It was run by 3 health volunteers (I hope sometime I get to run a workshop! Maybe one on dinamicas, or how to make up songs), and I got to meet several current PCVs along with reuniting with some of my own training group. Like I said, it was really good timing to see Stacie and yell COMO ESTAN!, stay busy learning about something I love, to have access to Café Americano, and to buy some Christmas decorations! As part of the training, we did a practica in a school- here is the picture of the group of boys I worked with, along with Jessica another volunteer, and three Honduran community members (each PCV was required to bring a community partner... Peace Corps rule... for sustainability reasons).

Moving day is coming up! This time next week I should be nestled in my little nook… my host family is taking me tomorrow to buy a mini-refre and a microwave. You can probably tell how excited I am to move out, but I want to reiterate that it’s nothing to do with my host family, they have been so wonderful- they give me privacy/space, but also talk to me and try to help me out. I’ll miss them, but I need my OWN space, even though it’s just going to be a little room, it will be my room.

That’s all for now… please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers… they are going through a really rough time…. and enjoy the crispiness that is November in New England!

Rest in Peace, Uncle Fishy

When tragedy strikes at home and you can't be there is when Peace Corps service is hard. I am sending all my prayers to my family, and hope that they know that I would be there if I could.

...As God calls us one by one, the chain will link again...

A few reflections after ONE MONTH in site!

It's hard to believe that I've been a Peace Corps volunteer for one month, and have been in Honduras for nearly four! Everything is going well... work has picked up quite a bit, and I would dare to say that I am actually busy! I am officially an English teacher, as my class began last week (I have a desk, a manual, and a box for questions/suggestions that I decorated with tissue paper!).

With one month down, I'd like to take a minute to share some of the positive and negative parts of my experience thus far!

Things I love…

Gracias. What a beautiful, quaint little town. Yeah, it has it’s flaws, like some not so nice neighborhoods, crazy moto-taxi drivers that can’t drive, and 2 hour lines at the bank, but it makes up for it with it’s mountains, hot springs, decent internet connection, almost-iced coffee, semi-consistent diet coke availability at the local grocery store, and friendly faces. I really was bummed when I found out I was going to a bigger site, but of all bigger sites I could have been sent to, I am so glad it was here.

People. Every time I walk down the street, I get a slew of “Adios!”’s, “Que le vaya bien!”’s (literally translates to, that you go well…) and smiles from complete strangers. When I know the person, they like to stop me and kiss me on the cheek. In a bigger town I expected the people to be more reserved and less friendly, which I trust that they are in comparison to the little villages of a few hundred people. But I am still pleasantly surprised.

Mis niñ@s. The kids I have been working with are absolutely wonderful. They are so full of life and have so much energy! Its hard, working with kids from such rough backgrounds, but for the hugs alone, it’s worth it. It takes me 10 minutes to walk through IHNFA when I get there everyday because everyone runs up to hug me, tell me about their day, show me what they can do on the tire, and basically block the rout to get to where the nanny is. And when I leave, I hear “ADIOS LISA!!!!” echoed all the way down the street. I haven’t been doing as much direct work with the older kids at the youth center, so it’s been slower getting to know them, but they seem just as wonderful as the little ones.

My Work. Ok, it’s only been a month, and I still am not exactly sure what I will be focusing on for the next two years, but as a whole, I love the Youth Development initiative. I love that I was assigned to two completely different organizations- little kids and big kids/adults! Of course my comfort zone is with the little ones, but I am so excited to work more with other kids… I think it will be really good for me. I started an English class last week for youth/adult volunteers at the youth center, and this week we are starting to campaign against teen-pregnancy at two of the high schools in Gracias. In the near future they want me to do some leadership/self-esteem workshops with the youth as well. With the little kids right now, I go regularly and do recreational/educational activities with them (along with an English class once a week with the kinder class). In a few months we will start the Dental Health program and some workshops for their parents (which they desperately need…).

Peace Corps Network. Although we spread out all over Honduras, it’s so nice to know that there is a group of people doing the same thing, facing the same challenges and adapting to the same culture. I miss everyone from my training class, but in a few months we will be able to travel and see each other. Yay! It’s also nice having site mates- especially in a big site. It’s nice running into them in the street, watching tv shows/movies in English, and being able to complain about frustrations that only North Americans would face in Honduras. We also have the option of teaming up for projects… (I don’t think there is anything I can add to the business or water/sanitation projects, but Emina is a Health volunteer… health + youth is a good combination!) And with Thanksgiving and Christmas (!!!) just around the corner, it will be completely necessary to turn to these people- otherwise I’d be doing Christmas crafts and singing carols by myself! (Which I do anyways, but I’d like to have the option of sharing the festivities).

Challenges…

Food. Despite having access to my host family’s kitchen, I really don’t feel comfortable cooking in it. It’s hard when they’re home trying to cook at the same time I’m hungry. There’s not a whole lot of space, and there’s no getting rid of the bugs, so I’m going to hold tight on cooking until I get my own place. I do, however, have some space to store food, so I’m surviving… just… not with the most well balanced diet. What do I eat? Well, the ‘mini-supers’ (little ‘grocery’ stores) sell cereal! In smaller towns/villages, you can pretty much only find cornflakes (the name brand, and several Central American varieties) … but in Graicas, they have a pretty decent variety of cereals imported from the States. Sadly, they are a bit more expensive, and given my Peace Corps budget, in true Honduran fashion, I buy cornflakes, the national cereal. I’ve also gone overboard with sandwiches. I managed to find wheat bread here, and some semi-decent cheese… throw that with the cucumbers I get from the fruit stand and there’s my lunch! And thanks to my wonderful family from home, I’ve been able to have peanut butter and jelly, or, my favorite, peanut butter and nutella! Once a week I usually buy a pineapple, and when I pass by the fruit stands I try to pick up a banana or avocado. There are some places nearby that sell balleadas (a typical Honduran appetizer, that is a flour tortilla with refried beans, cheese and mantequilla inside)… something that in the States, I never would have chosen, but they’re not bad! Especially when you’re hungry. They also sell little tacos, which are delicious, and there is another place that sells pupusas, which I don’t know quite where to begin explaining what those are… basically a thick tortilla with cheese inside? And I think you can order them with meat inside as well. Buuuttt as you can see…. We are lacking in veggies and protein…. Once I have my own kitchen I’ll be able to buy, wash, neatly cut up and store more vegetables. Until then… I accept every dinner invitation offered to me!

Apartment Searching. What a headache! I am sure it will all work out, but at this point I’m getting mostly “Well, this person should be leaving soon, come back in a few weeks”’s or, “Come back a week before you’re ready, and I’ll show you what I’ve got”’s. That’s how they do it here… but I like to plan ahead… needless to say it’s slightly frustrating. But everyone I work with has been super helpful, they are all talking to people they know to see if they can find me something within my budget. I have one more month where I have to stay with my host family, but I don’t have to leave right away either. If I don’t find something within this month, I won’t be homeless. Just restless.

“This is Lisa, the psychologist.” Ok, we all know I am not a psychologist… so why does everyone here seem to think so? Because “Soy licenciada en psicología” (I have my bachelor’s in psychology) translates to being a psychologist by Honduran standards. Though I don’t know for sure, I assume the way you become a psychologist here is just a matter of a few years at the University… they don’t understand that a degree in psychology from the States is just that, a degree, and to be a psychologist requires grad school. In the beginning I tried explaining that, but still, people refer to me as the psychologist from the Peace Corps. It’s not really a big deal, but I feel like they are giving me credit I don’t deserve, and I am worried about what they will ask of me in the future! After every introduction, they always respond with a concerned head nod and say “Oh good, our kids here have a lot of problems.” Ay. The confusion about my profession only happens when my counterpart introduces me (which she always does, though I’ve told her I’d like to introduce myself, I think I have enough Spanish for it…) and I can’t jump in quick enough to take over the introduction. I tell people I just graduated from college, I studied Spanish and Psychology, and have worked extensively in two different preschools. It’s hard answering the question “What do you do?” when actually I haven’t done anything! Peace Corps is my first professional, post-graduate step!

What I miss from home….
Family and friends, of course. Hot showers. Mostly bug-free homes. Real grocery stores- being able to mosey down the spacious aisles without being bombarded with people who work there (“Que desea? Que quiere?- Leave me be, I’m browsing!). Driving. My wardrobe. My bed with oodles of blankets and pillows and easy access to the bathroom without the mosquito net obstacle in the way. Customer service. Iced coffee. The option to take a bubble bath. My black tips (if the ends of my hair were black here, I don't think they'd let me work with their youth).

I am sure that within the coming months, all three of these lists (loves, challenges, and things I miss) will continue to grow... Hopefully with more challenges, I'll find ways of dealing with them. And with each aspect of home that I miss, hopefully I will find one new thing to love about Honduras :)

Oh! I also updated my wish list (over to the right). No pressure, just something to think about ::flashes hundred watt smile:: Thanks for the puppy, Sarah!

I hope everyone is well... send me updates on your lives (email/facebook)... Enjoy the turning leaves... Oh! Go apple picking for me! And brew some cider... Hasta la proxima!
Love, Lisa

Ya queremos pastel...

Well…I turned 23 in Honduras! After not thinking I would have much of a celebration this year, with only being in site for 2 weeks and not knowing anyone, it turned out to be quite the day! Hondurans love birthdays. I think it’s because they love cake (and any excuse to take a break from work). They found out it was my birthday at IHNFA, so this morning I was told to come in early for a meeting with my counterpart… there was no meeting. They wanted me to come in early, and had me do my English class with the older kids first thing (I was going to do it around 10), and then we had a party! Complete with a piñata (it wouldn’t have been a Honduran party without a piñata) and cake! The kids went nuts- it was adorable. Later in the afternoon, my counterpart at the youth center bought me a cake too.And then, my site mate Kalin made baked mac’n’cheese (my favorite meal from home) for dinner! And cupcakes. And when they sang happy birthday, Bert (other site mate) played his banjo. And later on, I got an uber snuggle from their dog Freckles (pecas). It was a good day! And thank you for all of the emails and facebook birthday wishes, I really appreciate knowing that even though I’m far away, no one’s forgotten me yet!

Oh, and after singing the happy birthday song in Spanish a few times, and going to a few birthday celebrations, I’d like to share with you what they sing at the end of the song, instead of ‘how old are you now, how old are you now…’….
Ya queremos pastel, ya queremos pastel (now we want cake)
Aunque sea un pedacito (even though its a small piece)
Ya queremos pastel (now we want cake)
Y coca-cola también (and coke-a-cola too)
Los viejitos, café (the old people, coffee!)

They like to joke about how i am a viejita because I love coffee so much, but then i remind them that EVERYONE in their country drinks copious amounts of coffee. All the time.

I can’t believe another year has gone by… I remember last year at this time I was just filling out my Peace Corps application! Essays, fingerprints, background checks…. I was just starting the whole process (that, mind you, dragged on until the middle of May). Next year at this time, I will be (hopefully) finishing up one year in site, and then two years from now I should be back in the states, frantically looking for a job. It’s crazy to think ahead like that! I won’t get ahead of myself just yet… we will take it one day, one project at a time.

Work finally seems to be falling into place (sort of). At least, at this point I feel like I have something to do. At IHNFA, all the kids know me and run to greet me when I arrive. They scream my name if they’re outside when I walk by the building. I don’t run into a lot of them just walking around Gracias because most of them come from neighborhoods on the outskirts of the town, but when I do, I feel like a celebrity. And the nanny told me yesterday that she has really seen a significant improvement in some of the kids since I started. The ones that wouldn’t talk nor smile before are full of life when I come. Whether that’s true or not, I’m not sure, but at the very least, it means I’m starting to gain confianza (trust) in the people I work with, which is an essential part of our jobs as volunteers.

My two big projects involving IHNFA (Colgate and TEAM) won’t start until the school year starts fresh (February), so for the time being, I have been working with the nanny doing recreational games during the afternoons. A lot of following directions, gross motor skills, working together kinds of things (sounds simple, but they need reinforcement with all of that). Oh, and when I say “nanny” I don’t mean to be disrespectful, she is more than a nanny, in fact if it weren’t for her (and me) the kids would do absolutely nothing all afternoon but wander around outside unsupervised, but her title is la niñera, which translates to nanny in English.

I am also doing simple English classes with the oldest of the preschool classes once a week. Peace Corps really emphasizes sustainability, and that is how TEAM (teaching English and methodology) was created, to teach teachers how to teach English. Me giving classes directly to the kids is not sustainable, but I agreed for two reasons: to build confidence with the teachers/get to know the kids, AND to show them what its like to teach English. They all want to be a part of the TEAM class but they’re so nervous about it! Having them observe me teaching English I hope will relax them and show them that they too can do it. After each class I sit with them all and give them a mini-lesson of what I just did with the kids (shockingly when I finish it’s time for a recess for all three classes so the teachers are available). I told them I could only do the class for the rest of this school year because after that it will be their turn to do it.

With the youth center, we are working on a campaign about preventing teen (and pre-teen) pregnancy… it’s something they had planned for earlier this year but with the month long strike, it hasn’t happened yet. I’m kind of just along for the ride, seeing how they are going about planning and organizing. I think the end result will be us (casa de la juventud) teaming up with the nursing school, world vision (an NGO), and the local clinic to give charlas (a Spanish word I have yet to find a direct translation for.. like… informative lectures? Speeches?) to high school aged students. I love the idea, and have some good materials to share (101 ways to make love without having sex), I just hope all the talking about planning turns into actually planning at some point in the near future! Oh! And I got my own desk! I wonder how long it will take before it’s all scuffed up with marker stains….


Next week I am scheduled to start giving an English class there as well. My counterpart wanted to get a class together for the people most involved at the center, so they can support others in learning English. A lot of English, I know… I didn’t realize everyone wanted to learn it! I am going to give this class over 2-3 months, until sometime in December. This will give me good practice, too, for when I start the class with the teachers. Although I’m using a different manual, I’ve never taught English before, so I could use a test run!

Cuando se va la luz…. When the light goes out…. People go about their business as normal… the other day, the light went out for the entire day (it was announced beforehand, they were working on something.. I never heard the announcement but people knew it was going to be out all day)… If there were a day like that in the states, I guarantee that schools would be closed, businesses would shut down, and people would run to the grocery store in a panic the night before. But here, everything was open and operating like any other day. I’m beginning to understand that the dependency on power is definitely constructed by society- in a country where many places still don’t have electricity, and those parts that do lose it 3-4 times a week, everyone is accustomed to living without it.

So…. Other than turning 23, eating my weight in cake, and starting to feel like I am actually working, things are pretty tranquilo (chill) here in Gracias. I’m still apartment searching (one more month of host family life). My family’s great, don’t get me wrong, but it’s time. Thanks for the birthday package Mom, Dad, Gina and the Ghost of Bailey!!! Note the cute new sweater!


No one has sent me any pictures of the leaves turning colors. Por favor! If you send them via snail mail, I will put them on my wall (when I move into my own place) and give you credit!
Hope everyone is doing well!
Love, Lisa

First impressions of Gracias

*85% of men who appear over 40 years old wear sombreros/cowboy hats- it’s actually quite charming. They make me smile.

*I feel safe! (So far..) My site mates said they haven’t had any incidents here, and overall there it’s a pretty tranquilo place. People walk around with purses, openly use their cell phones, and there is a café in the middle of the park (with free wifi) that has wide-open windows around it where people nonchalantly use their laptops. Of course I won’t flash my electronics nor freely use my cell phone in public, but its nice to see that no one is gripping onto their backpack for dear life hoping it’s not snatched by the next passing ladron.

*The park. It’s adorable, and in the aforementioned café you can get probably the closest thing to iced coffee you’ll find unless you go to the Dunkins in Teguz- it’s a sort of frozen coffee slush. My heart danced when I bought one the other day. And you can sit on a bench without your heart pounding wondering whether or not that bolo is going to come over and do something weird to you (::cough:: Talanga::cough::). From what I’ve seen, the amount of sketch in Gracias in minimal. For this, I am graciosa.

*Piropos (cat calls and the like) exist here, as they do all over Honduras (or Central America), but I haven’t received any overly aggressive ones yet, and they seem to come from a few select areas in town (mainly by the bus terminal). And, it’s never the sombrero men giving them. Usually men working outside with no shirts, or the ones trying to put you on a bus to San Pedro (to which I always refrain from telling them that never, on my own terms, will I let you put me on a bus headed towards the second most dangerous city in the WORLD).

*Discrepancies. This is a much more developed area (well, not even area, just town I guess) of the country, and with that are more businesses, more people working in offices, and overall a more educated community. At the same time, there is still a strong campesino presence, with people walking with their horses and machetes to and from the campo to work, and women balancing baskets of tortillas, fruit, yucca, and who knows what else on their heads (this impresses me every time). You see more kids going back and forth to school than kids selling things in the street to make some money for their parents, but those kids still exist. A lot of the kids I will be working with at INFAH don't have shoes to wear, but my host siblings go to a private bilingual school.

*We are surrounded by beautiful, majestic mountains- the highest peak in Honduras, Mt. Celaque, overlooks the pueblo. I seem to be the only one taken aback by them when walking down the street, as for everyone else, they are just a part of the backdrop like they always have been. I will probably grow accustomed to them after 2 years, but for now, I’ll let them take my breath just a little bit. Oh, and slightly related to the mountains, the weather here is favorable- hondurenos say its fresco, but it’s really not, when the suns shining, it gets hot, but it’s a bearable hot, not an OMG I’M MELTING hot. For a New England gal, I lucked out climate-wise. My prayers are with my H17 northerners who were sent down south…

*Integration will be substantially harder here, given the size of the town. I am doing my best, saying hello to everyone, following my counterpart so she can introduce me to people, but it will take time. Poco a poco, I am meeting people involved with the Youth Center, but keeping track of their names is another story (I’m already bad with names in English, but in Spanish, I am absolutely AWFUL). Buuuut, it’s comforting to know I have site mates who will be here a while, and they’ve been really welcoming. There’s also a group of teachers from the states teaching at the bilingual school here, so I am hoping to meet some of them as well.

*Work will be tough in the beginning, especially given it’s towards the end of the school year (which affects Youth Development volunteers quite a bit). There are a few things I’d like to do that would be better off starting when the school year starts (English course for teachers, Colgate dental health program, and Yo Merezco, the selfesteem/sex ed class), not to mention I wont have the manuals for any of them until Sandra (YD project director) comes to do the first site check up in 3 months. BUT my counterpart (from the youth center) said after this week of getting to know the organization/people, we can start planning and brainstorming. Vamos a ver. As far as my other counterpart from the INFAH (instituto hondureno de la ninez y familia) center goes, we are in for an interesting experience. She never showed up for our first meeting, but I finally met with her the other day, and I think I am going to have to strongly emphasize that my role as a PCV isn’t to watch the kids in the afternoon when the teachers take off, but rather collaborate with the staff and implement projects with the overarching goal of sustainability. For now I know I am going there tomorrow to make name tags for next week when I get to know the kids. They don’t have much as far as materials go, but there’s a stack of white poster board… so the name tags are going to be snowmen.

I am also beginning my house/apartment hunt! I've never done this before (picking which college dorm I live in doesn't count), so wish me luck!
OH and I have my address, just let me know if you send something so I think to go to the post office and check. I'll post it on the side of my blog, and I sent an email out to some of you, but here it is:
Lisa Lavezzo
Voluntaria del Cuerpo de Paz
Gracias, Lempira
Honduras
America Central
Yup, that's right, no numbers or street names. Welcome to Honduras!
Miss and love you all, take lots of pictures as the leaves start to turn (and send them to me!).