Safety and Security and Valentines!

Some not so pleasant things have happened to some volunteers in Honduras as of late (there are always safety incidents, but there were some serious incidents in the past few months) so our Safety and Security team decided to make a visit to each region and invite PCVs to come talk about what’s been happening, reiterate strategies on how to keep yourself safe, what kind of services are available if we need them, and just reach out and remind us that we have their support and that our safety during service is a priority. Our awesome Safety and Security director (photographed to the left with me at our Swearing In Ceremony) came out west to meet the 15 or so volunteers out here, with the new Country Director (each country has a US citizen that’s more or less “in charge” of the Peace Corps program in that country) and we had a really good talk- sure, nothing we heard was new, it was pounded into our heads during training how to minimize our risk, but it’s nice to feel supported, and have an opportunity to express safety concerns with people who are facing the same challenges daily.

I still haven’t seen the ABC 20/20 Special (thanks Dad and Gina for recording it- please save it until August!) but after reading some feedback about it, it seems that there was a bias against Peace Corps Safety and Security, and perhaps that was the case for the incidents highlighted in the special, but I just want to emphasize to everyone back home that each country has their own staff, and yes, there is the overarching umbrella of Peace Corps Washington, but you cannot generalize anything in Peace Corps because every country is SO different. I am so so so proud to say that I have absolute confidence in the security measures taken by the Peace Corps staff in Honduras, and I feel like I have a whole family here that has my back.

The truth is, as “gringos” (slang term for people from the states) we will ALWAYS stand out, and therefore always be more of a target for extra attention, be it positive or negative. That is a risk we are made aware of during training, and even before that during the application process, and it’s a risk we know we are taking by continuing our service in country. But… the same things that happen in host countries happen all over the world…. And you have to keep living your life otherwise what will you accomplish living in fear all the time? Yes, maybe safety/security incidents are more highly concentrated given Honduras is the size of, what, Massachusetts? Maybe a little bigger… but underneath all that is a place with wonderful people (though sometimes its hard to find the motivated ones!) who WANT to better themselves, their lives, and their children’s lives. Should the kids I work with be denied the opportunity to learn how/why they should brush their teeth? Of course not… If the overall safety of volunteers in a host country is compromised due to intentional targeting of US citizens or foreigners will we still continue to put ourselves at risk? Of course not… if we can’t be safe, we can’t do our jobs. What we can do right now is take all of the preventative measures we’ve been taught, hope for the best, be honest with PC staff about any concerns we have, and utilize the people who are here to help us (staff, other volunteers, community members, counterparts, trustworthy host country friends).

On a more positive note, school’s back in session! Which means kids are easier to find! Which means I will be busy again very soon! And next week we (Youth Development) have our second in service training for a self-esteem/abstinence based sex ed program called Yo Merezco (for pre-teen/early adolescent girls)… a happily welcomed reunion with some of my best friends! Not to mention I really want to implement this program so it will be a useful training.

These pictures are of valentine necklaces we made last week!

I hope I wasn’t too much of a Debbie Downer with the security talk- the point of the post was to reassure everyone that Peace Corps takes volunteer safety extremely seriously, and that I feel 100% support from in-country staff, and that our Safety/Security director is awesome. And in case anyone saw the 20/20 special last month and has been concerned since. But! I am doing well in my community, and have a super safe housing situation. And i take my whistle with me when i am traveling far!

Love and miss you all, I hope the snow melts away and the sun comes out!

A Love Bug for the President

Things have still been somewhat slow due to “summer vacation” but as of yesterday there were some exciting things happening in the West of Honduras! We got a visit from the President, Pepe Lobo, the President of Congress Juan Orlando (who is originally from Gracias, my site), the ambassador of the United States Hugo Llorens, and the head honcho of US-AID in Honduras. They met in La Campa, a little town outside of Gracias, to sign a 5 year, 82 million dollar plan to start agriculture/renewable energy projects in the Occidente, which includes my department of Lempira, and also the departments of Ocotopeque and Copan. This is the poorest area in the country, and Lempira is supposedly the poorest department, so they are going to try and help boost production and commercial trade and things of that sort.

The night before the big event, the other volunteers in Gracias/outside Gracias met with the ambassador and the US-AID folks for dinner and the most fancy hotel in town, and that’s when they invited us to come along to meet the president the next day! I made special Valentines to give to the president and the ambassador- I think they really liked them! The president gave me a second hug for it (the first being when I asked if we could take a picture together) and he put it safely inside one of his folders so he wouldn’t lose it. And the ambassador laughed and got glitter all over himself. Ah, the smiles that simple glitter can bring to peoples lives.

As far as Honduran politics go... i'm still confused... people here either aren't interested, or are extremely passionate for one political party... the problem is finding out the facts... someone will say they don't this person because s/he's done a lot of harm to Hondurans... but asking for details and specific instances is like going around in circles. Pepe Lobo became president after the former president, Mel Zelaya was taken out of the country in his pajamas last year... People are either still upset about what happened to Mel, or grateful to have Pepe. As a Peace Corps volunteer i am suppose to stay neutral and not take a political stand either way, but there is no harm in finding out why people feel the way they feel, though that's proven harder than you'd think.

The whole series of events was a nice reminder about why I joined Peace Corps… not to meet important people in my host country, but to build ties with community members and let the skills that I have help them in whatever way they can, be it big or small. US-AID wants to collaborate with peace corps volunteers in the future, because although they have the money to fund projects, we have the community ties to motivate the people to get involved. After dinner, the ambassador told us how proud he was to see such dedicated volunteers representing the United States, and that we reflect the best of our country… maybe it’s true, maybe it’s an exaggeration, but hearing him say that to us certainly recharged my batteries, and made me more than ready for summer vacation to end so I can get back to work (I HAVE been working this whole time, just not on specific projects, as apparently a lack of school means a lack of youth… something I will try harder to combat next year).

After being in site for 5 months, I feel like I’ve graduated phase two of peace corps service, phase one being training, and phase two being integrating into your community. I’ve gotten to know my organizations and have a good idea of what their needs are. I’ve already done some projects, but these ones that I’ll start in the coming months will mean more now that I know who I’m working with. And I have enough confidence now that if I see that something isn’t working, I can try to change the focus or implementation of it without thinking that I’m giving up on the original plan. Sometimes in Peace Corps, it’s better not to have such a rigid plan…

It’s wonderful having a hammock. Just sayin’.

Annnd my parents are on a Caribbean cruise right now (which unfortunately does not stop in Honduras)… I wish them a fabulous vacation…