Finding Lempira

time marches into march

2012-03-04T12:36:00.000-05:00

So the month of February flew by and I realized it's been awhile since I've given an update. A lot has been happening, so I guess I'll give an overview on the different areas of my life...

It's almost 6 months since I moved to Santa Rosa and I have slipped into a pretty good routine. Overall, it is a quaint town that allows a single female a great degree of independence (and this is much appreciated). I enjoy going to the gym regularly and walking all over town. Recently, I have had a slew of visitors to my home, and have been running a little hotel side-business...not as lucrative as one might think, as most guests are MCCers, but I get by ;)

Work keeps moving forward, although most days it feels like 2 steps forward and 6 steps back...or 3 steps to the side. We are still working with 4 groups of women, though one ended and we have started a new one. Although this 4th group will be behind the others in terms of the training schedule, our goal is to catch them up in an accelerated fashion. We have just started business trainings since the new year started, which are mostly my territory, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I have been able to utilize some of the curriculum I worked on last year in Teguc, which is an exciting thing for me. We are also collaborating with an MCC friend to do some worm-composting trainings at the end of this month and hope that this will give a good start to family garden projects with our beneficiaries.

Most recent work excitement: I got my first dog bite on the moto! It didn't bleed so everyone tells me it doesn't count as a bite, just a scratch...but there was some stinging involved when forced to pour lemon juice on it...so its going on the Honduras memories list as a bite.

Church has been a good source of community for me since I moved to Santa Rosa and got involved in the Mennonite congregation here. Although it can be intense and a little demanding at times, I appreciate being part of the church family and feeling cared for by people of different generations. Most recently I was roped into helping write the "Plan for 2012" to delegate tasks to all church committee and narrowly avoided being part of the leadership council in youth group. I think I may be a chronic church-aholic and am trying to work on this to reach a better balance in life!

MCC relationships are a source of support and refreshment in the challenges of living and working in another culture. I have been blessed with great friends on the Honduras team and this month brought us the unfortunate task of saying goodbye to the Stephens family who are ending their 3 year term with MCC. We had a team reunion in San Pedro to spend a few days together having fun, eating lots of pizza, and reflecting on all that we will miss when the Stephens are gone! They will be heading home for a few months, but ultimately returning to Honduras to work with an orphanage on the north coast.

So...although they won't be part of our MCC team, we know we'll see them again soon.

I also realize that I have not been documenting my life in Santa Rosa with many pictures...I guess it usually requires having a visitor to do touristy things with that inspires me to take lots of photos. So, let me know when you want to come down for a visit and book your stay at my hotel! I offer very competitive rates.

I am also talking about going home for a visit in May to see my family, so that is an exciting prospect on the horizon!

Prayer: Just to keep you posted on some things you can be praying about for me...

> focus at work to know how to help ACDIM and what my role is in developing the organization

> safety in all aspects of living/working/traveling in Honduras (and for the safety of all MCCers here)

> opportunities for refreshment and peace to allow myself a break

> wisdom in relationships and opportunities to connect with more foreigners

the indirectness of it all...

2012-02-08T12:38:00.001-05:00

There are days when I wonder how I will ever adjust to working in a North American office setting ever again...
...where you don't get to take breaks for baleadas whenever the urge strikes
...where friends don't stop by to plan the next soccer game or discuss church happenings, never concerned with what "work" they might be interrupting
...where delivery trucks and their fumes don't give you a headache on a regular basis
...where stray dogs can't just wander inside
...where women selling lorocco and tamales pass by several times a day
...where people can speak directly to one another and not beat around the bush.

Some days, I don't know how much more of the indirectness I can handle.
Here is a transcription of one small example of my life in the office of ACDIM:

(O is my co-worker, I am C)

O: "charissa i think i need to buy an envelope. do you think I might be able to find an envelope around here? ...i think i need an envelope."

(C produces envelope from drawer)

O: this is a good envelope. exactly what i needed.

O: "but i mean i mean do you think we can put the name on it, or i mean...how...? no you probably can't use the printer, right? i mean, how will we put his name on it?"

(2 minutes of hmmm, what can we do...how will i do this, etc...)

O:"i guess we should just write the name on it, no?"

C: "yep."

(2 more minutes of personal debate, aloud)

O:"maybe you have better writing than me, don't you think?"

C: "...yes. do you want me to do it? i will do it. tell me how you want it."
(proceed with 3 more minutes of directing my exact placement of the words on the envelope, questioning how it should be addressed, then when i give my suggestion changing it anyway...then telling me my capital letters aren't capital letters and maybe we should re-do it.)

I think after 15 minutes, we had a simple white enevelope, with a very complicated title, that some municipal officer will not even notice, and probably not even read the letter inside. awesome.

some days...I just can't take it. so I have to blog-it-out :)

blessed are...

2012-01-27T15:14:00.001-05:00

[my blog post was featured on the MCC Latin American Advocacy blog! Same post, but with some fancy artwork. Interesting blog too]

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Sometimes there are no other words to express all the feelings that well up inside me. And even at times, these words that have been passed down to generation after generation of believers still feel insufficient.

It has been a long week...and one with a lot of questions. Why does God allow terrible things to happen? Why do God-fearing, God-following people suffer and those who don't follow Christ not seem to suffer at all? How can I provide comfort to people who understand the reality of injustice much more than I ever can?

How can we as Christians who talk and talk and talk about justice make any kind of change in a dangerous and violent society where people are too afraid to speak out?

This week took a shocking turn for my church family in Santa Rosa when one of our brothers was brutally killed after preaching at another church a few minutes outside of town. This man was a well-respected member of our church, always humble and caring, always with a smile and a joking word. He was also a mentor within the youth group and will be greatly missed as a father-figure for many kids, not just his own.

Although it has not been easy, it has been a privilege to be part of this church community and share in their pain this week. To walk along side them and share in the grieving process has taught me a lot already and continues to stretch me in my relationships with friends and in my faith.

When faced with situations of injustice and pain, my first reaction is often one of anger and frustration. Then I think, "ok, but what are we going to DO about it?" Taking action feels like the only correct response, and if I'm not actively pursuing something, then I'm not doing enough. But perhaps we need a change in our thinking. To allow ourselves the freedom to be still for a moment (or two), to mourn, weep, question, beat our chest and dwell in the tragedy and pain.

It was only in reading the thoughts of others that I was able to allow myself this space for lament and mourning:

The antiquated notion of lamentation points us in a direction opposite to our contemporary impulses. We are conditioned to respond to a problem...by identifying a course of action and mustering as much resolve as possible in an effort to make a positive difference. The standard operating principles – which have their place – include effort, productive change and hope. Lamentation derails that. It provides a sacred space in which to expose our shadiest feelings.

I need this. I can’t carry all [of this] with me.

Lamentation is a space in which we do not need to hide or minimize these normally frowned-upon sentiments...In lament, we walk straight into the darkness, the valley of shadows, and stay there as long as necessary.

Nancy Duff, a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and an advocate of reviving lamentation, writes that usually “we are taught that true faith in God mitigates such intense feelings” as the ones we might express in lament. Similarly, theologian Walter Brueggemann notes the common and, in his view, unfortunate belief that good Christians do not “acknowledge and embrace negativity.”

But the biblical lamenters – who wrote a full third of the Psalms – make an art out of our impropriety. They express desire for harsh vengeance (“Happy shall they be who take [the Babylonians’] little ones and dash them against the rock.” Ps 137:9); they make brazen accusations against God (“You [God] have renounced the covenant with your servant.” Ps 89:39); and they cry out in utter despair (“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” Ps 13:1). This is not how I was taught to pray in Sunday School.

Lamentation even allows us to give up. Duff says it “allows us to rely on God and the community to carry forth hope on our behalf when we ourselves have no hope in us.”

I know that my community here is NOT without hope and have already seen a vibrant strength in the midst of tragedy...but I am asking my broader community to carry forth the hope on our behalf, because sometimes even our most resilient faith can be hard to find.

[quoted text from Will Braun. full article here]

to Guatemala and back

2012-01-15T18:44:00.000-05:00

If you are following the pattern of my blog posts you might start to think that all I do is take vacation and visit other MCCers...and, you wouldn't be too far from the truth.

I just got back from another MCC retreat, but this time it was a bit different. We had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala for the MesoAmerica retreat of MCCers from the region (Mexico, Guate, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua & Costa Rica). It was a LOT of hours on buses to reach our final destination, Santiago de Atitlan on the beautiful Lake Atitlan of Guatemala, but well worth the journey.

We had time together as an MCC Honduras team, one of our last with the Stephens family who are leaving us shortly :( and we had a lot of time to meet other MCCers living and working in Central America.

The place we stayed was beautiful and provided some opportunities to do a little tourist-ing (of course mixed in with plenty of serious sessions concerning our work!)

So of course I only have pictures of the fun stuff--being touristy. But I also have some videos of our wonderfully gifted and spirited MCC Honduras team performing at the talent show. There weren't prizes, but I'm sure if there were, our rousing version of "My Favorite Things" (from the soon to be released "El Sonido de La Musica") would have been awarded first place. We are pretty clever. I'm surprised you didn't know that ;)

lake atitlan

team honduras

enjoy the video :)

Here are the lyrics in case you can't fully understand the Spanglish...

Favorite things

Mountains and beaches and Copan Ruinas

ceramica Lenca aves y leechas

gente amable que nos da amor, (kind people who give us love)

this is what I came to Honduras for.

Pineapple, mango and fresh avocados

frijoles, chuletas y ricos licuados (beans, pork chops and smoothies)

baleadas abundan a diez lempiras (baleadas abound at 10 lempiras)

estas son mis cosas favoritas (these are my favorite things)

Se fue la luz-- no viene el agua (the lights went out! the water didn't come)

vienen ladrones ya! (here come robbers)

I simply remember my favorite things

and then I don't feel "tan mal" (then i dont feel so bad)

¿Que onda loco? -- Todo macizo! (what's up man, everything's cool)

Que barbaridad que no tengo pisto. (what a barbarity (?) i dont have any money)

Pucha, que basura, vaya pues, cheke leke, (dang it! what garbage! ok, it's all good)

these are a few things catrachos say.

MCM y Proyecto MAMA

donde trabajo cada mañana (where i work every morning)

ASJ, CODESO, ACDIM…

partners are some of my favorite things.

Huracanes, inundaciones (hurricanes, floods)

team Giardia,

I simply remember my favorite things

and then I don't feel "tan mal"

feliz 2012

2012-01-03T22:55:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year friends and family...or as we say here, feliz año nuevo!

I just got back from a nice loooong break and "vacation" in Tegucigalpa. I decided since I couldn't make it home to the states to be with my real family, the next best thing was being in Teguc with my Honduran family, and my MCC family :)

So, after a long 8 hours on a bus, I left the safe cocoon of Santa Rosa for a 10 day big city adventure. I took advantage of all the shopping the capital has to offer, not to mention restaurant and transportation options :)

My week included:
catching up with the host family on all the current events...going to the mall...eating the most delicious baleadas in honduras...traveling to choluteca for a day of tourism...learning to make christmas torrejas...playing dutch blitz with the brothers...watching tv...sleeping in a lot...taking rapiditos all over town....jumping at the sound of firecrackers at all hours of the day and nite...eating frozen yogurt!...going to the movie theatre where you can choose which movie you want to see...eating lots of beans...attending a friend's wedding...drinking lots of coffee...sharing holiday meals with good gringo friends...buying a fleece jacket for an upcoming trip to Guatemala...being heckled by men on the corner...heckling taxi drivers for being difficult...kind of learning how to dance bachata...wrapping presents for the bank program c-mas party...laughing and joking with the host family about everything and anything...laughing at people stepping in puppy pee around the house...taking bucket showers again...eating at the best pupusa restaurant in Teguc...

there might have been some more stuff, but this gives you a good idea. Generally I loved being back at "home" and catching up with a lot of great people.

Hope you all had a great holiday season and rang in the new year with good friends and family.
Excited to see what 2012 has in store :)

host bro showing off the new shirt

out to eat with the fam...the usual chaos ensued...

loved spending lots of time with this girl

favorite friends who live in Suyapa (minus one!)

good friends...old and new

advent

2011-12-20T17:28:00.001-05:00

Advent is one of my favorite times of year. I always enjoy the traditions we celebrate in church, relishing a time of anticipation and taking time to think about what expectant waiting really means.

Unfortunately, I have not yet found an evangelical church in Honduras that really embraces these traditions of advent that are so dear to me. I tried to explain it to my coworker and fellow church member and his eyes glazed over a little bit as I tried to explain an advent wreath. Oh well...at least I tried.

So this year and last I tried to make time in my own prayer life to focus on some advent reflections. My mom sent me a cool advent booklet of reflections by Henry Nouwen which I have been enjoying. I just wanted to share one passage in particular that really spoke to me.

In the last days
   the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established
   as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
   and all nations will stream to it.
Many peoples will come and say,
   “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
   to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
   so that we may walk in his paths.” Isaiah 2:2-3

"As prayer leads us into the house of God and God's people, so action leads us back into the world to work there for reconciliation, unity and peace. Once we have come to know the truth we want to act truthfully and reveal to the world its true nature. All Christian action--whether it is visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, or working for a more just and peaceful society--is a manifestation of the human solidarity revealed to us in the house of God.

It is not an anxious human effort to create a better world.
It is a confident expression of the truth that in Christ, death, evil, and destruction have been overcome.
It is not a fearful attempt to restore a broken order.
It is a joyful assertion that in Christ all order has already been restored.
It is not a nervous effort to bring divided people together,
but a celebration of an already established unity.

This action is not activism. An activist wants to heal, restore, redeem, and re-create, but those acting within the house of God point through their action to the healing, restoring, redeeming, and re-creating presence of God."

Good food for thought. May you be filled with a sense of joyful anticipation of the second coming of Jesus as we remember the first time the world witnessed Emmanuel in the flesh.

Feliz Navidad and Merry Christmas :)

good eats.

2011-12-07T11:13:00.001-05:00

It has been a busy week or two since I last posted about Thanksgiving, and it seems that time is only going faster and faster as the holidays approach. Not that I am sad about that prospect! I am glad to have weeks that are busy and weekends that are full of activity and social events.

This past weekend I was able to host 4 MCC friends in Santa Rosa~ our connecting people's coordinator plus the 3 SALTers. It was a busy time, making sure they knew how to get around and figuring out meals and taking them here and there, but it was fun. I enjoy showing people around town and sharing the people who have become important in my life in Santa Rosa.

In showing off my mad baking skills to my MCC buddies (yep, I made brownies in my toaster oven), I realized that I have not shared my latest cooking adventures with my blog readers.

warm apple crisp...a little more "crisp" than intended...

carmelized onion, spinach and olive oil bread
...good til the spinach started to smell funky

my most colorful meal yet!
my own version of un-stuffed pepers and stir-fried zucchini

brownies in the baby oven! even made portion-controlled brownie cups

fresh squeezed orange juice, anyone? the fruit was from ladies in the community where we work.
soooooo sweet, no sugar needed

I have also been excited to begin advent season, though I greatly miss the traditions of the church that I have become used to as part of advent preparation. I will share some thoughts on advent things in the near future.

Hope you are enjoying the anticipation of the holidays wherever you may be.

post thanksgiving post

2011-11-25T12:21:00.001-05:00

I am still stuffed from all the food I ate yesterday...it was so delicious! My MCC reps made a wonderful turkey feast and were kind enough to invite those of us close by to join in with them.

Although I missed being able to share this warm holiday with my family in Pennsylvania, I am blessed to have a chance to share with friends here in Honduras who have become like family while I am away.

I have some photos to share, but can't upload them yet, so you'll have to wait to see some of those.

The past few months have been challenging, and my coming back to Honduras has not been how I thought it would be. But that doesn't mean there isn't good to be found in the unexpected...and it definitely doesn't account for the ways that God is working in me and teaching me about contentment, solitude and living in the gray areas.

Thankful for...
My family who stays in touch, trys to send me packages, and always takes an interest in my life, whether I'm near or far away. love and miss you!

Friends in Honduras who keep tabs on me and come to visit when I am feeling lonely.

A new church family in Santa Rosa who has welcomed me with open arms.

Youth group locura that makes me feel like I'm still in high school some days...but that lets me know I'm already an important part of the gang.

The privilege of living and working in another country and how that shapes my perspective.

The privilege of my American passport, being able to travel, and having access to opportunities that many people can only dream about.

Being able to read and write and think critically about what is going on around me.

Having the chance to eat a delicious meal and have leftovers for 4 or 5 more times around.

The hope of advent and the change of seasons that refreshes and renews.

~Happy late Thanksgiving~

train games

leftovers!!

before: =cold turkey leg + rootbeer float...what could be better...

after.

quarter century update

2011-11-16T22:43:00.001-05:00

A lot has happened since my last blog post, including the fact that I celebrated a quarter century of life! CraZy! Not only was my last post rather intense and so requires a more light-hearted follow up, but I also have lots of visitors who deserve a shout-out :)

So, the 7th of November was the big birthday...but the day seemed to drag by in its typical-ity (english check, please?). My coworker didn't think I needed to work, so I had the day to myself. I slept in, video chatted with my big sis and favorite niece, took some time to bake, and went to the gym. I did receive lots of b-day wishes on Facebook, via email and on my phone. Finally, around 7 pm my birthday visitors showed up in Santa Rosa and took me out for a delicious dinner and a piece of b-day cake :)

Virgil & Kathy (MCCers from Teguc) were on their way home from Guatemala and took a day to get to know my life in Santa Rosa. It was so great to have them here, to have them go along for a community visit, and try out some good local restaurants.

Then, on Friday of last week, my 2 best friends from Teguc also came to visit me. It was so fun to have Elise and Allison here, to show them around town and have them hang out with my friends. We got to shop, eat some good food, and visit the hot springs in Gracias. Oh, and they even got in on my longest church service yet--3 hours!

While of course it is fun to visit with my good friends from Teguc and catch up on life, there was another element of their visits that was really good for my own self-esteem. First of all, it was great to share my struggles with them and hear their advice and perspective on things. This is definitely something I miss dearly now that we are not living in the same neighborhood!

Secondly, having the opportunity to show them around town and introduce them to my community here was a great way for me to see how far I really have come in these 2 short (LLLLOOOOONNNG) months. I can get around town, and I do know some stuff, and I really do have friends who like hanging out with me. It was super fun to hang out with the youth from church, really feeling like part of the group, and to have them interested in getting to know my other friends. It's a good step forward in my social life.

Don't have pics from the girls (yet) but here are a few others:

look~ i teach about hygiene and health!

this is where i get to work :)

loved having them visit!

3 gringas with the boys of the church youth group... watch out.

message to gringos

2011-11-06T11:06:00.001-05:00

I picked up a bookfrom the MCC office a few weeks ago titled “Don’t be afraid, Gringo.” It is apersonal narrative of Elvia Alvarado, a Honduran woman who has dedicated herlife to helping people in the rural areas of Honduras organize and fight forjustice, mostly relating to land reform. She openly shares about the injusticesof life for the rural poor and the terrible meddling of the United States inHonduras, sparked by the Contra struggle against the “communist” Sandinista governmentof Nicaragua in the 80’s.

This book is afascinating read. Not only does it give an honest view of life in the campo(countryside) of Honduras, but shares one women’s astute perspective ofgovernment, politics, corruption and the economic disparity that exists in thiscountry.

When I started thebook, I was a little disappointed because it was based on interviews done inthe early 80’s, and most of the data is also from that decade (when the bookwas published). I figured it would seem out of date and irrelevant to theHonduran context today. However, I quickly noticed that most of the storiesthat Elvia tells could be lifted right from the pages of today’s Hondurannewspaper. The inequality between rich and poor, the corruption amonggovernment, military and police forces, and ultimately the siphoning ofHonduras’ wealth into the hands of the few are all issues that still face theHonduran people today. Going into the more rural areas for my work with ACDIMmakes me wonder “Has anything really changed in the last 25 years?” and then,tragically “How has nothing changed in all this time? Why are Hondurans stillfighting for the same rights, the same rule of law and the same equality thatElvia struggled for in the early 80’s?

With so much foreigninvolvement in such a small country, it is depressing and frustrating to considerhow little change there has been, especially for the rural campesinopopulation. In this region alone there are development organizations in(seemingly) every community. Hondurans are used to foreigners coming in for atime, making promises, but never really seeing many results. A quote from thebook that really impacted me:

Elvia, speaking aboutHonduran campesinos:
“We don’t need theU.S. money. We never get to see any of it anyway. What do you think that moneygoes for? To the foreign bank accounts of the rich, to line the pockets of ourcorrupt politicians, to give the military more power to repress the poor.
It’s the rich who needthe U.S. aid, not the poor. We’ve lived for years with only our beans andtortillas, and we’ll go on living with our beans and tortillas. If the U.S.stopped sending money, it would be the rich who’d hurt, not us. They’re theones who live off the dollars.”

It is a constantstruggle to live here as a development worker for a foreign developmentorganization and consider why things are not changing for those living inpoverty…and why is what I’m doing any different than what Elvia speaks outagainst? And the problem is I don’t really have any answers.

I believe so much inthe potential Honduras has to be a more equitable country, and I pray oftenthat it could be a peaceful country, free from the extreme level of violencethat exists currently. I know in my heart that no amount of microfinanceprograms to create small businesses will bring families out of poverty withoutmore systemic change in the structures and practices of government. There willbe no end to the drug war and gang violence until the corruption among lawenforcement is mitigated. The fear that keeps people from speaking out againstinjustice gives the wealthy ruling class incredible power to keep doing “businessas usual.” And it has to change.

“It’s hard to think ofchange taking place in Central America without there first being changes in theUnited States…So you Americans who really want to help the poor have to changeyour own government first. You Americans who want to see an end to hunger andpoverty have to take a stand. You have to fight just like we’re fighting—even harder.You have to be ready to be jailed, to be abused, to be repressed. And you haveto have the character, the courage, the morale, and the spirit to confrontwhatever comes your way.

If you say, “oh theUnited States is so big and powerful, there’s nothing we can do to change it,”then why bother talking about solidarity? If you think like that, you start tofeel insignificant and your spirit dies. That’s very dangerous. For as long aswe keep our spirits high, we continue to struggle…You also have to be clearabout your objectives, about why you’re struggling. You can’t struggle justbecause someone else tells you it’s a good idea. No, you’ve got to feel thestruggle. You’ve got to be completely convinced that what you’re struggling foris just

…You have to begineducating people, telling them the truth about what’s happening in the world. Becauseif the press in the United States is anything like it is in Honduras, thepeople aren’t well informed. You have to teach them what’s really happening inthe United States, what your government is really doing. And once you’veeducated people, then get them organized.

…we’re not asking forfood or clothing or money. We want you with us in the struggle. We want you toeducate your people. We want you to organize your people. We want you todenounce what your government is doing in Central America. From those of youwho feel the pain of the poor, who feel the pain of the murdered, thedisappeared, the tortured, we need more than sympathy. We need you to join thestruggle.”
~Elvia Alvarado

tour of the countryside

2011-11-03T20:42:00.000-04:00

Last week was a busy one for us at work. We were out on the road almost every day, running to San Pedro for a meeting, visiting Mennonite churches in our region and meeting with some other people working for NGOs here in Santa Rosa to see if we can work together.

While it has been tiring in many ways, it has been a good way to see more of "occidente" or the western region of Honduras, while also giving me time to talk more with my co-workers.

Although we are still working with women's community groups in 4 different municipalities (see earlier post on work life) we have started to venture into a new project.

Ruth has a vision to work with Mennonite churches here in the western departments of Honduras because many of them are the most rural and impoverished of the denomination. There are 14 churches in Occidente, and we asked the regional pastors to help us identify 6 where we would start working first. Of course, all of them wanted to be included, but we have to keep reminding them that we have to start with a few, but our hope is to eventually work with all of them.

Once we had the pastors on board and decided on 6 (which has morphed into 8), we went to visit each congregation and do "prioritazation of needs" within each individual church. The idea was to have the members of each church identify what their needs are, whether in training, education, health, home needs or church improvements. The whole idea was to not tell them what they need (as many organizations come into a community and dictate what will be done)...and this kind of worked, for the most part. It was some times hard for my coworkers to not jump in with ideas when people didn't talk much, but overall I think we have a good idea of what each church needs.

This whole process has been interesting for me and there have been plenty of frustrations along the way. The largest challenge is that we don't have funds to carry out any projects within these churches, but my co-workers are convinced I will be hooking them up with that. It has been hard for me to bite my tongue against some pretty unrealistic expectations, or when I hear a lot of things I don't agree with...or when they do things in ways that I don't think are the most appropriate.

But I am learning to take these things one at a time and address them constructively, as I am able. On the good days, I think it's getting better. I have also really enjoyed visiting the different Mennonite churches, getting to know the pastors and personality of each church. It is a privilege to get to know and share in the global church.

Here are some photos from our visits last week:

Since I have the nicest handwriting, I get to be the recorder...and it means I don't have to talk as much :)

my boss, Ruth is the lady in the middle w/ the blue coat

yep, I get to work here!

you'll easily notice I am more than a head taller than EVERYONE in the photo (and below). Welcome to my gringa life in Honduras :)

rain, rain, go away...

2011-10-21T15:10:00.000-04:00

I'm guessing not to much news from Latin America makes it's way up north...well, let's be honest, I don't even have good access to regional news where I am either!

The past few weeks have been rather scary as heavy rains caused by a tropical depression have been hammering Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. There are a lot of roads and bridges that are out of commission, mudslides and flooding. Transportation is becoming increasingly complicated, and many areas are under a state of emergency as the rains continue.

For Honduras, and I think most of this region, it is rainy season right now, but the persistent rains and cold front of the past several weeks has been more intense than what is normal for October.

CNN.com reports that at least 60 people (though I would guess it may actually be higher than that) have died due to flooding of rivers and the collapse of their homes.

Here is a brief article I found if you you want to read a little bit more.

Being that I am good friends with MCC's Regional Disaster Coordinators for Latin America, I know that they are discussing next steps for helping with the situation, mostly in El Salvador and Guatemala. This could include material resource aid (like health kits or canned meat) but will likely be more long-term projects to help with the rebuilding of homes when the flooding recedes and mud can dry up.

Thankfully where I live it hasn't been too bad. We are always having rain, and some roads to rural communities where we go for work aren't the best, but we have been blessed to not have problems so far. The southern part of Honduras has been hardest hit, and we are concerned about an MCC Honduras partner in Choluteca that has experienced a lot of loss and damage.

Please remember to pray for the people in these countries and that the rains would soon move on. You can also be praying for MCC and wisdom in how we help respond to the ever increasing needs in these 3 countries.

laughter is the best (coping) medicine

2011-10-18T00:21:00.002-04:00

Here is a video of the skit my SALTer pals and I did at the re-entry retreat in July.

The idea was to share cultural experiences from where we spent our year, so the 3 of us decided to write a skit based on real life experiences of thwarting unwanted male attention as Northamerican females in Honduras.

Hope you enjoy :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0Bqwc_IbRU

working girl

2011-10-16T11:27:00.001-04:00

It has been awhile since I've blogged, mostly because I haven't felt like there is much to tell. I have been struggling to find my way at work, don't have much of a social life to speak of, and generally have been up and down with being sick. Exciting stuff, right?

Also, I don't have any new pictures. I really want to show you the beauty of the countryside where I've been working and show you my town, but the camera has been collecting dust of late and I'm falling behind on the photo-documentation of life.

But for all the stuff that's been getting me down, there are some bright spots. So I guess it's better to focus on that.

This week at work was our week of community visits. About every 3 weeks we visit 4 different rural communities and lead a training on various topics for the women's groups that meet. It takes about an hour on the motorcycle to get to each town, though some are a bit further than others. I do not drive the moto yet, but Oscar would like to teach me!

Our topic this week was domestic violence and how the law protects women in Honduras. Overall the visits went really well. Up to this point, I had only been to 2 of the 4 communities, but now I have met each group. The women are always gracious and hospitable and it is fun to see the personality of each group.

On Friday my coworker Oscar and I did 2 visits in one day. About 5 minutes before the training, he asked me if I wanted to lead it. I felt there weren't too many options, so I took a deep breath and said "sure!"

I was pretty nervous, but overall it went well. In fact, Oscar was convinced the women participated much more with me than they ever do when he is leading the training. I've always had my doubts about being a teacher, but everyone in the group was very affirming of my ability to lead and teach the session. I only made a few blunders with my Spanish, but it seemed to hold their attention, so I decided to make it part of my routine :)

We were at the second town by 12:30 and were able to wait out the daily rain storm at someone's house (much better than being on the moto!). I led the session again, but with a bit less participation from the crowd this time. All in all, it was a good day and I'm glad to have a some practice leading the trainings.

Although I said at the beginning that I don't have much of a social life, the church youth group has become my main social outlet. There is hang-out night on Friday evenings, youth service on Saturday night at the church, regular church service on Sunday evening and we usually go out to eat after the service. So far, they have been gracious in accepting me and inviting me along. I'm trying to take advantage of their interest while I'm still novel and interesting...it's only a matter of time before they decide I'm not really that cool ;)

So, things are moving along. It's not always easy to be living on my own, but I am slowly making friends and learning my way around, figuring things out as I go. Thank you for your prayers as I continue to settle in.

adventures in tiny cooking

2011-10-01T18:01:00.001-04:00

As you saw from my previous post, my kitchen is nothing if not grand and imposing. Also, it is fully stocked with any kind of kitchen implement one could want...
Well--almost.
Let's just say, my tiny apartment in New Cumberland, PA and hand-me-down kitchen was great preparation for living solo in Honduras.

Since I finally started feeling like eating real food again in the last few days, I decided to see what could be done with what I've got.

Meal 1: Pancakes!
A simple meal, you are probably thinking. And you are right...it's nothing worthy of a Food Network show...
but let me remind you, I made all of this happen
without measuring cups, a flipper (plastic, metal, or otherwise)
and using a burner that I could take camping.

You know, an amateur start...but I felt pretty good about it.

Then last night I was on my way back from aerobics class (which, almost rendered my legs useless) and was craving something more substantial. Since I had been to the grocery store and stocked up on veggies, I threw caution to the wind and...

Meal 2 = Pizza!
This was a more impressive feat than the first. I made half of my mom's pizza dough recipe and even used yeast! Then I decked it out with all kinds of veggies and baked it in my toaster oven.
Pretty excited about how this turned out.

The only thing that could have made it better would be some shredded mozzarella, but since super Target is not just down the street, you take what you get :)

home sweet home

2011-09-30T21:44:00.000-04:00

Hey friends. The wait is over. I'm about to upload some pics of where I live!
It's a little hard to get perspective, but it's a start...at least til you're here in person to visit me :)

my front window, and a shot of my porch/balcony

inside the main door, looking at the front window

looking at my kitchen..hot plate, sink, water and fridge. oh and a 2 person table

looking into bedroom from kitchen doorway. my "awkward first date couch" as i like to call it...its not so comfy, but it works.

A look back to the doorway and my "living room" area...which now has a TV!

shot of bed/bedroom and bath

gecko buddy Greg! literally only as long as my thumb!

the bathroom

HOT shower. i mean literally, it scalds me. but beggars cant be choosers :)

some kitchen decor ive recently added above my sink. i like to look at fun things.

view from my bedroom window.

view from front porch

view from porch of church...in the way back, red brick w/ white arched windows...

well, hope this gives you an idea of where i live. I hope to post more pics of my city and workplace soon.
Also, soon to come, some culinary endeavors in my tiny kitchen. prepare to be blown away!

better late than never...

2011-09-23T19:08:00.000-04:00

Hello friends and family. I know you have been waiting with bated breath for a blog update from yours truly...I apologize for keeping you waiting so long. The past few weeks have been a lot of transition, living out of suitcases and moving all around (well, also, standing very still while fighting some gross illness...). Here is the quick run down:

Sept 5: left Orrville, OH for San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Arrived about 1130 am and was welcomed by my MCC Reps. Spent the next few days sweating it out in San Pedro til it was time to go to Teguc!

Sept 7-11: MCC team meeting in my beloved former home of Tegucigalpa...where the air is cooler, the sun is not so harsh, the birds chirp pleasantly, well, you can tell where my loyalties lie ;)

Sept 12-20ish: Spent a week in Nueva Suyapa, visiting my host family, former co-workers, hanging out with friends and generally enjoying the familiarity of life there. Had the chance to attend my very first futbol (soccer) game in the national stadium w the fam! what fun.
On Friday I started feeling rather sick and proceeded to be down for the count (with all the other mcc-ers) for the next 3 days.

So, even though I was supposed to be in Santa Rosa de Copan on Monday, I didnt get here til Wednesday. But, all was well. My boss was very laid back about the whole thing.

And here I am in my new hometown, blogging for the first from an internet cafe in Santa Rosa de Copan! Its a rather strange feeling, being here, living on my own and figuring it out all over again.

I will be posting pictures soon of where I am living, but so far its great. I rent a small apartment (with my own kitchen and bathroom) from a very friendly lady who rents rooms to lots of university and high school students who come to the big city to study. It was much nicer than I could have imagined, and it seems like I will have the benefit of still being close to a family while having my own privacy too.

Oh, and I havent even told you about my first day of work yesterday. It was crazy. We (my one coworker) and I rode the moto for about 45 minutes outside of the city. We parked it. Then proceeded to hike for another hour straight up and straight down til we got to the community meeting.

Oh. my. word. I was not sure I was going to make it. I would also like to point out that this was after he warned me it would be "10 or 15 minutes" of walking the day before. Yeah. Awesome.

So after a 2.5 hour meeting with the women of Aguasarcas and my coworker making lots of promises about how i was going to impart all this business knowledge to them, we walked back to where the moto was. Thankfully it was a little less "up" on the way back. We still had another meeting at the house where we parked, so didnt return to the city til about 230. I promptly went home, showered and slept for 2 hours! It was exhausting.

Unfortunately I dont have more to tell you about work yet. It seems my stomach illness from last week made a comeback this morning, so I took the day off. I feel badly about it, but just cant hike to wherever without knowing there is a bathroom nearby.

So, at risk of boring you anymore, I will wrap this up. I would appreciate prayers for improved health and also as I settle in to living on my own in a strange new place. And that this city girl could quickly adapt to life in the country :)

Pictures coming soon of where I live!
love
c

goodbye so soon

2011-09-04T15:44:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe but it's time to say goodbye. again.

I feel like this pattern may continue in my life for awhile.

It has been a wonderful month+ at home with my family and friends. I think I got almost everything done on my list...including seeing a whole heap of people.

So after a whirlwind of SALT re-entry retreat, family vacation at the lake, eating out, going to church, visiting friends, friends and more friends in Pennsylvania, checking in with the extended family, stopping by the beach, buying some fresh clothes, eating good summer abundance, taking care of my niece, visiting the doctor & the dentist, baking with my sisters, catching up on a stockpile of books, and getting lots of sleep--I think it is safe to say I made the most of my time in the states :)

While I can't say I feel ready to say goodbye to my family, I think that I am ready to get back into a routine. I am anxious to begin another phase of the journey. Excited to take the next steps into the unknown and start a new job...build new relationships...and explore new parts of Honduras.

It was great to see all of you that I saw. To those who I missed, (mostly my Canadian family and far-flung friends) I hope to catch up with you soon!!!

Thank you all for your love, prayers and support. Whether it was a meal we shared together, a good phone conversation, or a note of encouragement, it has refreshed me greatly.

I plan to keep blogging, right here. so don't change your bookmark :)
Today is my last day in Ohio and tomorrow I'll be leaving for Honduras (flight @ 7am!).
Be back to the blog soon!

leaving

2011-07-20T17:34:00.000-04:00

So the goodbye parties have all come and gone...
the difficult, bittersweet goodbye with my host family is now over...
2 great friends in the YAMEN program are on the plane to South America...

and I'm ready to go home too!!

A week ago at this time I was feeling overwhelmed by packing/suitcases/bus rides/goodbyes...and now, well...still overwhelmed by some packing that must happen tonight, but for the most part, I feel ready to go.

Goodbyes are difficult, but a necessary part of the journey. I have been so blessed to have multiple farewell celebrations with different groups of important people in my life in Honduras, specifically Nueva Suyapa. I have been so richly blessed in this year with great family and friends to fill in for those I've left in the States. God has taught me so much in this year and I am truly thankful for all the experiences, good and bad that have made my year in Nueva Suyapa all that is was.

Although it's often hard to think of the goodbyes, it's exciting to think about the next step too. And I gotta say, I'm ready for some vacation at home with my family!!

Here are some photos to commemorate all the goodbyes in Nueva Suyapa...

ode to Honduras

2011-07-13T13:05:00.001-04:00

As you might remember from previous posting, I love lists!

On one of our "nights on the town," Elise, Allison and I found ourselves sitting on the patio of a Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins (note: this is after stuffing ourselves with ~~expensive~~ delicious sushi, a rare splurge! The ice cream may seem superfluous, but to us, a necessity :)
We always love to laugh and talk about crazy Honduran experiences, but we also reflect a lot about things that are such a "normal" part of life here that have required adjustment over time.

And so, in preparation for my pending departure from Nueva Suyapa, I would like to share with you not only a taste of our "You know you've lived in Honduras too long when..." list, but also our "You know you've been in Suyapa too long when..."

You’ve been in Honduras too long when…

You can sing along with more songs on the Latin Music awards than you can on the American Grammys.

You work hard to match your shirt, nail polish, eye shadow, shoes, belt, bracelet & hair accessories.

You’re not appalled by scrunchies.

You’ve started to wonder if your clothes are tight enough.

You can’t even feel comfortable wearing gym wear or a logo t-shirt in public.

You’ve had a meal completely made of carbs: rice, plantains, tortillas & potatoes.

You no longer ask for a knife to eat your hunk of meat.

You can eat soup with your hands.

You always work at having change and never assume anyone has change.

You don’t bat an eye at a bike helmet being used as a moto helmet or at seeing 4 people on a moto.

You no longer think the police are your friends (or you’re actually just afraid of the policia).

You know to monitor the gas station attendant to make sure he’s not robbing you of gas.

You expect the 2^nd question of a taxi driver to be “soltera o casada?” (single or married).

You guard your charger/cable/USB with your life.

You no longer refer to someone by their real name, only by physical characteristics i.e. big teeth, skinny one

You no longer differentiate between b’s & v’s and s’s and c’s.

You pride yourself in all the colectivo routes you know.

You walk into a store and don’t bat an eye when security guards have big guns.

You call people 7 times consecutively because they don’t pick up.

You wait for people to call you so you don’t have to spend your own saldo (phone minutes).

You know the best way to deal with customer service is to be rude & persistent.

You are much more rude to people than you ever were before. Mostly men between the age of 10 & 60.

Your tastebuds are dulled to the sensation of sweetness and saltiness.

Your conversation strategy revolves around family, food and relationship status.

The hardest words to pronounce are actually English words that require a Spanish accent: snickers, Gatorade

You give directions based on minor landmarks or buildings that no longer exist.

You’ve become fearless in asking questions.

You have no shame cutting in line…or you just get angry.

You know you've lived in Suyapa too long when...

You look both ways before you leave a house, not just when crossing the street.

You not only hide your phone/camera in a sock, but you also take out the chip and hide it in your bra.

You don’t even carry a purse because your bra has become multi-functional.

You interrogate the taxi driver if he really will take you to your house. The whole way. Really.

You have an urge to lie down in any green patch of grass.

You blame any illness on polvo (dust) or cambio de clima (change in weather).

You plan your errands around possible jalons (free ride).

You now think ambulance sirens and flashing lights are overkill because in Suyapa the police/medics just don’t show up.

You know to put arms and legs inside the vehicle when passing a wet spot so you don’t get sprayed by sewage water.

You’re content with dirty water in your bucket bath.

You have favorite buses & cobradors and you have more than 5 taxi contacts in your phone.

You base friendships/interactions on whether or not people have a car.

gone so soon

2011-07-08T10:57:00.000-04:00

One week left of work and then it's time to say goodbye! I can't even believe that this is happening so soon.

Last night I went out for dinner with my host family for our favorite meal out, baleadas. It was complete chaos and everyone was out of sorts, but somehow, it was just right. The family as they always are, with me along for the ride :)

Tomorrow is an outing with my friends at work. A goodbye party excursion to a park outside of the city, sure to be overshadowed by the fact that all the men in the office are playing in a semi-final tournament game with their futbol league :-P But that's ok...maybe I won't have to give as long of a speech.

So as I begin the firsts of my "lasts" around here, I thought I would share a cool website with you. I found this great tourist website for my new city, Santa Rosa de Copan! It got me very excited about moving there in September, as there are lots of things to do in and around the city.

Check it out here: (don't worry, it's in English :)

http://www.visitesantarosadecopan.org/index%20english.html

Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras, is the largest and most important city in western Honduras with a population of 42,803. Santa Rosa is the governmental hub of the department of Copán. Santa Rosa benefits from a beautiful setting, surrounded by hills and pine trees, and enjoys a subtropical climate with temperatures ranging from 25-29° C in the summer (March-June) and from 13-15° C in the winter (Dec-Feb).

Santa Rosa has a rich cultural heritage and is an appealing stop for tourists. The historical center of the city has been declared a Honduran national monument. Visitors can enjoy the colonial architecture, cobblestone streets and colonial-style houses that demonstrate the preservation of Santa Rosa´s culture and history, with its origins in tobacco farming. Santa Rosa is situated at a strategic point between Copán Ruins and Gracias, Lempira. Here you will find two of the most important tourist attractions in Honduras: Copán Ruins and Celaque National Park. The city also has the advantage of being within 2 hours of the borders of both El Salvador and Guatemala, which makes it the perfect place to rest up and explore its historical downtown.Santa Rosa is also an ideal spot to use as a base to explore nearby villages such as Lepaera, Corquin and San Marcos, among others.

So, if you're thinking about planning your next vacation, you should plan on heading down south to visit me in the next 2 years. I will plan a magnificent tour, all at very affordable prices!

Thank you in advance for your prayers as I begin the difficult task of saying goodbyes. I will be heading to San Pedro Sula on July 18 for last days with MCCers and then flying to PA on the 21st!

story time...

2011-07-06T11:31:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went to a copy store to see if I could print and bind all of the curriculum I've been working on over the last year. And let me just say, the result was magnificent. Not only was it a hyper-efficient process (perhaps only appreciated after being in Honduras for 11 months), but it was so exciting to see all my work over the past year in these 6 booklets. I love them! Almost made a second copy for myself, but decided the cost wasn't quite worth it. I decided to give the office these course booklets as a parting gift. Since paper, ink, and working printers are continually lacking in our office, I thought a hard copy would be useful to them.

Of course, selfishly, I want them to continue to use the material because I spent a lot of time on it. But really, I want them to use it because we have such a good thing going...and because the clients of the bank can really use the info.

As I mentioned earlier this week, I wanted to share some stories of different clients within the Income Generation Program where I'm working. So here is story #2:

Maria Isabel

Maria Isabel, her mother and two friends had their own small businesses, but didn’t have enough income to support their families. They saw the prosperity of other neighbors who were loan clients with SCM. Their neighbors’ businesses were growing, so they decided to investigate the program and see if they too could get loans to help their businesses grow.

The 4 women went to MCM and got all the information they needed through an introductory session offered by the bank program. The women learned how the loans work, including details about how and when payments happen, and about the various ministries MCM is involved in to help the community of Nueva Suyapa.

Maria Isabel became a founding member of the community bank Matthew 6:33, with an initial loan of LPS 3000 ($150 US). She has been part of the bank for 18 months (a total of 4 loan cycles) and is just beginning her 5^th loan cycle.

Maria Isabel speaks openly about how the bank program has changed her life. She says that coming to MCM has enabled her to meet new people and make new friends. She enjoys how the women discuss biblical topics and other important issues at the bank meetings to help them with their families and their businesses. Maria Isabel has more cash flow to cover her household expenses and help her family.

Before, Maria Isabel only had a jewelry business where she would make a few items and sell them. With her loan she is able to grow her business and now has a second business selling bleach and disinfectant. Every loan cycle she has asked for a bigger loan to invest in her business and things have gone well. Maria Isabel says “I have learned to be a better mother and daughter than what I was. I learned how to move my business forward and I like [being part of the bank] because we always pray for each other’s needs.”

Currently, Maria Isabel continues in the Matthew 6:33 group and will be asking for a bigger loan in the next cycle because she would like to start a small ‘pulperia’ or corner store. She has also invited other friends to join their group bank. No longer a group of 4 women, they are now a community bank of 15.

In the future, Maria Isabel wants to see the bank grow and have more in personal savings. In this way, she can use her own money to grow her corner store into a business that could offer employment to other people. She wants to see her daughter graduate and achieve the most that she can. Maria Isabel looks forward to a secure future, continuing to support her parents and children.

Dont know if this will work, but here is a video (in Spanish) if you want to hear her story...

independence

2011-07-04T12:10:00.004-04:00

Happy 4th of July to all my American friends reading this blog. Hope you stay safe and enjoy some good American BBQ fun + fireworks for me.

My time in Nueva Suyapa is winding down...only 2 weeks left of work. 3 going away parties on the agenda. lots of purging and packing to be done...it's all coming so fast! As with each phase of my life, it is never easy to say goodbye, but you never can anticipate what is in store for the next adventure. A year ago at this time I had no idea I would be so blessed to have such a great family here in Honduras, a crazy bunch of coworkers who are truly great friends, and a pile of other experiences I can't even write down. If I had never said goodbye to my friends in central PA and my family, I would have never gotten to live like this!

So it is with the same anticipation that I must say goodbye to these friends in Nueva Suyapa (with the comfort that I will come back and visit from time to time) and forge ahead into the next phase of hellos and goodbyes.

It is in this spirit of wrapping up that I would like to share some stories from the Income Generation Program that I have worked in for the past 11 months. There are dozens more incredible, independent women just like the ones I'm going to post about this week. I hope you enjoy their stories and offer up a prayer for them, their loved ones and this community.

Gloria Maribel Reyes

Gloria Maribel is 35 years old and has lived in Nueva Suyapa with her family for 30 years of her life. Her husband left her 7 years ago, so she raises her 3 children as a single mom. Since then she has taken care of her family with God’s help and has seen how the community has grown and changed over time. There are better houses and streets, more schools, potable water, more churches and a growing population.

Gloria gives thanks to God for her friends Gloria Pino and Esperanza Sanchez who invited her to be part of their solidarity group at MCM 18 months ago. A solidarity group is a smaller group of women who co-sign on each other’s loans. In most cases, 5 or 6 solidarity groups will join together to become a community bank.

In the Matthew 6:33 group Gloria has made some good friends who have helped her grow her snack shop business. Before coming to the group, Gloria had very little capital to work with. The loan she receives each cycle has enabled her to buy an industrial stove to produce and sell more product. The trainings she has received through MCM have helped her see the importance of saving and managing money wisely.

About 12 months ago, Gloria was able to hire another women to help her in her snack shop because she has seen such an increase in her sales. She is happy to be able to provide employment to someone else who needs it, and by having someone else to work in her business, Gloria was able to achieve another dream: completing her nursing courses to be a certified nurse.

Although Gloria has not accepted Jesus into her heart, she feels that the devotionals at her bank meetings have helped clarify some of her doubts, and she has decided to send her children to Sunday school at a local church. We hope that she will soon be accompanying them.

Gloria gives thanks to God for MCM’s work in the community and how they have helped so many women like herself, single moms who need an economic spark to move forward and want to see their children graduate. Gloria is proud to belong to the Matthew 6:33 group and believes that with God’s help and that of MCM, she will one day be able to open a second location for her business.

stick it to the man.

2011-06-29T17:19:00.001-04:00

(re-posting from my friend Elise's blog)

stick it to the man (a.k.a. the Honduran transit department)

So Charissa and I have been to the Honduran transit office

three times in the last week trying to obtain
two drivers licenses

although this should be an easy exchange with my US license, it was not.

So, with the help of one of my lawyer coworkers we wrote official letters saying why we should be able to exchange our US licenses for Honduran ones, to be signed by the transit director.

And after eleven stamps on our official letters
five fingerprints
six copies of US drivers licenses and Honduran residency cards
ten rapidito rides
Lps 100 for a physical, eye exam and blood test
one rather angry transit official (my favorite quote was "I don't think this is really the transit director's signature!"...like I had forged it. I guess you never know).
Visits to windows five, one, and two (involving plenty of pushing and shoving, because lines don't really exist)
And, a lot of righteous anger towards the Honduran transit system...

WE HAVE OUR DRIVERS LICENSES!

yes.

[only regret...we didn't go back for a photo with our frenemy + newly printed licenses.]

life lately

2011-06-28T16:08:00.002-04:00

So lately I've been feeling like life is a bit crazy...but when reflecting on what exactly I've been up to the past few weeks, I can't really remember!

Ok, well, there have been some trips to visit Mennonites with other Mennonites, birthday parties, bowling, movies with friends, a quick trip to the pacific beaches of Honduras, trips to the department of transportation and licensing, chinese restaurant graduation parties, trips to the theatre, and most recently a trip to La Ceiba, a northern coast city of Honduras.
So, I mean, it's not like I haven't been doing stuff.
You might just be wondering when I work in the midst of all of this.
Don't worry.
That happens occasionally too.

But as I am counting down the days until my last day of work (13!) I am thinking of all that I have done in the last 10 months, and how different work was for me just back in September. Makes me feel like I've come a long way!

Anyway...not to bore you with too much prose about life. Mostly it's been really good. Soaking in fun times with good friends and feeling comfortable in my own skin and my surroundings here in Nueva Suyapa. It's going to be hard to say good bye, but I cannot tell a lie...I am looking forward to sweet reunions in the very near future!

Some photo essay-ing of life in the past few weeks.
Also...there are no photos of my time in La Ceiba! It's a sign I've been here way too long as I no longer like hauling around the camera :)

welcome to the world

2011-06-17T15:45:00.000-04:00

So it's Friday, and I'm bored, and I realized I haven't blogged at all about the biggest event in my life this week! I'M A PROUD AUNTIE!

On Monday morning at 7:22 a.m. EST my older sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Anna Elizabeth Gerber!

I happened to be sleeping at 6:30 am Honduras time when my little sister called my cell phone to tell me the news. I was happy to be awakened by such good news, and yes, I was screaming and yelling a little bit. Thankfully, I was on vacation with some people older than me, so, most were already awake.

Although it is difficult to be here in Honduras when I would LOVE to be in Ohio with my family...it's only a few short weeks until I will be there. And for the most part, I'm feeling good about being here for another month or so. There are still plenty of things to be done, places to go, and people to enjoy before I leave Teguc.

Here are some shots of the proud grandparents :)

headin' home to start life!

a day in the life...

2011-06-08T10:35:00.000-04:00

I think I've probably said something like this before...but it's nearly impossible to capture what a typical day is like for me. Some days are pretty dull, with nothing more exciting than buying chocolate ice cream at the corner store or taking a trip downtown to have coffee.

But some days, things are just completely ridiculous. And when it's happening, nothing in and of itself seems so crazy. It's only later, when you reflect on the day, that the sum of the parts amounts to something that you just think people not familiar with Honduras might not believe!

Yesterday was my host brother, Josue's birthday. Tradition (in my host family at least) means waking up early to sing to the birthday person before they even get out of bed. My host mom woke me up and we all tried singing outside Josue's door...let's just say, we were all half asleep and it was a pretty terrible rendition. No one was singing together, and half way thru my host mom forgot the words (in her defense, it's a longer song than the English version) and we all broke down laughing when she ended with a "cha cha cha." I think Josue just turned over to sleep again because it was pretty pathetic.

Monday mornings usually start out with a rousing office meeting of the Income Generation Program. At the beginning of my time here I understood maybe 40% of what was going on. Now that I am more accustomed to the terminology of the bank program, the speed at which Hondurans talk, and the joking nature of the men I work with, I think I understand 86-93% of what goes on :)

Today's meeting did not lack for drama. One coworker confronted the rest on their lack of respect for personal property. Mostly, this is not a very Honduran concept, but I was glad she spoke up. People do not respect anyone's desk or personal things and are continually fighting over lost items, whether it's calculators, staplers, printers, helmets, or keys to the moto. It gets a little out of control. And so did the discussion in the meeting!

After the meeting I did some more work til lunch. Lunch was pretty normal, at home, watching a family-favorite dating show while we eat. The show is out of control, as it's called "12 hearts" and tries to make matches of couples, loosely based on zodiac signs and physical preferences. Awesome.

In the afternoon I was quietly working in my office. Allison, my fellow gringa friend who works at the ministries calls me and says "are you bored? if so, come to my office, now." So, of course intrigued, I ran upstairs for a break. I found 2 children who we know from the school, plus their mom (a teacher) holding a mangy looking pigeon. The basic rundown was they pigeon fell from the ledge outside of Allison's window and they wanted to put it back on the ledge. Since I was the tallest (and by default must have the longest arms) I was elected to stand on the chair, reach out of the window with the pigeon in a dust pan, and deposit said pigeon on the window ledge. So I did. No big deal :) We watched him for awhile but he didn't do too much. You know, rescuing pigeons, all in a day's work.

pigeon in the dust pan, about to go out the window.

The evening was a typically Honduran birthday celebration. There wasn't ever a plan, and earlier in the day no one knew if we would actually have cake, but somehow, everyone in the family knew when and where to show up, my host mom made tacos for all, and we shared a cake for Josue's 24th birthday.

family chaos + cake

I have come to love family birthday parties with my host family, all of the craziness and awkwardness. Last night did not let me down :) Not only did we have 20 some people in the house, but we had our usual photo-taking frenzy. One of the cousins, who will remain nameless, is rather obsessed with taking photos of the gringa (yep, that's me). But not just when I know it's happening. Like also when I'm not looking, he's taking shots with his cell phone. Then he supposedly wanted a photo with the birthday boy, but at the last minute was like "no, with the gringa too!" So...I posed for about 15 photos with the cousin and my host brother. It was rather embarrassing. Then I was reassured by their uncle that I am more than welcome to take his son to the US...just as long as he gets some US dollars in return.

I still haven't figured out a good response to these innuendos. Thankfully there are some other cousins who look out for me and tell me not to pay attention to their crazy uncle. But I know the matchmaking is never over!

By the time all the pictures and cake and family stuff was done, we were pretty tired. We still had to watch the Honduras vs. Guatemala match on TV...and, though I didn't know it, I had to help a kid from church with 9 pages of English homework!! So...I did. It didn't take me too long, and I had a good time berating Axel for never practicing his English and talking with Lucia (my host mom) about everything under the sun and her childhood growing up in Olancho.

Overall, it was a good night of memories with the host family...just nothing that will ever be easy to capture in photos or words. But...here was my attempt!

transporte

2011-05-27T17:20:00.004-04:00

So, you might not be able to fully appreciate this if you've never had the privilege of visiting Nueva Suyapa...but today is a very exciting day.

We got our first rapiditos in Nueva Suyapa!

Yes, I know it sounds like a terrible Mexican restaurant special...but really, it's nothing of the sort.

Right now, transport options are as follows...
1) direct taxi: the most expensive option, but will take you (almost) anywhere you need to go. if the price is right. as of late, it has been rising, due to the price of gas...clearly. Between $3-6 per trip, depending.
2) colectivo: this is a cool Tegucigalpa favorite...a taxi that waits until filled with 4 people. It has a set route and you know it always costs 15 Lmps. (like, 75 cents) or 12 Lmps. if you're downtown (67 cents?)
3) bus: yup, the big yellow ones you rode to elementary school (or in my case, high school too!) not the best option...often said to be most dangerous...but really we hate it because its so slow! it stops all the time and lingers if not full with people. also, when crowded, not the most fun experience. Cost is 3 Lmps...so like 15 cents.

but yesterday, a parade of 10 brand, spankin' new rapiditos paraded through the terminal in Suyapa!

Basically, a rapidito is a microbus (see photo below). It holds maybe 20-30 people and goes FAST! well, mostly because it doesn't stop so often. I have used these in a few other parts of the city and they are great. People usually arent allowed to stand, so when its full, you just fly. When people get off, more can get on! So ingenious!

So...today, my friend and I decided we had some "pressing" errands downtown and needed to "estrenar" or "inaugurate" the new rapiditos of our neighborhood. It was so fun! Everyone on the bus was so happy and excited. People watching from the street looked so curious to see the new addition to the neighborhood transportation...and the best part is, a trip to the stadium which might normally have take 30-40 minutes in a school bus to us 17-20 minutes! Score!

a view of all 3 options, from Left, rapidito, taxi and bus

The cost of a trip is 10 Lmps...or 50 cents. So that puts it right between the colectivo option (15 lmps) and the bus (3 lmps). Obviously, this is bad news for the taxi drivers...but I still think there will be enough business for the buses, as it is a much more economical options for families in Suyapa.

I was a little nervous that there might be some fighting because of the new transportation, like between the drivers, etc. but so far so good. We will have to wait and see how things continue.

But, for now, we are all a-buzz with the fun of something new and cool. They are so clean and fresh, its just fun to ride around in them and enjoy a new view of the city.

next steps

2011-05-19T11:41:00.000-04:00

It is hard to believe it, but as of today I only have 9 weeks left in my SALT assignment. While the first month did not go so quickly, the last 8 definitely have. I don't need to wonder if the next 2 will fly by as well.

As my host family begins to talk about my despedida (going away party) it only gets harder and harder to think about leaving. I have enjoyed living with them so much, even when they drive me a little nuts. I think it was highlighted even more this week in light of tragic events in the extended family (sudden death of a cousin, age 26). Although I felt uncomfortable dealing with the grief and not knowing what to say, the family never acted like I shouldn't be a part of things. In fact, they wanted me to be there, murmuring words of "you're such a apart of this family" as we hugged and cried together. It has been a difficult week, and I'm sure the healing process has barely begun, but I feel an even tighter connection with my family and their extended family and I am thankful they have been so warm and welcoming to me. Please pray for them as they grieve for the loss of their cousin, nephew and son, Eduardo.

*****

In other news, it has come time to share with you that I have finally made some plans beyond July 25 (end of SALT term). It was a slow process, but one I feel really good about and am excited to share with you.

I have been offered a 2 year position with MCC, continuing in Honduras, but with a new organization on the other side of the country, in Santa Rosa de Copan. The organization is called ACDIM (Associacion Cristiana de Desarollo Integral de la Mujer) roughly: Christian association for the holistic development of women.

Right now they do a lot of counseling and support for women in all walks of life, especially dealing with domestic violence. They are starting community groups in 4 rural towns around Santa Rosa, and want to begin trainings in various areas: self-esteem, health, raising children, family gardens, etc. Their goal for the next 2 years is to also implement savings and loan groups and begin training the women in money management and starting businesses to improve their economic situations. Of course, for me this is awesome :)

So, my job (as I know it now, but always subject to adjustments) will be working in the office to help with records, resources, grant-writing and possibly doing donor communication/promotion. I will likely assist with the community meetings and trainings, and in the future help start up a savings and/or loan program.

Reasons I'm EXCITED:

I really love Honduras, MCC Honduras, and am excited to stay longer and get to know even more of the country, people, language, etc.
The organization is small with 2 people running things right now. I really love the passion and faith of Ruth (director) and Oscar (assistant) and think I will have plenty of opportunities to explore my interests and use various gifts.
Getting to work with a grassroots organization and possibly starting a loan program is GREAT experience for the future.

Of course, there were reasons for hesitation in my decision:

Leaving Tegucigalpa and moving to a new area means starting from scratch...having to learn a new area, build new relationships, etc. It also means leaving some great friends behind in Teguc.
A 2 year commitment means I won't be seeing a lot of people in the states very often. Most importantly, my soon-to-arrive niece!
Deciding if this is what the next step should be. Was this God opening a door or me trying to make my own way to stay in Honduras?

Thankfully, I had the opportunity to visit Santa Rosa in April and meet the director of ACDIM. We went to one of the communities where they are working and I helped with the meeting on my first day there. It was really great and I felt so excited and inspired by what they are doing there. Also, I love the town. Its so quaint and tranquil compared to where I live. Also, much safer, which is a great thing.

Since April I have felt very at peace about my interest and ultimately my decision in going to Santa Rosa. I am really looking forward to this opportunity to work and learn even longer in Honduras. The great thing is, a service worker for MCC, I don't need to raise more funds! Praise the Lord. I just ask each of you to go to your nearest MCC Relief Sale and eat lots of food (or buy a quilt!) to support the work that MCC is doing around the world.

I will still be returning to the States in July (25th I am free of responsibilities in Akron) and will be home til the first week of September! I hope with this amount of time I will be able to visit many of you (especially in Ohio and Pennsylvania) and catch up.

And...in case you were worried the blog was ending in July, there is good news! It may live on :)

skype alert

2011-05-17T17:43:00.000-04:00

Hey-
Just a quick update to those of you who are used to seeing me on skype and take the time to skype with me...

I have been having major problems with the program (or my computer) and can't run Skype as of late (yeah, let's not get into the details of how much this has annoyed me!).

So, right now the only option is video chat in Gmail, which so far has worked well. If you don't have a Gmail account, then we'll have to figure out something else. I can at least call you on my cell phone that makes relatively cheap calls to the States.

Thanks for understanding. Hope to stay in touch...only 2 more months to go :)

plato tipico

2011-05-11T06:00:00.001-04:00

In fitting in with the last post about mangoes, I thought it might be appropriate to write about what I eat on a regular basis in Honduras. I have tried to take photos of some food, but realize I lack photos of the day-to-day stuff. Mostly because I forget to take them, but also because my family would think it weird. Here's a rundown, to give you an idea:

Breakfast: Always coffee...made with WAY too much sugar. I was almost able to drink coffee w/o sugar before I came, but that has gone out the window. Coffee is made by boiling water on the stove and filtering it through a cloth sieve thingy. Not great coffee...apparently Honduras exports all the quality stuff and sells the overpriced crappy stuff to Hondurans. But let's not get into that now.

Most days I eat tortilla con quesillo which is 2 tortillas with melty, salty cheese in the middle, fried til crispy. Some days its just sweet bread and rosquillas (salty, hard bread) with coffee. Randomly we have pancakes (or panqueques in Spanish) or occasionally "plato tipico" for breakfast, which will be explained in the dinner section.

mini watermelons!

Lunch: This is the main meal of the day. I am lucky I live close to my office and I go home for lunch every day. We usually have some kind of meat, rice, a side of veggies or potatoes and tortillas. Some days, my host mom will make tacos or enchiladas, which are my favorites. On the not so lucky days (and always the hottest days) we have soup. Sometimes with beans and eggs, sometimes with large pieces of meat and lots of startchy add-ins: yucca, potato, green banana, rice...yes, all 4 at the same time.

kitchen stove with tajaditas and pork

Dinner: Our dinners are pretty standard at my house, so it's called plato tipico (rough translation: typical plate). We usually have scrambled eggs, beans (red, of course :), queso seco (salty, dry cheese) and tortillas. Most Hondurans will eat all of this with "mantequilla" which is basically runny sour cream. I'm not such a fan, so I usually leave it for the rest. Occasionally we'll have fried plantains or fried green banana...or some variation on the beans/cheese/eggs theme. I really love it and have gotten used to having this almost every night. When I am away for a few nights, I really miss my plato tipico.

Then there are Honduran specialties and snacks...

Baleadas: These are one of my favorite things...a flour tortilla (freshly made!) with liquified beans (think refried, but better), cheese, mantequilla and occasionally scrambled egg. These are eaten any time of day...breakfast, mid-morning snack, dinner, late evening snack...you get the picture.

Pupusas: These are also popular. More for when you go out to eat or for a special event. It's dough with melted cheese in the middle, some times with beans or a bit of sausage added in. Also delicious. I helped make these to raise funds for our church (see previous post about pupusas).

Tajaditas: Fried green banana. Sounds weird, but kinda turns out like a potato chip. Can be thin and crispy or thicker and more like potato wedges. Often served with a tomato sauce and cabbage salad. The downside is, when not made at home, they come with chicken feet!!! It totally grosses me out. I pick those out for my brothers and then eat the rest :)

<--yes, thats a fried chicken foot on top of my snack. g-ross.

sushi boat!

My Honduran diet is also made complete by other random treats now and again...this could be a sushi splurge with my girlfriends, pizza out with the family (they love Little Caesars!), frozen yogurt at the mall, or bumming a meal from MCC friends who have their own kitchen and can decide what to eat.

Let's just say, I do not lack for good food...but I am looking forward to some home cooking when I get back.

mango loco

2011-05-10T15:24:00.001-04:00

In the last week I have rekindled a love for mangoes. I thought for a long time that I did not love mangoes, and for the most part, I was right. If not eaten when perfectly ripe, they have a pretty nasty aftertaste, or even a fermented bite to them. The strings are always caught in your teeth, and there is no graceful way to polish off this beloved tropical fruit in front of other people. Of course, Hondurans do it all the time, but, lets just say it's not pretty.

There are several varieties of mangoes...the first ones of the season being small, green mangoes. These are peeled and often served with chile sauce (like hot sauce). Let's just say, I've been scared of these for a long time.

Then, later on come the larger, reddish, sweet mangoes. I was not too impressed with them...until my host mom went to visit family in Comayagua who have mango trees on their property. She brought back about 5 buckets full of the sweet, perfectly ripened tropical delicacy, right from the tree!

I ended up downing 2 in about 11 minutes. It was glorious. When a mango is perfectly ripe, there is pretty much no better fruit. I was dripping with juices and getting bits of peel over everything, but it was delightful.
The thing is, even though we live in a country rich in fruits, many are exported, and many others are kind of expensive for the average family...so I get surprisingly minimal variety of fruit in my diet. Sad for me.

My host mom was also giving out mangoes right and left to anyone and everyone who passed by the house. My siblings were freaking out that she would give them all away, but we had so many, they have to be eaten when they are ripe. Because of her generosity, and because she was seen eating a mango at all hours of the day, my older brother started calling Lucia "mango loco" which means "crazy mango" :)

justice

2011-05-02T16:47:00.000-04:00

I really wasn't going to post anything today. The internet is crammed full of people posting their thoughts on yesterday's worldwide news...so who needs to read anything more I might have to say?

But--all these responses to an event that will forever be remembered (especially in American history) have gotten me thinking about a lot of things. Mostly, I have been challenged by 1 phrase in particular that I keep seeing on news sites and even on facebook...that "justice has been served."

We (especially Americans) like to use this phrase, and we believe strongly in the idea of justice. But watching the world's response to the death of Osama bin Laden has been a struggle for me. What has become of our definition of justice? It feels like someone decided to give up on thinking critically and now all we can come up with is "well, he hurt me so I have the right to kill as many people I need to until he is killed. And that makes the world just." Ugh...just the idea of this entitlement that we have to hand out what people "deserve" is so disgusting, it makes me sick to my stomach.

But this idea of justice has been bugging me longer than the past 24 hours. It's become a much bigger issue to me now that I live in Nueva Suyapa and continue to see and hear about the injustices of life in Honduras. Living in a society where corruption is well-known, accepted and expected is a big adjustment. Living in a community where people have no voice and live in fear of speaking out against injustice is a totally different thing.

There is a lot of violence in Honduras. Especially in major cities, like Tegucigalpa. I don't really want to get into the details because...well...the scare factor isn't necessary. But it is a reality. It's part of my host family's life, it affects my coworkers and their families, and it impacts the way we live our lives in Suyapa.

There have been several tragedies since I've been here that affected people in the neighborhood. But victims or victims families are too afraid to speak out against the perpetrators because they live in fear of retaliation. However, if no one ever steps forward, how can justice ever be served? And what exactly is justice in these situations? Is it seeing the kidnappers, rapists, gang members and murderers locked up in prison and lose their freedom for the rest of their life? Is it seeing them killed to pay for what they've done?

As Christians, what has become our definition of justice? Some would say it is God's work to hand out justice, so I don't have to do much. There are many who still appear to go along with the idea of an eye for an eye. But can we (or should we) in good conscience allow for justice that involves taking more life?

Working for a Mennonite organization that continually talks about working for peace and justice does not make this any clearer. All my life I've heard about restorative justice and I choose to believe that there has to be another way. There has to be an option between throwing our hands up and saying "it's God's to deal with" or only seeking to repay one life by taking another. We are God's hands and feet on earth, and while the kingdom of shalom and justice has not yet come, it is still our responsibility to be working on that now.

To me, working for justice has to involve putting an end injustice. Making right the wrongs that have been done...but not necessarily in a way that continues to foment division, hatred, "fairness" and repayment. What is "fair" is not always just. Nor is it always right. Jesus changed the accepted law of an eye for an eye, but never said there would be no justice.

Today I was challenged by a friend's blog post to think about handling justice with grace. We believe in a just God and a gracious God too...but do we really like to consider how those two characteristics are held together? It sounds nice to live in a world of justice...but it scares me even more to think of living without grace. I mean, as a Christian, I can't. Therefore I must consider how I share this grace that has been given to me as I work for justice in a broken world.

So I guess all I'm trying to say is I'm feeling challenged today.
Challenged to consider what it means to seek justice.
Challenged to believe in the value of justice with grace.
Challenged to know what kind of justice to work towards and pray for when I so desperately want the restoration of wholeness for people who are victims of violence and injustice in my neighborhood.

But there's encouragement too.
I'm encouraged by the response of many friends and believers that goes against the grain of mainstream America.
Encouraged by colleagues and organizations in Honduras that give voice to many who have no political influence and work through unjust systems to create more just-ful outcomes.
Encouraged by the thoughtful response of a priest:

"Osama bin Laden, as we all know, had the very grave responsibility of spreading division and hatred amongst the people, causing the death of countless of people, and of instrumentalizing religion for this end," he said. "In front of the death of man, a Christian never rejoices but rather reflects on the grave responsibility of each one in front of God and men, and hopes and commits himself so that every moment not be an occasion for hatred to grow but for peace." ~Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi

semana santa

2011-04-26T10:43:00.000-04:00

So it’s back to reality after a long week of vacation here in Honduras. Holy week is basically like spring break for most of central America. It’s blazing hot, and everyone either takes off for the beach, or possibly to visit family.

Of course, I’m no beach bunny, so I opted for a more culturally interesting kind of vacation…but people had a hard time figuring out why the gringas were not heading to the beach—I say, who wants to be there when it’s hot, crowded and more expensive?

So, for the first part of the week I ventured to La Tigra with my MCC friend (and Suyapa neighbor), Elise. La Tigra is the national park just above Tegucigalpa, high in the mountains, with beautiful views of the valleys below and some nice hiking options. I had not yet been to explore this important national treasure, so we decided to go this week in our free time. The hike was a bit hot, and rather steep to start, but we had a nice time in the cool forest and enjoyed the waterfall tucked away in the mountain.

Elise had also scoped out a German bed and breakfast a few weeks earlier with her mom & aunt, so we decided to splurge and spend 1 night there. It was the perfect relaxing way to start vacation week! The little cabin was set in the hillside overlooking the valley below. Although simple, it was very clean, and we had the place to ourselves. The German proprietor even made us deep dish pizza for dinner and had a beautiful European style breakfast. It was so tasty!

On Wednesday, Elise and Allison and I left Tegucigalpa for Comayagua. We were not sure what we were getting ourselves into…we were invited to stay with the daughter of an old lady who sells mango at the elementary school where we work. We don’t even know her that well, nor her family; however, the call of an adventure piqued our interest.

There is a tradition during Holy Week in many parts of Central America (particularly Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras) that involves brightly colored sawdust made into colorful, artistic “carpets” in the streets of town. After people have enjoyed their detail and beauty, catholic churches have processions through the carpets as part of their holy week tradition.

Comayagua is one of the oldest towns in Honduras (the former capital) and with its history and rich catholic tradition is said to be the best place in Honduras to see these carpets or “alfombras.”

Let’s just say the weekend turned out even better than we could have expected! The family hosting us was so hospitable and friendly. They took care of us from the moment we arrived and gave us a complete tour of Comayagua…churches, museums, early morning carpet-making and great food. We were blown away by their generosity and had a fun time getting to know another place in Honduras, while enjoying a cool tradition for Easter week.

Friday morning (or possibly even Thursday evening) groups of people start the labor-intensive work of creating these carpets. The day before they dye the sawdust with a powdered pigment to give it such rich and vibrant colors. Around 1 or 2 am people fill the streets of town and by the light of street lamps, head lamps, flashlights and even headlights, they are on their hands and knees laying out the design of the carpets. Some groups are from churches in town, others are family groups or even business. Most use some kind of stencil, made of paper or cardboard, along with many other tools to craft their sharp edges and elaborate artwork.

we were very tired @ 3am...

We got up at 2:15 am and were in the center of town by 3 am to watch people work. It was so cool to see the process from the beginning (though we were tired!). We walked almost the whole procession route (about 24 city blocks of carpets that all together measure more than 100 meters long) and saw some groups just getting started as others were adding detail to their designs.

We went back to the house around 5 and slept til about 8:30. We got up again to check out the local procession through the carpet our host’s church had made. From there, we went back down to the center of town to see the finished carpets in daylight. There were a mountain of tourists (including us :) but it was worth it. We tried to get pictures, but it doesn’t quite do it justice. Some of the carpets had ladders out so you could climb up and get a better ariel shot.

Here are some of our favorites!

here you can see one of the stencils...later on you will see a photo of this completed carpet

here they are pouring the sawdust on top of a paper design

you can see the stencils in more detail

This one was right on the pavement. Every color you see is sawdust!

the finished product!

one of my favorites...

the family we stayed with

I hope everyone had a great holy week, remembering why it is we can rejoice in a risen Savior! Although I missed some of my favorite traditions of this time in the church calendar (lent, Maundy Thursday, sunrise service, church pot-luck brunch and Easter morning hymns) I was able to appreciate other ways of commemorating these important events. It was great to be part of some very old traditions, reflect on the suffering and pain that will always be part of this world, but then looking to the hope and joy we have of a resurrection morning. Happy Easter to all of you!

weekend win

2011-04-12T23:54:00.002-04:00

Lest you be worried that I was moping around all weekend and wallowing in my homesickness, I want to reassure you that I found some good ways to fill my time. Here is a rundown of my typical a-typical weekend pastimes in Honduras. I assure you no two weekends look alike :)

Friday evening: My gringa friends' host father (also my coworker's father) was in the hospital for an accident that occurred at work on Thursday. His fingers were cut pretty bad, but they were able to reattach them after a 3 hours surgery. So, I was invited to go visit Arturo in the hospital. I was really glad I went for several reasons. One, it was a good way to see the public hospital, and a good way to know I never want to be admitted there! Two, it was fun to cheer Arturo up and see the reaction of other patients to the gaggle of gringas he had visiting him. Apparently he was quite popular among the patients after we left :)

So after that excursion, I hung out with Elise and Allison at their house and had a fun time chatting and eating and generally forgetting why I was bummed about not being in Virginia on Friday.

Saturday: I made plans to run some errands and go to the mall with Elise and Johanna. We had coffee together and caught up on life, then wandered around the mall, shopping for random things that each of us wanted. Then, on a whim we decided to catch an afternoon movie at the cinema in the mall. It was fun to just relax and enjoy a movie--something I rarely splurge on here. The movie was in English (with subtitles) and for a moment you can almost forget you're not watching in the U.S.

So we did a bit more shopping and then headed back to Suyapa before the daylight went away. When I got back to my street, my host mom, my aunt and our two neighbor ladies who run the pulperia were making pupusas and selling them on the corner. This was part of a project from the church...we were all given a talent of 100 Lempiras (about $5) and within 10 days we have to invest it and bring back more than 100. Our group decided to pool our money and sell food together. Since they had started without me, I figured it was only fair to join in and help with the marketing and selling. It was really fun hanging out with these ladies on the corner, an activity usually only enjoyed by Honduran men...and it was nice to have some fun with them. I personally sold 11 pupusas, and they were extremely impressed. One man only bought 5 because I was part of the group...the other 6 I sold to my gringo friends, Virgil and Kathy.

Sunday morning: I went to church with the family. It was communion Sunday so I helped Lucia with the cups and soda and bread and then joined the service. Of course, it always goes long when communion is involved. Then the church ladies were selling pupusas at the chuch (to raise money for the new building) so I had to support the cause (again!). Delicious.

After church I took a nap, ate lunch with the fam, and retired to my room to do some reading. Around 2:30 Elise called and invited me to the Via Olympica (outdoor sports facility) to exercise with her and Allison. It was blazing hot, but I went any way. We walked around the track for awhile and sweat enough, so we didn't feel the need to run :)

When I got back from the Via, our "talent" group was selling tacos to further increase our return on investment. I was given a hard time for skipping out, but sales turned out fine without me. I took a quick cold shower to refresh before the family birthday party at 6. We went to Aunt Lila's house to celebrate Uncle Telmo's birthday. The usual chaos ensued...women cooking up a storm, children running wild, older men watching futbol on TV and generally being in the way ;) We had a delicious dinner of pincho (grilled steak), chismole (fresh salsa), beans, rice, cheese and tortillas. yum.

Everyone left kind of early, which is rare for this side of the family. My household was the last ones hanging around, helping to clean up. This was about the time their uncle pulled out his bb-gun rifle and challenged me and my host brother to a best-shot contest. I am proud to tell you I shot a Coke bottle across the street 3 out of 3 times! Axel was shocked. As was his uncle! I knew I would not live it down if I missed it...and now I have full on bragging rights! I think Axel was like 1 for 4. hehehe. awesome.

So...with all that random-ness, it was suddenly Sunday evening and then my alarm was going off for work on Monday morning.

I am thankful for a good host family who keeps me entertained and their extended family who always welcome me with open arms. It is also great to have some close friends who invite me over just when I need a break from moping around in my homesickness. Love you girls!

friday blues

2011-04-08T10:55:00.001-04:00

So it's Friday, I'm tired of being productive (! at 8:20am) and I am feeling sad about missing out on lots of things....so....prepare yourself for Charissa's homesick list...because it's growing by the day.

1) Today is my little sister's recital. My mom, dad, sis, brother-in-law, unborn niece, and 2 of my aunts and uncles are all going to Virginia for Maria's senior recital. This is a big event in her life and I'm sad to be missing it.

2) 2 days ago one of my best friends from my old job had a baby! and I'm not even there to meet her!

3) Another bff from college has a little baby growing by the day and I can't be there to see him doing all kinds of crazy things either.

4) Vegetables. yes, I know this is weird, but I miss them so much! When I do see them they are usually cooked...and even that doesn't happen every day. Oh summer garden how I will pillage and plunder you for delightful treats when I come home.

5) Olive Garden. right now its number one on the list. A decent plate of pasta (that doesn't involve ketchup in the sauce) and a warm breadstick.

6) driving my car! I can't wait to see my Taurus again (say what you will)...turn on the tunes and drive wherever the heck I want (as gas permits, of course).

I think we'll leave it at that right now. No sense letting my emotions run away and forget that I still have a whole day ahead of me. Not to mention 15 weeks til any of these things can be realized.

And on a completely unrelated note, but fitting in with the "blue" theme...

I designed a t-shirt for our MCC Honduras team and worked with a friend here in the neighborhood to print them for us. It was really fun and I was so proud of how they turned out. So, enjoy!

And if you'd like your own version of the limited-edition, MCC Honduras T-shirt call (country code 504) 98 61 39 67. Please note item #00001 is only available in "Anchor's Away Navy" and in sizes: kind of small, almost medium, long medium, pretty big and bigger.

church

2011-04-04T16:26:00.000-04:00

Church is a big part of the weekly rhythm of my host family. Especially for my host mom, Lucia. A faithful attendee of services, she is also leader of our home group and teaches in CDI. CDI is the Compassion Int'l program the church runs for children in the community who have Compassion sponsors. So…her week looks like this:

Monday: Prayer meeting 6pm
Tuesday: CDI teaching 1pm-4pm

Grupo de crecimiento (small group/cell group) 6:30-8pm at our house

Wednesday: CDI teaching 1pm-4pm

Regular service 6:30pm-8pm

Thursday: women's meeting 2 weeks per month 6:30-8pm
Friday: Leaders of cell groups meetings 6pm
Sunday: Regular service 8:30am to 10:30am

This does not include weeks where she might help with church fundraisers (making and selling tamales, pupusas, or hot dogs) to support the new building project, nor the weeks she is in charge of communion (buying bread & grape soda, preparing the glasses, cleaning everything after). All in all, she is a busy church member. Not unlike the rest of the women of the church, who seem to be involved in 30 different things each week. Sometimes it wears me out just talking about all that she does.

I will admit, my church involvement looks a bit different. Usually I am home on Tuesday evenings for small group…attend Wednesday services frequently (2 or 3 per month) and also attend Sundays. I occasionally go to women’s services on Thursdays, which are enjoyable. The problem is, some days another service is just too much and I can’t make myself go. Full disclosure: I have been known to make other plans, just so I’m not in the house on Tuesday for small group. It’s bad…I know…and they know I’m a pastor’s daughter, which probably makes matters worse. But you know…even in my days as a PK, I don’t think I ever went to this many services in 1 week.

This week, I not only set a new Honduras-experience record, but a new personal record. 4 services + 1 small group meeting + 1 young adult event in 6 days. That is…a bit ridiculous by my count. But this was a special week. Our church, Iglesia Evangelica Santidad de Renovacion Integral (or, you can just call it La Santidad) was having an weekend of Evangelism services (revival meetings for the older crowd). There were special guest pastors from El Salvador who came for 3 nights of the ‘campaña’ or campaign.

All in all, I enjoyed the services and did not find them to be dull. There was plenty of loud music, liturgical dance from the 2 dance groups at the church, and the preaching definitely kept your attention. Although the services were outside in the patio area of the church, there was plenty sweat, spit and yelling (from the preachers, that is). A special stage was constructed outside for the worship team and the pulpit; we had special lighting, decorations, and of course the whole worship team was color-coordinated (very Honduran!). The great part was there were a lot of people from the neighborhood who are not regular church attenders (the whole ideal of the campaign). I guess all the radio ads and posters really worked to get people to come.

A few things that are still a challenge for me about church (not just the special evangelism services):

Social pressure: There is a ton of social pressure involved with going to church. At least, it seems this way for my family and within their congregation. You go to church 5 times a week because there are services, and people will notice who is there and who is not. There is a definite sense of duty. Much less than what I feel in the U.S. (especially among people my age).
Ushers: Ushers at our church take their job very seriously. And you do not mess with them. They wear matching outfits every week (some weeks its blue, some weeks white) and they are on continual alert. The church can be packed, and the 85 year old usher lady (that I always watch work the crowd) will find you a seat in the middle of the third row, smashed between an excited worshipper and 2 small children sharing 1 seat. If the church is not packed, she will physically cajole people into moving from the back rows (of sloth and distraction) to the (more sanctified) seats up front. My 14 year old host brother has his personal experiences with this, and does not appreciate said usher :)
Evangelize: I don’t really know how to describe this properly, but it feels like every sermon I hear has something to do with sin and salvation. Obviously, important topics to the Christian walk, but sometimes I get antsy to be back in my home church and find some sermons with a little more meat, or depth to them. Usually services wrap up with an alter call, related to repentance or recommitting your life to Christ. And, there is much (perceived) social pressure to go up front for these moments.

There are other nuances of my Honduran church experiences that are just hard to put down in words.

I am grateful to be living with a Christian family, and a host mom who takes her faith very seriously. I know she prays for all of her children (including me) and regularly intercedes for us. Even though there are days where I feel like I can’t take another church service, I usually am surprised to find God speaking to me or teaching me things in new and different ways. And I guess that’s what I like most about my new church here in Suyapa. Sometimes I am only available to receive something new or different when I am uncomfortable or in a different place. It’s unfortunate that it has to be that way, but it is cool to see the ways God moves us when we are out of our comfort zone.

spelling bee

2011-03-31T12:31:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago my friend Elise and I were invited to be spelling bee judges for a bilingual school in Tegucigalpa. I must admit that I was pretty excited about this opportunity. Back in my middle school days, I was a member of the Leo Elementary and Jr/Sr High School Spellbowl Team. And we even made it to the State Finals my 8^th grade year.

What is Spellbowl you ask? Basically, it is a modified, team version of the traditional spelling bee. Instead of standing in front of a crowd and spelling aloud, you sit at a desk and write 8 words with a proctor to check for accuracy. Your team does this for 7 or 8 rounds and then scores are tallied to determine the winning teams.

Being that I was quite a spelling nerd in my younger years, I was excited to participate as a judge. However, Elise and I were not prepared for the intensive competition that was the National Episcopal Bilingual School Spelling Bee of 2011. We thought we might be 2 of maybe 4 judges for the whole school, and there would be some parents on hand to snap photos.

Instead, we were ushered into a room with about 30 other judges (gringos of various ages and stages, along with a handful of bilingual Hondurans) and sat through 30 minutes of detailed instruction and explicit rules. This principal lady was no-nonsense. “Each room must follow the rules exactly as printed and must not stray from the rules. We have too many rooms of competition and to be fair to the students, the rules must be the same in each room.” She had lists of assignments, official folders, even walkie talkies…Wow, this is definitely being run by a gringa, I thought to myself.

I was assigned to 4^th grade, along with 3 other judges. One was the Reader, one was the Scribe, and I was 1 of 2 Judges, there to ensure accuracy, following of the rules, and offer dictionary definitions as needed. There were 5 kids competing in 4^th grade from all over Honduras and I think the whole competition lasted about 9 minutes.

It was single elimination, the first word was “know” and the first 2 spellers got it wrong. Stupid silent k…I felt so bad for them! So then we were down to 3 spellers. The next boy got “hydroelectricity,” which did not go over so well.

Down to 2 kids. 1 who was very confident he would win, 1 who was shy, but knew her stuff.

4th Graders

Mr. Confident thought his competitor was going to miss the last word, but she nailed it. He misspelled his next word, but the girl spelled it right. To ensure her victory, she had to correctly spell one more word right, and then became the 4^th grade champion.

I felt bad for the kids, as the whole point was to practice English, and based on the very strict single-elimination rules, they only practiced about 3 words. But, in true Honduran fashion, everyone got a certificate of participation at the closing ceremony.

Overall it was a fun morning and a good reason to go out for lunch with friends after our intensive work as spelling bee judges J

cultural-izing

2011-03-28T12:54:00.002-04:00

Last week I sent an email asking friends and family for ideas about blog posts…mostly things they are curious about that I might be overlooking or neglecting to talk about. One friend asked how my own culturalization process is going, which has given me a lot to think about. My word processor is telling me that ‘culturalization’ is not a word…but I like it, so I’ll use it anyway. To me, it means, how am I adapting to the culture, what things have been a struggle, and what things are changing me as I learn more and more about how Hondurans live and think.

After 7 months in Honduras, I feel like I have pretty adequate expectations for how things will happen or what to expect. For example, I have become accustomed to the phrases “ya vengo,” “ya llego” and ahorita. All of these phrases, literally translated, communicate a sense of immediacy—‘I’m coming now,’ ‘I’m arriving now,’ and ‘right now.’ But over time, you learn that ‘right now’ can mean in the next 5 minutes, or next 55 minutes. This has definitely been an adjustment for me, a very punctual person; however, I’m learning that it’s not offensive to be late, as it is in my home culture. Hondurans are much more people oriented than time oriented, and I’m learning to love this mentality. I’m not late because I don’t care about you and your schedule…I’m late because someone else interrupted the plan and it would be rude to brush them off, so I gave them my full attention first. I appreciate the value placed on people, even when it does mean I spend 45 minutes at a bus stop waiting for my host brother to get around to picking me up!

I find it challenging to fully reflect on how I am adjusting and adapting to culture in Honduras because the longer I am here, the less “weird” certain things seem. The differences in culture are most highlighted for me when I have visitors from the states with me and they comment on all the things that I think are rather normal. This could range from my shower routine, use of water in the house, and food to home remedies when one is sick, church customs and even prejudices. All of these things are part of my host family’s culture and I have begun to learn how to adapt to all of these things, even though they may be 100% different from the way I live in the states.

Not too much has shaken me up here in Honduras, nor have I had any meltdowns over things that don’t go my way. I am interested to try new things and learn as much as I can of different experiences. I say this not to brag about adjusting to life here, but to try and explain that I came without having a lot of expectations of how things would be. I try not to immediately think “I would never do that that way” but instead think “Interesting. I wonder why Hondurans do it this way.” Overall, I think this approach helps me to appreciate Honduran culture rather than continually fight against what could be frustrating, annoying, or just different. It’s not that someone is wrong, they just think differently. Different isn’t bad…it’s just not the way you are.

But, there are still things that are hard for me to deal with. It’s on those days when you’re sick of the pee smell that seems to hover over every pile of trash and drain trough in the neighborhood…when you can’t walk past a corner without having men leer at you and make annoying comments…when it feels like 100 degrees outside and all you can have for lunch is soup (yes—always on the hottest day of the week!)…when all you crave for breakfast is peanut butter on a bagel and you have to eat sour cream on white bread…when you just want to get in your own car but your only option is the bus that will take 40 minutes to get you 6 miles…when all you want is to buy something simple but you have to go to 6 stores before you can even find something close to it…when Honduran ideas of personal property (or lack thereof) invade your space and frustrate to no end…those are the days when I stop and think, “will I ever get used to living in Honduras? Will I always be annoyed by these little things?”

Of course, there are bigger things that are even harder to adjust to and these are usually where I have to work the hardest to not speak out too harshly, and accept that there are many cultural differences at play. Stereotypes and discrimination of a wide variety—racial, physical, religious—are all very prevalent and the discussions are so different from the politically correct lingo engrained by my American culture. I don’t even think the phrase “politically correct” even translates here! Thoughts about immigration to the U.S., U.S. political policy, how Americans think and act—all interesting topics of conversation in this cultural that are often inaccurate and sometimes offensive.

But…this is all part of the crazy, awkward, interesting, silly, insightful, funny, difficult, educational experience that is living with a host family. Most days I love it. Some days I laugh a lot. Others I just want my own car and some alone time. But I couldn’t imagine my time in Honduras any other way. The full immersion into a Honduran family has taught me so much more about the culture than I could learn traveling and living on my own. My work experience with mostly Honduran co-workers is another important piece of my culturalization and self-discovery process that I am really enjoying as well.

For me, culturalization is about putting aside your own ideas of what should be and how things work to make room for all the new ideas and processes you can learn about. This is not to say you deny your culture or put your own values on the shelf…but instead accept that before you can start making changes or encourage people to see things differently, you have to adapt, build trust, and be open to learning. Then, after all of this (a process never fully complete) you are able to share more of your own ideas, values and culture and hopefully return even one tiny fraction of the insight you have been given.

mail from afar

2011-03-18T10:00:00.003-04:00

Mail is not a simple process here in Honduras. No one really has an address (at least where I live) and there are only 2 places in the city where you can receive mail. I’m pretty certain you can only send packages or letters from 1 of those 2. The 1^st place is downtown in the center of the city. Only having been there once, it was a complicated process to find where you could retrieve your package.

The other place to pick up packages is the airport. And of course, it is neither a simple nor expedited process. But, last week at work I received a package slip that meant a box was waiting for me at the airport! (Another unsolved mystery is how these package slips arrive to your office). Of course, the package place is not open on the weekends (when one might be at the airport, say, dropping off their visiting friend…), so I bummed a ride from a friend who went to the airport on Wednesday.

First, you present your slip. Then they try and find your box in a crazy disarray of cardboarded-mayhem and postage paraphernalia. Then you must present ID to confirm you are the person on the slip. From the experience of my friend Allison, you can only pick up another person’s package with a hand-written note of permission, signed in blood, completed with a DNA sample. (Just kidding about that last part. You don’t need a DNA sample). Then, they look up your name and package number in a hand-written notebook, of which there are several. I have no idea what kind of official process this is, but I don’t ask. Then you must sign your name in the notebook. Then sign another slip saying I received the package.

After all of this, you still must pay for your package (yeah, you’d think the postage should take care of that!)…so you must also sign the receipt and wait while the desk clerk runs around and asks every employee if they have change for you 100 lempira bill. I mean, people are paying for packages all day, but why would they have change? Silly me, no one in Honduras ever does!

But then…if you make it through all these hoops—you got to the airport (for free!), you had your ID (with DNA sample), you paid for the package (again!) and you signed your life away to the national post office—you are rewarded with the holy grail. The most coveted item as a foreigner living away from home. You have in your possession an 18 pound box of nothing but sugar, sugar and more sugar…and it is GOOD J

This delightful surprise was courtesy of my favorite youth group @ the Dillsburg Brethren in Christ Church, and it totally made my day! I can’t thank you enough for the love (and chocolate) that filled my box! It was so awesome. I mean, sending 3 cans of iced tea mix (more than one can humanly drink in a year, let alone 4 months) was a bit over the top—but I love it anyway!

Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated. I miss you guys so much! Thanks for reminding me that I am loved and thought of, even though we may be far apart .

the loot!

very excited!

you guys rock!

[And next time, tell Jeff that the money he spent to send the 14 pounds of ice tea mix and 4 pounds of chocolate probably would have bought enough for the whole neighborhood ;) ]

the finale

2011-03-17T09:00:00.001-04:00

Last Thursday was the last class for the pilot course “Valores Empresariales” or “Business Values.” Each week, one of the loan officers in the Income Generation Program took turns teaching one of the 8 lessons. Each one included a devotional, some kind of activity or “dinamica,” and the main lesson, with a variety of teaching, discussion, and group work.

It has been rewarding for me to see this project finally come to fruition. I have worked on the curriculum for awhile now, so helping my coworkers prepare for class was really good and often gave me even more ideas to add to the lesson. Personally, it was a good way to connect with my coworkers and be more involved in the day-to-day activities of the office.

Yet the most exciting thing for me was to see the women of the bank program come out of their shells a little bit more every week. They were fully engaged in all of the material and seemed to enjoy a chance to have some fun together. Often consumed with the work of running their business and their household, it was cool to see them doing something for themselves and really soaking it all up.

The topic for the last class was “Boundaries of your Business.” The idea is that one’s business is a separate entity from themselves. The business does not have aunts, uncles and cousins asking for money. The business does not have children, nor does it get sick. Instead, the business owner must be careful to separate personal needs from the business needs; protecting the capital of the business and not diminishing the investment needed to grow.

This was a tough lesson because it directly negates what the women believe about running a business. Culturally, this idea does not make a lot of sense. If you own a business, and you have cash on hand, when your family asks for assistance, it is your duty to help. How could you turn away family in need? This idea created a lot of discussion among the women…I only wish we would have had more than an hour to discuss it with them! They were definitely considering the implications of this idea, and how it would affect them personally and in their business.

Freddy, my coworker did a really good job with the lesson. He was well prepared and did not even seem flustered when some of the women disputed the main idea of boundaries in your business. He also prepared some excellent visual aids for the lesson…complete with a bucket of little paper crabs to illustrate a story. I was so excited about his class!

So after the final lesson, we invited the women to return at 5 pm for a dinner and certificate for successful completion of the course. I was in charge of the certificates and the final verbal evaluation of the class at our closing ceremony. It was not without its glitches, and stress, but I think it turned out pretty well. Each woman was so excited to receive her certificate, and the responses from the discussion I led indicated they learned a lot to help them be better business owners. So…I think it was a success! In fact, I’ll even dare to say it was a great success…much learning and fun was had by all!

One feisty old lady who was never shy about sharing her thoughts stood up at the end and thanked everyone who helped prepare the lesson. It meant so much to her that these young guys (most of the loan officers) would take the time to prepare the lesson and show a real interest in teaching the women such important things. She was grateful for the way everything was rooted in biblical lessons and that it was good information for them personally and in their business life. My heart was warmed by her kind words :)

It hasn’t always been clear what my role is here, but after this class I am feeling good about the small amount I can contribute in my time here at MCM. Maybe we won’t end up developing an official business school with 3 trimesters, offering 2 courses a month and 4 classes per week like my boss initially hoped (ambitious, I know :)…but we are at least starting small, and we were successful in offering 1 course, with a lot of important topics. I can’t even tell you how exciting it is to achieve something that seemed so difficult only 4 short months ago. It is also fun to see several of my coworkers who were afraid of teaching accomplish their task, and with great success. I keep asking if they are ready for the next time around…they claim they aren’t. But the difference now is I have full confidence in their ability to do it.

a visit from PA!

2011-03-15T11:44:00.001-04:00

I was very honored this week to have a very special friend visit from PA! Also, her initials are PA, so the title works out nicely J I tried to give Paula a good mix of touristy activities while also showing her what my life is like here, and getting to know some of the various projects me and MCC colleagues are a part of.

Paula arrived on Sunday and we spent the day hanging out with my family, resting up after a long morning of travel, and generally adjusting to life in my house in Honduras.

On Monday we ventured out to Valle de Angeles, a touristy little town nestled in the mountains outside Tegucigalpa. It was a pretty quiet day, but we enjoyed some time to shop, catch up and have lunch together. In the evening we played Dutch Blitz with my host brothers (they have pretty much loved it from the day I taught them!) and were thrilled that team Honduras kept scoring “goals” on team USA. A bit embarrassing, since I taught Axel everything he knows :P

Tuesday morning we left early to head to Amor, Fe y Esperanza, the school where my MCC friend Johanna teaches. She gave us a great tour and overview of the ministry there. They work with children and families who live in the city trash dump…not easy work, but they have seen some tremendous change in the community there and are continually expanding their projects and programs. We had lunch at Johanna’s house and then went back downtown for the afternoon. We took in the National Identity museum (interesting, but completely in Spanish…and I got tired of translating!)…checked out the 2 main catholic churches (a requirement of any visit to Central American countries)…did a bit of shopping, and had dinner at a crepe restaurant. To wrap up the day of events, we met up with a bunch of foreigner friends and went to a free jazz concert at the National Theatre. It was a fun day, but we were pretty tired by the time we got home at 10.

Wednesday was Paula’s MCM orientation day. I let her sleep in a bit, then brought her to my office to meet my coworkers and show her the different components of MCM. After lunch, we sat in on a bank meeting (for our mutual microfinance interest :) and then Paula went to visit the after-school library program started by our Danish volunteers. Although she does not know much Spanish, she did not let that keep her from playing with the kids and even playing UNO for about an hour. In the evening we went to the Troyer’s house for a delicious dinner and good fellowship. We spent the night there and took regular showers in the a.m! (as opposed to the bucket showers Paula learned to master at my house :)

Thursday we visited ASJ (Assoc. for a more Just Society) where my MCC buddy Elise works. She did a great job sharing the work ASJ is a part of in Honduras, working to create more just systems and helping people who often have no voice with the government. We visited one of their community centers where they offer free legal advice and psychological counseling to the community. It was really inspiring and fun for both of us to learn more about what Elise does.

The afternoon of Thursday deserves its own post…so I will try to post about that soon. But, it was the last class of the 8 week training I have been working on for awhile, and then the “graduation” dinner or certificate ceremony in the evening. It was a great day, and I was so glad Paula could be here to share in it with me. I have to admit, this made her think I am very busy and always doing important things…I assured her (and now all of you) that this is not the case. I work for about 3 months without much to show for it, or at least much to keep me going, for 1 or 2 days where I feel like something is happening. I guess I’m just glad she got to witness the “something happening.” It was a really fun evening and even though Paula didn’t understand every word, she definitely could share in the general sentiment of joy and accomplishment that filled each one of the women who came Thursday evening.

Friday and Saturday did not go quite as we planned, but turned out well. We went to Picacho, the National Park across the city from where I live. We visited the zoo (a bit scary with monkeys roaming around outside their cage), checked out the view of the city, saw the large Jesus statue presiding over the mountain and had a good time together. On Saturday we spent more time with Virgil and Kathy and even made bagels from scratch! We were very proud of our efforts and enjoyed a relaxing day at the Troyer’s house.

Sunday was a bit crazy, as we went to church and then had to leave early to head to the airport. Although it was sad to say goodbye to Paula, I was ready to go home and take a nap J

I appreciate Paula’s willingness to come and visit me here in Teguc, even when her family told her it wasn’t a good idea. She was very flexible and willing to live just like I do for a week, and that meant a lot to me. It was so fun to catch up and share my experience with a great friend. I can’t thank her enough for coming!

enjoying baleadas, a Honduran essential.

making bagels! from scratch! won't my momma be so proud of me?

conocer

2011-02-23T12:38:00.002-05:00

There is a word in Spanish that I have really come to love and appreciate. The verb "conocer" is translated to mean "to know"...but there are 2 verbs for this word in Spanish. Saber is used for knowing information. Conocer is used when you meet a new person, in general reference to knowing someone, and also used for knowing places. You don't ask someone if they've been to the Pacific Ocean, you ask if they know the Pacific Ocean. I really like the way that sounds...as if each place on the earth has a personality, characteristics that you can't just go and visit and say "Yeah, I've been there..." but you can say instead you know it, like a new friend you just met; someone you'd like to get to know better.

A few weeks ago I went to check out the festival for the Virgin of Suyapa, the namesake of our neighborhood, and of the beautiful basilica that sits at the bottom of the hill. People come from all over Honduras for this week long festival to celebrate the Virgin Suyapa of Honduras. My host family was not really interested in going, as they are not catholic, and have little interest in anything related to catholicism (lots to explore here, but we'l leave it for now). When I came home and shared about my experience inside the Basicila, and then moved on to talk about my upcoming trip to La Campa, my host mom was laughing at me and said "Charissa, you really like to conocer new places, don't you? You are always going to new places and seeing new things." My first thought was, yes, that is the life of a foreigner in Honduras. Always traveling to see another new place.

But then I thought about it for awhile longer, and realized that really is what much of my life has been about. I love knowing new places and learning new things about those places. I love knowing new people, and it especially makes a new place more meaningful for me when I experience it with people, old friends and new. I don't know what that says about me, but I realize that so much of my life has been about seeking out things that are new to me, finding new experiences and using what I know to help process the next unknown.

And so I will segue into my latest adventure to conocer a new place and give you a brief update on my weekend trip to Nicaragua!

The purpose of my 4 days in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, were to attend a regional conference for small business owners. I was privileged to attend the conference with 2 coworkers from MCM, a bank client who runs his own car-wash business, and 2 great women who work with Diakonia, another lending organization from the Christian Reformed Church here in Honduras. It was fun to travel with them and share the experiences of the conference with them as well.

I did get some helpful information at the conference that I hope to be able to use in the business courses I am working on. Topics like 'how to start a business' and '8 ways to grow your business' (offered with outlines in Spanish :) should make some great course material for the business school. There were, however, some things I didn't enjoy about the conference...mostly the fact that the wealthy American business owners did not seem too concerned about adapting their lectures for the central american context. Especially the small-business context. Also, that the sponsoring organizations did not involve more women business leaders in the plenary sessions, nor was there much perspective from any successful central american business people. This was frustrating to see, but I think it helped me learn a lot about how I approach development and what kind of philosophy I subscribe to in economic development.

After the conference, I had the chance to stay a few extra days and get to know :) Nicaragua a little bit better, with the help of my fellow SALTer friend, Christa. We stayed at her house in the city and cooked meals together, hung out with her host sister, and also went to the lake-side, volcano-surrounded town of Granada. It was really beautiful there, and so I will give you some pics to enjoy.

I think this post has gotten a little lengthy, so I'll be brief. I am grateful for the opportunities I have to go and learn about other places and get to know even just a little bit of new countries like Nicaragua. I am also thankful for continual safety with all the travel I have done, and pray for continued safety where ever each day takes me. Thanks for your love and prayers and support...to the faithful blog readers and those who might have just stumbled upon it but are thinking of me anyway.

at the conference...

view from plaza in Managua

at the church in Granada where we got a great ariel view

and speaking of "Ariel" views...

just a little fun during a break at the mall :)

me & Christa

a weekend in the country

2011-02-11T14:50:00.002-05:00

Living here on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa has made me very much a city girl. It was not until I took a weekend trip to visit the western part of Honduras that I realized just how very 'urban' my Honduran experience is, compared to the very 'rural' experience of my friend Alison.

5 of us left Teguc on Friday morning to roadtrip to La Campa. Here's a little map to show you...we went from Teguc to a village about 15 km beyond Gracias. It took about 6 hours.

I was struck again and again by how beautiful Honduras is, and what a mix of contrasting regions it contains. I said to someone once that you could be dropped in one part of Honduras for a day, thinking all of Honduras is like that, and have no idea what else you're missing. There are mountainous regions like Tegucigalpa, very dry, deserty regions like Choluteca; very agricultural areas like Gracias and Olancho, beautiful lakes, and of course the tropical northern coast with sandy beaches. (to set up your personalized visit, contact Honduras Tours: charissazehr (at) gmail (dot) com :) But I digress...

We met up with Alison, our fellow MCCer, as she was translating for a medical team from the U.S. We are all so proud of her, as she really didn't speak much Spanish at all before coming 6 months ago--and now she's a certifiable translator! She rocks. From that little town, we drove to her house in La Campa and had a walking tour of town. The town has one main paved boulevard, one catholic church, 2 little hotels, and an awesome setting in a little valley. Alison works for CASM which provides a lot of food security training and agricultural development to the surrounding area of La Campa.

We had a fun time together, being a group of gringos and attracting a lot of attention (yes, way more than in Teguc!)...eating good food and thick, yellow tortillas (very different from our city-fied tortillas)...exploring some small towns, visiting microenterprises, buying some local-made souveniers like hand-made paper and red pottery...visiting a Lenca history museum, checking out the hot springs tourist stop, and generally enjoying the quiet, rural village.

Since the whole town goes to bed around 9pm, we did too :) Also, it was very safe to walk around at night, which was a great change from our neighborhood of Nueva Suyapa. We kept asking "are you sure it's safe here? Should we be walking here right now?" Alison seemed a little confused why we kept asking...but we are just used to having to be paranoid.

Another highlight of the trip for me was attending a catholic service in La Campa. It is where most people in the pueblo attend, and very different from an evangelical church experience in Honduras. As many evangelical families here are fiercely opposed to catholicism, I don't have much opportunity to learn more. I expected the service to be stiff and formal, with lots of rituals and prayers. It did have some really neat rituals, and meaningful prayers, but there was also some more 'contemporary' congregational singing, and a rather comedic sermon from the friendly priest. We enjoyed his anecdotes and humor, and I think he enjoyed having some foreigners in the audience laughing at his jokes.

Instead of boring you with much more description, I think I'll just post some photos, which hopefully show some of the fun we had together. It was great to get out of the city and explore a new part of the country. It was also great to see where Alison is living and working and understand her SALT experience a bit better. We love you Alison and thank you so much for planning a great weekend for us :)

they really wanted to see inside the church

fellow MCCers

me and allison enjoying the view. and the wall.

a yummy lunch. for only $2.50. and a lovely baby picture up on the wall...can you see it?

a view of La Campa with the main boulevard

rabbits at the demonstration garden/farm...for my dad :)

the catholic church of La Campa...can you see the welcome sign painted on the mountain behind?

we stopped to see sugar cane being processed. a press operated by 2 men + 2 oxen. really cool.

the coffee bean harvest is wrapping up. the dried beans are then stored in these large sacs, ready to be shipped.

volunteer

2011-02-08T11:58:00.002-05:00

Volunteer. I use this word a lot but more and more am becoming unsure if I like the definition of this word, or what images it communicates within the community where I work.

There are several things that have been stirring all these thoughts within my brain...enough that I'm not really sure if this will even be a post that makes sense or if it is just a personal way to try and organize the shuffle of thoughts that I can't seem to articulate. First there was the Mennonite youth retreat and some awkward encounters about being a volunteer...there have been some more personal experiences of my own, here in Nueva Suyapa, and the experiences of other MCCers in Honduras...and I've recently been doing a lot of reading about the good/bad/ugly of volunteerism, thanks to some fellow SALTers in other parts of the world.

So I guess the first thing is thinking about why I'm a volunteer and what that means to me.
Then looking at reasons why I try and detach myself from preconceptions of "volunteers" and what that communicates to those in my community
And in the end, why ultimately I feel criticized by all these outside voices for being a volunteer...and from my experience why I think its really not the way they think it is...or something like that.

1) My definition of being a volunteer is easily summed up by "I work and I don't get paid." But, most days, that is not sufficient. There are many layers to this definition...I am an un-paid worker in an organization, but I have also made that decision out of a desire to work with others in a way of serving...this is not just serving the community (though on good days, I hope to do that) but also about exploring the tangible ways I live a life of serving Jesus, the one who should be the foundation and inspiration for all of this.

But what I don't like about this definition is how it implies I was not trying to live a life of service before I left my known culture and "home" to come to an unknown place to learn, live and learn how to live differently. I hope that no matter what my work involves that these motives are at the center of what I'm doing.
So why did I choose to do SALT? I really like the organization (MCC) I'm working for...and I guess in a more external way I was looking for a way to gain experience in development work. I wanted to find a place where my education, interests and passion for cross-cultural learning could be useful. And yes, many have and will criticize this motive...but I wonder, if all that is wanted in the development world is experienced, educated, "professionals," where do you expect them to get this experience?
Also, I really think the work MCC is doing is very different from the work of a lot of NGOs and I love being part of that experience in Honduras. It's not about what we can do in our short years of service...many I work with acknowledge the work started long before we came and continues long after we are gone...but we try to ascertain what the community wants & needs, what local organizations can we support in getting this work done, and how we can create partnerships where we are not needed long-term. I love that.

2) So why I am fighting against this idea of being a volunteer? It's not that I don't want to be. I really do. It's more the legacy of volunteering in the community where I live...the connotations it has for people everywhere...the negative ideas it might conjure up...the kind of word that is connected with short-term, short-sighted 'help' that doesn't help at all. This is not what I want to be a part of. This is what I am afraid of becoming. This is what I spend so many hours thinking and praying about.

A lot of volunteers come for a short period of time (myself included!) and spend a lot of resources trying to be trained and learn their way around the local organization, to ultimately accomplish some kind of 'difference' in the lives of people where ever they are. And this is the problem--I'm guilty of this too! This is why I have this constant battle inside of me...am I here for selfish reasons? unrealistic goals and expectations? dealing with frustrating and challenging situations for no good reason? Should I just go back "home" and live in a culture where I can be near my family and friends and get a paying job and use my influence there? And on a more macro-level, what impact are all these volunteers having on the community where I live. Is this really a healthy situation? There certainly are needs to be met, but who should be doing that...and how have volunteers impacted the local resources that are already here, I'm specifically talking about human capital, but it could be broader than that too. I guess my fear is that we (as volunteers) can become blinded by our own need for fulfilling work that we lose sight of those who need help. Moreover, that our good intentions become really harmful to the people we come to know and love. This is not the first time this will be discussed in development, but I really think it can be so hard to process as a volunteer who loves people and so desperately wants to support grassroots level change.

3) So, I'm not sure how this all flows together...but all of these questions bubble around inside of me...some days I feel like it's just going to explode. Feeling like I'm a terrible person for trying to be a volunteer development worker...but at the same time really enjoying the experience I'm having--living and working right here in Nueva Suyapa. It's like a blender full of guilt and excitement, contentment, anxiety, frustration and worry.

The thing for me is, I recognize that I am learning SO much. I wrote about this in a previous post...but I really truly believe my Serving and Learning experience (SALT) is so much more about the learning...and I love that. I'm learning about this context where I live; how to use my educational background to be useful; how my contribution may be one drop in the bucket; but how the 'learning' of this time is way more important than any kind of 'serving' I might hope to accomplish.

And maybe that's ok. Maybe I don't need to feel personally responsible for all of the short-term volunteers that have come before and created unhealthy dependency. It is sad, and not positive for anyone...but maybe being a volunteer in a different way is a ok. Maybe it's ok to be learning a lot and soaking up all there is to take in, in hopes of using this knowledge in the future.

So where does this leave me? I think it leaves me just as conflicted as I was at the beginning of this post...but I think I can live with that for now. Being aware of the dangers and pitfalls of being an international volunteer is healthy. It makes me more conscious of what it is I'm actually doing, and ultimately conscious of how much I'm not doing. However, I don't want that to diminish the relationships that are being built, the language skills I'm developing and the training and capacity-building that I can be a part of while I'm here. And if I'm conscious of bad development practices and can try my best to influence the organization where I'm working in small, positive ways, maybe I can work towards a goal where they won't need a volunteer here in the future. And shouldn't that be the ultimate design of a volunteer position?

Thoughts, comments, advice and prayers accepted and appreciated. I'd love to hear other's feedback on this.

And on a lighter note, a future post is on the way about my weekend trip to visit friend/fellow salter and our fun times as city girls in the country.

mennonite family

2011-02-01T09:49:00.001-05:00

It's the first day of February! Less than 5 weeks til one of my favorite friends, Paula, comes to visit...less than 3 months til Easter week (which is a big holiday here) and about 6 more months left on my SALT term.

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a retreat for young adults in the Mennonite church of Honduras. Lucky for me, it was just outside of Teguc, so I didn't have far to travel :) A few other MCC friends went along too, which was really fun. I wasn't sure how the whole thing would go, being that I only knew 6 other people attending the retreat...but in true Mennonite fashion, we were warmly welcomed and offered plenty of hospitality as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Friday night's worship service started around 7pm and lasted til about 11:30pm. We were instructed that devotions on Saturday morning would be before breakfast, at 6am. When this announcement was received with a round of groans, we were asked "Did we come here to sleep? Or have we come here to worship the Lord together?" ...in the rather quiet auditorium, the leader then said "Can I get an amen?!" ;) Apparently youth the world over hate getting up early. Who knew?!

So Saturday started early, which had us fighting sleep the entire day. There were devotions, breakfast, worship time and then 2 workshops. For the 2nd workshop, we (the MCCers) got to share with the country-wide leadership committee of the youth about our volunteer experience with MCC. We shared a bit about what MCC does, what service programs are available, and why we serve. It seemed like many of them were not familiar with what we shared, so it was great to be able to help connect MCC with the church in that way. Especially with the rising leaders of the Mennonite church.

The afternoon offered another workshop (something about Mennonite history, but I'm afraid I almost slept through most of it...) and then recreation time. Johanna (fellow MCCer) and I took naps while the 'kids' participated in sports and group games.

Saturday evening we had a worship/talent show kind of event and everyone dressed up. Each region of Honduras shared something with the group, be it music, drama, video presentation, etc. It was a crazy service, but pretty fun too. Towards the end of the service, the lady preaching asked all the foreigners to come forward...we were pretty nervous, but we did anyway. There were already about 40 people at the front to receive prayer, so we had to stand in front of them. She then proceeded to talk about each one of us and the sacrifice we were making to be in Honduras, how great it was that we were planting seeds, and that each person should be thanking us for coming to their country and serving. It was a rather awkward experience for me, and I know Johanna (fellow MCCer from Columbia) felt similarly. The way were presented as heroes is just really not what MCC is about...and what we tried to communicate in the workshop was that we aren't any different than the youth in front of us. We have come as sisters in Christ, to work alongside people here, and we are not doing anything that any one of them couldn't do.

But, even though we felt uncomfortable, I think God was able to use our time up front in a positive way. For some reason, this really opened the door and made people feel comfortable to talk to us. After the service ended at 12:30pm (yeah, it started at 7 :) we were up until almost 2am talking with people from the Mennonite church in Tegucigalpa, had invites from the church in La Ceiba (on the north coast) to come and visit, and felt very welcomed by the young people of the church here. It was really fun to connect with people from all over the country and I was excited to be a part of such a great movement of young leadership within the Honduran Mennonite church.

Although I did not get much sleep, it was a really fun weekend. I am thankful for relationships with my MCC friends that were strengthened by this time we shared together...thankful for new friends and faces that have welcomed us into their churches...and thankful that God can and is using us to build bridges within the church.

We may come from different countries and different cultures, but somehow being with Mennonites can make one feel at home wherever they might be :) I remember feeling this way after attending Mennonite world conference in Paraguay, and am feeling that way here in Honduras too. I love to see what God is doing in the church around the world, and excited to be a small part of that here with the youth in Honduras.

lists

2011-01-28T12:10:00.001-05:00

As you might note from some of my blog posts, I really enjoy lists. Sometimes it is just easier to collect your thoughts in a bullet-pointed kind of way...and in other ways, it's just something I do rather compulsively.

I have made lists of all sorts of things since I've been here, like my 'Funny T-shirts in English' list, my 'Cosas Catrachas' (Honduran-isms) list, a list of books I've read, quotes from the books I've read, and a personal favorite, my list of 'Fun times with Allison,' as we have had many random, ridiculous happenings since the beginning of our friendship in September.

So I thought maybe it would be fun to share some favorites from my lists...

Honduranisms
1. Dinamicas- this might have been mentioned in a previous post regarding birthdays, but Hondurans LOVE dinamicas. they are like, little party games or ice breaker type activities that are a requirement for any office gathering here at MCM...and often occur at church gatherings and even family events. They can be quite stressful for the foreigner and often are embarrassing.
2. Que barbaridad- this is a frequently used and very popular saying among Hondurans. It literally translates to mean 'what a barbarity' but communicates a rather large variety of sentiments. In fact, my fellow SALTer, Alison, wrote a whole post on this phrase! It is used when something dramatic happens in life--like your brother won't get off the couch to get you a glass of Coke (que barbaridad)...something costs way more than it should (like a taxi ride for a gringa...que barbaridad)...someone you know got robbed (¡que barbaridad!)...all the way up to very serious offenses in life, like someone betraying your trust or hurting your family (¡¡que barbaridad!!) I learned this phrase very quickly, and use it very often, as it is a good comeback for sarcastic quips, or can communicate genuine sympathy for something crappy in life.

3. Primero Dios- this is the Spanish equivalent of saying "God willing"...literally, it means "First, God." I like this saying, and also enjoy that many people, when asked "como esta" or "how are you?" respond "pues, bien, gracias a Dios" or "well, good, thanks be to God." I like this regular reminder that all is well, thanks to God.
4. Jalon! This word is great because it means "free ride!" So, if you know someone who owns a car, or you see someone you know on a moto, and they happen to be going down the hill...and you happen to be going to a similiar location--you can sometimes get a free ride! Thus avoiding public transport and the extra time it takes to go "abajo" or down the hill.
5. English words in Spanish...I cannot even begin to compile a comprehensive list of all the words I spend hours trying to figure out how to say, only to find out later they are exactly the same as the English word, just with a bit of a Spanish accent...this might not be easy to write, but let's try. Like, the word shorts (you know, short pants?)...you just say "ch-orts" with a firm CH sound. Or maybe you want to buy a Snickers at the corner store (called a pulperia)...you might labor for days trying to figure out how to say candy bar in Spanish ...but really, you just ask for "Esnickers" (kinda sounds like esneakers). Another personal favorite is the front porch. Literally, I spent weeks trying to call it some other fancy word, and they just say "porch." ha. who knew? Oh, one other good one is "cheesecake." We've tried "torta de queso" (literally translated, cake of cheese) or other combinations...but it's just "cheese-caaake" with a bit of a Spanish twang.

Funny T-shirts... (I really love these, and am always on the look out for good ones)
These are English-text T-shirts that I've seen people wearing, and can pretty much confirm they aren't aware of what their shirt says...
1. Melissa Miller for Prom Queen
2. Your Retarded (a little ironic, no? ...and if you don't get the irony, might I recommend a grammar lesson?)
3. Got a Band-Aid? Cuz I scraped my knee when I fell for you
4. (worn by an elementary school teacher) If I were you, I would fall in love with me
5. And my all time favorite, worn by my family's grandmother... "call the vet cuz these puppies are sick!" (with a picture of someone flexing their muscles)
ahhhh....so entertaining.

Books: some good books I've read since I've been here:
1. Interpreter of Maladies & the Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. I really love her writing.
2. About 4 different books by Barbara Kingsolver. She is one of my favorites.
3. Enrique's Journey...really interesting book about illegal immigration from Central America to the US, focusing on one boy from Tegucigalpa in particular. Very interesting and hard to read at points.
4. The Hunger Games series, 2 & 3, thanks to good friends and my sis for sending these my way.
Really, there are many more books I could mention. I'm grateful to have several other North Americans close by with good libraries and a willingness to share :)

I guess there are about 100 other things I could share from my lists, but this is getting kind of long. There are just so many things I don't want to forget about living here...the funny stuff and the general cultural things that are slowly becoming more natural.
I'll keep tracking things, and update you along the way :)

motivation

2011-01-19T12:18:00.001-05:00

I like to be balanced in my posting and give an accurate depiction of my experience here. The good and the not so good, if you will. But it is always more fun to post while the going is good.

And things are going well right now. Last week involved some stunning gastronomic pyrotechnics…but thankfully I am back on track with my standard Honduran diet. I found that being cooped up for several days in my house gave me (too much) time to think and made me pretty down about my experience here. It was a combination of sickness, homesickness, and feeling useless. But I think God has used this down-time in my life here to give me time to reflect on things and get some much needed rest.

With a lot of prayer and some good encouragement and support from family and friends, this new week has gotten off to a fresh start…and for that I am so grateful.

Monday found me in a meeting with my coworkers, taking the lead and presenting the project I have been laboring over the past 3 months. Since I have 1 course of curriculum done for the business school and am wrapping up the 2^nd course, my boss and I decided it would be good to do a test-run and see how it goes.

Starting tomorrow, they will teach 1 lesson each week for 7 weeks, with all of my coworkers (the loan officers) taking a shot at teaching. We will have all the community banks from Thursday meet together at 2pm for the class, and then pay their loans after. The goal is to have everyone who works in the bank program present to learn from each other, practice giving training sessions, and so I can get feedback as I work on more and more curriculum.

The meeting was so great for me on many levels. I finally felt as if I am at least contributing something to the overall ministry of the Income Generation Program. I got to share my project and take questions and comments from my coworkers, and I also got affirmation on the work that I’ve been doing. What has seemed so ambiguous and like a “loner” kind of project is starting to feel more like a contribution to the team. It also didn’t hurt that I got some looks of “Oh, so this is what you’ve been doing since you got here. I had no idea!” and some positive words of affirmation.

Of course, I know the hard part has only begun. There are still many questions of how I am to accomplish 22 more courses of curriculum before I leave (!) and how I can help create systems that will enable the project to continue after I leave. Also, as I learn more and more about Honduran culture, I realize that this enthusiasm and pressure from my boss to move ahead will not last forever!

But for now, I am enjoying each day as it comes. Thankful for a glimpse of forward progress that gives me the motivation to forge ahead. I am learning, little by little, that this is definitely not a term of service, but so much a term of learning—about myself, this culture, God working in me and in this culture…and even though I know I am but one small drop in the bucket, it is helpful every now and then to feel like there is purpose in all of this. Today I feel purposeful. That is likely to change tomorrow.

But what good is it to worry about tomorrow when you still have all of today in front of you? ;)

nuevo año

2011-01-10T12:51:00.000-05:00

I realize I'm a little late in my 'Happy New Year' post...but things have been a little crazy for me the last few weeks...so, let's hit the highlights:

December 25: Christmas dinner with fellow foreigners. Delicious food and a fun time together.

December 27: My mom, dad, and little sister came to visit me in Tegucigalpa!
It was so great to have them here and be able to share my Honduran life with them. We spent some time with my host family (where I got to translate everything)...ate lots of typical Honduran food (baleadas, pupusas, tortillas, tacos, etc.)...saw the sights in and around Teguc...visited Lake Yojoa for a fun boat ride and fried fish...and spent time with my fellow MCCers, the Troyers. It was great to have them here, but hard to say goodbye.

December 31: Año viejo. The Honduran tradition to ring in the New Year is to burn the "old year" or "año viejo." Old year is basically a scarecrow-looking man, that sits in the street for the week leading up to the 31st. Children and teens hang out in the street, collecting money from any passer-by for the "año viejo." Their intention is to buy firecrackers with the money to stuff the man and light him on fire...I am skeptical the money is only used for fireworks, but alas, I did contribute :)
So, on the 31st, all over the neighborhood there were groups of children lighting the scarecrows on fire and watching them burn to nothing. The one outside our door first got a dousing of gasoline, plus the firecrackers...so it didn't take too long to get rid of the old man. My parents and sister also got to witness this exciting event, so don't be alarmed if you've seen my dad's pictures on facebook. They really aren't burning an actual person, it just looks like it.

January 1: my family left for the states. I was pretty tired, but when I got home to relax and rest with my host family, I found out they were going to Picacho (a park up the mountain) to spend the afternoon, so of course I went along. Turns out most Hondurans enjoy spending New Years Day at the park, so we sat around eating tajaditas and tamales and enjoying the outdoors with 60% of Tegucigalpans.

January 3: Grandma's birthday (more cake, more festivities, more hilarity with the Honduran extended family).

January 5-9: MCC Honduras retreat at the farm. It was really fun to get together with the whole Honduras team for a time of planning, fellowship, and fun. We spent lots of time catching up on each others lives, planning for the year ahead, worshiping together, eating, playing games, and even doing a little swimming. I am continually blessed by the people who make up this team and am grateful for their friendship and partnership here in Honduras. It's never easy to leave reatreat and get back into routine, but its good to be at home too.

So...that brings me to today. Back to work...hoping to find some time to catch up on sleep, but per usual the schedule is filling already :)
Today is my fellow SALTer's bday (happy bday Elise!) so we will be celebrating later this week.
Another SALT friend from Nicaragua is stopping in to visit, so I am excited to see her.
I think there is another family birthday party on the horizon...
...and who knows what else.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support. As I come up to my 5 month anniversary in Honduras, there is more and more pressure to figure out what my next steps are after SALT. Your prayers for wisdom and open doors would be appreciated too.

christmas in Honduras

2010-12-27T10:15:00.001-05:00

As I write this I am compulsively checking the Delta Airlines website to make sure the flight is on time from Atlanta...I know that I wrote about patience the other day, but this morning might just be the longest morning of my life!! I am praying all goes well and that my parents and sister will be arriving safely at 1 pm right here in Tegucigalpa. My Honduran family seems adequately excited too (though we know communication will be a challenge!). Since I will be taking a week "off" to spend time with the family, I thought I'd post some reflections on Christmas here in my home in Honduras.

The 24th of December is the big holiday here...this meant we all slept in and were in our pajamas til about 2 or 3 pm. Trademarks of Honduran Christmas include tamales, torrejas, lots of fireworks (cohetes) and church. Here are some thoughts on each of those:
1. Tamales: major process to make a batch of tamales. You have to make enough for your family plus the relatives, plus enough to eat on both holidays, the 24 & 31. It takes most of the day, and a couple hours to cook over the fire. Since I was still working hard on the 23, I missed most of the process, but got to enjoy the "bonfire" out on our patio. It was a nice evening outside and I was having fun looking at the stars with my nephew (who has adorable, endearing moments every now and then).
I should also mention I do not love tamales, but its tradition to eat 10 or 12 during the holidays...somehow, I have made it this far only eating 1! The family is a little worried that I hate them b/c I dont eat them enough, but they keep giving me other options, so I choose to not eat tamales :)

2. Torrejas are another food related tradition, more delicious to me than tamales. Basically, you make french toast, using fluffy egg whites instead of the whole egg...than you cook a stack of bread in a delicious sweet syrup and enjoy it hot or cold. I ate this most of the evening (while avoiding tamales).

3. Fireworks are a HUGE tradition on the 24. I mean, we've been 'enjoying' them for the past month or so, always right outside the house, at all hours of the day and night...but on this night children of all ages are allowed in the street past midnight (this is really rare in our neighborhood) and they are allowed to use everything from sparklers and poppers to what I would call mortars and newspaper bombs...yeah, it gets a little crazy. around 12, one went off very close to our spectator spot and I thought I was losing my hearing...but it came back :)
They tell me it is nothing compared to the 31st....can't wait for that!

4. Church--of course, we knew all day long we had church at 6pm, but for some reason my host mom did not stop cooking food and start getting ready til 6:05...then my brother starts eating a tamale at 6:20... somehow, we made it to church by 6:35 and only missed some singing. There was lots of upbeat music, a rowdy drama, more focused on the arrest, death and resurrection of Christ than his birth (which was weird for me) and plenty of clapping and singing. It was very different from the quiet, more somber, candlelit Christmas eve services I know and love...but I guess adjusting to new cultural traditions is what this whole thing is about!

For me, this was the point in the day where I missed home the most, and was most strongly reminded that it was Christmas, and I was not with my family. But, it was a good experience in learning how others celebrate, and that the iconic things we hold as being quintessentially "Christmas" really don't matter all that much. Pretty much, it all comes down to sharing time with people you love. oh and food. I think those are the 2 common denominators world-wide :)

The other tradition I participated in is staying up really late...I mean, for me it was 2:30am, but some in my family made it til 5am...I'm usually the first in bed at 10:30 or 11, so I felt like I made a good effort.

Christmas Day was pretty quiet and relaxing. I was able to call my family to wish them a Merry Christmas (well, almost all of them :) and then enjoyed Christmas dinner with some other friends from the US, England and Denmark. What a fun way to enjoy the holiday.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas holiday, blog reader, and that you enjoy a festive New Year celebration. I will be enjoying some vacation time with my family and will fill you in on the craziness of the 31st next week.
happy merry Christmas holidays!

esperanza

2010-12-21T17:04:00.000-05:00

I have never really thought of myself as an impatient person. Ok, well, lets take driving/road rage out of this conversation for a minute :) I am usually a patient person, or at the very least, I think I'm good at hiding my impatience.

However, being in a culture that does not reward punctuality has taught me a lot about patience--and probably more about impatience. Though I am pretty good at hiding it, I am often impatient...as I wait for my family to get ready to leave the house (when the set departure time passed 30 minutes ago)...as I wait for the bus to start moving at each of the 16 stops on the way down the hill...as I wait for an 8am meeting to start before the clock reaches 9:20...as I wait for an email to pop in my inbox while I work...the list could go on.

The amazing thing is, Hondurans seem to have endless amounts of patience. Or if they don't, they are really good at faking it! I can't even count the number of times I have seen women contently waiting for a meeting that should have started 40 minutes ago. Or looking out the window on the bus, never once worried about what time it is, or what time it will be when they get where they are going. I guess it's a requirement to survive in a non-time-oriented culture...but it still amazes me and inspires me every time.

The interesting thing is, the verb for 'wait' in Spanish is esperar. So often, waiting has such a negative connotation for me, or at the least, brings to mind sources of frustration. But this week of anticipating has especially reminded me that in Spanish, 'esperar' also means to hope. And I love that these meanings are so intertwined. Although I become exasperated waiting, I have a hope for so many things to come.

I have been waiting for some things in my life...but...not everything comes the way you want it. However, I have a hope that these things all work together somehow...and that each part of the journey, the fun stuff and the crappy stuff is somehow being worked together for my good. So...I continue to wait, but I wait with hope that God can do even more with all of this than I could even know to ask for, or imagine.

This week is an exciting week, as we remember the coming of Christ as a baby, and wait with hope for his second coming. May our patient waiting for his return remind us of the hope we have in Jesus Christ that sustains us in our impatience.

(I am also waiting for the arrival of some special visitors to Honduras! Please keep my family in your prayers as they travel here next Monday to spend some time with me. I am hopeful that it will be a fun time together and a time of relaxation and rejuvenation for me.)

Oh, and a couple Christmas festivities I am waiting for...

>Making Christmas cookies with the host family tomorrow night (totally new for them, and they are stoked)

>2 more cuchumbos (gift exchanges w/ church group and extended family)

>December 24 (the big holiday-day in Honduras)

>C-mas lunch with some North American friends on Saturday

>Learning to make tamales...and eating lots of tamales

>cohetes (fire crackers) at all hours of the night and for the "old year" (año viejo) celebrations

water

2010-12-15T16:42:00.002-05:00

Water is a scarce resource for most of the inhabitants of this world...but, in my North American experience, I have never found this to be a great concern.

For residents of Nueva Suyapa, water is a big deal. Water only comes to the colonia a few times per month, so when it does, you fill every available vessel to save it up. And when it rains, you store the rain water too. My friend and co-SALTer Elise wrote a post on her blog about how her family stores up water...they have a very elaborate system which even involves an old refrigerator that holds the H20.

In my house, we use our water carefully, but usually have confidence that the water will come when we need it. We have a large pila (cement sink/bathtub-sized fixture) that holds most of the water we need, a tank for the bathroom (only sink and toilet have running water. no shower :), 3 barrels of reserve water, and an assortment of old juice jugs and buckets as the back-up to the reserves. Typically, we go through the pila, the bathroom tank and by the time we just dip into the barrel, the water comes to our part of the colonia. When the water comes, you leave the faucet running and fill as much as you can!

I said that we trust the water will come, but this week has been a little tense. Not only were we out of drinking water (which has thankfully been remedied) but since Sunday the pila has been on 'E' and we are almost through all 3 barrels of reserves. My host mom said yesterday if the water doesn't come, we probably won't have enough to bathe. So of course that got my attention! This also means no washing of the clothes (by hand), and saving the bottled water for cooking. With 6 people in the house, its amazing to think how much water we use in a day--and that's using it conservatively!

So...you can pray the water comes soon. We would like to fill the pila...and I would like us to bathe. However, it is pretty chilly, so maybe I could start giving up my morning bucket shower.

In other water related stories, I got to see the Pacific coast of Honduras!
Although the water was salty, it was great to go to a warmer spot for a day and enjoy the beach with my coworkers. This was our office outing/Christmas party...rough, I know :)
We took a boat ride in the Gulf of Fonseca which is shared by Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador. Pretty awesome. Enjoy some of my favorite fotos from the day.

very thankful for water...potable and salty :)

parties, paint y mas

2010-12-10T14:52:00.000-05:00

I'm just going to warn you that there isn't much cohesion to my post today...I've been trying to come up with some fun little tidbit to blog about, but really, the last week and a half has just been kind of hectic.

For one thing, there were 5 birthdays within the extended family within 7 days of each other. It is fun to celebrate with people, and of course, who doesn't want to eat cake every other day?...but I have to say that week was exhausting. The socializing and 5 hour long parties can be a little draining, especially when you don't know everyone and you kind of run low on small-talk (hard to believe, i know).

Thrown into that socializing craziness was an overnight "campamento" or camp-out with staff and co-workers of the ministry (MCM). The church owns a camp a little outside of Teguc where we hung out and spent the night. I was really not looking forward to going, but it ended up being a pretty fun time. Of course, there were plenty of awkward moments, like Allison and I being asked to sing a song in English for the talent show at the last minute, a gift exchange we found out about 10 minutes before we left the office, and a variety of other things...but it turned out to be really good. There was LOTS of volleyball time, good food, and it gave me a chance to get to know other staff who I rarely interact with.

I would like to pause here and make a comment in reference to my measurements of time like "last minute" and such...really, there is no last minute here. They are all Honduran minutes. And no one is given advance notice for anything...you just roll with it as its happening. So, even though it is starting to drive me crazy (like the fact that Monday is a day out for our office Christmas party and at 11am on the Friday before no one knows anything about it)...I'm trying to learn to stop asking so many questions in 'advance', and be a little less American. But its a struggle.

Ok. So...after all these social events, I was hoping for some down time this week. But...that wasn't really possible. In my household, we have been finishing the ceiling in the kitchen & dining area (it was just the tin roof, but now its closed in w/ drywall-ish material like the rest of the house)...putting ceramic tile down, and painting this same area. Of course, my host sister picked the paint color and the house was divided (boys hated it, the girls were for it)...but after 2 days of discussion, debated and general mayhem, we started painting (see photos below). However, once the "recorte" was done (all the edges and corners) and one patch of said color--we decide its not good enough. We need to buy a different color. So...yesterday was day 1 of the new color, and today they should be finishing up the kitchen. Aside from my opinion, and my height, the only thing I really contributed was the idea of taping the edges after the ceiling was painted. They enjoyed this idea. Overall, it had been a stressful, but also a rather dramatic part of family life that I was glad to be a part of :)

I also threw in a trip to the mall because I needed an obligatory gift for the office gift exchange. Still need a present for the family gift exchange and the one with our church bible study group (yeah, its just as bad as being in the states! so many random people to buy things for). And last night I went to a Christmas concert/fundraiser at the American School of Tegucigalpa. So...really, never a dull moment.

Here are some photos of the fam working hard on the house to get it ready for Christmas. Enjoy!

The before (kitchen...)

dining room

See! I can help too :)

Josue hard at work on the white ceiling

The middle stage...everyone was up in arms

Axel hard at work on the yellow details. and hating it.

the after stage:

post drama--we have pink walls now.

somehow, this is more calming than the yellow :) but everyone is happier!

advent

2010-12-01T16:09:00.002-05:00

Here we are on the 1st day of December 2010. I can't even believe its the end of the year already!
I've just started my advent readings that I got from MCC...here are some excerpts I'd like to share:

According to an ancient Jewish midrash, someone asked Rabbi Joshua, “Why did God speak to Moses from a bush?” Rabbi Joshua replied, “God spoke from a bush to teach that there is no place where the Divine is not present, not even in a lowly bush.”

A Hasidic story tells of a rabbi’s son who used to wander in the woods. The rabbi asked his son, “I wonder why each day you walk in the woods?”
The boy replied, “I go there to find God.”
“That’s very good, son. But, don’t you know that God is the same everywhere?”
“Yes,” the boy answered, “but I’m not.”

And so it is with us. We need tangible signs of God’s presence. When we enter the emotional, spiritual and physical winters of our lives, no matter the reason, let us eagerly anticipate that day when a new branch will burst forth from the leafless icicled branch we have become. In this Advent season, may all trees be for us Christ-mas trees, signs of hope, worthy of our decorating and celebrating – Christ, the Righteous Branch, has come into our lives, Christ will come again.

Jeremiah 33:14-16 (NRSV)
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

I found this imagery of new branches really helpful. Even in the winters of life, we retain a hope for the future; for the inevitable spring that will arrive because of the hope we have in Christ Jesus.

I know that God is the same every place I go, but I am not. And so as I grow, adapt, and change in a new environment, my prayer is that I would continue to seek God and appreciate the new and different ways his unchangeable character is being revealed to me each and every day.

My prayer for all of my friends and loved ones this advent season is that you would find places where you cannot remain the same, and in those places, appreciate God for who He is, and how he might look different from your new vantage point.

Even though my images of advent include lots of cold and snow and cozy memories, I am learning to appreciate the anticipation of Christmas even in 75 degree weather :) Hope you are warm (sitting inside or outside) wherever this finds you.

post-thanksgiving post

2010-11-26T16:35:00.000-05:00

While the climate here does not tell me it is Thanksgiving, nor is there any kind of black Friday here in Honduras, I am reminded of how much I have to be thankful for in this wonderful season of life. Yesterday was a pretty ordinary day, no turkey, no football, no family get together [ :( ] but it was still good...and I think its a great thing to reflect on how much I have to be thankful for each day.

As I write this post, I'm sitting in a hammock, looking out over the rolling green mountains of Copan (I know, its a little ridiculous, and yes I wanted to make you a tad bit jealous as you are eating your leftover turkey and stuffing!!)

So lets start with the most immediate things I'm thankful for... (in no particular order :)

-- a relaxing few day of vacation with one of my best friends who took the time and energy to come and visit me right here in Honduras! You don't find friends like Harmony just any day of the year, and I'm so grateful God put her in my life 4 years ago when I really needed her :)
-- a great host family in Nueva Suyapa and the richness they bring to my Honduran life.
--for friends who are celebrating birthdays today, and another year of life, both near (Johanna, MCC friend) and far (Becky B. in Colorado who I miss dearly!)
--for a wonderful family who loves me so much and will even bend over backwards to do special things for me...like send care packages and buy expensive plane tickets to make sure their daughter isn't too homesick over Christmas. I couldn't ask for better parents. love you so much.
-- for 2 sisters and a brother-in-law who mean more to me than most anything in the world :)
-- for health and safety thus far in the journey
-- for 2 great gringa friends who are always willing to share in the most ridiculous of Honduran moments and the tough ones too. I could not make it through the week without knowing they are only a text or call away!
--for the guy who takes the time to get to know me, across the miles, despite the terrible internet fiascos and my work-in-progress espanol
--for a network of MCCers in Honduras who are so fun to be with and truly care for me and my well-being.
--for a little computer that keeps me connected to the important people in my life

As I sat in a roof-top cafe last night with Harmony we were reflecting how different life was only 1 year ago at this time...at Thanksgiving last year there were so many things different about my life...so many friends who weren't even engaged and are now planning weddings, others who weren't even pregnant and now have a new little person in their family...it blows me away to think of how many people in my life I didn't even know a year ago...nor did I have any inkling I would be spending Thankgiving and Christmas of 2010 in Honduras! Its so fun to think back on what I didn't know then...and it makes me so excited to think about what I don't even know will be in my life next year at this time.

Thankful for a God who holds it all together in his hands, the good and the bad...the beautiful and the imperfect, the knowable and the unknown...what a great blessing to be one little person in his giant picture.
Happy Thankfulness reflecting to all of you.
Love and hugs!

stretchy stuff

2010-11-16T15:45:00.001-05:00

Living in a new culture is a continual learning process. This may seem obvious, but humor me for a minute. Just when you get lulled into a false sense of comfort like...

"hey, I kind of know what I'm doing" or

"hey, I can actually carry on an intelligent conversation," or

"hey, I recognize where this bus is going"

...well that's when you have to be really on your guard. For it is in these moments--these fleeting fragments of life that boost your confidence and give you a sense of joy--that you must prepare yourself for what is next. It is a rule of the cross-cultural learning-time continuum, that just as your self-esteem is soaring for even the briefest of moments, you are undoubtedly due for a humility-check.

Honduras has made me very humble.

This was good practice for my trip to Guatemala.

Some of you know that I had the chance to attend a conference in Guatemala, related to microfinance and training small business owners in business principles. It was through the Chalmers Center in the US, and every so often they have international conferences for church workers, NGO workers and other missionary-types. I must give a grateful shout-out to Thrive, my favorite youth group of Dillsburg BIC Church, without whom this trip would not have been possible. Their generosity enabled me and my boss here at MCM to both attend this conference. I am forever humbled by hearts of these awesome high school & middle schoolers! (<3 you guys!)

The conference was a really great experience. I had hours upon hours to practice my Spanish with people from all over central America. We would talk for hours around the dinner table and share about our work and lives in our respective places. For me, being the socialite that I am, this was probably the best part of the conference :) It also did not hurt that everyone kept telling me how good my Spanish was. This of course was very encouraging and made me very happy. Many could not believe I had only been in Honduras for 3 months.

But of course, this could not last for long. Part of the focus of the class was how to teach adults...so of course, we had to practice our techniques for teaching other adults. On the 2nd day I had to prepare a lesson with a partner (who was amazingly sweet and patient) and together we taught about 12 other people (mostly native speakers, mostly middle-aged men) a lesson about business in Spanish! I was terrified! I thought I might throw up! I didn't think I could do it.

But--it turned out ok! I led a "dinamica" or game at the beginning of our lesson...was able to talk through most of what I wanted to say with ease and even confidently fielded some spontaneous commentary from the audience. It was terrifying...but I made it through. I wasn't sure if I could do it successfully, but I know now my Spanish is better for it. During the feedback time, one man did feel the need to suggest that I work on my Spanish...so you know, the victories are short-lived :) But I did have many friends at the conference reaffirm how well I did and that this man was out of line for saying that to me.

I have learned a lot about humility and not taking my Spanish-self too seriously. But the good thing is, through all of these experiences I am stretched...

...Stretched to get outside myself and just do what needs to be done, without taking time to worry about what might happen

...Stretched to try new things and meet new people who I might otherwise never have encountered

...Stretched to discover what happens when I stop trying to get it all right and just see what God does with what I have to offer.

It's kind of like when you sit in a bus for 15 hours and your muscles are so tight...it feels so refreshing to stretch and move around. I'm still in the stretching process...still learning to allow myself to be stretched frequently...and still trying to be thankful for the opportunity to stretch every now and then...or maybe every day in my case!

I am thankful for the learning I was able to participate in at the conference in Guatemala; thankful for safety on the long trip there and back; and thankful for a God who gives me the stuff, whatever that stuff is, that makes it possible to stretch.

mas cumpleaños

2010-11-15T16:05:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos of me with my coworkers (who are a little crazy, i might add)...

We were celebrating my birthday and Karina's birthday (lady sitting next to me).

no Honduran party is complete without a few 'dinamicas' or games...

we had to do this stupid egg on the spoon relay

cumpleaños!

2010-11-08T12:52:00.000-05:00

It has been a whole weekend of birthday festivities for me. And it's not even over yet!

Yesterday I celebrated my 24th birthday with some good friends and Honduran family. The day started with people singing outside my bedroom door at 7am...everyone in my house got up early to serenade me with well wishes. I was kind of out of it when the song started, and really confused...then I remembered it was my birthday!

We went to church and I had made plans with another friend to go out for lunch. I felt bad about not being around to have lunch with familia, but they didn't really say too much...they seemed pretty calm about it (this should have been my first clue). Also, they mentioned nothing of cake (a Honduran standard for birthdays) and didn't seem to worried about me not being around. I was a little sad, but thought, 'no big deal. i'm a grown-up now...its just another birthday.'

Then my lunch plans fell through, but my fellow SALTer and good friend Elise called (almost immediately) to invite me to her house. She said her family wanted to wish me happy birthday, have coffee, etc. Again, my host mom was very calm about me leaving for the afternoon. When I got to Elise's house, most of her family wasn't even there...but we had a relaxing time, even took a nap. Ok...so to make the long story shorter--we got back to my house around 4:30, some cousins and grandma were waiting outside, and no one was opening the door. I was a little confused...finally, when we got inside I realized they had asked Elise to occupy my time all afternoon so they could decorate the living room and prepare the food! They had planned a surprise party but I was the first one to show up!!

It was really sweet and we had fun celebrating and eating cake together. I was amazed to find out how many little lies had been crafted throughout the weekend to keep the party under wraps. Made me feel very special though :)

The other fun thing was opening my email to have more than 95 emails awaiting me. Many were facebook posts, but still it was great to feel so loved and missed by so many people.

All in all, it was a good Honduran birthday. Today there will be a celebration at work (for me and another coworker) and tonite I'm going bowling to celebrate with some friends too. I guess I'll just keep stretching out the celebration!!

Enjoy some fotos of my birthday weekend...

favorite friends who took me out for dinner

the cake! didnt really spell my name right, but thats ok

the family + extended family at the party

al mercado

2010-11-03T12:57:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things to do when I visit other countries is check out the grocery store. This may seem weird, but I have a theory that you can learn a lot about a culture from their grocery store.
The second best thing (or maybe even better, haven't decided yet) is to visit a local market. I have had the chance to do this with my host mom on 2 different Saturdays and it has been a good adventure.

First, there is a big market on the other side of the river, in Comayaguela, where you can find pretty much anything cheap...from bike helmets and car parts to underwear, nail polish and fresh baked goods, it's the place to go. The downside is, its a pretty long bus ride and also it's not very safe. I was excited to go and check it out a few weeks ago with my host mom--it was just the 2 of us! She took good care of me, always grabbing my arm before we crossed the street and making sure I was following her quick pace. We were on a mission to find a scarf as a present for my coworker and we walked through the entire market, without success. However, it was fun for me to see the whole thing, and we did find some other treasures along the way.

The other big market in Teguc is known as the Mayorero (I think that's how you spell it). This market is mainly just for produce and basic household staples. We took our big canvas shopping bags and headed down there last Saturday. Of course, the 3 year old wanted to come along, so that added a new dimension. Now we had to make sure he didn't run off, and half the time he wanted to be carried too. I have minimal patience for this...
Anyway. First stop was the line up for bean, rice, sugar and other kitchen supplies. Apparently the price of beans has gone way up, but we were able to get them much cheaper here in the central market. The line was about 15 people long, and we waited for about 25 minutes. We bought 5lbs of bean, 10 lbs. of rice and 5 lbs. of sugar...plus cooking oil, coffee, seasonings, soap, and fruit juice. Ok, so, I thought at this point my bag was pretty heavy...

Then we head to the street of meat. How neat! Actually, it was pretty gross. I think I would rather not know how unsanitary the meat I consume really is...the butcher has it all laying out in the window, so you can size it up...then he cuts it up for you (without any kind of gloves)...puts it in a plastic bag...then takes your money (with the same hands that cut the meat) and sometimes will give you another bag (with some remnants still hanging on the outside). You then put this meat bag in your shopping bag to await refrigeration for about 2-3 hours. Nice!
Ok...now the bag is heavier, but we're probably on our way home, right?

Well next we went to buy cheese or queso. Honduran cheese is really different from what we typically eat in the states, but I really like it. We bought queso seco (dry cheese), quesillo (a milder, soft cheese) and mantequilla (kinda like sour cream...cheaper here in the market than in our neighborhood).
This is good. We have most of what we need, the 3 year old is screaming his head off...so we can go!

But not too fast...we still need veggies (since the gringa--me--said she loves vegetables!) All the vegetable stands offer pretty much the same variety, but you can't just stop at the first place you see. You have to touch all the produce first, ask how much it costs, mumble about how expensive it is, and then go to the next table where it will probably be the same price. We sized up some carrots, onions, pepino (cucumbers), patasta (still have not figured out what this vegetable is) and some cabbage. So...we add all this to the bags. They are pretty full at this point.

1 more stop, for some fresh fruit. My host mom makes really good fresh juice about 2 times a week. She usually buys tamarind, maracuya (passion fruit, i think) or nance. I enjoy all of the above, which most foreigners do not, so this makes her very happy. We add a few pounds of maracuya to the shopping bags.
Oh man...I think my bag is heavy, but Lucia is carrying her half of the take plus her grandson! I don't know how she does it!

We make one last stop to buy a beverage. I don't have any idea what this is, but its sweet and cold, so I take it willingly. Also...drinks on the go are served in plastic bags...like a sandwich bag with a straw, and then tied up at the top. Or sometimes, just tied, no straw, so you bite of the corner and drink it that way. Its rather fun, but takes some skill.

Thankfully, we are near the exit of the market and we have a jalon (free ride!) from my host brother. We are glad to get to the car and dump the heavy bags. The interesting thing is, Lucia usually comes by herself on Saturdays...I have no idea how she manages all the groceries by herself, but it's impressive. I think she wants me to go again, because she enjoys having the help :)

things i think i think...but haven't figured out.

2010-10-29T11:29:00.000-04:00

I really want to have a post about a 'typical day' here in my Nueva Suyapa life...but as I tried to piece together an outline, I realized no two days are the same. I mean, there are routines and things that happen pretty much in the same manner every day...the shower routine at my house, meal routine 3 times a day, the walking to work routine, the staring at the gringa and cat-calling routine...

But really, each day there are new adventures, experiences you never could have expected. I've taken on the philosophy of always going along for the ride. If someone invites me to go do something, whether it be a simple errand, a trip 'abajo' (down the hill to the city) or even a walk to the corner pulperia (store)--I just go! Ok, partly because I usually am looking for something to break up the time in the office (!) but also because I am certain it will undoubtedly be a good story...at minimum, a good way to get to know people.

Example: There is a lady who sells newspapers in the colonia every day. She usually stops by the office to chat, and she knows the 3 people who will always buy the daily issue. This woman has been very pregnant ever since I got here...they assure me she's worked like this before, and she will be selling papers until the day she has the baby. So my coworker put together a baby gift for her, as the woman is pretty poor and she doesn't really have any clothes for the baby. Oh, another cultural moment--someone buys a gift and you are told how much to contribute so that its covered...not asked, just told to give 50 Lempiras. awesome.
So, then one day the woman (oh, another cultural thing, we don't know her name! she's just the woman who sells newspapers) doesn't show up. This means we must go find her house and give her the gift. But wait- no one knows where she lives! Here is a rough transcription in English...
Karina: "So, you're going to go with us to give her the gift, right Charissa?"
Me: "Um...sure. Are we walking there?"
K: "well, we have to walk around and see who knows where she lives. but we'll find it"
Me: "yeah, but how? Does Marvin know where she lives?"
K: "no, but we're going now to find her."
Me: "Ok, but like, how will we know?"
K: "marvin will drive us there."
(At this point I stop asking questions. Just go, Charissa. Its bound to be an adventure.)

Ok...I am also leaving out some details about transport...but I need to you to get the flavor of these exchanges. We spent 20 minutes before lunch debating if we could take a moto...but no, 3 people was too many for the moto. So then we waited til after lunch, argued with Marvin for about 1 hour to go get his truck. Then we thought it wasn't happening...then he randomly shows up and is like "lets go lets go! get in the truck right now!"...so we went! immediately.

So we drive down the hill to the newspaper stand...ask the lady there if she knows the pregnant newspaper seller...turns out the one we are looking for is her sister-in-law! I have no idea how this happened...but it worked out, and we left the gift with her. We are turned around, about to go back up the hill, when my coworkers realize that our boss is out for the day...so this means we need to "tomar un cafecito" (like, have a little coffee). We turn around to go further down the hill and head to Dunkin' Donuts. It was a crazy time at the restaurant with 2 of my favorite coworkers, who were paranoid the entire time that our boss was right around the corner. But it was really fun...felt like we were in college and skipping class! We also had a generally hilarious time in the truck, singing songs in English (oh wait, that was mostly me) and getting to know each other better.

All in a day's work, as I like to say.
There are also other stories...the day of my boss' birthday, where we left for about an hour to take a taxi to buy a last minute cake...how I get in on farewell parties the banks have for their out-going loan officers and I wait for an hour for people to show up to the party...how I come back from lunch and they are fumigating the office because of Dengue and I can't be in the office for 2 hours...I mean, lots of stuff like this that make me laugh continually and give me good journal entries. I love it. And I'm hoping that was coherent enough that you get some insight into my life here and can appreciate the humor too.

home away from home

2010-10-26T16:53:00.000-04:00

Over the past 7 years of my life, I have done quite a bit of traveling...and I love it. There are so many experiences I would never trade to have just stayed at home. However--there is something about coming home that is so comforting and refreshing, no matter how much you love where you've been.

But the other great joy of travel, is sometimes you don't have to go home to find a spot that feels like home. I have been so blessed by the MCC team here in Honduras, and the way these new friends have become so much like family to me.

Over the weekend we had a retreat with all the one year workers who came in August at Virgil and Kathy Troyers house. It was so relaxing to be in their home, surrounded by close friends, laughing and sharing about our new lives in Honduras. Our team is so diverse in so many ways, but we have become good friends and truly enjoy each other's company. Since the 5 of us spent 3 weeks straight together, and now have been separated for about 6 weeks, we had lots of catching up to do :)

Friday night we were having fun, but were very worried for Alison, who could not seem to find a bus that could make it all the way to Tegucigalpa. By 9 or 10 pm we were relieved to know that she had a safe place to sleep and that we would see her in the morning. She has the most rural placement of any of us, in La Campa, near Gracias, doing environmental work.

Noel, the lone ranger of the group, came from San Pedro Sula to visit us in Teguc for the first time. He is working for a mennonite education project there, Proyecto MAMA, and is teaching computer classes. He is really enjoying the community he has found in the Mennonite church in San Pedro.

Johanna had a shorter trip to Nueva Suyapa (where the Troyer's live) from the far side of Teguc. She works at a school/ministry for the children of families who live and work at the city dump. It's a tough place, but she is also loving the community of friends she has found there.

Elise lives 'just down the street' from me in Nueva Suyapa, and works for ASJ (Assoc. for a more Just Society). She is doing work on writing articles for donors, some work on grants, and is generally involved in various aspects of their legal work to make Honduras a better place.

Oh, what I forgot to mention is Noel is from Bolivia, and Johanna is from Columbia, so we talk in Spanish when we are together, of course. This has truly been a great thing, as we learn so much from each other, and get help from our personal tutors 24-7 ;) Another small victory to share...that I was able to have many conversations in Spanish where I didn't feel inhibited by the language, and was pretty freely able to express myself. Very exciting :)

We took some time to visit the sights of the city...a pretty sweet look-out, actually...

and we played mini-golf...

I think this course is nicer (cough, and harder) than most I've seen in the US! (note, the hole is at the top of that pyramid looking thing!)

We ate dinner on the Troyer's roof, overlooking the city (very awesome)...

and had time to share about our joys and struggles living in our new culture. It was a really good time together, and I'm so grateful that I feel so comfortable with, loved, and supported by these fellow volunteers.

working at MCM

2010-10-19T12:19:00.001-04:00

My work life is not always the highlight of my blog entries here in Honduras...or in my journal for that matter. However, some days, when you least expect it, there is a moment to celebrate. Friday I had one of those. I think it was what I needed to get me through the day.

At 10am on Friday, Karina, my co-worker, had her second communal bank meeting of the day. I decided to attend this one, since I had been at the 8:00am bank for several weeks but for some reason kept missing out on the 10am bank, Restauracion. You never quite know what you're going to get when you step into a meeting. Some days there isn't too much excitement...other days you join in a party for the kids, play ridiculous games while blindfolded, or you get filled in on the gossip of the neighborhood (always better than the newspaper!).

The great part about this meeting was that almost all of the women were in attendance, and all were able to make at least one week's payment on their loan. They took charge of collecting and were very organized. Karina collected about 14,700 lempiras at this particular meeting (about $735). This is the goal for every meeting, but too often it does not happen like this. The loan officers are having a lot of trouble with attendance at weekly meetings and also with their debt ratios. Often, the meetings are very frustrating, with maybe only 7 or 8 women of 27 attending.

I asked Karina why this bank is so different from her others. She took the time to explain to me that many of these women have medium sized businesses, more service oriented rather then product driven...many live in a nicer part of town, their families have cars, and most have husbands who are around and working. All of this is in contrast to her other bank with major repayment problems--many have small businesses like making tortillas or selling bread...they live in a pretty rough neighborhood, and for one group of women in particular, many are victims of domestic violence. This is usually the reason they don't attend meetings, or can't repay their loans.

Then another loan officer joined in our conversation to discuss why training the socias, or clients, is so important and how the loan officers need to be working on this every week. He was very excited about this and has lots of good ideas. I also got really excited, as it was a small break through in my coworkers opening up to me. I told them that we need to have a longer discussion or Q & A time to discuss all of this, as I need to determine the needs of the clients before we just throw a business school at them that may not be what they want or need.

There is still so much I need to learn, but I was encouraged by the interaction with my coworkers. I have renewed energy to explore their ideas and tap into their experience as I continue on in this rather undefined journey. As I have shared with some of you, I feel like I understand the big picture goal, but am not really sure what that means for day-to-day tasks and expectations. Continue to pray with me in this as I try to find my niche here and try to contribute something useful to this ministry.

family foto fun

2010-10-10T19:02:00.000-04:00

So last night we had a spontaneous family foto nite. They had a blast using my 'fresa camera' (which means cool).

So...here are some of my favorites :)

trying out his sister's new shoes...such a stud

this girl cracks me up.

we were all wearing purple, so i wanted a photo...

that started the whole photoshoot :)

the baby, yosua, who drives us all a little crazy

Josue wanted a new profile pic...

all the kids :) i love this photo!

me & kati

host mom and the dog

I just need you to know, this was ALL their idea. but it makes me laugh a lot.

wow. its october!

2010-10-07T15:20:00.000-04:00

Some days it feels like I have been away from home for a really long time...then other days (like today) I stop to reflect and realize A) its already Oct. 7! and B) I have been 'away' for almost 8 weeks....that's crazy! 8 weeks ago I did not know anything about what my new home would look like, who I would meet at work, and how I would get around. It's crazy to think that 8 weeks ago there are so many cool people that weren't in my life :) Each day I am more and more thankful for the way God has been answering so many of my prayers, and the hundreds of prayers that so many other people have offered on my behalf. I am really at peace about living and working in this little spot God had in mind for me. Not everything is perfect...there is good and bad stuff...but I am really content with where I am at the moment--and for me, thats a rare, but cool feeling.

Some times I feel like I don't have anything to blog about because I haven't been doing anything majorly interesting, or gone on many adventures. But--most days I'm glad there is nothing too earth-shattering to report...that's just fine with me!

Over the weekend my family took me out for dinner, which is the first we've done that since I've been here. We went to Pupusas Miraflores which was fun and delicious. Pupusas are really from El Salvador, but Hondurans like them too. A little hard to describe, but they are kind of like round pita bread filled with cheesy goodness. You should all come and try them :)

Also in family life, my 13 year old brother does not like to study! (Shocking, I know!). They all give him a pretty rough time because he's always into sports and never wants to do homework. Now that I am here, they have given me the great privilege of being his English tutor. He really hates English...and really doesn't know much...so...its a struggle. Also--I do not feel called to be a teacher. Thankfully, I've had enough Spanish grammar training that I can kind of convert it into English lessons. So, last night I spent a couple hours with him, crafting fill in the blank sentences and examples for him to practice. [To all my Messiah education friends, I think you would be proud of me]. I have another friend who wants English help too, so I might just borrow Axel's notes and teach her the same stuff.
*By the way...who the heck uses the passive voice in English? I was always taught to avoid that like the plague when writing essays...apparently teenagers learning a 2nd language need to understand this unfortunate grammatical construction. Just in case you cared.

Here are some photos of the family:

me and my host sister, Kati

Josue & Axel

The only other news that I have right now is Monday is Canadian Thanksgiving! Since there is one other gringo in my neighborhood who is from the Great White North, his wife is throwing us a little Canadian Thanksgiving party :) I think we might even have turkey. I'm pretty stoked.

Oh, and in parting...Today is October 7. One month away from November 7. This should be plenty of time for a package to make it to my hot little hands ;) If you don't know why November 7th is important...well... check facebook.

settling in

2010-09-28T15:24:00.000-04:00

hello blog-reading friends!
It's been a little while since I posted, so I'll try my best to summarize of of the happenings in my life here...

I'll start with the most recent thing...last night I went with some friends and coworkers to a concert at the national theatre. It was a Taiwanese jazz ensemble...and best of all, it was free! It was really cool, and a very weird cultural mixture, as we were enjoying Taiwanese music, played by a group of people from Belgium, Japan & Taiwan, in a theatre in Honduras, with friends from Honduras, England, Denmark and the US :) But its things like this that make me love getting out and exploring the world
work life... is good. I am getting to know people better each day, and have fun with my coworkers, as they are learning my sense of humor and know that I am not as serious as I look (i know, i can look serious, go figure!). I have a more clearly defined list of tasks, but I'm just not sure where to start tackling my biggest project. I am excited to help start a business training school, I just feel very inadequate for the job most days. So, praying for wisdom and grace with all of that. They also keep joking that I will have 2 years to do all of this (as the girl before me stayed 2 years) which is always a fun conversation when I don't know what to say!
My family is doing well. We had lots of fun staying up late the other night and listening to music together while our youngest brother was demonstrating his dance moves for us. This week is my host mom's birthday (thurs) so there will likely be some extended family festivities on Thursday night. Should be fun.
On Friday I went to meet my fellow SALTer, Elise, for coffee after work. It was my first solo bus ride, and it went very smoothly. I was very glad for that. Little by little, I'm learning my way around.
On Monday's we have an office meeting at work, and usually it's very boisterous, overwhelming, and a lot goes over my head. This week, I think I understood about 80-85% of what was going on. (Note: this is a big improvement. You should be happy for me.). Some days are better spanish days than others...but I'm learning all the time.

That's about all from here. I am feeling a bit under the weather today, so you can pray that that would take care of itself. I keep the fruit man across the street in business by buying oranges almost everday...for my health, you know :)
Hope all is well wherever you are.
Love and prayers
C

family fun...

2010-09-21T17:48:00.000-04:00

So most of my weekend was spent at my house, hanging out with the family. We have a lot of fun together, as I make ridiculous mistakes in Spanish, then they try to learn English from movies on TV, and we all get frustrated with the 3 year old terror who rules the house.

For one thing, last week, some supermarket thought it would be a good idea to give live chicks to small children...probably in honor of "dia de los niños" or children's day. So, Joshua brought home 2 chicks to live in our house. Not only are they continually chirping and jumping out of their box, but one looks like its dying, and is whimpering in the corner. On day 2 of the chicken adventure, chicken little (with a gimpy foot) looked about dead, while chicken grande looked like his fuzz was starting to be shed for real feathers. By day 3, chicken little was running around like he'd been given a new lease on life. Much to our surprise, by day 4, chicken grande was found dead in the box! No one saw that coming...I suggested fried chicken for lunch, but no one made that happen.

So, we still have chicken little running around (Joshua wont name him...he just calls him pollito, which literally means little chicken). This thing chirps at 6am...all through the day...gets out of his box to join us in the living room when we are all watching TV...pecks your toes, crawls up my host mom's pant-leg...really, an endless bundle of joy and entertainment. I asked when they thought he would die...I guess they are catching on that I don't like that it wakes me up every morning with its pitiful cries for attention :)

Our other family fun was our weekend field trip to the mall multiplaza. I hadn't been there yet, and they were very excited for me to see their mall. It was rather impressive, and we had fun doing some shopping and eating Little Caesar's pizza together. Being that I live with 2 guys who can eat you out of house and home, one pizza was not sufficient. They also ordered Burger King combos and ice cream cones...but we had a good time getting out of the house and enjoying some time in the land of materialism together.

Sunday nights are a pretty big deal in my house too. Their favorite show, La Academia, is on and starting this week "Bailando por un sueño." The first is like Mexico's version of American Idol, except everyone is in a music school, so they dont go through the ridiculous audition process that Americans love to hate. The second show is Dancing with the Stars, Honduras-style. The catch is, La Academia only comes in clear on one tv in Kati's bedroom...so, we all pile in there on the bunk beds to watch together. All 6 of us, actually. Its quite cozy, and very entertaining to watch the boys sing along to all the songs, and decide which girls are the hottest and therefore deserve to stay another week ;)

In other news, the Colts were on ESPN for Sunday Night football...and being the great country that it is, the game is available in Honduras! It was pretty exciting. Especially cuz Peyton beat the pants off of his little brother, Eli. I am also trying to teach Josue, my host brother more about american football. He is a pretty big sports nut, so we frequently bond over our plates of bean and tortillas while watching ESPN. Oh, I should also mention hes a Yankees fan. I've tried to change his mind, but he likes them a lot.

There is so much more I could tell you about my time here...how much I'm learning about cultural differences and immigration issues and family dynamics...but maybe i'll save that for another more serious post ;) Oh, and I'll also try to get more photos of the family, too.

dia de independencia

2010-09-17T18:24:00.000-04:00

September 15 is Independence Day in Honduras...pretty much everything was shut down on Wednesday for the parades, and the students (at least in my house) don't have school til Monday. Since I have been here in Nueva Suyapa, various high school 'marching bands' have been preparing for the festivities. It was not uncommon to hear the drum core practicing at 6am and continuing on and off until 5:30 or 6 pm! Lets just say I am glad that part is over :)

My job is part of MCM, which operates several different ministries in Nueva Suyapa. Our offices are housed in the Christian school that is run by MCM. On Tuesday, the school (El Verbo) had their own independence day parade down 'main street.' We were supposed to gather at 7am...of course, things did not get rolling til about 8:15...and the parade route, which I calculate to be about 1.5 miles uphill--took 2 hours and 30 minutes. It was pretty extensive. Thankfully, one of my coworkers (who I can barely understand) was driving a truck full of preschoolers in their costumes, so I tagged along in the cab :)

Since the office was closed Wednesday for the holiday, my host brother, Axel, offered to go with me to the big parade in Tegucigalpa. Everyone else in the family wanted to sleep in and watch on TV (I wasn't smart enough to know this was a good plan!). We left at 6:45 to get downtown...The parade was not over til 12:30!
It was a lot of walking and standing, but the general mayhem of the parade was entertaining.

The few pictures (above) are from the school parade in Nueva Suyapa...it isn't usually a good idea to go anywhere with valuables, so I left my camera at home for the big parade.

Later in the day, we went to a birthday party for my family's cousin. She was turning six, and all the cousins, from age 2 to 23 were pretty involved in the pinata.

This is a picture of me with with my host mom Lucia, and her youngest son, Axel.

That's about all from here. Have a good weekend, wherever you may be :)

the honduran bachelorette...

2010-09-10T18:52:00.001-04:00

yes, apparently I was not aware of this at the time, but instead of signing up for the SALT program, I really was signed up for a reality TV show called "Soltera Catracha"...which basically means, the bachelorette of Honduras.

While often times in the US we are defined by our work, it is much different in Honduras. Your value and association comes from your family and your marital status....lucky for me--I'm single! This means there is an unending stream of willing matchmakers.

Take my first visit to church on Wednesday evening...
The pastor noticed there was a new visitor among the flock. So of course, she had to be introduced.

My host mom stood up and told everyone who I was and what I would be doing, and that I was staying for 10 months. The congregation gave me a round of applause. Then the pastor asked "does she speak Spanish?"..."of course!" answered my host mother, happily. I started sinking lower in my seat, hoping I would not be called upon to share a sermon. Then the pastor asks me directly "Soltera o casada?" ...which means single or married. So of course, I answer "soltera"...This also receives a slight round of applause. "well, do you have a boyfriend in the United States?" he asks. "No," I respond, turning a few shades of red. (This time, quite a rousing round of applause from the church).

"Well, there are many men in Honduras, in fact many right here in this church. Don't worry, we can have you married before you leave." Then--he called on special men or "hermanos" in the church to give me a "warm welcome"...I did not have to wonder if they were single.

This is only one of several matchmaking stories, though assuredly the most public. And this is only week 1!

in Nueva Suyapa

2010-09-08T18:43:00.000-04:00

I am finally in my home in Nueva Suyapa...my neighborhood or "colonia" of Tegucigalpa for the next year-ish.
After a great MCC Honduras retreat this past weekend, 7 of us made the journey to Teguc. 3 of us from the SALT and YAMEN programs will be in various parts of the city, living and working.

My host family was SO incredibly excited to meet me and have me come on Sunday. They have been waiting for awhile to know who I am...I can only hope that I don't disappoint them :) They have hosted some Americans before, and the 3 year old grandson likes to play with the feet of the the gringos. He was very shy at first, but they other evening he crept into my room while I was on the phone and started imitating everything I did and then was playing with my feet....I guess this means I have been accepted!!

Other family members are my host mom, Lucia; oldest son Josue (22), daughter Kati (19 who is quickly becoming a fun friend) and younger son Axel (13). With the grandson of 3 years thrown in the mix it makes for a lively household. They have all been so warm and welcoming. They even compliment me on my Spanish frequently...which is pretty nice, because my Spanish is pretty bad at times (early in the a.m. and late at night).

Work has been pretty good so far...a little (ok, a lot) overwhelming. Not only is there a lot to learn, but its all in spanish! Thankfully the girl who is leaving the position I'm taking is still around for the week to show me how things work. Rachel has been a lifesaver, for sure. So far i have sat in on the meeting with all the loan officers that work here at MCM and 3 community bank meetings...i think tomorrow we are going to go visit one or two clients and see their businesses. It is really interesting and exciting. The one loan officer who I will be sharing an office with uses this incredible spreadsheet to track each of her community banks, and then each individual client's repayment history...it is pretty amazing. She is the only female loan officer here, and has a very different style than the men....much more relational. i love it :)

so far, it seems like I will be helping with possible training for the loan officers (dont feel totally competent here, but oh well!)....and, my bosses really want to get a business training school going, so i will likely be working on that too. They want to offer classes for the women on how to improve their businesses, so i will be organizing curriculum, promoting it, possible teaching the teachers how to teach it (!!) and maybe working on some kind of certification process. So...i'm pretty stoked about that...but feel very inadequate!

That's about all for now. I appreciate your continued prayers as I struggle through the akwardness of a new home and new job, and as I learn the ropes of living in this particular neighborhood of Teguc.

love to you all.

copan ruinas

2010-08-30T17:17:00.000-04:00

I am writing to you from the hot humid land of honduras. it rains every day, at least once, and rarely does that eliminate the heat or humidity. apparently they like to call this "invierno" or winter...i do not know any winter like this in my country. it really makes me feel like i might have descended from eskimos. oooohhh...a klondike bar sounds soo delicious right now!

anyway...back to the point. we are almost at the end of our language training. 2 more days of class to go!! My teacher, Iris is very cool, calm and collected, and very patient with my grammar. You would think after years of study that I would be whipping it out like nobody's business...too bad I dont even know what subjunctive is in English, so memorizing it in spanish is super annoying. But--we have fun times too.

My teacher invited me to her house on friday to make tortilla de espana together. We had read about it during one of our lessons, and i told her how much I loved it...so she wanted me to teach her how to make it. Another student and her teacher came along, and we had a great time cooking together. So much fun, in fact, she invited me over again this evening to have another dinner of spanish dishes. yum.

So...on Thursday we will head back to San Pedro Sula to travel with all the other MCCers to a weekend retreat. We are excited to get back to the city where the rest of our luggage is and be reunited with the few clothes we brought along (right now we are living out of our backpacks).

Next Monday at this time (Lord willing) I should be in Tegucigalpa!! I am getting excited and anxious to be with my new family there and get to know life in Nueva Suyapa (my neighborhood). It will also be a busy time as I get to know lots of people in my new job and learn what I will be doing.

I am thankful for this time I've had in Copan to get to know my other team members better and also have some good chunks of quiet time. I have been doing a lot of reading and journaling...rereading Blue Like Jazz and spending some time reflecting on other passages of scripture from orientation. It is good to get spiritually charged before the inundation of "newness" that is about to happen. or re-happen...well, basically, its just a continual process of adapting, learning and growing. so far so good :)