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.
October 29, 2010
October 26, 2010
home away from home
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 :)
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!)
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.
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...
We ate dinner on the Troyer's roof, overlooking the city (very awesome)...
October 19, 2010
working at MCM
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.
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.
October 10, 2010
family foto fun
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.
October 7, 2010
wow. its october!
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:
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.
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
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.
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