new digs

So I've moved to a new place!

Last Saturday I had packed up everything in my tiny apartment and was ready to move to another one at least 3 times the size of where I was living. This is exciting for many reasons, the best being that now I have a guestroom for all of my visitors to the bed & breakfast ;)

The other great thing is I'm only a block away from where I was living...so, not far to move everything and still conveniently close to the office and church.

Thought you might like to see some photos so, I will try to give you the full tour...

walking into the parking area, to the right, more apartments

to the left, my groundfloor apartment, and parking space, if i had a car ...

come on in!

my very own SEPARATE living room :) kitchen door to left, bedroom door straight ahead.

lets check out my huge kitchen!!

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notice: stove!! and hanging baskets...courtesy of my personal handyman 

Lets take a look at what I've got cookin' :)

no cookie sheets yet, but this girl can improvise  haha

 

sink area 

more storage...to the left of the sink.

a look back to the living room as we walk to the bedroom...

to the left when you look in bedroom, looking into spare room

guest room, or currently, junk pit !

looking back into the bedroom from the second room doorway. door ahead is bathroom

and the bathroom. dont worry, there is a shower, you just cant see it.

So there you have it. It's nicer in person, so you should probably come and visit soon!!

culture crash

Sometimes its hard for me to articulate what is so different about my life in the States compared to my life in Honduras.

Other days, its a continual barrage of differences that get under my skin and get me all riled up!

Culture incorporates so many tangible and (more importantly) intangible things that make us who we are, that dictate what we do, and even how we react to things. You might be thinking, yeah, but is it really that big of a deal? I mean, people are people no matter where you go. And you might be right. According to my co-worker, any time I bring up the idea of cultural differences he tells me that it's an excuse and talking about culture is "papadas" (read: you're full of crap).

Well, I would just like to say that it's not crap. It's real. And I struggle to live with these differences, good and bad, every minute of every day of my life in Honduras. And I don't appreciate being told that it's an excuse when it's something that feels very real to me. Until you have lived in another culture and understand the subtle differences that culture adds to everyday life, you can't tell me it's nothing.

Primarily I get riled up in the work place where we have a LOT of differences in how we approach things. Granted, a lot of this is personality...and I will freely admit that. However, there are a lot of cultural trends that shape how we approach our work and how we do or do not get things accomplished. The inefficiency and lack of just...getting-things-done is enough to drive me crazy. There is always tomorrow. And you rush, rush, rush to wait. Hurry up and wait is very typical. And meetings...don't even get me started. If you just spent one hour actually DOING something at your desk, we would need 95% fewer meetings to talk about what you plan to do.

In a different vein, I was reflecting on the food of Honduras and how really, well, un-interesting it is. Every restaurant seems offer the same standard menu, no matter where you go. Oh sure, there are establishments that specialize in fried chicken, or pupusas, or maybe just baleadas...but really, Hondurans have a startling lack of variety in their diet.

It got me thinking about how many varieties of food I used to enjoy in a typical week...but then my daydreaming about Thai food got me drooling over everything so I had to stop that! But it is interesting to consider what a cultural trend there is in the U.S. to try something new, the latest thing, something rare...because it's exciting, and you might discover the next greatest thing. Here in Honduras, you stick to what you know. New is scary...new might be bad.

So where does all this leave me? What am I trying to say?

Well..I guess I'm just trying to blog-it-out  and express that living in another culture is challenging for the very ways it stretches you to do things differently and live in ways that don't feel "normal." It's not always bad...there are a lot of good things about it to (hopefully a future post ;) )...but I just need the acknowledgement and affirmation that it is hard. It's not papadas. That what I feel is justifiable and when you've only been steeped in your own culture, you can't really know what all is wrapped up in that word, and how it might make others feel out of place, or un-welcome some times. I know what that's like because I live it.

There are just those days...when it's too much. And you don't want to eat another piece of fried chicken. You really just want something...different!

for the birds...

The last week of March I had a good friend who works for MCC in Tegucigalpa, Kathy Troyer, come to Santa Rosa to live with me for a week. Kathy has a lot of experience in gardening projects and worm-composting so we invited her to come and share her knowledge with ACDIM's women's groups.

 We planned a whole week of time to prep the training, do a demonstration with me and my coworker, and then visit the 4 community groups to teach them how to create worm composting beds in old tires.




It was a busy busy week with lots to do and lots going on. Kathy and I had quite a time wrestling old tires and trying to turn them inside-out...lets just say, we decided the difference in "space" wasn't worth our time!

Kathy gave us lots of great resources for learning more about worm composting and other gardening techniques. Together we put together a 10 page lesson covering the basics of worm composting, organic fertilizer, what the worms need to produce the organic fertilizer, and how to create a pleasant atmosphere for them in a tire. As we went to each of the women's groups, Kathy took the lead on the training and I was there to back her up and fill in some of the blanks.

After each lesson in "theory" we did a demonstration and left some starter worms in each community.

they were not to sure about touching poop with bare hands, like Kathy does :)

I learned A LOT more than I ever wanted to know about worms in this week and saw the passion Kathy has for her own worms :)  More importantly, I learned how they can really make a difference in the lives of women who care for them and reap the benefits of a nicely fertilized garden plot. Kathy has witnessed the change this kind of project has made in the lives of her friends and neighbors, and we are hopeful the women we work with with get excited about the possibility of family gardens as well.

Oscar...he is one of a kind

What I did not anticipate was having to care for my own crew of worms. The idea is to have a supply  for when women in the groups want more worms...and I thought for sure my co-worker (who purports to be expert in all things related to agriculture) would jump at the chance to take ownership of the worms--boy, was I mistaken!

I now have my own pets, living it up in collected excrement and coffee pulp. Not only did Kathy leave behind her beloved worms, but also a healthy fear of needing to protect them from the elements and predators (even fishermen who want to steal them for their hobby!). It has gotten to the point that I have found myself running around in thunderstorms with flashlight in hand to protect the rain-soaked worm bin from flooding...and wondering "what the heck have I gotten myself into?"

Overall, it was a productive week and a great chance to spend time with Kathy before her time with MCC wraps up this summer. It was good to show her my life here and share a week together, the ups and downs of life at ACDIM, living in a tiny apartment, and sharing some good laughs too.