stick it to the man.

(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

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

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...

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

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

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:

1. I really love Honduras, MCC Honduras, and am excited to stay longer and get to know even more of the country, people, language, etc.
2. 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.
3. 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 :)