viernes, 28 de septiembre de 2007

It's official!

Well, we were sworn in yesterday officially as volunteers. We all got up early in the morning, and got dressed in fancy dresses and suits and ties, and went to the US Embassy for a swearing in ceremony.

The ceremony reminded me a little bit of college graduation. There were various speakers, and each volunteer got a chance to introduce themselves, and say what project they were working with. The speeches were actually very inspiring. They weren't the cheesy college graduation speeches you get that seem to repeat the same idea over and over again "go out and change the world!" "You are all going to inspire the people you are around!" I guess those speeches were always just hard for me to swallow one after another, especially when I knew in my mind that most of these people didn't even really have any idea what their next step in life was, let alone were beginning to have ideas about changing the world. I suppose that is one of the reasons these speeches were so inspiring this time around. Because we really are getting ready to go out and change the world, but with a realistic attitude that the changes might not be so big.

The ceremony was followed by a delicious lunch, and an afternoon at the mansion of the Ambassador. His mansion consisted of a pool, tennis courts, a volleyball court and basketball court. So we definatly took advantage of the time, and had a great afternoon as new volunteers! Today, I am taking advantage of the fact that I'm a vounteer and sitting in their computer lounge at the Peace Corps office, using free internet (something we weren't able to do as trainees). I have been spending the day getting small errands done, and I am off tomorrow! I will probably not be able to get to the internet for a while, so if you don't hear from me, that would be why. So long friends, and I will talk to you the next time I emerge from my mountain......

domingo, 23 de septiembre de 2007

My life is like a roller coaster baby, baby

This weekend was the first time I got to visit my site, my home for the next two years. While traveling to my site, I was sitting on the bus waiting for the last leg of the trip to start, when my cell phone rang. It was Gabe, the guy who had volunteered in my site before me. ¨congratulations on getting the awesomest site in Honduras!¨ he sang into the phone. I hestatingly said thank you, finding that hard to believe as I sat in the blistering heat, sweating from places on my body I didn't even know I could sweat from, waiting for the damn bus to start.

After I got into the site, although it was absolutely beautiful and even a little cooler than it had been at the foot of the mountain, it did not seem to get much better. My host family consisted of just an older couple who didn´t even know I was coming that weekend, and seemed almost annoyed that I was there. I also got a fairly large room to myself, but such little furniture and bed, that they fit in one small corner of my room, while the rest looked eerily like a warehouse. The next day, after going around and meeting all the people I was supposed to meet in the town, I reached my house at noon. The day of introductions was supposed to last the entire day, but somehow got cut short to one hour. So, when I reached my house, I found myself bored out of my mind. After eating lunch and having only so much to say to my host family that apparently didn´t even want me there, I went back to my room and read until I got bored with that, and proceded to sit on my bed and stare at the ceiling, wondering if this is what the next two years of my life would be like.

The next day was the complete opposite. It was filled with adventure and unexpected encounters. I went first to the class Gabe taught, to meet the students I will be teaching english to every Saturday for the next month. I introduced myself in front of the class, and sat down quickly to hear him teach. His Spanish was, of course, absolutely perfect and slightly intimidating. But besides that fact, I realized that it wouldn´t be so hard for me to do. I actually got excited about what I would teach my class, and how I would be as a teacher. I have never even thought of the profession, mainly because I have always known I cannot explain things worth crap, but more importantly I don´t have any patience (which I assume is important for a teacher). But either way, I got very excited thinking about the possibilities of teaching.

The thing that made me the most excited though, was the Catholic youth group that I joined very briefly. This youth group was meeting in the school, just two doors down from where the students were having class. So I just basically fell upon them unexpectedly. Very excited, and not really knowing what I was doing, I just entered the room and sat down in the circle, and listened as the girl talked about different kinds of leaders, which ones are good and which ones are bad. She didn´t even really say anything inspiring, and I didn´t even talk to one person there because I had to leave early, but I for the first time since I had been in Honduras, felt at home. I realized also the beauty of being Catholic. That anywhere you go in the world, you can always find someone who you know who shares the same beliefs as you, and celebrates the same Mass with you each Sunday (or once a month, as the people do in this town).

The last part of my day was also wonderful. I met for the first time the president of the coffee cooperative that I will be working with mostly over the next two years. She is a woman, which is pretty rare here in Honduras to have woman leaders, especially of farming cooperatives. She was extremely inviting and also very excited to welcome me to the team. One of the first things she said to me was how happy she was that I was a woman, because women have much more trust between one another that a man could never share with them. This made me extremely happy, especially considering that my counterpart, the vice-president of the cooperative and a very ¨machista¨ man, definately had not seemed happy that I was a woman. But after talking to her and hearing all about the work I will be doing for the cooperative, I got very excited, especially about their attempt to get the fruit grown in their area (which there is a TON of) certified as organic, so they can sell it as certified organic produce, as well as possibly make it into jams and ship it off to the states.

Well, this is all I have to say about my experience. A roller coaster, basically. And I have a feeling the next two years of my life with follow a strikingly similar pattern......Oh, and as one last note, my host family warmed up to me quickly, after the initial shock of having me show up at their door unexpectedly. I love them, and know we will get along just fine.

domingo, 9 de septiembre de 2007

Hurricane Felix

Well, no worries my friends. Hurricane Felix did not get me, or anyone around me for that matter. It was actually quite disappointing. We were all at least expecting heavy rains or at least heavy winds as well, but just got a little drizzle that I'm not even sure was from the hurricane. So no worries, all is well and I have not gotten evacuated to Panama. I guess it is just not the time for that right now :)

So I have been thinking a lot about where they are going to send me. You see, this entire time during my training, my director has been searching out sites, counterparts, and families for each one of us volunteers. I keep wondering where I am going to be put, what kind of people will live in my community, and whether I will be placed by other volunteers that I will like. But as I start to worry about all of that stuff, I just have to take a deep breath and tell myself that everything will be okay. This entire experience thusfar has actually been a great lesson in patience and trust in God. I have really had to trust in the Lord during this time more than I ever have before. I know everyone worries about the towns they are sent to, whether they will like it, and whether they will be able to live in the conditions they are put it.

I definately cannot say that I haven´t fallen subject to the same preocupations. But whenever I am able to catch myself worrying about it, I just give it up to the Lord, and realize that whatever I am given is what He wants for me, therefore it will be the best for me. Take the family that I am living with right now, for example. They are the most amazing, friendly and easy-going people I have met here in Honduras. I know that they are a blessing from God to help me know that He is here with me, and to help me with my Spanish. They are just the people I needed to be placed with to help me with my Spanish especially, because they are very patient helping me learn the language, as well as very easy to talk to. And I was extremely worried at first that I would have a bad family! Well now I know, that the Lord is looking out for me. And even if I run into problems, which I am sure I will, He will help me to get out of them. So I await the announcement of my site with anticipation and excitement. We will find out in one week, and two weeks after that, we all leave for those sites, where we will live for the next two years of our lives. It is a scarey thought sometimes, but I know it is God´s will for me.