Hey everyone!
Sorry it's been a little longer than normal with this post. Life down here has been a little busier than "normal" (although, there's no normal down here yet...that much I've learned!)
So, let me get you up to speed a little bit about where I'm at now, since some people still seem to have it twisted. We are now in Field Based Training (FBT) in Ojojona, pretty near the capital again, just a different direction this time. I'm here with the other 17 Business (BZ) aspirantes (trainees) and we are now into the intense meat of the whole pre-service training (PST). (There is SO much jargon here in the PC [Peace Corps], more than the medical field...yes, I'm sure of that.) The other trainees from Health and Water/Sanitation are in two different towns as well, getting more specific training on their projects. This town is an old colonial town and very cute. It's got quite a bit of history and one historical site is the home where Francisco Morazan once lived, the man for which this department (Honduras has 18 departments, as the US has 50 states) is named for. In the AM training sessions we have 4 hours of Spanish classes from 7:30 to 11:30. These classes are held in the homes of the host families that our teachers are living with. (Yes, our teachers have host families too.) We get an hour and a half for lunch. (It's not that glamorous. It's a 20 min walk from where I live to where I have Spanish classes. It's a decent walk though and some good exercise.) Our afternoon session, from 1-5 is more project specific and we have learned about many things already. Some of these things include the Honduras Junior Achievement, Educatodos, PACA tools, business incubation and the use of technology in projects. (If anyone really wants to know more about those things ask, otherwise I won't bore you.)
I'm living with a new host family. A single mom, 21 year old host brother and his 26 year old wife and 2 little girls ages 8 and 3. They're great and I can't complain about anything. Besides the fact that my house is on nearly the highest point in this town and walking up at least 2 times a day is killer, but it has got to be some amazing exercise, so it's a good thing really.
Anyway, enough of the boring overview. On to find out why this blog is brought to you by the number 1. Oh, so many reasons!
1) This is my first post from Ojojona!
1) We celebrated our 1 month anniversary here in Honduras last Wednesday the 24. OK, we didn't actually celebrate per se, but it was the 1 month mark nonetheless.
1) I collaborated with others to give my first charla (basically a short presentation/lecture). My group went to the local colegio (high school) and gave a presentation on Community Mapping (part of that PACA tool thing I mentioned). As a group we did well. No matter that there was 5 of us and about 16 high school kids, it was still a little intimidating. I haven't done any presentations since being in college and peers are easier than kids. I was my typical self and quite reserved as usual in a group setting. I need to get more outgoing later on, but it will be easier when I don't have other group members as a crutch.
1) My Spanish class and I went to my first wake (both ever and in Honduras). We started the morning with the teacher asking us if we knew what certain vocab words meant. We come to find out they mean wake and other related terms and then he pretty much says, "OK, we're going to a wake now for this baby that wasn't carried to full-term. You guys can talk to the people and ask questions and there will be coffee and refreshments." Remember, classes start at 7:30, so it was about 7:45 and we just learned we were going to a surprise wake. Interesting way to start the day. This was definitely a choque cultural (culture shock) moment. Here's a group of 6 gringos going to a strangers house for a wake of a 4 month old fetus essentially, and we're told to ask questions of the mourners. There was the world's tiniest coffin and many people coming and going. Apparently, in Honduran culture most the small towns all know each other so it's completely normal to stop by someone's home when they're having the wake to pay your respects, even if you'd never met the person before. And yah, the wakes are held in home, there's no funeral parlors here. It is also the responsibility of the mourning family to provide refreshments for all these people stopping by the home and also be completely hospitable. Definitely different from the US, where we reserve mourning for close family and friends and it is completely acceptable to be a hermit for awhile, while other people bring you over food, casseroles and other dishes. While we were sitting there sipping our Sprite and odd little sandwiches (of who knows what) one aunt comes up to me...of 6 gringos...shoves a camera in my face with pictures of the fetus/baby on it saying how it looks just like it's sleeping. Gee, thanks lady! It had been closed casket, but I was surprised to see people come in, open it up and take a peek. I had been avoiding trying to see it and good 'ol tia just brought it right on home. Needless to say one guy in our class explained to our teacher later that it had been a very awkward situation for us and it pretty much goes against most US norms for death. He hadn't known. It's amazing what ridiculous things some of the PC staff still believe about Americans after having worked with the PC for so many years. (As in, there's no poor/homeless people in the US whatsoever, everyone age 22+ in the US is a college grad and more which I can't think of right now.)
1) First beach trip!!! Last Saturday I went with my host family on a bus trip to the Pacific Ocean side and spent a day at the beach. It was good overall, but I've gotta say I loathe the bus travel here in this country. Buses are old school buses from the US that don't meet emissions standards, safety standards or who knows what other standards. The Honduran rule of thumb is, "The more passengers, the more money." If there isn't 3 people crammed into a seat made for 2, the bus is not full. This does not bode well with my large American bubble of personal space, nor the fact that I don't like skin to skin contact with someone I don't know that well when it's about a million degrees and you're playing sardines in the bus. Furthermore, as we were about half an hour away from getting back the bus driver decides to pull over for a pit stop in which everyone piles off the bus to buy junk food and soda after we've already been going for 3 hours without stopping. I guess it's just my OCD, but if you've gone that far without stopping just man up and make it the rest of the way! Geez. So enough venting about bus travel. The beach was a good chance to see some nature, I love the beach...always have. The current and undertow were STRONG, so it was mostly just trying to stand your ground and not get sucked away with every wave vs. being able to swim, but it felt good to be in the sea again. Reminded me of Spain! :) And gold star for this uber fair, blonde gringa. I didn't get sunburned!
Anyway, that's all for the 1's I've got. Look for part 2 NOW!
No comments:
Post a Comment