Recapping September

To retro date this a little bit, I’m going to take us back to September. About an even two months to be exact, just about the time my computer crashed the second time around.

As I’d mentioned in a previous post I got a site mate in mid September. There had been talk of it since I got here and that was in May. All I knew is that it would most likely be someone from the Youth Development project and I was hoping for a guy, ha-ha (sorry Alicia!). After our Reconnect I was anxious to get into site and meet her (I had already found out it would be a girl. The ratio of girls to guys in the YD project is about 3 to 1.). I had to do some research to find out who they had placed her with as a host family, but that wasn’t too hard. Everyone knows where the gringas are in town! So, on a Sunday afternoon in mid September I met Alicia and we are now the coolest girls in Guaimaca (ok, I’m slightly biased…)

The Honduran Independence day was September 15. Exactly the same as Mexico’s. Pretty much exactly the same as most of the Central American countries. Just part of the story as to why independence has still yet to be achieved here. The day was filled with parades, kids doing skits in the park and I’m not really sure what else. September is the official month of Patriotism here. Boy, are they brimming with it! (More on that later.) A few days after the 15th they celebrate the day the Mexican version of the Declaration of Independence arrived to Honduras and was ratified here. This date was really special to me because the teacher of half the kids I gave my business charlas to had to start micro-businesses and set up shop there in the park. Seeing kids putting to use what I’d taught them was an amazing feeling. Yet, in retrospect, getting off my high horse, they only did it that day because they were assigned. What would be really cool, would be if they were to keep selling long term. Oh, well!

As September drew to a close I was beginning to feel a little depressed/stressed out. My work had slowed down and not having anything to do in this country is fatal to many in terms of service in the Peace Corps. Not wanting to become a statistic and drop out, I made plans with Alicia to kick off our “HIV/AIDS Tour 2k10”! We got to work planning it, requested the funds from the Mayor, made all of our materials and set up dates with various schools in town.

Hasta la proxima vez…