And dontcha ya come back no mo no mo no mo

So for a couple of weeks now I have been lulled to sleep every night by the soft hum of honey bees. Rather soothing actually. It was, however, not so soothing when I woke up to 8 of the little buggers in my room and a screen full of them in my bathroom! 6 am or not, I needed to deal with this. A quick phone call to my landlord and a day later we were ready for battle. An English speaking neighbor, Susie, brought some kids over with a stack of newspaper and book of matches ready for business. We were gonna smoke em out! As we gathered kindling from around the yard I thought, oh man, this could go bad. Susie started the fire and the smoke went right up into the roof where the little guys had made a home. Immediately the collective hum of the intruders was fierce, they were being invaded and new it. They started fleeing, little by little. The next phase, Raid, aka, one of my best new found friends here in Honduras. I sprayed and lots more headed for the hills. Well that was that, right? Of course not silly. One of the boys climbed a ladder to the scene of the crime. He proceeded to break the ceramic roofing to get a better look. And there it was....

Now I am no beekeeper, obviously, but these suckers had to have been there for a while to be this far along on a hive. It was so beautiful and intricate, truly a work of art. So now what do we do? It´s not like I was with a professional, I mean this kid was just winging it. And I of course, hav no clue what to do because in my old life I had the Marks of the world to assist me with these types of home invasion issues. So he takes his machete and slices the cones one by one and dumps them into a cardboard box to be burned. Ok, I can live with that. As the day came to a close I was satisfied with our work, until I heard the faint familiar buzz again. I think it may have been even lounder than before. I barely slept imagining the revolt of angry bees swarming my head in the middle of the night. The next day we not only smoked them out, but literally we smoked me out of my house. They had three huge piles of dry leaves and things going and I have never seen more bees come out of a roof in my life. Ok, so I had never seen bees come out of a roof, but I was a ton! It´s going to take a mighty bottle of Frebreeze to regain some normal scent to my belongings. So I called Susie and told her that I had good news and I had bad news. The good news was, they bees are all gone, I am certain of it. And the bad news she asked? They have already renested in the neighbors tree! Oh well she said, not our problem anymore!

Back to Normal, Almost.

I have emerged from the coming home blues. All it took was another vacation of course! Let me explain. I already had to take the almost 9 hour bus ride into the capital city for midservice medical checkups, so I figured why not take advatange? First I stayed with my very first host family, Patty, Javier and Alejandra in Tegucigalpa. They just had a new baby, Javier. While I only stayed with them a short time, any time with them is held dear in my heart. Plus I had to drop off some gear to represent! Then, because riding in a bus for 9 hours in one day wasn`t quite enough, I hopped on another one the next day for another nearly 7 hour ride to Morolica, Choluteca to visit my friend Kristin. Now when I say ride, I mean dirt, winding, bumpy roads with the most amazing mountainous views I have every seen. Every corner you turn your breath is taken away again unexpectedly. What a rich country, so lush and natural with little golden nuggets like Morolica tucked away at the foothills. Morolica was severely damaged by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and they have rebuilt the small town at a higher elevation just a few kilometers away from the old site. We did get to tour Old Morolica which was amazing to see because of stories I have heard about the devestation. The other great thing about visiting Kristin was experiencing her Peace Corps experience. Most people don`t realize how distinct our experiences are from each other. My house is very private, very enclosed on a street where hardly anyone passes by. Kristin had neighboors stopping by, bringing food, offering to take us places. Everyone that passed by the house greeted her. Also, she doesn`t always have water and the electricity goes out all of the time. These are things I don`t have to deal with, but she does with a smile on her face.

Apparently there are two things I just can`t get enough of, busses and the beach. We hopped on a couple more busses for a couple more hours and arrived in the department of Valley, Honduras. Then we hopped on a boat and headed to the island of Amapala, which is right on the borders of Nicaragua and El Salvador. We rented a big house right on the beach and hung out, swam, played games, created music and cooked. It was so relaxing and such a boost to be with good friends.

Next it was back to Tegucigalpa for midservice medical checkups, which weren`t particularly fun, but what is fun is having our Municipal Development group all together in one place. Then it was back home where I found an old friend. Anne is back and ready to work my butt off, so I am super pumped about that. We have big plans for the school health program, the dental team and some other neat projects. We are meeting soon to plan the next six months.

As for the municipality I am still working on a project which is protecting the borders of a nearby river through reforestation and education. Part of that project is creating a garbage collection service for my town, a much needed service. We hope to start on that portion of the project soon. Of course my English classes are still going strong, well, at least stronger than any other work I have going on. Some Saturdays, like yesterday when only 3 of my 12 adults showed up, are disappointing, but at least I got to those 3! I brought back some "snow" from the states to show the kids in my morning class. It was just a package of some sort of crystals that you add water to and it puffs into real looking, real feeling snow. We did a whole chapter on weather and at the end that was a treat for them. You should have seen their faces. Never have they seen snow, weird for this Northeast Ohioan to imagine. The high school library that I am working on with Oscar 1.0 is coming together nicely. We just ordered a ton of books and reference guides. This was made possible by the Ames, Iowa Rotary Club.

Politically things are calm as candidates campaign for the upcoming election. The President who was removed by the military and Congress has not been put back into office as an agreement between himself and the newly appointed President was never reached. Schools have been closed more than a month early and, because of the disruptions with teachers striking, the government has decided that every child will pass on to the next grade regardless of their performance. My hope is that a new President will be elected in November, take office in January and the strikes and closed schools will be less frequent. Everything else aside, this is my main concern. Why would a government want their people to remain uneducated? Jarring.

For those of you who read my last blog, here is the little visitor that surprised me upon my return home from the states.

It's Good to be Home

And... where might that be?

Disclaimer: Today is probably not the best of days for me to be writing, but I decided to forge on and allow a brief glimpse into that other side of life for a Peace Corps volunteer that is oh so hard to explain, albeit equally as important as the laughing, getting suntanned, swinging in hammocks all day side. After an amazing two week trip back home to Ohio I find myself in a haze. They tell you the "what the heck am I doing here" moments will come and go, but having them at a time when I could still smell my mom's perfume on my shirt, still see my dad's great big smile chuckling at me, still feel the soft skin of my best friend's son on my shoulder, and still hear my niece and nephew laughing at nothing I have to wonder if I can shake this one.

Think positive, think positive. Ok, here it goes, but I can pretty much guarantee this is going to take a turn into that indescribable land of clutter brain that is the Peace Corps life. Please bear with me. My trip home, ahh, my trip home. From the moment I left my little town until the moment I landed back 3 pounds heavier from the all the Reese's Cups I smuggled everything was bliss. My best friend with her beautiful one year old son who I had never met along with my mother and brothers met me at the airport and there it is was, the life I had left behind. I found it just as I had left it (other than the few extra human beings who had arrived into the world since I left). Everything just picked up where I had left it. I kid you not, just about every single person I spent time with said "It feels like you never left". I'm not sure what I was expecting. The horror stories of volunteers going home and feeling abandoned and like a freakish outsider danced in the back of my head during my first year. What if we don't have anything to talk about anymore? What if I feel differently about something that was commonplace for me before? What if the people I love the most don't feel like they know who I am anymore? Nonsense I say, nonsense. The only problem I had adjusting to my old life was not having enough time, and even that I managed like any red blooded American, with lots of Starbucks. My voice literally went out on me from spreading my stories and experiences. This was the only hint that I had gone anywhere. I never tired of all of the open arms and hearts from people at my Dad's doctors' offices, to all of the wonderful people at Heinen's and my dear friends from Greater Cleveland Volunteers who follow my life and have genuine concern and interest. I never really knew life was that good until I stepped away from it for a minute and came back. With that, I now must go back from where I came, for another year.

My heart is not heavy from this, on the contrary, I feel more light and free here than anywhere in the world. Dun, dun, dunnnnn. Enter the huge "but" you all knew was coming. With the pleasant northeast breeze of Ohio nipping my back I landed, as did the drops of sweat to the ground from my brow. Seriously, I am melting. So I call the hotel (and by hotel I mean a room in someone's house) to pick me up. No he says, we don't pick up from the airport. Fine, I will just have a taxi take me from here, I say. Wait he says, are you a Peace Corps volunteer? Why, yes, as a matter of fact I am. He says, I will come get you for $10, those guys will rip you off big time. Now to the average optimist this seems like a great turn out, right? Well it is, for Honduras. In my own country I would have friends to come get me, or a car to drive freely, or know the public transportation system well enough to get myself wherever I needed to go, at my own control. In the states $10 is lunch at Panera, here it is about 4% of my monthly income. Ahh, this relativity thing is really a mind boggler.

At least I had a not so warm welcoming from an unexpected friend when I returned, at my very own house in fact. My friend Oscar and I entered my house and I went straight to the kitchen to put some food away. Jessica, come here my friend said. Hang on, I am doing something I reply. No, Jessica, seriously, come here he says. Writhing in the door jam was a creamy yellow slithering snake which had apparently followed our steps into my house and when the door shut an ear piercing crunch led Oscar's eyes to the door jam, where he introduced me to our newest houseguest. In typical girl fashion first I shrieked, then I jumped up and down on each foot like I was playing a terrifying game of hopscotch, then I ran. My very manly Honduran friend grabbed a large rock, which normally serves as a door stop and, in a very "me protect Jane" fashion started taking stabs at the cold blooded creature's head. Just as he landed a good blast a scorpion ran across my path as if to say "Ha ha, you can never get us all!". Another shriek and hoppity skip later both invaders were slain. Funny now? Sure. Just oh so far away from another life.

The pressure had been building, in my chest that is. Literally as soon as I landed in Honduras, I wrote it off as the immense climate change. That and the weight of my own expectations suffocating me. Oh, and the anxiety from the thought of not having another Iced Carmel Macciato for another year. Worse and worse it got. Before I knew it I was hacking up colors of the rainbow one should never see in phlem. This brings me to a cultural breakthrough as well as an upper resipratory infection diagnosis. It is very customary here to hauk up whatever goop that ails you from within and spit. Out a car window, out your front door, on the floor of the municipality, wherever nature calls. Eeww! Disgusting! How could anyone? Well, they can and should, I now feel their pain. I don't know if it's the dust, the burning garbage or the exhaust that leaves you hacking in the busses path, but it is real and necessary. If there were a group on Facebook I would be a fan, I Hauk Loogies! Who am I kidding, I am sure there is one. Oh, and by the way, I had to Google both "hauk" and "loogies" for the correct spelling. That brought up some interesting results.

Yes, these experiences give me great fodder for my new found vehicle of expression, but under the humor there is confusion. How is it that this experience feels like the most wonderful love I have ever experienced while all the while stitches of the most intense loneliness on the planet are sewn throughout? I am struggling. Maybe the reason I have come here was simply to give me the courage to utter those three little words. I could never muster the strength before now.

Anxiously Waiting

While life continues here, it hinges on what might happen today between the ousted President and the President appointed by the Honduran Congress. Here is a recent article from the Miami Herald regarding the political situation in Honduras.

Miami Herald - Posted on Friday, July 17, 2009 Talks seen as last chance to end Honduras' crisis By Freddy Cuevas, The Associated PressTEGUCIGALPA, Honduras --

Allies of Honduras' ousted President Manuel Zelaya say U.S.-backed talks in Costa Rica Saturday may be the last chance to avert a clash, perhaps even civil war.
Zelaya is threatening to return to his homeland with or without an agreement on ending the standoff and has said Hondurans have a constitutional right to launch an insurrection against an illegitimate government.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley called Friday for nations to support the talks that are being mediated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for helping to end Central America's wars.
He also appeared to allude to remarks by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a Zelaya ally who has called the negotiations a U.S.-backed trap and said on Friday: "In the next few hours, Zelaya will enter Honduras and we'll see what the gorillas are going to do" about it.
"No country in the region should encourage any action that would potentially increase the risk of violence either in Honduras or in surrounding countries," said Crowley, speaking to reporters in Washington.
Interim President Roberto Micheletti has said Zelaya might try to sneak in by crossing Nicaragua's jungle-cloaked border with Honduras, but the ousted president apparently was still in Nicaragua's capital on Friday.
Zelaya told Venezuelan state television late Thursday that the weekend talks hold out a moment of hope for a solution, but he was still readying for a return.
"I am preparing various alternatives: by air, by land, and others," he said. In Honduras, meanwhile, about 2,000 Zelaya supporters blocked two highways connecting Tegucigalpa to the Caribbean and Pacific coasts for several hours Friday.
American Airlines temporarily suspended its two daily U.S. flights to the capital because of the political crisis, airline spokeswoman Berna Osorto said. Continental and Delta were continuing their flights.
Arias has presented a series of possible compromises to both camps, but indicated a power-sharing deal in which Zelaya could return to serve out the remaining months of his term with limited power would dominate the talks.
Arias said discussions also will cover possible amnesty for Zelaya. The Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for Zelaya before the coup, ruling his effort to hold a referendum on whether to form a constitutional assembly was illegal. The military decided to send him into exile instead on June 28 - a move that military lawyers themselves have called illegal but necessary.
Many Hondurans viewed the proposed referendum as an attempt by Zelaya to push for a socialist, Chavez-style model of governing.
Arias said Friday both camps have "softened, and I think we are going to find more flexibility." In the first round of talks the two sides agreed only to meet again.
Micheletti told Colombia's RCN Radio that his government is open to dialogue but argues that Zelaya committed crimes against "the economy, the citizenry and against the constitution" and cannot be allowed to return to power.
He accused Zelaya of "calling for bloodshed." Micheletti said he is willing to move up the elections as a way out of the crisis. The congressional president, sworn in to replace Zelaya, also said he would resign "if Mr. Zelaya stops inciting a revolutionary movement in the country and stops trying to return here."
If no agreement is reached, Zelaya's foreign minister Patricia Rodas has said he would return to Honduras to install a parallel government "to direct what I will call the final battle." She did not elaborate.
Zelaya's Sunday deadline for the coup leaders to back down falls on the 30th anniversary of Nicaragua's July 19, 1979, Sandinista revolution that toppled dictator Anastasio Somoza.
U.S.-backed Contra rebels later used Honduras as a base to attack President Daniel Ortega's socialist Sandinista government.
Rumors abound in Honduras that arms are once again being sent in through Puerto Cortes, that Venezuelans and Nicaraguans are infiltrating groups in the country and that uprisings are being planned in two or three provinces, according to political analyst and columnist Juan Ramon Martinez.
Ortega called rumors of Nicaraguan infiltration "a total lie," and countered with reports that Honduran soldiers might try to disguise themselves as Nicaraguan troops to spark unrest.

Fiesta de Pizza!

I have to tell you, this English class has been my favorite project here. My students are there because they really want to learn. They show up every Saturday, do their homework and really study for the quizzes and tests. Not only do I have a working relationship with this group of people, but we are truly friends too. Here are the dipolma earners on the last day of the first English class. I am like a proud mama.

Speaking of mamas, here is Iris accepting her diploma. Her daughter Isabel and son in law Oscar are also in the class. One day the class had an assignment to interview a classmate. Iris interviewed Isabel`s best friend, Alicia. Not only was her English terrific, but the way she talked about her daughter`s best friend brought me to tears. She said how she feels like Alicia is her very own daughter and how she has been special to her since she was a little girl and how watching her grow up with Isabel has been a joy. I thought of all of my best friends and how close I am to so many of their moms. I am so lucky to have so many people in life to love, and the list just keeps getting longer.
Ok, so this one is kind of random and off topic, but this is Alicia`s little boy Angel. I usually hold him and play while everyone is working on independent assignments or tests. I call him my little boyfriend and the class gets a kick out of it. The other cool thing about it is he is almost exactly the same age as my best friend`s son, who I have yet to meet since I had left for the Peace Corps before he was born. I try to imagine sometimes that it`s him I am hugging and snuggling. Can`t wait to meet you Pax!

9 of my students earned a diploma, obtaining a 70 percent or better. From the beginning of the class I had promised that the top 3 from each class would earn a trip to Pizza Hut. At the last minute, since there were only 3 more than I had planned, Susan told me to invite everyone. Well, it couldn`t have been better timing, it was a perfect time to remove ourselves from the earthquakes, H1N1 flu and political goings on for an afternoon of some serious pizza eating.

Here`s Idalia (one of only 2 kids from the basic class who earned a diploma) and Karen, one of the better students in the more advanced class. Both of them had the best attendance only missing one class each. Idalia lives in a community which is about a 45 minute walk to the place where English class is held. Through rain, earthquakes and 100 degree heat she has shown up. Remember when I talked about the good advice I received regarding focusing on "one"? If Idaliah is the only person to get something out of my being here, it will have been worth it.

Special thanks to Susan and my friend Mary from home for making this awesome outing possible.

.

Coup

President Zelaya has been removed from the country and, in the eyes of the Honduran government, from office. This morning at 6 am the Honduran military went to his home, physically removed him and put him on a plane to Costa Rica pursuant to a court order issued by the Supreme Court. Today there was to be a vote of the Honduran people, a referendum, for an issue on November`s ballot pertaining to the extension of a President`s term limits, among other broadly termed changes to the Constitution. The Supreme Court ruled that this vote was illegal prior to the vote, but Zelaya wanted to continue regardless. He asked for the help of his military in seeing the vote took place and General Velasquez, the top dog, refused siding with the Supreme Court. Zelaya fired him, he was reinstated after the Supreme Court ruled he had been released without reason. Honduras has sworn in a provisional President, Roberto Micheletti, the head of Congress.

For more information click on the following links.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/06/27/honduras.zelaya/index.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/06/28/honduras.president.arrested/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Please know that I am safe and Peace Corps has been in constant contact with me about what is happening. Lots of friends, neighbors and co-workers are watching over me and keeping me informed. I am in extremely good hands. I have not seen any sort of violence of protesting and there seems to be a general sense of calmness where I live as well as through the entire country. The days ahead will provide us with more answers and a clearer picture of how this will play out. I will keep you posted.

These are the days of my life.

Pheww! Time is just a rollin on by. It has been almost a year since I flew off to begin this crazy journey. Let me tell you about what has been going on lately.

Honduran Labor Day, what a great holiday here. We actually spent the day together, with the people we work with, what a concept! It was great, we packed some coolers and headed down to the river. We ate, drank, danced and swam all afternoon. Here is our mayor enjoying the BBQ. This really brought me closer to my co-workers, although one had a few too many cervezas and was growling like a wolf because we were at a place called Los Lobos (the wolves)! Just like the office parties I am used to.

I am still working hard with Oscar to get the high school library in order. Here he is showing off the tables we had a carpenter make for the room. We are also starting a project together to try to get funding for a sort of trade school at the high school. It would be like a technical training center for cooking, mechanics, woodshop, and other trades.

Also, we are working with the women at Grandma's house on a home garden project. Here are the kids. Hopefully this garden project can get some nutritious vegetables in their bellies as well as some money from selling some to pay for other necessities. An organization called PeaceWork in conjunction with Virginia Tech University, a technical training organization called INFOP and members of the community are all playing a part in this project. My part... I like to play and talk with the kids and give lots of hugs and kisses. I have the best job in the whole world.

We gave some HIV talks at the factory at Standard Fruit Company. I asked 2 health volunteers to come and do it, I just set it up. They did such a great job. The factory workers asked us to come back to give a demonstration how to use a condom. We showed them and handed out condoms. It was a great success. Right now we are working with the administrative offices of Standard Fruit to get a team of employess together to have them trained by Peace Corps volunteers on all of the HIV information so that they can give the talks. Sustainability, sustainability, sustainability.

Then it was time for my suntanned toes to tickle some sand. My dear friend Sandy from the states came for a week of fun. We started by staying at the Intercontinental Hotel, it was luxurious, especially having been removed from such joys for so long. We cranked the air and slept on the most comfortable beds in the whole world, I am serious. We spent a couple of days on Utila, one of the islands off the coast of Honduras. We stayed in a great hotel, the Mango Inn. It was in the middle of a bunch of trees and tropical plants. We swam in the pool, explored the island, snorkeled in the Caribbean, found a mattress that Sandy really wanted to take home, ate serious amounts of food (including the most delicious cinnamon roll in the world, seriously, the outside is even more delicious than the inside, how can it be?) and I even found time for a pedicure, and yes, that is a ping pong paddle. We took a hike to a waterfall and another at the Pico Bonito lodge followed by a nice lunch. It was so great to have one of my peeps here with me to see exactly what I am doing, where I live and meet the people that have become what my life is all about. Plus, she brought me a bunch of goodies including Cranberry Chutney Yankee candles, hair gel (dont judge me, you try to have curly hair and live in the tropics), vegetable and herb seeds (although I may have to come up with a better plan than planting them in my yard, I recently discovered I have some coconut thieves) and dried apricots. Sandy went way outside of her comfort zone to be here, just ask her about her first encounter with a port-a-potty. Thanks for an amazing week Sandy! You will have to come back so we can find Utopia, for real this time. Oh, and to give your Honduran dog a day in the life of an American, maybe we can make a reality show.

Right after Sandy left (sniffle sniffle) it was Carnival in the La Ceiba, the biggest party in Honduras (smile smile). Along with Carnival there are little carnivalitos all throughout the area. Oscar took me to the carnival and it was surprisingly similar to one of our fairs. There was livestock, live music, cotton candy and even cheesy games to win your loved one an equally cheesy prize. We ate pupusas (think cheese, dough and fried) and listened to a live band. There was also a rodeo, yee haww!

English classes are going great! Recently the kids received an assignment to make a book of all the lessons they had learned including an activity for each lesson such as a word search. Thanks to Mary for offering the resources to buy all the materials they could have ever wanted to make their books. The final is this Saturday, eeeek! Some of the adults also made a book. I was more than impressed, they obviously took a huge amount of time to complete these. Don`t worry, they were handsomely rewarded in the form of bonus points. Also, again thanks to Mary, the top 3 students from each class will be joining me for a lavish Pizza Hut lunch!

Ever zipped through the rainforest on wire cables and a harness? If not, you totally need to try it. My friends Susan and Scott host mission teams and one of their teams invited me along on their ziplining trip. We went to a nearby town called Sambo Creek where you drive up a steep mountain and arrive at the first tree stand. You have a harness with a hook that they hook onto the pulley thingy that takes you down the wire. The longest run is about a kilometer. You zip from tree stand to tree stand and are able to look out into the rainforest and the ocean. There were 18 zips in all. Amongst the rainforest are pockets of hot springs, some are even at boiling temperature. After the zipping we had a picnic at one of the cooler hot springs where there was a bowl of mud available for skin masks. Who needs Mario`s?!

Part of our program in the schools is checking eye acuity and for any obvious problems so that we can send them to an eye clinic for assistance. Recently I organized a bus to take 9 people to the clinic for glasses and other consultations. Two kids received eyeglasses, two kids will go back with their parents in August to talk to a specialist about surgery (both are cross-eyed) and one little girl with a cataract was informed that it was tiny tiny and that surgery wouldn`t be required at this time but we should keep checking it every couple of years. Here are my new little buddies David and Elvin.

Here`s what`s shakin

There was an earthquake in Honduras. It registered 7.1 on the Richter scale with the epicenter around one of the islands right off the coast of my town, El Porvenir. I woke up right before it happened, about 2:30 a.m. The the whole house started to shake and the windows rattled like I was in between two sets of railroad tracks, at one point I thought for sure something was going to bust through the wall. Anyone who knows me knows of my in between sleep and consciousness escapades so just imagine me sitting there half in and half out of what is happening around me saying the whole time, Is this seriously happening? I sometimes hallucinate right as I am waking up and so at one point I was convinced that a wrecking ball was going to come through the wall, I still hadn`t realized it was an earthquke. This was probably lucky for me, I sat there calm as could be, hypnotized by the deafening hum of the earth. It lasted for what seemed like a solid couple of minutes, I didn`t know when or if it was going to stop. Some small aftershocks followed and I came fully to. I felt so alone. I wasn`t quite sure what to do or who to call. The phones were jammed up immediately so I just sat in my bed and listened to the crowds come together in the street. I don`t think many went back to sleep after that, I managed to doze a bit (for those of you who know me well, not a surprise). At sunrise I went through the house to inspect the damage. No damage, just some tousled objects, things fallen off the shelf. At 5:30 a friend from the states texted me to see if I was Ok. When I called him back he told me it was a 7.1! We were without power until a couple hours ago so I had no access to the news to know the extent the earthquake or it`s damage. Luckily, considering the magnitude there was little substantial damages and casualties have been reported as only being a few. Lots of you have called, texted, emailed and such to inquire as to my well being. Thank you for caring that much. I am alive and well and thankful that this natural disaster didn`t cause more damage.

All work and no play....no way!

We cleaned 250 kids´ teeth, sent 30 to the dentist, did a health review with fun games, performed skits with puppets teaching how to brush and other health related themes to 600 kids, performed 600 eye acuity exams, gave HIV education to 40 employees at Dole, went to Trujillo (one of the most beautiful beaches in Honduras), took a train to a boat for a river tour of the jungle where we saw howler monkeys and a baby crocodile, laid in a hammock and caught some zzz´s, helped build a house for Habitat for Humanity, had a surprise birthday party given by my Intermediate English class and got bit by a monkey. And that is just the last two weeks!

Ok, so of course while I like to think I could, I didn’t do all of this single handedly. We had a team from Toronto that did the cleaning and dentistry. Needless to say I´ve been saying ”eh” without even realizing it. While the three hygienists cleaned teeth that have never been exposed to a scraper, or whatever the technical word for that thingy is, I entertained them with a fun review playing musical chairs and “hot potato”. My role was also logistics, my forte, although I am rethinking proclaiming this after this experience. This was a success on so many levels. First, the kids who really needed fillings and root canals either got them this week or are on a list to be seen. Second, the kids were amazing. Some were scared at first, but only because in the land of Honduras all they do is pull teeth, not fix them, so that is what the kids are used to. After I assured them the hygienists certainly weren’t going to pull, and if they were sent to the dentist he would only pull if absolutely necessary, they were very willing and so well behaved. One kid, Alex, had to go to the dentist 3 days in a row for various treatments, all in all valuing over $4,000. He showed up every day with a smile on his face. Even if that was the only kid that was helped during my entire service it would be worth it, but the great thing is that there are so many more being helped. One of the women with the team asked me a question that had been keeping her up at night one evening over a well-deserved cocktail, “Is it worth it? I know we are here teaching them how to take care of their teeth and that’s great, but are our efforts for naught; do you really think they will continue what we have been showing them?” My response, “If one child does it, it’s worth it”. This is the philosophy that has been keeping me going, advice given to me by my dear friend Susan, a missionary here in El Porvenir.

Speaking of Susan, animal lover and proud owner of Cha Cha the white-faced monkey, I now come to the “got bit by a monkey” part of my intro. So, it was a peaceful day, the breeze was blowing, the sun was shining and I decided it was the perfect day to introduce myself to Cha Cha. She loved me….at first. She climbed up my arm and snuggled my neck and petted my arm, and then, she turned. Teeth sunk into my arm as if I were a prime cut of meat. Susan did what she could but Cha Cha stood strong. As I contemplated my escape it was an eternity before Susan got a hold of her long enough for me to flee for the door. So I didn’t make a new friend that day, but the good news is I didn’t contract rabies either. How many of you can say you got bit by a monkey, pretty cool, eh?

(Abuelito Encillas) Grandpa Gums is the star of our puppet show, a skit teaching kids about the importance of dental care, protection from the sun, washing hands, etc. Along with that we give out toothbrushes and do fluoride treatments. The great thing is we go back every year for a review, so hopefully something sticks, and I don’t mean the plaque on their teeth! An adjunct to our eye acuity exams is discovering problems that have nothing to do with dental or optical health. Ana, a six year old sweetie pie was up for her eye exam when someone from our team asked about what looked like a burn on her neck. Well, a burn it was not, but a horrible skin disease that the girl has lived with since she was four months old. We sent for her father who permitted us to take some photos to show a dermatologist. Ana lifted her shirt and skirt and, to my dismay, uncovered sores all over her body, the worst of which we were informed was in places not suitable to be shown in public. Remember what I said about just one child? What a testament to that philosophy!

Now the fun stuff! Trujillo, aka heaven, is a beautiful coastal town with a bay bound beach. The water is clean and clear and there are no tourists! Picture 80 degrees, sun shining, waves lapping at our feet on the shore, cold drink in hand, and a view of the mountains on either side of the bay, man o man, it just doesn’t get better than that.

One of our volunteers works with Habitat for Humanity in La Ceiba and invited us along to help build a house for a family. It was great fun, a good workout and now I know a little more about mixing concrete and making walls out of concrete blocks. If anyone needs a house built, I`m your girl, well not really, but I can help!

There is a wildlife reserve called Cuero y Salado in a nearby town which we visited recently. You drive to a little train, just one car really, which takes you to a little motor boat. From there you go up a river into a series of channels to find wildlife. We saw howler monkeys, bats and a baby crocodile. Sometimes manatees are spotted. It’s a peaceful place with mangroves, birds and vines all over the place. Just to be out on the water was a treat. Our guide apparently spoke monkey because he would hoo hoo hoo and the monkeys would reply. One of the women from the Canadian team tried and they didn’t respond. I told her they must not have understood her Canadian accent.

By the way, that`s Dr. Bill Kerr the dentist and I in the photo, not the monkeys.

My Proverbial Peace Corps Glass

So, do I see it as time here being one-third gone, or two-thirds remaining? It depends on the day. Let me take you through some of my days here and you can see how the rollercoaster I call my life in Honduras works. Here, more it seems than anywhere I have ever been, there definitely is an equal and opposite reaction to every action, I repeat, opposite reaction. That is to say, it seems for every positive there is inevitably a negative.

Recently I had one of those Peace Corps moments, a moment where all of the trouble, training, cold showers, being away from friends and family were so worth it. A group of 12 women approached me when I first arrived here, when I didn’t know much of anything about anything. They had formed an organization with a name, purpose and list of members and filed it with the equivalent of our Secretary of State. Wow, very organized and determined, of course I would try to help such a group. As I found out more about them and about the municipality I work with, the puzzle began fitting together, at least in my mind, I hoped the other involved parties would agree. The women essentially want to start a business to earn money as mostly single mothers. Great, what kind of business I ask, a seemingly simple question right? Visualize large flood gates opening; Sewing, water purification, childcare, tilapia farms, baking, tourism, you name it, and they probably did too. Ok, problem #1, focus. Whittling down these ideas has, to this day not been completely done away with, but we are getting there and they finally decided sewing is what they wanted to pursue. Great, now where do they get the seed capital to start it up? They naturally assumed I, being the one with the white skin, had it in my back pocket, or better yet, I could call my rich uncle who owns the Fortune 500 in the states and it would just be a matter of filling in the amount on the check. One of the biggest obstacles I have here as a Peace Corps volunteer, rebutting the money tree that everyone seems to think exists. My job is developing people, not spitting out money like an ATM. Luckily, being a Municipal Development volunteer, I am well aware of a pocket of funds called ERP funds (Early Reduction of Poverty) with, what do you know, a specific line item for micro-enterprises for single mothers (a mini Peace Corps moment). Naturally I explain the undeniable connection and, to my chagrin, am refuted and informed that they have been trying to get help from the municipality for years to no avail. Firm, but understanding, I laid it out, if they wanted my help we were going have to start on the inside and work our way out seeking funds. First the municipality, then local non-profit organizations, then, if we had to, further to other countries. Begrudgingly, they agreed. Acting as a liaison between the people and the municipality is a natural fit for me, and, lucky for me, part of my job. We all sat down together with the Community Development person in the municipality, Kelly, who agreed to allow the women to put on a presentation to the municipality. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the presentation due to a prior commitment, but they certainly didn’t need me, (Ok, this is it, the big Peace Corps moment), it was a hit and the municipality loved it and agreed to fund them!! And, then, in true Peace Corps fashion, just as quickly as it had come, it went, well kind of. A week later Kelly casually asked, what happened to your girls, they were supposed to get me their solicitation outlining the project with a budget, etc. Ugghhh! All of that and so much more to go and already the follow through is crashing and burning. Ok, they just need a little pick me up, again part of my job. Just in case they were stuck, I scour my resources the whole day and print out some forms on how to write a project, budgeting, etc. I knew the president of the group would be up at the high school selling fruit to the kids at their break time, so I went there. Just as I had suspected, they didn’t know where to go from here, no problem, that’s why I am here. We scheduled a meeting for the following Monday. Six of the twelve women showed up because it was raining, never mind I had the furthest to walk. It’s a good thing that I am a decent facilitator because they were back to discussing other ideas for projects rather than ironing out the details for the sewing gig. Seriously, let’s focus. Back on track we went through the forms I had pulled answering questions about how their sewing project would help the community, the people involved, etc. Then we slid with a screeching halt into the budget portion. They had no idea how much a sewing machine would cost, how much material they would need to sew one purse, how many zippers and buttons they might need. No, problem, I am good at this stuff, that’s why I am here. I suggested they make a list of the things they would need, equipment, material to last a year until they were self-sustaining and anything else they may need. Diligently the list was made and, while we may have hit up Google for such research, they assigned one of the younger members the task of going into La Ceiba (a larger nearby city) the next day to fill in the blanks on their budget. Perfect! They were scheduled to meet with Kelly in two days to turn in the final solicitation. Of course, after attempting to confirm the turn-in date with Kelly she moved the date to the following week, which was actually an advantage; it gave them more time to work. I called the president to relay the new date and told her I wouldn’t be able to make it, but if they had any questions in the meantime to not hesitate to contact me. D day and I was so proud of the women, and of me for doing exactly what a Peace Corps volunteer should be doing, without too much frustration. I went to the high school for some other business and saw the president of the group selling her fruit. Como le fue? (How did it go?) I ask almost giddily. Fijese que (I believe I have explained this expression, but in case some of you missed it, this phrase is almost always followed by some sort of excuse for not having done something) it was raining this morning and I got up late and had to go to town….. (the list goes on, but I will not bore you). Now, take the exact opposite of the beautiful Peace Corps moment I had experienced before and plug that in here as I let out an exasperated sigh. Certainly the disappointment showed on my face; good, it should I thought. I worked really hard and felt extremely let down and I wasn’t shy about letting them know that. She asked me if turning it in tomorrow was Ok and since the municipality also functions on the same mindset I’m sure it was fine but I told her I didn’t know, today was the day and that’s all I know, as I literally threw my hands up in despair..

As you can see, positive and negative effects neatly woven together represent my work here as a Peace Corps volunteer, and this is just one instance. I have similar stories in my artillery, all comprised of both small and significant accomplishments and disappointments alike. Is that how I approached challenges in my past life? I don’t know, the contrast just seems more pronounced here. For now I will concentrate on the positive things amongst some of the angst filled parts like playing in the sand on the beach with some of my favorite kids, teaching my English class, working hard to finally have a functioning high school-community library and playing in the bamboo ridden Lancetilla botanical gardens. In the meantime, I can’t help but wonder,

is the road ahead of me a long one, or not long enough?

I am Grateful

I am grateful for the blister on my foot from where my old shoe rubs, because it means I have shoes to wear.
I am grateful for the few extra pounds around my waist, because it means I have enough to eat.
I am grateful for the rats that crawl around in my roof all night keeping me awake, because it means I have a roof over my head.
I am grateful for the scratches on my knuckles from scrubbing my clothes clean, because it means I have a place to wash my clothes.
I am grateful for all of the armpit stains on every single one of my tank tops, because it means I have clothes to wear.
I am grateful for my aching legs after walking all day long, because it means I am able to walk.
I am grateful for making silly mistakes in Spanish, because it means I am able to speak.
I am grateful for eating beans, rice and tortillas everyday, because it means I am eating, everyday.
I am grateful for my cold shower because it means I am able to bathe when I want and in the privacy of my own home.
I am grateful for the buses that leave me coughing as the exhaust fills my path, because it means I am breathing.
I am grateful for the roosters, dogs, donkeys, birds and kids that wake me up at 5 in the morning, because it means I am waking up that morning.

Mountains and beaches and floods, Oh My!

*****2009 is upon us and if my time leading up to it and the last 9 days are any indication of the coming year, I am in for lots of fun, challenges, progress with my projects and the most beautiful natural landscapes I have ever laid my eyes on. The first two pictures were taken about a month ago when we received inches upon inches of rain in about a day. At some depths it was up to my thigh. The family pictured is the family of Caloi, a man who works for Susan and Scott, a missionary couple who lives here in town. The most amazing part of the experience had nothing to do with the water level, but the strength of the people who were effected. We did what we could to get everything off of the ground and to block the water where we could, but then, as you can see, we made lemonade with those soggy lemons, busted out the canoe and row row rowed the boat gentley down the street.

*****The next set of pictures were taken at a waterfall on a river called Rio Zacate. After about an hour hike just into Pico Bonito the jungle revealed the steaming falls as the light shed through I felt like I was on a movie set, it was just so unreal. We swam for a bit, had a snack, soaked up the glorious view and headed back through the lush green forest. The pictures tell the story far better than I ever could.

*****The motley crew after the waterfall pics are some friends who visited over the holiday season. Chilling on the beach, swaying in some hammocks, enjoying each other, I couldn´t have asked for a better way to ring in the new year.

*****Speaking of chillin on the beach, as you can see I really hated swimming and soaking up some rays on Christmas and New Year´s Days. Definately something I have never done and will not soon forget.

*****Next, Santa and Mrs. Claus, aka Susan and Scott caught on their way to spread Christmas joy with some Hondurans. They do incredible things for El Porvenir and other aldeas all over this region of Honduras from helping the fishermen build forest friendly boats to running 10 feeding centers. I don´t know how they do it all, I am half their age and they run circles around me.

*****The remaining pictures are from a half day hike I did up Pico Bonito. A Honduran guide took me and showed me the flora and fauna, including some tucans. Being quite the nature guy, at one point my arm brushed a cocoon which had natural defense spineys all over it and the pain shot through my forearm. Although I´ve never been stung by a jellyfish, for some reason I feel like thats how this felt. He jumped into action, sliced open the cocoon with his machete until it oozed a clear liquid which he slathered onto my arm where the pain was. Immediately the pain was relieved, good thing he was there. At one point I commented that the mosquitos were biting pretty bad, in no time he tracked down a specific plant, ripped off some leavesl, smashed them up and then handed the mash to me to spread the natural repellent on my body. Deet free and a a fresh woodsy scent, who needs Off??

*****As for work, it´s really starting to take off. I gave my first English test on Thursday and they did really well. Coming up we are having a community meeting to discuss the uniform exchange program. School is going to start back up at the beginning of February so we will start the Healthy Living Program where we go into each classroom with puppets, games and activities teaching the kids about oral hygiene, general healthy living and HIV-AIDS. Also, I can´t wait to work with the already existing environmental groups in the schools to really concentrate on getting a workable recycling program going in our town. After a fun and restful holiday break I am so ready to sink my teeth into the meat of my work here.