I suppose I should apologize for a few things. First, I know it's been awhile. I even told some of you that I was going to update this a few days ago. I tried, but I couldn't log on. Reliable is not a word I would use to describe the internet here. Secondly, I am sorry (partially in advance) for spelling errors. Switching back to English is still pretty easy, especially since (until Friday) I get to speak it fairly regularly. My spelling on the other hand, suffers from the language change.
The news: I have a home! I will be living in Talanga, Fransisco Morazán, Honduras. It is about 2 hours (I think) by bus northeast of Tegus, the capital. It's a big town as far as Peace Corps sites go. Size is very relative. When the biggest city in the country only has about 1 million people and average is probably closer to 5,000, my town of 15,000-20,000 people is huge! I just returned from visiting my site and meeting my
host family and counterparts. Yes, I have ANOTHER host family, this will be number three, but hopefully the last. My counterparts are the people I will be working most closely with. They vary by site and project. My main contacts are a colegio (sort of like a high school but usually more like 7th grade on), two escuelas (elementary schools) and the Community Development department of the Alcaldia (the mayors office). I will also be helping one of the teachers coach a baseball team. I think the kids are 8-12 years old or so. As for specific projects, that remains to be seen and develop as I get to know the community.
Talanga: Since the town is fairly large, I should have access to most amenities. Yes, there is interent (I can even use it for free in the alcaldia). There is a decent size market, soccer field, and plenty of buses to Tegus and other surrounding towns. To be honest, the town itself is pretty ugly and the roads are horendous. All dirt (mud at this time of year), filled with potholes which would be better described as canals and narrow like all the roads in the country. Although surrounded by mountains, the main part of town is in a valley so it is fairly flat and some of the aldeas (surrounding communities that fall under the jurisdiction of Talanga) are subject to regular flooding. I actually got to witness this during my visit as torrential rains fell every day I was there. The aldea populations are generally poorer than their more urban counterparts and it is humbling to see how they deal with and accept these regular disturbances in their lives.
Speaking of humbling... on September 15, Honduras' Independence day, there was a small earthquake. If I remember correctly, it was about a 3.5. When I arrived in Talanga on Thursday, the town was in the middle of a marathon to collect clothing and food donations. I spent my first afternoon sorting the clothes for men, women, and children. It was really nice to have something to actually do after following one of my counterparts around like a puppy all day. Friday, we drove 2 hours north to deliver the donations. We took 2 dump-truck size loads and several pick-ups. A few of the pick-ups started empty but as we journied north, people were waiting on the sides of the roads with more to give. We picked up more clothes and more people. By the time we arrived, all the trucks were full. It was incredible to see so may people, many of whom by our standards have little themselves, helping another community. We drove through Porvenir to Marale. The town of Marale was not greatly affected but the people who live in the surrounding mountains. Farmers, pregnant mothers with their hands already full of children, more chidren, all helping each other. As we handed out clothes in the Catholic church, perched on a hill in Marale, I saw some of the most beautiful people I have seen in my life. The youngs girls looked so innocent and naive. Their eyes almos seemed transparent, like someone you read about in a descriptive novel, not something you actually see in real life. There is one man I hope I never forget. I first saw him squeezing through the crowd, away from the mayor´s wife with the first bag of clothes. He ducked and weaved through children and mothers, trying to get to his macheti. He reached his macheti by the door, did the same weaving and ducking under children´s arms to get back to the bag of clothes so he could cut the string holding it closed. After the bag was opened, he helped others, not waiting to recieve anything for himself. It was so selfless, from someone who has so little.
Thursday, we go to the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa to be sworn in and become official "volunteers". Friday, I move to Talanga "permanently". I am excited for training to be over and to settle into a community, to stop feeling like a guest. I am rather distraught with the end of training at the same time. I have made a few good friends over the last 2 1/2 months and I am very sad to separate from them. Most of my good friends here will be living on the west side of the country. I know it isn´t that big of a country, but it´s a good 10-12 hours from Tegus to their sites because the roads are so bad and the routes so indirect. Mountains might have a little something to do with that.
I promise I will post pictures soon. It just takes so long and most of the time they don´t upload at the cafe´s. I will do it from my site though. Until next time, I love and miss you!
Rachael and Matt, congrats on the wedding! Wish I could have been there.
The news: I have a home! I will be living in Talanga, Fransisco Morazán, Honduras. It is about 2 hours (I think) by bus northeast of Tegus, the capital. It's a big town as far as Peace Corps sites go. Size is very relative. When the biggest city in the country only has about 1 million people and average is probably closer to 5,000, my town of 15,000-20,000 people is huge! I just returned from visiting my site and meeting my
host family and counterparts. Yes, I have ANOTHER host family, this will be number three, but hopefully the last. My counterparts are the people I will be working most closely with. They vary by site and project. My main contacts are a colegio (sort of like a high school but usually more like 7th grade on), two escuelas (elementary schools) and the Community Development department of the Alcaldia (the mayors office). I will also be helping one of the teachers coach a baseball team. I think the kids are 8-12 years old or so. As for specific projects, that remains to be seen and develop as I get to know the community.Talanga: Since the town is fairly large, I should have access to most amenities. Yes, there is interent (I can even use it for free in the alcaldia). There is a decent size market, soccer field, and plenty of buses to Tegus and other surrounding towns. To be honest, the town itself is pretty ugly and the roads are horendous. All dirt (mud at this time of year), filled with potholes which would be better described as canals and narrow like all the roads in the country. Although surrounded by mountains, the main part of town is in a valley so it is fairly flat and some of the aldeas (surrounding communities that fall under the jurisdiction of Talanga) are subject to regular flooding. I actually got to witness this during my visit as torrential rains fell every day I was there. The aldea populations are generally poorer than their more urban counterparts and it is humbling to see how they deal with and accept these regular disturbances in their lives.
Speaking of humbling... on September 15, Honduras' Independence day, there was a small earthquake. If I remember correctly, it was about a 3.5. When I arrived in Talanga on Thursday, the town was in the middle of a marathon to collect clothing and food donations. I spent my first afternoon sorting the clothes for men, women, and children. It was really nice to have something to actually do after following one of my counterparts around like a puppy all day. Friday, we drove 2 hours north to deliver the donations. We took 2 dump-truck size loads and several pick-ups. A few of the pick-ups started empty but as we journied north, people were waiting on the sides of the roads with more to give. We picked up more clothes and more people. By the time we arrived, all the trucks were full. It was incredible to see so may people, many of whom by our standards have little themselves, helping another community. We drove through Porvenir to Marale. The town of Marale was not greatly affected but the people who live in the surrounding mountains. Farmers, pregnant mothers with their hands already full of children, more chidren, all helping each other. As we handed out clothes in the Catholic church, perched on a hill in Marale, I saw some of the most beautiful people I have seen in my life. The youngs girls looked so innocent and naive. Their eyes almos seemed transparent, like someone you read about in a descriptive novel, not something you actually see in real life. There is one man I hope I never forget. I first saw him squeezing through the crowd, away from the mayor´s wife with the first bag of clothes. He ducked and weaved through children and mothers, trying to get to his macheti. He reached his macheti by the door, did the same weaving and ducking under children´s arms to get back to the bag of clothes so he could cut the string holding it closed. After the bag was opened, he helped others, not waiting to recieve anything for himself. It was so selfless, from someone who has so little.
Thursday, we go to the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa to be sworn in and become official "volunteers". Friday, I move to Talanga "permanently". I am excited for training to be over and to settle into a community, to stop feeling like a guest. I am rather distraught with the end of training at the same time. I have made a few good friends over the last 2 1/2 months and I am very sad to separate from them. Most of my good friends here will be living on the west side of the country. I know it isn´t that big of a country, but it´s a good 10-12 hours from Tegus to their sites because the roads are so bad and the routes so indirect. Mountains might have a little something to do with that.
I promise I will post pictures soon. It just takes so long and most of the time they don´t upload at the cafe´s. I will do it from my site though. Until next time, I love and miss you!
Rachael and Matt, congrats on the wedding! Wish I could have been there.
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