I’ve Been Here Six Months …

AND I’M STILL HAPPY!


Yesterday was our 6 month anniversary in site (almost 9 months inthe country)! KatP sent out a nice message, but other than that the day didn’t feel that special. We’ve lost a decent amount of people and being in my site for 6 months feels like quite an accomplishment. Yet, it really doesn’t feel like I’ve been here that long, therefore I guess I didn’t feel the need to celebrate or anything like that.

I was in Jimilile yesterday continuing my study. I guess it was fitting that I was working on a water study on my 6 month anniversary. At least I wasn’t sitting in my house bored as hell because I didn’t have work.

Just a quick story from the day and then I want to write a little bit about how I feel like I’ve become a little Honduran …

So after we finish each day a ride takes me back down to Corquin. This ride, since he picked us up SO EARLY, asked if I could wait a minute because he wanted to bring his coffee pickers down with us. We pulled into his finca and waited a bit. Finally, instead of a bunch of men getting into the back of the truck, they caught a pig, shoved him in a sack and threw him into the truck. Instead of the man driving me back, his son got in the truck. On the way down the mountain we stopped and picked up a couple of women. As the women were getting in the truck (the back) I noticed that the pig seemed unusually … free.

“You’re pig is loose …” But, unfortunately I posed it more like, “Is your pig tied up?”

“Yeah, he’s tied up.”

“No, I realize he WAS, but now he’s not.” The kid didn’t understand me …

“No, it’s ok.”

“No, REALLY, the pig is about to bite that woman …” I look back and the woman, wearing only flip flops, is kicking the pig in the head.

He finally looks in the rear view mirror and sees that the pig’s head is sticking out of the bag and he’s walking around the bed of the truck.

“CRAP!”

Of course this doesn’t all translate exactly (might be embellished for comic value), but still I thought it was pretty funny that this kid didn’t understand me/believe me and it took me a couple of minutes to convince him to stop the car … because he was driving with a pig in a sack.

So how am I Honduran?

1) I wear my Honduras jersey with as much pride as any Honduran
2) I’m listening to Montez de Durango (Mexican banda) as I write this
3) I use the Honduran hand flip when I’m explaining things
4) I now point to things with my lips
5) People here drink out of bags (soda, water) and the food that I get each day on this study comes with a bag of homemade orange juice. Well, while biting the corner to open the bag I notice that there’s a bug floating around in the juice. Did I flinch? Nope. Did I discreetly “spill” the juice? Nah. I drank it and just pinched the bug between my fingers so I didn’t drink it. Gross? You make think so.
6) On studies, instead of using the hand gel that I keep with me at all times, I just eat with my dirty hands. Adds flavor. Stupid? Probably, but I haven’t gotten sick yet.
7) I speak a bastardized form of Spanish with the proper voice inflection; “NOOOMBRE”
8) I love tortillas and mantequilla
9) I now expect a break/snack at 10 am and 3 pm every day without fail
10) I will dip anything in my coffee
11) I find it unnecessary to bathe every day (especially now that the water is so damn cold). Why bathe when everyone else smells? Why can’t I just add to it?

How am I so very different from being a Honduran?

1) I won’t go “mining for gold” in my nose and ears during a meeting
2) I don’t spit loogies indoors and outdoors
3) I won’t put up with Honduran men/ I still hate pirropos
4) I have yet to adopt Hondurena fashion
5) I still like dogs
6) I was trying out new methods of washing my hair to avoid the freezing cold water touching my back and was washing it in my pila (outside, massive cement water holding structure SEE PICTURES). I was rinsing my hair and I look over and there’s a dead gecko floating in the water … … “EWWW GROOOOSSS! I washed my hair with dead gecko water?! EWWWW”
7) I still shriek when I see a massive cockroach on my wall and immediately run for the Raid

Other Volunteers will probably find this more entertaining and I know I had other ones, but I forgot. Anyways, CONGRATULATIONS H14 on making it 6 months!