I realize that I owe you all a more entertaining, funny blog than I have been delivering recently. The events of the past couple of weeks have been anything but funny, but they can be spun into funny experiences for the entertainment of friends and family.
Having talked to a few of you I think people sensed a bit of depression in my last blog email, which was very perceptive and most certainly the case. I have since recovered and am doing fine, but had a couple of weeks where I was really anxious and struggling with well ... life.
Anyways, on a lighter note, Kathryn came to visit for a few days and we started my first study here in my area! Kathryn came down for Honduran Dia de Independencia, where we relaxed in my backyard with a few beers, catching up. We were supposed to go on a hike, but we didn't quite make it and decided to celebrate their independence day with our own traditions, because as Kathryn said, "They took ours from us!" She's referring to the fact that 4th of July was during the golpe de estado and we weren't allowed to leave our sites, which resulted in some bum parties.
Anyways, so the next morning we woke-up and hauled Carl (theodolite) and equipo del diablo (tripod named "Equipment of the Devil") up to Joconales. Joconales is the community I found when I randomly went out with an ODECO technician all that time back. We started at their water source and I've never seen so many mosquitoes in my life. I am now a master at killing then, because they seem to not mind insect repellent! Bugs in Honduras are on steroids! Massive mosquitoes, huge cockroaches and the flat spider in my bathroom is like nothing I've ever seen before. I'm suspicious and haven't killed him because I don't want his bigger family member to stalk me in my bed at night.
We had a much easier go of it this time with the equipment because we are finally familiar with Carl and figured out the trick of the WHITE TRIANGLE!
When I went to help Kathryn on her study we spent HOURS trying to find the estadia (measures distance) and the back shot (reference point) in all the coffee trees. It was so hard to figure out exactly which leaf was the one that was closest to our equipment! GAAH But this lovely white triangle, which I love so much because it has made my life easier and I want to get it tattooed on me (just kidding), is so helpful in finding people that now it takes mere seconds! The joy!
My study is a lot easier because we aren't going through coffee and there's a third of the houses, but alas there are MILLIONS of bugs! We are familiar with the equipment, but spent so much time fighting of blood-sucking buggers that we were still kind of slow!
First, there were the mosquitoes that ate us while we were in the jungle and the entire time the guys helping us were like, "Don't worry! Once we leave the trees there won't be anymore bugs..." But then!, once we got closer to the field we had to pass through, they started changing their tune! Suddenly, it became, "You think the mosquitoes are bad?? Wait for the moscos!"
Now, imagine gnats in all their abundance and annoying-ness, but also the ability to draw blood... Yes, these are moscos and APPARENTLY! Joconales has a "plague" of moscos at the moment!
Kathryn was practically in tears it was so painful when they bite and we got so many bites. She reacted particularly strongly and had to try really hard to keep it together. By the end of the study we were both in a foul mood and itching like you couldn't believe. Not to mention, Hondurans love to point out the obvious! When we finished for the day and got back to Don Manuel's house (he's been spearheading this with me) everyone felt the need to chide us on our arms and tell us that we really should have worn long sleeves. Like I hadn't noticed that I spent 7 hours getting eaten alive and my arms look like crap!?
As a result of the terrible bites, we went and made chocolate-chip waffles (I have a waffle-maker!) to make us feel better. By the evening our arms were swollen and really achy, which was kind of scary because apparently these bugs can give you a fever too. I feel like Peace Corps Honduras could make everyone a hypochondriac because you're constantly assuming the worse will come out of the weird encounters you have with nature here. Kathryn kept muttering, "It can't be good getting that many bites! I mean, they have to be carrying like a million diseases!"
The next day was really fun, because it was our first Dia de Campo. Dia de Campo is a series of events that are held on farms that are working with ODECO. They're encouraging farmers to plant more crops and raise more animals for subsistence farming; coffee is the cash crop, but they're now growing fruits and vegetables to feed their families. At each of these events there are stations about different themes like: chickens, planning your farm/family, sanitation (ME!) and soil conservation. Each event will have different themes for the community and the people attending.
It's actually a lot of fun, because you're interacting with the people and co-workers and there's a lot of REALLY GOOD FOOD! First, we start off with coffee and bread (my favorited) at like 10 am. Then! we had Sopa de Gallina at noon for lunch. Sopa de Gallina is a delicacy here, which is basically soup with roasted chicken, but it's oh so delicious! And then, of course, we have to close the day with more coffee and bread.
Anyways, so Kathryn and I did a sanitation charla to 5 groups of campesinos for 30 minutes each. It got really boring, but at least each group had different questions and we kind of branched into new topics with each new question. Each department (like districts in the States) has a health technician. The one for San Pedro de Copan came and "helped us," which was essentially him speaking 3/4 of the time and KatP and I the rest, but that's ok because it was his job and he covered a lot of stuff we hadn't even thought about.
All in all, a good day, even though I wanted to cry my arms were so swollen and achy. Again, people made sure I was aware that it looked like I had chicken pocks, but oh well...
Second day on the study was uneventful; we wore long sleeves so our arms were somewhat protected. They ended up attacking my hands, but I could deal with that. We still didn't finish, but we're close and I'm going to get the equipment when Kathryn is on vacation the last week in September.
Well, that wasn't as interesting/funny as I had thought. Damn. Well, at least you can imagine me and Kathryn swatting at all these little moscos as we try to level the damn tripod. That thing is the devil, I swear! You screw in one leg and move to another and the leg you thought you just secured suddenly moves, which throws your bubble all out of whack! Then you swear and then the campesinos kind of get quiet. At one point Kathryn yelled, "GET THE F**** AWAY FROM ME!" to the moscos. I got so embarrassed and said, "Kathryn, they might not understand exactly what you're saying, but your tone still makes it pretty obvious..." At least she laughed at that.
I will say that Bourbon is the new celebrity in town. On Saturday as we waited for the bus I had about 7 Honduran men surrounding me, asking about my dog. They're lecturing me on how to take care of him, which I kind of responded with, "I will take better care of my dog than you could possibly IMAGINE!" but I figured that was rude.
People have offered to buy my dog and even asked if I will "gift" him to them. This is part of Honduran culture: they have no shame asking you to "gift" them things, which I find hilarious! One of the guys I work with insists that the leave the puppy behind so he has a reminder of me! HAH in your dreams! This is a good little puppy and he's coming with me! If it's going to be so hard to train him, he's definitely going to accompany me to the States.
Other than that, there's not too much going on. Got work. Got a puppy. Pretty content now!
Take care all! Pictures to come!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
“It’s like trying to make pumpkin pie out of cow shit …”
This was the best quote from reconnect. I forget what exactly it was in reference to, but I think the speaker intended it to more or less summarize the Peace Corps experience. What can I say, some people (sometimes we) are cynical! We had a “constructive criticism,” which essentially allowed for all the jaded folks to unleash their disappointment with Peace Corps.
Other than that, reconnect was great. It was great to see all my friends again and meet the H12ers. I think reconnect mainly serves as a morale booster, but I learned a few things as well. It was unfortunate, because our last day the power was out until about 5:30 so we couldn’t do all the training sessions that required computers or projectors. These sessions happened to be the ones I was the most interested in!
It essentially was four days where Volunteers could catch up and get rowdy together, but we talked work too. It was absolutely exhausting, especially after the previous weekend with Noche de Fumadores, but well worth the trip. Not too much to talk about!
---
Probably what I’m more concerned about mentioning is the arrival of a permanent visitor in my home … my puppy! After reconnect I went to Andrea’s house and met the remaining puppies. They were so cute! I wanted to take them all home, but this guy will be a handful as it is; HE IS SO HUGE! He’s only two months old and is about the size of an older, 4 month-old puppy. He also has HUGE paws, which I imagine indicate that he will also become a big dog.
After being bombarded by puppy love, I got some one-on-one time with Sapo, which was his name given by Andrea; means toad/frog. I actually really liked that name, but Hondurans DESPISE frogs and I knew they would really not like his name. Actually, they still don’t like Bourbon because they can’t pronounce it. Now, his Spanish name (Hondurans always want to know how names translate and don’t understand when I tell them they don’t normally …) is Toby; that’s a common Honduran dog name and easy for them to say. Anyways, he really could have cared less about my existence and I kind of got sad, thinking that he didn’t like me or something. Little did I know there would be plenty of time to bond in the next two days!
We picked up Bourbon and went to my friend’s house, where a bunch of people were staying for the despedida (going-away party) for a guy in the area. One of the girls in Santa Barbara has Bourbon’s sister and they were playing all day, which was great because I feel like it eased his transition a little bit. They were pretty rough and Lady (the female dog) was dominating Bourbon, but everyone had fun with the two not-so-little puppies in the house … Well, apart from Lady having a fondness of attacking men’s nether regions and Bourbon not yet understanding the concept of not peeing on people’s sleeping mats.
We all hung out there for the night and had a couple of beers to congratulate T on the completion of his service. It was a nice break after reconnect and get used to Bourbon before we continued on to my site. The entire time I was mildly fretting about the 5 hour journey that we had ahead of us …
Two weeks ago Andrea made little traveling boxes for all the puppies. Key words: TWO WEEKS AGO. The little buggers had grown so much that he barely fit in the box and could easily stick his head out the top. He was really good on the way into the city because that was the first time he was out of the house and I think he was majorly overwhelmed.
Well, let’s just say that the next day on the way to the bus stop he was not as well behaved. On the walk down to the bus-stop he was squirming to get out. Not to mention the pitiful crying that he seems to have adopted as a major method of announcing his disapproval of any and all situations.
Anyways, we were waiting in the bus stop for quite a while and he kept crying, wanting to get out of the box. I let him out for a while, because it was really hot, and when the bus finally came I had him securely bundled inside, because bus drivers (especially on the fancy buses like the one we took) aren’t too fond of animals on the buses.
Well, I’m climbing on the bus with the box in my hand and the bus driver says, “Que tiene?” / “What do you have (in there)?”
I couldn’t lie … :sheepishly: … “A puppy…”
“No, dogs aren’t allowed. They’re prohibited.”
“Please.” And Hannah just walks by with the box. Just. Walks. By!
I had just spent a week with a whole bunch of Americans and the extent of my desire to speak Spanish was minimal and I didn’t want to argue with the guy. The bus was pretty full, so I didn’t get very far, and as we drove away I heard the bus driver bitching about how dogs weren’t allowed. As they were discussing the presence of a dog (IN A BOX!) on their bus, a few people around me noticed him (by now he had thrust his head out) and were commenting on how cute he was. A woman sitting in the very first seat told me to put the box at her feet, because they would kick me off if I kept the box in the aisle. After the discussion up front became more heated, I decided to take her up on her offer, and put Bourbon in her seat. He struggled to get out because he was so hot, but we had to keep him in the box because I was hoping that the bus driver would forget and chill out! This woman was really nice! Hondurans hate dogs and this woman was a saint to let me put my dog at her feet while he’s panting and crying to get out! Poor thing, looking back I felt so bad, but at the time I was so stressed! At this point I was cursing myself and my situation because it was really too hot for him, but I couldn’t take him out.
Well it took the bus driver and his ayudante (helper) several minutes to start threatening me; it was weird, we were on the bus for quite a while before they tried to throw me off! I tried to ignore them, but it didn’t really work. Luckily, another Volunteer was with me and he helped advocate to keep the puppy upside. The ayudante wanted to put the box underneath the bus, and I was so thankful that all the people around me rallied on my behalf and battled the mean bus driver! Everyone started shouting, “It’s just a puppy and he’s in the box! He’s not bothering anyone! Plus, he’ll suffocate and get so hot down there he’ll die!!” After a while they laid off and we rode the rest of the bus ride to the stop. I will forever be grateful to those people who stuck-up with me, because if it wasn’t for them I would have just gotten off the bus and been stranded, trying to figure something else out. That experience (with the nice people) really boosted my respect for this culture, because people are quick to help you out and very accommodating and nice.
Even though the guys stopped threatening me, I was on the verge of tears the entire time. A seat finally opened up and I sat done with the box in my lap. After .2 seconds Bourbon started HOWLING and I mean HOWLING to get out of the box. I tried to keep him quiet, but he wasn’t going for it. At this point the bus driver might have forgotten he had a dog on his bus, but this definitely reminded him, and I really didn’t want to upset him anymore. T (the Volunteer) was really nice and told me not to worry about the bus guys and we should take Bourbon out and see what happens. Bourbon was really content just being out of the box and slept on T’s lap for the rest of the trip. THANK GOD!
We got off the bus and almost immediately caught another. This was a chicken bus (yellow school bus) and services local areas, so they could have cared less about a dog on their bus. They’ve probably had tons of weird animals on that bus, because for 99.9% of the population that’s their only method of transportation! I was so relieved, because that first encounter had me terrified that all the buses I had to take would be the same. Bourbon was really good and slept the entire way; he didn’t even go to the bathroom on the bus! … but then again that could have been because the bus broke down shortly after we got on!
We were on the side of the road for a while before another bus came. We tried to rush to make it, but with my big-ass suitcase and all of T’s stuff, we weren’t moving very fast; they left without us. So, I took that opportunity to walk Bourbon and luckily another bus came within a half-hour and we were off again! This ride went smoothly. T got off about 45 minutes before me and I had the rest of the ride to Santa Rosa de Copan. As if the journey wasn’t enough of a hassle, I found out I missed the last bus towards my site and the next bus that would pass about half-hour outside of it was delayed, so it would be getting dark and I didn’t feel too comfortable with that. SO! I called up my lovely friend Kathryn and she is awesome and had no problems with us crashing for the night.
It was actually a welcome stop because I was so tired and stressed it was nice to be somewhere familiar and rest before completing the trip. One of the other PCVs who lives in SRC invited us out to celebrate her boyfriend’s birthday, so we had a wonderful dinner and watched the Honduras vs. Trinidad & Tobago qualifying soccer game for the World Cup (Honduras won!).
At half-time I went to check on Bourbon and see if he had destroyed Kathryn’s apartment. He had indeed used her floor as a public bathroom, which I promptly cleaned up and then decided to take him for a walk. The entire time we were walking around the block he was crying! I think he was so scared of everything and overwhelmed that he just cried and cried. It was kind of ridiculous. So I go to leave a few minutes later and he starts HOWLING again! Like, if I’m not right by his side, he’s howling; even if he can still see me. I wanted to stay and comfort him, but they were waiting for me for dessert and I couldn’t resist … hah! I could hear him howling from about 2 blocks away.
He cried a lot in Kathryn’s place and woke her up in the morning. I’m terrible and pretty much forgot that’s how puppies are! I was mortified because I already felt like I was putting her out, but she was fine. Anyways, woke-up the next morning, jumped on the bus and got to Corquin! I lost my phone on the bus, which I noticed about 15 minutes later and ran to catch up with the bus, but it was already gone. I think the kid working the tickets took it, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I had a lot of credit on there, which was annoying, but oh well. At least we’re home and he’s settling down and seems comfortable. I’m going to go take a nap, but there will be plenty of puppy stories because HE IS SO CUTE!
Not the best blog, but it served to de-stress me at the time. I wrote it when I had just got home and served as more of a bitch session, but things are better!
Bourbon is really intelligent and I good dog. He’s calm and is just a big love-bug. I had people over to celebrate some people in my area completing their two years, and he was great with everyone and didn’t destroy anything! He loved all the people playing with him. He cries less now and is even getting pretty brave. He’s a little rough with other dogs in the beginning and definitely has some food aggression when other dogs are around. I can play with his bowl, but my friend brought his puppy and Bourbon was very aggressive when they were eating. I have to work on that with him!
So, that’s that with puppy stories for now. I have the same number, so don’t worry about that!
Other than that, reconnect was great. It was great to see all my friends again and meet the H12ers. I think reconnect mainly serves as a morale booster, but I learned a few things as well. It was unfortunate, because our last day the power was out until about 5:30 so we couldn’t do all the training sessions that required computers or projectors. These sessions happened to be the ones I was the most interested in!
It essentially was four days where Volunteers could catch up and get rowdy together, but we talked work too. It was absolutely exhausting, especially after the previous weekend with Noche de Fumadores, but well worth the trip. Not too much to talk about!
---
Probably what I’m more concerned about mentioning is the arrival of a permanent visitor in my home … my puppy! After reconnect I went to Andrea’s house and met the remaining puppies. They were so cute! I wanted to take them all home, but this guy will be a handful as it is; HE IS SO HUGE! He’s only two months old and is about the size of an older, 4 month-old puppy. He also has HUGE paws, which I imagine indicate that he will also become a big dog.
After being bombarded by puppy love, I got some one-on-one time with Sapo, which was his name given by Andrea; means toad/frog. I actually really liked that name, but Hondurans DESPISE frogs and I knew they would really not like his name. Actually, they still don’t like Bourbon because they can’t pronounce it. Now, his Spanish name (Hondurans always want to know how names translate and don’t understand when I tell them they don’t normally …) is Toby; that’s a common Honduran dog name and easy for them to say. Anyways, he really could have cared less about my existence and I kind of got sad, thinking that he didn’t like me or something. Little did I know there would be plenty of time to bond in the next two days!
We picked up Bourbon and went to my friend’s house, where a bunch of people were staying for the despedida (going-away party) for a guy in the area. One of the girls in Santa Barbara has Bourbon’s sister and they were playing all day, which was great because I feel like it eased his transition a little bit. They were pretty rough and Lady (the female dog) was dominating Bourbon, but everyone had fun with the two not-so-little puppies in the house … Well, apart from Lady having a fondness of attacking men’s nether regions and Bourbon not yet understanding the concept of not peeing on people’s sleeping mats.
We all hung out there for the night and had a couple of beers to congratulate T on the completion of his service. It was a nice break after reconnect and get used to Bourbon before we continued on to my site. The entire time I was mildly fretting about the 5 hour journey that we had ahead of us …
Two weeks ago Andrea made little traveling boxes for all the puppies. Key words: TWO WEEKS AGO. The little buggers had grown so much that he barely fit in the box and could easily stick his head out the top. He was really good on the way into the city because that was the first time he was out of the house and I think he was majorly overwhelmed.
Well, let’s just say that the next day on the way to the bus stop he was not as well behaved. On the walk down to the bus-stop he was squirming to get out. Not to mention the pitiful crying that he seems to have adopted as a major method of announcing his disapproval of any and all situations.
Anyways, we were waiting in the bus stop for quite a while and he kept crying, wanting to get out of the box. I let him out for a while, because it was really hot, and when the bus finally came I had him securely bundled inside, because bus drivers (especially on the fancy buses like the one we took) aren’t too fond of animals on the buses.
Well, I’m climbing on the bus with the box in my hand and the bus driver says, “Que tiene?” / “What do you have (in there)?”
I couldn’t lie … :sheepishly: … “A puppy…”
“No, dogs aren’t allowed. They’re prohibited.”
“Please.” And Hannah just walks by with the box. Just. Walks. By!
I had just spent a week with a whole bunch of Americans and the extent of my desire to speak Spanish was minimal and I didn’t want to argue with the guy. The bus was pretty full, so I didn’t get very far, and as we drove away I heard the bus driver bitching about how dogs weren’t allowed. As they were discussing the presence of a dog (IN A BOX!) on their bus, a few people around me noticed him (by now he had thrust his head out) and were commenting on how cute he was. A woman sitting in the very first seat told me to put the box at her feet, because they would kick me off if I kept the box in the aisle. After the discussion up front became more heated, I decided to take her up on her offer, and put Bourbon in her seat. He struggled to get out because he was so hot, but we had to keep him in the box because I was hoping that the bus driver would forget and chill out! This woman was really nice! Hondurans hate dogs and this woman was a saint to let me put my dog at her feet while he’s panting and crying to get out! Poor thing, looking back I felt so bad, but at the time I was so stressed! At this point I was cursing myself and my situation because it was really too hot for him, but I couldn’t take him out.
Well it took the bus driver and his ayudante (helper) several minutes to start threatening me; it was weird, we were on the bus for quite a while before they tried to throw me off! I tried to ignore them, but it didn’t really work. Luckily, another Volunteer was with me and he helped advocate to keep the puppy upside. The ayudante wanted to put the box underneath the bus, and I was so thankful that all the people around me rallied on my behalf and battled the mean bus driver! Everyone started shouting, “It’s just a puppy and he’s in the box! He’s not bothering anyone! Plus, he’ll suffocate and get so hot down there he’ll die!!” After a while they laid off and we rode the rest of the bus ride to the stop. I will forever be grateful to those people who stuck-up with me, because if it wasn’t for them I would have just gotten off the bus and been stranded, trying to figure something else out. That experience (with the nice people) really boosted my respect for this culture, because people are quick to help you out and very accommodating and nice.
Even though the guys stopped threatening me, I was on the verge of tears the entire time. A seat finally opened up and I sat done with the box in my lap. After .2 seconds Bourbon started HOWLING and I mean HOWLING to get out of the box. I tried to keep him quiet, but he wasn’t going for it. At this point the bus driver might have forgotten he had a dog on his bus, but this definitely reminded him, and I really didn’t want to upset him anymore. T (the Volunteer) was really nice and told me not to worry about the bus guys and we should take Bourbon out and see what happens. Bourbon was really content just being out of the box and slept on T’s lap for the rest of the trip. THANK GOD!
We got off the bus and almost immediately caught another. This was a chicken bus (yellow school bus) and services local areas, so they could have cared less about a dog on their bus. They’ve probably had tons of weird animals on that bus, because for 99.9% of the population that’s their only method of transportation! I was so relieved, because that first encounter had me terrified that all the buses I had to take would be the same. Bourbon was really good and slept the entire way; he didn’t even go to the bathroom on the bus! … but then again that could have been because the bus broke down shortly after we got on!
We were on the side of the road for a while before another bus came. We tried to rush to make it, but with my big-ass suitcase and all of T’s stuff, we weren’t moving very fast; they left without us. So, I took that opportunity to walk Bourbon and luckily another bus came within a half-hour and we were off again! This ride went smoothly. T got off about 45 minutes before me and I had the rest of the ride to Santa Rosa de Copan. As if the journey wasn’t enough of a hassle, I found out I missed the last bus towards my site and the next bus that would pass about half-hour outside of it was delayed, so it would be getting dark and I didn’t feel too comfortable with that. SO! I called up my lovely friend Kathryn and she is awesome and had no problems with us crashing for the night.
It was actually a welcome stop because I was so tired and stressed it was nice to be somewhere familiar and rest before completing the trip. One of the other PCVs who lives in SRC invited us out to celebrate her boyfriend’s birthday, so we had a wonderful dinner and watched the Honduras vs. Trinidad & Tobago qualifying soccer game for the World Cup (Honduras won!).
At half-time I went to check on Bourbon and see if he had destroyed Kathryn’s apartment. He had indeed used her floor as a public bathroom, which I promptly cleaned up and then decided to take him for a walk. The entire time we were walking around the block he was crying! I think he was so scared of everything and overwhelmed that he just cried and cried. It was kind of ridiculous. So I go to leave a few minutes later and he starts HOWLING again! Like, if I’m not right by his side, he’s howling; even if he can still see me. I wanted to stay and comfort him, but they were waiting for me for dessert and I couldn’t resist … hah! I could hear him howling from about 2 blocks away.
He cried a lot in Kathryn’s place and woke her up in the morning. I’m terrible and pretty much forgot that’s how puppies are! I was mortified because I already felt like I was putting her out, but she was fine. Anyways, woke-up the next morning, jumped on the bus and got to Corquin! I lost my phone on the bus, which I noticed about 15 minutes later and ran to catch up with the bus, but it was already gone. I think the kid working the tickets took it, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I had a lot of credit on there, which was annoying, but oh well. At least we’re home and he’s settling down and seems comfortable. I’m going to go take a nap, but there will be plenty of puppy stories because HE IS SO CUTE!
Not the best blog, but it served to de-stress me at the time. I wrote it when I had just got home and served as more of a bitch session, but things are better!
Bourbon is really intelligent and I good dog. He’s calm and is just a big love-bug. I had people over to celebrate some people in my area completing their two years, and he was great with everyone and didn’t destroy anything! He loved all the people playing with him. He cries less now and is even getting pretty brave. He’s a little rough with other dogs in the beginning and definitely has some food aggression when other dogs are around. I can play with his bowl, but my friend brought his puppy and Bourbon was very aggressive when they were eating. I have to work on that with him!
So, that’s that with puppy stories for now. I have the same number, so don’t worry about that!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Noche de Fumadores
Well this was my first real event with Peace Corps Volunteers from a different projects and groups. I stayed at Kathryn’s place with a bunch of people; about 10 to be exact. We were all on our best behavior and everyone was still alive by the end of the weekend. I think Peace Corps gives you such a traveler’s mentality and people are really conscious of their actions and try to be really accommodating. It’s weird, but I don’t know if that many people eating and sleeping in such a small space would have worked at home.
Anyways, there were a lot of people in town and I think final calculations of PCVs in attendance at Noche de Fumadores was about 65 – 70 people. There are four Volunteers living in Santa Rosa and each hosted at least 2 or 3 people in their apartments. The remaining people we in a hotel right around the corner from Kat’s house.
It has become a tradition for me to go and get the “good beers” when I have gone to Santa Rosa overnight. The store that sells the “good beers” is remodeling and I was extremely dismayed to find that there were three HUGE coolers blocking the wee one that houses all the ice-cold Hoegarden, Leffe and Stella. Luckily, they like us and Kathryn has befriended them, so I didn’t think it would be too much to ask if they could do some moving around for me to get at the equivalent of beer heaven in Honduras. I think they figured out what we wanted … can’t help but notice the two gringas standing, staring longingly at the lovely beer cooler. I actually got really embarrassed when three men were called to help move the coolers. It took them a few minutes to get everything situated. Meanwhile, every other customer in the store is watching us wait for the moving of the cooler and then the smiles spread across our faces as the beers are handed over. My pena (shame) was quickly abated when we had the beers and sour cream and onion chips in Kathryn’s apartment. It’s kind of nice living in a world where such simple pleasures as good company and sour cream and onion chips become the highlight of your month and was monumental events in your life. Ok, that might be slightly exaggerated.
After that more people started trickling in and we began the shower process. As people rotated in the shower the others were getting ready and drinking the crappy Honduran (albeit slightly cheaper) beer. Really the point of this blog is not supposed to revolve around beer, but such is life…
So we get all pretty (pictures will be posted). It was really weird to see everyone formally dressed. I’ve seen people in my training group dressed up for swearing – in, but I think people put more effort into Noche de Fumadores.
So, basically they had 400 tickets for this event; about 70 of those tickets were bought by Peace Corps Volunteers. We get there, and after getting out little tote-bags with 4 cigars, matches and a little sample of coffee, we’re shown to our tables. They put us outside on the balcony, very much separated from the rest of the people who were in the main room. You could look at this as they were purposefully trying to get us isolated from the event or they were doing us a favor by putting us outside and together. Either way, once the event got underway they actually gave us a nice shout-out, actually thanking all the Peace Corps Volunteers for their attendance. After the opening ceremony they opened the food line, which was my main focus at the time. They didn’t plan very well on the food front. Maybe they didn’t realize the all the PCVs would pointedly not eat dinner, knowing full well that there would be food at Noche and we could fill up there, since we already paid for it! We also were the first in line and as a result there wasn’t much food left for people who went later. Damn greedy Americans!
There was also free beer (crappy Honduran beer) and free wine (well, free in the sense that you had already paid out you’re a—and they had the courtesy not to charge you more inside). At one point I saw a friend (no names!) walking in with three beers and pointedly putting them down in front of her, making it very obvious that she had no intention of sharing.
Personally, I got excited about the CHEESE! Cheese here is terrible; would make the French weep with the bastardization of an art that they pride in. Nonetheless, the cheese here was decent and more varied that the high-sodium stuff I find in Corquin. I made several passes by that table…
Apart from the cheese I was also very attached to the dance floor. Don’t know what happened, but I took to dancing this past weekend. After a couple of beers and a lot of Friday nights spent alone at home, I wasn’t about to sit around! One of the early dance partners complimented me on my moves (I know he was being nice!) and that coupled with a little liquid courage had me out there all night! I had a blast just kind of making things up as I went along and pretending that I could dance Latin music. For the most part, I don’t think I was all that bad.
I think we actually left around 1 a.m. and a large group split off to find some more dancing places. Instead of going home I tried to find another place to hang out, but they tried to charge cover and that’s when I decided to go home. I have a thing against paying cover and I’m sure not going to start paying it here.
This is one of the main reasons I love Kathryn: the next morning we had bagels! She spent a weekend making dozens of bagels for her house guests! We had cinnamon and raisin, poppy seed and onion, chocolate chip and plain! And cream cheese! Drank coffee, ate bagels, chatted and some people popped some aspirin. I went to bed probably around 3 a.m. and woke up around 7 a.m. Couple of the girls woke-up at a god-awful hour because everyone is so used to waking-up early and then the traffic on the street was horrendously loud. During the carnivals here, they hire trucks to go around announcing things and for some reason they start at 5 a.m. I vaguely remember something loud passing by and Kathryn moaning, “I HATE HONDURAS!”
The adventurous people actually left the house at a decent hour to explore the day’s events, but a few of us stayed in a bit longer and just relaxed. Finally we did go out, eat and explore the coffee tasting. In the Central Park there were a whole bunch of local coffee producers that were giving coffee tastings and selling their wares. We walked around and enjoyed the music and nice weather. Great afternoon.
The partying was not yet completed! Apparently the night before wasn’t enough for us! Actually, one of the girls in Santa Rosa left for the States today (Monday). She finished her service and it’s tradition to have a huge party for the people leaving. Saturday night we all went out to a couple of bars and there was more dancing. I had a blast! Reminded me of times with Old Glory people, just with three times the people! I hardly knew any of the Volunteers who weren’t in my training group, but it was nice to meet people and hang out. I met two girls in the bathroom and here’s the normal conversation when meeting a PCV:
“Hey! (usually there’s no point asking if they’re with Peace Corps) what group are you?”
“I’m H14 Wat/San.”
“Oh, I’m H12 business. What’s your site? I’m in X…”
“Corquin.”
“OH! :insert here mention of sitemate or other people that reside near this site. Also, it’s common to spout-off other information you might know about this person, which usually comes from the rampant Peace Corps gossip chain. (RANDOM EXAMPLE: Oh! So you’re the one who got drunk in training and no one likes?: Obvious exaggeration…).”
And then you carry on. Actually, I ran into one PCV towards the end of the night and asked (in English) if he saw someone from our group. He must not have heard me, because he just whipped me onto the dance floor and then proceeded to talk to me in Spanish… I did the head-cocked, are you crazy look, before saying, “I’m a Peace Corps Volunteer … You bought me a shot earlier!!”
He was like, “OH! Whoops.”
I was really confused when he started speaking Spanish, although there are those Volunteers who are so intent on practicing their Spanish that they won’t speak English to you. I want to smack those people; this is the only time that I can speak English and you better believe I’m taking advantage of it! Snap out of it!!
Some people went out after that bar too, but about 4 am is my limit for being awake. I don’t know what happened to me this past weekend. I morphed into a rare form of Hannah … I don’t dance and I don’t generally like to stay out past 1 am. Sleeping is an important part of my life. Actually, I didn’t expect to even make it to the first bar because I was so tired, but once we got there it was like an adrenaline rush and I became the Energize bunny! I think it was just the excitement of actually seeing people and having something to do that kept me going. I met a lot of cool people and had an absolute blast. I’m not going to make a habit of doing the big, high-profile partying in Peace Corps, but I think events like that are really what keep a lot of people sane. It’s great to get away for a weekend and recharge your patience with Honduras.
Anyways, there were a lot of people in town and I think final calculations of PCVs in attendance at Noche de Fumadores was about 65 – 70 people. There are four Volunteers living in Santa Rosa and each hosted at least 2 or 3 people in their apartments. The remaining people we in a hotel right around the corner from Kat’s house.
It has become a tradition for me to go and get the “good beers” when I have gone to Santa Rosa overnight. The store that sells the “good beers” is remodeling and I was extremely dismayed to find that there were three HUGE coolers blocking the wee one that houses all the ice-cold Hoegarden, Leffe and Stella. Luckily, they like us and Kathryn has befriended them, so I didn’t think it would be too much to ask if they could do some moving around for me to get at the equivalent of beer heaven in Honduras. I think they figured out what we wanted … can’t help but notice the two gringas standing, staring longingly at the lovely beer cooler. I actually got really embarrassed when three men were called to help move the coolers. It took them a few minutes to get everything situated. Meanwhile, every other customer in the store is watching us wait for the moving of the cooler and then the smiles spread across our faces as the beers are handed over. My pena (shame) was quickly abated when we had the beers and sour cream and onion chips in Kathryn’s apartment. It’s kind of nice living in a world where such simple pleasures as good company and sour cream and onion chips become the highlight of your month and was monumental events in your life. Ok, that might be slightly exaggerated.
After that more people started trickling in and we began the shower process. As people rotated in the shower the others were getting ready and drinking the crappy Honduran (albeit slightly cheaper) beer. Really the point of this blog is not supposed to revolve around beer, but such is life…
So we get all pretty (pictures will be posted). It was really weird to see everyone formally dressed. I’ve seen people in my training group dressed up for swearing – in, but I think people put more effort into Noche de Fumadores.
So, basically they had 400 tickets for this event; about 70 of those tickets were bought by Peace Corps Volunteers. We get there, and after getting out little tote-bags with 4 cigars, matches and a little sample of coffee, we’re shown to our tables. They put us outside on the balcony, very much separated from the rest of the people who were in the main room. You could look at this as they were purposefully trying to get us isolated from the event or they were doing us a favor by putting us outside and together. Either way, once the event got underway they actually gave us a nice shout-out, actually thanking all the Peace Corps Volunteers for their attendance. After the opening ceremony they opened the food line, which was my main focus at the time. They didn’t plan very well on the food front. Maybe they didn’t realize the all the PCVs would pointedly not eat dinner, knowing full well that there would be food at Noche and we could fill up there, since we already paid for it! We also were the first in line and as a result there wasn’t much food left for people who went later. Damn greedy Americans!
There was also free beer (crappy Honduran beer) and free wine (well, free in the sense that you had already paid out you’re a—and they had the courtesy not to charge you more inside). At one point I saw a friend (no names!) walking in with three beers and pointedly putting them down in front of her, making it very obvious that she had no intention of sharing.
Personally, I got excited about the CHEESE! Cheese here is terrible; would make the French weep with the bastardization of an art that they pride in. Nonetheless, the cheese here was decent and more varied that the high-sodium stuff I find in Corquin. I made several passes by that table…
Apart from the cheese I was also very attached to the dance floor. Don’t know what happened, but I took to dancing this past weekend. After a couple of beers and a lot of Friday nights spent alone at home, I wasn’t about to sit around! One of the early dance partners complimented me on my moves (I know he was being nice!) and that coupled with a little liquid courage had me out there all night! I had a blast just kind of making things up as I went along and pretending that I could dance Latin music. For the most part, I don’t think I was all that bad.
I think we actually left around 1 a.m. and a large group split off to find some more dancing places. Instead of going home I tried to find another place to hang out, but they tried to charge cover and that’s when I decided to go home. I have a thing against paying cover and I’m sure not going to start paying it here.
This is one of the main reasons I love Kathryn: the next morning we had bagels! She spent a weekend making dozens of bagels for her house guests! We had cinnamon and raisin, poppy seed and onion, chocolate chip and plain! And cream cheese! Drank coffee, ate bagels, chatted and some people popped some aspirin. I went to bed probably around 3 a.m. and woke up around 7 a.m. Couple of the girls woke-up at a god-awful hour because everyone is so used to waking-up early and then the traffic on the street was horrendously loud. During the carnivals here, they hire trucks to go around announcing things and for some reason they start at 5 a.m. I vaguely remember something loud passing by and Kathryn moaning, “I HATE HONDURAS!”
The adventurous people actually left the house at a decent hour to explore the day’s events, but a few of us stayed in a bit longer and just relaxed. Finally we did go out, eat and explore the coffee tasting. In the Central Park there were a whole bunch of local coffee producers that were giving coffee tastings and selling their wares. We walked around and enjoyed the music and nice weather. Great afternoon.
The partying was not yet completed! Apparently the night before wasn’t enough for us! Actually, one of the girls in Santa Rosa left for the States today (Monday). She finished her service and it’s tradition to have a huge party for the people leaving. Saturday night we all went out to a couple of bars and there was more dancing. I had a blast! Reminded me of times with Old Glory people, just with three times the people! I hardly knew any of the Volunteers who weren’t in my training group, but it was nice to meet people and hang out. I met two girls in the bathroom and here’s the normal conversation when meeting a PCV:
“Hey! (usually there’s no point asking if they’re with Peace Corps) what group are you?”
“I’m H14 Wat/San.”
“Oh, I’m H12 business. What’s your site? I’m in X…”
“Corquin.”
“OH! :insert here mention of sitemate or other people that reside near this site. Also, it’s common to spout-off other information you might know about this person, which usually comes from the rampant Peace Corps gossip chain. (RANDOM EXAMPLE: Oh! So you’re the one who got drunk in training and no one likes?: Obvious exaggeration…).”
And then you carry on. Actually, I ran into one PCV towards the end of the night and asked (in English) if he saw someone from our group. He must not have heard me, because he just whipped me onto the dance floor and then proceeded to talk to me in Spanish… I did the head-cocked, are you crazy look, before saying, “I’m a Peace Corps Volunteer … You bought me a shot earlier!!”
He was like, “OH! Whoops.”
I was really confused when he started speaking Spanish, although there are those Volunteers who are so intent on practicing their Spanish that they won’t speak English to you. I want to smack those people; this is the only time that I can speak English and you better believe I’m taking advantage of it! Snap out of it!!
Some people went out after that bar too, but about 4 am is my limit for being awake. I don’t know what happened to me this past weekend. I morphed into a rare form of Hannah … I don’t dance and I don’t generally like to stay out past 1 am. Sleeping is an important part of my life. Actually, I didn’t expect to even make it to the first bar because I was so tired, but once we got there it was like an adrenaline rush and I became the Energize bunny! I think it was just the excitement of actually seeing people and having something to do that kept me going. I met a lot of cool people and had an absolute blast. I’m not going to make a habit of doing the big, high-profile partying in Peace Corps, but I think events like that are really what keep a lot of people sane. It’s great to get away for a weekend and recharge your patience with Honduras.
Checking In
:So I wrote this last week thinking I would be on the internet sooner than I was, but I hope it still is somewhat interesting:
Today I had a lazy today. Nothing going on at work, so I decided to stay home and do some stuff around the house. I was supposed to get a ride to buy paint for my bedroom, but my ride never called me back. As a result, I spent the morning just kind of screwing around.
The house is really coming along. I overdosed on painting in the beginning, so just the kitchen and my bathroom have been painted thus far. The paint really improves the way the house looks, so I’m hoping I get a “second wind” and make the final push for my bedroom and the main room. I lay awake at night thinking about what colors I want to put in the rooms. It’s kind of fun and I wish I had more options for decorating; money is kind of limiting.
I’ve been lucky that the couple of girls in the area who are leaving have been generous and given me a few things. I’ve inherited a table, bookshelves (planks of wood and cinderblocks), and kitchen supplies, including: peanut butter (!) and a waffle-maker!! So excited.
I’ve actually kind of taken to sweeping; just sweeping. There’s always dust in the house and I sweep a couple of times a day, which I would never have done before. After the sweeping Hondurans like to mop, but that requires the hand-washing of the mop afterwards, which I don’t find too exciting. One “upside” to the number of bugs that seem to invade the house is that it encourages you to keep the place clean.
So, after doing some sweeping and casual cooking, I went up to the Post Office to pick up my packages. Grandma Jackie and Grandma Jerry both sent me packages with chocolate. After reading the lovely notes and indulging in a couple of pieces of chocolate, I have to admit I got pretty excited about the tins that the chocolate came in. This is what my life has become: I get excited about tins, because they are so multi-purpose! So many things can be put in tins to keep the bugs from invading them! HAH
So we have a lot of fun coming up. The local carnival (feria) in Santa Rosa starts Friday. You get dressed up and pay a set price for entrance and then get food, drinks and cigars for the night. I think there are about 50 Volunteers planning on going at this point! I’ll be seeing a few of my very close friends for the first time in 3 months and I’m extremely excited! The next night we’re doing an “apartment crawl” for one of the girl’s going away party.
After Santa Rosa I head to a week long training with Peace Corps, where again, I’ll be seeing a ton of people from my group that I haven’t seen in a while. After the training I will swing by Santa Barbara to pick up my PUPPY! I’m so stoked. I already have everything bought for him! I’ve been looking forward to this training since the day I finished training and I’m afraid that once it’s over I’ll have nothing to look forward too and I’ll get really sad.
On a sincerely sad note, my computer has taken a turn for the worse. Today we have had a problem staying on, which has proved to be a problem. The cord has cuts in it and I’ve noticed that the connection to the computer is even more fragile. The on/off button has now completely collapsed into the keyboard and it takes about 10 minutes to get the right spot to turn it on. The other day I had to bring my computer to a meeting with the coffee cooperative I’ve been working with and the Director of ODECO was making fun of me because it took so long to turn the computer on and then another millennium for the program to open up! I’ll be really sad when this computer goes. She’s always given me problems, but I’ve written a lot of papers on this computer, done a lot of online procrastinating! Also, how will I watch movies alone in my house at night or do yoga without my computer! JUST FOUR MORE MONTHS! Hang in there viejita!!
About this coffee cooperative I mentioned: This meeting was really interesting. In order for them to maintain their certification and increase their name in the area, they have to comply with a whole host of rules. For instance, before they cut down a tree for wood (even if it’s dead), they have to ask permission from the local government. Also, a lot of coffee farms have temporary housing for the workers that they hire during the coffee picking season. In order to a farm to maintain its membership in the cooperative they have to commit to making certain improvements to the houses each year so that the workers are safe and cared for. It was interesting because every few months an auditor comes and investigates a few farms and then holds a meeting about what the cooperative needs to work on to maintain its certification. It’s serious business.
My part in this is with the GPS. They need a map showing the area and GPS points of each coffee farm in the cooperative. For the auditor’s visit yesterday we just did a map with all the houses, but in the future I have to walk through EACH coffee farm to take points to get their area. There are forty members and some of them have more than one farm. We’re talking some major work here. I don’t like walking through coffee. It’s annoying. There are so many bugs and so many rashes that come from coffee farms. Arggghhh. Yet, its nice knowing there’s stuff to do.
There’s not too much else to talk about. Really hoping my computer stays in touch. She’s stayed on long enough to write this blog. Somebody should visit soon so A) I can see someone from home B) they can bring me one of those new little computers! HAH
Love everyone. Miss everyone. Thanks Grandmas for all the lovely packages and cards. I’m going to make a collage of all the beautiful cards I’ve gotten to put on my wall; add some interest to the bare walls. You get creative with decorating in the Peace Corps.
Honduras Ikea: cinderblocks, planks of wood, broom sticks and nails … that’s all you need to furnish a house! You’ll see in the pictures after I clean the house!
Today I had a lazy today. Nothing going on at work, so I decided to stay home and do some stuff around the house. I was supposed to get a ride to buy paint for my bedroom, but my ride never called me back. As a result, I spent the morning just kind of screwing around.
The house is really coming along. I overdosed on painting in the beginning, so just the kitchen and my bathroom have been painted thus far. The paint really improves the way the house looks, so I’m hoping I get a “second wind” and make the final push for my bedroom and the main room. I lay awake at night thinking about what colors I want to put in the rooms. It’s kind of fun and I wish I had more options for decorating; money is kind of limiting.
I’ve been lucky that the couple of girls in the area who are leaving have been generous and given me a few things. I’ve inherited a table, bookshelves (planks of wood and cinderblocks), and kitchen supplies, including: peanut butter (!) and a waffle-maker!! So excited.
I’ve actually kind of taken to sweeping; just sweeping. There’s always dust in the house and I sweep a couple of times a day, which I would never have done before. After the sweeping Hondurans like to mop, but that requires the hand-washing of the mop afterwards, which I don’t find too exciting. One “upside” to the number of bugs that seem to invade the house is that it encourages you to keep the place clean.
So, after doing some sweeping and casual cooking, I went up to the Post Office to pick up my packages. Grandma Jackie and Grandma Jerry both sent me packages with chocolate. After reading the lovely notes and indulging in a couple of pieces of chocolate, I have to admit I got pretty excited about the tins that the chocolate came in. This is what my life has become: I get excited about tins, because they are so multi-purpose! So many things can be put in tins to keep the bugs from invading them! HAH
So we have a lot of fun coming up. The local carnival (feria) in Santa Rosa starts Friday. You get dressed up and pay a set price for entrance and then get food, drinks and cigars for the night. I think there are about 50 Volunteers planning on going at this point! I’ll be seeing a few of my very close friends for the first time in 3 months and I’m extremely excited! The next night we’re doing an “apartment crawl” for one of the girl’s going away party.
After Santa Rosa I head to a week long training with Peace Corps, where again, I’ll be seeing a ton of people from my group that I haven’t seen in a while. After the training I will swing by Santa Barbara to pick up my PUPPY! I’m so stoked. I already have everything bought for him! I’ve been looking forward to this training since the day I finished training and I’m afraid that once it’s over I’ll have nothing to look forward too and I’ll get really sad.
On a sincerely sad note, my computer has taken a turn for the worse. Today we have had a problem staying on, which has proved to be a problem. The cord has cuts in it and I’ve noticed that the connection to the computer is even more fragile. The on/off button has now completely collapsed into the keyboard and it takes about 10 minutes to get the right spot to turn it on. The other day I had to bring my computer to a meeting with the coffee cooperative I’ve been working with and the Director of ODECO was making fun of me because it took so long to turn the computer on and then another millennium for the program to open up! I’ll be really sad when this computer goes. She’s always given me problems, but I’ve written a lot of papers on this computer, done a lot of online procrastinating! Also, how will I watch movies alone in my house at night or do yoga without my computer! JUST FOUR MORE MONTHS! Hang in there viejita!!
About this coffee cooperative I mentioned: This meeting was really interesting. In order for them to maintain their certification and increase their name in the area, they have to comply with a whole host of rules. For instance, before they cut down a tree for wood (even if it’s dead), they have to ask permission from the local government. Also, a lot of coffee farms have temporary housing for the workers that they hire during the coffee picking season. In order to a farm to maintain its membership in the cooperative they have to commit to making certain improvements to the houses each year so that the workers are safe and cared for. It was interesting because every few months an auditor comes and investigates a few farms and then holds a meeting about what the cooperative needs to work on to maintain its certification. It’s serious business.
My part in this is with the GPS. They need a map showing the area and GPS points of each coffee farm in the cooperative. For the auditor’s visit yesterday we just did a map with all the houses, but in the future I have to walk through EACH coffee farm to take points to get their area. There are forty members and some of them have more than one farm. We’re talking some major work here. I don’t like walking through coffee. It’s annoying. There are so many bugs and so many rashes that come from coffee farms. Arggghhh. Yet, its nice knowing there’s stuff to do.
There’s not too much else to talk about. Really hoping my computer stays in touch. She’s stayed on long enough to write this blog. Somebody should visit soon so A) I can see someone from home B) they can bring me one of those new little computers! HAH
Love everyone. Miss everyone. Thanks Grandmas for all the lovely packages and cards. I’m going to make a collage of all the beautiful cards I’ve gotten to put on my wall; add some interest to the bare walls. You get creative with decorating in the Peace Corps.
Honduras Ikea: cinderblocks, planks of wood, broom sticks and nails … that’s all you need to furnish a house! You’ll see in the pictures after I clean the house!
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