Hey everyone, I am sorry that it has taken me so long to update my website. It has been fairly hectic the last week. On Saturday I arrived in Honduras with 25 other volunteers, the remaining 25 flew in the following day. After the flight and going through customs we finally left the airport in San Pedro Sula for Santa Lucia; the bus ride took 4 hours. Around 8pm we finally arrived in our new home for atleast the next 4 weeks. Our host mothers were waiting outside in the rain for us. Up until that point I was completely fine and honestly no nervous or homesick at all, but all of a sudden it hit me what was happening. It felt as though I had just found out that I was adopted and now I was going to meet my birth mother for the first time 23 years later. It was an extremely scary thing for me, but I was strong and did not shed a tear!!
My host family is super nice. I live with an older couple and 3 of their childeren and 3 grandchildren. In the house is one daughter, Odina and she is 35 and works for in the local municipal building; and they have 2 sons. One name Hugo and he is 29 and is head of the total education department in Santa Lucia, and finally there is Felipe and he is 24 and attends law school in Tegucigalpa. Odina has 3 children and I can not begin to spell their names!! Two boys 15 and 14 and one daughter that is 12. Everyone has been very nice and helpful. I live in a small bedroom that is not attached to the rest of the house. I have a bed, desk and a few shelves. It is clean and that is the most important part. I use a bathroom that is also not attached, not so much an outhouse because it is made of concrete or cinder block. I have to take bucket showers because my family does not have running water. They only have a pilla which is a place to store water that comes every 8 days in the city. I use that water to bath and flush the toliet. Right now everything is working out well for me. On saturday I get to learn how to wash my clothes by hand, it will prolly take all day because I have alot of dirty clothes at this point.
Training has barely begun. Because we did not all arrive until Sunday, they are trying to catch us up on the days we were supposed to already have. Pretty much every other day we get vaccinations. I think in total there is a possibility of getting 13, that depends on what you had before you got here. I need at least 10 I believe, but not positive on that one. Sunday I recieved the polio shot, Tuesday I had the first rabies shot and typhoid and tomorrow I get the first for hep a and b. Spanish classes thus far are 5-6 hours every day of training, plus homework. The rest of our time thus far has been based on gettting to understand the culture, safety and security, and lectures about what to expect.
Everything is great and I do not think I could be much happier. Thanks for all of your emails. I truly do appreciate them. And mom, why did you not call yesterday, I gave dad the house number. If you get this it is best to call between 8-9 pm (ohio time). I can only talk for 30 minutes, that is a rule, and once a week. Love you all!!
Oh yeah, the family also has a pet squirrel named Julisa!!!!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Almost There
After spending four hours in the airport on Wednesday we ended up back at the hotel and yesterday afternoon found out that we will be splitting up into 3 groups. Two groups fly out on Saturday morning and one group on Sunday morning. We have switched airlines and will redirected through Atlanta instead of Miami. So far the extra time in the states, although cold, has been good because it is giving a lot of us a chance to get to know each other better. I am looking forward to finally arriving in Honduras and getting the ball rolling. I fly out at 7 am on Saturday morning and arrive in country at 1:45 central time. Hope everyon is well and enjoying the snow!!! ( Julie, go sledding for me!)
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
D.C. might be longer than expected!
So here I am, sitting in my hotel room in D.C. on my roommates computer waiting to find out what happens next... Maybe I should back up and explain the situation up till now.
On Monday I arrived in D.C. and met 50 other soon to be Peace Corps Volunteers. We had to go through the registration process and than all gathered in a conference room to meet one another for the first time. Let me tell you, up until this point my emotions were all over the place. Most of you know that the majority of my anxieties stemmed from meeting all the other trainees. That issue was shortly put to rest. Everyone has been completely amazing, and of course I expected everyone to be open, and excited, but it has been more than that; everyone is genuinely nice and so easy going. I have been placed with an extrodinary group.. there are even parts of me that question my place among this group because they are all so accomplished and well educated individuals. In saying all of that I feel very honored to be given this opportunity and I plan to run with it!!!
On Tuesday we had pre service training all day starting at 8:30 to 6. It consisted of team building excercises, cross-cultural information, open forums for questions, and a lot of time to get to know one another. I have decided that I am horrible at remembering peoples names. I have spent alot of my time asking people what their names are, only to find out I already had that exact conversation only 20 minutes earlier with them. Last night I went out with 5 other people to a concert featuring a band named 'Apples and Stereo' (I think that is their name). It was alot of fun, and gave me the opportunity to get to know people that up until that point I had not had too much interaction with. We got back to the hotel between 11:30 and 12 and I went straight to my room for a nice hot shower. After that I spent alot of time packing my stuff, while trying to be super quiet because my roommate was asleep. I finished everything at 1 am and decided that a power nap was in order. I laid down and at 1:30 we recieved a wake-up call. At 2:00 the whole group checked out of the hotel and at 3:30 am left for the airport. Once at the airport we discovered that our flight was cancelled and we proceeded to wait for 4 hours before we were able to head back to the hotel. During my time at the airport I learned how to play hearts and had a lot of fun, considering that I had been awake since 7:30 the previous morning. Some people sat and talked, while others decided to utilize the time and get as much sleep as possible. All in all the group was really patient and willing to go with the flow. We got back to the hotel around 8:30 and many went straight to bed, I went to the hotel restaurant and ordered breakfast. After breakfast I went to bed for 2 hours. Right now I am just basically running on fumes and hoping that I am able to get a good 8 hours of sleep soon. I guess I will just have to wait and see!
At 3:00pm we are meeting to discuss the flight situation. As of right now the outlook is not so good for us arriving in Honduras tomorrow, so D.C. remains the only part of training that I have experienced.
Hopefully I will be able to update everyone as soon as I find out what is going on. I love you all and miss you very much.
On Monday I arrived in D.C. and met 50 other soon to be Peace Corps Volunteers. We had to go through the registration process and than all gathered in a conference room to meet one another for the first time. Let me tell you, up until this point my emotions were all over the place. Most of you know that the majority of my anxieties stemmed from meeting all the other trainees. That issue was shortly put to rest. Everyone has been completely amazing, and of course I expected everyone to be open, and excited, but it has been more than that; everyone is genuinely nice and so easy going. I have been placed with an extrodinary group.. there are even parts of me that question my place among this group because they are all so accomplished and well educated individuals. In saying all of that I feel very honored to be given this opportunity and I plan to run with it!!!
On Tuesday we had pre service training all day starting at 8:30 to 6. It consisted of team building excercises, cross-cultural information, open forums for questions, and a lot of time to get to know one another. I have decided that I am horrible at remembering peoples names. I have spent alot of my time asking people what their names are, only to find out I already had that exact conversation only 20 minutes earlier with them. Last night I went out with 5 other people to a concert featuring a band named 'Apples and Stereo' (I think that is their name). It was alot of fun, and gave me the opportunity to get to know people that up until that point I had not had too much interaction with. We got back to the hotel between 11:30 and 12 and I went straight to my room for a nice hot shower. After that I spent alot of time packing my stuff, while trying to be super quiet because my roommate was asleep. I finished everything at 1 am and decided that a power nap was in order. I laid down and at 1:30 we recieved a wake-up call. At 2:00 the whole group checked out of the hotel and at 3:30 am left for the airport. Once at the airport we discovered that our flight was cancelled and we proceeded to wait for 4 hours before we were able to head back to the hotel. During my time at the airport I learned how to play hearts and had a lot of fun, considering that I had been awake since 7:30 the previous morning. Some people sat and talked, while others decided to utilize the time and get as much sleep as possible. All in all the group was really patient and willing to go with the flow. We got back to the hotel around 8:30 and many went straight to bed, I went to the hotel restaurant and ordered breakfast. After breakfast I went to bed for 2 hours. Right now I am just basically running on fumes and hoping that I am able to get a good 8 hours of sleep soon. I guess I will just have to wait and see!
At 3:00pm we are meeting to discuss the flight situation. As of right now the outlook is not so good for us arriving in Honduras tomorrow, so D.C. remains the only part of training that I have experienced.
Hopefully I will be able to update everyone as soon as I find out what is going on. I love you all and miss you very much.
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