I might be the worst blogger ever. there’s so much to tell but I often don’t have the energy to pause and jot down my thoughts and emotions in a coherent, interesting post. So you’ll have to deal with hearing from me once a month, when I am finally forced to process the past few weeks. I’ll be here in Talanga for just 5 more days before we head back to Zarabanda for a final week of training and then are sworn in as official Peace Corps Volunteers! Not much has changed since my last entry, my host family is still amazing, feeding me pancakes, French fries, and steak (I’m pretty sure that if I was to stay here for the entire 2 years of my service I would be 400 pounds). Training is going well-in regard to Spanish, I’ve advanced from Novice High to Intermediate Low! Yayyy!! In order to be sworn in, I have to end training as Intermediate Mid, so one more level to go!

I have officially been in Honduras for over two months! Ahhhh! And so far, I’m loving it. I love the slow pace, that buses run 2 hours late because the driver wants to stop and play cards at the local pulperia, that strangers are greeted with snacks and coffee, that schedules are never followed and plans are forever changing. I’m sure that the next two years will be filled with the frustrations that come with working in this environment, but for now, I feel like the girl who loves chaos and spontaneity, who is averse to all things rigid or punctual, has finally found her niche.

For the most part, life is pretty rosy, but there have been really bad days and moments of failure. I’m learning that the key to sanity here is to not take myself too seriously, and to look at each day with new eyes.

Por ejemplo:

Awhile ago we went a local school and talked with 5-6 year olds about dental hygiene. IN SPANISH. We split up into groups of 4 and went to different classrooms, armed with games and colorful posters. So we’re there for an hour talking about cavities and brushing your teeth. At the end of this talk, we decide to ask the kids questions to review. Starting with what I believe to be a no-brainer, Stacie asks “Que es un carie?” (What is a cavity). A girl in the back enthusiastically yells “Repollo!”(Cabbage). Ohmylord. Something went seriously wrong there. Whether it was the language barrier, complete disinterest, or some other freak occurrence that causes kids to connect cavities with large purple vegetables, we’ll never know, but somehow, the message wasn’t clear.

moments like that keep me grounded. They remind me that I’ve got a lot to learn and that the best laid plans often end in fiasco or misunderstanding. It’s also a reminder that in the midst of programs and projects, my focus has to be on creating relationships and learning from my community. Because the instant I let my pride convince me otherwise, I’ll completely miss the point and be caught yelling “repollo!” at the end of my time here.

In other news, my self directed project is going super fab! Part of our training consists of going to work in a school twice a week with a team of 3-4 other aspirantes. I do believe that I got incredibly lucky and have the best team and the best school! We’ve had around 45 kids every time, and that in itself is a crazy miracle with the teacher strikes going on. Those definitely merit an explanation

I’ll do my best but I’m not sure that I understand the situation completely.

Here goes:

Ok. So here in Honduras, the teachers have been on strike for the past 4 weeks. The reason given for the strike is dependent on who you ask, but I’ve gathered that there are a couple of factors. According to the teachers, the government is attempting to pass a law that lays the foundation for the privatization of schools. This, along with the fact that the government has been pulling money from their “social security” fund has the teachers up in arms. Add that the teachers union is bigtime powerful here AND that the teachers haven’t been paid in months and you will understand the why the situation is kind of intense. If it doesn’t get resolved soon, there’s talk that this school year won’t count and the kids will have to start over in Feb. I will just suffice it to say that this has been incredibly frustrating to witness.

Back to my self directed project. Next Thursday, we’ll be having a parade through the town, complete with masks, instruments, songs, and dance! For really great photos of the kids’ masks and fuego shakers, I’ll refer you to the blog of my dear friend Lisa Lavezzo because you guys know that I’m so not tech savvy.

Que mas? Oh! On Wednesday, I’ll be finding out the location of my site where I’ll be living for the next two YEARS! Ahh! I’ve received some hints and have been told that I will be in a rural community that is in the mountains near rivers. Super exciting!!

Ok. I’m going to go ahead and post! Love love love to any and all of you who read this!