Finally a Blog from Honduras

Hello Everyone...
I posted a blog on Wednesday, but apparently it did not go through, so I´ll try to give a quick overview of the past week.

We arrived in San Pedro Sula, Honduras last Saturday and took a bus to the training site of Santa Lucia. We were met by our host families around 8PM. Well...most people were. Because of the confusion with our flights and everything, I was an orphan until my host mom showed up about 20 minutes later. It was pretty funny. I am living with a mother and father, Edelmira and Miguel, and 2 sisters, Vanessa (18) and Ligia (thirty). They are great and are helping me out a lot with my Spanish, as well as all the Honduran cultural things I need to learn. As PC trainees, we are not allowed to visit the capital, Tegucigalpa, despite the fact that it is 15 minutes away, because it is too dangerous. However, I found away around that and will be going with my host family in the next week or so. Hopefully, when I´m there I´ll be able to buy a cell phone. Mostly I´ll use it in case of emergency and for contact with other volunteers (most PCVs have them here) but you guys will also be able to call me! Start saving phone cards!!

The last week we´ve spent doing a lot of paperwork, getting immunizations (I´ve gotten Hep A, a Rabies booster, an MMR booster, Typhoid, and Polio so far...although I´m not convinced I needed any of these...and I have 4 more to go), learning about our projects, and getting placed in Spanish classes. I tested in at Intermediate Low (+) and have to be at an Intermediate Medium to be sworn in. I don´t think this should be too difficult, I was actually anticipating to be at a much lower level. The health project seems really interesting...there is a wide variety of work we will be doing, from giving charlas (talks) to groups in very rural communities to helping train midwives in areas where women don´t have access to skilled health professionals.

A typical day for me starts around 5:25, when I wake up. Usually I go running...I started out going by myself but have found some people that are around my level so it´s been nice to socialize at the same time. Santa Lucia is up in the mountains, so there are some killer hills that are helping me get back into shape. After running, I shower (my family has an electroducha, which is an electric thing that warms the water...sometimes) and have breakfast. I have about a 15 minute walk to class, which begins at 7:thirty (the three button is broken on my computer). We have Spanish classes all morning; I´m in a group with 4 other trainees. At 11:thirty, we have our lunches brought to us by our host families, which is great. After lunch, we have project-specific training from 12:thirty to 4:thirty. After classes, a group of people usually go play some futbol with the Catrachos (word for Honduran people) or have a beer. We also have a lot of homework that requires us to talk to people throughout the community...conducting interviews, etc. I´m sure the locals get a kick out of all the gringos running around trying to speak Spanish. I usually eat dinner with someone from my family around 6, then hang out with the family watching horrible American movies dubbed in Spanish (so far I´ve watched Lizzie McGuire, George of the Jungle, The Santa Claus, and a lot of reggaeton videos). Usually I go to sleep about 8thirty or nine, altough I´ve discovered that the 9oclock curfew we were warned about isn´t really existent.

I´ve saved the best for last...the food. As you may know, I haven´t eaten meat for about 5 years now. My 2nd day in Honduras, I was introduced to a Honduran specialty called Sopa de Mondongo. For those of you who may not know, this is soup made with intestine and vegetables. My host mom sells this soup, as well as fruits and vegetables on the weekend, so it only made sense that she would serve it to me. Not wanting to be rude, of course I ate it...but I did avoid any object that I could not identify or that had the appearance of internal organs. Basically...my vegetarianism went out with a bang!
Actually, other than that, my family has been great. Once I established to them that I was a vegetarian, I have been having some really awesome meals. Fresh tortillas, beans, rice, avocado, and more fruits and vegetables than I know what do do with.

Today, I´m headed off to hike with some friends in the mountains. In the evening, the host families are putting on a suprise party for all us volunteers that we all found out about days ago.

Also, I have a phone in my house...if you´re interested in having the number please email me and I´ll use my discretion in who can have it.

Caroline...tell whoever I stole that blue fleece from that it´s been a real lifesaver. I´ve literally worn it every day and every night. It´s a bit colder here than I anticipated.

Oh yeah...and if anyone wants to send me anything, all I really would like is an Audio Bikram Yoga CD, and my Spanish index cards of verb conjugations that is in my bookcase (Mom and Dad, that´s directed at you). The PC told us not to bring any dictionaries or Spanish material because it would all be supplied...but apparently that means they will talk at us really fast in Spanish and expect us to pick up every word they are saying...

Email me if you want to know more about any specific stuff, or just to give me an update on what´s going on with everyone!

Love
Anna

Update!!

Hi Everyone...

Still here in DC...The new plan is that half our group will be leaving tomorrow at 7AM, half our group will be leaving Sunday. I'm with the first group, so I'll have another 2AM trip to the airport, where (hopefully) I'll get on the plane for Honduras. Instead of flying into the capital (Tegucigalpa) we'll go to San Pedro Sula and bus to our training site.

I've been having a lot of fun in DC. The training group I'm comes from a lot of different groups, but are all awesome. We've spent some time in Chinatown, touring the Mall, and hanging out in Georgetown. We've begun placing bets on who in our training group will end up getting married. It's a Peace Corps statistic that 10% of volunteers get married during their service, so we'll see what happens! I haven't taken any pictures yet because my camera's memory card is broken, but once I get a new one I'll start posting interesting pics.

Also, if you go to www.peacecorpsjournals.com, then scroll to the Honduras site, you can find blogs of other people in my training group.

Hopefully next time I update, I will be in Honduras!!!

Oh yeah, this blog represents my opinion and not the opinions of the US Peace Corps...

One last thing, if you're going to reply to my emails, you might NOT want to REPLY ALL (Mark!)

My Info

I've created this blog because I think it will be easier for me to load tales of my experiences to one site, rather than wait for the unreliable internet in Honduras to send mass emails to everyone. Keep in mind, however, that I will still love receiving email and will respond as often as possible. (Friends, keep in mind that this blog is also for my family...so please keep your commentary PG!!)

On Monday, February 12 I will be flying to DC to meet the rest of my Peace Corps Honduras training group. On February 14, we'll fly as a group to Tegucigalpa, Honduras and immediately board a bus to Santa Lucia, where 11 weeks of training will be held. I'll be staying with a family, but the address where I will be able to receive mail is as follows:

Anna Walburn, PCT Voluntario del Cuerpo de Paz
Apartado Postal 3158
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
America Central

Here is some information from the Peace Corps manual regarding mail from the States: ...We discourage you from having money or other valuable items sent to you through the mail. Electrical appliances cannot be sent through the mail, as they are prohibited items and could be subject to a fine. Letters and packages are sometimes opened by postal workers, and valuable items occasionally disappear. In addition, the process of retrieving a package at the post office can be time-consuming, and customs duties may exceed the value of the items sent. If you must have packages sent, however, we recommend padded envelopes.

In addition, Federal Express, UPS, and DHL have offices in Tegucigalpa and can deliver packages to the Peace Corps office. Please do not send any electrical device or appliances via FedEx, UPS, or DHL, as a customs clearence process is required which will cost around $90 (plus you will be charged an additional 75 percent of the cost of the device). Please let your family and friends know this before sending any mail. We also encourage you to ask for shipment tracking numbers so you can track packages through the carriers' websites. Remember that these delivery services cannot deliver to a post office box, so you will have to provide the following street address for the Peace Corps office: Avenida Republica de Chile #401, Colonia Palmira, Tegucigalpa (phone: 504.232.1753)...

Also note, any of you who care to send me packages, try to do so in the bubble envelope things, not boxes. This prevents those silly kids at Customs in Honduras from easily opening and taking things, and resealing it to look like nothing happened. As an additional preventative measure, write "Articulos Religiosos" (Religious articles) or "Materiales de la educacion" (Education material) on the outer packaging so prospective thieves have less desire to open packages to begin with. Letters would be much more welcome than packages, however.

I am unsure if the family I will be staying with will have a telephone (or electricity..or running water, for that matter). If so, I will send an email with that number once I arrive in the country. Anyway, don't miss me too much...and feel free to come visit me whenever you'd like. Honduras has some of the best scuba diving and snorkeling in the world..and some awesome countries are just a short bus ride or flight away (Costa Rica, Belize...etc).

For those of you in Omaha...I'll be here til the 12 Feb so call me if you want to see my smiling face one last time. (658-0716). If not, I'll miss you all and you better keep in touch!!