The Depths

Time has passed. Thing have occurred. Let’s hear about them shall we?

Not long after the last blog entry I had the chance to work on a community chicken coop project in a tiny little place called Ojo de Agua. A while back in October I had helped to put together the request for funds for this project with the women’s group of the community. Well the request went through, the project was approved and then I was asked to help out. Turns out most of the help I provided was translating. You see the group that gave the funds for the chicken coop works by having church groups from America pay to come down to work on such aid projects. The community gets the funds, the church group gets to come and help out, and there’s a nice cultural exchange. Everyone wins. So I spent a week there working on this project and getting to hang out with some gringos. They turned out to be awesome people. So awesome in fact that they treated me to a trip to the island of Amapala on the Pacific coast, including paying for my hotel there. So big props to Grove Presbyterian Church of Danville, PA. Unfortunately they could not stay to see the coop completed, but its all up now and looking mighty fine. In addition Rutilia and I held a few meetings with the nine families involved in this project on things like organizational skills, and simple bookkeeping and good business practices. All in all a big success so far.

Also, school’s in session baby. I’ve been doing the environmental ed thing in a few of the schools in the protected area since March and its going pretty well. In addition to the environmental ed, I worked with the schools on another project. Last year PAM volunteers helped to create a series of books known as the My Protected Area books where volunteers got the kids of their schools to write stories and draw pictures of the protected areas in which they live and these were then put into a little book, with each protected area getting its own book. So I’ve been working with three different schools to put together a new edition of the book for La Botija, and I must say some really great stuff came out of it. There are some talented authors and illustrators in the schools I visited and I’ll be very pleased to give them a copies of the book with their work inside when they get published later this year.

In addition to my always exciting work life, my family came down to visit me this past week. Yeah that’s right, my family actually came down to Honduras. And I have to give it up to them for doing that, especially my mom. Love ya mom. And as it turns out we were not mauled by jaguars and did not die of dengue as I often tell my mom is the everyday way of life here. With the tiny exception of getting accustomed to the driving conditions of Honduras (we rented a car) things went pretty smoothly. My mom and my bro got to see where I live, got to meet my host family, got to see much of the Honduran countryside, beautiful Lago de Yojoa and the breathtaking Mayan Ruins of Copan. I have to say, those ruins were some of the coolest things I have seen in my life, and it was really wonderful to get to see them with my family. I was sad to see them go but very pleased they came down to see me. And now it will only be another 8 months or so before I see them again. You know, barring any jaguar attacks.

And in case you didn’t hear:

UNC MENS BASKETBALL 2009 NCAA CHAMPIONS

Yes, indeedy. I just wish I could have been there. Although I did manage to see the game, thank you very much Ruby Tuesday in Tegucigalpa.

Alright, so only a month and half has passed since my last communique visa vi this blog, so I´m getting better at this. Right?

What happened in January you wonder? My counterpart and I spent a week in the neighboring municipality building a red de mujeres, a group of woman to support the creation of a woman´s municipal office like the one we have here in San Marcos. I feel like it went over pretty well actually and many of the women were excited to get out there and spread the word and demand from their politicos that this office be created. After I got back I was sick for a few days and at first I thought I had Dengue and could be a certified third-worlder, but alas it was only some kind of bacterial infection. Oh well, one day.

The improved stove project that I mentioned in the last update continues, although still in the planning stages. However, we did just submit all the info for the project to the NGO that will be in charge of the whole thing so hopefully the process will pick up soon. In addition I might have a latrine project going on in one of the communities in the protected area. We had an initial meeting but its still way early on. Vamos a ver what happens with that. At the end of the month we had our Protected Areas Management “reconnect”, which was a meeting of all the PAM volunteers for a few days to discuss what we are working on and collaborate on plans for the future. All in all it was a good opportunity to catch up with my buds from all over  H-ville.

After reconnect I took a trip with two PAM amigas of mine to check out the lovely land of Nicaragua. We had an amazing time. Its a super beautiful country, at least the parts we visited. The landscapes, the history, the people, all beautiful. We actually ended up meeting a lot of Peace Corps Nicaragua volunteers as well which was very cool, although most of the conversations were something like “whoa you eat beans and tortillas every day! so do I!” I won´t go into too much detail about the whole trip because this blog is about Honduras, but if you have the chance I highly recommend checking out Nicaragua. And don´t worry, its totally gringo friendly right now. Not even the most hardcore Sandinista will reject US dollars coming into his country.

But now I am back in Honduras, and glad to be back. I actually missed it a good deal in Nicaragua. And in some very good news, the teachers of the San Marcos area have decided not to strike and there will be school this week. So finally I can get started on my main project here.

In these times of economic turmoil and uncertainty you can at least assure yourself that your friend Patrick is doing just fine.

But he does miss you all.

Contrary to popular belief I have not died. I´m still alive, and still in Honduras. I´m just bien haragan, that´s all. So, let´s see what has happened since my last post shall we?

Thanksgiving came and was celebrated in true American style. Most of the volunteers in the south of Honduras came down to my place (it being the most beautiful spot in the region, thank you) for a turkey day bash. And even though none of the family was there it still felt rather familiar. We had all the standard thanksgiving fare, right down to the pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce complete with the can ridges. Mmm. Delicious. Thank you very much massive Americanization that makes these products available.

The next holiday to come down the pipeline was of course the big one, Navidad. I had big plans for this year´s too. I was going to travel up to Monte Redondo to visit my former host family and to do the Santa Claus thing for the kids and give them some regalos. Well the universe just wasn´t having all that noise. The night before I was to go I got ghastly sick with a touch of the ole´Honduras stomach. So instead of spending Christmas surrounded by the closest thing I have to a family here  the only company I enjoyed was that of my peace corps medkit. Oh well. The truth is it wasn´t all that bad. Hondurans don´t really celebrate Christmas like we do. It´s just not that big a deal around here. While some families in San Marcos did have lights and the occasional decorated tree (or just branch really) it was nowhere near the level of the States. And the celebration here largely falls on the 24th. And all they really do that day is eat lots of tamales and set off little fireworks. No one does anything on the 25th, its like any other day really. So in that sense, I didn´t even really feel like I missed Christmas. It just feels like it didn´t even happen.  I´m sure that sounds really sad to the people back home, but don´t fret, it just means I will look forward to Christmas 09 all the more, which barring any unforseen change will take place in the States.

On the bright side, New Year´s Eve almost made up for the complete lack of Christmas. About 15 other volunteers and myself waved goodbye to 2008 from the shores of beautiful Lago Yojoa. Needless to say it was a good time, as it always is when Gringos get together to celebrate something here. In addition I got to see some friends of mine I hadn´t seen since training, which was wonderful. Furthermore on the way back to our towns some of us made a little stop over at the mall in the capital. It was like being back in America. All the consumerism, all the materialism, it was wonderful. And no, that is not sarcasm. It really did make me feel at home, and quite happy.

On the work side of life, things continue to go pretty smoothly. Rutilia and I have started work on an eco-fogon project for the area. That´s a stove that burns less firewood and produces less fumes in the home. We´re hoping to get these things out to more than 5oo families, so a pretty big project all and all. Also even though school is still out I´ve been doing a bit of environmental ed training with a group of high school kids. The idea is that in the school year to come they will help me do the enviro ed thing with the elementary schools so they can continue on doing that after I leave. Sustainability ya´ll.

So now here I am in San Marcos looking forward to the new year that is 2009.  I´ve got high hopes for this year, lots to do, lots to see. And hopefully some people will be visiting me…You know who you are. Actually anyone who reads this blog really. You are all more than welcome to come. Even the mothers of other volunteers who apparently keep up with this.

And of course les extraño a todos, especially you.

So I bought a bike this week. I figured with the protected area being so very large having a bike to traverse it would be helpful. And in some ways it is. Those ways are when I am going downhill. Before I purchased said bike I never really considered how hard it would be to ride around here. The roads in La Botija aren´t exactly the smoothest rides. Even when the roads are flat they are still filled with rocks. So currently I´m not as much tearing through the woods with the greatest of ease as I imagined as much as I am collapsing red and drenched in sweat on the side of the road every km or so. On the plus side my bike came with a water bottle.

Seeing many Hondurans casually pass me on the road on their own bikes made me think there are many things they excel at that I do not. In my few months here I have noticed that even though Hondurans live in a developing country and I presumably am here to help them out, they can do a lot of things that frankly most Americans cannot. Here is a short list of things I have observed that Hondurans can do that I can´t:

1. Ride a bicycle up a rocky mountain road at a sixty degree incline without breaking a sweat. 

2. Ride back down that hill without touching the brakes and without wiping out.

3. Drink the water.

4. Eat anything without the aide of a utensil. They also do this without getting messy at all.

5. Find any location given only the direction of “alli no más” which roughly translates to “over yonder.”

6. Ride in the bed of a pickup truck without holdng on to anything.

7. Regularly listen to and enjoy “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” by Bryan Adams.

8. Eat nances.

9. Watch three straight hours of telenovelas (soap operas) every night from Monday to Friday.

10. Drink four cups of coffee a day. Each cup containing at least three heaping spoonfuls of sugar.

11. Effectively wash the mold out of clothing.

12. Power a tv with a car battery.

13. Charge a cell phone with a car battery.

14. Know when any bus is leaving ignoring the fact that none of them keep to a set schedule.

15. Rock a cowboy hat.

That list is just a taste of the amazing feats that the average Honduran can do. One day I hope to be culturally integrated enough to do all those things as well. Except eat nances, those things are just vile.

And maybe not the Bryan Adams thing.

As always I am doing great. I did a self-esteem workshop the other week with a few different womens groups. It sounds kind of lame but unlike in the US where we are raised to think we are all the greatest and can do anything, Hondurans just don´t get that kind of encouragement. Especially not women. So I felt pretty good about that one. And in case you were wondering if I forgot about you, no I did not. I miss all of you, especially you.

October was the end of the rainy season here, or as they call it, winter. It rained everyday. That is not an exaggeration, every day. I have the moldy clothes to prove it. But then all of a sudden it just stopped last Monday. Since then it hasn´t rained at all. Instead it has been extremely windy. Además, it got cold. Quite cold. Shivering in my sweater cold. The sweater I had to buy here because silly me back in the States thought Honduras would be hot and I wouldn´t need to bring a sweater. Just to dispel some stereotypes about Central America, it is not always hot here. San Marcos being up in the mountains can make for some chilly times. That is not to say that I am not enjoyingit though. I am. It feels like fall back home, granted there are no leaves falling, and Halloween was pretty much non-existent here. I did however eat some ayote which is sort of like pumpkin. That made me pretty happy.

Another thing that made me happy was receiving a bunch of birthday cards a few days ago. Even though they took a while to get to me that didn´t make them any less wonderful. Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy 23rd! And I must say Frank, that is one dashing ´stache you are sporting these days.

As for daily life here and the integration process here, things are going great. I´ve become pretty good at paseando-ing and platicar-ing. And now if I ever eat a meal without beans and tortillas I feel quite unfulfilled. Honestly I don´t know how I survived all those years in the US without eating a single baleada, pupusa, or tortilla con quesillo. And all the weight I lost being sick during training has returned. So nobody need worry about how I am eating. Incidentally I found a jar of peter pan peanut butter for sale here a few days ago and I quickly snapped it up. Peanut butter is possibly the thing I missed most from the States. So I consider the almost $5 I had to pay for it a quality investment.

On the work side of things, everything is going great. There was a political forum here yesterday with all the mayoral candidates present, and we made sure The Oficina Municpal de la Mujer was heard. The school year is just about over here but during the break I´ll be working with many of the teachers on plans for next year and a local NGO capacitating high school student volunteers for workshops they will give to their fellow alumnos. Just enough work to keep busy but not too much to get distracted from enjoying the natural beauty of Honduras.

I miss you all, and of course I love you Mom.

Patricio

Just a quick advisory. If anyone would ever like to send me any letters or packages my new address is the following:

Patrick Simmons

Voluntario de Cuerpo de Paz

San Marcos de Colon

Choluteca, Honduras CA

I realise that doesn´t have an exact address, but I´ve been told that it should work just fine.

It seems I have let yet another month pass without update. I am quite bad at keeping up with this. On the other hand it should make for a more detailed entry.

September 26th was our swearing in date. It was quite a day. I must say I felt proud swearing to defend the constitution and all that jazz. Training was fun and unforgettable but I am very pleased to be a legitimate volunteer now. After our swearing in we had the chance to celebrate at the ambassador´s house in Tegucigalpa. It was a nice send off to many friends I will not get to see for a long time.

The next day I arrived in San Marcos de Colon to begin my two years of service. I´ve spent the past two weeks more or less getting to know the town, the people, and the surrounding area. All of which are beautiful. The protected area is called La Montaña de la Botija (The mountain of hidden treasure) and it is gorgeous. It has magnificent pine forests than remind me a lot of the mountains of North Carolina. It has tropical dry forests. It has white faced monkeys. It has anteaters (which they call ant eating bears). And Nicaragua is only a few hours walk to the south or east. Not that I can go there anytime soon of course. Nonetheless it´s still cool.

I´ve even starting working on a few things as well. I´ve been doing some good work in coordination with the Oficina Municipal de la Mujer, writing up reports and such. I helped out in a jelly making session with a women’s group. I picked the guavas myself and I must say it turned out pretty tasty in the end. In addition, a few days ago I gave a workshop on gender equality to a newly formed women’s goup in a little town called Las Delicias in the protected area. I think it went pretty well overall and it feels good to have accmoplishedsomething concrete. Little by little I´m getting to know all the schools in the area but unfortunately the school year will end next month and won´t start back up again until February. So my main project of environmental education will have to stay in the planning stages for the near future.

I briefly mentioned my host family last post and how nice they are but I neglected to mention anything about the food. In short, the food is amazing. By far the best I have had in my short time in Honduras. Best of all they have Mexican avocado trees growing in their yard and I eat one just about everyday. They are almost too delicious to describe. I also eat a fair amount of delectable locally grown honey.

In summation, if you couldn’talready tell by how many superlative adjectives I have used, my life here is wonderful and I am living it up. I do, however, miss everyone back in the United States. And new to this post, I miss all of my fellow H13 volunteers now scattered across Honduras. A special mention to my friends Kevin and Shannon roughing it up in Catacamas, the second best PAM site around. Hang in there guys.

Wow, over a month has passed since last I updated this. Has it really been that long friends? My apologies.

Much has happened. Field Based Training is done. I was simultaneously very sorry to leave my wonderful family in Monte Redondo and very excited to reunite with all my buds back in Zarabanda. I only returned to Z-town for one night however, as the next day, this past Wednesday, I left to visit my new home. San Marcos de Colon.

It is an amazing place. So beautiful. And the gente, tan amable y cariñoso. I love it here. Furthermore, I am convinced I am the luckiest peace corps volunteer in Honduras, or at least within the Protected Areas Management program. I say this because not only is San Marcos and the surrounding area breathtakingly gorgeous, I have a wonderful new house to live in. I don´t want to brag about all that I have here but let me just say I am well taken care of. Do not worry about Patricio roughing it. And the host family is most accommodating and friendly as well. Just this morning we went out to fly a kite.

My counterpart is an amazing woman as well. As another volunteer described her, she is “the grandmother of your dreams”. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. But along with all her kindness comes a determined effort to bring gender equality to the municipio of San Marcos. I am really looking forward to working with her in the Oficina Muncipal de la Mujer.

I haven´t yet had a chance to check out any of the surrounding schools, (they are all practicing marching for independence day on monday anyway) but I can´t wait to start my work there. Unfortunately I have to take a bus back to Tegucigalpa mañana but I will be back here in two weeks to start my two years.

Oh, and of course I miss you all a terrible cantidad. Especialmente tu.

Patricio

I am in my second training site now, and it is a blast. Instead of having spanish classes, I have begun to work in the local school helping to teach environmental education. It has been wonderful so far. All the kids are amazingly sweet and eager to learn. I couldn’t ask for better estudiantes. It is also great practice for when I get to my own site in a few months. I am doing well. My stomach is finally getting along with Honduras. I am healthy, and happy. But I still miss you. I miss you the most.

I am so thoroughly pumped about my next two years of service. Moreso than I have ever been. Earlier this week I had the chance to visit a volunteer in his site and it was amazing. It erased all my anxieties about peace corpse service and has made me extremely eager to get to my site. I have so many ideas for my new community and everyday I am learning new ways in which I could serve them. I hope they are up for some of these ideas. I am happy, I am healthy, I am safe. Power to PAM, power to your face. Oh and I miss you something fierce. Especially you.

-Patricio