The Depths

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

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