¡Saludos!
Things are moving right along in Victoria-keeping busy and getting the ball rolling. The baseball tryout was great, we had more than 50 kids come. It was a little overwhelmed, but I am so excited that so many have the interest. Therefore, instead of picking 20 kids for one team, I decided to form 3 different teams. Anyone have any old baseball equipment they don´t need? :) I have what one would call a varsity team, JV, and C team. We have temporarily named them the Medias rojas (Red Sox), Yankees, and the Cubs. Joe (my sitemate) and I thought about naming the C team the Royals to commemorate my Kansas heritage, but I thought naming the C team that name would only reemphasize what the real Royals team is lacking. So, it´s the Cubs instead. I´ll probably be practicing 3 times a week soon so they will keep me busy.
I have just recently figured out that if I had some friends or family from Kansas come visit me they´d probably laugh at the sight of me walking around in my community. I have become good friends with my host family´s dog Lucky. He likes to follow me around to my office, to meetings, and has even gone running with me. I don´t mind of course, and I think it´s pretty cute. What I just figured out, however, is that he looks a lot like Dorothy´s dog Toto in the Wizard of Oz. Kinda weird, huh? A Toto wanna-be following the only Kansas girl in Honduras (or at least 1 of the very few). Maybe I´m just easily amused nowadays...
If anyone is interested, my reading club is in need of some books. Books in Spanish would be preferred, but books in English would also be great (I´ll be teaching them a bit of English). Also, any sort of school supplies would also be welcome-we´re going to be doing a variety of artistic/creativity projects that would require some crayons, glue, scissors, etc. I just had a parents informational meeting and everyone is very excited about this project. This makes me very happy because I know that I have the support of the parents.
Adiós y ¡que tenga buen día!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
The happenings in Victoria
Well, after a month and a week in site I have definitely had my share of interesting experiences-and I have had some questions about what I am actually doing right now so here is a little list of the projects I am currently working on.
Baseball team- probably will have 2
Rompiendo el Silencio (Breaking the Silence) : a Domestic Violence eduation group of women
Grupo de Adulto Mayores- Elderly person's group (we do arts and crafts, support group sorts of things)
Pregnant women's club- I am working with the local clinic and I am going to start giving "talks" or charlas to the women about health concerns and life skills (self-esteem, caring for children, nutrition, etc).
High School Counselor- I am working as a high school counselor for the graduating high school seniors helping them with scholarship information, resumes, career decisions, finding a job, etc.
Club de Lectura- or a Reading club- This is a brand new project but I hope to teach this 20 3rd graders how to help others to read and then we can go to the poorer parts of town during the school break and read to other children.
Life Skills talks- School is almost out so I won't be doing this for awhile but I was giving life skills charlas in the high school and elementary schools. I have been plans when the school year starts up again (Drugs and Alcohol, Sexuality, Making good decisions, communication, how to be a leader charlas, etc)
Escuela para Padres- Teaching parents how to talk to their children about Sex, Drugs, Alcohol, how to disclipine, teaching your values, etc. I haven't started this project either because it is still in the planning stages, but it will be started soon I hope.
There are many other projects that are going to be starting at the beginning of the school year, and I know it's going to be crazy. But i'll keep everyone posted as to other projects I will be starting.
Also, I am planning on doing a bake sale to raise money for my baseball team to travel and play against other teams in Honduras. Does anyone have any good receipes or baking ideas they would like to share? Please email me and let me know!!
Baseball team- probably will have 2
Rompiendo el Silencio (Breaking the Silence) : a Domestic Violence eduation group of women
Grupo de Adulto Mayores- Elderly person's group (we do arts and crafts, support group sorts of things)
Pregnant women's club- I am working with the local clinic and I am going to start giving "talks" or charlas to the women about health concerns and life skills (self-esteem, caring for children, nutrition, etc).
High School Counselor- I am working as a high school counselor for the graduating high school seniors helping them with scholarship information, resumes, career decisions, finding a job, etc.
Club de Lectura- or a Reading club- This is a brand new project but I hope to teach this 20 3rd graders how to help others to read and then we can go to the poorer parts of town during the school break and read to other children.
Life Skills talks- School is almost out so I won't be doing this for awhile but I was giving life skills charlas in the high school and elementary schools. I have been plans when the school year starts up again (Drugs and Alcohol, Sexuality, Making good decisions, communication, how to be a leader charlas, etc)
Escuela para Padres- Teaching parents how to talk to their children about Sex, Drugs, Alcohol, how to disclipine, teaching your values, etc. I haven't started this project either because it is still in the planning stages, but it will be started soon I hope.
There are many other projects that are going to be starting at the beginning of the school year, and I know it's going to be crazy. But i'll keep everyone posted as to other projects I will be starting.
Also, I am planning on doing a bake sale to raise money for my baseball team to travel and play against other teams in Honduras. Does anyone have any good receipes or baking ideas they would like to share? Please email me and let me know!!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Kinda like in Romancing the Stone
So, everyone remembers the bus in the movie Romancing the Stone with Michael Douglas....they were going through Colombia on a very interesting and somewhat scary bus. I have been asked a few times if the buses here are like that. I would say no-- typically the buses are the old yellow school buses from the states that have a sub system installed with all sorts of pretty grafitti on the inside and outside. Normally those buses don't break down like the one in Romancing the Stone.
Well for all of those who were half-way excited that I might be riding on buses like that down here I have to say that I rode on one that was border-line "Romancing the Stone like." This bus wasn't as nice as the other buses I was used to... the seats were falling apart (falling off the brace and had giant bites taken out of them) and I swear I kept feeling something crawl over my feet. Also, because of the massive rain fall we have been experiencing, everytime we came to a big mud-covered hill we had to all go towards the back of the bus and jump to try and give it more leverage. People were laughing at me because I guess my face showed that I was a little nervous the bus would get stuck or breakdown from the abuse it was taking (it was going to be dark in a few hours and it would be bad to be stuck out in the middle of no where). I didn't think this was too great because I was at the time experiencing a bit of motion sickness from the back and forth rowing motions... and, to top off the experience, there was livestock as well. Yes, I was sharing the bus with chickens. No pigs though. So all of you that were so excited about the possible magnitud of my experiences, I hope this one satisfies you for awhile.
Well for all of those who were half-way excited that I might be riding on buses like that down here I have to say that I rode on one that was border-line "Romancing the Stone like." This bus wasn't as nice as the other buses I was used to... the seats were falling apart (falling off the brace and had giant bites taken out of them) and I swear I kept feeling something crawl over my feet. Also, because of the massive rain fall we have been experiencing, everytime we came to a big mud-covered hill we had to all go towards the back of the bus and jump to try and give it more leverage. People were laughing at me because I guess my face showed that I was a little nervous the bus would get stuck or breakdown from the abuse it was taking (it was going to be dark in a few hours and it would be bad to be stuck out in the middle of no where). I didn't think this was too great because I was at the time experiencing a bit of motion sickness from the back and forth rowing motions... and, to top off the experience, there was livestock as well. Yes, I was sharing the bus with chickens. No pigs though. So all of you that were so excited about the possible magnitud of my experiences, I hope this one satisfies you for awhile.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Massive Rain
Things are just now starting to get back to normal again. Massive amounts of rain have flooded the country and caused Honduras to be in a state of emergency. It's over with now, but a lot of communities, including mine, are still trying to get on their feet. Victoria had some serious damage to crops and had a few deaths. Some homes are falling apart, and we were out of water for over a week. Electricity was around most of the time, but it did shut off every now and then. Transportation was pretty non-exisitent, and people in the surrounding towns had to have helicopters bring food and portable water brought to them. But, even though the roads are pretty bad, things are getting better.
With the weather the way it has been, there hasn't been a lot going on in Victoria--I'm starting more projects though and I am starting to feel more comfortable with each day. Saturday night dancing has also been a fun distraction... and I am getting better at dancing to bachata and merengue...give me two years and I'll be a pro!! :) We will see.
With the weather the way it has been, there hasn't been a lot going on in Victoria--I'm starting more projects though and I am starting to feel more comfortable with each day. Saturday night dancing has also been a fun distraction... and I am getting better at dancing to bachata and merengue...give me two years and I'll be a pro!! :) We will see.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
An official volunteer
It is official!! I am now a Peace Corps volunteer. It seemed like this day would never come! The ceremony was nice and relaxed-a perfect ceremony for the Peace Corps I would say. We definitely celebrated that night-and it was really hard to say goodbye to the people that you have spent the past 3 months with. Especially when you know that you most likely will not see them until the new year (we are not allowed to stay over-night anywhere for the first 3 months). Hopefully it will go fast!
Well I have been in Victoria for approximately 3 days now and I already know that I will never run out of work here… I am already set to have my first baseball practice this Saturday and I will be giving a Domestic Violence charla or a presentation (Rompiendo el Silencio) to different groups of women in the surrounding small towns on this Saturday as well. I have not even met my other 4 counterparts but that is an endeavor for tomorrow, and we will see what awesome projects they would like to do. No worries, I am going to try not to overfill my plate-just going to be a busy bee…
As for adjusting to my new home, I definitely feel like a newcomer, with an immense amount of people staring at me whereever I go. It is a little strange, but I know it will not always be that way, just another thing to adapt to. My host family here is great—they are always trying to make me feel comfortable—will write again when I have more time!
Well I have been in Victoria for approximately 3 days now and I already know that I will never run out of work here… I am already set to have my first baseball practice this Saturday and I will be giving a Domestic Violence charla or a presentation (Rompiendo el Silencio) to different groups of women in the surrounding small towns on this Saturday as well. I have not even met my other 4 counterparts but that is an endeavor for tomorrow, and we will see what awesome projects they would like to do. No worries, I am going to try not to overfill my plate-just going to be a busy bee…
As for adjusting to my new home, I definitely feel like a newcomer, with an immense amount of people staring at me whereever I go. It is a little strange, but I know it will not always be that way, just another thing to adapt to. My host family here is great—they are always trying to make me feel comfortable—will write again when I have more time!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Back in Las Cañadas with one week left!
Well, it has been a long time since I have had the chance to give an update on my complicated, busy life as a Peace Corps aspirante. I made it through FBT training and I am back in Las Cañadas for the last few weeks of training. It is crazy to think that a week from today I will an oficial PC volunteer. It will definitely feel good to get through training. I had great experiences in Talanga- I could not have asked for a better family, and I learned a lot through training. There´s still so much that I don´t know though--hopefully I can pick that up soon.
So, the big question of where I am going to be spending the next two years of my life.... I will be in Victoria in the department of Yoro. It is a town in a valley surrounded by mountains. Yes, it is beautiful- there is an awesome river that is right outside of town and there are a number of creeks that run throughout the town. When I visited last week I was able to get a ride through the mountains, wow. I am really lucky in that aspect. The people are also very nice and excited for me to be there. I am also positive that I will never run out of work. Unlike most volunteers who only have about 3 counterparts, I oficially have 7 and 2 more unoficial (counterparts are just people or organizations that I will work with).
They are:
Two elementary schools
A high school
A dentist´s officeç
The women´s office in the municipality
The youth office in the municipality
Health center
Other possible:
Ayuda en Acción (Non-government organization)
A high school teacher
To give an idea of what I will be doing, the best I can do is give a list:
-Domestic Violence Education
-Leading a pregnant woman´s club
-Teaching computers and how to use the internet
-Coaching baseball ( I will have at least two teams)
-Coaching a women´s volleyball team
-Teaching multiple English classes
-Giving life skills talks to elementary schools
-Giving talks to high schoolers about drugs, alcohol, HIV, and life skills
-Leading a parenting class (yes I know i´m not a parent)
-Giving business management classes
-Environmental Education
-Trying to get a Reicken Library put in Victoria
-etc
Those are the things I was asked by my counterparts, and they don´t include some of the ideas that I have. We´ll see what will happen. Needless to say, I am going to be very busy and there will always be work to do. Once I am in Victoria I am not allowed to travel for 3 months, but after that I will be able to travel and take a little vacation if need be. Actually the first day that I am able to travel is my birthday, the 26th of December-how appropriate. :)
People have been asking me some of the things I might need, so, here is a little list:
-art supplies (crayons, paints, colored pencils, pastels, chalk, markers (for writing on posters),etc
-magazines that can let me know what´s going on in the States
-any letter that lets me know how are you doing
-pictures
-burned cd of some music i´m missing out on
I do want to say thank you to everyone who has emailed me, send me little letters of kindness, or called me... it has helped me very much. Thank you.
So, the big question of where I am going to be spending the next two years of my life.... I will be in Victoria in the department of Yoro. It is a town in a valley surrounded by mountains. Yes, it is beautiful- there is an awesome river that is right outside of town and there are a number of creeks that run throughout the town. When I visited last week I was able to get a ride through the mountains, wow. I am really lucky in that aspect. The people are also very nice and excited for me to be there. I am also positive that I will never run out of work. Unlike most volunteers who only have about 3 counterparts, I oficially have 7 and 2 more unoficial (counterparts are just people or organizations that I will work with).
They are:
Two elementary schools
A high school
A dentist´s officeç
The women´s office in the municipality
The youth office in the municipality
Health center
Other possible:
Ayuda en Acción (Non-government organization)
A high school teacher
To give an idea of what I will be doing, the best I can do is give a list:
-Domestic Violence Education
-Leading a pregnant woman´s club
-Teaching computers and how to use the internet
-Coaching baseball ( I will have at least two teams)
-Coaching a women´s volleyball team
-Teaching multiple English classes
-Giving life skills talks to elementary schools
-Giving talks to high schoolers about drugs, alcohol, HIV, and life skills
-Leading a parenting class (yes I know i´m not a parent)
-Giving business management classes
-Environmental Education
-Trying to get a Reicken Library put in Victoria
-etc
Those are the things I was asked by my counterparts, and they don´t include some of the ideas that I have. We´ll see what will happen. Needless to say, I am going to be very busy and there will always be work to do. Once I am in Victoria I am not allowed to travel for 3 months, but after that I will be able to travel and take a little vacation if need be. Actually the first day that I am able to travel is my birthday, the 26th of December-how appropriate. :)
People have been asking me some of the things I might need, so, here is a little list:
-art supplies (crayons, paints, colored pencils, pastels, chalk, markers (for writing on posters),etc
-magazines that can let me know what´s going on in the States
-any letter that lets me know how are you doing
-pictures
-burned cd of some music i´m missing out on
I do want to say thank you to everyone who has emailed me, send me little letters of kindness, or called me... it has helped me very much. Thank you.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Family Life in Talanga
Right now I´m in Tegucigalpa at my host grandmother´s home, and she has quite graciously let me use her computer. This is incredibly nice and it has reminded me that I have yet to speak of my family in Talanga thus far. So, for those of you who are interested, I currently live with 11 other people in one house. It´s really not as crowded as one might think, and I actually quite like all the company that I have. My host parent´s names are Miguel and Marlen, and I have 5 host sisters, one brother, one brother in-law, and a niece. Iliana (21 and married with a baby girl Victoria), Christopher (21, brother in-law), Ilza (19), Michelle (16), Susan (15), Dany (13), Lizbeth (6), Victoria (2). I also have a live-in maid named Marixzá. This may sound pretty fancy and that my family has a lot of money, though in reality having help around the house is very common in this culture. In all, my family is extremely helpful when I´m trying to speak Spanish and they treat me very well. I am truly treated like I am part of the family. We have definitely had our share of laughs when I have tried to say some tongue twisters and instead said a few crude and bad words on accident. Lizbeth is always helping me with my Spanish while I help her with a little English homework. Lizbeth is actually here with me write now and she wanted me to say this to you all: (I had to translate this to English, I haven´t quite got her English this good yet).
Lizbeth Sarai Elbir Martín says: To all of Sara´s friends, I hope you have a wonderful day with your family-and if you think you would like Talanga, come visit us! I hope you all are well!
About some projects I am currently doing. I am still working at the Buena Vista school is the mornings and I am not working at Project Manuelito in the afternoons. This program works with street children from around Honduras. Some of you might know that this is right down my alley! I am very excited to be able to work with these children. So far I have only been able to visit the project twice, but it was a great experience working on self-esteem art projects. Currently there are 18 children who live on a property outside of Talanga. Each child has their own section in the family garden, and the project raises their own pigs, cows, chickens, corn, and beans. They truly work together to provide themselves with the food they need. I asked them about their funding, and I was told that the government is supposed to provide funds, however they receive none. Therefore, they rely strictly on donated funds. In all, it is spectacular program--I hope with time they can accept more children.
Lizbeth Sarai Elbir Martín says: To all of Sara´s friends, I hope you have a wonderful day with your family-and if you think you would like Talanga, come visit us! I hope you all are well!
About some projects I am currently doing. I am still working at the Buena Vista school is the mornings and I am not working at Project Manuelito in the afternoons. This program works with street children from around Honduras. Some of you might know that this is right down my alley! I am very excited to be able to work with these children. So far I have only been able to visit the project twice, but it was a great experience working on self-esteem art projects. Currently there are 18 children who live on a property outside of Talanga. Each child has their own section in the family garden, and the project raises their own pigs, cows, chickens, corn, and beans. They truly work together to provide themselves with the food they need. I asked them about their funding, and I was told that the government is supposed to provide funds, however they receive none. Therefore, they rely strictly on donated funds. In all, it is spectacular program--I hope with time they can accept more children.
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