Happy Spring everyone! I heard that its warming up in the Midwest (yay)! Its still about 98 here everyday, but I just try to imagine that I'm in a really nice sauna somewhere. Sometimes it works. I know its been quite awhile since I have written on here, so I'll try (to the best of my ability) to recount everything that has happened over the last few weeks.
Sunday, March 23 – Saturday March 29
We started our HIV/AIDS Training of Trainers workshop, and it was fantastic. We were presented with the Peace Corps' HIV/AIDS manual, which includes A LOT of activities and information. After two days of training, we split into groups and went to a local high school to give the charla (presentation) to high schoolers. It went amazingly well, and was lot of fun. Most of the kids in the school had received a lot of the information before, so it was a good environment for the trainees to practice in. One of the things that I really love about Peace Corps' approach to education is making it interactive and fun. We do dynamicas (ice breakers) and lots of games and activities that reinforce and review our message, and in between those, talks about the topic at hand. The kids (and adults) get really into it, and its a lot of fun for everyone. And, after looking at the post-evaluations compared to th
e pre-evaluations, it looks like the kids really learned something too. I vaguely remember getting the good old anatomy/sex talk in school, and it was embarrassing, awkward, and pretty much a disaster. I think that if some of the activities we did here were implemented in the States, it wouldn't be such a taboo topic. Oh, and if anyone has any questions, I am now an expert at putting a condom on a banana in front of a class of 25 high schoolers, so I can pretty much tell you anything you need to know about that.
After our HIV/AIDS component, we started “Yo Merezco,” which means “I deserve” in Spanish. This is a pretty new program for Peace Corps, an abstinence initiative that is focused on girls between 10-13 (I think I might have mentioned this in a previous post, as it was what the volunteer I visited wa
s working on.) I think most of the trainees before this training (including myself) just rolled their eyes at the thought of an abstinence program. Most of us, especially those who have been through one, think that they DON'T WORK, and I am one of them. However, this abstinence initiative is so different from the way abstinence is taught in the States. It is a 12 week course where the participants are taught not just about abstinence, but about self-esteem and self-worth, and what goes into finding a good partner and relationship. There are not a lot of opportunities for girls here, especially in rural communities, and for most of them, they haven't thought past grade school, or for those lucky enough, past high school. A lot of them find a boyfriend and end up getting pregnant at a young age. This initiative addresses much more than just being abstinent, it also encourages them to think about their future and what they want out of life. I was super impressed with the program and hope to implement it in my community. On Friday, the PCMOs (PC Medical Officers) came to give us another vaccine (yay!) and Juan Carlos (the head of safety and security) came and talked to us about Sexual Assault/Rape Response. It was pretty sobering, but in reality, what it came down to was making smart decisions and not putting yourself at risk. I'm glad we went over it, and the PCMOs and Safety and Security have a very thorough response plan in place.
On Saturday, we went to Tegus and applied for our Residency Cards, which came later in the week. So, I am now on Official Honduran Resident. I was able to use my card a few times yesterday when I was in Comayagua when I was asked for ID. Pretty exciting stuff.
Sunday, March 30 – Saturday, April 5
I started the week off right by going to my first cockfight. Yes, thats right, a cockfight. I was super excited to go, and went with several other trainees. One of the trainees' families is apparently a big name in the world of cockfighting, so he goes a lot and was able to navigate us through the seedy underbelly of Honduran cockfighting (my words, not his). The energy when you first get in is huge – there's a lot of men (and a few ladies) around this big wooden fighting ring. There are cages of chickens everywhere. The owners of the chickens are there, and you can definitely tell who the big players are. There was one that definitely ran the show, and if you can imagine Benicio del Toro a little older with a large mustache, a big white cowboy hat, and a pistol in his belt, that's what this guy looked like. Badass. I wish I had some photos, but alas, I do not. The trainers (I'm not sure if the chickens are formally trained in the art of cockfighting, but I have this image of all of them in tiny little gray sweatsuits running up stairs a la Rocky Balboa) kind of rile the chickens up and then tie razor blades to their legs. After the chickens are sufficiently riled up, the fight starts. This part was not what I expected. And yes, I know I was at a cockfight, and yes, I knew that it was going to be somewhat cruel and bloody, but actually seeing it is much different than thinking you know what will happen. The first fight ended really quickly, with lots of blood and a dead chicken. The next one lasted a lot longer. Many times, the chickens lose a lot of blood and are tired and don't want to fight, and then the trainers intervene, pick the chickens up, put their beaks/heads in their mouths, and suck out all of the blood. This was something I was definitely not ready for. After this, myself and the other female trainee decided it was time to gracefully exit. The guys stayed behind and watched a few more fights, one of which ended with the disembowelment of a chicken, or at least that is what I was told. Ick. I'm really glad I had the experience, but I don't think I'll be going to another one.
Now onto things a little less gross...we learned about Maternal/Child Health this week, which included Nutrition, Vaccines, Breastfeeding, and AIN-C (Integral Attention to Children in the Community). This is a national program to monitor nutrition/malnutrition and educate mothers on proper nutrition and on common illnesses. This isn't really what I want to do for my service (I think its a pretty widely known fact that babies are scary and make me uncomfortable, so I won't go into it again here) but depending on the needs of the community I end up in, it might be a possibility.
Friday was my birthday, and it was, from start to finish, a perfect day. In the morning, my host mom gave me three hugs, one from her, one from the family here, and the other for my parents at home. I got a little teary eyed and managed to mumble a “thanks.” I also got some homemade birthday cards from the other volunteers, which I thought was super, super nice. That morning, we went to an aldea up in the mountains to weigh babies. Though the whole “weighing babies” thing wasn't really great for me, the trip up and back was fantastic. It felt like what I have a feeling a lot of us pictured when we thought of Peace Corps service and/or International Development work. Us in our white Land Rovers, going up winding, dusty, sometimes washed out mountain roads, seeing the evidence of the recent coffee harvest laid out on the mountain around us. When we arrived at the aldea, we were split into groups, and sta
rted weighing babies. Unfortunately, the majority of babies that my group weighed were either a bit underweight or hadn't gotten to their target weight. We counseled the mothers on proper nutrition and what they could do to help their child gain weight. On of the things that was really obvious was the amount of blond/light-haired children that were there. Here in Honduras, as I'm sure most of you realize, most people don't have blond hair. The majority are dark-complected with dark hair. Light hair in these kids is a sign of malnutrition, and it was disappointing to see so many of them with it. After the baby weighing, we made our way back down the mountain. Patrick, one of the other volunteers, really put the day into perspective for me: “Wow, you are so lucky. When people ask you what you did on your 27th
birthday, you get to tell them you weighed babies in the Peace Corps.” And he is so right. The trip back was pretty surreal too: A group of 8 of us sitting in the back of a Land Rover, bumping down a dusty mountain road, singing Bohemian Rhapsody (it was on the radio) at the top of our lungs, laughing and having a great time after a morning of doing something good for someone else.
After the baby weighing, we went to Comayagua to do some activities for our language classes. I had lunch with a view of the other trainees, and then we went to the park to meet up with the rest of the group. There, I was surprised with a birthday cake, which was chocolate with yummy icing and lots of sprinkles. A BIG thanks to Sarah and Anna and Kristina for the cake, it was perfect, and so, so, so appreciated. We all had cake, then headed to the museums in town. We learned a little bit more about Comayagua, which is a bit of a touristy town here in Honduras. Palmerola (the American Military base) is nearby, and Comayagua has also invested a lot into preserving its colonial heritage, and parts of it are pretty picturesque. We were also able to see a lot of really beautiful religious art and artifacts. After the visit to Comayagua, we went back to La Paz and met up with most of the trainees at a Mexican Restaurant where more celebrating was done, and I'd just like to say that I could not ask for a better group
of people to work/volunteer with. They really made me feel special and loved and it was great to spend time with everyone. After that, it was back to Yarumela, where I fell asleep writing in my journal about what a great day it was. All in all, about as close to a perfect birthday as one can get I think. Also, a big thanks to everyone back home for the birthday wishes. As I've said before, sometimes its difficult to write to everyone individually, but it really meant a lot.
Onward...
Saturday, a group of us went to the rio again, which was a ton of fun. It was also a study in what volunteers can do to occupy themselves in the face of the possibility of extreme boredom. We invent games, (throw the rock at the (some object) game) hone our survival skills, (can YOU make a fire without lighter fluid and matches?), and investigate the local ecosystem (tadpoles are SO cute). It was a good day. After, we watched The Thomas Crown Affair, and were in bed by 10:30, like the good little trainees we are.
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Ok, I know this is a lot of writing to take in at once, so if you need to take a little break, get up, stretch, make a little snack, and then come back to it, go right ahead...
Sunday, April 6 – Saturday, April 12
This past week we learned about Women's Health, which, much like Maternal/Child Health, really doesn't interest me much. However, it was good to have the information, and if it is a need in my community, I will certainly do whatever is needed. On Tuesday, my Spanish class gave the first of several charlas we're giving to local polytechnical and grade schools. I thought it went really well, and reinforced that even though my Spanish is far from perfect, and I can stand up in front of a room and impart information that people will actually understand. The rest of the people in my Spanish class are all great, and I thought we worked together really well as a team. We will have the opportunity to present most of the same material this Tuesday, so I'm pretty excited about that as well.
On Wednesday, I had my 3rd Technical Interview, which I thought went amazingly well. From what the Director/Training Manager said, I think that they will try to place me somewhere where I can do what I really want, which is helping to create support groups/networks for people living with HIV/AIDS. There are currently a lot of initiatives to stop the spread of the disease, but there is little to no support for people who are living with it. There is a lot of discrimination against those who are positive, and many people, once their status is public, lose their jobs and cannot find other employment. I am incredibly excited about the prospect of doing this kind of work. I know it will be difficult (as Helmuth, the director, said, I will probably fail and get knocked down a lot before I have any success) but I think I am definitely up for the challenge.
This past week we also received the TOT for Men's Health. I initially had mixed emotions on this topic. Part of me really liked the idea, but the other part of me was a bit uncomfortable with it. The charlas can get pretty risque/vulgar, and I wasn't sure how I would be received, being a woman and trying to impart this information to men. However, on Friday we gave the charla to a class of young men at IN-FOP (an agricultural school) and I thought it went well. I actually enjoyed myself and enjoyed working with the guys, and think I will try to do more activities like it at my site. The charlas are designed to get the men to really examine their own behavior (many are promiscuous and few here use condoms) and also to see how quickly the disease can be spread from one person to another. The training is focused again on HIV/AIDS prevention, and there are no NGOs in Honduras that are currently working on Men's Health initiatives, even though this population participates in incredibly risky behavior, so it is exciting that we are doing this work. On Friday afternoon we went to Rancho Victor (a really nice hotel outside of La Paz) to process the Men's Health activity. A little note on Honduran homes/buildings: most of them are incredibly open, and flow from outside to inside with few walls/doors, which means you're never really “inside.” Well, apparently someone decided that Friday afternoon was the perfect day to have a monsoon in the middle of Honduras, and as we were trying to finish our activity, we were pelted with lots of rain and wind and dust. So basically, it was a whole lotta fun:
Saturday, I went to Comayagua and bought ingredients for the dishes I'm making for the despedida on Thursday (thanks Mindy for the black bean salad recipe, I'm making that!) Its so nice to have a city nearby where I can find food to cook (with a few exceptions – whipped cream, sour cream, tahini, and actual stick butter are SUPER hard to find here – a trip to Tegus has to be made for that stuff) I actually saw gouda, brie, and WINE at the brand new store that just opened up. Hopefully I'll be lucky enough to live near a city where I can splurge once in a while.
I think that I've pretty much covered everything that's happened over the last few weeks – time has been flying here, and we only have one more week in Yarumela/La Paz, then its back to Santa Lucia for 2 more weeks, then off to our sites. This time next month, I'll be living in my permanent site! Yay!
Have a great week!!!!
