Saludos Amigos!

Welcome to November! The last few weeks have been lots o' fun, very busy, and at times a bit harrowing, and I'll get to all of that in a minute, but first I'd like to say something about the election. As anyone who knows me even a little bit is aware, I'm not shy about discussing my own political beliefs. Though over the past few years my views have become a bit more to the center than they once were, I'm still, and always will be, a liberal at heart. And I don't mean "liberal" in the way that Fox News means it (pagans who kick puppies and eat babies). Watching and listening to this election from afar has been both interesting and inspiring to me, and whats more, I have gotten so much feedback from the people of my town who have said the same. The newspapers here have covered the election almost as closely as US papers do, and many times Hondurans knew of campaign developments before I did. I have heard from so many here that they hoped Obama would win, that he seemed to have a genuinely balanced and insightful perspective on many world issues. I have to agree. I feel that I have been incredibly lucky to not only have the perspective of an American, but to also have the perspective of one living abroad, who sees the day-to-day effects of American policy on the rest of the world. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, other than to say that I am proud of Americans for looking past the cheap shots, the moral attacks, race, and scare tactics to elect someone who gives many Americans and many global citizens an infinite amount of hope. And sometimes I think that matters more than anything else.

The morning after the election, I was getting breakfast at a restaurant that I often eat at. There was a Honduran paper with the first 6 pages devoted to the election, and a giant photo of Barack Obama on the front. I have to say, I got pretty teary-eyed when I saw it. The owner of the restaurant came out and gave me a hug, and asked me why I was crying, and when I told her, she smiled and said that she was proud of America too.

I know that there are many people who do not share my sentiments, and they are entitled to their opinions. But for me, Tuesday was a day that I will never, ever, ever forget, and a day that has made me proud once more to call myself an American. Oh, and though it is posted at the bottom of this blog, I feel I should say it again here "The opinions stated in this blog are mine alone and do not represent the opinion of the United States Peace Corps or the United States Government." You know, just in case.

Ok, on to other things -

For Halloween, I went to Copan Ruins to the annual PC Halloween extravaganza (I would estimate there were around 100 volunteers there) and had a great time. Below are some of the less incriminating photos from the weekend, others are posted on Facebook.
Copan is a beautiful town, with lots of touristy stuff to do, lots of backpackers and ex-pats. There are some really beautiful hotels, restaurants, and shops. Unfortunately, most are off limits on a Peace Corps budget, which is why I will be dragging my parents there when they come to visit.

To be honest, I don't have much more to report right now. The next few months will be busy, but not with anything incredibly work-related. I'll be in Florida (yay!) at the beginning of December, and then will be traveling in Honduras for Christmas and New Years, then am taking some vacation time at the beginning of January to go to the islands with some friends. However, after that I will be back on track with actually doing some things here.