I am back with my first host family. I arrived today, back from visiting my site for the first time! It has been a crazy busy week and I have lots to tell! So...starting last weekend...On Sunday night the community where my group of PAM volunteers (Protected areas management) did our field based (technical) training, had a goodbye party for us! It was really a good time...the entire community (of about 150 people) showed up! Every family brought food, and there was so much that there were leftovers. The PCVs passed out the food. It was so fun, because we knew so many people in the community, because we had worked with them to make water cisterns, latrines, biodigesters, wood stoves (everything that we had to learn how to make we made at someone´s house, and with the help of community members). We played some music for them (I played moonshadow), some people did a few skits (making fun of us learning how to milk a cow, wash our clothes, etc), and we did a swing dance for them (I taught five couples a dance I choreographed to James Taylor´s How Sweet it is). Then, they played music and we all danced a dance called conjunto (its really simple), switching partners and dancing until eleven (which is REALLY late for here!). It was fun to know people. I had a blast, and they invited us back for a wedding next weekend. We don´t have permission from the PC yet, but I hope to goodness we can go...I really like that community.
On Monday, we had one last day of class, and the team announced our site assignments. That evening, my host family, along with Patrick and Isaacs families (they were all related) had a goodbye dinner for us. It was really sweet; before we ate, according to the Honduran tradition, everyone went around and told us what they appreciate about us and what they will miss about us. Then we had a chance to talk. I found that even though it has been very hard to live with that family, I was able to speak from my heart about how I´ve come to appreciate them and how much I really have learned from them. And I felt great that my spanish is good enough to permit me to say those things! On Tuesday, we said goodbye to our families (mine showered me with gifts--a hot water thermos, a pot for cooking veggies, and tons of food!) and got on the bus to go back to our first training site. There, I dropped my luggage off, said hello to my host mom, and my brother (it is so great to be with them again--they are SO easy for me to talk with!), and then returned to the training site to meet my future counterpart....I was really worked up, walking on needles, nervous and excited. It was worse that I hadn´t really slept much (its been a rough week for that). And then my counterpart didn´t show up until three thirty (everyone else arrived at noon!). The car he was traveling in broke down. My counterpart is a little man with a mustache and a large nose (sorry I don´t have a picture, I will later!). He seemed really quiet at first, although nice, but I soon got to know more...We didn´t get to talk much the first day, as he was so late and we were wrapping up activities. Tuesday evening, I went home to hang out with my host family again, and repack my bags...I didn´t sleep much that night either.We were up and going by seven, on our way to my future site, where I spent Wednesday through Sunday.
We took a bus to Teguc, a taxi to the bus station, another bus, and then we waited for another bus to the community. I talked about my interests and possible projects. It turns out that currently he is paid by Aldea Global, an NGO that takes care of the Parque National Cerro Azul Meambar (right next to my community), in a reforestation project. We decided that I can help him with that for a while, help with the coffee harvest, and get to know people in the next few months. Maybe I can work on a family gardens project. Only one bus leaves the city every day at 12.00 pm. for my site, and it was in the shop on Wednesday, so we went in a truck. I sat in front and talked with the driver, who spent seven years living in Chicago illegally (it is astounding the quantitiy of people that I have met that have done that). Upon arrival at site, I met my counterpart's wife. After my time there, I would say that she is easiest for me to talk with. I made tortillas with her and chatted about my family and about hers...then her husband took me over to my future host family´s house. I am living with three teachers. A mother , and her two daughters. One of the daughters also has a daughter. So it is a house of women. But they are very busy and don´t seem to interested in me. After a few perfunctory questions, they left me alone, and I felt like a wallflower-exchange student, quiet and confused in the corner. I am used to the feeling by now, though, and just sat through it patiently. With time I will be comfortable. It was a pretty uncomfortable afternoon, though. As a PCV I am really learning how to deal with awkwardness.To make matters worse, everyone in this community stares at me. I am a new face, and I am white...so the men and women stare, and the men (or every male upwards of 12) all whistle and make comments. I don´t know where to look, because I know I can´t look at them...I am hoping that that goes away quickly, because its really difficult for me to deal with.
That night, both of my host families, and a guy that helped with our training called me. It was SO nice to have people check up on me and make sure that I was okay! Especially because I was feeling very alone and lonely in a new place...my counterpart is a champ, though. He really is. On Thursday morning he took me out to meet people in the community. And he is like a politician, but they way politicians should be (sincere!)--he kisses babies, chats with their mothers, greets all the men, talks with kids about school. He is a great counterpart, and a great person to present me to the community. We stopped at so many people´s houses (and I can´t remember ANY names!). But I had a great time watching him and trying to learn from him about how to relate to people! In the late morning, we went to a neighboring town to get seeds for the reforestation project. He was sure I wasn´t going to be able to walk (1/2) hour, but I insisted, and finally we went. He greeted everyone in the neighboring town as well! The next day, we went to a town that was two hours hike away. I am so glad he believed me that i wanted to go. I think he´s finally catching on that I like to walk, and that I am capable of it (I am really worried that men in this community are not going to take me seriously). We didn´t eat lunch, but we visited tons of people (seven houses, I think), and got drinks in every one! I am getting to know my counterpart better now, too. We talked a lot (about the way men talk to me, about possible projects...). I am really happy to have him as a counterpart, and I can see that eventually I will feel at home here. Saturday I went to town with the teachers...they didn´t want to leave me at home alone, but I just followed them around as they shopped, so it was a pretty boring foreign exchange student day. I´ll be glad when that´s over...And now I´m here. I´ll be in this area for two weeks, now. So I should be able to get to the internet a few times a week. I´ll talk to you all soon!
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