Week 1 in Site

Hi Everyone!
I can´t believe it´s already the second week of October! Time passes quickly.
I´m sorry I couldn´t get an email out last week about my first week in site. Transportation is a little difficult for me right now. The PC doesn´t want me to spend nights away from site, but the bus is down right now. So the only way that I can go to Siguat is in Paila, or truckbed, and the Paila´s leave me only three hours to do my shopping and internet use in Siguat. Once a week. I think I´m going to find a way to stay the night next week (The PC allows me to on ´business´). That way I can have time to get to know the city and maybe chat with Ben online.
But to start with an update from last week...my life feels like an adventure recently. I just never know what is going to happen. I was really afraid for this transition from the busy schedule of training to the entirely new life and free time of a new volunteer. But really, it has been going well. Every night I think of a few things that I could do the following day. I try to carry it out, but inevitably, my day takes a crazy turn and I end up on some adventure. This started the moment that I arrived in Los Planes. On Sunday, the 28th, when I arrived, I went to see my counterpart. He wasn´t home, but his wife was making a torch (plastic wrapped around a wooden frame with a candle in the middle). She told me that there was going to be a parade for the Día de la Biblia. So I went to the school, where all of the children were assembling. They were all wearing colorful outfits. From there we paraded around the town, accompanied by drums. It was dark and it started to rain, but everyone came out of their houses to walk with the parade anyway. It was a great entry into life here!
The next day I wasn´t sure what to do with myself, but somehow I ran into some kids, my first friends here. I played soccer with them, and then we climbed the mountain in our backyard. Their names are Herly (who is 11 and very inquisitive and capable) and his sister Marleny (13, she would like to live with me!). With them I planned more hikes for the following day.
So on Tuesday I climbed the mountain again, and then in the afternoon I took a walk with Ana (one of the teachers from the school that I live with) and a bunch of her students. Last week I started to feel more comfortable with the teachers...they are very kind even though at first it was hard to get to know them. Now I have been spending more time with Ana. She is young, close to my age, and very daring, for a woman here, which is fun!
On Wednesday I wasn´t sure what I was going to do with myself, so I took a walk to the river. On my way back, I ran into three little boys. I asked where they were going, and they told me they were going to the mountain, to the milpa (corn patch), to pick corn (maize, rather). They invited me to go with, and were very surprised but excited when I readily assented. I asked how far away the patch was, and they told me allí en la montaña, no más. So suposedly it was very close, but I know enough of Hundurans to have a little doubt about right over there in the mountain. We walked for about an hour, climbing the mountain in a narrow path of mud. I stepped in mud up to my calf! But I had some quick 7, 10, and 12 year old´s to keep up with, so I hiked without complaining. I discovered that they boys´ names were William, ....(now I can´t remember...). They go to their father´s corn patch twice a week to pick corn, which they eat and sell. When I was able to look up to look at the veiw, it was astonishing; we walked right on the mountain, and I could look down into the steep river valley. We arrived at the milpa and started picking corn. Most of it was wormy and bad. I discovered that the family rents land--they clear cut and burn it, then plant corn, and then beans, and then move on to new land. Wow!
On our way home, we stopped at the river. There I waded into the water to wash my shoes and pants. It was quite a hike! In the afternoon, I hiked again with the kids from school, and this time I went with both teachers (Ana and Ada). I hiked for about six hours that day!
On Thursday, I got another example of my adventure of a life. I went to the school to observe, and when I arrived, the teachers told me that I was to go teach the sixth graders for half the morning, and the fifth graders for the other half. I taught English, which was great fun! I quickly made up activites that we could do to learn basic English vocabulary. I think I will go to the school every Thursday to teach English and other things. I am happy to be spending time with kids, because it is a great way to get introduced into families. The kids can report to their parents about me (and they have...).
On Saturday I went to pick Cacao with some boys from the school (Gabriel, Rene, and Rito Manuel). Cacao is a big yellow fruit that grows on trees: you pick it and break it open to suck on the seeds. The seeds, though, if you dry them out and then toast them, are what you make chocolate from...I have been trying to make chocolate but I have not been successful yet. I have two years! In the evening, I was invited to dance down the street. I went, but didn´t stay long, because there weren´t very many women there and it seemed like a bad idea to stay. I was right--I have found out since that I shouldn´t have gone at all. The whole town is talking about it! People keep asking me if I´m going to go again. I have discovered, though, that it is not really acceptable to dance just for fun...one needs to be celebrating a birthday party with friends for it to be okay. So I won´t do that again.
On Sunday I went to the Catholic church. They told me a service would start at ten (there is no priest, so there is no mass), but it actually didn´t get going until 10:30 (I should have known...). Religion here is something else...but the people are excited that I have religion (they say so in front of me) so I will keep going.
On Monday I worked on a vivero (tree nursery) with Danilo, my counterpart. The seventh graders came to help out. I decided that I don´t much like making vivero´s...I would much rather start a veggie garden. Speaking of that...I have met about three women who would like to start a women´s group to grow veggies..we could sell them to the rest of the village. I would like to start that project sometime soon!
Yesterday, I didn´t know what to do with myself again, so I took a walk around town (for me, that seems to always lead to something good). When I passed a local pulpería (local store), the owner invited me in for coffee. I stayed with her for about an hour. She offered me tamales, cheese and tortillas, sweets. I left with vegetables, plantains, and sweets. People here are so hospitable! I think yesterday´s visit gave me the courage to start visiting more houses. Hopefully I can do that the rest of this week.

Love,
Jennifer