Written 3/1/09

This is the second of two blogs written in two days. Read the one titled "The First Few Days" first!

First, I know a lot of you are curious about how I am doing. I am doing my best to write a lot. At points it feels like I am not writing enough, but then I realized I mailed home (or will be mailing soon) two letters for one week of, scratch that, less than one week of being in Honduras. In case some of you are wondering where your letters are, they haven't been written yet (as of 3/1). Let me explain my schedule. I wake up early (I'm up by 5 a.m. every day). Before 6:20, I need to get the motivation to get up, do morning things including taking a very cold bucket bath. After that, I eat breakfast (cereal with hot milk) and leave for the training center. I'm busy all day there, and get back home just before 5 p.m. I talk (or try to talk anyways) with my host Mom as she prepares dinner, we eat, talk, watch TV (that's right, I have cable) and am really tired by 8 p.m. and asleep by 9 p.m. This doesn't leave a lot of time for writing. It's only because it's the weekend that I have time to write this now, but to be honest it is cutting into my sleep time. So, letters will come eventually. Oh, the other part is that besides writing these monster blogs (sorry Mom) I also write in a journal and can just plain get sick of writing. So much happens here in a day that I feel like I've been here for a very long time and yet it's been only about a week.

So, what have I been up to? Yesterday (Saturday) we had a half day at the training center. We did a lot of group-building exercises. I loved them, and got to know a bunch of people really well. Carrying someone on your back speeds up the get-to-know-you phase. Afterwards, a lot of people went to a nearby town, but I stayed home to get to know my family better. I did my first round of Honduras-style laundry. It was fun. My host Mom and I laughed a lot during the process. Let me see if I can properly describe the situation. We have what is called a pila (pee-lah). On one side there is a large cement basin filled with water. On the other side (above the water) is a cement 2 inch deep basin. On the bottom of this is a built-in cement washboard. So you use the bowl provided (think the side of a large dog's water bowl) and get your clothes wet. Then use the bars of laundry soap - yes that's right, bars - and rub some on your clothes. Then you wash. There is a proper technique, but I don't think I can explain it well here. Maybe I'll upload pictures later, when I have internet. It was a laugh riot though!

So, it's now the next night. On Sunday, I met up with some friends after breakfast. There is a pulperia (a very, very small grocery store) up the hill from me. One of the people there was the brave soul who decided to check out the hospital situation in Tegucigalpa (here on referred to as Teguc). She passed out Friday, and was sent to the hospital just in case it was something serious. So, she and her husband got to check out the hospital for the rest of us. They said it was a lot different that they have in the states, but it was not a bad experience. Someone else was sent to Teguc today. I think they need to hurry up with the health lectures before we really start falling like flies. In all seriousness, the Peace Corps and our families here are taking very good care of us. We are getting as many lectures a day as we possibly can.

It has occurred to me that I should try to describe Honduras to you. I live in a small town. Hmm, like I said, there is a small store by the road up the hill from my house. There are no roads down here. I haven't travelled further down the hill to see if there is another road down there. All there is are foot paths. I am not sure how everything was built down here. For instance, my room is a separate building from the rest of the house, and is much newer. It is made out of cinder blocks, so to build it the blocks would have had to have been carried down here by hand. Once my Spanish gets better, I'll ask about how it was built.

There are two other trainees that live in this part of town. Every morning we walk up the hill together. Not too far is the bus stop, and about 15 trainees get on the bus here. The bus ride is odd. It is great because there are the most beautiful views. Lots of green mountains everywhere you look. Then, it is kind of scary because people drive much more agressively here than in the states. Hondurans will agree with me here. There have been no close calls or anything, it is mostly an observation about other drivers than the bus driver. Remember, the Peace Corps' number one priority is our safety, so they wouldn't put us in a vehicle with a crazy driver. The bus ride (oh, it's a regular yellow school bus, although I swear it has four-wheel drive sometimes) only lasts about ten to fifteen minutes to the training center. Along the road we pass a lot of food stands, like fruit and veggie stands on the side of the road in the summer. Only these not only sell fruits and veggies, they have chicken and tortillas too. You can also see lots of stray dogs, a few horses, cows, and other animals along the road on any given day.

The training center is great. It is truthfully a lot better than I was expecting. One of its finer points is that it has a large open area in the middle which is great for frisbee and soccer (that is futbol here).

The weather here is nothing to complain about since we don't have snow. Although, it is a little odd. In the morning it is cold, but when the sun comes out it is hot. The kicker is that inside buildings it is almost always cold. So during the day you have to have a sweater on because it is cold inside. Then you take the sweater off outside. It's odd. Where my group is going for the next segment of training is supposedly very hot. I'm not sure if I am looking forward to that or not.

Tomorrow we find out which language class we are in. We have to reach at least an intermediate (middle) level to be able to swear in as a volunteer. I think I am a novice high, but again, I find out tomorrow. Then the real fun of three hours a day of language classes begin. I am looking forward to it though, because I still have a lot to learn. Oh, and I know exactly how Humberto's brothers feel. I smile and nod a lot woo. Sometimes there is just nothing else you can do.

I'll write again soon!

P.S., Don't be afraid to send me letters (How are the Bruins doing?)

Jill