Greetings from Florida

As I sit amidst a 3 hour layover in the Ft. Lauderdale airport, excitement at finally being so close to home and stories and feelings from the past 6 months are filling my mind. I don't think I can summarize in a blog post what this trip and my work in Guatemala and Honduras meant to me. At least not yet, as I am still figuring that out.

I know I met some wonderful people, both through my volunteering with GVI and meeting travelers from all over while in each country from Mexico to Costa Rica. Traveling seems to bring together diverse people who would not otherwise make time for each other. The collective open-mindedness (mostly) and the need/desire to meet new people while traveling alone enables long or short-term friendships with people with whom at home I would probably not interact.

Another realization is that my motivation to rejoin my classroom at home is growing by the minute. This surprises me, and I owe it to my kids in Itzapa and San Rafael. Like kids all over the world, they take advantage of situations and are quite ornery, but they are kids who want to be in school. My teaching skills were challenged and improved in the last 6 months, and instead of dreading going back to traditional work, I am looking forward to it. And actually speaking English in my classroom will be quite a treat!

Since getting back from Mexico, I passed Semana Santa and Easter in Antigua, where people from all over the world literally packed the streets to see the colorful rugs made of sawdust, vegetables, plants, and flowers lining the roads to be walked over during the religious processions. The following week, I went to Honduras to say one more goodbye to my kids there en route to visit the GVI Nicaragua project. Copan did not disappoint, with the chance to play some drums during a hippie jam session, and a return to the Red Frog for one more world-famous uterus shot. In Esteli, Nicaragua, I had a wonderful time meeting and hanging out with the volunteers and staff there. They are working in a brand new GVI project, so brainstorming ideas for them and helping out for a few days was fun. And what else could be a better way to spend my second to last night in Central America than going to Las Vegas Nicaragua. Slot machines, neon lights, and girls without any substantial clothing filled the room decorated with images of the Vegas Strip. And yes, we did actually find ourselves dancing on the disco floor until midnight.

I got into Costa Rica late the next day, paid $5 for a 5-minute taxi ride (the equivalent in Nicaragua was 50 cents) to my hotel, and got up this morning to head to the airport. Falling into the category of people I would probably not interact with at home but that traveling brings us together, I had a couple of beers at the hotel last night with a very stereotypical surfer-dude from California living in Costa Rica. I thought the word "gnarly" was just from 80's movies, but no, it is a top word in this surfer's vocabulary.

And finally... I never did like the name of my blog, I just picked something. Now that I'm not in Central America, any suggestions?

Tacos are wonderful things

My first solo travel in Latin America did not disappoint. As I needed to renew my Visa, I headed to Mexico. San Cristobal de las Casas and Palenque, both in the Mexican state of Chiapas, brought adventures, friends, and fabulous food. I was a little anxious about the solo travel... finding hostels in each city, public transportation between different places... but excited to try it on my own. The trip had its negative points... including an unfortunate incident with my pants at the border, the downpour that proved my belt solution to the pants problem to be inadequate, that whole pesky bed-bug issue in Pelenque that I have feverishly fought off and defeated (I think!), and being told it was my lucky day by a man who said he would blow my f**king head off if he had a gun and a bullet when I wouldn't give him money to take care of his "lost passport" problem (perhaps this is a positive, as no gun and bullet were present).

San Cristobal is a beautiful colonial-style town, with lots of travelers and lots to do. Palenque is a city where tourists get in, do the two local attractions- Mayan ruins and waterfalls- and get out! Swimming in Misol-Ha falls was fantastic. I have never been so close to a powerful waterfall. The ruins were breathtaking, as all of the ruins sites I have visited just amaze me. In San Cristobal, I visited a Mayan natural medicine museum, getting to watch a 12-minute rather graphic video on Mayan childbirth. I also bought drops that are a natural remedy for cold sores (called "fuego de la boca- fire in the mouth) that also conveniently work for eye infections. From San Cristobal, I took a boat ride through the vast walls Canon del Sumidero and visited a rain forest style zoo.

Though I met cool people to do some of this stuff with, making the arrangements and travel on my own was good for me. Getting from San Cris to Palenque involved public transportation and switching in the middle, with me being the ony gringo the entire trip. And a little frustrating arriving in 100-degree Palenque (San Cris was in the 70's during the day) to find out I was too late to take either trip that day and was going to have to stay an extra night in this not overly-inviting town. Things always work out though, and that evening I met my new Aussie friend, a 57-year-old man riding his motorcycle from Chile to Alaska. We hung out for the rest of the time in Palenque and he was actually heading to San Cristobal next, so we had time together there as well. With a bit of job-hunting luck, I may meet him in Cali this summer.

As the date needed to renew my Visa was just before the start of spring break for the kids, I got to spend a week in Mexico. The next few days here in Antigua are going to be filled with processions, music, and colorful rugs decorating the streets for Holy Week and Easter. Monday is my last day at work, and Wednesday I head to Honduras to begin my journey home. The travel bug has hit me, though, so let's see what the summer brings!

A conversation with an 18-year-old volunteer on my 29th birthday...

Volunteer: "I didn't know Kerry was 30!"

Me: "Does that change anything?"

Volunteer: "We used to giggle about things all the time."

Me: "Yeah?"

Volunteer: "Well, you know, usually you speak more respectfully to older people."

I'm glad I have 364 more days until I'm an older person.

Note: The dialogue style of this post is a direct idea from reading many entertaining dialogues on 65 Maple Ave. Check her out.

Indigenous Style

Last Friday was the last day for 6 volunteers in Itzapa. Along with meaning that next week we is going to be incredibly short-handed and I will basically be teaching in 2 and a half classrooms and monitoring the others, it also means saying goodbye to some great people. Work won't be the same Monday without the normal crew. Since so many were leaving Friday, Elena, the community leader who feeds us and supports/aids the school in many ways, provided traditional indigenous clothing for all of the female volunteers to try on. She also gave us all some of the all-natural shampoo her womens' group makes... I'll have to see if I like my hair in aloe-vera scent! The dressing-up was a lot of fun, and the kids loved seeing us walk in. Most of the girls and women in Itzapa wear indigenous dress. Indigenous dress is also seen around Antigua and even Guatemala City. Most of the kids at our school also speak Mayan Kaqchikel as their first language and Spanish as their second. The thriving indigenous culture differs here greatly from the situation in Honduras, only hours away. The Mayan heritage is just as strong there, with the famous Copan Ruins being about a mile from where I lived in Copan. However, I never saw anyone in Mayan dress. Very few speak the language, and the traditions are basically extinct. There are some controversial political issues going on with trying to bring back the culture.

After the crazy week of work next week, ending with my birthday Friday, I will be headed to San Cristobal, Mexico to renew my visa. I return in time for Semana Santa, i.e. a week off of work (this is just too late for my visa renewal). I head back to work for one or two days, then on April 15 begin my journey home. The director has been promising me a visit to the Nicaragua project ever since my interning there fell through. On the way I am going to visit the Honduras project and see my kids one more time. From Nicaragua, the closest, cheapest way home is via San Jose, Costa Rica. I am excited for the upcoming travel, though have mixed feelings about leaving. I want to come home, but really can't believe how quick it has all gone! Really, just one more crazy week of work. Ending with a celebration and followed by being in 6 countries in three weeks. So, who's up for road trips in May?... it might be hard to stay still!

Turning back a little...

A bit after the fact, I know, but I've been wanting to tell about an experience of a parent/teacher meeting I had in San Rafael, Honduras, before leaving the last time (about a month ago now). The head teacher at the school called a mandatory meeting on a Tuesday at 10am. The kids got to leave early. About 5 parents showed up. The meeting was rescheduled for Friday at 10am, and a note was sent home with the kids saying that families who did not send a parent to the meeting would have to pay 50 Lempiras (about $2.50). Forty-five parents came Friday. Some by means of horseback. The parents sat in the kids desks and chairs in the largest of the schools three classrooms.

The meeting including voting for officers of the Society of Families (like a PTA, I think?) and officers for the Merrienda Committee (they arrange the groups of families who take turns making the rice, beans, and tortilla lunches for the kids each day with government money... when the money shows up). Nobody was volunteering, and everybody was nominating each other. Then they went around the room for each position in each committee to vote outloud on the nominees. Some of the contests were close, and you could sense the pressure on the last few people to have to voice their vote. GVI is also starting an adult literacy program in San Rafael. Once a week the volunteers teach basic spanish literacy to adults. While discussing this program at the meeting, the teacher asked each parent individually if he/she could read and write and if they wanted to participate in the class. They all gave seemingly honest answers out loud, with the majority not being literate.

The parents seemed like students sitting in the desks and being made to speak aloud and answer questions. But they really didn't seem to mind. As the other volunteers and I watched the meeting unfold, we were amazed at how different this was from any such meeting in the states. It worked for them, though. People vented, issues were resolved, and committees chosen. The same results any meeting would hope to achieve.

I thought I'd put up a couple of pics from Honduras with this post. And in about 2 weeks, I'll be going back for a quick visit. More on that and my upcoming journey home via a few different countries in a post coming soon, I hope.

It´s over already?

As I expected, the almost 9 days of Marty´s visit went way too quickly. Trips to Lake Atitlan, Tikal, a coffee plantation, a hike on active Volcan Pacaya, a Guatemalan cooking class, and lots of walking and eating in Antigua kept us busy. I´m sure he´ll fill you in on the details! It was wonderful having Marty here, finally getting to see the things and meet the people that have been part of my stories for so long.

In other news, I finally have a home. Not that I was exactly homeless, but the GVI house for interns has been full since Christmas. I went home for Christmas, and for the first couple of weeks after Christmas I lived with a family in Antigua. Then I headed to Honduras for a month. Back to Antigua, and in with a different family. Then Marty´s visit, so a week of leaving my bags at the GVI house and taking what I needed for our hotels and trips for the week. After far more packing and unpacking than I enjoy in a 10 week period, I finally have all my stuff in a room in a house that should be mine until the end of April! In case you're interested, my new address is Las Arcadas; casa #4; 9a Calle Poniente; Antigua Guatemala Sacateqequez; Guatemala, Centroamerica. Now I just need to somehow adapt to the most uncomfortable bed I´ve had in Central America, and figure out what I´m going to prepare for the intern group once a week on my cooking night!

How many times can you say goodbye?

When I left Copan, Honduras before Christmas, I thought it was for the last time, at least for the foreseeable future. After Christmas, my director asked me if I would go back to Copan to cover for a few weeks during a lapse in intern coverage. No problem, so after a week and a half working in Guatemala, I came back to Copan. Three weeks was up last weekend. I had my shuttle booked for 6am Sunday. I said goodbye to many people Friday and Saturday. Then Saturday night, via email, the director and I decided it would be best for me to stay here for one more week for different coverage and logistical reasons. It was my initial suggestion, so I was fine with this change. People were surprised to see me Sunday and then Monday at work and in Spanish school, and joked that I am never leaving. This weekend is now my weekend to leave. My shuttle was booked for 6am today, Sunday. After getting up at 5:15 and waiting until 7, the shuttle never showed up. They were not answering the phone. When the office opened at 9, I went and got myself booked on the noon shuttle without having to pay again. He was very apologetic and said it was partly his personal fault. I know this apology is nothing by American standards, and I would have most likely gotten a refund or a discount at home, but it is more than you usually get around here.

So I had another day of saying goodbye yesterday. I've run into friends this moring and the Spanish school director, and people now don't believe I'm actually going to leave this place. 4 times saying goodbye for the "last" time is a bit much. You could drive yourself crazy getting frustrated over times, schedules, and logistics here... like we were saying yesterday when we met for an activity scheduled for 9am that started at 11. For your own sanity, you kind of learn to just go with it. As long as I make it Friday for Marty's visit:)

What can you do?

So I've definitely been slacking on the blogs. I was happy to get home from work today and not have afternoon classes or much GVI work, which has been busy lately. I headed out to run my only errand, mailing a letter, before coming to the cafe to catch up on blogs and computer stuff. I've mailed enough letters to know they only cost 25 lempiras. I had 28 in my wallet, but for some reason grabbed another 100, the smallest bill I had. On the way to the post office, I ran into some of the family we have been visiting in a town outside of Copan (featured in the blog below). Last Thursday they lost their grandmother (or the grandmother figure of the house). We knew this and made it up to visit that afternoon (pushing our tuk-tuk taxis up the extremely muddy road in the rain... another story!). So I saw them in town today buying some needed items from donations made at the funeral. They were so excited to see me and asked when we could visit again. They said things have been sad at the house. None of them have parents and now they unexpectedly lost their grandmother. It was hot out today, and I bought them ice cream from the local shop. With the 100 lempira bill that I for some reason grabbed before I left. It was good to see them smiling, but I'm left feeling so limited in what I can do. A gringo spending a few dollars and going about my day. Lots of people are going through really tough times. And you never really know what to say in any language. I guess a smile and a hug has to be enough sometimes.

Giving what they can...

Yesterday a few GVI volunteers and some friends we made here went to an indigenous community in the mountains with a lady from the states that spends time up there regularly. We visited what is essentially an orphanage, where they make ceramics to sell. A 16-year-old girl who runs a lot of the business was thrilled to see us. So happy to show us how to work the clay to prep it for molding and then we each got to mold something to later be fired (using just a fire... not a firing oven). We ground corn and made our own tortillas. With everything made from their land and processed right there, they were the best tortillas I've had. They insisted on us have a lunch of beans and tortillas. We brought some toys for the kids and rope to make jump ropes from. While the kids at the school we work at in San Rafael love jump roping, it didn't seem like these kids had ever tried. They were so happy to be able to teach us and feed us. They invited us back anytime. We had a very good, yet thought-provoking day.

The experiences I've had here from the schools in Honduras and Guatemala where I work, to visits like this, to the wonderful travelers, volunteers, and locals I've met are invaluable. I sometimes get caught up in the moment and the excitement of what I'm doing... planning lessons, planning my next trip or excursion, blogging or facebooking, thinking about things at home... and days like yesterday remind me of why I'm here and to not take these experiences for granted.

An international celebration*

As the volunteers, tourists, and Spanish students from various countries expressed excitement on inauguration day, along with every local Honduran with whom I've spoken regarding the matter, we had an inauguration party at the Spanish school Tuesday night. Many of the teachers and their friends were there, along with Americans, Canadians, and Europeans, celebrating the start of a new era. It was exciting to see and fun to be a part of. A regular cafe of ours even stayed open when we came in before closing time to watch the event on YouTube. A worker joined us in watching and congratulated us.

Let me also say that I am happy to have discovered that the internet connection seems to have significantly improved since my last stay in Honduras. Hopefully posts with pictures will now be possible.

*In the unlikely event that my director is reading this blog, I would like to state that GVI is in no way affiliated with any political party.

Good ol' Copan

Upon returning to Copan, Honduras, last Saturday evening, it mostly seems as if I haven't left. GVI has me in the same family-operated hotel, in the same room actually. I'm being fed the same rice, chicken, and over-cooked beef. The tortillas at the house have significantly improved however, as they now have a girl working for them who makes them everyday instead of buying them from a vendor. It is good to see the family here again, and they are certainly nice enough. But not nearly as personable as my family in Antigua! I'm sitting in my normal afternoon cafe drinking a liquado con agua. I can again walk alone at night without being conscious of the money and camera I might be carrying. There is a comfort in this little town that draws people back and entices many travelers to call Copan home (at least for a year or two!).

Though Copan is tiny, thanks to the near by Mayan Ruins it is a very touristy town. Much like Antigua, only lots smaller. You see the same people around town, and the guy at the cafe today asked me where i'd been all month! Both cities are great to meet travelers from all over the world. Last night, living in a strange world where not everyone I know has a cell phone, I waited alone at a bar for friends who didn't show up b/c of a miscommunication. Ended up chatting for a while with a guy from Sicily also sitting alone. The travelers you meet is one cool thing about living in such a touristy place.

The volunteers I'm with are all brand new to me, and the school in San Rafael looks completely different as it recently underwent a paint job from GVI. Today was my first day at school, and for the first two weeks it is just small group tutoring for the incoming 1st and 2nd graders until the regular school year starts in February. Last year I had 2nd and 3rd graders, so I'm not too familiar with these kids. The volunteers have it all under control and I'm just floating, monitoring, and trying to figure out the schedule for the next three weeks!

So it's 2-3 weeks here in Honduras, then back to Guatemala. Marty is coming down to Antigua for a visit at the end of February:) And hopefully I'm going to make to Nicaragua with GVI, even if only for a week or so, sometime this spring. Time is flying!

Back to Antigua... for about a week and a half

Tuesday afternoon I arrived safely in Antigua, Guatemala after a 2 and a half week visit home for the holidays. Its kind of funny how a person can switch modes so quickly, and in a way it seems like I never left. That being said, I did have a wonderful time in Ohio and Michigan. Most days/nights were spent hanging out with my and/or Marty's family or friends, making for a busy "vacation." I definitely need to work on some card-playing skills to keep up with the Brown's and their cousins!

But for now, I'm here... and I love it! The school I'm working at in San Andres Itzapa is fabulous. Unlike the school in Honduras at which I worked, this school is totally GVI owned and operated. Volunteers run the show in every classroom, and we have some good, creative people here now. It is wonderful to see the excitement. The school is also brighter, more open, and has more interaction between classrooms. We all eat together at a house in the community where a woman cooks us lunch each day. The kids are more touchy/feely here. Also, most of the girls dress in traditional indiginous dress. The kids seem to look a bit healthier here... not quite as malnourished as the students in San Rafael.

The two GVI houses for interns are full right now, so I am living with a host family near most of the other volunteers (they like to have one intern in that section of town anyway). I have the king of host family stays. The food is great and their is plenty of it (unlike Copan). There is wireless internet (practically unheard of), there is a big outdoor roof patio right outside my room, the shower is hot, the bed is comfortable, and my "mother and father" are hilarious! They play music at dinner and do a great job of bringing us into conversations (another voluneer lives here as well). The father says "no more of that!" when we speak English at the dinner table.

Ironically, the volunteer who lives with me has done two AmeriCorps programs and he is a wildland firefighter in Arizona. Actually, just yesterday he found out that he will be on the hotshot crew next spring... a very big deal as my NCCC friends know! Also along the lines of "its a small world," I mentioned that I've climbed in Kentucky, and a non-climber from hours away from the Red River Gorge asked me if I'd been to Miguels Pizza. But of course! He said he once met someone while in Germany who had been to Miguels. It's just that good.

In one week I am heading back to Copan, Honduras to fill in during an intern gap for 2-3 weeks. I like a lot here in Antigua, but there are certainly aspects of Copan that I miss. I wouldn't want to go back for 2-3 months, but I am happy to fill in for a couple of weeks.