Breaking Fast: The End of One Week on One Hundred

Ok, so this was nothing like a fast, I ate regularly. I just regularly ate the same thing 21 times in a row... which made this lover of beans and tortillas consider fasting, if only for the variety. (If only I wasn´t so hungry!)

Needless to say, I survived the week long diet on $5 and know that I am a more understanding person for it. Experiencing only a fraction of the persistent struggle that the majority of families here face has made me realize that while providing food rations is helpful, it will only put a small dent in the hunger these mothers and children face every day. I also now realize that when you are constantly hungry, it is hard to think about much more than the fact that you are hungry, much less motivate yourself to do anything that does not provide you with the short term benefit of immediate sustanance.

Surprises:

• I didn´t use all my sugar, flour, or beans
• I only lost 1/2 a pound
• I still wanted to and did eat massive amounts cookies when I was done
• I actually want to keep eating simply and will try to just add fruits and veggies... and switch up the type of bean here and there :)

One Week on One Hundred... Exhaustion Breeds Creativity

I´m not sure if it is the lack of sugar or perhaps the lack of any and all other nutrients not related to tortillas and beans that has left me in a funk of exhaustion and crankiness, but I am pretty sure that it is not something that another tortilla will fix... It has been amazing to experience how my moods and ability to think are related to what I put in my body. I feel like I have done fairly well in creating a balanced diet with dairy (milk), protien (beans), carbohydrates (tortillas), and vegetables (tomatoes), but I still notice myself forgetting things more than normal and I have been quicker to get frustrated or upset (No self medicating with chocolate this week :) ). To counter/prevent these feelings, I am making sure to exersize daily, including lots of yoga.The silver lining in this story is that extreme times have literally forced creativity, and apparently, my brain still has a little juice left! A simple but amazing mixture of diced tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and salt (aka: poor woman´s salsa) has some how made beans and tortillas tolerable, if not enjoyable! I may be a little cranky, but at least the food tastes good... DAMN IT!

One Week on One Hundred.... Sugar Withdrawls and Tortilla Mishaps

Two days into the $5 a week food challenge and so far so good! The theme of day 1 was SUGAR WITHDRAWL. I had no idea how much sugar I consume until I had to give it up. Left with a 1/2 lb of table sugar to ration throughout the week, I found myself savoring the two glasses of lime juice I made for the teaspoon of sugar each one contained. If I make it out alive, I have a feeling it will be with clearer skin and maybe a pound or two lighter!

I have also tackled the oh so challenging task of making tortillas. Most of the tortillas I have made to date have been with a press; but since I don´t have one of those, I have to learn the old fashioned way. My first tortilla did not turn out so good:

(If you are curious, I still ate it.) Since then, my tortillas have been improving, and are actually starting to look like something you would eat in a Honduran´s home. At least I have 5 more days to perfect them!

The One Week One Hundred Lempira Challenge

After spending part of this past week entering data on income levels and food intake of rural farmers in the area, one particular question caught my attention, ¨How much does your family spend on food each month?¨ I realized that many of the families in the surrounding communities are poor; however, I was surprised to see that the average family of 5 or more, spends around 600 Lempira (an equivalent of $30) on food each month. That averages out to $7.50 per week for food!

I immediately began to wonder if I could live on this amount, and if so, how. Many families reported seeking help from neighbors, but more stated that they often just did without. These thoughts, paired with the enthusiastic motivation of my good P.C. friend Miguel, lead to the creation of the One Week on One Hundred Lempira Challenge. The purpose of the challenge is to better understand what it is like to live on a small food budget by keeping all food purchases under 100 Lempira for the week. In addition to eating less grease and sugar, we hope to cultivate a greater appreciation for those we work with and serve. We are starting TODAY!
The Plan:

• Each of us will be able to spend 100 Lempira, the equivalent of $5, during the course of the week to purchase food.
• In addition to 100 Lempira, we are able to eat whatever produce we grow in our backyards. (Many Hondurans have small gardens.
• We are able to accept 3 meals and 2 snacks from neighbors or co-workers during the week. (Many of the people interviewed said they often received assistance from family or neighbors.)
• Salt and chili sauce are free.

By now you might be wondering, what does $5 worth of food look like?

My week´s food package includes:

• 3 lb bag of corn flour to make tortillas
• 2lb of beans
• 1lb bag of pinol (think soy cream of wheat)
• 1 liter of lactose free milk
• 1/2 lb of tomatoes
• 1/2 lb of sugar
• 1 onion or green pepper

So far so good! I am excited (and a little nervous) for this week. Stay tuned!

Engineers Without Borders Visit

This past week I had the pleasure of meeting a group of three Engineers Without Borders that stayed in Orocuina and worked in a nearby town. I have been really impressed by this organization composed primarily of college students looking to use their newly emerging engineering skills to make a difference in less fortunate countries. I had the pleasure of meeting two students and their faculty mentor from OH who were in town with a mission of creating a water filtration system to bring clean water to a community that to date has not had any sort of potable system.

After living in a community for an extended period of time, it becomes easier to adopt their cultural outlooks, and while this can be a wonderful thing, it can some times lead to accepting situations rather than working to improve them. It was great to see the excitement, motivation and openness to exploring new cultures and ways of viewing the world that this group brought, as well as meet an awesome group of people! If you would like more info about Engineers Without Borders, you can check them out at: http://www.ewb-usa.org/

Anona Amor

Living near the equator, I have had the chance to try many new and exciting fruits that we just can´t get in the states. Guayabas, nances, papaya, and various kinds of mangos are common here in Orocuina. One of the best parts of living in Honduras is that, with the exception of a few US grocery stores, access to fruits and vegetables is fairly limited to what is in season. That means absolutely no guilt about wondering how far your pineapple or watermelon traveled to make it to the table. I have gained a larger appreciation for what is part of my dinner as I know I will only have access to it for a few months. It is an adventure to peruse the market, noting the newest arrivals of seasonal fruits. Recently, I became alerted to the anona. An odd looking fruit with an artichoke-like outer appearance, the inside of the anona is milky and sweet, like a soft coconut. I have become addicted, searching markets throughout Orocuina and Choluteca for this yummy fruit and plan to enjoy it as much as possible before the end of its season!

Birthday Celebrations

This weekend was a good friend and co-worker´s birthday. I offerred to bake the cake, and then realized I have never baked a cake from scratch before! Gracias a Dios, I had great luck with an awesome carrot cake that the little girl pictured below said ¨made this gringa famous.¨ We had a great day cooking, eating, and talking before I ran home to beat the thunderstorms. I also had the pleasure of a beautiful pedicure from Elsie Yessenia (the little girl pictured). Talk about creative! (Shout out to my amazing sisters! Thanks for the super comfy ¨chankletas.¨)

Princess of Dengue Prevention

It has been a loooong time since anything pink has graced my bedroom; however, extreme times call for extreme measures! As some of you may have read, the rate of Hemorrhagic Dengue in Honduras has skyrocketed, leaving hospitals full, multiple patients sharing the same bed. In attempts to prevent a second round of Dengue, this granola traveler has found her earthy abode turned into a princess pad overnight. While I can´t say I have gotten bit less, I can say that my outlook on life has become a bit rosier... :)

For anyone interested in additional information on Dengue, check out: www.medicinenet.com/dengue_fever/article.htm

A Morning Walk

While the town of Orocuina is simple, the views of the surrounding mountains are anything but. As much to stay in shape as to enjoy the beautiful views, I like to take walks as often as possible. I have come to find out that walking is the best way to meet people, and on more than one occasion I have been invited into peoples´ homes. (This cuts down on the exersize, but is well worth it!) Below are some photos taken from walks... including a little bit of the local wild life :) Enjoy!

Home Away from Home...

So this is it! This is Orocuina!

Orocuina, ¨town of gold,¨ is both a city and a municipality in Hondura´s Southern most department of Choluteca. The town has approximately 500 residents and is the central meeting point for the 17,000 spread across countless villigaes sprinkled in the surrounding mountains and valleys. In addition to gold, Orocuina is famously known throughout Honduras for its practice of witchcraft and ¨El Gato Negro,¨ a recently deceased drug lord turned rapper (think of a Ranchero Eminem, but actually badass).

In addition to its various, ecletic reputations, Orocuina is home to some of the most honest and hardworking people I have met. While most of the city´s homes are surrounded by walls, the people inside are unguarded, curious, and welcoming.

Orocuina´s market is a maze of small cubbies, where people sell produce, rice, beans, and other food staples, clothing, and plastic wares. Most important of all are the women that stand on the edge of the market selling fresh tortillas, 3 tortillas for 5 cents!

To the right is the Activity Center where I live and work. Inside, the Association holds weekly nutrition and early cognitive development programs, makes and sells natural medicine, and has an internet cafe (with wifi !!!)

In the back is a small volunteer house where I live! My treehouse efficiency has a small, working kitchen, bathroom & shower, and LOTS of windows looking out into the center´s wrap around mango tree. All the trees make for great bird watching!

I am currently in the process of making my place more homey with posters, pictures, and letters from home... hint, hint :) You are welcome to stop by the tree house any time! (The hammack´s always open!)

Bienvenidos!

Saludos from Southern Honduras!

This blog is an attempt to capture daily living in rural, Southern Honduras... as well as random travels to neighboring communities and countries. To share a little about your guide, I am a U.S. born volunteer, who, through the novels of the World Wide Web, has connected myself with a group of fiesty women, fighting for women´s rights, poverty reduction, improved health, and all around stronger communities through local organizing. I am currently living in Orocuina, a small town near Choluteca in the very bottom tip of the map to the right. This is actually the second half of a 18+ month service trip, on which I hope to: learn, explore, travel, connect, serve, love, reflect, live, and leap... into what, we will see! In this blog, I plan to share, inspire, inform, and perhaps occassionally rant. Thanks for tuning in, and enjoy the show!

By this point, you may be wondering, what is a ¨Catracho¨anyway? ¨Catracho¨ is what Hondurans call one another, much like we call one another ¨Americans¨ in the United States (ignoring the fact that there are 34 other countries in the Americas). In preparing to write this blog, I did a little research to find the origins of the said Catracho. According to Señor Wiki et al., Catrachos can trace their namesake to Honduran General Florencio Xatruch. During the mid 1800´s an ¨American¨ by the name of William Walker made his way south with the ¨oh so noble¨intention of uniting Central America, only to enslave its residents and further pillage the lands´resources. During his second attempt, Walker made it so far as Nicaragua before Honduran General Xatruch lead his men in defeating Walker´s patchwork army and sending them back to the states. Unfotunately, this was not the last that Hondurans would see of William Walker, whose third attempt proved fatal; however, General Xatruch´s men, the ¨Catruches,¨ and later ¨Catrachos,¨as coined by the Nicaraguans, valiently fought to protect Central America and earned a name for their fellow countrymen and women in the process.