Raining in a New Year

Yesterday officially marked one year of living in Central America. It is amazing to think that I have been here a year already! In many ways, it feels like I just got here: there are so many things I have yet to see and people I have yet to really get to know. On the other hand, I finally feel like I have Honduran friends, people I can go to if I feel down or lonely, or just need some dinner, and that is something that takes time. One of the families I am getting to know better these days is a neighor family just down the street. I met Neto, Alejandrina, Alejandrita (yes, I confuse them all the time), and Maria Jose when I first got to town through their thriving roadside dinner stand outside their house. Any night I didn´t feel like cooking, I´d stop in for a fried treat of enchiladas, tacos, or platano cips drenched in hamburger meat mixed with sliced potatoes and carrots- delicious! The other day I was able to return the favor of many free meals and teach them how to make pizza. With pepperoni, black olives (totally imported but so good), tomatoes and onions, it was quite possibly the best pizza I have ever made, and it seemed to go over well as both pizzas were gone in less than an hour. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing doctor and getting yet another beautiful pedicure- who would have thought my feet would look better here than in the states!

If you are interested in making Italian/American/soon to be Honduran pizza, all you need is:

• 1 tablespoon active rising yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon olive (or vegetable) oil
• a pinch of salt

Check out the recipe at: www.annamariavolpi.com/pizza_recipe.html

In addition to making pizza and getting pedicures, the major past time of late has been discussing and watching the weather. After 6 straight days of rain, it is hard to think about anything else. While we have been lucky to avoid power outtages and high winds, the massive amounts of water have created flooding to the point of nearly taking out local bridges. It is both awesome and scary to see the strength of so much water. All Orocuinans say that this is the most rain they have seen in 30 years. (Except for maybe hurrican Mitch which flooded and practically carried away the towns in ´98) The forecast calls for clear skies this week; however, others say there is another tropical storm coming in from Panama. For the sake of all Hondurans, here´s hoping for clear skies!

(Picture of a nearby bridge that has been flooded by Rio Choluteca and a closed up down town. Even the cantinas have been quiet these days.)

Fall Food for Thought

Fall has always been my favorite season, and is something that I have missed here in Honduras, until recently. Living in the Midwest, fall has always felt like a period of transition for me: from hot weather to cold, from being outdoors to in, from watching baseball to football, and for many years fall marked the beginning of a new school year, new friends and relationships, and new doors opening for where our lives would take us. All of these things could be thought about while taking on the often arduous task of raking the leaves. Taking care of the center while Benicia was away, I found myself once again raking leaves that continuously fall from our enormous mango tree. Just the feel of the rake in my hands brought back crisp fall days and the excitement that filled the air with the impending holiday celebrations with family and friends. While, it happened to be 90 degrees and my pile of leaves would not have been adequate for jumping, it felt nice to take a stroll down memory lane. My life as of late has felt like one continuous transition... perhaps that is why we always have leaves to rake down here!
Food for Thought!

Mail Order Tease

No matter where we are, there is something exciting about receiving mail: knowing that someone is thinking about you and took the extra time to show you. This is especially true when away from home and ESPECIALLY true when living in another country. Anyone who has lived abroad knows that an entire week can be made by receiving a card, letter, or package. This being said, you can imagine how incredibly excited I was to hear that a letter had arrived for me: Ooooo a letter! (insert Homer Simpson donought voice) Unfortunately all my excitement was burst when I saw that the letter was sent by none other than my travel insurance company to solicit my renewal for the upcoming year... say what? No letter... man, what a tease!

Since I have gotten back to Honduras, I have created what I affectionately call my ¨wall of home.¨ The letter tease fiasco got me thinking that it would be really nice to see more letters on my wall of home. I know that I have absolutely NO RIGHT to complain as I have yet to send a single piece of mail - yikes! So! I am starting a mail campaign! If I have your address, I will write to you! If I don´t have your address, leave a comment or send me your address, and I will write to you! My hope is that after seeing my amaaaazing mail, you will be inspired to write back! And if not.... at least you got some cool, international mail out of it :)

If you feel like getting a head start, you can write me here at the address on the sidebar. I´d love to receive notes, letters, pictures, and any other goodies you´d like to send. If you are so inclined to put together a package *brownie points will be awarded* I´d love trail mix and any new music or mix cds that you´d like to send. Packages are much less expensive for you and me if you use padded envelopes instead of boxes.

***Thanks all for the great emails, phone dates, and f.b. comments and messages as well!

Indiana Jones Style...

Indiana Jones was the theme of today´s adventure to find caves hidden among the mountainside. Since arriving to Orocuina, I have been enamored with the surrounding mountains into which Orocuina is tucked, but there has been one mountain in particular that has held my attention. Tall and majestic, this combination of tree covered hillside and sheer cliff faces constantly calls to me through the morning mist and glows in the sunsets during my bus trips back and forth to Choluteca each week. Early on, I learned that the mountain was home to many caves and even drawings thought to be left from ancient Mayan ancestors, making it all the more intriguing.

This morning I answered the mountain´s call with Miguel as a sort of send off adventure. We were accompanied by Nutrition health promoter Don Carlos and community member Luis. The 6am bus dropped us off at Carbonal, a town of ~60 and we made our way into town where we met up with Carlos and Luis and were told that conditions were a little rough due to the rains but that we would forge on... ¨conditions are rough?¨ (I thought, did not say.) Quite possibly the most difficult part of the trip was not the mountain itself but getting there. Before climbing, we had to cross a series of recently flooded fields. There happened to be volcanic rock ¨stepping stones¨ scattered throughout the field that we proceeded to ¨hop¨to cross the squishy lagoons. (I immediately laughed to myself imagining endless games of ¨hot lava¨ on the playground.) While Don Carlos practically ran the field, I found myself teetering rock to rock before the inevitable sploosh, I was in the lava. Thank God for water resistant boots!

The first 1/2 hour of climbing was switchbacks through hillsides planted with corn, then into the forest we went. We quickly discovered that ¨a little rough¨meant that the path had not been taken since the beginning of the rainy season (May) and had grown over/been washed away... which could only mean one thing: we would cut our own path. The next two hours were straight out of an Indiana Jones movie with machetes drawn and swinging full force. Shrubs, vines, small trees and eight foot cactuses were no match for Luis, Carlos, and their machetes. Our forest adventures were broken up by brief scrambles across rock faces that opened to amazing views of the valleys below.

When we finally reached the cave, we rested in its cool, guano filled shade. The cave itself was approximately 25 meters deep and said to have once been inhabited by the devil himself, serving as a portal to the underworld... to which Luis said ¨but look, there are no tunnels, no doors, it doesn´t go anywhere.¨ Case closed.

The walk back down was a slide to the finish with only two wipeouts and the hot lava game somehow seemed easier! At the end of our journey, we gave each of our companions a small token of thanks for taking a day off of make this trip a reality. We gave them each twice the amount they said that they earn daily. Each man received ~$7.50. We thanked them for an amazing adventure... I somehow think I´ll be back! :)

More pics:

An Island Getaway

While these first six weeks back in Honduras have flown by, working 10 hour days and weekends left me ready for a little break. In Southern Honduras, there is no better place to relax than the island of El Tigre, better known as ¨Amapala.¨ A volcanic island and once US military base, Amapala is now a sleepy fishing community that comes to life when Central American tourists visit for Easter vacations. To get there, we took a series of buses to the Golf and then a 10 minute boat ride to the island. We arrived to the ocean front house we rented Friday night, just in time to see an amazing sunset over the Pacific ocean! (Watching the sun set over Elsalvador.)

The rest of the weekend was a relaxing mix of swimming, frisbee, seafood, and cervezas. It was a great way to say goodbye to an amazing group of P.C. volunteers who are finishing their 2 years of service here in S. Honduras. As I am still new to the P.C. crowd, I was bummed to be meeting some really neat people on their way out, but it was also great to connect to new people in the area.

Sunday, we made our way back to the nearest large city, Choluteca, and camped on a friend´s floor before starting the work week again. Below, Miguel models his amazing survival skills, crafting a makeshift mattress of clothes. That´s the way we roll!

For more info on Amapala, check out: http://amapala.honduras.com/

Playing in the mud

This morning´s 6:00am walk to work took us into uncharted, muddy territory. Thinking I would be crossing rivers, I wore my sandals, only to find out our ¨jalon¨(aka hitch hiking ride) was not going to make it and we would set out on foot. The community was an hour walk away and I arrove being able to see more mud than foot.

Once we started talking with the family; however, I began to move past the fact that I had been romping in manure ¨enriched,¨ stagnant water and enjoyed the fresh stone ground tortillas served to us, hot off the stove while I took in the beautiful view. (I also took note of the fact that not a single person in the family was wearing shoes and all of the food was cooked outside, in the mud.) The next house we went to invited us to clean our feet at their tap and we were clean again... at least until the next squishy step!

Rosa Milian and her son Lesther Antonio pose for a picture in their outdoor kitchen

Beautiful views of the Orocuina countryside

Over the River and Through the Woods... and Up the Mountain We Go!

When I am not making tortillas or playing hide and go seek with my blood-sucking roommates, I am working with a non profit called La Asociacion Mujeres Defensoras de la Vida, roughly translated: ¨Women, Defenders of Life.¨ Defending life takes many forms in this NGO: whether it be providing small loans to start a in home business, working with local health centers to monitor and improve child nutrition, or teaching women how to use their voice and become involved in local politics, every day is different!

Standing near a waterfall on the way up to visit the Chaguite community.

I am involved in all sorts of amazing projects here; however, the last few weeks I have had the pleasure of assisting a recently arrived volunteer from Canada with a general assessment of the women´s overall satisfaction of the Association and its work. PROFESSIONALLY: This has been a great opportunity for me to try and balance my academic scientific training with real world application. PERSONALLY: My favorite part of the work is that it requires us to visit women in their communities, which means lots of traveling! Driving a ´91 Toyota on its last leg up a flooded mountain has lead us to all sorts of adventures...

Today, our day went a little something like this:

• Ready to leave by 7:30am, actually left at 8:35am
• Got stuck in the mud on the way up the mountain, saved by 4 wheel drive
• Tried to turn around after missing our pass and almost backed off the mountain
• Got out and pushed the truck back on the road
• Met with the women and the chickens for 2 hours: work followed by lots of laughing about how to get past security in suitcases to get into the states
• Got stopped on the way back by a police officer who told us we would have to wait for 2 hours while they repaired the road (waited 15 minutes)
• Stopped for lunch and through miscommunication was served a full plate of fried plantains
• Home at 3:15pm with minimal sunburn, a tummy ache, and lots of stories

Check out the pics!

On the way up to El Casario el Chaguite

A picture of one of the many small communities nestled along the hillsides

The forest is a mix of palm and fruit bearing trees and hard woods.

Our meeting and the women of El Chaguite

Waiting for workers to fill the muddy streets as villagers watched... yes, everyone rides in the back of pick up trucks

Rain, Rain, Go Away... Until it Gets Hot Again...

As most of you have probably heard, Hurricane Earl has been the most recent storm to pass through Central America before making its way up North. It has been one of a string of tropical storms, depressions, and hurricanes to pay us a visit this winter. Thanks to all of you who have sent well wishes! I am fine! Here in Orocuina, we have been extremely lucky in that our little town, nestled in the valley, is fairly sheltered from the high winds and strong storms that come with tropical storms. We have not, however, escaped the rains which turn dusty streets into muddy rivers.

A photo taken in front of the Center during an afternoon rain A flooded creek our bus attempted to cross this winter... we made it!

The amount of percipitation has become the main topic of conversation among the majority of people - many of whom say they cannot remember every receiving so much rain in one season. While this Wisconsin native is glad for the break from the sticky heat, my relief comes at a cost. Mosquitoes are at a record high, lurking at each damp corner waiting to make their move. Regardless of my beautiful mosquito net, I seem to attract these mini vampires in drones with my ¨sangre dulce,¨ or sweet blood as coined by friends and neighbors who have seen my bump covered legs.

I counted 20 bites on this leg alone... itchy!!!

All itching aside.... with all the rain, Project Lluvias is going as strong as ever. The only problem is that while the rains have picked up, our funds have dried out. For those of you just tuning in, earlier this year, I worked with the women to begin a public health project aimed at reducing respiratory infections and mosquito borne illnesses through small home improvements that will keep the rain out and the insides of homes dry. I find myself digging deeeper into my pockets, and while I know I can´t do this forever, it breaks my heart to imagine the same children I play with each Friday wet and cold each night. For now, we are making do with a roll of plastic and waiting for donations. (hint hint!) If you have even $10 or $15 you are willing to donate, it will make a huge difference!

Thank you to all of you who have donated!! It has been amazing to see the huge impacts of the donations we have received. (Will post more stories and pictures soon!) This project has truly become an opportunity for families to take lot of and fix up deteriorating homes. Often in the process of moving tiles or hanging plastic, families have found major structural issues that need to be repaired or replaced. One such family recently tried to replace a log supporting the roof only to have it cave in! The last few weeks have been spent gathering wood to rebuild the small home. Our project was able to purchase enough lamina to cover half of the new roof and the family will cover the other half with cardboard and plastic until we are able to find more support.
If you are interested in donating to Project Lluvias, you can write a tax deductible check to our primary US donor:

CASEP

1400 E Market St

Charlottesville, VA 22902

*** Please include ¨Project Lluvias¨ in the memo to ensure the money reaches us!*** Thank you for all of your support, and stay tuned!