Giving Gracias

As Thanksgiving is not a Honduran holiday, this year I´ve learned that the act of giving thanks does not require turkey, cranberries, or pumpkin pie... (even though they make giving thanks muuuuuch more enjoyable :) ) All I really needed this year were people that I care about!

After a full day of working, which included marching in the square against domestic violence and co-facilitating a county wide meeting on fuel efficient stoves, I cooked a ¨Thanksgivingesque¨ dinner for Benicia and I. I was a little bummed about the nontraditionally ¨small crowd,¨ but just when I finished cooking and realized we had waaaay too much food, two friends showed up! I was thankful for the company and the chance to share my culture... which was a hit! (Mom would be proud.) While I cooked, I talked to friends and family in the states, all of whom were there in spirit!

It was a low key but memorable Thanksgiving! Gracias!

When the food was made, we also practiced the oh-so-famous US tradition of eating in front of the TV :)

I am super thankful for friends and family. Thank you all for the phone calls, emails, facebook messages, letters and packages! It means the world to me to stay connected with you all!

I want to send a special thank you to my cousins Ellen and Myles for the AWESOME drawings they have sent! I have hung them on my wall of home, along with my cousin Emily´s wedding announcement, that she sent to Honduras. Congratulations Emily!!! My wall is slowly expanding, and I am looking forward to sending out another batch of mail soon! :)

Taking it to the Streets

Marching with the women, we even picked up some highschoolers along the way!

This week the I joined more than 250 members of the Association and various Women´s Networks in marching against Femicide, the ¨unjust killing of women due to their gender.¨ Femicide is problem that has increased in the last ten years and has taken more than 1500 Honduran women this year.

Our rep being interviewed by the press while AMDV leads the march

To protest this increasingly alarming trend, and to honor National Women´s Day (on Thanksgiving... quite appropriate!), we took to the streets, and literally took them over! With banners, posters, and signs, we took over a 1 mile stretch of the major Pan American highway connecting Honduras and Nicaragua. Our march finished at a large hotel, where we held a conference with various representatives working in the area of domestic violence and justice. Among attendees were police officers, government officials, and the municipal judge overseeing domestic violence. Reporters and the press were there in full force to capture the day, as well as this amatuer photographer!

It was nearly 90 degrees out, but women came prepared and stuck it out

A strong message, sent with love

Celebrating a Year in Honduras!

It recently hit me that I have been in Honduras for a full year! It is both amazing and natural to think that I have been here for 12 months, which is why I have decided to stay in Honduras, working with AMDV and CASEP for another year! I was honored when the women asked me to stay, and I am excited to begin my new role as an ¨internal capacity development specialist!¨

To celebrate a year in Honduras, I wanted to share some of my favorite memories that, for lack of time, never made it onto the blog. I hope you enjoy!

One of the last homes we weatherized with plastic and new aluminum roofing before the rainy season

Taking a break while climbing into a local waterfall. We packed tamales and brownies for after the swim :)

Swimming under the waterfall!

Watching Honduras in the World Cup

Riding to work in the mountains

Making home visits in the nutrition program

Celebrating Honduran Independence Day

Playing ¨Doctora¨

Attending an agricultural exchange. On the table: the harvest. On the floor: ducks.

A typical walk to work during the rainy season

Chicken Noodle Soup for the Traveler´s Soul

One of the things that many people who travel abroad don´t always talk about is how difficult it can be to come back home. What is often called ¨reverse culture shock¨ is something that many international travelers feel realizing how ¨different home looks¨ after experiencing a different way of life. Having had the luxury of visiting the states three times in the past year (!), I have had my share of culture shock... but I am often surprised that it affects me both coming and going...

I thought I´d share an informal journal entry penned on the airplane ride from Miami to San Pedro Sula, Honduras:

¨It seems like each trip back and forth becomes a bit less difficult, the emotions slightly less raw... however, transversing across continents and worlds has yet to become easy. There is still a feeling of hesitation, to give up the way of living (Honduran or US) that has become so comfortable, mixed in with a sense of anticipation- nervousness and excitement for what awaits. I have felt both joy and fear, happiness and saddness, but what continually amazes me and allows me to keep up this pinball adventure is the ever present feeling of relief when I touch down. Honduras or the US, it doesn´t matter... what matters is knowing that I am connecting with people that I care about and that care about me... the rest, I know, will work itself out...¨

These feelings were immediately confirmed upon arriving at my Honduran hotel. It was late, and I was hungry... everything was closed, but the hotel attendant opened up the restaurant to heat water and make me a ramen chicken noodle soup. If home is where the heart is, I am happy to be home...

Reconnecting and Representing at APHA

This past week I had the pleasure of representing AMDV at the American Public Health Association conference in Denver, Colorado. It was an amazing whirlwind tour with just five full days in the US, but I tried to make the most of every minute and came away with great new ideas, contacts, and renewed motivation for the work that I am doing here in Honduras. This was my third time attending the APHA conference, and I am continually amazed by the number of people that come from all of the world to share the work they are doing. An estimated 10,000 people attended this year´s conference whose theme was Social Justice. In addition to connecting with and learning from this year´s attendees, I was also able to share some of the work that I am currently doing with an amazing organization called the Hesperian Foundation. (check them out: http://www.hesperian.org/ ) Based out of California, this inspiring nonprofit developed and published what has become the ¨Health Bible¨ of Peace Corps volunteers, ¨Where There is No Doctor,¨ along with various other materials on improving community and individual health in a way that is understandable at a 4th grade reading level. I am currently assisting the organization move their materials to a digital platform that will allow users to create tailored health materials, specific to the distinct needs of their communities. It has been a great opportunity that has allowed me to both learn and teach skills in computer literacy, website navigation, and health material construction (ie. how do you write a ¨catchy¨ health message that people will listen to???) I was able to present on this process and am excited to continue to work with the Hesperian Foundation to realize its mission of co-creating accessible and practical health materials to support health as a human right.

(Personally, I think everyone needs ¨Where There is No Doctor,¨ especially as many of us US citizens are without insurance, and therefore, without doctor. I am amazed that this is not already standardized text in international development or health classes. Check them out!!)

Halloween Honduran Style!

Instead of staying in and listening to stories of Honduran legends, I found myself out making my own!


Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays in the United Sates... at the tender age of 10, I went so far as to create my own ¨scary noises mix tapes¨ to play for tricker treaters (scary in quality only, I am sure). There was something exciting about getting dressed up and ¨running wild¨ through the streets with fellow ghouls and goblins, buzzed on waaay too much chocolate and sugar. I was excited to share my love of Halloween with our early cognitive development program by making masks and tricker treating with local businesses, but was quickly told that celebrating the ¨demonic holiday¨ was forbidden and could even result in legal action by the mayor. (In a national press confrerence, the Secretary to the President denounced the holiday and granted power to local mayors to punish organizations that supported ¨demonic celebrations!¨)

La Llorona

This may seem a bit harsh; however, it reflects a history of a much darker celebration of the spirits... one which provokes many parents to pull children out of school and stay in the house to this day! As most of you know, Orocuina is known as the ¨witch craft¨ capital of Honduras. While many here say that most true brujos or ¨witches¨ have passed on, the reading of cards and creation of personal potions is very much a part of every day life for some residents. Sightings of various spirits are also still common, including behind the house where I live! The most common of these rural legends is ¨La Llorona.¨

Scarier version of La Llora

La Llorona, or ¨The Weeper,¨ is said to have drown her children in a river before killing herself and for this reason walks the streets, moaning ¨Where are my children???¨ She is also said to seduce men, appearing beautiful, with long hair in front of her face, but when the men try to sweep back her hair, they find death herself before being killed. Just about every Orocuinan has a ¨La Llorona¨ story, and I love hearing them... so when I was invited to a Halloween party by some Canadian volunteer friends... La Llorona was the first idea that came to mind!

Dressed as ¨La Llorona¨ with my friend ¨Wendy¨who made square hamburgers for us all!

To play the part of La Llorona, I found a ¨weddingesque¨ dress in the market for $4 and proceeded to roll it in the dirt and cover it in coffee to make it ¨sucia.¨ I put on lots of eye make up and wore my hair down - a sacrifice in humid Honduras- and was set! (Note, I was careful NOT to wear this costume in Orocuina where I scared even my host family with just the dress and hair.) While I am not sure that all the international party goers got my outfit, I had a blast and got the occassional nod of approval.

It was a great night of piñatas, limbo, and dancing with people from all over the Americas. A mixture of French, English, and Spanish filled the air, and people were quick to befriend. There were very few tricks and lots of treats- a great way to celebrate what is still my favorite holiday!