Taking Breaks

Living the life of an international volunteer in Honduras definitely has its perks:

• Seeing waterfalls on your way to work
• Being invited into peoples` homes
• Exploring different cultures and ways of viewing the world
• Living and traveling in Central America!

It also has its hardships:

• Being catcalled on a daily basis
• Working in 95 degrees without electricity
• Sinus and respiratory infections from inhaling dust every day
• Not being able to leave the house by yourself after 9pm at night

There is often a romantic idealism that`s connected to poverty, and while I appreciate the beauty in simplicity, the truth is that living and working in impoverished conditions can be both physically and emotionally exhausting.

Community members come from upwards of 3 hours to attend a meeting on fuel efficient stoves. It is 95 degrees! (The power goes out shortly after taking this picture.)

From a ¨productivity¨ standpoint, tangible ¨results,¨the way we Westerners think of them, take much longer. Counterparts don`t make it to meetings because they or their child are sick and they need to spend the whole day waiting in line to see the doctor. (You, yourself are likely to get sick and need to spend the whole day in line waiting to see the doctor.) Honduras also finds itself in an interesting conundrum... it has much of the same technology of more developed countries, it just lacks the infrastructure to support its use. Regular power outtages limit communication and create uncomfortably hot working conditions. (Imagine sitting at your desk, attempting to write a memo, when it is 100 degrees and there is no fan. Eeeshhh! )

Emotionally, poverty takes its toll as well. Friends are assaulted on their way home from work, colleagues lose family members early to preventable illness, and you yourself receive just enough money to pay for food, the bus, and a monthly doctor visit (for your regular encounters with parasites and sinus infections). While the women that I work with are some of the most dedicated and determined individuals I have met, there comes a point when the circumstances of our environment prevent us from thriving as individuals and communities.

As a foreign volunteer, I feel that one of the largest gifts I bring is possibility. I can offer a perspective that is less encumbered by experiences of setbacks and oppression, and I can step in when others need to attend to crisis. While a volunteer or aid worker`s phsyical presence is not sustainable, we are able to open doors, spark ideas, and nurture motivation to achieve those things which the organization itself chooses to pursue.

That being said, I have learned the importance of taking breaks!!! Initially, I felt guilty leaving Orocuina and the people who live here, but I have realized that getting away allows me to recharge my fresh perspective and sense of motivation. I return to work, more positive, energized, and ready to provide focus. I hope that some day the individuals that I work with and for have the same luxury to travel for leisure and that I will able to find strength more easily in my surroundings- but for now, I will give my all and recharge as needed!!