Before I start, I should appologize for not writing much lately! Between craziness at work and trips to Teguc, I have been coming home to collapse in the hammack. (Last night I ¨rested my eyes¨ around 6:30pm and woke up at 9:30pm, in the hammack, with all the lights on... awesome!)
Participative analysis of our microlending project
Lately, I have been experiencing the challenges of working in a small non profit: recent staff cuts and tough decisions have left the organization I work with stretched thin and overwhelmed. All of this paired with stresses of daily life here in Honduras (getting up at 4:30 to make tortillas, inhaling a kilo of dust on the bus) has created strained inner office dynamics and a ¨charge¨ that has made work more stressful and less enjoyable. Ironically, things are heating up at work just as Honduras an abnormally high heat wave. (Recent news articles discuss the effect of the above normal heat on behavior and how Hondurans have become more aggressive... hmmm.... time to hide the machetes!!) :P
Benicia and I, goofing around during a business workshop
All of this being said, I am continually amazed at the women´s ability to laugh. Regardless of how rough our day was, someone can always crack a joke, and imediately the mood lightens. I am slowly learning to leave work at work- and perhaps out of necessity- becoming more social!
When I havent crashed in the hammack, these last few weeks have found me:
- Singing with the nuns across the street
- Playing Uno
- Watching Disney movies in Spanish
- Going to Soccer games
- Making Lots of pizza!
Taking in my first official campo soccer game- 95 degrees, but my Honduran bro`s team won!
Being a volunteer is challenging in that you have very little direct power. In many ways this is exhausting (!) because you need to work twice as hard to get things done WITH others... at the same time, I am learning that this slooooooow approach to development is crucial to sustainability, especially when you know you won`t be around forever. While the women joke about forcing me to marry and nationalize, I am beginning to realize that 8 months will go fast, and I need to make every day count! This experience is also preparing me well for future leadership roles and I look forward to putting my many lessons learned into practice within the next year. For now, I will continue to practice patience (I`m sure it will come in handy some day, aka, motherhood) and appreciate the amazing people I meet along the way!
Community health volunteers and couple, Doña Adriana y Don Margarito, have served their community nearly 15 years without pay. When I asked why they do it, they told me, ¨We just want to make a better life for ourselves and our neighbors.¨
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