Living Catracho Style!: Squeezing the Juice Out

It is hard to imagine that just a week ago, I sat in the Chicago airport, sad to leave friends and family in the States and at the same time excited about the adventures awaiting me in Honduras. While I have yet to find the perfect recipe for ¨reacculturation,¨ I´ve learned a few things seem to help:

Friends: No matter where you are going or coming from, having someone that you care about and understands where you´ve been- or is at least willing to listen and ask you questions makes a world of difference - helping you to debrief, process, and integrate more quickly and smoothly
Time to yourself: Whether it is to journal, exercise, or lie wide eyed in your hammack, it´s important to give yourself a little time
Projects: While a little down time is good, it´s equally important to have projects and activities to jump into and reconnect yourself
Patience: This is important for both yourself and those around you. Reintegrating is a process that takes time and may mean some major changes. Be patient with yourself, knowing that these changes are most likely for the better!
RELAXATION: Whether it´s yoga or a couple of beers... or both be sure to enjoy and know that ¨every little thing, is gonna be alright...¨ :)
Unfortunately the ONLY picture taken during Miguel´s visit to Orocuina... Benicia, 4 volunteers and a bottle of ¨Catrachito Guaro¨ combined Friends and RELAXATION

This ¨reentry¨ was especially emotional in that I finally realized that I will not always be here in Honduras. While I considered looking for work and staying in Honduras or Central America, the cultural differences make dating, let alone raising a family ... well, a little hard to imagine. (Dating in Honduras is a blog entry to come ;) ) I am both excited and nervous about the pros

pects of moving back to the states... but more than anything, I am determined to squeeze as much juice as possible from the time I have left here!!!

Since arriving in Orocuina, I have stayed busy writing grants, mentoring a volunteer, reconnecting with friends, and traveling! This past weekend a friend and I headed up the mountain to catch the early corn harvest and spend time with Benicia and family. The weekend consisted of a hike through the mountains, making and eating tamalitos, singing and playing music, and lots of hammacking. It has been a great first week of being back in Honduras, and I am looking forward to ¨approvechando¨ the weeks and months to come!!