A few moments to share

Excerpts from my journal on Jan, 21, 2006:

I am lying under my mosquito net. I have no idea what time it is. Here, time is not really an issue. I imagine that it could be around ten o'clcok or so at n ight. Our humble town of Moroceli is quiet. My mind, however, is loud--screaming with thoughts. This year will bring an end to our relaxed time in Peace Corps in honduras in November. I think about continuing my studies with a scholarship in Georgia. I think about traveling more. I have an odd desire to go to Africa, but ohh--family. I dont know how much time I have with my parents. Right now, thought, its too much to think about. I will focus on the moment. Life really is an accumulation of moments. Since this journal is really beautiful, I figure I will fill it only with positive energy. I am a writer and sometimes, I feel like everything I write has to be flowing with creative detail. Really, writing gives life and longevity to images and people. It makes a memory more vibrant in my mind. Each day, my goal is to write for myself and to bife life and vibrance to four moments that really give meaning to my day.
1. Of course, waking up cuddled with the love of my life. Today we woke up in our host family's house of Profesora Juana Lopez in el Paraiso. It is our first time visiting them since thansgiving!
2. Meeting the lady in the red heart shirt pregnant with her 13th child. I noticed that her skin was wrinkled and scarred. Profe Juana explained that the woman had a horrible burning accident while cooking. She was internalized in the hospital for four months. While she was recovering her husband did NOT come to see her once! Instead he was fooling around with several other women and left one of them pregnant. I asked her if she felt mad at her husband. She said that she is accostomed to it and that now, he still has four other girlfriends, but that he loves the kids. She says that he hits her. While this moment was not a beautiful one, it was a reality shock. I really am lucky to feel true love because not many have it. I wish I could give everybody the experience of really being in love.
3. We came back on the one o'clock bus to Moroceli and went for a long walk to the river. I love walking through the sugarcane fields and greeting all the men on horseback.
4. Visiting with our good friend Mirna who lives on the other side of the stream. Her husband is also foolish and drinks a lot and spends little time at home. What a jerk! He spend all their money on booze last night and now they have no money left for food for the rest of the month or for milk for the baby! Still though, it was great to bring her spirits up and as always-- great to enjoy tortillas, beans, and tomatoes. Ok, Steve is snoring, I will let the day escape me but hold onto the moments that it left behind in memory.

January 23, 2006
Monday
Today was an ordinary day. I guess it is ironic that I have adapted to a routine and feel like I had an "ordinary" day when I am so outside of my own culture and language. None the less, here are four moments that I choose to keep.
1. Closing the black metal front door behind me after a thirty minute run. I cant help feeling the impact of my society and having the desire to be thin and in shape. I hate this materialistic part of myself. Oh right, this is a positive journal. So I accomplished a thirty minute run to El posso and it felt good to come back and take a bucket shower.
2. Everyday, we teach English and computer classes from 1-3. It felt good today to see the students finally get a grasp on differenciating from present to past tenses with like, play, learn, dance, eat, drink, and go.
3. Miguelito came to visit during my English class (the kid of Mercy who went illegally to the U.S. last June and is now working in a meat facotry in Tennessee) I invited him and his sister over to make pancakes. I really enjoyed making Mickey Mouse pancakes with banana eyes with them!
4. Sagrario, my neighbor, agreed to walk with me in the evening. We had an initmate converstation about periods and birth control. If felt good to feel a strong trust with her.

January 24, 2006
Tuesday
I feel like I just got up, but today snuck away behind a rock while we hiked to Hoy Grande (a town on top of the mountain above the valley of Moroceli). Before it runs out of sight completely, I will steal four moments.
1. After two hours of hiking, we took a break in Mesias (a small village at the base of the mountain). The family there is always so welcoming. I enjoyed my cup of coffee with a bit of cow milk. We took pictures of the family sorting beans and making tortillas. I thank God for their amistad (friendship).
2. The hike from Mesias to Hoya Grande is pure up up up. I felt strong climbing the hour up the rocks and really enjoyed the simplicity of dunking my head in Brian's pila. (Brian is the volunteer that lives in Hoya Grande).
3. Picking oranges in Hoya Grande to take back to Moroceli with us. It is just way cool to pick an orange from a tree rather than froma shelf in the supermarket.
4. Attending the Catholic Church couples meeting at Profesora Antonia's house. Well, not necessarily the meeting itself which is sometimes repetetive and boring... what I like the most is the paz--peace-- greeting where everybody hugs each other. I feel accepted and I like that feeling.

January 25, 2006
Wednesday
I started the day with a run to the quebrada and ended it with a walk around the park with Steve. Today, the new mayor took his new position. Oris handed the mayor position to Tabito and to celebrate, Tabito's family offered dinner to the entire town. Supposedly, they killed two cows for the occasion. when we passed the family house on our walk by the park, there was a huge crowd of people still waiting for food. Reggaton mucis swollowed the park in a loud boom boom rythm. We escaped the craziness and went home to snuggle. A few moments to keep inbetween...
1. My neighbor, Dona Licha yelled, "Felicidades, Teresita!" Congratulations? For what, I wondered?! "It is women's day!" she replied. Here in Honduras, they celebrate soooo many more holidays--chid's day, student's week, teacher's day, Honduras day...It is crazy! School is always cancelled for some holiday or another. Anyway, even though women have little respect from men, at least they have women's day...
2. Singing "En la Noche Azul" While playing the guitar with Steve. I am finally able to play and sing a song on the guitar in Spanish!
3. Reading Good Night Moon, in Spanish to the neighbor kids. Carlos Roberto read it and all the kids participated, repeating each line. It feels good to see them enjoy reading.
4. Singing Chickety Chickety Cha with all the body parts in English. The song is like this...
Good morning
We sing a song...
with the fingers, with the elbows, with the shoulders....
(The kids move and dance to the parts of the song and really love it)
Chickety Cha, Cha, Cha!

January 26, 2006
Thursday
We are currently on a Sultana de Occidente bus headed towards Lago Yajoa. With only one English class a day and no school, we decided to take a road trip. Saira, a peace corps volunteer who was sent home on Medical leave in training is here visiting for a week. We are going to meet her and other volunteers in Bob's Brewery. Bob is a smart American who started his own little hotel and beer business just past Lago Yajoa. For sure my favorite moments are NOT on this long never ending bus ride. so, I will catch up later!
1. Definately getting off the bus FINALLY in La Guama, stretching our legs and buying fresh mountain bananas on a road side stand. This area in the North near the lake is definately wetter and lucious with green floral.
2. Seeing Saira, Karen, Tall Katie, and Andres get off the moto-taxi in the intersection to D and D Brewery. It felt soooo good to see other gringos. Even though we dont know each other that well, we all have an instatn amazing connection becasue we share the same culture. I never realized that the U.S. had such a strong sense of its own culture until I was apart from it.
3. Taking a short walk into the poor humble village right outside of the brewery with Steve, Saira and Katie. Even in the dark on a cloudy misty night, our light skin and hair highlights us. Kids point at us, star and shout, "GRINGOS." It was a wierd moment, feeling like an endangered species or a delicacy.
4. Sipping coffee and milk and catching up with fellow volunteers. It felt good talking with Karen and realizing that everybody struggles with the overly relaxed culture, illegal immigration, and ignorant powerless women. It is frightening!@ There are women with so many children with husbhands that have many girlfriends. If the women want to change, there are no options. They cannot just move, get a day job and go back to school. They fear their husbands who can easily hit, abuse or even kill them and the police does NOTHING. It is seen as the woman's fault. A man who sleeps around is a buff untamed macho. A women who leaves her husband or is independant is seen a a bitch. Here, as Peace Corps initially taught us in training, Men can do no wrong and are accepted easily in culture. This really is not a favorite moment, but more so an enlightening one. Enough drowning conversation. Life is overwhelming and I dont know how to create change.

January 27, 2006
Friday
The sun woke me up, peeking in at us through the curtain in the hotel window.
1. After long bus travels yesterday and overwhelming conversation the night before, I really enjoyed a long morning walk up the road to the coffee, banana farm with Steve. The owner welcomed us and explained that he was constructing cabans as part of a tourism project. I enjoyed the cool misty air, even stomping through the mud. The change from the dust...It is amazing the grand diversity in climates within Honduras. Our town looks like a scene from an old western cowboy film and the North Santa Barbara region looks tropical rain foresty.
2. Arriving to Pena Blanca and immediately finding a jalon in the back of a pickup DIRECTLY to Lindsey's sight in San Isidrio. We avoided a two hour bus and arrived at her doorstep in about a half hour!
3. Fresh hot corn tortillas with cabbage, tomato, and read bean soup. Lunch was great! Even better, we marched down the street to arrive at the restaurant in a lady's house. We were a spectacle. A walking zoo! People came out of their houses just to stare at our white skin and light colored hair!
4. Gossip and staying up late! I am always curious to hear what other volunteers from our training group are doing. The hours slipped away. We usually go to sleep by ten in our quiet sleepy town. It felt naughty and good to stay up late!

January 28, 2006
1. Hiking out of Lindsey's site towards the pavement road with Andres and Steve. Exercising and walking always makes me feel strong and happy. Finally, after a good hour's hike, a pickup offered us a jalon to La Guama.
2. Meeting Simon and Crystal (Newer Youth Development Volunteers) in the park in Las Vegas.
3. Being stuffed, standing up, slamming against people like sardines in a jalon up the mountains. It wasn't a favorite moment because it was fun, more so because I really felt like a true peace corps volunteer living like the Honduran people.
4. The mountain....its people are amazing. Leticia, the mountain village volunteer took us to a cabbage farm. To arrive, we had to crawl and tip tow through knee deep mud holes. I fell in! My shoe looked like a chocolate dipped cream cone! When we finally arrived to the farm, the rows and rows of cabbages resting on the mountain sides were outstanding! We ended up visiting the people, sipping coffee too long and had to walk back an hour down the mountain in pitch dark. I am so glad to be back in the main town of Las Vegas in Crystal and Simon's house. It was truely a mud adventure day.

Today is January 30, 2006 Monday--- We are passing through Tegucigalpa and headed back to our dust bowl town. Please write me soon and share some of your moments with us! We love to hear from you. Sorry it took me so long to update my blog!!!! It was just so nice to be home for Christmas and has taken a little time to adjust once again to the overly relaxed culture. Lots of love, hugs, mud from the North, and dust from the South--- Teresa and Steve