Ok, last time I talked about taking a trip down to Tegucigalpa to visit the head of my project and one of my buddies. Also there was a bit about lots of my host family’s extended family staying at the house, and of course the ever present subject of my future housing. So where to begin? I will begin by apologizing for the long time between updates, especially since I have nothing in the way of cool stories to account for the delay. No one’s ankle was carved up, no more visits from the president, no high school beauty contests…not even a soccer tournament to discuss the ins and outs of Team USA and its plethora of young talent. Sorry, none of that.
As I write this I am nearly 100% in to my own casa. In fact, over the past couple of weeks I have been getting it ready—bought a bed and sheets, built (that’s right) a table—in anticipation of, you know, living there. Here’s the deal (long and uninteresting story made short and uninteresting): I don’t want to live in my own place until I can cook for myself as well…and I can not cook for myself until I get a ride to a bigger city, something that has eluded me thus far…so I am still in my host family’s house. What are you going to do? Yes, I said I would not still be there once I updated the blog. But also, yes, I will wrap up this ordeal by the end of the week, so have no worries—as far as you’re concerned, I am in my own place and it’s great!!
The trip to Teguc was fantastic. It was great to be in a big city again, great to see one of my buddies from training and how he is living and working in his site. My program manager was extremely helpful with all of the questions I had and gave me a ton of useful information. And it was kind of cool to visit PC headquarters as a volunteer, and not as a fledgling volunteer-to-be knockoff. My host parent’s eldest daughter (my host sister?), the one who lives in Teguc but is staying up in Victoria with her three children for the summer, was actually in Teguc at the same time, so she gave me a ride back to the northern town I call home. How great was it to go from sweating getting to the bus station on time, that I would have enough money, and that I could actually carry everything I had with me (not to mention the 5 ½ hour ride) to jumping into a climate-controlled SUV and sitting shotgun for free (for a 3 hour drive)? Extremely great. But I have to confess it was a tad surreal going from penny-pinching and public transportation to an SUV with a backseat full of children and Burger King drive-thru bags. Which one of us is supposed to be doing the helping here?
Work is going well and because I have been so busy getting my house stuff together my non-village visiting days have been packed and very not boring. But there have been a couple noteworthy visits. The first was a couple of weeks ago and my counterpart and I went with the mayor to one village with three other villages within reasonable walking distance. It just so happens that those three do not have potable water systems, so I went to all three that day, checking their sources and looking at the layout of their towns, etc. What was exceptional about this day was that I rode on not one, but two horses amongst the different villages. It was sweet, we were river crossing, mountain climbing horseback fools! Another day I wish I had had a horse because my counterpart at the mayor’s office, a very nice guy, is so laid back and calm about details and appointments and just about everything, that he failed to mention that there was a two hour uphill hike involved. Now I am a young guy and generally try not to shy from a physical challenge, especially when the challenger is significantly older and in no kind of shape at all. But “C’mon!”, as Gob would say, if the day involves four hours of hiking to get to and from a particular village, you’re going to want some sort of advance warning, right? So maybe you can bring a bit more than just a nalgene of water? I got no warning and I was toast. My counterpart brought an empty water bottle because he can just fill it up at anyone’s little well or spring because his stomach is used to everything here. By the time we got to the village I was 90% through my water and had no conceivable way of getting any more for the return—I was anticipating the worst. Luckily the water source this town plans to use for their water system was glorious…glorious! We’re 1100 meters above sea level, there is virtually no higher ground anywhere within miles and miles, and out of the side of this mountain water is GUSHING out with enough pressure to wash an elephant. It was cold and clear and I was dying so I filled up mr. nalgene and had zero problems on the return journey. I don’t know what you call that besides fantastic water and a lucky break for me.
And that is about all she wrote for me—working on the house and visiting villages now and then. I understand the summer of movie sequels is well on its way back in the States. Has anyone seen any or all of them? Who knew there would be another Die Hard and Bourne Identity movies? I would see it all if I were with you guys—tell me how they are! Aside from summer entertainment, I hope everyone is doing well. Much love from Victoria.
Joe
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Operation Hot Brother...
Hey everyone, this week I am sending the update from Sabanagrande, site of our field based training about two months ago. The first part of this week I am spending in the capital, Tegucigalpa, to check in with the powers that be in the PC office and then to hang with a buddy of mine who lives and works in the previously mentioned small town not far away. Another thing on my to-do list is get some items in the big city in preparation for the upcoming move into my very own house. The housing update has its sour and its sweet: no, the house is not ready yet (sour) but there has been significant work done on it since I last updated you all (sweet). It’s true—one day I was actually walking by and saw the owner’s mother inside directing some guys who were painting and putting screens on the windows and everything! As for the local drunks and bums passing out in front of my gate, yea that still happens but a local judge (that’s right—no courtroom here but we have a judge working in the mayor’s office) said I could just give him a call to have the police come and shoo them away (sweet). By the time I update this blog next, I will have slept in my own casa here in Victoria, I promise you that.
The work of the past week or so was fairly uneventful. A lot of waiting around and stalling and more waiting all in the hopes of using Salud’s truck and not much to show for it. Late in the week I said screw it and took a bus up to one of the sites I will be working on and met a guy who is with the Spanish NGO in town to take some altitude measurements and walk around discussing their deal. That was good, a very productive day and I was happy to have ditched the mayor’s office and be working with the NGO guys. But that covers one day and while there was the occasional meeting, maybe, it does leave something to be desired in the way of consistent work. Two weeks ago I barely had time to breathe we were going this way and that, visiting villages and doing town meetings like it was our, ahem, job. And that’s followed by a week where everyday its mañana that we’ll go, mañana that we get to business. Argh.
The free time this week did allow me to do some much needed fútbol research for you guys. As a result, here is a Team USA update: the Copa America did not go as well for our boys as the Copa de Oro did. Devotees will remember that the US won the latter tournament, winning every game it played. Well, if you’re going to be technical about it, the US finished in last place of all the teams in the Copa America. The technical argument would mention that the US was the only team to not get a single point for any of its games and that they had the worst goal differential in the tournament. A more nuanced view of the tournament (and that’s what I give you) will reveal that the US brought almost none of its well known players—no Donovan, no Ching, no Beasley, no Dempsey to name a few—and was using this tournament as a way of getting the younger players some much needed international experience. Given that fact, I think it’s hard to argue that the US’ effort in this Copa was anything but impressive. They played with an Argentina team full of its stars for a good hour before things came apart and they full on dominated a Paraguay team that is generally considered to be one of the best South American squads behind Brasil and Argentina. That domination of Paraguay did not produce much in the way of goals, of course, which is why they lost, but they outshot their opponent something on the order of 19 to 8. Overall I think things went well. I do not know what comes next but when I know, you’ll know. After all, if the so-called “Sportscenter” won’t update you on the world’s most popular sport, where else can you turn?
But the out of the ordinary news this week was the arrival to my host family’s house of many, many family members. My host parents have 8 children and all but the youngest are married and have children of their own. Two live here in Victoria, two others in different parts of Honduras, and four live in the States. This week the eldest who lives in Tegucigalpa brought her three children here to chill for the summer. Later on the son who lives in another part of Honduras came to town with his wife and two kids. That same day one of the sons who lives in New York came as well, complete with his two sons. To add to the chaos, the first night that everyone was here together the power went and the next morning we discovered there was no water either…aaahhh Honduras. It has been a good time and although the one family who lives in a different part of Honduras just left, at one point during the weekend there was something on the order of ten kids between the ages of 15 months and 16 years, all under one roof. Good times. No, actually it was kind of fun and my host parents are saints for letting me stay a week + past my expected departure time, taking up a room and a bed to myself when everyone else is practically sleeping on top of each other. I told them what I am telling you: this time next week I will be in my own place. Period. Si Dios quiere.
The work of the past week or so was fairly uneventful. A lot of waiting around and stalling and more waiting all in the hopes of using Salud’s truck and not much to show for it. Late in the week I said screw it and took a bus up to one of the sites I will be working on and met a guy who is with the Spanish NGO in town to take some altitude measurements and walk around discussing their deal. That was good, a very productive day and I was happy to have ditched the mayor’s office and be working with the NGO guys. But that covers one day and while there was the occasional meeting, maybe, it does leave something to be desired in the way of consistent work. Two weeks ago I barely had time to breathe we were going this way and that, visiting villages and doing town meetings like it was our, ahem, job. And that’s followed by a week where everyday its mañana that we’ll go, mañana that we get to business. Argh.
The free time this week did allow me to do some much needed fútbol research for you guys. As a result, here is a Team USA update: the Copa America did not go as well for our boys as the Copa de Oro did. Devotees will remember that the US won the latter tournament, winning every game it played. Well, if you’re going to be technical about it, the US finished in last place of all the teams in the Copa America. The technical argument would mention that the US was the only team to not get a single point for any of its games and that they had the worst goal differential in the tournament. A more nuanced view of the tournament (and that’s what I give you) will reveal that the US brought almost none of its well known players—no Donovan, no Ching, no Beasley, no Dempsey to name a few—and was using this tournament as a way of getting the younger players some much needed international experience. Given that fact, I think it’s hard to argue that the US’ effort in this Copa was anything but impressive. They played with an Argentina team full of its stars for a good hour before things came apart and they full on dominated a Paraguay team that is generally considered to be one of the best South American squads behind Brasil and Argentina. That domination of Paraguay did not produce much in the way of goals, of course, which is why they lost, but they outshot their opponent something on the order of 19 to 8. Overall I think things went well. I do not know what comes next but when I know, you’ll know. After all, if the so-called “Sportscenter” won’t update you on the world’s most popular sport, where else can you turn?
But the out of the ordinary news this week was the arrival to my host family’s house of many, many family members. My host parents have 8 children and all but the youngest are married and have children of their own. Two live here in Victoria, two others in different parts of Honduras, and four live in the States. This week the eldest who lives in Tegucigalpa brought her three children here to chill for the summer. Later on the son who lives in another part of Honduras came to town with his wife and two kids. That same day one of the sons who lives in New York came as well, complete with his two sons. To add to the chaos, the first night that everyone was here together the power went and the next morning we discovered there was no water either…aaahhh Honduras. It has been a good time and although the one family who lives in a different part of Honduras just left, at one point during the weekend there was something on the order of ten kids between the ages of 15 months and 16 years, all under one roof. Good times. No, actually it was kind of fun and my host parents are saints for letting me stay a week + past my expected departure time, taking up a room and a bed to myself when everyone else is practically sleeping on top of each other. I told them what I am telling you: this time next week I will be in my own place. Period. Si Dios quiere.
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