Ok, OK, calm down. Its just a puppy. His name is The Dude and if any of you are lucky enough to meet him you will know why. He is black and white and only 5 weeks old. How did this little man find his way into my life you ask? Well actually, last Friday I went to the corner store to buy, of all things, toilet paper and just as I go to pay this puppy runs out. So, of course, I pick it up and make a big deal because dogs that are actually cared-for are hard to come by in this country. Seeing me making a fuss over him, the women who owns the store told me "Well if you like it, take it with you." I was shocked and thought she was kidding but, she wasn't. The puppy I was holding was a girl and to be honest I don't need to be sharing my house with another female so I asked her to bring out the other two boy puppies. Thats when I first saw The Dude. And I knew he was destined to chew my shoes and be a lovable pain in my ass for the next two years. He was covered in fleas and ticks but with Donald's help (you all know how I feel about ticks) the issue was solved and he is now 99% bug free! Probably as clean as me haha. It is my hope that he will grow to a decent size and will walk out to the villages with me as my personal body guard. Heres hoping hes not too stupid, all evidence thus far to the contrary. (I may be a mother now but I will be able to admit if my kid is dumber than a rock. Love isn't that blind and denial isn't that strong.)
So, I went out for toilet paper and came back with a puppy. It was a wonderful surprise. And yet, I can't help wondering what I will come home with the next time I need toilet paper...
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Taking it to the Face
(And no, sorry people this does not involve chugging PBR)
Some days just don’t go your way. Case in point, Tuesday September 8th. After scheduling to teach an internet course to graduating high school students and arranging to borrow my counterpart’s modem I was looking forward to a smooth yet fulfilling week. Unfortunately, this would not be the case. On Monday morning my counterpart informs me that she loaned her modem to someone else and I would have to teach my first class sans internet. Ok, fine, awkward but doable. But, I made sure to tell her that I MUST have the modem for the following day. Come Tuesday morning however, my counterpart never comes into work and takes none of my calls. After a few hour quest to find another internet source, I have had enough and I decide I will make the 1+ hour trip to Choluteca (the largest city near my town) and just buy my own modem. After a crammed and smelly bus ride, I walk 15 blocks, sweating like a pig, to the only store that sells modems only to be informed that they are closed for the day because someone tried to rob the store earlier that morning. But, a helpful employee does inform me that, if I am willing, I can make the half hour trip to San Lorenzo and buy it there. So, I quickly hop another bus and find my way to the other store. After an hour of haggling with the sales lady (she was unaware of my amazing negotiating skills), I persuade her to forgo the background check and waiting period and allow me to take the modem with me the following morning in time to teach my class. Happy with myself I buy a licuado (like a milkshake) and make my way to the bus stop.
Before I detail the following event it is important to note that San Lorenzo does in fact have a reputation as being “not very gringo friendly.” However, I have been to this to town before and my friend who is much taller, blonder and has large blue Precious Moments eyes frequents this town every weekend alone to do her grocery shopping so, I had no second thoughts about going there alone.
Now let me set the scene, it is 4pm, broad daylight and there I am at the bus stop enjoying one of San Lo’s famous licuados, minding my own business while standing among other Hondurans and trying to blend in. As I look down at my straw in awe of the delicious goodness flowing into my mouth, my cell phone in the same hand and my other hand on my large bag that was currently holding every important electronic device I have here in Honduras, I look back up at a passing bus and suddenly become aware that out of nowhere a drugged-out man is now standing in front of me. Before I can move away from him he slurs “Regalame un beso” (Give me a kiss) right in my face. Tempted as I was, I mean he had some teeth, I said “No” and just as I took a step back to get away from him, he reached out and slapped me in the mouth knocking my licuado all over the girl next to me and my cell phone to the ground. Shocked, I thought to myself “Oh hell No!” and yelled “No me toca!” (Don’t touch me), quickly taking two steps back as he attempted to hit me again muttering obscenities about “gringas” that won’t give him sex or money. Despite the fact that it was early in the afternoon, no police were around and no one at the bus stop, including the several men witnessing the event (one of which being the 20 something boyfriend of the girl I knocked my licuado all over), tried to intervene. As I attempted to move away from him further while he swung at me again, Glenda, indeed the good witch and the hero of this story, standing behind me with her child starts shoeing him away like a dog and effectively attracting even more attention which up to this point I did not think was possible. Upon hearing her, the loco crossed to the other side of the street and stood directly across from me staring and yelling obscenities. Quickly, I picked up my phone and started to thank the woman for standing up for me when I see her eyes suddenly get huge and whirl around to see the same man charging back across the street headed directly for me. Thinking faster than I, Glenda pulls me over to an old man selling ice cream from a cart and starts scolding him for not saying anything to the loco the first time and telling him that he needs to protect me now. Luckily, once this guy saw me speaking to another male he walked to the other end of the bus stop where he paced back and forth staring at me. After what seemed like an eternity but, in all actuality was only a few minutes, a bus came and I got the hell out of there. The oh so kind Glenda boarded the bus with me and confirmed what I already knew, that the man singled me out because I was an American woman standing alone. Greattttt.
Afterwards I reported the incident to Peace Corps and with the police in San Lorenzo the following morning. Let’s just say the police are not exactly scouring the earth for this man. However, while I can speak for no one else’s experience with Peace Corps’ incident reporting, Peace Corps responded quickly and professionally in my case. Our safety and security officer followed up with me and the police in San Lorenzo several times and I got phone calls from the Country Director and both my business bosses, Jorge and Jesus, to make sure I was doing alright which made me feel good.
So yes my dear friends, hell has frozen over because Katie Ann got pimp slapped, lost a milkshake (and let’s be honest, some dignity) and did not hit the asshole back. Shocking I know. Unfortunately, there was no way I could have avoided this incident. It was even more upsetting than one might imagine because it came directly after two other minor but equally infuriating incidents, one being when a co-worker yelled at me about how he hated America and how our government only uses Honduras to our own advantage and we do not care about the people (this due to our government’s position in the current political issues) as we were leaving a potable water ceremony funded by U.S. NGOs and the other when a bolo (drunk) grabbed me and asked for a kiss at 6pm only two blocks from my house. Stupid, frustrating and deeming, but, thanks to American media and Girls Gone Wild this is the image Americans and especially women have in other countries and they types of things we have to deal with. And yet I can’t be too mad because up until this point I’ve been welcomed with open arms and have had nothing but wonderful experiences here in Honduras. So in the end, it just goes to show that not even a pimp slap can make me bitter about being here. It’s just another chapter for the book after all!
Some days just don’t go your way. Case in point, Tuesday September 8th. After scheduling to teach an internet course to graduating high school students and arranging to borrow my counterpart’s modem I was looking forward to a smooth yet fulfilling week. Unfortunately, this would not be the case. On Monday morning my counterpart informs me that she loaned her modem to someone else and I would have to teach my first class sans internet. Ok, fine, awkward but doable. But, I made sure to tell her that I MUST have the modem for the following day. Come Tuesday morning however, my counterpart never comes into work and takes none of my calls. After a few hour quest to find another internet source, I have had enough and I decide I will make the 1+ hour trip to Choluteca (the largest city near my town) and just buy my own modem. After a crammed and smelly bus ride, I walk 15 blocks, sweating like a pig, to the only store that sells modems only to be informed that they are closed for the day because someone tried to rob the store earlier that morning. But, a helpful employee does inform me that, if I am willing, I can make the half hour trip to San Lorenzo and buy it there. So, I quickly hop another bus and find my way to the other store. After an hour of haggling with the sales lady (she was unaware of my amazing negotiating skills), I persuade her to forgo the background check and waiting period and allow me to take the modem with me the following morning in time to teach my class. Happy with myself I buy a licuado (like a milkshake) and make my way to the bus stop.
Before I detail the following event it is important to note that San Lorenzo does in fact have a reputation as being “not very gringo friendly.” However, I have been to this to town before and my friend who is much taller, blonder and has large blue Precious Moments eyes frequents this town every weekend alone to do her grocery shopping so, I had no second thoughts about going there alone.
Now let me set the scene, it is 4pm, broad daylight and there I am at the bus stop enjoying one of San Lo’s famous licuados, minding my own business while standing among other Hondurans and trying to blend in. As I look down at my straw in awe of the delicious goodness flowing into my mouth, my cell phone in the same hand and my other hand on my large bag that was currently holding every important electronic device I have here in Honduras, I look back up at a passing bus and suddenly become aware that out of nowhere a drugged-out man is now standing in front of me. Before I can move away from him he slurs “Regalame un beso” (Give me a kiss) right in my face. Tempted as I was, I mean he had some teeth, I said “No” and just as I took a step back to get away from him, he reached out and slapped me in the mouth knocking my licuado all over the girl next to me and my cell phone to the ground. Shocked, I thought to myself “Oh hell No!” and yelled “No me toca!” (Don’t touch me), quickly taking two steps back as he attempted to hit me again muttering obscenities about “gringas” that won’t give him sex or money. Despite the fact that it was early in the afternoon, no police were around and no one at the bus stop, including the several men witnessing the event (one of which being the 20 something boyfriend of the girl I knocked my licuado all over), tried to intervene. As I attempted to move away from him further while he swung at me again, Glenda, indeed the good witch and the hero of this story, standing behind me with her child starts shoeing him away like a dog and effectively attracting even more attention which up to this point I did not think was possible. Upon hearing her, the loco crossed to the other side of the street and stood directly across from me staring and yelling obscenities. Quickly, I picked up my phone and started to thank the woman for standing up for me when I see her eyes suddenly get huge and whirl around to see the same man charging back across the street headed directly for me. Thinking faster than I, Glenda pulls me over to an old man selling ice cream from a cart and starts scolding him for not saying anything to the loco the first time and telling him that he needs to protect me now. Luckily, once this guy saw me speaking to another male he walked to the other end of the bus stop where he paced back and forth staring at me. After what seemed like an eternity but, in all actuality was only a few minutes, a bus came and I got the hell out of there. The oh so kind Glenda boarded the bus with me and confirmed what I already knew, that the man singled me out because I was an American woman standing alone. Greattttt.
Afterwards I reported the incident to Peace Corps and with the police in San Lorenzo the following morning. Let’s just say the police are not exactly scouring the earth for this man. However, while I can speak for no one else’s experience with Peace Corps’ incident reporting, Peace Corps responded quickly and professionally in my case. Our safety and security officer followed up with me and the police in San Lorenzo several times and I got phone calls from the Country Director and both my business bosses, Jorge and Jesus, to make sure I was doing alright which made me feel good.
So yes my dear friends, hell has frozen over because Katie Ann got pimp slapped, lost a milkshake (and let’s be honest, some dignity) and did not hit the asshole back. Shocking I know. Unfortunately, there was no way I could have avoided this incident. It was even more upsetting than one might imagine because it came directly after two other minor but equally infuriating incidents, one being when a co-worker yelled at me about how he hated America and how our government only uses Honduras to our own advantage and we do not care about the people (this due to our government’s position in the current political issues) as we were leaving a potable water ceremony funded by U.S. NGOs and the other when a bolo (drunk) grabbed me and asked for a kiss at 6pm only two blocks from my house. Stupid, frustrating and deeming, but, thanks to American media and Girls Gone Wild this is the image Americans and especially women have in other countries and they types of things we have to deal with. And yet I can’t be too mad because up until this point I’ve been welcomed with open arms and have had nothing but wonderful experiences here in Honduras. So in the end, it just goes to show that not even a pimp slap can make me bitter about being here. It’s just another chapter for the book after all!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Cultural Exchanges
(None of the content below is meant offensively. I am only sharing it to give you all an idea of the types of conversations I have and amazing t-shirts I see)
Top Ten Questions I am asked during every first conversation (in this exact order):
1) What are you doing here?
2) Is this required for your job/ school?
3) How much do you get paid?
4) Where do you live/ Who do you live with?
5) Which do you like better the U.S. or Honduras?
6) How many children do you have?
7) How old are you?
8) Do you have a boyfriend?
9) Did you leave one crying in the states?
10) Do you like Honduran Men?
Advice
- You should date a married man and a single man because the married man has more money and is responsible and the single man will pay more attention to you.
- If you are on a diet you should drink Pepsi instead of Coca Cola because it is better for you
- On a hot day you should drink and eat hot foods like coffee and soup to get rid of the heat. Cold food and drinks only make it worse.
- If you are sick you should not bathe, especially if you have a headache.
Funny T -Shirts in Honduras
-World’s Greatest Aunt (worn by a twenty something male bus driver)
-I <3 Booze (worn by a 14yr old girl)
-Cleveland Cavs jersey!
-Everyone loves an Asian Girl (she was def not Asian)
-Careful, I had a bowl of bitchy for breakfast (worn at the mayor’s office by an employee)
-Just be glad I’m not a twin (worn by a greasy middle aged Honduran bus driver, I was glad he isn’t a twin)
- I love my Sugar Daddy
- I am your knight in shining armor (worn by a man selling cheese in the town square)
- Will buy drinks for SEX
- My eyes are up here (on a high school girl with small boobs)
- Weed is a friend indeed (worn in the mayor’s office)
- Kiss me, I’m not Irish
- Some Call me the Gangsta of Love (worn at the Mayor’s office)
- I <3 My Penis
Top Ten Questions I am asked during every first conversation (in this exact order):
1) What are you doing here?
2) Is this required for your job/ school?
3) How much do you get paid?
4) Where do you live/ Who do you live with?
5) Which do you like better the U.S. or Honduras?
6) How many children do you have?
7) How old are you?
8) Do you have a boyfriend?
9) Did you leave one crying in the states?
10) Do you like Honduran Men?
Advice
- You should date a married man and a single man because the married man has more money and is responsible and the single man will pay more attention to you.
- If you are on a diet you should drink Pepsi instead of Coca Cola because it is better for you
- On a hot day you should drink and eat hot foods like coffee and soup to get rid of the heat. Cold food and drinks only make it worse.
- If you are sick you should not bathe, especially if you have a headache.
Funny T -Shirts in Honduras
-World’s Greatest Aunt (worn by a twenty something male bus driver)
-I <3 Booze (worn by a 14yr old girl)
-Cleveland Cavs jersey!
-Everyone loves an Asian Girl (she was def not Asian)
-Careful, I had a bowl of bitchy for breakfast (worn at the mayor’s office by an employee)
-Just be glad I’m not a twin (worn by a greasy middle aged Honduran bus driver, I was glad he isn’t a twin)
- I love my Sugar Daddy
- I am your knight in shining armor (worn by a man selling cheese in the town square)
- Will buy drinks for SEX
- My eyes are up here (on a high school girl with small boobs)
- Weed is a friend indeed (worn in the mayor’s office)
- Kiss me, I’m not Irish
- Some Call me the Gangsta of Love (worn at the Mayor’s office)
- I <3 My Penis
Mi Casa No Es Su Casa
After more than a few setbacks, I am finally in my own house! I can’t even describe how wonderful it is to live alone and be able to finally unpack everything for the last time and feel like I am really at home here. This is especially exciting after I was concerned about having nowhere to live after my host family rented out my room and gave me 24 hours notice to vacate…nice. Pero asi es la vida (But so is life).But gracias a dios my army of friends came to my rescue and in 24 hours found me 4 houses to look at, one of which was perfect, convinced the landlord to loan me some furniture, found me a truck, drove all my newly purchased furniture back from Choluteca (the city over an hour away), helped move me out of my host family’s house and into my own even putting the books on the bookshelf! They are amazing!
I have now been in my new house for almost two months and it is great! My house is really cute and exactly what I hoped for when I was sitting in my parents’ home in the U.S. It is a traditional Honduran home, or as traditional as Peace Corps safety and security standards will allow, located two blocks from the mayor’s office where I work and also from the local market. The house is my favorite color, green, inside and out with a large fenced in back yard. My backyard has a large coconut tree, some baby banana trees, corn, and various other crops which makes for a pretty atmosphere when I am reading in my hammock. There is one large living room area and two bedrooms, one of which I converted into a kitchen. Outside there is a covered patio where my pila (where I wash my clothes and dishes) and my bathroom are located. So far electricity has been very steady which I am extremely grateful for and water comes about 3 to 4 times a week which means I can take an actual shower during these days instead of a bucket bath. As far as furniture goes I bought a queen sized bed (which I love), a mini fridge, hotplate, plastic patio table with 4 chairs, water cooler, and 2 hammocks. My landlord was nice enough to prestame (loan me) a large table, an armoire, and an entertainment center which I am using as a bookshelf since I don’t exactly have a television haha. I am still buying pots and dishes as I discover that I need them. It’s been an adventure in learning to say the least, especially when it comes to cooking. As far as cooking goes I have been living consistently off of granola, omelets, peanut butter and jelly, tuna salad, chicken patties, and of course super cheap and amazing fruits and veggies. Also, I am lucky to have a lot of friends that like to cook for me and people who want to teach me to cook so it doesn’t look like I’ll be starving here.
But one thing that everyone will certainly find surprising is how clean I am here. I actually keep my house very clean. Everything has its place and I like it that way. I keep up on my laundry which I am still hand washing and wash my dishes directly after every meal. I also make sure to dust, sweep and mop my entire house once a week. Also while cleaning I have battled my fair share of horrible bugs which range from large furry spiders, to millions of stinging ants, to gross banana worms and even a scorpion. Luckily my neighbors are not close enough to hear and do not understand English during these “brave” moments. hah
Overall, even though living in my own home is all the hard work my parents always promised me it would be and then some because living in your first home in a developing country certainly has its own unique challenges, I absolutely love it. The control and privacy is something I won’t soon be able or willing to give up. And more than anything it is so nice to have a place to escape to when I need it. So in conclusion, I am super happy with my new place and I want to thank everyone who helped me purchase furniture or sent me house warming presents! I really appreciate them! Hasta la proxima! (Until next time)
I have now been in my new house for almost two months and it is great! My house is really cute and exactly what I hoped for when I was sitting in my parents’ home in the U.S. It is a traditional Honduran home, or as traditional as Peace Corps safety and security standards will allow, located two blocks from the mayor’s office where I work and also from the local market. The house is my favorite color, green, inside and out with a large fenced in back yard. My backyard has a large coconut tree, some baby banana trees, corn, and various other crops which makes for a pretty atmosphere when I am reading in my hammock. There is one large living room area and two bedrooms, one of which I converted into a kitchen. Outside there is a covered patio where my pila (where I wash my clothes and dishes) and my bathroom are located. So far electricity has been very steady which I am extremely grateful for and water comes about 3 to 4 times a week which means I can take an actual shower during these days instead of a bucket bath. As far as furniture goes I bought a queen sized bed (which I love), a mini fridge, hotplate, plastic patio table with 4 chairs, water cooler, and 2 hammocks. My landlord was nice enough to prestame (loan me) a large table, an armoire, and an entertainment center which I am using as a bookshelf since I don’t exactly have a television haha. I am still buying pots and dishes as I discover that I need them. It’s been an adventure in learning to say the least, especially when it comes to cooking. As far as cooking goes I have been living consistently off of granola, omelets, peanut butter and jelly, tuna salad, chicken patties, and of course super cheap and amazing fruits and veggies. Also, I am lucky to have a lot of friends that like to cook for me and people who want to teach me to cook so it doesn’t look like I’ll be starving here.
But one thing that everyone will certainly find surprising is how clean I am here. I actually keep my house very clean. Everything has its place and I like it that way. I keep up on my laundry which I am still hand washing and wash my dishes directly after every meal. I also make sure to dust, sweep and mop my entire house once a week. Also while cleaning I have battled my fair share of horrible bugs which range from large furry spiders, to millions of stinging ants, to gross banana worms and even a scorpion. Luckily my neighbors are not close enough to hear and do not understand English during these “brave” moments. hah
Overall, even though living in my own home is all the hard work my parents always promised me it would be and then some because living in your first home in a developing country certainly has its own unique challenges, I absolutely love it. The control and privacy is something I won’t soon be able or willing to give up. And more than anything it is so nice to have a place to escape to when I need it. So in conclusion, I am super happy with my new place and I want to thank everyone who helped me purchase furniture or sent me house warming presents! I really appreciate them! Hasta la proxima! (Until next time)
A Coup of My Not Favorite Things
After months of my internet silence, sorry to my loyal readers out there, I am back and ready to discuss the “elephant in the room” controlling my life here for the past few months, the Honduran Glope de Estado (Military Coup d’état). As many of you probably know, on June 28th President Zelaya, known as Mel, was arrested in his home by Honduran Military officials and removed from the country. The Military, Supreme Court and Congress’s joint decision to take such an action came from Mel’s decision to continue with illegal elections known as the Cuarta Urna which would modify the constitution, thus allowing him to “run” for another term in office. Congress, following the procedures set forth in their constitution, voted this election illegal as well as denounced Mel’s campaign which involved tactics such as giving money to promote votes. Therefore, on the morning of the election the military arrested Mel, removing him from office, and swore-in the Present of Congress, Micheletti, as the new Honduran President. As during most exciting moments in history I was doing what I usually am, sleeping. I received word about the political situation from a text message from the Peace Corps at 8:26am stating “Standfast and Shelter-in-Place, there has been a Glope de Estado and all PCVs must remain in their sites as a precautionary measure. All PCVs should remain in their residences Sunday June 28th. No violence has been reported.” Of course at this point in time I did the only logical thing there was to do, I went back to sleep. In truth, everyone had been talking about a Coup for some time before this day and I received word on June 23rd that I would be required to be on Standfast, which means I was not permitted to leave my town, from noon Saturday June 27th to Monday June 29th so I wasn’t surprised.
Since that time, Mel has traveled extensively through several Latin American countries as well as the U.S. discussing his situation and attempting to find allies to help reinstate him as the official Honduran President. Mel has threatened to return to reclaim his presidency and even attempted once for publicity purposes when he walked across the border into El Paraiso on July 25th for a few minutes despite military presence and the promise that he would be arrested. Mel’s campaign has fueled marches and protests on both sides of the issue since the day of Coup. The demonstrations continue to happen almost daily in the capital city and sporadically throughout the country with numbers ranging from hundreds of thousands to only a few hundred. Unfortunately, as this issue continues, these events have gotten more destructive and even violent. Now graffiti covers most of the capital and several deaths have been reported. Graffiti that, of course, makes me sad is the graffiti on the Peace Corps office which says some not so nice things.
As many of you may know, the U.S. has chosen to support the restoration of Mel as president. This, while a popular decision amongst other foreign governments, is not a popular one here in small town Honduras. It has taken all of my strength not to discuss our government’s decision with my community members who are curious as to why the U.S. would support a president who is buddy-buddy with Chavez, was caught rigging his illegal election, whose top officials were caught stealing millions of Lempiras the day before the Glope de Estado as well as countless other crimes which they have no peña bringing to my attention. To them I only say “Peace Corps is not a political organization, so I don’t know.” A Safe but not a satisfying answer to say the least. At this point in time the U.S. as well as many other countries have withdraw the majority of their aid, with some countries going as far to impose tariffs on Honduran products and refuse trade all together. On August 26 the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa suspended processing non-immigrant visa requests. Non-immigrant visas are for any type of temporary stay in the U.S. There are 26 different kinds of non-immigrant visas including for temporary work, academic study, cultural exchanges, business and tourism. This obviously has had an effect on many Hondurans’ opinions of the U.S. and our government as a whole.
How does all of this affect my life you ask? Well since the Coup I have had to obey various “toques de queda” (nationwide curfews) imposed by the Honduran government as well as obey new travel restriction policies set forth by the Peace Corps. These have involved everything from not leaving my house to simply staying out of the capital city and advising our whereabouts system when I do travel. Travel in any manner has been even more frustratingly slow due to roadblocks and security checks from Honduran Military and National Police. The security checks involve the military and/or national police stopping the bus and inspecting it in their full battle gear. They usually just ask to see every passenger’s papers/identification. Sometimes all the men must get off the bus to be searched further (as if they were being arrested, we are talking the full pat down here) and during especially tense moments, everyone is required to get off the bus. Despite the slowdown in travel, I have had no problems whatsoever. Overall, more military and police are seen on the streets and anyone out past c curfew is arrested/ ticketed. Since there is really nothing to do at night in my town, I have had no issues with this.
Luckily, my town is very tranquillo so I haven’t had to deal with as many obstacles as other volunteers. The mayor’s office where I work has shut down a few times to participate in pro-democracy marches in the nearby city but, these have been few and far between. My work with the hammock ladies has remained uninterrupted since, as one of the women so eloquently put it “What the government does has no affect on us here in the campo. We continue working because what else can we do?” For these people living without potable water, latrines, or electricity, its as if nothing has happened. The only effect that they will likely see is the immense decrease in international monetary support which funds their community projects such as electrification. It will definitely be much harder for us to find funding to improve their micro business but we will just have to deal with that as it comes.
Unfortunately the schools have seen the most disruption due to the fact that high school teachers belong to a national union. Therefore, not surprisingly, the majority of the country’s teachers are Pro-Mel and as a result have stopped receiving their salary. This has caused nationwide strikes. In my town there have not been consistent classes since the Coup. There is a lot of tension in the high school itself because the teachers are divided between those in favor of the new government and those that support Mel. So when the school isn’t completely shut down, some, but not all, the teachers show up to give classes. This leaves the students guessing everyday whether they will have classes or not. It is extremely sad to see these kids travel from far away villages in their uniforms everyday on the chance that they might have school. Recently, the students have taken matters into their own hands and gone on strike themselves when they were told that it is very likely that they will lose their credit for this year due to an insufficient number of days in class. For the moment classes have resumed and I am hoping things stay that way, at least until the elections.
As for me it has been an exciting ride to say the least. While it has been hard, especially for new volunteers to get started and feel confident about our work when the country is in such a transitional period, siguemos adelante (we continue onward). Everyone is just hopeful at this point that come the end of November the elections will pass peacefully and the world will recognize the new government. Heres hoping! I must say though that having a 7.1 earthquake (which I also slept through), H1N1 outbreak, and a Coup d’état during my first 2 months of service will definitely make for some interesting dinner conversation one day! It’s funny cause when I think back to my college Spanish classes when I learned the phrase Glope de Estado, I thought to myself “When am I ever going to need to know that word?!?” Haha and look how it came in handy! Keeping things interesting, just like I like it. Hasta la proxima!
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