I've gotten these questions several times, and I can never really find a solid answer for them.
Yes, being back in the US definitely has its benefits. For one (and I think most importantly), security is much better here, and I feel safer than ever walking around at night without the need to constantly scan my surroundings to make sure nobody's coming up to rob me.
But after living in Honduras for 7 weeks, I wouldn't quite consider being back in the states a relief. In fact, many parts of me fell in love with customs and traditions and ways of life in Honduras, and I definitely learned a few things there. I think the main thing is that I learned to appreciate how fortunate we are in America. In Honduras, the police enforcement, the living conditions, the cleanliness, and the availability of resources were all very poor. In our town we would see drug runs right behind our house, many of which the police knew about, and the police were often in on the drug exchanges. We would see houses throughout El Porvenir made of sticks, roofs barely intact, dirt floors, and they would have one small mattress for a family of 8 to sleep on. Everywhere you looked there would be trash, and there was no enforcement to stop littering. It was dirty in all areas no matter what, and that was something I learned to live with and accept and understand as being an element of an underdeveloped society. There was no ambulance or traffic-regulation, so if you were in a high-speed collision and you were severely injured, people from the sidelines would literally just watch you die because there's nothing you can do. Hearing things such as this make me so grateful for the fact that we have a government that enforces safety at all times, and seeing the poverty-stricken homes and families makes me so thankful that I have a legitimate roof over my head and not just some hay strapped together and laid on top of the foundation.
Another thing that I always think about when reflecting on what I took back from the experience is the fact that children in Honduras are happy simply playing with rocks and sticks (and maybe a soccer ball, if they're lucky). It's seeing the lesson of "be happy with what you have" really be put to the test because honestly, coming back to the states and seeing kids unhappy because they don't have the newest game console or a 72" HDTV in their home to play Call of Duty makes me ten times sicker after coming back from a place where that kind of stuff isn't even (and will probably never be) an option for them. The realization that I've taken so many things for granted over my whole lifetime and that I need to realize what I truly have struck me hundreds of times throughout the trip, and that feeling alone has made me take monumental steps towards individual growth, self-actualization, and the building of tolerance, and those are just a few things that I can name that changed me as a person from this experience.
I think just being exposed to such poverty and poor living conditions made me want to go to as many places in the world as I can and make a difference in one way or another. Whether it be via teaching English or assisting medically, this trip has definitely awakened the fire and passion in me to travel around the world and offer any sort of help in places that really need it, and for the rest of my life that will be the driving force for me to do what I need to do to achieve that goal.
I will never forget the people I met on this trip. It seemed like the greatest people from all ends of the world just converged together all with the same goal: to offer a helping hand to those in need. They all have the biggest and most accepting hearts of anyone I have ever known. I think they are truly the thing that made this experience so enjoyable for me. By the end of the trip I literally felt like they were family, and I'll never forget how awesome they are. Joe, Katlyn, Julie, Shawna, Michelle, Ruth, Jana, Natasha, Rachel, Amy, Eddie, Stephanie, Courtney, Other Stephanie, Shannon, Guido, Kelly, Lindsey, Steve, I'll truly miss you all very much, but I know for most of you it wasn't goodbye but more of a see you later!
There's so much more I'd like to say, but I'll save that for another day!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Roatan pics
Roatan baby!
The crew: Me, Joe, Michelle, Julie, Jana, Natasha, Rachel, Courtney, Stephanie, Amy, and Eddie.
So it was our last weekend in Honduras, and we decided we really needed to splurge and do something awesome. We all decided on going to Roatan, one of Honduras' Bay Islands (the biggest, most popular, and most touristy), and let's just say some crazy experiences ensued!
After Ninos on Friday, we (Joe, Michelle, Courtney, Stephanie, Mary, Lindsey, and Me) went straight into Ceiba to get coffee before we left on the ferry out of Ceiba to Roatan. I don't really know if that was a good choice looking back on it...but I'll tell you all why. The ferry ride was the absolute WORST ferry ride in the whole world, and that's no exaggeration. It was a pretty big boat/yacht we were on (big enough to fit about 300 people), and usually the bigger the boat, the less it moves around with the waves, but that didn't matter whatsoever this time. Right when we left the bay, the boat started rocking, and rocking, and rocking, and for the next hour and 45 minutes, it was rocking front to back, side to side, and everywhere inbetween. It got to a point where I looked out the side window and all I could see was the water...I couldn't even see the horizon line because it was so far rocked to one side! Anyways probably half of the boat was throwing up the whole time, and I had to literally do some Mental Zen stuff or somethin in order to prevent myself from joining the puking crew. I don't know how I did it, but I made it to Roatan fine, but some of us weren't so fine! I think about half our group alone got sick on the ride there. Great way to start off the trip huh?
We arrived at the place we were staying around 7, and we all got settled in and then got ready to go out for dinner at a thai place called Tong's Thai. And even though it ended up being super expensive, the pad thai and the few glasses of wine I had made it well worth the cost! Probably the best food I've had in Honduras so far (but I definitely paid for it)! After dinner, we went to a bar right next door, did some dancing and had a couple drinks, and to ALL our surprises, one of the girls (I won't name who) ended up meeting a guy on the dance floor and went home with him that night. Now THAT'S something none of us were expecting...but it just added to the craziness of the experience! When the bar closed (which was early, like 12:30), the rest of us went back to our place and played a few games for a while until we all decided to call it a night.
The next day (Saturday) was our only full day on the island, so we woke up fairly early and headed out to buy a couple fresh fruits and other things for breakfast, and then headed on over to West Bay. Now West Bay has a reputation of being the number one place to go in Roatan--all of the postcards of Roatan have a picture of West Bay on them. I felt like I was in a Corona commercial on this beach it was so nice. Resorts every 20 feet, beautiful water, everything about this place was amazing. After about an hour of just hangin out on the beach, we ended up catching a boat out to go snorkling. The first snorkling place we went to the reefs were pretty deep so it was difficult to see close up unless you held your breath and dove down about 10 feet, but we saw a pretty good sized sea turtle in that reef! The second reef we went to was much more shallow, and there we saw a huge school of fish and I also ended up diving down to the sea floor and picking up a live giant hermit crab from its shell. I wish I had an underwater camera so I could let you all see, but I guess you'll just have to go to Roatan sometime to see it for yourself! After about 2 hours of snorkling we went back to the place and got ready to head out to watch the sunset at a cigar bar before we went out to dinner. Had some awesome conversations with everyone about everything from politics to the environment to society, just jumping from subject to subject, it was probably the highlight of the trip for me. Afterwards a few of us went to this Argentinian restaurant for some steaks, but me and a few others weren't looking to spend a whole lot on dinner so we just went to this nice cozy Mexican restaurant and ate and chatted over a few drinks. Afterwards we met up at a local bar called Fosters which was on a dock over the sea and hung out for a little while when suddenly we all got the urge to go night swimming so sure enough, we headed down to Half Moon Bay and went for a swim at about 1:30 at night! Very refreshing and very liberating. Then we all called it a night and went back to the lodge.
The next day I wanted to wake up early and make the most out of the time we had before we went back on the ferry. We all ended up getting up around 8 and going to the beach after breakfast, but the beach we went to the 2nd day was FULL of sandflies, just biting my left and right. So bad I had to keep my shirt on while I was roasting in the sun. Unbearable. But I got some good reading in, and then we agreed on getting a smoothie before we left to kick off the trip with a nice fruity drink. Great way to end the trip! On the taxi ride back we were all scared as hell that the ferry ride back was going to be dreadful and miserable just like on the way over, but it was actually very smooth and no one got sick at all thank god. We got into Ceiba and a few went grocery shopping, and then we all went home to relax and soak in the awesomeness of the trip. However, to my and Joe's dismay, we come back to news that somebody in El Porvenir had broken the window to our room and had used a stick to fish out a lot of the things that we had on the top bunks of our beds (where I was storing a lot of clothes and stuff). They ended up stealing Joe's travel toiletry case (which had his electric razor and other stuff in it), and they stole my camera (that was broken anyways but I was going to exchange it for a new one when I got back to the states), and they stole all of my boxers and 3 pairs of shorts. Great way to end the trip right? I swear we always come back to shitty news at the end of all our trips. It's just sad because the people who stole from us obviously knew we were volunteers and that we might have some expensive stuff, even though they know we're here to help. Guess some people just have a small conscience. But I'm not about to let that ruin the great trip I just had with everyone! It was an awesome time and I definitely hope to come back ASAP!
So it was our last weekend in Honduras, and we decided we really needed to splurge and do something awesome. We all decided on going to Roatan, one of Honduras' Bay Islands (the biggest, most popular, and most touristy), and let's just say some crazy experiences ensued!
After Ninos on Friday, we (Joe, Michelle, Courtney, Stephanie, Mary, Lindsey, and Me) went straight into Ceiba to get coffee before we left on the ferry out of Ceiba to Roatan. I don't really know if that was a good choice looking back on it...but I'll tell you all why. The ferry ride was the absolute WORST ferry ride in the whole world, and that's no exaggeration. It was a pretty big boat/yacht we were on (big enough to fit about 300 people), and usually the bigger the boat, the less it moves around with the waves, but that didn't matter whatsoever this time. Right when we left the bay, the boat started rocking, and rocking, and rocking, and for the next hour and 45 minutes, it was rocking front to back, side to side, and everywhere inbetween. It got to a point where I looked out the side window and all I could see was the water...I couldn't even see the horizon line because it was so far rocked to one side! Anyways probably half of the boat was throwing up the whole time, and I had to literally do some Mental Zen stuff or somethin in order to prevent myself from joining the puking crew. I don't know how I did it, but I made it to Roatan fine, but some of us weren't so fine! I think about half our group alone got sick on the ride there. Great way to start off the trip huh?
We arrived at the place we were staying around 7, and we all got settled in and then got ready to go out for dinner at a thai place called Tong's Thai. And even though it ended up being super expensive, the pad thai and the few glasses of wine I had made it well worth the cost! Probably the best food I've had in Honduras so far (but I definitely paid for it)! After dinner, we went to a bar right next door, did some dancing and had a couple drinks, and to ALL our surprises, one of the girls (I won't name who) ended up meeting a guy on the dance floor and went home with him that night. Now THAT'S something none of us were expecting...but it just added to the craziness of the experience! When the bar closed (which was early, like 12:30), the rest of us went back to our place and played a few games for a while until we all decided to call it a night.
The next day (Saturday) was our only full day on the island, so we woke up fairly early and headed out to buy a couple fresh fruits and other things for breakfast, and then headed on over to West Bay. Now West Bay has a reputation of being the number one place to go in Roatan--all of the postcards of Roatan have a picture of West Bay on them. I felt like I was in a Corona commercial on this beach it was so nice. Resorts every 20 feet, beautiful water, everything about this place was amazing. After about an hour of just hangin out on the beach, we ended up catching a boat out to go snorkling. The first snorkling place we went to the reefs were pretty deep so it was difficult to see close up unless you held your breath and dove down about 10 feet, but we saw a pretty good sized sea turtle in that reef! The second reef we went to was much more shallow, and there we saw a huge school of fish and I also ended up diving down to the sea floor and picking up a live giant hermit crab from its shell. I wish I had an underwater camera so I could let you all see, but I guess you'll just have to go to Roatan sometime to see it for yourself! After about 2 hours of snorkling we went back to the place and got ready to head out to watch the sunset at a cigar bar before we went out to dinner. Had some awesome conversations with everyone about everything from politics to the environment to society, just jumping from subject to subject, it was probably the highlight of the trip for me. Afterwards a few of us went to this Argentinian restaurant for some steaks, but me and a few others weren't looking to spend a whole lot on dinner so we just went to this nice cozy Mexican restaurant and ate and chatted over a few drinks. Afterwards we met up at a local bar called Fosters which was on a dock over the sea and hung out for a little while when suddenly we all got the urge to go night swimming so sure enough, we headed down to Half Moon Bay and went for a swim at about 1:30 at night! Very refreshing and very liberating. Then we all called it a night and went back to the lodge.
The next day I wanted to wake up early and make the most out of the time we had before we went back on the ferry. We all ended up getting up around 8 and going to the beach after breakfast, but the beach we went to the 2nd day was FULL of sandflies, just biting my left and right. So bad I had to keep my shirt on while I was roasting in the sun. Unbearable. But I got some good reading in, and then we agreed on getting a smoothie before we left to kick off the trip with a nice fruity drink. Great way to end the trip! On the taxi ride back we were all scared as hell that the ferry ride back was going to be dreadful and miserable just like on the way over, but it was actually very smooth and no one got sick at all thank god. We got into Ceiba and a few went grocery shopping, and then we all went home to relax and soak in the awesomeness of the trip. However, to my and Joe's dismay, we come back to news that somebody in El Porvenir had broken the window to our room and had used a stick to fish out a lot of the things that we had on the top bunks of our beds (where I was storing a lot of clothes and stuff). They ended up stealing Joe's travel toiletry case (which had his electric razor and other stuff in it), and they stole my camera (that was broken anyways but I was going to exchange it for a new one when I got back to the states), and they stole all of my boxers and 3 pairs of shorts. Great way to end the trip right? I swear we always come back to shitty news at the end of all our trips. It's just sad because the people who stole from us obviously knew we were volunteers and that we might have some expensive stuff, even though they know we're here to help. Guess some people just have a small conscience. But I'm not about to let that ruin the great trip I just had with everyone! It was an awesome time and I definitely hope to come back ASAP!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Birthday night, parade, and Pico Bonito...again!
So Ruth left on Friday :( very sad day for all of us...but we ended the night on a lighter note by going to a Honduran club (the same one as last time) to celebrate my birthday! On the way there, we had this crazy cab driver who was going like 90mph on the road when he was supposed to be going 40, passing people left and right, and almost straight up getting us killed by basically playing chicken with an oncoming car. We were all scared for our lives...but we arrived safely. Then we just rode out the night, and it turned out to be a really great time! Awesome birthday celebration :)
Saturday morning we had to get up and decorate our float car for the El Porvenir parade we were participating in! Joe and I got the car (same car we take to go to school) and then we hung streamers, flags, and balloons from our car. The parade was supposed to start at 1...but typical Honduras, we got there at 1 and it ended up starting at 3. ALSO...right when the parade started it started POURING rain from the moment we arrived til the moment the parade ended (then it stopped, of course)...so everything got basically ruined. But it was an awesome time driving around in a safari truck with a leaky roof, getting poured on, and just having a great experience being part of the town. After the parade, we went home and chilled out until we went out at around 7 to watch a band perform as another part of the parade. Of course the band was late to start playing (by about an hour and a half), so we sat and watched a local Honduran soccer game for a while, which was AWESOME. We wanted to see an official International game while we were here, but the teams weren't playing anywhere, so at least we got to see a local one! After the game, the band played (some really saucy music, I should add), and Joe and Rachel both ended up getting on stage and dancing in front of everyone! It was a hilarious night, but unfortunately my camera died right they went up :(. But maybe I'll get pics from my friends and post them.
The next morning some of us woke up at 6:30 and went to Pico Bonito again! It was Jana, Rachel, Shannon, Julie and me, and even though Shannon and I had gone before, we wanted to go again because it was just that beautiful. We actually got really lucky with transportation there and back...we literally walked outside, the bus came, and then got off at our first stop, and right when we got off the 2nd bus came and took us to Pico. Then we took the same hike, but this time we went all the way to the top of the waterfall! Awesome view, I wish a picture could capture its beauty but it can't. We also swam underneath the waterfall for a while, except the sun wasn't out so there was no sun shining through the falls :( but it was beautiful nonetheless. When we were done, we headed back to Porvenir and I think most of us passed out because were dead tired from the hike. The rest of the night was just a relaxed Sunday before a long week of work!
Monday and Tuesday were pretty normal days teaching English. The only difference is that since we have 2 new volunteers working at Ninos, we split up the grades so Courtney, Joe and I teach 3rd-5th, and Michelle and Stephanie teach 1st-2nd. So we have some free time to be tutors for the kids or help out in the classes now. We started teaching them weather phrases (it is hot, it is cold, it is windy, etc) and the seasons. We had them make their own folders for their English flashcards they make, and they are all so proud of them and show them off to all the people they can. I wish I could adopt some of these kids...so cute. Every day I fall more in love with all the kids in the school, and I definitely want to come back very soon to see all of them!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Pictures 6/26/11
Friday, June 24, 2011
Update!
So I haven't posted much but pictures lately (and I know that's probably what you all want to see), but now I get to bore you with the stories behind all the pictures!
The last last post I posted some pictures that had a parade and a waterfall and I'm sure you're all dying to know what they were all about so I'll tell you. On Saturday we woke up early and caught a few buses to the entrance to Pico Bonito which is really the mountain peak (actually, the highest point in Honduras), but it's known for the waterfall attraction it contains. We hiked about a mile through a pineapple field and then about a mile and a half up through the forest on a crazy path until we finally arrived (after seeing a few snakes and other fun things) at the waterfall. And lemme tell you...this waterfall was the most beautiful thing I've probably ever seen. From afar, it just looks like a standard waterfall, but I've never actually had the chance to go up and swim underneath a waterfall before, and that's exactly what I did. We had to scale some sketchy and slippery rocks in order to get to where the falls were actually falling, but Joe and I were the only ones who made it up. When I finally got to the waterfall, I climbed up on a few rocks and perched on top of one, just staring at the falls with the mist from the falls on my face. As the sun shone through the water, I was taken by the beauty of this waterfall and I fell in love with it, and I'm going again this weekend! So maybe I can get some better pictures of it to show you all (hopefully without breaking my camera).
That night we went to a parade in Porvenir that they have every few weeks and got to hear a drumline play some music and got to watch some "princesas" of Porvenir walked down the street in beautiful dresses and escorts. We followed the whole parade, and it really made me feel like part of the community! We found Herman and Fernando (two kids that ride the bus with us in the morning to school), and I took Herman on my shoulders for a lot of the time. I love that kid so much. I'd probably adopt him if I could...but I'm going to be really sad when I have to leave him :( but I'll hopefully be back next summer :).
On Wednesday it was my BIRTHDAY, and there's no better place to have a birthday than Honduras with my amigos and amigas of Porvenir! Most the day was really laid back and normal...except in the morning during devotional at Ninos de la Luz Tania brought me upfront in front of all the kids...apparently it's tradition to, on your birthday, receive the amount of SPANKS for however many years you're turning! So I got 20 spanks, 2 from Joe, 3 from Mary, 3 from Steve (another volunteer), 3 from Courtney (another volunteer), 3 from Yorleni (4th grade teacher), 3 from Julia (5th grade teacher), 2 from Beatrice (1st grade teacher), and 1 from Tania (that was SUPER hard!)! And I have it ALL on video...but it's too big to post, otherwise I totally would. But yeah that was a birthday celebration I'll NEVER forget. And the rest of the day the kids were all wishing me happy birthday and it was super cute! At nighttime, Michelle offered to make me dinner for my birthday, and she made me Coconut Shrimp with vegetables and rice and it was awesome! Then the girls surprised me with DIRT DESSERT (my favorite) and a nice birthday card! It was an awesome birthday night, but tonight (Friday) we'll be truly celebrating by going downtown, so I'm looking forward to it!
On a different note, Joe's been having some stomach problems over the past week, and yesterday he went to the doctor for it and he got prescribed some medication that will hopefully take care of it! We're hoping it's just some indigestion or a little stomach bug he got, but just wish him well!
Stay tuned, more to come after this weekend :)
The last last post I posted some pictures that had a parade and a waterfall and I'm sure you're all dying to know what they were all about so I'll tell you. On Saturday we woke up early and caught a few buses to the entrance to Pico Bonito which is really the mountain peak (actually, the highest point in Honduras), but it's known for the waterfall attraction it contains. We hiked about a mile through a pineapple field and then about a mile and a half up through the forest on a crazy path until we finally arrived (after seeing a few snakes and other fun things) at the waterfall. And lemme tell you...this waterfall was the most beautiful thing I've probably ever seen. From afar, it just looks like a standard waterfall, but I've never actually had the chance to go up and swim underneath a waterfall before, and that's exactly what I did. We had to scale some sketchy and slippery rocks in order to get to where the falls were actually falling, but Joe and I were the only ones who made it up. When I finally got to the waterfall, I climbed up on a few rocks and perched on top of one, just staring at the falls with the mist from the falls on my face. As the sun shone through the water, I was taken by the beauty of this waterfall and I fell in love with it, and I'm going again this weekend! So maybe I can get some better pictures of it to show you all (hopefully without breaking my camera).
That night we went to a parade in Porvenir that they have every few weeks and got to hear a drumline play some music and got to watch some "princesas" of Porvenir walked down the street in beautiful dresses and escorts. We followed the whole parade, and it really made me feel like part of the community! We found Herman and Fernando (two kids that ride the bus with us in the morning to school), and I took Herman on my shoulders for a lot of the time. I love that kid so much. I'd probably adopt him if I could...but I'm going to be really sad when I have to leave him :( but I'll hopefully be back next summer :).
On Wednesday it was my BIRTHDAY, and there's no better place to have a birthday than Honduras with my amigos and amigas of Porvenir! Most the day was really laid back and normal...except in the morning during devotional at Ninos de la Luz Tania brought me upfront in front of all the kids...apparently it's tradition to, on your birthday, receive the amount of SPANKS for however many years you're turning! So I got 20 spanks, 2 from Joe, 3 from Mary, 3 from Steve (another volunteer), 3 from Courtney (another volunteer), 3 from Yorleni (4th grade teacher), 3 from Julia (5th grade teacher), 2 from Beatrice (1st grade teacher), and 1 from Tania (that was SUPER hard!)! And I have it ALL on video...but it's too big to post, otherwise I totally would. But yeah that was a birthday celebration I'll NEVER forget. And the rest of the day the kids were all wishing me happy birthday and it was super cute! At nighttime, Michelle offered to make me dinner for my birthday, and she made me Coconut Shrimp with vegetables and rice and it was awesome! Then the girls surprised me with DIRT DESSERT (my favorite) and a nice birthday card! It was an awesome birthday night, but tonight (Friday) we'll be truly celebrating by going downtown, so I'm looking forward to it!
On a different note, Joe's been having some stomach problems over the past week, and yesterday he went to the doctor for it and he got prescribed some medication that will hopefully take care of it! We're hoping it's just some indigestion or a little stomach bug he got, but just wish him well!
Stay tuned, more to come after this weekend :)
Pictures, Pictures, and More Pictures!
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