Newbies and Oldies

Leaving the security and comfort of our newly fortified home in Trinidad, Kristi and I set out on a weeklong trip that included stops in Tegucigalpa, Zarabanda (volunteer training grounds), and Olancho.

Invited by the PC training staff to present on US cultural diversity to the newest PC training class (H18), we joined several other current volunteers for an afternoon of sessions in Zarabanda, outside of Tegucigalpa.  Representatives from each PCV support group were on hand to share experiences and difficulties related to cultural differences between ourselves and Hondurans.  The support groups include:

+COLORS – Supporting racial diversity

+GLOBE – Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual Experience

+MARV – Married Volunteers (our group)

+REF – Religious Equality Forum

+Third Chapter – Volunteers over 40

In small groups we discussed various uncomfortable or difficult situations that arise related to the themes covered by each support group.  This also gave the trainees an opportunity to ask current volunteers general questions about volunteer life.  Based on their questions, trainees main sources of anxiety are travel restrictions (PCV’s receive 24 vacation days/year; weekends are not technically days off) and the possibility of involuntary abstinence over the two-year service.  How about personal safety or work related issues?  I guess that’ll come once they’ve overcome the more pressing issues.

It was a lot of fun meeting the new class.  As a group they made a great impression on us and I look forward to getting to know them better in the future.  We also heard some H18 parents read our blog – hi! Don’t worry about your kids, they are doing great!

While in Tegucigalpa we were fortunate enough to meet up with several volunteers from our own training class (H16) as well as other old hats.  Over beers and real restaurant food, we laughed it up about how we are slowly transforming into Hondurans.  During one conversation the group got a good laugh about Kristi’s adopted Honduran habit of sweeping our dirt yard (Honduran raking) only to be one-up’d by another volunteer who admitted to watering the dirt road in front of his house with his new hose (to quell mucho dust).

It was nice to have a big-city restaurant dinner but neither Kristi nor I was expecting the food hangover as a result of rich US-style food (bacon cheeseburger, California club, piles of fries).

Daygucigalpa

Sun going down over the capital of Honduras

Being in Tegucigalpa put us relatively close to our friends, Mark and TJ, whose site is Salamá, Olancho in the eastern part of Honduras.  Before heading back to Trinidad we took the grueling yellow school bus trip on mostly unpaved highways four hours east for our first visit to the department of Olancho.

Olancho is known as the wild-east in volunteer circles due to the similarities between the American west of the late 1800’s.  Gun toting cowboy types are the norm in a lot of Olancho and family vendettas are often settled outside the law.  While this is the stereotype, we found the pueblo of Salamá very peaceful and enjoyable.

Our trip included a little hike to climb the pueblo’s water tank, a few cold beers, and lots of beef (like the American west, Olancho is known for its cattle).  It was great to kick it with Mark and TJ, share some stories, and relax.  We hope to get back to Olancho in the next few months to visit other volunteers in the region as well as visit some locally famous caves.

On top of the water tank

As we walked up our street to our house in Trinidad, I still had that nervous feeling that we’d return to a looted house that I used to have before the casita fortification project.  I was relieved to find our abode still filled with our stuff and our metal portones securely in place.  Next step, bear traps and kung-fu trained monkeys.

He's stronger than he looks