There are tons of things I have been tryig to "get used to" since arriving in Honduras-- the new food, new family, new language, frequent power outages, not putting toilet paper in the toilet, hiding my money/phone in creative places-- but one that has stood out to me lately is the need for patience. Before coming, I had been told that Latin American cultures put very little emphasis on time. I had read that relationships take priority over efficiency. But to actually experience this is different. Living it makes it more real, more meaningful. This is not something that comes easy to me. As an American gringa (and ok, maybe I'm more this way than other gringos), I like making plans, making lists, being on time, and checking the time pretty frequently. I'm slowly learning that holding on to these habits too tightly will make my year here very frustrating. I'm learning to be ok with, and even expect, people and events being late. For example, last week I went on a field trip with the fifth graders at my school to a museum near the Centro of Teguc. We left the school about a half hour late, which was fine. After our tour, the bus was supposed to pick us up at 10:30 so that the kids would be home by 11 for lunch (in the yellow buses it takes 30-45 minutes to get from Nueva Suyapa to the Centro, whereas on a rapidito or car it might take 15 minutes. We waited for the buses outside the museum in the parque (which we had heard might be peligroso, but oh well), and waited, and waited... the bus finally showed up at 12:15. The thing that surprised me most about this was that, aside from a couple eye-rolls from the teachers, nobody seemed to mind. I am constantly amazed by the patience of Hondurans. In classrooms, teachers patiently listen to their students shouting out answers or telling them stories about what happened to them that morning. Structure and order are rarely present in the classroom at all, but that's a subject for another day. It takes longer than expected to walk anywhere, because along the way it's expected that you will stop and chat with everyone you pass-- asking questions about their family is a must. I have learned that there is very little (if any) "planning ahead"-- scheduling something a week in advance is unheard of. If you have planned to meet someone on Saturday, you had better call Friday night and again Saturday morning to confirm.
When I say these things, in no way do I mean to criticize. There are things that I really like about this way of life. I like that people can randomly stop by the house to chat, or just to watch some TV. I like that it's ok to make last-minute plans or cancellations. I think this is a really good way to build relationships, and it's something we might be missing out on in our task-oriented American culture. It's not always easy for me, but there are things I really like about the "manana" mindset... I think I'm going to learn some important lessons this year about what is really important.
Nueva Suyapa
Nueva Suyapa
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
My New Home!
I am happy to say that I'm finally getting settled into my new home of Nueva Suyapa! A week ago, after a relaxing retreat with my MCC Honduras team (see picture on facebook), I moved into what will be my home for the next 11 months. It feels so good to not be living out of my suitcase anymore, and to be able to put up pictures that remind me of home. Colonia Nueva Suyapa is located on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, which is the capital and biggest city in Honduras. Nueva Suyapa is in the hills behind the Basilica Suyapa. It feels like a big city in a way, but also has a small town feel in that chickens, horses and pigs can often be found walking the streets.
At work, I have not worked in the library yet. Right now I'm in the process of getting to know the teachers and kids, which means a lot observing and helping out in the ten classrooms here at El Verbo. As you may know, in Latin American countries relationships are extremely important, and time/efficiency is not as important. So if I want to accomplish anything in the library this year, I will first need to built trust and relationships with the people who live here. Relationships also help with safety. In this community, petty crime and theft is not uncommon (more serious crime also happens pretty regularly), and I have been told that the more I get to know my neighbors and gain their trust, the less I will be at risk or in danger. In the school, one thing I have definitely learned is that discipline procedures are not the same as they are in the U.S. Here, it seems to be acceptable and expected for students in class to talk over their teacher, yell, run around, fight (maybe not, but that's what it looks like to me), and basically create chaos. Amazingly, this does not seem to phase the teacher! This goes against everything I have been taught in my education classes; however, I understand that it is a different culture, and there are things that I need to come to accept, understand, and adapt to. One way is not right or wrong. This will certainly be a struggle for me this year, especially since I do not speak Spanish very well at all, but I'm praying that I will learn from it.
This year, Internet access is going to be very limited for me. I don't have Internet in my home or at my work, and I do not live very close to any cafes. My Internet time is over for now, but there is much more that I would like to share here. I will do so as soon as possible, hopefully later this week! I hope you are all doing well, and know that I miss you all and think of you often.
At work, I have not worked in the library yet. Right now I'm in the process of getting to know the teachers and kids, which means a lot observing and helping out in the ten classrooms here at El Verbo. As you may know, in Latin American countries relationships are extremely important, and time/efficiency is not as important. So if I want to accomplish anything in the library this year, I will first need to built trust and relationships with the people who live here. Relationships also help with safety. In this community, petty crime and theft is not uncommon (more serious crime also happens pretty regularly), and I have been told that the more I get to know my neighbors and gain their trust, the less I will be at risk or in danger. In the school, one thing I have definitely learned is that discipline procedures are not the same as they are in the U.S. Here, it seems to be acceptable and expected for students in class to talk over their teacher, yell, run around, fight (maybe not, but that's what it looks like to me), and basically create chaos. Amazingly, this does not seem to phase the teacher! This goes against everything I have been taught in my education classes; however, I understand that it is a different culture, and there are things that I need to come to accept, understand, and adapt to. One way is not right or wrong. This will certainly be a struggle for me this year, especially since I do not speak Spanish very well at all, but I'm praying that I will learn from it.
This year, Internet access is going to be very limited for me. I don't have Internet in my home or at my work, and I do not live very close to any cafes. My Internet time is over for now, but there is much more that I would like to share here. I will do so as soon as possible, hopefully later this week! I hope you are all doing well, and know that I miss you all and think of you often.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Adventures
So much has happened since I wrote my last post! I have been very busy and have not had much time or motivation to write about what I've been doing. But now is a good time, as I'm sitting in the finca house (the Stephens' farm house), to look back at the past couple of weeks. Up until Friday I had been in Copan Ruinas, a small and somewhat touristy town where Mike and I studied Spanish at Guacamaya language school. I feel like I learned quite a bit of Spanish while there, but forming sentences that make sense is still a big struggle for me. It helps that I have learned a lot of vocabulary. The thing is, the more words I learn the more I realize how much I still have to learn. At times I feel like I'm getting further away from being fluent, rather than closer. But I am also learning that it's ok to make mistakes :)
Of course, we still found time for fun while in Copan. One day we took a hike in the Copan mountains, led by a Spanish-only speaking guide. It was a beautiful hike-- everything was really green and there were some amazing views of the city. We also got to jump over (or crawl under) lots of barbed wire fences. It was an adventure! Mike and I went to the Mayan Ruins another day. We got an English guide this time so we would actually know what was going on, although he had a really thick accent so I still had to concentrate pretty hard. I had no idea there was so much ancient history in this little town! I learned a ton during that tour. Our next free tour with the school was horseback riding in the mountains. Some of you might know that I'm allergic to horses, BUT i really wanted to go so I drugged myself up with allergy medicine. It worked and I had a blast. My horse's name was Chica Loca, which fit her well. She was a bit unpredictable, but thankfully I never fell off. That was definitely one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. Everything in the mountains is so green! And did you know that the national tree of Honduras is the Pine Tree? Yep. The last thing we did was go to the parque de aves (bird park). The national bird of Honduras is the scarlet mccaw, so we saw lots of those. They are beautiful! The best part was the end, when I got to hold them! I have pictures coming soon to prove it. The coolest looking bird though (in my opinion) was the toucan. They look unreal to me. God has such a great sense of humor.
After our last class on Friday, Mike and I packed up our suitcases once again and got on a bus to San Pedro Sula. I was sad to say goodbye to my tutor and my host family, especially my 13-year-old brother Luis. I think he is hilarious. He likes to practice the little bit of English he knows by asking me (every time he sees me), "What... is... your... name? What... is... your... phone number?" He was also my official giant-bug-killer during my time there, so I will have to figure out something else now. Anyway, we were greeted in San Pedro with a warm welcome by the whole Zorilla family-- Amy and Andres and their two daughters, Abby and Beatrice. It was nice to get to know our country reps a bit better over Honduran pizza and lemonade. They are great people, and I feel even better being here knowing that I'm working for them. Then yesterday we got on another bus with Megan and headed for the Stephens' finca, where I am now. Besides the extreme heat and humidity (I don't know if I will ever get used to that) it has been great. I've spent lots of time lying in hammocks. This morning we drank semi-frozen chocolate milk out of bags and it was heavenly. Today I also got to do something that I never thought I would do in Honduras-- go sailing!! Apparently Sean Stephens loves sailing and actually made his own sailboat out of plywood and a tarp (it's legit) and has a friend with some small boats. On the biggest lake in Honduras! There wasn't much wind at all but I got to sail a laser for a couple hours, and I was in heaven.
That's all I've got for now. On Tuesday I get to see my soon-to-be home city of Tegucigalpa for the first time! That also means I will be in a bit cooler climate, which I think will be nice. We will then have our team retreat in Teguc until Sunday, when I will go to my host family. I start my job at MCM on Monday! But I don't want to look ahead too much. I'm excited about the new experiences to come this week, and I want to be present in each day that I spend here. I'm not sure how much Internet access I will have once I leave the finca, but I'll write an update when I can. Again, thank you all for your prayers.. they are appreciated!
Paz,
Keila
Of course, we still found time for fun while in Copan. One day we took a hike in the Copan mountains, led by a Spanish-only speaking guide. It was a beautiful hike-- everything was really green and there were some amazing views of the city. We also got to jump over (or crawl under) lots of barbed wire fences. It was an adventure! Mike and I went to the Mayan Ruins another day. We got an English guide this time so we would actually know what was going on, although he had a really thick accent so I still had to concentrate pretty hard. I had no idea there was so much ancient history in this little town! I learned a ton during that tour. Our next free tour with the school was horseback riding in the mountains. Some of you might know that I'm allergic to horses, BUT i really wanted to go so I drugged myself up with allergy medicine. It worked and I had a blast. My horse's name was Chica Loca, which fit her well. She was a bit unpredictable, but thankfully I never fell off. That was definitely one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. Everything in the mountains is so green! And did you know that the national tree of Honduras is the Pine Tree? Yep. The last thing we did was go to the parque de aves (bird park). The national bird of Honduras is the scarlet mccaw, so we saw lots of those. They are beautiful! The best part was the end, when I got to hold them! I have pictures coming soon to prove it. The coolest looking bird though (in my opinion) was the toucan. They look unreal to me. God has such a great sense of humor.
After our last class on Friday, Mike and I packed up our suitcases once again and got on a bus to San Pedro Sula. I was sad to say goodbye to my tutor and my host family, especially my 13-year-old brother Luis. I think he is hilarious. He likes to practice the little bit of English he knows by asking me (every time he sees me), "What... is... your... name? What... is... your... phone number?" He was also my official giant-bug-killer during my time there, so I will have to figure out something else now. Anyway, we were greeted in San Pedro with a warm welcome by the whole Zorilla family-- Amy and Andres and their two daughters, Abby and Beatrice. It was nice to get to know our country reps a bit better over Honduran pizza and lemonade. They are great people, and I feel even better being here knowing that I'm working for them. Then yesterday we got on another bus with Megan and headed for the Stephens' finca, where I am now. Besides the extreme heat and humidity (I don't know if I will ever get used to that) it has been great. I've spent lots of time lying in hammocks. This morning we drank semi-frozen chocolate milk out of bags and it was heavenly. Today I also got to do something that I never thought I would do in Honduras-- go sailing!! Apparently Sean Stephens loves sailing and actually made his own sailboat out of plywood and a tarp (it's legit) and has a friend with some small boats. On the biggest lake in Honduras! There wasn't much wind at all but I got to sail a laser for a couple hours, and I was in heaven.
That's all I've got for now. On Tuesday I get to see my soon-to-be home city of Tegucigalpa for the first time! That also means I will be in a bit cooler climate, which I think will be nice. We will then have our team retreat in Teguc until Sunday, when I will go to my host family. I start my job at MCM on Monday! But I don't want to look ahead too much. I'm excited about the new experiences to come this week, and I want to be present in each day that I spend here. I'm not sure how much Internet access I will have once I leave the finca, but I'll write an update when I can. Again, thank you all for your prayers.. they are appreciated!
Paz,
Keila
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