Almost done with FBT

I can´t believe that in about 2 weeks that FBT will be over and I will know my site. They will be announcing the sites on the 21st so keep your eyes peeled for the info. I am excited and nervous because this determines where I will be going for the next 2 yrs. I have really been enjoying training so far... it has been really informative.
Yesterday we had a session where we talked to sex workers. It was very interesting to hear what they had to say about their jobs and what they thought of the americans here on the army base in comayagua. Many of them have some kids fathered by americans because the guys refused to wear condoms or took it off in the middle of having sex. I had never talked to any commercial sex workers before.. they are very blunt and funny. They definitly aren´t embarassed to tell their stories and I am glad we had this experience to hear it straight from their mouths.

I´ll keep yáll posted as to any new info I have as far as sites go.
-Kristina

Semana Santa

Where to begin… sorry I haven’t been more of an avid blogger. It has been brought to my attention via other asprirantes that I should try to step it up because I am leaving my friends and family back home hanging. I am going to try to be better… we will see- I make no promises.

OK- so I feel like so much has happened. I last wrote you before Semana Santa. Well… it was very fun. Semana Santa is the whole week long Easter celebration here in Honduras. It is based off the Catholic Church and consists of a week of church processionals, mass and people dressed up as Jesus doing the Stations of the Cross. On the Friday before Easter Sunday a lot of the major cities make these giant “alfombras” or rugs made of colored saw dust. They design them and make them all night Thursday going into Friday morning. It is very impressive. The rugs consist of many things… mainly the Stations of the Cross but also verses from the bible and pictures of Jesus and the family. They basically tell the whole story. It is so cool to see these people work so hard to make these extravagant works of art. We actually got to help a little because my Tulane friends Mary and Kendra were helping to make one! After they are all made then the procession comes and walks all over them and ruins them. The procession stops at each Station, reads the part in the bible and sings. Then the band plays the hymn and they continue on. Very neat!

It has been very hot here… so it was nice to go swimming in the river. I was a little weirded out by it at first. But, it seemed pretty clean and I was hot so Oh well!
Last week we have a cold front and by cold front I mean it was like 75-80 not the usual 95-100. Yea.. La Paz it hot.

I kinda got a cold thing going on. Sore throats are never fun, but I am on meds and getting better. My mom here won’t give me anything cold because they believe that when you are sick you shouldn’t eat anything cold because it will harm you. Very different from what I am used to because when I have a sore throat all I want is a popsicle! I have convinced her that it is ok and I will be just fine if I don’t have a steaming bowl of hot soup for lunch on a nice hot summer day when I feel crappy! They like to eat soup for lunch—I love soup, when it is cold- not when it is 100 degrees outside. We have made some compromises here…. instead of eating it for lunch, I just eat my soup for dinner when it is cooler outside (which is really weird for them because they also think that it also will hurt me).

I love learning all the different cultural things here… just learning about all the different beliefs they have is interesting. Alot of the main differences are the beliefs when it comes to illness...things you can and cannot eat. Very interesting. I try to come into it all with an open mind because these are their beliefs and I want to respect them. I am sure that there will be TONS more learning experiences to come.

Above pictures are:

#1-rug made of saw dust

#2-teaching the fam to color eggs at cultural day

#3-kids acting out the 3rd station of the cross

#4-little Jesus

Bienvenidos a FBT!

Hey everyone!! I am here in La Paz for FBT! My family is REALLY nice and I like it here a lot. My town is smaller and all the people are really nice. It is VERY hot and sunny. I am actually recovering from a burn I got this weekend. Hopefully it turns to a nice tan soon so I look less gringa-like.

I am excited to go swimming in the river for Semana Santa… I feel like everyone in my family is inviting me to go with them places so that should be fun. I don’t think I am going to get to go to Comayagua to see the alfombras but I will hopefully get to see some pictures. Apparently they make these giant rugs out of colored saw dust in the streets for the Friday before easter and then when the procession comes they ruin them all. Hopefully I get to go sometime in the 2 yrs I am here.

One thing that I noticed here in La Paz is that there is an over abundance of little ants. Those suckers seek out any and ever ounce of sweetness and attack. They are all over the place! I bought a jar of peanut butter and hadn’t even opened it yet and the nest thing I know they are all over it. I understand why families here don’t really stock up on food. It is more of a buy food on a daily basis or for the next few days. I am used to going to the grocery once every couple weeks and just having lots of food in the house. I think that is going to have to change.

I am starting to think of places I would like to work… we have technical interviews in addition to language interviews this week so I will have to talk to the bosses and see what they have in mind.

I am going to try to post some pics of my new house and fam.. so hopefully the internet connection isn’t too slow!

PS- new favorite fruit is MANGO! So good and so messy. Me encanta the mango!

Bienvenidos a HONDURAS!

Hola a todos!

So I am here, as you figured by now I am sure! I am loving it so far. The weather is nice here in the training site. We are on the side of a mountain and it is kinda chilly here, especially at night. The days are nice when the sun is out. I actually got pretty sun burnt last Sunday when I didn’t realize how sunny it was.
My health group is pretty cool … I think we have a lot of different people that bring all sorts of experiences with them.

My family here in Santa Lucia is great too. I have a 17yr old sister Elisa and a 25 yr old Sister Melissa. Melissa is married and has a 7 month baby named Genesis. Mom is in the house all day long watching the baby while Melissa works. My brother is also married and has 2 kids, Michol and Nayeli. They are always hanging around the house. It took me along time to figure out who everyone was but I finally figured it all out after many questions.

I was placed into the intermediate level in Spanish which is great because that is what we need to be at to pass and be sworn in! Class is long and tiresome. It gives me a headache because I am thinking so hard all day long. But it is getting better and I am learning a lot.

Haven’t been sick so far! But I am always anticipating the worst. We eat a lot of beans and tortillas. Tortillas with every meal you could imagine, soup, rice, eggs, meat, everything!

I will try to post some pictures of my room and things on here but the internet is kind a slow sometimes.

Adios!
Kristina

1st pic - sunset in Santa Lucia

2nd pic- my room

Crunch time

So less than 2 weeks! 13 days today to be exact until I leave for Staging. My Staging event is in Washington DC. I have never been there so I am excited to see a new place. I booked my ticket the other day- also very exciting but scary. It just makes this all so real. I have always known that this would come, i mean HELLO, I signed up for it. But it always just seemed so far off in the distance. But now here I sit with a big empty suitcase in my room.

I don't even want to attempt the packing, maybe I'll start this weekend. I have most of my things all gathered in a pile. I have been buying a whole ton of new stuff to bring, as most of my clothes I feel are not appropriate for Honduras.

I am nervous about my Spanish, because I haven't practiced all that much. Hopefully it all comes back to me pretty quickly once I am there. I still have some time to practice here so hopefully I can get that ball rolling.

So for now I am excited but also starting to get nervous. Nervous to leave all my my friends and family, nervous to meet all the people I am going with and nervous to live with my "Honduran" family.

Where is all the time going????

So.... just over 2 months until I leave for Honduras!! It is all still very exciting, however I am beginning to realize all that I need to do before I leave.... more like it all hit me today! Between figuring out how to pack up my life for the next 2 yrs, designating power of attorney, working out cell phone issues, seeing everyone before I leave and being with my family..... oh yea and lets not forget to mention school things which need to be finished in the next 2 weeks before I move home, I am going to be one busy lady and i might go crazy in doing all of this. Recently I have been reoccupied with all the school stuff I haven't really had time to think about the PC things and I know I am going to look over something important. If you can think of anything else I might have to do before leaving-- please let me know!

Also, I need to start packing my things up in my room... but i just can't bring myself to do it. Lots of things in my little room-- and no time to pack it up. You never really realize all the thing that you accumulate when you move to a new place. You move to a new place, not knowing anything, only coming with the things you brought from home and you leave with so much more... both material and not. I am going to be leaving New Orleans not only with an entire grocery bag of Mardi Gras beads, but with so many more memories and friends than I could have ever imagined making. This move is going to be so hard.

On a lighter note, after I leave New Orleans in december I get to come back in January for vacation with the fam and go on a CRUISE! with them and a bunch of my friends. It is going to be so much fun... but i know there will be some tears involved.

Wish me luck finishing everything-- lord knows i need it.

Senioritis

2nd half of the semester is finally here!!!....however the closer I get to my departure, the harder it is for me to get motivated to work. I think it is the fact that I know what I am going to be doing for the next 2 yrs of my life that is throwing me off.... and i just want to be doing it already!
I am getting sad to leave New Orleans and all the amazing friends I have made here. I need to start thinking of fun things to do before I leave so I can soak in as much of this wonderful city as I can.
I am also making up a quite lengthy xmas list with all sorts of things I am going to need for Honduras.... if you need any suggestions for gift giving just send me a message or talk to my mom-- she has the master list.
I am still in the back and forth stage about leaving..... I am super excited some days and then kinda freaked out others, but overall I am excited more than freaked out so that is good. The thought that scares me most is that I am going to go away and be forgotten about and when I get back that I will be so out of the loop that I cannot get back in. Hopefully I will get lots of lovin' from my family and friends back home when I am over there in the form of letters and packages-- to get me through those tough day-- hint hint.

Ok time to get to bed.