Mom and Dad in Honduras!

Hello everyone! Happy New Year! I hope this year brings nothing but the best for all my friends and family.
I had a great treat this holiday season.... my parents came all the way to Honduras to visit me and celebrate the holidays Honduran style (fireworks and all!). It was great being about to show them where I live and what I do... although we didn't get to actually do any HIV work because everyone was on vacation, I think they now have a better understanding of my life here. And the best part about it all was that I didn't kill them or get them sick! They made it back to the US of A in 1 piece and with many many stories. I am sure you are all going to here my father talk about the state of the roads and the driving in this country for YEARS to come!
Highlights of the trip... spending xmas here in Santa Rosa with the host family and stuffing ourselves full of tamales (a traditional Honduran christmas food).. checking out the Mayan Ruins-- way cool and huge!..... relaxing in the hot springs of Gracias and getting to the beach in Roatan (we barely got back!)
So minus being jammed in little vans full of campesino's in need of showers and almost getting puked on, car's breaking down and travel confusions and last minute changes of plans.... I would say the trip was a success and that nothing out of the ordinary for Honduras happened (maybe out of the ordinary for life in the states.. but ya gotta remember we are in Honduras here-- asi es la vida (this is the life)). I am so proud of my parents for coming here and opening their minds to this very different/interesting culture- Good job Mom and Dad!

World AIDS Day

So.... world AIDS day in Santa Rosa came and went unnoticed by most people. It was pretty much a bust on our half. I had made this whole big plan, including a parade, activities in the park and a play/candle ceremonyin the evening. But when it came down to it we weren't able to do anything!
The day prior to world AIDS day was the primary elections here in Honduras and because of this the government decided that the 1st would be a public office holiday. My counterparts used this to explain to me that we couldn't do anything in the park because there would be a poor circulation of people (i find that hard to believe cuz if they aren't at work where else are they going to be-- hanging out in the park like every other weekend). Well, in addition to this, there was also a public ordinance that it was prohibited to have any sort of public demonstrations before 3pm. So the parade and and gran bulla we had planned was a no-go. In addition to all this, the head people in teguc of my counterpart organization (organization dedicated to HIV work) decided to have their national conference the day following, Dec. 2nd, making it that much harder for us to do anything considering we have to travel 7 hrs to get to the conference(meaning leaving at 4am on the 2nd to get to teguc in time).
So seeing as we had to travel early in the morning to make the conference and the fact that it was a holdiay and the park activities were a no go due to the ordinance... they decided to cancel the event all in all. I was pretty disappointed because I really was looking forward to using this activity to show the counterparts the good work I can do, but I realize that I can't make anyone do something they don't want to do and if I am the only one who is really trying that it isn't going to work.
We were suppose to have a make-up world AIDS day tomorrow, but that also has fallen through.
I still really want to do something and so do the teenagers that work in the office with me, so we might try to plan something super fun and educative on our own. It is just hard for me to believe that the largest city in the west did not commemorate the day at all and I feel like we need to do something and do it ya!
At least I was able to stop by the festivities in Quimistan.. exposida in the park and a movie! Good work Katie! I am proud of your AIDs day activities and happy I could be a part of them.
eh...Life is difficult and frustrating. It is just one of those days! It really is "the toughest job you'll ever love"

The whole turkey day album

Here is the link to my thanksgiving day pictures. Finally finished up the left overs today!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2282996&l=36def&id=12301925

Thanksgiving- PC style

My yummy plate of food-- yes I ate it all... no help from my cousin Emily this year!

The family

The bird and suffing after cooking in the toaster oven for 4 hours

Key products I was able to find in Santa Rosa and San Pedro

The star of the show cooking in the toaster oven!

All in all thanksgiving was a great success. I was so happy to have most of my friends over and to spend the holiday with good company and good food. I am so very thankful for each and everyone of them and all the opportunities I have had to get to know all different kinds of people, from the states, from Honduras and from ther countries too! It was great that we could all come together to give our thanks and enjoy some delicious food! Good god.. i still feel full from all the good eats!

My savior these days!

At the waterfall!

The Waterfall

The whole gang taking a lunch break

Walking to the waterfall... right after this pic was taken my sandal got swept away in the river! Thank god Fernando was able to catch it!

View from the Cabins at the Girls Camp.

Welcome sign in Garifuna

The girls and Leala listening to the session.

HIV tot in San Jose with the local HS students.

Pretty picture I took at the cemetary in San Jose. All the graves were decorated for day of the dead.

I have recently feel in love with my space heater. I just got back from a trip to the coast helping various volunteers with their projects.

I first went to San Jose where Matt had his HIV tot. It ended up being pretty difficult and the kids at the HS were a little hard to handle because it was a night school and they were all riled up. All in all it after some yelling and constant asking them to listen the newly trained students got through their practica successfully and now hopefully understand how difficult it is to be in front of a group of students talking about HIV and sex.

From there I left pretty early in the morning for Tornabe where Jennifer and Amanda were having their abstinence girls camp. It was super fun and interesting to meet all the girls from various Garifuna communities (Tornabe and Sambo Creek). I gave a charla on friendship and taught them all how to make friendship bracelets. It was lots of fun and I can't wait to have a similiar type of activity here in Santa Rosa. And it was on the beach so that was a plus.

After the camp, I made my way to Sonaguera to see Mary's site and work on the monitoring and evaluation section of the new PLWHA tot. It was definitly a little toasty out that way especially since there was no ocean breeze to cool you off at night!

After M&E work, I made my way over to Santa Fe...a Garifuna community by Trujillo for my buddy Fernando's bday! It was super fun... we hiked to a waterfall to go swimming. AMAZING! I can't believe we actually live here sometimes.

After all that time in the sun and sweating my butt off... I finally came back home on Sunday-- just in time for the COLD FRONT! Apparently it was nice and wamer while I was gone... but now it is absolutly FREEZING-- hence my new found love of the space heater! I kept waking up lastnight shivering with my little nariz as cold as an ice cube! I need some more blankets. Brrrrr!

Yes... it is 6 feet tall mom

So mom doesn't believe me that my tree is 6 feet tall... so I need

to put a picture up that puts it all in perspective.

O' Christmas Tree O'Christmas Tree

Sooo.. I found a xmas tree at the super market. I am so excited about it and yes, I have alrady put it up... I think it adds something to the apartment.