House Guests

Soooo... everyone loves the occasional stop by from visitors. I have alot of them in my house...Matt, Sarah, Katie, Anna... the list goes on! Well, this morning I had quite the unexpected visitor! Recently it has been very cold in Santa Rosa and rainy -- for the last 3 days, but thanks to the warm long sleeved fleece PJ's my dad got me for christmas, I have been able to sleep nice and warm...... and apparently so has another. I woke up this morning around 6am and i felt a little scurry along my arm.... i open my eyes to find that a MOUSE has been sleeping IN MY SLEEVE!!! I immediately freaked out-- called my parents in the states to see what I should do. A MOUSE... IN MY SLEEVE!! SOOOO GROSS!I am still in disbelief! I mean everyone wants a cuddle buddy but I am sorry little brown 2 inch long creatures aren't exactly my type.
I noticed that he had run down under the bed so I assumed he was living in my suitcase. I closed the door so he couldn't get out of the room-- i figured better if I know where he is than let him wander around the house. I took all the suitcases out and nothing... no mouse! I moved all my clothes around and little bags... nothing-still no mouse. I then decide to check the mattress to see if there is a hole in it, in which he could have escaped into.... I lifted the mattress to find my furry house guest sandwiched between the mattress and the boxspring- worst yet, he was still alive. I tried sitting on him, jumping on him but because the mattress is soft he was still alive. I finally called in the reinforcements-- my host sister Michelle. We devised a plan of her lift the mattress, I cover him with a plastic yellow bag and then she smush him with a hard book. After some failed attempts-- due to the nerves... we finally had him covered with the yellow bag with the book on top and now we just had to squish him. I didn't want to kill him, but sadly enough it was the only way it could happen. After the smush... I grabbed him with the bag by the tail and threw him out the gate.
Poor guy (at least I hope it's a guy and there aren't any baby mice around here)...at least I know he had a good last meal from the half eaten Reese's Cup I found the other day-- that is what you get for eating my Reese's little friend... don't mess with a girl's chocolate stash!

The Aftermath!

February Already!

Hello everyone... so I am still trying to get over the fact that it is 2009, but it is even harder to believe that I have been in Honduras nearly a month (Feb 13th makes 1 yr exactly). Crazy how fast time flys. It has definitly been a hard year, adjusting to life in Honduras, working/trying to start projects..... but all in all it has been a successful year. I think one important thing that have learned in this past year in Honduras is more of what kinda of person I am. Alot of inner-reflextion. I have lots of time to think and just be myself without the influence of anyone else. It is a constant learning process and I have a whole year left to process it all.... but you sure do learn alot about yourself when you are ripped away from all things familiar and forced to survive in a foreign land without a familiar face in sight. I am constantly surprised at the things I am able to do now on my own.. things I never thought I would ever be doing (homemade bagels and making all sorts of food from scratch, spend hours doing absolutlely nothing but not even be bored, washing my entire wardrobe by hand, rediscovering my love for books, forget about the television and just disconnect from the world....etc). It is tough to be so far away from everyone and sure there good and bad days-- but it is just one big learning experience and I think it is important to take the time to sit back and soak it all in. I feel like alot of the time in the states we never give ourselves a minute just to reflect... to think about who we are as individuals and what kinda of person we are trying to be. Just to pause for a second and look inside- back on life and the events that have happened.... to give yourself 5 or 10 minutes just to process it all. I have had lots of time to do this and sure.... I think that sometimes it confuses me more but the more and more I am able to relax and give myself a moment just for me-- i am able to discover things about myself I didn't even know existed. You all should try it.... just look back on your day or week. What happened? How did you handle the day? Why did these things happen? Are there things you would do over--why and how would you do it different? Just take a minute, breathe, relax and reflect. Sometimes we have to step back and work on us a little bit.

Fotos from xmas

Finally some pictures from Mom and Dad's trip!

Christmas Dinner with the Host Family

The jam-packed bus that I put mom and dad on.... I swear they stopped to get EVERYONE!

Moto-taxi ride!

Fresh off the plane... when the car broke down- typical Honduras!

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!