I write these entries at home and then post them on one date....so these are a little out dated but still pertinent.
August 17, 2007
To think that I was even a tiny bit prepared for what Honduras had in store would be a huge exaggeration…to say the least. I have now spent five days in Talanga and words struggle to explain what I have seen, what I have experienced, and what I have felt. I have left all that was familiar and comfortable to me and now I have regressed to the communication skills of a two year old into a home that is not home yet in a land that is nothing like that of anything I am used to. Scary, yes. Exhilarating, yes. But mainly humbling.
I am humbled by my surroundings—by the dusty, unpaved, pothole filled roads that take me from one place to another and are the home to countless stray dogs and a handful of oxen, by the lush greenery and majestic mountains that tower over every landscape and take my breath away every time, by the rustic beauty of the aldeas where one house with four rooms is home to an already large and growing family, and by the sounds of roosters and dogs and trucks that wake me at night.
I am humbled by the people—by the patience of Isabelle to repeat word for word the simplest sentence in hopes that I might understand and then wait patiently for my jumbled response, by the joy of the children with teethless smiles and hearts that immediately welcome and spirits that have not been contaminated by any prejudice, materialism, or insecurity, by the genuine love of the people in hugs from elderly, perfectly wrinkled old women and in tears of appreciation for the present volunteers, and by the gentleness of two old ladies who walked through the streets of Talanga delivering the Eucharist in kind, warming silence with me.
I am humbled by the culture—by the ‘buen provecho’ uttered as anyone starts to eat a meal—or even just an ice cream cone and the sincerity with which it is said, by the constant visits from friends of all ages at all times and in return the open doors of all we pass, by the importance of giving and receiving and the constant reminder that what is given to me is a gift from above, by the excitement of riding in the back of a pick up truck with twenty three new friends over a river and many a bumps, and by the pride of being a Catracho, of being from Honduras.
I am humbled by my religion—by the beauty of being Catholic in a country where I do not speak the same language but I share the same ritual, tradition, and faith, by the simplicity of a one room church perched on a mountain side with a small altar, a wooden cross, and six wooden benches on each side filled with eager and curious faces and deep brown eyes that savor each word spoken, by the reverence of the Eucharist in the hora sante where even the coolest teenagers in town will kneel in respect and humility, by the living and constant presence of God that accompanies me on my journey to the internet cafes or to far away aldeas, and by the vigor and life that comes through in the music of a school bus full of parishioners traveling to a neighboring town to celebrate mass in the streets with firecrackers and song after song after song after mass that only end because of a rain shower.
And I am humbled by my emotions—by the incredible happiness I feel when I play with the street children that visit our house once a day to play the Dora game or play with Oso, by the admiration I feel for the old volunteers in seeing their tearful goodbyes and in seeing the ways they have touched the people we have met, by the frustration I feel when even the most basic Spanish seems to escape me and leave me with nothing but a smile or a shrug as an answer, by the pangs of sadness when I think about my family and loved ones and by the joy of the memories I share with them, by the anxiety I feel when wondering if I will make a difference or if I will learn the language, and by the peace that cannot come from anywhere but above that has cradled me and reminded me that this is where I am supposed to be.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Six Days.....
Holy Moly......
Only six days separate me from being in Honduras--from starting my journey, my year. I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by and I'm sure that this time next year I will be saying the exact same thing. Ever since I found out that I was going to Honduras, its always been so far away in the future..like months or at least weeks away, but now it is mere days away. Whenever big changes happen in my life, I spend the week or two before dreading them. I think of the worst case scenarios for EVERYTHING and the comfort of home and the people I love make the idea of leaving worse and worse. For those of you who know me, you know that I am awful at change.
But this time, I'm owning my weirdness of hating change and there is a definite peace. Since coming home from New York and orientation, I've come to accept that life is changing, but what a wonderful place in my life I am leaving and what excitement awaits me in a country of mystery and simplicity. With a quick, but wonderful weekend to Charlotte, I said goodbyes to the people with whom I have spent the last four years of my life. Some have only just entered my life and others have been there the whole time. Laughs were shared, some tears shed, but I realized once again how truly blessed I am...and how much sadder the weekend would have been if I didn't have so many wonderful people to say goodbye to.
Now I am home. Home sweet home. Spending my last couple of days with my family. Its wonderful. Its bitter sweet. But I'm happy and this is why....
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious--the knowledge of the existence of something unfathomable to us, the manifestation of the most profound reason coupled with the most brilliant beauty."
Only six days separate me from being in Honduras--from starting my journey, my year. I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by and I'm sure that this time next year I will be saying the exact same thing. Ever since I found out that I was going to Honduras, its always been so far away in the future..like months or at least weeks away, but now it is mere days away. Whenever big changes happen in my life, I spend the week or two before dreading them. I think of the worst case scenarios for EVERYTHING and the comfort of home and the people I love make the idea of leaving worse and worse. For those of you who know me, you know that I am awful at change.
But this time, I'm owning my weirdness of hating change and there is a definite peace. Since coming home from New York and orientation, I've come to accept that life is changing, but what a wonderful place in my life I am leaving and what excitement awaits me in a country of mystery and simplicity. With a quick, but wonderful weekend to Charlotte, I said goodbyes to the people with whom I have spent the last four years of my life. Some have only just entered my life and others have been there the whole time. Laughs were shared, some tears shed, but I realized once again how truly blessed I am...and how much sadder the weekend would have been if I didn't have so many wonderful people to say goodbye to.
Now I am home. Home sweet home. Spending my last couple of days with my family. Its wonderful. Its bitter sweet. But I'm happy and this is why....
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious--the knowledge of the existence of something unfathomable to us, the manifestation of the most profound reason coupled with the most brilliant beauty."
Friday, July 27, 2007
Orientation Dos: New York
Here is a post that some how didn't get posted from about two weeks ago....Enjoy!
Greetings from New York! A week ago, we made the seven hour trip from Pittsburgh to Riverdale and boy, was it a journey. Since we had the pleasure of driving with Father Lucian, it was a slightly scary ride...with some swerving here and there and some additional excitement. New York is very different from Pittsburgh. The retreat center is located right on the Hudson River and its beautiful. On the first night here, we got to watch the sun set over the river.
On Sunday, we ventured to Bed Sty to celebrate misa en espanol and had the pleasure of meeting Father Jim O'Shea. Father Jim has been living and working in the Bed Sty area for the last twenty or so years and seemed to know everyone who entered the church, walked past us on the streets, or stopped by at our barbecue. Bed Sty is located in Brooklyn, New York and is 95% Hispanic or African American. In many ways, I think this was one of the first experiences for most of us of being the minority. We, as well-to-do white Americans, were entering into a community that looked and lived lives very different to ours. After chowing down on some good ol barbecue, we engaged in a discussion with the members of the Bed Sty community about the ins and outs of being a volunteer and entering a new community.It was extremely eye opening and grounding to say the least. We were given the experience of taking a step in the shoes of the people of the community and what and how they feel when volunteers arrive. Later, we ventured to the streets where we heard thirteen year olds talk matter of factly about shoot outs between different project housing. We learned of the battle to build more affordable housing and we began to understand the hurdles this community faces. Hands down, this one day was the most unsettling and important part of orientation for me.
The week continued with presentations galore. If I was to list them all, well then we would be here for the next three weeks or so. But a zoom through the week would include a trip to the United Nations building, a mime to demonstrate the importance of symbols and ritual (I think), writing poetry, playing softball (yes...I did something athletic), some group sessions, and lots more.
One more week to go and my birthday too!!
Greetings from New York! A week ago, we made the seven hour trip from Pittsburgh to Riverdale and boy, was it a journey. Since we had the pleasure of driving with Father Lucian, it was a slightly scary ride...with some swerving here and there and some additional excitement. New York is very different from Pittsburgh. The retreat center is located right on the Hudson River and its beautiful. On the first night here, we got to watch the sun set over the river.
On Sunday, we ventured to Bed Sty to celebrate misa en espanol and had the pleasure of meeting Father Jim O'Shea. Father Jim has been living and working in the Bed Sty area for the last twenty or so years and seemed to know everyone who entered the church, walked past us on the streets, or stopped by at our barbecue. Bed Sty is located in Brooklyn, New York and is 95% Hispanic or African American. In many ways, I think this was one of the first experiences for most of us of being the minority. We, as well-to-do white Americans, were entering into a community that looked and lived lives very different to ours. After chowing down on some good ol barbecue, we engaged in a discussion with the members of the Bed Sty community about the ins and outs of being a volunteer and entering a new community.It was extremely eye opening and grounding to say the least. We were given the experience of taking a step in the shoes of the people of the community and what and how they feel when volunteers arrive. Later, we ventured to the streets where we heard thirteen year olds talk matter of factly about shoot outs between different project housing. We learned of the battle to build more affordable housing and we began to understand the hurdles this community faces. Hands down, this one day was the most unsettling and important part of orientation for me.
The week continued with presentations galore. If I was to list them all, well then we would be here for the next three weeks or so. But a zoom through the week would include a trip to the United Nations building, a mime to demonstrate the importance of symbols and ritual (I think), writing poetry, playing softball (yes...I did something athletic), some group sessions, and lots more.
One more week to go and my birthday too!!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Orientation: Blessings
Blessing
Def: 1. A thing conducive to happiness or welfare.
I am blessed and I think more than ever I am starting to realize that. We are on day six of orientation and when I look back on the days that have passed, I cannot help but take note of all the amazing people we have met so far. Everywhere we turn in the monastery, we are greeted with encouragement and support from a visiting nun, a funny priest, a local brother, or an extremely kind parishioner. And all go out of their to make us feel welcome and take a sincere interest in us. Father Joe, a native Pitts burgher, went out to buy a huge stash of Pittsburgh shirts and hats to teach us the Pittsburghese lingo. He also stopped me in the hallway this morning to check that everyone was treating us okay. Terry, a blind lady who is also the cantor at the church, is writing us a prayer in brail and text and cloned all of us after mass on Sunday because she said we were good people. Father Jerry not only spent his whole day today teaching us about the Passionist history, but he gave us a shout out at church. Patty, the associate we met, chatted with us when we came to find her and greeted us with big hugs before mass. We eat in the dining hall every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner and I cannot tell you how encouraging those times are. We meet person after person who wants to know more about what we are doing and who tells us they will be praying for us. And despite their age, they all remember our names (well most do.....)They tell us how nice it is to have young people in the monastery and they make us feel wonderful. But I think it is really our blessing to be staying here.
Def: 1. A thing conducive to happiness or welfare.
I am blessed and I think more than ever I am starting to realize that. We are on day six of orientation and when I look back on the days that have passed, I cannot help but take note of all the amazing people we have met so far. Everywhere we turn in the monastery, we are greeted with encouragement and support from a visiting nun, a funny priest, a local brother, or an extremely kind parishioner. And all go out of their to make us feel welcome and take a sincere interest in us. Father Joe, a native Pitts burgher, went out to buy a huge stash of Pittsburgh shirts and hats to teach us the Pittsburghese lingo. He also stopped me in the hallway this morning to check that everyone was treating us okay. Terry, a blind lady who is also the cantor at the church, is writing us a prayer in brail and text and cloned all of us after mass on Sunday because she said we were good people. Father Jerry not only spent his whole day today teaching us about the Passionist history, but he gave us a shout out at church. Patty, the associate we met, chatted with us when we came to find her and greeted us with big hugs before mass. We eat in the dining hall every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner and I cannot tell you how encouraging those times are. We meet person after person who wants to know more about what we are doing and who tells us they will be praying for us. And despite their age, they all remember our names (well most do.....)They tell us how nice it is to have young people in the monastery and they make us feel wonderful. But I think it is really our blessing to be staying here.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Orientation: Part Uno
Greetings from the St. Paul of the Cross Monastery in Pittsburgh! Orientation has officially started and though we have only been here three days, so much has happened already. After some rainy weather and a handful of delays, I arrived in Pittsburgh on Wednesday feeling a little nervous and having no idea what to expect. Earlier that morning, one of my fellow volunteers to Honduras had thought it would be very funny to jokingly tell me that he had decided to back out of the trip. Needless to say, I went into minor freak out mode and spent quite a while doing my darndest to convince him otherwise. Eventually I found out it was a joke and laughed quite a lot. On the arrival in Pittsburgh, we were met by Father Lucian (the founder of the program) and Karen (the director of the program) and spent the rest of the day catching up with old faces, new friends, and exploring our home for the next ten days or so.
Thursday brought us an orientation to orientation and an afternoon of life stories from the PVIs. In total, there are the four of us going to Honduras, six that are going to Jamaica, and two that are going to New York. It is amazing to look at where we have all come from and what we are bringing to the table. Between us all, we have travelled to Spain, done an archaelogical dig in Jordan, studied Spanish in Guatemala, and studied in London. Needless to say, everybody here is very inspiring and I am continually learning something from each one of them. Being surrounded by people with such passion and excitement is something I hope to not take for granted. At night, the Passionists held a vino y queso party for us. It was out of this world--mainly because we met Patty, a rowdy Pittsburghese lady with a huge personality and the best sense of humor. She taught us the ways of speaking Pittsburgh and told us the wonders of Kennywood.
On Friday, our workshops started with an in depth look into acculturation. We discussed at length the baggage we will bring as Americans to these new countries and the many cultural differences we will be experiencing. Thankfully for me, punctuality is not of high importance in Latin America and so we were told not to be too shocked if mass in the villages started a couple of hours late!!! In the afternoon, we were given time to explore and found a jump swing into The Mon (the river) and spent a while hiking down hills and climbing random sets of steps that seem to come out if nowehere! Luckily, there are a couple of huge Harry Potter fans here so some of us went to go check out the new movie and then listened to the Boogey Hustlers (a band) playing. There were some middle aged men breaking out some amazing dance moves and I was very impressed.
Today, culture shock was our big topic. We learned not only how to identify culture shock, but how to deal with it. We watched a video about foreign students and their first reactions to American cultures and such. As a foreign student (to a certain extent), it was strange watching them. In a lot of ways, I could very easily understand their feelings and perceptions of Americans but at the same time, I could also see the American perspective. I guess that is the blessing of being an American Brit. This afternoon, Father Lucian gave us a tour of Pittsburgh, his home town, and I loved it. If it didn't get so cold here in the winter, I think I might consider moving here. Tonight involved some serious pizza and ice cream eating and then a hookah bar!
Well thats a play by play of orientation so far. I doubt that the rest of my entries for orientation will be quite as detailed but hopefully this way you will kind of know what I have been doing here! Tomorrow, we have mass and then a free day. And the next week holds workshops on Adult development, the history of the Passionists, and some other interesting topics. I am very thankful for what I'm learning here and even this early on in the process, I can feel myself starting to really think about what I will be experiencing and how I will be feeling. There is a lot to think about and feel right now, but it is wonderful to be surrounded by people who are also feeling the same way and to be surrounded by people who care.
Thursday brought us an orientation to orientation and an afternoon of life stories from the PVIs. In total, there are the four of us going to Honduras, six that are going to Jamaica, and two that are going to New York. It is amazing to look at where we have all come from and what we are bringing to the table. Between us all, we have travelled to Spain, done an archaelogical dig in Jordan, studied Spanish in Guatemala, and studied in London. Needless to say, everybody here is very inspiring and I am continually learning something from each one of them. Being surrounded by people with such passion and excitement is something I hope to not take for granted. At night, the Passionists held a vino y queso party for us. It was out of this world--mainly because we met Patty, a rowdy Pittsburghese lady with a huge personality and the best sense of humor. She taught us the ways of speaking Pittsburgh and told us the wonders of Kennywood.
On Friday, our workshops started with an in depth look into acculturation. We discussed at length the baggage we will bring as Americans to these new countries and the many cultural differences we will be experiencing. Thankfully for me, punctuality is not of high importance in Latin America and so we were told not to be too shocked if mass in the villages started a couple of hours late!!! In the afternoon, we were given time to explore and found a jump swing into The Mon (the river) and spent a while hiking down hills and climbing random sets of steps that seem to come out if nowehere! Luckily, there are a couple of huge Harry Potter fans here so some of us went to go check out the new movie and then listened to the Boogey Hustlers (a band) playing. There were some middle aged men breaking out some amazing dance moves and I was very impressed.
Today, culture shock was our big topic. We learned not only how to identify culture shock, but how to deal with it. We watched a video about foreign students and their first reactions to American cultures and such. As a foreign student (to a certain extent), it was strange watching them. In a lot of ways, I could very easily understand their feelings and perceptions of Americans but at the same time, I could also see the American perspective. I guess that is the blessing of being an American Brit. This afternoon, Father Lucian gave us a tour of Pittsburgh, his home town, and I loved it. If it didn't get so cold here in the winter, I think I might consider moving here. Tonight involved some serious pizza and ice cream eating and then a hookah bar!
Well thats a play by play of orientation so far. I doubt that the rest of my entries for orientation will be quite as detailed but hopefully this way you will kind of know what I have been doing here! Tomorrow, we have mass and then a free day. And the next week holds workshops on Adult development, the history of the Passionists, and some other interesting topics. I am very thankful for what I'm learning here and even this early on in the process, I can feel myself starting to really think about what I will be experiencing and how I will be feeling. There is a lot to think about and feel right now, but it is wonderful to be surrounded by people who are also feeling the same way and to be surrounded by people who care.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Talanga...isnt that the name of the girl from Boy Meets World?
Thank my mum for the title of this blog. When she asked me for the twentieth time where exactly I am going, I told her Talanga and she responded "Oh isn't that the funny name of that girl from Boy Meets World?" (I'm very proud of my mum's TV knowledge).
Talanga will become my new home in just over a month so I decided to spend some time learning more about it. I think there will be a map of Honduras to the left. If you look on the map and find Tegucigalpa (the capital), Talanga is located North east above Danli. According to Wikipedia's description of Talanga, it sounds like I might need to bring my cowboy hat and some boots. Talanga is described as a wild, wild west town with dirt streets, ox carts, cowboys, and lots of stray dogs. It is home to 30,000 and relies upon agriculture--primarily corn, sugar cane, and livestock fodder--as its main income. In 2006, a sewer system was installed and there are a handful of internet cafes, an indoor market, and "well stocked hardware stores" (my specialty hahah). As for the atmosphere and the people of Talanga, Wikipedia says, "The people of Talanga are very friendly and one would be hardpressed to walk the main street without having people say "buenas" and starting conversations."
Well thats a snip it of information about Talanga and Ive posted the website address below if you want to read more. Also, if you go to the Passionist website and look under the Honduran service site, you will get a lot more information about the location and also what kind of work I might be doing.
I'm heading off to Pittsburgh on Wednesday for the first ten days of orientation and then its off to New York. I will try and update my blog at least once so that I can share with you the gems of knowledge I will be learning! Thanks already to the many people that have sent me encouraging notes on facebook, emails, and all the kind words--they mean a lot :)
http://www.passionistvolunteers.org/PassionistVolunteersInternational/pvi_servicesites.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talanga
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Two months and two days..
Welcome to my blog!
This is my first blog and my first entry, so forgive me if it turns out weird or kookie looking. Hopefully, this will be the start of many more blogs that will record the stories and adventures of my year in Talanga. I cannot believe that two months and two days from today I will be in Honduras. It has been a long journey to this point and it is incredibly exciting to know that only a short time separates me from actually arriving in Honduras. I will be moving to Talanga as a Passionist Volunteer. The Passionist Volunteers International is a branch of the Passionists that provide an opportunity for recent college graduates to live and serve in a community in Jamaica and Honduras. In total, there will be four of us (me, Amy, Matt, and Tyler).
As I mentioned before, it has been a long, exciting journey so far. It started in January with a preliminary application, a phone interview, the longest application Ive ever filled out, a Spanish interview (the most painful and embarassing interview of my life...hahah...mi espanol no es bueno), and then a discernment weekend full of fun, interviews, and new friends. In March, I found out that I had been accepted and ever since I have been amazingly excited. There is so much ahead of us and I cannot wait to experience everything.
Up next is orientation. We will spend three weeks in Pittsburgh and New York becoming oriented with each other....haha...Im not sure exactly what we will be doing, but it will be a blast and hopefully we will learn a lot and feel better prepared for our journey.
I found this quote today and I love it....
"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito" (Betty Reese)
This is my first blog and my first entry, so forgive me if it turns out weird or kookie looking. Hopefully, this will be the start of many more blogs that will record the stories and adventures of my year in Talanga. I cannot believe that two months and two days from today I will be in Honduras. It has been a long journey to this point and it is incredibly exciting to know that only a short time separates me from actually arriving in Honduras. I will be moving to Talanga as a Passionist Volunteer. The Passionist Volunteers International is a branch of the Passionists that provide an opportunity for recent college graduates to live and serve in a community in Jamaica and Honduras. In total, there will be four of us (me, Amy, Matt, and Tyler).
As I mentioned before, it has been a long, exciting journey so far. It started in January with a preliminary application, a phone interview, the longest application Ive ever filled out, a Spanish interview (the most painful and embarassing interview of my life...hahah...mi espanol no es bueno), and then a discernment weekend full of fun, interviews, and new friends. In March, I found out that I had been accepted and ever since I have been amazingly excited. There is so much ahead of us and I cannot wait to experience everything.
Up next is orientation. We will spend three weeks in Pittsburgh and New York becoming oriented with each other....haha...Im not sure exactly what we will be doing, but it will be a blast and hopefully we will learn a lot and feel better prepared for our journey.
I found this quote today and I love it....
"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito" (Betty Reese)
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