Proyectos

So yes, as you can probably tell, we’ve had lots of fun here in Honduras. But while these occurrences are hilarious and worth telling here to you all, they actually only compose a small portion of my time here (don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying everything I do here, but not everything is as easy to put into words). To let you all know that it’s not all play and no work, here’s some brief insights into the work we do.

Escuelas: I spend most mornings working in a local school. Each volunteer has his/her own school. My school is called “Melgare,” and for better or worse I’ve been assigned to the second grade there. While eventually the hope is that we will help with charlas (small lectures), for now we have basically just been learning Spanish (I’m proud to say that I almost speak Spanish as well as a 2nd grader (that’s not something everyone can say)). For whatever reason, I think teachers just like to have a gringo in the classroom (gives the kids something to focus on other than fighting amongst each other). Also, my rising popularity on the airwaves has caused my teacher to routinely ask me to read during class, but more on that…

Telerivista: This is a weekly television program that we go on to basically read a story to kids, talk about what projects we’re doing, and take phone calls from friends in the community. The other guys and I have begun to take this pretty seriously (at first, we just came up with funny voices for the different characters, but most recently we expanded to titures (translation: puppets (specifically sock puppets complete with backgrounds and props))). We probably have more fun reading the stories than anyone has listening to them, but the jury’s still out on that one.

Beisbol: Coaching baseball. Basically what it sounds like. I think I’ve talked about it in a previous blog, so yea.

Latrinas: A project I’ve really gotten into is the Latrine project in Corralitos, one of the surrounding aldeas. Basically, people lacked adequate facilities to accommodate waste management and disposal, so latrines seemed like the obvious solution. This project in particular has exposed me to some of the… difficulties involved in coordinating a project between local people, government, and a funding organization. While the project has been great, the opportunity it has provided to meet the community has been even greater. Not wanting to play favorites, I find myself always eager to make the hour long drive to Corralitos.

Casa Pasionista: The Casa is actually the reason that the Passionists are in Talanga. Started in the 80’s, this house was made to be a shelter for people suffering from VIH/SIDA (translation: HIV/AIDS). Due to misunderstandings about the disease itself and people who become infected, the house was originally intended to be a place where individuals could pass on in peace, receiving care and companionship. However, with advances in the treatment of this disease, these individuals now can live (relatively normal lives). Oftentimes outcast from their communities and in the worst cases their families, the Casa has now become a permanent home for these individuals. Our presence in the house has little medical basis, instead embodying the spirit of accompaniment by acknowledging their basic human right to live a normal life.

Visitando con los Enfermos: Each week, the other volunteers and I accompany visit the homes of sick members throughout the community. We go to share in conversation, to exchange the stories of our lives. I can only hope that take as much from these interactions as much as I do.

In truth, the goal of our time here is simply to live amongst the people, accompanying them in their daily struggles and successes and hopefully being able to contribute something through this interaction that will be of benefit to each of us.