Getting Here

So I'm finally in Honduras. It has been an interesting trip so far.

I packed all night on Sunday and wasn`t really done packing at 5:30 am, when I was supposed to leave for the airport. It was a tough pack for a variety of reasons:

Reason #1: I'm packing for 2 years.
Reason #2: I won't know where I'm going until the 8th week of training. It could be near
freezing at night or 100 degrees everyday, depending on where I am.
Reason #3: My baggage has to be under 80 lbs. AND I have to be able to carry it (up mountains,
through rivers, etc.) No bag can be over 50 lbs.

Let's just say that on the way to the airport, I was taking stuff out of my bags and when I actually got to the airport, I took out some more stuff. As it had been a very emotional pack, it was a very emotional goodbye to my parents. When I got inside the gate, I sat down and the girl beside me saw the Peace Corps patch on my bag and asked me if i was going to Honduras. It ends up that Susan was also going to Honduras for Peace Corps. Que casualidad!

After an exciting 2 day pre-departure orientation in D.C., a 6-course middle eastern dinner and a last minute Reese's peanut butter cup, mac & cheese and crayon shopping trip, we were ready to go.

We had to be checked out of our hotel rooms by 2:30 am. That was quite fun. I didn´t sleep at all because I was making my "last calls" until 1 am. Don`t worry, calls are only 9 cents/minute here and when I get a cell phone, you can call me and I won´t be charged (although you might...) So those calls were definitely not my last.

We left the hotel in D.C. at 3:30 and arrived at 4:00 am. There was already a long line to check in. So we waited for about 30 minutes and then people started freaking out. A lot of people arrived late to the airport and had earlier flights than our group of 50, so our group was put aside and we waited for about 2 1/2 hours while all of the other travelers went around us. So our group of 48 Peace Corps Volunteers checked our bags between 6:30/6:45 for our flight that boarded at 6:45. Nice. Then we had to go through security. Somehow we made our flight, just as they were closing the gate.

In Miami we caught our connecting flight. It was delayed an hour and the gate changed 4 times. We arrived in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras (which will be referred to as "Tegus" from now on.) Then we immediately took a yellow school bus to Santa Lucia (the city where I will be living for the next 3 weeks). It is a picturesque little town in the mountains with cobblestone streets and great views of Tegus. We didn't find out any information about our host families until we were on the bus. (This made it very hard to choose host family gifts ahead of time).

After a brief host family orientation at the Peace Corps training center, we met our host families and went to our new homes. I got lucky. My host family is very nice. My host mom and dad are 50-something and I have 2 host brothers, 1 host sister and a parrot. My brothers, Marcio and Jairo, are 20 and 15. My sister, Iris, is 17.

My parrot's name is Polly. It is green and loud and very entertaining. It also bites. (I haven't made the attempt to try to pet it yet. Maybe one day I'll muster the courage. Right now I think he hates me. At least that's what I've gathered from his high-pitched screeches when I get to close to him.) My family alternates keeping Polly on a little ladder in the living room and a chair outside on the patio. It's a free-range parrot and doesn't have a cage. Polly enjoys eating sweet bread with coffee. He's quite the sophisticated parrot.

My family's house is located in the city centro (downtown). This means that I live only 10 minutes away from the training center. Some of my friends have to walk 30 minutes to get there. I also am blessed with the centro ambience. Our neighbors listen to their music very loudly (with their windows open, of course). Good thing it's good music. I rather enjoy it. We also live next door to a pool hall, so when our TV is not turned on (let me assure you, it almost always is), you can hear the collision of pool balls.

My family's open-air house is very simple with a living/dining room, 3 small bedrooms, 2 small bathrooms, a tiny kitchen and a patio/courtyard in the middle. But is also very neat. Everything is extremely clean. There are almost no bugs. I have only used by Bugzooka once (if you haven't heard about the Bugzooka yet, it is assured that you will in a future post).

Just to let you know, I have electricity, an electric shower (which provides me with lukewarm water) and a washing machine. However, these conditions, although nice, are definitely temporary. After training I may or may not have electricity, will most definitely have bucket showers and will wash my clothes with a washboard. AND, there will most likely be bugs...

I'll post some photos soon. If anyone wants to write to me or send me anything (Reese's peanut butter cups, brownie or cookie mix, skittles, etc.) feel free. Here's my address:

Beth Mayberry, PCT
Voluntario del Cuerpo de Paz
Apartado Postal 3158
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
America Central