Farmer Jose and his Razor cell phone

So Morazán is a funny place. It's definitely a land of contrasts. The most obvious example of this is the ubiquitous Motorola Razor cell phone. There's nothing more out of place than this device, but I'd say that 50% of the population has one or at least a similar phone.

This is a common scene:

So I’m walking down a dirt road and I hear a ringtone like “Born in the USA” or some Daddy Yankee reggaeton song. I look around and who pulls it out of their pocket? The old farmer man in the cowboy hat, boots and dusty clothes.

Everything is very appearance-based here. A family may have a house made out of dirt, cook over a fire and eat only beans and tortillas, but they have a nice cell phone.

Technology-wise, life here is probably a lot like the US in the 50s. However, with the influx of US dollars from remittances, there are lots of anachronisms. For example, cell phones, internet, laptops, plasma TVs, cable TV, playstations, SUVs, etc… Most of the money from the US does not seem to go towards basic needs or everyday life, but towards luxury items.

Everyone laughs at my cell phone because it is very bottom-of-the-line. They call it my ladrillo (rock). They say that if someone stole it they would give it back to me. But hey, that’s fine with me, as cell phone theft is extremely common in this country.

I was voted most likely to...

So I forgot to mention it before, but at the end of our Peace Corps training, all of the volunteers filled out surveys voting on which trainee was most likely to do what. I was voted "Most likely to live in Honduras forever" and "Most likely to contract the most tropical diseases." At least I wasn't voted "Most likely to have a donkey accident".

I'm from Mitsubishi

So the other night some of my host family´s friends were over at my house. They asked me where I was from in the states and my host mom answered, "She´s from Mitsubishi." She meant to say Missouri. It was really cute and everyone laughed. It's now a running joke that I am from Mitsubishi.

Soon I will change my mailing address

Sometime soon, I'm going to get a post office box in El Progreso (a city an hour away), as Morazan does not have a post office. My other box will still be open during the 2 years, but I will only be able to pick it up when I go to Teguz. But if you've already sent a package, don't worry. My program manager and trainer are coming to visit me in the middle of October, so they'll be able to bring my packages with them. Also, I will be in Teguz on November 26 for vaccines and I'll be able to pick up packages then.

I just wanted to thank everyone for the packages and letters they send me!

Thanks Loretta for all the awesome stuff you sent me! I am getting out of fried breakfasts here by telling my family that I need to eat the Smart Start (my favorite cereal) that you sent me before it ruins. My family loved the gifts that you sent me. My friends and I have devoured the Reese's peanut butter cups and skittles you sent me and I am going to have the Macaroni for dinner one of these nights. The frisbee was a bit hit with the grandchildren here.

Thanks Mom and Dad for all of the cool stuff that you send me! The card games all get used and the sidewalk chalk too. I've eaten all the food. It was yummy. The newsweeks have been nice. I think that I got your last package with pens and stuff, but it is in Teguz and I'll probably get it in mid-October.

Thanks Beckers for the nice card! It was so nice for you to think of me! Tell Matt hi! It sounds like everything is going well for him at TCU!

Just in case anyone wants to send something, but doesn't know what to send, here are some ideas:

-Recipes (you can email these)
-Spices (black pepper (doesn't exist here), italian spices, indian recipes
-Crayons
-Markers
-Card games or board games
-Children's books in Spanish or bilingual
-Teaching English as a Foreign Language materials
-Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
-Seeds that I could plant in a garden (ex: green beans, broccoli, sweet corn, basil, anything really. I'm not a big lettuce or green pepper fan.)

My first day at the Colegio = Riding the Mechanical Bull

So on my first day at the colegio (middle school/high school) there was a big fiesta because it was the 33rd anniversary of the school. The party lasted all day and included a mechanical bull. (The first time that a mechanical bull had come to Morazan.) So what else could I do but ride it? So I borrowed a cowboy hat and rode the bull. And what other song would they put besides La Chica Sexy (The Sexy Girl). The songs goes (in spanish): The girl moves sexy. The girl moves sexy. The girl moves rico. The girl moves rico... Etc... So, it was awkward/ridiculous/hilarious all at the same time. I didn't have my camera, but Nicole, the other volunteer took a picture of me on my disposable camera. So whenever I get the photos developed and find a scanner in Morazan (should be interesting task...) I'll put those up. But it definitely made an impression because now all the colegio kids say, "Hola Ana!" (my name in Honduras)in the street.

Things I take for granted in the US

Air-Conditioning - My room averages between 87 and 89 degrees. I know this from my alarm clock with thermometer. My family recently put a fan in there. Then I turn the fan on, it is a cool 84-85 degrees. (And this is the colder season! I've been warned about May, June and July.) I'm becoming a little bit accustomed to the heat. For example, when I first arrived I laid on my bed dying of head. Now at night, I have to turn off the fan and cover up. I've seen my room get down to 79 degrees on cooler nights. That's really cold for me. Then I have to put on pants and a long-sleeved shirt and use a heavier blanket.

Warm/Lukewarm Water- I take a freezing shower here. Most of the time from a bucket. In Santa Lucia, I had semi-warm running electric-shower water. In Cantarranas, I had a lukewarm bucket shower (because my host mom would add a bit of boiled water to the bucket). But here, I have a bucket of very cold water (sometimes I have cold running (better described as dripping)water). I'm starting to get used to it, but it's definitely not something I look forward to.

Not getting eaten alive by mosquitoes - So there is one window in my room without a screen. Why? I have no idea. I asked my host family if I could put a screen in it. We'll see... Also, some of the other screens have holes in them. So here is what I do every night. So I'm in my bed reading and about to go to bed when they come... Bzzzz...Bzzzz...Bzzz... Just a mosquito, right? No we're talking about a mosquito herd. There are always between 5 and 15 mosquitoes in my room at night. So I spend about an hour a night mosquito hunting. I used to chase them with my bugzooka, but that's just too hard and inefficient as there are always so many. So I've resorted to using my Peace Corps folder to smash them against and wall or floor. The thing that sucks is that my ceiling is very high and they hang out there where I can't reach them. So I wait sneakily and sometimes I throw stuff at them to make them scatter so I can't reach them better. When they're high on my wall, I have to stand on my bed and jump to hit them. I'm sure this must be humorous-looking. Then when I think that I've killed them all I lay down to go to sleep. Then, Bzzz... there's one that I didn't get. So I turn on the light and start hunting again. Hopefully this weekend I can put up my mosquito net up. The problem is that with such a high ceiling, putting the net up is logistically complicated.

Privacy- What's that? There is no lock on my bedroom door, so people just come and go as they like. The grandchildren are always in my room and that's probably why I haven't had a chance to write blogs. My windows do not shut, so if I am talking on my phone everyone listens in. I spend all day with other people. Good thing I like people, because in Honduras, there is honestly no way to avoid people or get a small bit of privacy. Everyone wants to know exactly what you are doing at all times. Gossiping is huge here. If you are walking down the street with someone on one side of town, within 24 hours everyone on the other side of town will know.

Silence- That doesn't exist here. Here are just a few sounds in the 5 am -9 am range. Roosters going crazy, chickens pio-pioing, pigs whining in a high-pitched voice, dogs barking, children screaming, people welding and sawing in the metal workshop, the neighbors reggaeton music on full blast, guy chopping firewood in our backyard. Lady singing while she's cooking, car honking, doors slamming, TV blasting, people eating breakfast and talking loudly on the back patio (right outside my open window that doesn't close. So let's just say that sleeping in on Saturdays is not an option. I might invest in some earplugs.

Fruits and Vegetables - They are just not really eaten here. The food is good but very bad for you and very fried and greasy. The only fruit that I've had in the last 2 weeks: grapes and apples that my friemd Luis gave me because he felt bad for me. Here is what I have almost EVERY meal, minus 1 or 2. Tortillas, beans, rice, hard stinky cheese, fried or scrambled eggs, avocado, mantequilla (that sour cream and butter mixture) and fried plantains. Everything is also fried in manteca (lard). So the avocado is the highlight of my meal, as it is the only thing that hasn't been fried. However, when I live in my own house or apartment, I will be able to cook. They do have broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, tomatoes, apples, grapes, pineapple, bananas and watermelon here.

My work in Morazan

In Morazan I have been assigned to work with 3 organizations:

Vision Mundial Regional (World Vision Regional)

Here, I will be helping develop the HIV/AIDs Education Program. I will be giving training of training workshops on a variety of HIV/AIDs related topics to teachers, community extensionists and students and helping start up microbusinesses for people with HIV/AIDs. The office is really excited to have me here. Everyone is very nice at the office. There is actually air conditioning at the office (What?!) My counterpart is very nice.

Vision Mundial PDA Morazan(Programa del Desarrollo de la Area)= World Vision Area Development Program Morazan

Here, I will be helping out with the Jovenes Emprendadores- Youth Entrepreneur Program. I will be helping youth start and manage microbusinesses. I will teach them how to do market studies, set prices and market their products. Right now there are 2 food and 1 smoothie microbusiness. I am helping a group of 10 youth ages 10-14 start a food microbusiness in an aldea. I will probably also work in some of the other programs. And in the aldeas (villages) where they work I will try to start programs for youth.

and

Instituto Polivalente Francisco Morazan = Francisco Morazan Vocational Middle School/High School

Here, I will give charlas/workshops and trainings on a variety of subjects. I also would like to start up a sports program, as there is not one now. I'd like to start soccer, basketball and volleyball programs (and maybe baseball as Peace Corps may be able to help us get equipment for that). Also, I'd like to start a Latin Dance club, as everyone here wants to know how to dance salsa, merengue, bachata and cumbia. I will also probably be teaching economics and business-type classes from time to time.
My counterpart, the school counselor is very nice. I go to her apartment a lot and drink cuban coffee. Her husband is from Cuba and she wants me to teach her salsa.

BUT, I don't have to work just with these organizations. I can work with anyone I want. I'd like to work with the kinder and primary schools. There is no English program in the primary schools and I have a Peace Corps program that I could get funds to implement there. Also, there is a library that I could get Rieken Foundation sponsorship for so that they could get new books and internet. Also, there are other organizations in the community that I could work with such as a women's microfinance business and a Pico Pijol tourism development business.

I'm excited!