hn10.

we partied last night like it was 1995, 99, or whatever year you guys enjoy to party like. we were invited to dance at the house of the host family of our training specialist, and by eight o'clock, almost the whole PAM 15 group was there. i spent much of the beggining in the kitchen, helping the daughter of the lady who owns the house, cook enchiladas, the whole time insinuating that she should be out dancing, and not cooking. outside, at first, almost no one danced and it looked as if the whole thing was going to turn out ugly, kinda like a 6th grade formal, where the boys and girls sit apart, chewin on munchies, staring at each other. but with persistent nudging, a few of us got some honduran girls to start dancing, and soon, the whole group was rowdy. merengue, bachata, punta, reggaeton, even some hip hop, like snoop dog and that one song that goes, "you know i like you, i know you like me, you know i liiikkkkeee you, i know you like me", or whatever. can't seem to remember now. by the third or fourth song, we were being pulled out to the center by different hondurans, everyone competing over the gringo boys. it was kinda flattering. at times it was awkward, as certain girls were there with their boyfriends, who would watch as we twirled their ladies around the yard. but when we apologized and tried to explain, they just laughed, and didn't seem to care. by 11, everyone had a regular dance partner, in my case the daughter of the lady who owned the house, and we danced and laughed til after 1 am. now, im in my bed, trying to sleep off the soreness, but the fucking chickens wont stop clucking.

i am now in zarabanda, our first site here in honduras. tomorrow we finally get our specific site assignments, no bullshit. hopefully, everyone will shut up about where they're going, and will somewhat relax, for the first time in weeks. i'm personally very tired of hearing everyone's guessing game, always discussing the possibilities. no one seems to notice that the location matters little, its the work that counts. but whatever, let them have their time to wonder, hope, and argue. tomorrow, everything will be different. as for now, i'm happy. exstatic to be honest. i spent the afternoon in teguz, part of it in the hospital doing an x ray, but for no reason. so i fell a few weeks ago, running in cleats down a dirt road, and twisted my ankle. today, when i asked a pcmo about it, she told me that it was necessary to do a radiografia, so that they could check if it was broken or fractured. i let them, mostly because it meant a trip to teguz and the peace corps office. i ended up getting 10 new books to read, checking my mail, chatting on the facebook. it was refreshing to be able to connect again, if only just for a few hours. but im getting used to it, living outside of the network, away from the constantly updating pages and blogs, news feeds. it feels nice. more time is spent with the family, talking, watching movies, cooking, writing. but yeah, for now, there isnt much more to say. maybe tomorrow, or this weekend, ill write again, hopefully something more exciting.

so it's official, i'm in. i'll be sworn in next week, and by the 26th ill be in copan. more specifically, ill be arriving to my site, las capucas, de san pedro de copan. there, for the next two years, i should be working with coffee certification, organic farming, home gardens, and even possibly, hydroelectric power and lobriculture (i dunno if its called that in spanish, but it means earthworm farming). it should be an awesome experience. apparently, i will be living with a really sweet family, in a beautiful house that overlooks the mountain at 1600 meters above sea level. I'll be right at the base of celaque. i'll apparently have electricity, an office with internet, hot water, and all sorts of amenities that make no sense for a PAMer. many of my companeros no tienen luz, or hot water. definitely not internet, la red, como quiera. but that's alright. life is what you make of it. ill have an opportunity to work daily with the common farmer, improving techniques of cultivation, organic fertilizer and pest repellents, and anythign else that can improve the sustainability of the coffee industry there. although i may spend some time indoors, i plan to be in the field as much as possible, sembrando with the campesinos, cosechando, y platicando. look that up in the dictionary if you need help, google should be enough. other than this, life is about the same as before. my familia aqui en zarabanda, is awesome. increible. they treat me as one of their own, and i try to repay the favor as much as i can. today, i acted as doctor, and patched up my little sister who cut her face on some barbed wire, o alambre de pua. she was running through the yard, where my older host brother is constructing something, and she didn't see the wire that was stretched at face-level. she ended up cutting her cheek all the way up to her nose, and splitting her gum open with the resulting fall. when they brought her to me, she was sobbing quietly, but surprisingly strong. she didn't say anything, but you could see that she was showing an incredible restraint, amazing for a girl her age. i cleaned the wound with rubbing alcohol, and she didn't flinch. "does it sting...pica?" i asked. she nodded, but not even a tear. i applied antibiotic lotion, and asked her to rinse out her mouth with salt water. she obeyed, without a word. afterwards, she sat on the bench in front of me, head bowed, tears running down her cheeks. but she wasn't hysterical by any means. it was stammering. i then proceeded to act like an idiot, and she began to laugh. i don't think that i had felt as good in quite some time. it was so wonderful to see her smile, even as the pain clearly still hid beneath.

so it seems i spoke too soon. i wont write anything specific now, but mel zelaya is back in honduras. things might change. ill keep you all updated. peace. cuidanse.