hn5

my entries from the past 2 weeks. long read, but some interesting stories.
part1.

So, instead of doing real work right now, i feel like writing an entry and maybe doing some reading. Today was one of the best days of training, and i know that i need to put it down on paper before it slowly fades in my mind. It all began with two lectures by current volunteers that have both been involved in improved stove projects. alright so what does that mean exactly? well, i guess i should start by explaining what an improved stove is and what a regular one is. in honduras, the majority of the rural population cooks on wood burning outdoor or indoor stoves, usually consisting of just a small burning chamber and a metal sheet on top. well, this stove, or fogon, or hornilla, depending on who you ask, more or less blows. there is significant heat loss due to lack of insulation, and the smoke just goes everywhere, so people develop all sorts of respiratory diseases. in order to fix this little problem, you know, death and illness and what not, a few smart people have developed a number of designs which improve on the basic stove concept. the one which we constructed today is definitely the most awesome one i've seen so far, as it includes an oven as well as a stove top. basically the wood is placed in a compartment which lies above an oven space, while at the same time heating the steel plate above. the whole system is more or less closed except for the wood opening and the chimney, so smoke is directed up and away from the person cooking. and, the whole system is well insulated by ash, sand, rocks, and a special clay mixture, or mezcla de barro, which keeps the heat in the oven, and not outside in the air where it can't cook anything but nearby insects. plus it only takes a few hours to build, and lasts forever, since its easy to clean and maintain. all in all, our group built three of these stoves around the community, and the families who received them, will now have improved cooking conditions for quite some time. awesome. oh, and crazy story, speaking of insects, so, last night i went outside to find a moth the size of my face sitting by the lightbulb in the garage. to be more precise, the wingspan was approximately the length from the tip of my middle finger to halfway down my forearm. i shit you not. when my family saw it they freaked out, because apparently it is an omen of death. since it was pointing at my room with its massive head, my family suggested that i get it as far away from me as possible. well, i ended up shooing it away for about 10 minutes, and once it was gone i decided to go back to my room. as i turned to open the door, i froze, as before me i saw a tarantula, about the size of my hand, yes thats right, my hand, sitting on my doorframe. apparently the moth was right to some degree, but maybe it was more of a warning than an omen. i thought about catching the tarantula in a soap dish, but when i returned, it was already gone. hopefully its nowhere near my room or
bed. speaking of which, im going to sleep. buenas noches. que duerman bien ustedes.

part2.

there are gunshots outside right now. for real. people are driving around the streets, screaming, and shooting into the air. but it has nothing to do with the coup. in fact, its a celebration, as honduras just won 4-0 against costa rica. it was incredible. but the festivities right now are even more startling. as soon as the game ended, you could hear the shouting in the streets. it will probably last all night, just as it was when spain won the eurocup last year. then, madrilenos went crazy in the streets, destroying store fronts and flipping over cars. we'll see what happens when honduras plays in the world cup. in other news, i tought a class today to 50 raging children, cipotes, between the ages of 6 and 13. it was awesome. we focused on garbage management, with 3 activities, one to introduce everyone, another to pick up garbage on the soccer field, and the last to show the decomposition times of different types of trash. the whole thing was totally wild. the kids surprisingly paid attention, loved every moment of it, and even took every opportunity to teach one another. when asked about the diference between organic and inorganic garbage, one responded with a statemement, "organic comes from the earth". "and what do you do with organic garbage?" we asked. "you make abono, or compost", said the child. he then proceeded to explain to the rest of the group how that works, and what you can do to minimize unnecessary disposal of organic waste. it was nuts. anyway, i need to spend some time thinking about this, and i will write more tomorrow once ive simmered a little.

part3.

so a few things have happened in the last few days that i need to write about, if not for anything but memory sake. i will read all of this one day and laugh. regardless, first let's start with yesterday. the whole morning, from 5 30 til 12 was spent working with a local farmer, florentino macias. we spent a large part of the day cortando monte, chapeando, or cutting tall grass. we did this with a machete and a ganchito, or a stick more or less, which was difficult and grueling. why they dont just use scythes, i dont know. maybe that can be a project of mine, reinventing the way hondurans cut grass. anyway, we also spent some time moving some corn around, talking about the farm, his family, coffee, and more or less everything else that was around. we could have eaten watermellon, but some highschool kids destroyed the whole crop and so, well, there wasnt any. i guess i should add that this farm is used as an educational area by the local high school, so it was technically their watermellons, but still, no reason to have destroyed them. punks. but anyway, now, i have big blisters on my hands, a little farmer tan, and quite a lot of new experience. ok, number two, i bought cleats today. or tacos, as they're called here. i even used them to some success in a game against some hondurans today, although they still wiped the floor with us. it was embarassing but fun, and i think it will now become a regular past time. i played better than i have ever before, but i still have a whole world to learn. maybe within a few months, ill be able to hold my own. regardless, it was awesome, we made some new friends, and now we have become even more a part of this community. on a different note, i got a ride today from a dude by the name of hector, who builds houses using some new technology. basically what they do is mix dirt, or clay, not sure exactly which, with cement, and then, press the mixture into blocks that look like legos. this then allows them to construct the house in such a way that doesnt use any rebar, and very little cement overall. basically, its awesome. too bad the machine that does the pressing costs 40, 000, but still maybe that can be refined. its kinda like the compacted dirt method from mexico that we learned about on a trip to this integrated farm place that we went to. i should write about that, but im too tired. but there is something else, something that im not exactly proud of but i feel i need to share with all of you. i killed today. i took a life, without much emotion actually. not that i enjoyed it, but still, i was surprised at my apathy. granted, it was only a chicken, and a chicken that wakes me up every night at 2 am, but still. it was strange. we took it, tied it up by its feet to a fence, and slit an artery by its ear. it bled out quickly, without much resistance. we then boiled it to defeather it, then removed the organs. apparently you can eat the half-formed eggs that are still inside, along with the gizzard, right i think thats what its called, the thing where the rocks are. the rest, well you all know you can eat the heart, the liver, and the chicken itself. apparently we'll roast it tomorrow, and make soup, which im very excited about. i felt some sadness as i watched it bleed but, and now that i think about it, i pity the poor animal. but it kinda makes me think about all the chicken that i have eaten in my life, and at least now, i know what happened every time i needed some legs and thighs. i took some pictures, so you guys can see the final product. dont worry, i didnt take pictures of it dying, i thought that was wrong. but i did take a pic once it was dissected, just for curiosity sake.

part4.
again, its been some time since I have written and I felt obligated to provide some sort of update. this past week has been busy, like most of the time. a number of days were spent getting hands on experience, whether it was learning about organic chicken feed, coffee production, or natural fertilizers and pest repellents. On tuesday, we gave a little talk, charla, to people in the community on how to improve the health of their chickens, with the information we learned last week, and now at least one of the farmers is employing the new technique, which is awesome. on wednesday, i was asked by a local community leader to give a speech on stove building, so now we are getting a group together to construct another improved stove and at the same time explain the process to some local people. although the material cost is somewhat high, the improvements from the design are even higher, and the people who chose to upgrade will save on wood cost and healthcare costs very quickly. why do i say healthcare, well because the number one reason people here go to the clinicas is because of respiratory problems, many of which result from cooking in smoke all day. our stove, if it works right, prevents that. sometimes however, there are flaws in the construction, like there was with the one we built the first time, so tomorrow I will be going to rebuild that. or at least fix some of the problems with my fellow trainees. I have also been discussing projects with my host fam, so it seems that we will be building a chicken coop and a water filter within the next few weeks. whether or not these projects will actually get done before i leave is a different story, but i hope that at least something will get started. its the thought that counts in the end. i feel like there is so much more to say, but i can't remember anything specific. im going to go back to writing every night before i go to sleep, so maybe that way nothing will get lost. at least you guys have this. cuidanse. nos vemos.

eighteen. hn4.

so, i forgot to bring my flash drive with me, so i will not be posting pictures or new posts until next week. for those of you that may be concerned about my status, everything is fine and dandy. hope all of you are well. i will post everything as soon as i can, but for now, i wont write as i dont want to be repetitive. pues, hasta la proxima vez. cuidanse.

seventeen. number 3 from HN

alright, so i finally found a spot in a nearby city with a sweet internet connection. i posted pictures for you all to see of the last few weeks, as well as two other long posts from when i didnt have the web. as for now, not much has changed. training has been going well, and now we are getting into the hands on stuff, so im pretty excited. we built levels with some high school kids, to measure terrain slope of farm land to minimize erosion. which was awesome. tomorrow we´ll be building improved stoves with 2 volunteers, and later in the week, we´ll be spending a whole day with a local farmer. each one of us with a different one. awesome. we´ve hiked through the nearby mountain to look at the original spring used by the town to obtain water, talked to the mayor, played soccer against the local team, and more or less have begun to integrate ourselves into the community. today, i went to church, for the first time, and it was interesting. in between the beautiful music, sung and played by church members, the pastor, priest, father, whatever he´s called, spoke of believing in christ, citing the example of the jews that doubted jesus. that part was interesting, but i guess i shouldnt have expected any less. it is that way in the bible. i have also been growing closer with my extended family. my uncle is the juez de policia, or police chief, and we spent some time these past few nights talking about cultural differences. my grandma owns a pulperia, or convinience store, in town, so we spent last night at her house, drinking pepsi and talking about life, the states, and how i should be called victorino, after a tele-novella character. i dont know how i feel about that yet. anyway, that´s about it. for now, im gonna go and research commericalization of the production of vegetables for my spanish class, so i will talk to you all later. espero que todo este bien. que les vaya bien.

oh and just in case: http://picasaweb.google.com/dgersh

sixteen. number 2 in honduras. so read the first one.

this is my second entry from honduras, which will be posted along side my other one, but this one, well, it's about my new life here. so we changed families once again, and my luck has still yet to falter. knock on wood. tfu tfu tfu. that's me spitting over my left shoulder. anyway, my new host family is dope. they're younger than any other one i've had, but they're really awesome nevertheless. my host dad, who's only 29, works as a cable installation guy. he spent six years living in the states, in colombus ohio actually, working in construction, but he returned home to be with his wife and three kids. when he first got back, he bought himself a bus to work as a driver from here to the nearest big town, but the job turned out to be lacking in profit, so now he works with one of his brothers as a cable guy. he loves it. his other brother is the chief of police for the whole municipality, and we spent part of the evening discussing beuracracy, and how the junta de agua and patronato function. basically, im with the best people to learn from. my host dad can teach me construction, while my host uncle can tell me about the functionality of the govt. im set. otherwise, training is going well, although slowly. my spanish is improving greatly, in fact, i may soon start writing the majority of these entries in both spanish and english to practice. maybe. no promises. but i am getting pretty comfortable talking about all sorts of topics, so, maybe ill achieve some level of fluidez pretty soon. i'm excited. otherwise life has been pretty slow. i found a scorpion among my things the other day, but it was sleeping, so it was a piece of cake to smack with my shoe. i keep encountering wildlife here on a regular basis, and have been snapping some pictures, although I don't know when I'll have an opportunity to post them. hopefully soon. for now, i'll just save them and hope you guys get to see them soon. alright, so for now, ill go, but i will think of more things to write as soon as we learn them in tech training or whatever. miss you all. nos vemos.

part 2. so i have learned much in the last few days here in honduras. i built a wall with my host brother in zarabanda. this happened before i moved to my current site. i learned how to mix concrete with ease, how to build a foundation, how to lay cinder blocks atop something called a castillo, or an iron housing which supports the blocks. basically, i feel comfortable now in constructing a home for myself. not really. but im getting close. other than that, i learned how to wash my clothes using a pila and a rival. so a pila is the way wather is kept here in honduras. since communities don't have continuous running water, they fill these huge concrete tub things in the morning, when there is water, and then they use it all day long. well, the cement thing is called a pila. the rival, is a washboard built into the pila. so, i washed a whole load of laundry using only my hands, and it was awesome. i feel like i'm almost ready to move out on my own now. again, not really. but im getting closer. otherwise, i have spent the last few days trying to suck up as much spanish as possible. for example, when my lock broke today on my door, i had to go and buy a candado nuevo de la pulperia, que queda en la esquina, close to my house. how you like that? a little spanglish for you guys. alright, for now, cheque. me voy. nos vemos.

fifteen. first real one in honduras.

so guess what guys? i'm finally in honduras. i'm not sure when i'll be able to actually publish this, so i will add to it as my experiences, well, accumulate. first and foremost, i guess i should give a time and place to this portion, as my location will be changing drastically over the next few months. today we arrived in tegucigalpa around 11 am. the landing was awesome, since teguz is situated in a valley surrounded by mountains, the plane had to dive quite quickly, almost grazing a major highway, and stop on a runway about the size of my drive way in brunswick. it was sick. we were picked up by peace corps representatives, and taken to zarabanda, the town where we will be staying til sunday. btw, right now, is tuesday, july 28th. anyway, we got to see our training facility, which is situated in a bosque de pinares, or pinos, both of which mean pine. its beautiful. the mountain air is cool and fresh, and while in dr we were sweating immediately upon arrival, here we need sweaters at night. its wonderful. the training staff seems nice, although i don't yet know any of them, so judgement will have to be passed later. luckily, our training director is awesome, luis estrada, a peace corps employee with a life story that puts many to shame. basically, if there is something you have wanted to do at one point in your life, he's probably done it, twice. anyway, the best part was yet to come. i met my host mom, who picked me up at the school, and she turned out to be wonderfully sweet. a gentle and pious woman, mi mama, is one of the kindest, gentlest, host mom's i've ever had in all my time abroad. she lives with her son, his wife, their 3 year old daughter, who's adorable beyond belief. next door, live her other son, his wife, and their two kids, one of whom is the coolest little boy ever. we spent the day exploring their garden, where i tried to learn as many plant names as possible. we played with a turtle, went to the nearest pulperia, or little store, ran with their dogs, and mostly spent the evening playing games and laughing. i spoke to the family all day, as much as i could, about everything from the current political situation to my own family tree. i even cooked with the dona, and got to enjoy the bandera hondurena. the honduran flag, or staple dish, includes a starch (potatos or rice), habichuelas (beans), platanos maduros fritos (fried sweet plantains), un poco de carne (a little meat, in this case some fried egg), and mantequilla (which is not butter here, but a kind of buttermilk sour cream thing, which you put on top of plantains, and its awesome). everything was topped off with some coffee, which is made in an interesting way here. while boiling the water, sugar is added directly to the pot, before the coffee, which gives the whole brew a sweetness that is very distinct. to be honest, i loved it. so far, honduras, is, well, great. if everything continues on this path, i may want to move here when i get old. maybe. but then again, it's still too early to tell. heh. anyway, hope all is well with you guys.
7.30 i am in love with this country. where i am right now, reminds me of my childhood in russia, and it brings about an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. the pine forests, country living, the smells, the sounds. everything brings back memories of our derevnya, or dacha, all the years spent running around the forest, breathing the fresh air. and now, i'm living through it all again. except here, there are wild horses, amazing tropical plants, insects ive never seen before. yesterday i explored the land that belongs to my host family, and my host brother introduced me to more than 40 differnet species of plants, including vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals. here they grow everything from beans, corn, plantains, coffee, and other standard staples, to pomegranates, mandarin oranges, guava, passion fruit, mango, and every tropical fruit imaginable. they grow their own basil, and other herbs. medicinal plants. everything. its mind blowing. shit, for now, my battery is about to die, so i will continue this tomorrow. til then.
7.31 my host nephew has amazed me more and more with every hour that i spend with him. although he is extremely young, maybe 9, or 10, he already has a deep understanding of the natural world. he can identify any plant, or animal, insect, anything that lives or passes through this area. he understands how they interact, how they change through time. he talks of metamorphosis in the same way other kids talk about power rangers. every day that i have come home from school, he has invited me out to explore some system with him. we went to the pantanos (marshes), watched caballos salvajes, poked around a large vernal pool, even hiked through a forest in the dark, looking at termites in a dead standing tree. this kid is everything I wish I had been at his age. i sincerely hope he goes to college, and does something green, because I can see greatness in him, and maybe one day he'll save the world. just like i've been saying i would be doing at one point. what's even more amazing, is that the whole family is like that. it's not boyish curiosity that drives the kid, it's constant reinforcement from his dad and his uncles. they all work constantly, either at their jobs, or on the family farmland, producing most of the family's food in their own backyard. at the same time, they recognize that the world they live in is fragile, and they make a serious effort to defend its vitality. the catrachos, or hondurenos, respect their surroundings, because they understand that their lives depend directly on the survival of what's alrededor. they also seem to know about everything else that is useful. for example, the two brothers, both in their late 20's or early 30's, spent most of the evening fixing the front frena, or brake, on the one brother's moto. i think his name is manuel, but I forget. i'm terrible with names. regardless, within about 2 hours, the two had tested every aspect of the brake, found the issue, which was much more complex than intially expected, and repaired it without even breaking a sweat. now the motorcycle stops on a dime. too bad i can't ride it, but now i'm completely envious of their mechanical knowledge. hopefully, by the end of these 2 years, i will be able to do the same. too bad i will only be living with this family for 2 more weeks. i know i will find equally capable people elsewhere, so maybe i still have a chance of making something useful out of myself.

fourteen. i think

alright, so this is not a real post but a quick update. first of all, im in honduras. second of all, i have limited access to the web, much less than before. maybe once a week. i have been writing entries on my computer at home, but i cant upload them until i come here to this crummy internet cafe. but today, i forgot my memory stick, and so will not be posting anything substantial. i have a phone here, so if any of you wanna call me, email me and ill give it to you. dgersh@gmail.com . alright, hope all is well. i will come here hopefully on sunday, and post some pictures and some entries, but no promises. peace