hn-something or other, it's been so long that i don't know which one i'm on now

i think this blog is on its way out. i haven't written in months, and i my desire to write deminishes with every day. this isn't because there's nothing to write about, it's just that it's all the same. and the less originality there is, the less need there is for it to be public. but if anyone cares, here's an update.

in the last couple of weeks another volunteer (by the name of xiah) and i trained 10 local development technicians in the use of GPS and ArcGIS technologies, which will now allow them to be able to better manage projects, create proposals, and explain their efforts. all in all the workshop was an incredible succcess, with people staying late almost every day to play with their new toys. we even gave out little certificates to everyone, which was a nice touch (all thanks to xiah).

during this same time period, we also began distributing materials for the garden project, which has been a hot mess. apparently promises of delivery in this country (and possibly everywhere) mean jack shit, and things that i should have already given out to people, i am still awaiting with growing impatience. how hard can it really be to buy some transparent plastic sheeting and load it onto a truck? really. however, the good part is that we're distributing stuff out, people are putting up their fencing, and overall i can't complain. on a different but connected note, the project got picked up by USAID and will now have technical support for the next 5 years!!!!! bam!!!!

finally, solar panels are in. being installed as we speak. nuff said.

otherwise, life is awesome, just came back from a long vacation, going to take another in may to go diving, and yeah. basically thats it. if i had stories to tell you, i would, but even the most ridiculous things now seem normal, and rarely stick out in my mind. i guess that's part of life. i don't really know how people blog actually. i understand those that rant on current events, that is totally doable, since you have an unlimited fountain of absurd material, but anything else?

some thoughts

ok, it seems that this blog is basically on it's last leg. i haven't written in a long time, and to be honest, i don't know if i have much of a desire to continue. i enjoy writing here, but for the last few months there hasn't been much to talk about. work is about the same, constantly busy, trying to figure out the now and the tomorrow. socially life is the same, same crew, same places, same party. andrew came here for two weeks and that was pretty awesome, and there are lots of pictures, but at this time i dont want to post them. now erika is here, a friend of mine from rutgers, to volunteer at the coop, and that should be pretty interesting as well. in terms of news, there really isnt much to say. wednesday supposedly, and i say supposedly because these plans have been changing continuously for the last six months, anyway, wednesday, the panels are coming to be installed. also, on the same day, we go to buy materials for the garden project, and hopefully that aspect of the effort will also be complete. luckily, this mostly depends on me, so there should be few problems if i can help it. if i can handle everything for the next month, all of my major projects should be in full swing, with little effort required on my part (that is if local counterparts pull their weight). this means a little travel, a little relaxation, and a whole less stress. maybe then i will write some more. but for now, that's it.

just a thought...

so about 6 months ago I called a meeting. close to 150 people showed up, on time... now that says a lot for a town my size, and I thought that I had had a breakthrough. you could say that i felt integrated, so integrated, it was like i was one with the town. not only was i a member of the community but a respected one, supposedly.

that day we decided that the town was interested in one project in particular: vocational courses. we selected a number, 12 to be exact, from the list that had been provided to me by the local vocational institute, and we elected (from a set of volunteers), 12 coordinators, who agreed to wrok with me to make these classes a reality.

today was the first meeting of many where we were supposed to begin the process of getting these classes moving (you may ask why it took 6 months to get here, but that can be attributed to a number of reasons, including the coffee season, the institute, and everything else possible). finally, we were at this magnificent point. and 4 people showed up. 4. out of 12. go figure, right? you think that after getting 150 people to show up (and i only invited 40!!!), i could get 12. fuck no. apparently integration is a lot harder than i thought. i wonder what people really think of me here...

time to write

i think this is the first time that i have gone silent for over a month. i guess it has to do with my work, all the running around the country that i have been doing for peace corps business, but in the end it's mostly been my lack of initiative. my apathy. i just didnt feel the need to write. and to be honest, i still don't really feel like it. at most i think i can say the following:

every single day here is new and different. you think you know the situation, the people around you, the projects you are working on, and then one little thing can change all of that. it can throw you off your path, set you in a wild depression, make you smile, bruise you, and in the end, it all seems to matter very little. the scope is so much greater than any event, any occurence, any one person, that it's all the same. to me, it feels like the pressure has been lifted. because when you know that anything you stress about is miniscule compared to other things that millions of people have to deal with in the world, all you can do is smile, and hope that what you're doing may make a small difference for someone else. hopefully positive, of course. i know that this is pretty generic rubbish. most of it you have heard before. but hearing it and experiencing it is very different. saying you're a grain of sand is one thing, but seeing the rest of the sand box is a whole different matter. and the less you think about what you have to do, and the more you look around and feel it, the bigger the box seems.

hn58.

i'm back, and this time with three minor complaints:

well no, not so much complaints as commentary. i think the reason it may come off as a complaint is mostly because of my lack of cultural experience. Or maybe not. For you to decide.

1) honduran gas-less gas stations and chicken-less chicken places

When you read the sign SUPER POLLO what is it that you imagine? A chicken with a cape? Maybe a chicken so good you could only describe it with the word super? Well at least, you would think chicken I hope? But the last thing you would expect, upon entering such an establishment is a complete lack of chicken. Right? Unless I made an incorrect turn somewhere between the front door and the heated tray counter? In fact, I think there's a large humanoid chicken flexing his biceps out front? That I think should have been a dead give away, no?

Different situation, similar point. I'm sitting in the back of a pick-up as it approaches a gas station. Man pulls up to the pump. He waits. The attendant, currently lying in the doorway of the gas station convinience store, mutters under his breath: "No hay gasolina". That means, there ain't no gas for all of you who don't speak spanish. Then he laughs and returns to his nap like state. Would you find that shit funny? And it's the only gas station in 20 miles. There are convinience stores all over town that sell gasoline by the gallon at double the price (I'm not sure how safe or legal that is, but that's not the point), but the f-ing gas station is all out. Not that they don't have ways to call in the gas truck in advance or anything. Right?

2. Bathrooms in honduras don't always reach the ceiling.

If you were constructing a house and you had a choice of having the bathroom be sealed in by 4 walls and a ceiling/floor combo OR have walls that only reach about 6 feet up and then abruptly stop, which would you choose? Because using a bathroom where the top four feet are open to all curious spectators, and let's hypothetically say connected to a dining room, is not the most confidence inducing experience...In fact, it maybe one of the most nerve racking moments of my life. Especially for something that usually only provides calm and happiness.

and 3 will have to wait. maybe there really wasn't a 3 after all.