Sorry I have been MIA for a while. A lot has gone down in the past month since I last updated, most notably I was on an epic cross-country backpacking trip with some girlfriends from back home and yes, that blog post will be published soon. Here is a quick summary of what has happened since the news of the site change:
I got back from mid-term meds in Teguz. “Mid-term meds” is what we call our half way point check-up where everyone in their respective project groups makes a pilgrimage to the offices in the capital so the PC doctor can make sure we are not slowly dying. We each poop in a cup and talk with a doctor and dentist and whatever other specialists are required. Good news there: no cavities, no skin cancer, no stomach parasites. Boo-ya! But as soon as I got back to Olancho, I had to start the dreaded process of packing and saying good bye and making preparations for the move.
Saying goodbye to everyone in town was beyond hard. My host family, my neighbors, my friends and work partners… I didn’t have time to properly say goodbye to everyone and I didn’t want others to feel like I forgot about them. To remedy that problem, I actually attended three (yes three) different despididas (going away parties).
One was a paintball fiesta at a balanario with a bunch of other PC volunteers that came to bid us goodbye. That got out of hand is such a fun way. And Im going to leave it at that…
Five of the six displaced Olanchanos
The second despidida was with some local Honduran friends in a cave in Talgua. We actually brought drinks and coolers and snacks and lights and had a little party about half a kilometer deep inside the largest cavern room. Unfortunately we didn’t consider the issue of seating when considering a cave as a venue, so we mostly just stood around on the damp floor. But it was fun and unique nonetheless.
Vane, Paola and Carolina
The third and final fiesta was thrown by the mayor and his wife of our town in Real and was specifically in honor of my sitemate, Julian, and I. The secretaries in the municipality grilled carne asada for about 50 people and the mayor gave a really nice speech about us and the nature of volunteerism and social service. Then Julian and I were put on the spot and we each had to make a short speech. Also my close girlfriends from town came and one of them (will remain nameless) started crying which in turn made me cry…
Throughout all this despedida-ing, I finally got confirmation that I am moving to a small town called Taulabe. It’s located near the large city of Siguatepeque in the central region of the country. [insert map] Without going into the drama surrounding this decision (can she go, can’t she go, is there a safe place to live, will it be ready in time…) I am pretty happy with this outcome. I know from previous traveling that I like this overall region and so far I’m hearing really good things about the Taulabe. It is a small mountainous town with a little bit of a tourism industry and potential for ecological projects seeing that it is part of a national preserve. My future site has other advantages:
- 3 hours away from the boyfriend (as opposed to 12
- A few short kilometers from Lago Yojoa, the largest and most visited lake in the country. There’s an American-style brewery, national parks, lodges, hiking opportunities etc. Lots of cool stuff to do.
- Since it’s up in the mountains it will supposedly be a few degrees cooler than El Real.
- There are already a PCV living there who can help me get adjusted and fill me in on all the little details so I don’t have to figure everything out on my own (post office, bus schedules, etc.).
- Oh and check out this rando youtube video about my new site
Naturally there’s a snafu in all of this (why wouldn’t there be?). Actually, there are two. First of all, the town where I will be living is not the same as the town where I will be working. I have to commute to a much smaller and more rural village to work at the health center/clinic. But I can’t live there because it’s not considered safe enough (and why would it be?). There’s actually a much longer and logical explanation to why I will be a commuting volunteer but honestly I haven’t the energy…
The other little snag is that the house in Taulabe that my boss selected for me, isn’t exactly ready yet. From what I understand there is an old lady that won’t be moving out till next week. But I HAD to get out of Olancho by Friday June 3rd because that was the arbitrary deadline that our safety and security officer declared.
SO on June 3rd, my amazing boyfriend worked with Hector, the PTS of the health project, to load up everything I own into a small truck and drive it six hours to my new town. Seriously though – these two men should get an award for their ability to fit a ton of cumbersome and oddly shaped items into a small vehicle. I think Brent described it as one really heavy game of tetras.
There was only one casualty: the plastic baby gate that I bought to keep Bernice in a confined area was wedged between mattress and box spring and then strapped to the top of the car. At some point in the six-hour-drive, the baby gate got loose and, well, fell out. Hope to God it didn’t hit someone’s windshield or cause an accident or something but honestly we will never know…
Since my new house “isn’t ready yet”, I left all my stuff with a current volunteer in Taulabe. Lucky for me, she has a large house with one entirely empty bedroom for me to fill with my stuff (Thanks Teresa!!). So there it will wait until my new landlord says I can move in. In the meantime, I spent about two weeks traveling with friends from home – who had booked their trip long before there were rumors of a move for me…
Which brings me up to date. Yesterday I spent 14 hours on various busses from Guatamala and now I am staying a Brents house and desperately seeking someone with a pick-up truck to help me move the monton de cosas into the new pad. After which I will begin meeting my new counterparts and hopefully start working and getting adjusted to my new town. Again.
Sheesh.
It has been a truly exhausting couple of weeks. Oh and have I mentioned I’m flat broke? Through no fault other than my own, I managed to spend literally every cent I had between the move and the backpacking trip so now I am paralyzed until we get paid by the PC for the month… Emotions have been high and my patients have been running pretty low. I’ve got an even busier couple of days ahead of me. Ill update again soon.
:/
