Since the big bomb dropped a week ago I have had a little time to process what’s going down in our post right now. And I definitely don’t understand it all at this point. Regardless I am going to explain as much as I can….
So I was day 3 into my marvelous trip back to the states. My bro and I were having great time in DC. I got to go to his office on Capitol Hill, then he took me to a cool bar full of Cincy fans as we watched the Bengals whoop up on the Rams. We also got to take a VIP tour of the Whitehouse while it was decorated for Christmas which was really amazing (pictures on flickr). I was working hard on my list of “food I want to eat while in America” so you can be sure I was consuming plenty of sushi, Thai food, cheddar cheese and bloody marys.
On December 20th while I was chillin on Stevens couch, flipping through eight bajillion channels of cable, I received an email that was sent out to all volunteers currently serving in Honduras. It was from our Country Director and stated that a mutual decision had been reached by both PC Honduras and the main offices in the US. Basically the decision was to pull all volunteers out of Honduras due to the increasing violence and other problems here.
There will be a mandatory meeting of all 150 of us in mid January where we will meet with staff and Reps from DC. Hopefully more of our questions will be answered there. After which, we will all be sent home for a mandatory 30 days while these Reps evaluate and assess the overall safety of this country and determine how bad things have gotten and if PCVs can still safely work here. After the 30 day period, us volunteers will be notified as to whether they decide to reopen the country for service. However, everyone in my training group (H16) and the one after us (H17) will be close enough to our 2 year commitment that they are sending us home for good. Those of us in H16 will have the opportunity to COS (Close of Service) officially with all the pomp and circumstance of those who finish their service normally. Technically we would only be four months shy of the end of our service. Everyone else is offered what they call “Interruption of Service” which just means their two years were cut short due to circumstances beyond their control.
In the email it stated that, after the 30-day assessment, there is a possibility that they will reopen the country and allow a very few dedicated volunteers of the most recent training groups (H18 and H19) to come back under restricted circumstances. However given recent events and some of the crazy stuff that has been all over the newspapers I find it hard to believe that anyone will be coming back at all. But that’s just speculation.
There has been chisme for months about the possibility of shutting down Honduras as a post, especially since a Peace Corps volunteer was shot in the leg during a bus assault several weeks ago. She is back in the States and recovering, but it really shook many of us and was a startling realization about how bad things have gotten. After all, having your wallet stolen is one thing, but when a person’s life is in danger, well that’s something else entirely. Still, I was in denial that they would make us all leave, especially since I was getting close to finishing my service on time. But it seems the decision has been made.
Bottom line for me: I am going home around January 15. Although I don’t know the exact date or where we will be leaving from. Or the manner in which they will be sending us back. I do know that I don’t seem to have any choice in the matter and needless to say I’m not happy about it. In fact I’m quite devastated. Just when things were getting really good for me in my site, I am being made to pick up everything at the drop of a hat and leave my site and never come back. This feels oddly familiar. Oh yes, that’s because I did THIS VERY SAME THING SIX MONTHS AGO.
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[deep breaths]
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[more deep breaths]
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So now I am back here in Taulabe, after a fantastic but all-too-short trip back to the states. It was hard to really enjoy my holiday to the fullest because I was preoccupied by the mess I was coming back to. Not to mention we are all on Standfast here in country which is just PC lingo for being quarantined. Any and all travel has been cancelled and we have been threatened within an inch of our lives not to dare leave our sites. Which means our NYE trip to the beach in El Salvador definitely won’t be happening. It looks like I will be spending both New Years and my Birthday with my next door neighbors and their plethora of children and fried chicken. It could still be fun though. Not exactly what I originally had in mind for my 25th but it will be unique, that’s for damn sure.
Right now my next steps are breaking the news to work partners in town and also planning a swift but completely adorable graduation ceremony for my Yo Merezco class that wasn’t supposed to be done till mid-February. I also have a sick feeling growing in my stomach because there is doubt over whether I can bring Bernice back to the states with me or not…
In looking at my calendar, I’m realizing I now have exactly two weeks to wrap up all of my other work projects, pack everything, say my good-byes and then get out of town. Only this time I am leaving Honduras for good, done with my Peace Corps adventure. I am still kinda numb to the idea. Especially since there are so few details that have really been confirmed so everyone is still very confused about everything. I’m definitely not ready to go. It’s sudden. It’s unfortunate. And it’s heartbreaking. And don’t ask me what I’m going to do when I get back. One hurdle at a time, please.
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hasta la proxima vez…
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-Sarita y el hermanito
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