Missanblogic in Training in Honduras
Hello, family and friends! Wow, it´s been over a month since I left the states and I´m only now getting around to sending an update. Really, the only excuse I have is that this Peace Corps training is serious business! Every day Im at school from 7:30 until 5 pm and all but one of my weekends so far have had something scheduled.
Busy, yes. However, that doesnt mean that I havent been having a grand ole time! This has been one of the most sureal experiences of my life so far. Its as if Ive entered a time warp and am right back in highschool: from the regimented schedule, to my 3 square meals a day, to the constant stream of bad eighties music (which, apparently, I missed desperately?).
Really the only differences are that I never rode the bus in high school (whereas here, thats the only means of transportation) and that I couldnt drink more than 3 beers back then without losing my cool. My training group is exceptionally large--I guess theyre normally around 20-30 people whereas ours consists of 62! And for those of you that have forgotten, that makes for a lot of clicks when youre in "high school".
Anyway, my days consist of about 4 hours of spanish class, 3 hours of municipal development training, and an hour of classes to help me "adapt" to the new culture. Speaking of which, my spanish is coming along quite well--its amazing what one can learn when one lives with a family that doesnt speak english! H
ere are some funny anecdotes: I was at a V-day fiesta with my host family and had had a slightly upset stomache the night before. Just to be on the safe side my "mom" told me I should steer clear of the bbq chorizo (aka sausage). Later, my "uncle" asked me if I wanted any chorizo with my dinner and I answered, "No puedo tener chorizo ahora" (literally, "I cant have sausage right now") Everyone laughed heartily and it wasnt until later that my mom told me that "chorizo" is also slang for penis. Teehee. Heres another one: in spanish class my teacher asked me what I did over the weekend and I answered, "Yo tuve un burrito al mercado" (literally translated as "I had a burrito at the market.") Well, he laughed hysterically because I had apparently told him how I had given birth to a burrito at the market. And I was afraid my sense-of-humor wouldnt translate!
Just this past weekend I took my first solo trip to visit another volunteer in the south of Honduras. Talk about becoming immersed in a new culture--she had just married an Honduran man the week before I arrived and was planning to take him home with her to the states when she ends her service at the end of April! She was a municipal development volunteer as well and had done a ton of interesting and exciting things in her community. My visit there made me all the more excited about working here for 2 more years. Im sure theres a million details that Im leaving out, but I basically wanted to let y´all know that Im doing well, keeping busy, loving life, and thinking of you all.
As for those of you who have emailed or written me letters (ahem...), give me a bit of leeway to respond, okay?
As for everyone else, peace out!
