2005.08.25: August 25, 2005: Headlines: COS - Honduras: Blogs - Honduras: Personal Web Site: Peace Corps Volunteer Karen writes: The day finally came—the day I boarded my last bus out of Colomoncagua
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2005.08.25: August 25, 2005: Headlines: COS - Honduras: Blogs - Honduras: Personal Web Site: Peace Corps Volunteer Karen writes: The day finally came—the day I boarded my last bus out of Colomoncagua
Peace Corps Volunteer Karen writes: The day finally came—the day I boarded my last bus out of Colomoncagua
Now that I am looking back on the entire experience, I realize that more than anything I have done or contributed, the Peace Corps for me has been a journey into understanding myself and where I came from. It sounds strange to say that because my ancestors are not Latino. But at times, living here has felt like a journey back in history to the lifestyle my grandmother must have experienced in her village of Münnerstadt, Germany during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. It too was a rural, agrarian village ravaged by economic depression and limited educational opportunities. Like in Colo, she lived in a place where gender roles were strictly defined. She served my grandfather every single day of their life together just as so many women here serve their families and that defines who they are. Like many of the young women from villages in Honduras, my grandmother completed her formal education in the seventh grade and began working as a house servant at age 14.
Peace Corps Volunteer Karen writes: The day finally came—the day I boarded my last bus out of Colomoncagua
Thursday, August 25, 2005
From karenscheuerer@hotmail.com
Dear family and friends,
The day finally came—the day I boarded my last bus out of Colo. On that 5am busito, before dawn had poked her head, I shed tears for the community that had opened itself up to me over the past two years. I didn’t cry because I wanted to stay longer or because Colo necessarily needed me. No, I wept for each of the Colomoncagüenses (inhabitants of Colomoncagua) who had shared with me their struggles, their trials and tribulations, their dreams, their humility and common humanity.
When they sent me off with heartfelt goodbyes, kind words and generous gifts, it occurred to me that the magic of Colomoncagua is, of course, the people, but in particular, the fact that they are stripped of many of the material comforts and adornments that we so take for granted in the U.S. In this way, they seem rawer----more real. Even though my American upbringing and acculturation has taught me different values and priorities than theirs, our common humanity binds us. Their spirits will forever reside with me.
Now that I am looking back on the entire experience, I realize that more than anything I have done or contributed, the Peace Corps for me has been a journey into understanding myself and where I came from. It sounds strange to say that because my ancestors are not Latino. But at times, living here has felt like a journey back in history to the lifestyle my grandmother must have experienced in her village of Münnerstadt, Germany during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. It too was a rural, agrarian village ravaged by economic depression and limited educational opportunities. Like in Colo, she lived in a place where gender roles were strictly defined. She served my grandfather every single day of their life together just as so many women here serve their families and that defines who they are. Like many of the young women from villages in Honduras, my grandmother completed her formal education in the seventh grade and began working as a house servant at age 14.
In addition to gaining a window into the world of my family’s past, I now have a broader understanding of the immigration picture. Just as my grandparents and father fled 1950s Germany in search of improved economic opportunities, Hondurans and Salvadorans are leaving here in pursuit of dreams of material wealth and greater opportunities for their families. Having witnessed first hand the sacrifices these families have made to emigrate affords me a keener understanding of what it must have been like for my own family. Yet, my father and grandparents had the advantage of legal immigration to the United States. Most Central Americans spend their time in the States running scared of the INS, which prevents them from truly integrating into our society.
But perhaps in my case, joining the Peace Corps was a foregone conclusion. My parents were Peace Corps volunteers in Brazil in the 1960s. As a kid, I grew up hearing Peace Corps stories that inspired me to seek my own adventures in life. That yearning to travel and desire to challenge myself ultimately would lead me here. Through this experience, like my fellow 2nd generation PC volunteers, we have gained insight into what our parents must have seen when they were younger, idealistic vagabonds. In many ways, my own experience resembles much of my parents experience in Brazil forty years ago. It seems sad to say, doesn’t it? It forces us to ask ourselves what difference our work really makes.
I would argue that the difference lies in each of us who have opted to do this thing and who have put ourselves in a completely different reality than that to which we are accustomed. We all seem to agree that we will forever be marked by the experience. Our world view has changed. We will now view things through a different set of lenses than we did when we arrived here.
And so it is that I leave Honduras. Tomorrow, I will board another one of those ridiculously early chicken buses to make my way South to Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. The wanderlust hasn’t yet left me, so I have to take advantage of the fact that I am already in Central America and discover those places that to me are little more than fuzzy outlines on a map.
After my travels, I will return to the US—Brooklyn to be exact. I don’t know what it is I will be doing there yet. So I am giving myself time to figure it out. Because if I have learned anything from the Peace Corps, it’s that “hay más tiempo que vida”---“there’s more time than life”.
Thank you all for being such devoted supporters and interested listeners over the past two years. Your emails and notes of encouragement have touched me deeply. I hope to see you all soon.
Love,
karen
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Headlines: August, 2005; Peace Corps Honduras; Directory of Honduras RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Honduras RPCVs; Blogs - Honduras
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