This just in...

  We've gotten a lot of big news from the Peace Corps in the last week.  One of the emails told us "to exercise good judgment when using social media to share this news with friends and family."  So, I figured I'd just copy and paste their press release that they posted on the Peace Corps website:

Peace Corps Reviews Operations in Honduras

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 21, 2011 -- The Peace Corps is conducting an ongoing review of the security environment in Honduras, and has cancelled its next volunteer training class while this review is being conducted.

All 158 currently serving volunteers are safe and accounted for and will participate in a conference in January before returning to the United States on administrative leave. Peace Corps will review the safety and security climate in Honduras before continuing with volunteer operations.

“The safety and security of all Peace Corps volunteers is the agency’s highest priority,” said Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams. “During this time, we are going to conduct a full review of the program. We thank the people of Honduras for their strong support of Peace Corps over the years.”

Peace Corps has operated in Honduras since 1963. More than 5,500 Americans have served in Honduras since the program was established, working with communities on projects focused on health and HIV/AIDS prevention, water sanitation and youth development.

Families with questions or concerns may contact the Peace Corps’ Counseling and Outreach unit, which maintains a 24-hour, 7 days a week duty system. The telephone number during standard office hours is (800) 424-8580, extension 1470; the after-hours number is (202) 692-1470.


So, there you have it.  And, really, that sums it up pretty well.  We don't have much more information than what it says right there.  A volunteer conference in early January and then heading home from there.  This is really sad news for all of us.  Especially us H-19ers because we've only been in our sites for 3 months.  There seems like a slim possibility that some of us would get to come back, but there's a good chance we won't. 


Just wanted to fill you all in.  Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and I'll see you in a few weeks.

Random thoughts on running in Honduras

So, I'm not much of a runner, and I never have been.  However, there's not exactly a Cardio Express or Planet Fitness around the corner for me to watch reruns of SVU while using the elliptical (but wouldn't that be wonderful?!).  Entonces, I've been going running every so often.  I don't go very far or run very fast, but it gives me something to do and allows me to get just a little bit of exercise.  I ran with some friends a little bit during training in the mornings in Las Canadas, and I actually somewhat enjoyed it, so I'm trying to keep it going as much as I can here in site.  Here are some random thoughts/experiences having to do with running in Honduras.

• People here don't run.  Or really exercise at all, besides playing futbol.  And even then, it's only boys that play.  The first thing you should know about going running in Honduras is that everyone will look at you like you're crazy.  
• There are often unexpected surprises while running here.  Things that you'd never experience on an elliptical at the gym.  Herds of cows, angry geese, campesinos telling you that they love you, little kids asking you to buy oranges....the list goes on and on.
• It's important to not run so fast that you get really out of breath.  Because you have to be able to say, "Buenos dias" or "Adios" to every person that you pass.  Occasionally there are longer conversations as well.  Usually people saying obvious things like "You're sweating" or "You're running"...um, duh!
• A couple fun stories:
• There's a barrio called La Colonia that I always run past, and sometimes there's a group of kids at the end of the road that I stop and chat with.  One day, as I passed by on the way back, they all gathered at the end of their street and cheered me on and chanted my name "Sa-ri-ta! Sa-ri-ta!" as I ran towards them.  One of the kids even ran along side me as I got closer.  It was absolutely hilarious.  You'd think I just finished a marathon or something.
• Another day, I had left the house to run and maybe 5 minutes later I came across a couple of girls who were headed to the river and they invited me to go with them.  So, I decided to change my plans.  We ended up joining up with a big group of kids and swimming in the river for an hour or so.  Then, I had to put my wet feet back into my socks and sneakers and walk home in sopping wet clothes.  You never know what will happen when you leave the house to go running!

We'll see how long I keep up this running thing.  Usually I run the same route each time.  I leave my house, walk up a small hill and then run to a bridge that crosses over the river.  I stop and sit by the river to catch my breath then head back, usually a combination of running and walking for the return trip.  In order to keep myself motivated, I'm thinking of looking for a 5K that I can sign up for in the end of August/beginning of September 2012 (did I mention that's when I'm thinking about coming home to visit?!).  That way I'll have something to work toward.  If anyone's got any info on a 5K around that time of year, let me know!

Some cows crossing the bridge where I usually turn around.  I must admit, the cows make me a little nervous when I try to pass them.

Merry almost Christmas!  The extended family has started to arrive here at my host family's house in Sulaco...so far an aunt and a nephew with 2 cute little kids.  Should be an interesting week!

¿Quién causa tanta alegria?

So, the feria is officially over.  My last post covered the beginning of the feria up until Monday night, so here's the rest of the feria scoop.  Honestly, I've done so many different things this week, I had to look back at the pictures I took to remember what happened each day.  I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff, but here are the highlights.  Picture uploading is not functioning at the moment, but I did put pictures up on my facebook of all of the feria festivities!

• Burro racing-- One afternoon, I went to the park to see the burro races.  Only 3 boys showed up with donkeys, so they raced 5 laps around the park (which is finally finished, by the way). One of the boys that plays baseball with me won the race and 200 Lempiras (like $10).
• On Tuesday night I finally got a chance to go on the ferris wheel.  Here they call it the "Rueda de Chicago"...not sure why.  Is there a big ferris wheel in Chicago or something?
• Wednesday night was the vigil for the virgin Mary, Sulaco's patron saint.  At 6, we gathered at the church and then walked all around town in a huge group visiting altars that were all over the place.  About 20 total.  The whole way, the group sang songs, and at each house the family said a few words and the priest led the group in a prayer of some sort.  This gave me lots of practice on my Spanish Lord's Prayer.  I think I've got the words down at this point, just got to work on my speed so I can keep with everyone else.  They also kept yelling "Quien causa tanta alegria?  La Concepcion de Maria!" (Who causes such happiness?  The conception of Mary!) which is kind of the church's motto for the week of the feria.  We made it back to the church a little before 11, and at 11 they had a service, which ended exactly at midnight.  It was funny watching all the little kids nodding off in the pews, despite the singing and clapping that was going on.  At midnight, the church bells rang,  fireworks went off, and everyone sang more songs about the virgin Mary.  Luckily, they sang the same 3 or 4 songs all night, so I was able to memorize at least the choruses and sing along with them.  It was a super cool experience, although I was super tired by the time midnight rolled around. 
• Thursday morning, I judged the finals of the singing competition.  The contestants of this contest included the winners from the one I judged before, as well as people from other municipalities in the area.  It was held in the gymnasium at San Juan de Sula, and there was a great turnout.  Some of the kids were really great singers and some of the other judges were really bad at math haha
• After the singing contest, I rushed over to the park to see the Garifuna dancers.  The Garifuna are the indigenous people of African descent that live up on the north coast of Honduras.  They have their own language and style of dancing.  There was lots of dancing, drumming, singing, and colorful costumes.
• I spent another afternoon watching the rodeo...once you've seen it once, it's not worth the 20 Lempiras to go again.  Especially when the announcer likes to talk about you all the time on the microphone...it gets a little old.
• Thursday night was the crowning of the reina infantil, Lluvia.  She's 6 years old and just finished first grade at the school where I work.  She also occasionally plays baseball with me, so I know her and most of her family pretty well.  The crowning was a huge deal, with fireworks and lots of little girls in sparkly, poofy dresses and little boys in suits.  There were so many people there that it was hard to see or get any good pictures, but it was a really big deal and Lluvia was adorable!
• Thursday night I went to another "fiesta bailable" in the town salon.  This time there was a band instead of just a DJ.  I had a good time dancing, and didn't get back home until after 2 a.m.
•  Friday afternoon there was another dance performance by a folklore group that came in from Teguz.  They did some indigenous dances followed by colonial dances in beautiful costumes.  It was an interactive performance, with dancers coming down off the stage and into the crowd, and at the end they pulled people up on the stage to dance with them.  One of the drawbacks of being the only gringa in town is that you always get chosen for those kinds of things, but I didn't mind too much :-)
• Saturday I did a lot of resting.  I passed up the dance on Saturday night, but later on regretted the decision...oh well.
• Sunday I went to the salon again to play bingo, which was a fundraiser put on by a women's volunteer group here in Sulaco.  It started out fun, but the people were way too intense.  This was the first time they'd done an event like this.  I also discovered a new pet peeve of mine...when people have to make a comment after every single number they call in bingo.  Like "esto no me sirve" or "asi me gusta."  Obnoxious.  I didn't end up winning anything.  My host dad won a new stereo for his car and my neighbor Said won a stuffed animal (not such an exciting prize for a guy who just graduated from high school).  Other prizes included cows and horses.  Those were the games that got pretty intense.
• Sunday night was the final event of the feria, the crowning of the Rey Feo (ugly king).  I didn't enjoy it very much at all.  It was crowded and hard to see what was going on.  And really all it was was just a bunch of guys dressed up with silly clothes and masks.  But everyone else seemed to get a kick out of it.
• Even though the feria is over, the rides and games are still here.  Last night (Monday), I went on the ferris wheel again with my host sisters Belen and Amada.  Amada goes to high school and lives in Teguz, but she came home Sunday to spend the holidays with her family.  The volume level in the house has gone up substantially now that there are 2 sisters here...I can only imagine what it will be like when all 4 are home.

My other project that I'm starting up for school vacation began yesterday.  I had decided to wait until after the feria to begin the day camp type thing that I'm doing with the kids here for 2 1/2 hours every morning Monday-Friday.  Yesterday we had 8 kids show up, which was a little disappointing.  I had handed out flyers and my new bff the "animador" (guy with a microphone) of the feria made me announce it a bunch of times on the microphone.  Everyone seemed interested, so I was surprised at the small turnout.  However, today we had 18 kids, so things are looking up.  It's a real challenge to come up with things to do that don't take any supplies at all.  We did a raffle to raise some money, but it wasn't enough to cover the things we needed like a ball, paper, markers, etc.  So, I ended up spending a fairly significant chunk of my own money.  I'm hoping the numbers will keep increasing...my SLCC field games knowledge is really coming in handy, we've played animal love, big wind blows, and splat so far!

The Beginning of the Feria

So, the feria in Sulaco is in full swing.  I had expected lots of fun events, and there have been quite a few.  Although, I've also spent a lot of time just hanging out because most of the fun stuff occurs in the afternoon/evening.  On Friday, I went to the graduation of the 6th graders from the school that is my counterpart, Escuela Francisco Morazan.  In the morning, I headed over to help decorate.  The municipality of Sulaco has a "salon de actos culturales" which is a big room where they hold most of their important community events.  I helped blow up a ton of balloons for them to decorate the tables with.  The graduation was bring-your-own-table-and-chairs, so each family brought a table and chairs so that they'd have a place to sit during the event.  I sat up on the stage with the other teachers to watch all of the kids get their diplomas.  In Honduras, many students do not make it to their high school graduation, so 6th grade graduation is a big deal.  The students received framed diplomas and were each escorted to the stage by their godmother or godfather.  Afterwards, they served us dinner, which ended up being around 10:00.  It was great to see how happy the kids are about graduating, and I'm looking forward to working next year with those of them who choose to go to the colegio San Juan de Sula.

the kids all holding up their diplomas

While I was at the graduation, I talked to the music teacher who told me he was going to be waking up at 4 a.m. because that was the official beginning of the feria.  Little did I know that I would be waking up too...but not by choice.  Saturday morning at 4 a.m. I was woken up by firecrackers, a band playing, and a person riding around in a car shouting things in a loudspeaker.  They were traveling all around town yelling at people to wake up and making LOTS of noise.  I did get up, but didn't go down to the street to see.  Did I mention that they do this every morning during the feria?  Yup, firecrackers every morning at 4 a.m....awesome.

Saturday afternoon, there was a very short parade of people on horseback that went past my house.  They went by so fast, that I didn't get to take any pictures, so I headed to the park to get a better look.  Representatives from AGASUL (the agricultural organization in Sulaco), the mayor, the reina of the feria, and the "Madrina AGASUL" (winner of the beauty contest I judged) all were riding horses.  It was pretty neat.

Saturday night was the graduation ceremony for the colegio San Juan de Sula.  Somehow they managed to transform the half-finished gymnasium into a really pretty location for the graduation ceremony.  Like I mentioned before, graduating from colegio here is a HUGE deal.  One of the graduates made a speech about how she, along with many other female graduates, has a child to take care of at home but that didn't hold her back from graduating.  She also told her classmates that there is no reason why they need to stop there after finishing colegio, that they should keep striving for more....very inspiring.  And she was right.  A lot of the students who graduated are older and are married and have children at home.  One of the male students even brought his son up with him to the stage when he accepted his diploma.  It was another very special night for the students of Sulaco.

Afterwards I headed to the main strip of the fair where there are games and a few small rides.  I gambled away some money on some games, with help from some of my students from the escuela.

A little later on Saturday night, I headed to the salon de actos culturales to go to the "gran fiesta bailable." (dance party).  There were disco lights and a DJ, and I had a pretty good time dancing.  It is a little bizarre because there are adults and high school kids all mixed in with each other, and also some little kids running around too.  It was strange seeing some of the kids from my high school English class there.  It took awhile for people to start dancing (for the first 45 minutes or so people just stood around--kind of like a middle school dance), but once they did it was really fun.  I headed home at 1 and went to bed...of course only to be woken up again at 4 a.m....grrr

Sunday afternoon, I visited the church because they were selling food and the youth group had set up some games.  I played a balloon-popping game and won a little goodie bag of cookies and candy.  I also grabbed some pastelitos (little fried pastries filled with rice and meat) for lunch.  At 4:00, I went to the Catholic church.  They had their normal Sunday service, but also brought in a statue of the virgin Mary to make an altar for the feria.  Sunday night, because I was so tired from staying out the night before and being woken up at 4 a.m., I stayed in, watched a movie, and went to bed early.

Yesterday (Monday), I went for a walk before lunch and grabbed an ice cream cone (there's nothing wrong with eating ice cream before noon, right?).  In the afternoon I headed to AGASUL's rodeo, which was located about a 10 minute mototaxi ride away.  It was a really beautiful location.  Of course, it started at least an hour and a half late, but once it got started it was really fun.  A bunch of guys from Sulaco and a few from other municipalities took turns riding bulls.  The announcer on the microphone came over to me at one point and asked me a bunch of questions and made the band play a song for me.  It was a little embarrassing, but everyone in town pretty much knows me already, so we all had a good laugh about it.  The rodeo got over around 5:30 or so, and I'm happy to say that it didn't look like anyone got hurt too badly.

After dinner, I went back out to the park where the announcer was having some kind of boxing contest with kids.  The crowd was really into it.  Then I headed back to the main strip of the feria.  I ended up playing roulette for awhile.  I had tried it out on Saturday night, so I figured I'd give it another try.  The wheel has pictures on it, and all you do is put 1 Lempira on one of the pictures, depending on which picture it is you win different amounts if the wheel lands on your picture.  With my first Lempira I won 20, so of course I had to stay and play some more.  A little while later, I won 10 more, and then 50.  It was my lucky day!

The First 5 Questions Asked to a Gringa in Honduras

So, I've discussed this point with other PCV's and it seems as though Honduran men always go through a certain series of questions when they meet a gringa....

1. ¿Cómo se llama?  (What is your name?)...the most simple of the questions.

2. ¿De dónde es?  (Where are you from?)...no one has ever heard of Connecticut.  The first thing they do is look at me like I'm crazy.  Then they try to repeat the word Connecticut and pronounce it something like "Caneneca."  Then I follow up with "close to New York" and then they understand.

3. ¿Está casada?  (Are you married?)...you wouldn't think that this would be one of the first 5 questions asked of you, but it ALWAYS is.

4. ¿ Tiene un novio? (Do you have a boyfriend?)...relationship status is very important to Hondureños.  So that they know what level of flirting is acceptable.

5. ¿Porqué? (Why?)...When you say you aren't married and don't have a boyfriend, they ALWAYS ask why.  This question always baffles me because never in the United States has anyone ever asked me why I'm single.  Because I've been asked this question so many times, I have developed a go-to answer.  The first thing I say is "No sé" (I don't know.), but they usually don't accept that as an answer.  So then I go with "Porque no he encontrado el hombre perfecto" (because I haven't found the perfect man).  Usually this is followed up with some kind of compliment like "you're so beautiful I can't believe you don't have a boyfriend."  Really I think the whole question is a ploy so that you can set them up to give you a compliment.

So, to all my friends who plan on coming to visit...get ready to answer this set of questions because you will most definitely be asked every one of them.

On another note--recently I've been curious how many people read my blog.  The friends that I talk to say they've been keeping up with it, but I've been wondering who else reads it.  So, here's a little experiment...if you read this post, comment on it so I can figure out how many people are actually reading.  And thanks so much for taking the time to learn about what I've been up to!

Tyra Banks and Paula Abdul

I've been feeling even more integrated into the community lately, and also feeling more respected and welcomed in my counterpart organizations.  Last week, I successfully gave 3 "charlas" (training sessions/presentations) to the teachers at the colegio.  They wanted charlas on teaching techniques and motivation.  I was nervous going into it because I don't feel at all like an expert on the topic and it's way more difficult to give a presentation in Spanish in front of a group of adults than a group of kids.  Despite my nerves, the charlas went great.  I filled them with "dinamicas" (icebreakers and games), and the teachers loved it.  Hondurans love to play, even adults.  I was surprised by this because I think that if I gave the same training in the states the teachers would be moaning and groaning about having to do lots of silly games, but these teachers were very enthusiastic.

On Tuesday, I introduced them to a bunch of icebreakers and teambuilding activities that they can use in their classes with their students.  We played human bingo, speed-dating, and the big wind blows ("el viento lo mueve").  For teambuilding activities we did the human knot, some line-ups without talking, and an activity where they had to write something working as a team using a contraption with ropes, a plastic plate, and a marker.  Wednesday was about motivation, and I introduced some teaching techniques like KWL (SQA en espanol).  Thursday I taught them a bunch of games that they can use with their students to review before a quiz or test.  The attendance dwindled as the week went on, but the teachers seemed to appreciate the charlas, and they were enthusiastic and participative.  They asked if we could organize the same type of thing at the beginning of the next school year with all of the teachers, so hopefully I'll be able to present to a bigger group.  The goal is to give the teachers some more tools to make their classes more interesting and enjoyable to the students.

I didn't really do anything on Thursday to celebrate Thanksgiving, but I hope all of you ate plenty of turkey and pumpkin pie.  (My mom already promised that she'll make me Thanksgiving dinner when I come home to visit.)  On Friday, I woke up nice and early and headed into Tegucigalpa, the capital city.  The bus ride was a little rough, because it was really crowded and I ended up standing in the aisle for the first 2 hours.  In Teguz, I met up with my friend Emily at the Intercontinental Hotel, which was super fancy.  We headed out to the Peace Corps office in a cab so that we could pick up some more books.  The office has a great library, and we're allowed to take as many books as we want.  So, I now have like 15 new books to keep me busy for the next couple months.  Then, Emily and I headed back to the hotel and went to the mall which, conveniently, was located right next door to the hotel.  We split a pizza in the food court and hung out for a little bit with a couple of other volunteers.  Then we met up with Deandra and went to the movies to see Happy Feet 2 (in Spanish, and very cute!), did some shopping, and went for a swim in the hotel pool.  Our "Thanksgiving dinner" was at TGI Fridays, and I had a hamburger and french fries.  Not the same as a home-cooked turkey dinner, but it sure was delicious.  Saturday morning I had to wake up super early to catch the 6 a.m. bus back to Sulaco because I had an event to go to at 3.

Saturday at 3 (well, it was supposed to start at 3 and didn't actually start until 5:30- that's Honduras for you), was the selection of the "Madrina Agasul," which is like the beauty queen of the agricultural organization in town.  Norma, the librarian from the colegio, organized the event and asked me to be a judge.  This was the third of this type of event to happen in the past couple weeks.  The first was the reina (queen) of the feria and the second was the "reina infantil" (young queen).  I was able to go to the selection of the reina infantil, and it was the cutest thing I've seen in a long time.

The "Madrina Agasul" competition consisted of a bunch of high school girls parading around the stage in different outfits.  They started with a dance, and the other rounds included sportswear (excercise clothes), dresses, and cowgirl style clothes.  Then they had to answer questions, which all had to do with the organization Agasul (Associacion de ganadores y agricultores de Sulaco).  I didn't love having to judge the girls on things like their modeling walk and "elegance," but it was an honor to be asked to be part of the event.

Hondurans don't like to smile for pictures.  But gringas do!

I was also asked by someone from the church to be a judge for the "Festival de la Cancion- Maria: Musica de Dios."  Each town in Honduras chooses a saint and during the "feria patronal" they celebrate their town's saint.  Sulaco's feria is for the virgin Mary, and the music festival was a competition with children and youth who were all singing songs about the virgin Mary.  I liked this event better because I wasn't judging people on the way they looked or walked, but by their singing.  All of the kids were great, and the top 3 from each age group are going to compete in a regional festival on December 8th, and I'll be a judge for that too!  So, I've felt a little like a reality TV show judge the past few days.  It's really been an honor that the people in my community have been inviting me to be a part of these events.  I'm looking forward to the feria next week.  Should be filled with lots of exciting events, and I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and tell you all about it!

The winning group from the older kids division...I have a video of them, but it would take forever to upload :-(

In other news, I bought a modem when I was in Teguz, so please skype me! sarah.stockmann1

Things That Would Never Occur in the U.S.—Part 1

I’m thinking this will become a reoccurring post theme, that’s why I’m naming it part one.  This post is not at all meant to criticize the Honduran culture, it is meant to highlight some of the cultural differences so you can get a glimpse into what it’s like here.

THE SCIENCE FAIR

So, last week the colegio was taking their exams, and one of the days they held a science fair where the students could work in a group, design and perform an experiment, and present it to be judged by some of the teachers.  In many ways it was like a typical science fair—groups of students gathered around posters and explaining their experiments using visuals and props.  However, some of the things would definitely never fly in a U.S. science fair:

• Fire: One of the groups explored the properties of fire (or something like that), and their experiment involved making a fire and putting a flat, circular, metal pan on top of it.  Once the pan was really hot, they poured water on top, and the fire flared up really huge.  And that was their experiment.  I have no idea what the scientific principles are behind it…and if you do, feel free to comment on this post and explain.  This experiment might work in a U.S. science fair, but the students would just have some pictures on their tri-fold board showing the experiment.  However, these kids started a fire right there on the floor of the half-finished gymnasium where the science fair was held.  And then they did their experiment, which made flames that had to have been at least 10 feet tall. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch the huge flames on film, but you can only imagine the excitement and crowd that formed around the demonstration. 

• Alcohol:  So, I walked up to one of the groups, and their poster said something about tequila.  So I asked the girls what their experiment was.  And they explained that they made alcohol.  I thought that maybe it was some kind of cool scientific way that they did it, but when I asked they just said that they put nance juice, alcohol, sugar, and cinnamon in a bottle and let it sit for a few days.  And that was their experiment.  When the teachers who were judging came around, of course they were given a small sample to smell and taste.  And let’s just say that the judges were not the only ones that tasted the experiment….
• More fire…Fire seemed to be a big thing in this science fair.  One group made a welder (probably not the right word for it, but that’s the word I’m going to use) using a car battery, water, and salt, and then demonstrated it’s use.  Another made some kind of gas using chemicals and then lit it on fire to show that gas was being produced.  There were multiple volcanoes as projects.  I figured they’d be erupting with vinegar and baking soda, but that’s not how it’s done in Honduras.  Fireworks are the eruption of choice here.

the fire experiment

the alcohol experiment

making some kind of gas and then burning it

the alcohol experiment once the kids figured out what it was haha

So, safety is not so much a consideration when it comes to the Honduran science fair.  There were a lot of very safe and interesting projects as well, but the “wow” factor apparently plays a big role.  The winning group from each grade got a cake and soda to share.  I’m not sure which groups ended up winning, but I’m guessing some of the kids that played with fire are eating cake and drinking Coke right now.  Part of me was freaking out and worried that all of the tipsy students were going to fall into the fire or get their fingers welded together, but the other part of me loves the carefree attitude that Hondurans have, and how excited they get about things.  

A project about volcanoes/the impact of humans on the earth

A model of a section of the town to show how they could provide electricity to light the soccer field.

A model of a lunar eclipse.

If I don’t post again before Thanksgiving, I hope everyone has a great one!  I have a lot of things to be thankful for this year, including my family and friends who are so encouraging and supportive, especially my H-19 Peace Corps friends.  And of course I’m also thankful for anyone who takes the time to read my blog!  If you read regularly, you can click “subscribe” on the right side in order to stay updated on new posts!

Coming soon… Things That Would Never Occur in the U.S.—Part 2: Dancing