Jennifer
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May 12, 2003
THIRD YEAR ANNIVERSARY. Today we celebrated three years of marriage. We enjoyed a nice dinner and cherry cheesecake for dessert. We reflected on our last three years together and talked about ways to keep our relationship growing during this upcoming year of transition back to the United States. One thing we agreed to do is try to speak each other's "love language" at least in one small way once a day. We read a book by Gary Chapman on the subject of Love Languages and how everyone gives and receives love differently. By knowing your spouse's love language you can better communicate with them on a level that they understand and desire.
May 11, 2003
Mother's Day! Today Douglas invited us to a celebration that the kids had at the school to honor their moms. It was nice to be invited. The walk up to his small village is only 20 minutes, but it was hot and muggy making it all the harder to complete the uphill hike. Shawn noticed once we arrived that he was the only male present for the school program. It is interesting to note the division between men and women's roles in the rural parts of the country. This event just wasn't something in which the men take part.
I made two cakes today. One for our neighbor, Dona Aminta Sainz and another one for Azucena Mayorga. These two women have been like second mom's to us during our stay in Concepción de Maria. They were pleased with their little gift.
April 30. 2003
During our second two weeks of the trip we visited Argentina and a little bit of Chile. In Argentina we went to Mendoza to see Laura Jeandet's parents. We spent Easter Week with them and had a wonderful time touring their town. We spent many hours with Laura's relatives and lots of food! The Argentineans know how to celebrate with a variety of special dishes; especially the BBQ where they serve rounds of meat off the grill for hours. The best thing about mealtime are the conversations. It seems to be as important as the food. Laura's parents, Chiquita and Enrique were wonderful hosts. We felt very welcome. Our new Argentinean word is "Epa!" which is an expression of astonishment or surprise as in the English phrase, "Wow!!" or "Oh no!"
We took a few days in our trip to see parts of southern Argentina and stayed in a town called Bariloche. Here we got to take in snow-capped mountains, small glaciers and a beautiful lake mini-cruise boat ride. In Chile we spent a couple days on the Pacific Coast in a town called, Viña del Mar. Our final stop was a one day layover in El Salvador before returning to Honduras.
April 12, 2003
We were enchanted with Peru - their people, culture and refined tourism industry. We enjoyed shopping in the markets, touring old ruins and the walking around the city plaza. We stayed a week in Cusco, with a day in Aquas Calientes to visit Machu Picchu, probably the highlight of our entire trip. The Inca Ruins are elaborate and fascinating. We enjoyed our time to explore and take lots of photos; including some close up shots of the llamas. I bought a white llama rug! I have wanted one of those forever. It's so soft and inviting. Maybe it will go in a baby's room someday - I envision it in front of a crib.
April 6, 2003
TRIP TO SOUTH AMERICA! Today we left for Peru, the start of a three and a half week vacation.
March 25, 2003
We started a "vivero" or "nursery" project with the students from El Peñon, the mountain village. We were so proud of the kids and their families; they worked hard to prepare the soil for planting and made garden beds for the seeds by filling small black bags for the seedlings to grow. We planted some trees which can be used for construction wood and fire burning, in addition to some papaya fruit trees. It will be fun to go up in a month and see how the seeds are growing. Each student will be able to bring a couple trees home to replant.
We also delivered notebooks and pencils from our World Wise School Class in Wisconsin. They sent a box of supplies to the students in El Peñon and we had the pleasure to distribute their gift today. The kids love to have us visit and they were extremely touched that someone in the United States would think of them all the way over in Honduras. This concept fascinated them.
March 3, 2003
Mom and Dad flew out today. It was sad to see them go. We had a great time showing them around Honduras. I am especially glad that my dad got to see everything to be able to have a reference to all our update letters. For my mom, this was her second visit. We spent half the time in our site and then a day in Choluteca where we visited a cashew farm and went to San Lorenzo to eat seafood. During the end of the trip we stayed a couple days up at the cabin in La Tigra National Park, where had a fun time hiking. My parents did a great job with the extreme heat, various bus rides and all the walking. Honduras is not an easy country to get around. As my mom says, everyone should spend some time in a third world country to better appreciate what they have back home.
February 19, 2003
Cleaning! Cleaning! Cleaning! My parents are coming to visit on Friday for a week. I am very excited to have them see our town and what we have been working on! Shawn and I have spent the week cleaning a very dusty house to prepare for their visit. We decided that dusting will never seem so extreme after living in the dry and hot southern part of Honduras. It takes a day to remove every piece of furniture from our house (one table, two chairs, one rocking chair, one book shelf, one end table, one fridge, two counter top tables from the kitchen, two Rubbermaid tubs to hold our dishes, one bed, one dresser, and one clothes rack) and then dust and sweep out the house. We even have to sweep the walls from the spider webs that have formed since we have been gone for a couple weeks. It is quite a miserable chore, but worth the end result!
February 14, 2003
Today I am 30! We went out for Sushi to celebrate, which was super super good. After the 10 hour bus ride back from Copan/Guatemala…I had a nice birthday. Shawn and I went out with Sushi with our friends Megan and Ryan Hunt (they went to St. Olaf and are another married couple in Peace Corps.) It was fun and relaxing. We had fried ice cream for dessert. Shawn surprised me with a small, round, silver ring box. It has a Quetzal bird carved in it (this is the national bird of Guatemala). I had looked at it in a jewelry store we stopped in and admired it fondly, but I didn’t want to spend the money to get it. I had NO idea he went back to to the store when we split up to run some errands. We are together 24/7 (24 hours a day; 7 days a week)…so he was very sneaky. I was so happy he surprised me. I was feeling a bit down on my birthday...like no one remembered. Probably because I was on a bus all day and not in contact with family or friends. Shawn really cheered me when he gave me a gift with so much thought and effort. It turned out to be a very nice birthday after all!
February 13, 2003
Our Business Conference for Peace Corps was held in Copan, a quaint, tourist town noted for the ancient Copan Mayan Ruins. Shawn and I were able to spend a morning touring the Ruins park. We spent three hours of walking and hiking up various pyramids and through archeological tunnels. We also took many photos! During our free time we also had the opportunity to visit some hot springs located about 45 minutes outside of Copan. This was probably my favorite part of the week. We hiked through a natural cloud forest to find where the hot springs initiated. Afterwards we swam in two different pools that were filled with the natural spring water. They felt like water bubble baths. Actually like Jacuzzi tubs. The water was hot and soothing. We drove back in the back of a truck enjoying the luscious scenery of green mountainsides and plush valleys.
February 10, 2003
We had a great time in Guatemala traveling to Antigua, Lake Atitlan, Santa Cruz (a small village on the lake), Panjachel, Chichicastenango, and Tecpan to see a the small Iximche Mayan Ruins. Most of our time was spent exploring various markets. I had a fun time buying handmade aritsan crafts. There are such beautiful selections. It will be fun to have dinner parties when we get home and use our new table clothes and hand woven place mats. Shawn bought a wood carved mask and pan flute. He did a great job bargaining.
Our favorite spot in Guatemala was Santa Cruz on Lake Atitlan. We stayed in small resort called "Noah's Ark". It was very tranquil. The view of the lake looked like the ocean with its turquoise waters and windy waves. It was too chilly to swim in as it is located in the mountains surrounded by inactive volcanoes. The entire setting was lovely. Our cabin sat facing the lake and we enjoyed the stunning view each morning. The only way to the cabins from the town called Panajachel was by small fishing boats. We felt very secluded and safe. During the day we would go into town to search the shops and eat fun food. We found the best nacho and pizza place! Then in the afternoon we would take a boat back to the cabins and sit under a thatched roof umbrella at a small wooden patio table drinking lemonade. It was restful and relaxing; a good time to contemplate. That was the best part…total seclusion, little tourism…just peace. I loved it. The solitude was so serene.
There is no electricity in the village, so we used candles at night in our room. Dinner was served country style in a community setting. We ate with 8-12 other cabin guests. The food was homemade and delicious. It was fun to meet new people and hear about their travels and the many stories they had gathered from their journeys.
February 1, 2003
We are going to Guatemala for a week and then to our Business Conference in Copan, which is located in northern Honduras. We will be gone two weeks from our town. I am so excited to see some new places, especially Guatemala where Shawn has never been. It will be fun to explore with him.
January 24, 2003
We have been working hard this week teaching our computer class to the employees of the cooperative to learn a new inventory program that will be installed in March 2003 for the coop’s store. It is exciting to see the progress of the adult students, many who have never used a computer before in their life. Shawn is in the process of writing the curriculum for the class to learn how the new program functions. I am impressed with his ability to think through the system, design material to assist in the learning process of the students, create written handouts and worksheets while completing all the resources in Spanish! It will be rewarding to watch the project go from start to finish as we implement what the employees learn into practice within the cooperative and enhance their business practices. Overall, this could change an economically failing business and turn it into one that not only earns profits but offers more to the community it serves.
January 19, 2003
Today I was at the library and we made “picture dictionaries” with the kids. I am leading a children’s art class once a week as a way to encourage kids to visit the library during their summer school break, which is during December and January. Today we decorated booklets and added words in English and Spanish accompanied by a drawing of the word. The word we learned today was CANDY and I shared candy canes that Shawn’s mom gave us over the holidays. The children were delighted with their treat and proud of their art work.
Last week we made telescopes and then read a book about the stars, moon and sun. I always try to relate our “projects” back to the books. I am working directly with Yami, the librarian, on the importance of library programming to get both students and adults to come to the library and use its various resources. I have a couple moms that come with their children. This is ideal for family learning. We schedule the group to meet on the same day at the same time each week to help the children increase the habit of visiting the library regularly.
There are two volunteers assisting with the art class. Sandra is one of the high school teachers who is helping during her summer vacation and Norma is a retired elementary school teacher that enjoys helping with the art club. Between the four of us we make sure the weekly class is covered as it is highly important to have consistency in the programming.
January 8, 2003
Being home for the holidays was very relaxing and re-energizing. We had a wonderful time with family and friends. The time went extremely fast, as we imagined it would, but it was worth seeing the people who know us best and love us completely. We didn’t know how it would feel to return to Honduras after our vacation ended, but happily we found that we had a desire to go back. The trip was a good way for us to analyze the transition phases we experience between our living styles in the two different countries. Hopefully, this will help our final transition when we move back to Minnesota in July 2003. There are many things we love about the U.S. (family, friends, church, opportunities, conveniences and comforts of home) and at the same time there are many things we love about Honduras (discovering a new culture, the people, challenges, nature, the climate, relaxed view of time, and the simplicity of living).
December 9, 2002
This was a super last minute decision…buy we just decided to go home for Christmas. We had originally thought that it wouldn’t work to go home with our budget, vacation days, etc. But, as December approached our spirits were very low. It was hard to imagine being away from family for the holidays and after being in Concepción de Maria for over a year we were feeling more than drained. Being a volunteer has its exciting days and its overwhelming days. It is difficult at times to be a position of constant giving - teaching, training, sharing, donating, helping, etc. After talking to Shawn’s mom, we realized that it would be good to go home and rejuvenate. With her generous help, we were able to go home for the holidays. It was just what we needed.
December 5, 2002
Shawn and I have been reading different marriage and parenting books during our free time. The following game for children caught my attention and I wanted to note it in my diary to use in the future.
The Penny Game (for teaching Courtesy)
By: Dr. Kevin Leman
This game is played at dinner where everyone at the table, including adults, gets 5 pennies at the beginning of the meal. The object is to catch someone who isn’t using proper table manners (chewing with mouth open, napkin not on lap, elbows on table, reaching in front of someone, being boisterous, burping out loud, etc). As dinner progresses, everyone is watching everyone else to see if they can catch them and get one of their pennies. For example, if my daughter sees me doing something wrong and calls me on it, I have to give her a penny. This is an excellent game for children ten years old and under. Our children always loved it. We’ve also had some good discussions that have come out of the game concerning why something is wrong and how it might be done better.
November 16, 2002
The power went out ALL DAY! With that goes, the stove, fridge, toaster oven, fan, and the phone lines (which means no chance to email). This put a damper on my entire day. Getting email from family or friends always lifts our spirits. We waited until 4:00 pm when the power came on and the first thing we did was send email. It is hard being at the mercy of Mother Nature when one wants to communicate so badly and can’t. I guess that is the lesson I am learning…patience. There is always tomorrow as the Hondurans say…
After a day like today I am craving a Peanut Buster Parfait from Dairy Queen. It is hot and sunny here and that would be oh so good and comforting.
November 10, 2002
We made pizza tonight, which is a bit of a chore, but definitely worth it. I made homemade crust from scratch for three large pizzas. We ate at the Mayorga’s house (our neighbor’s) as Matt, the volunteer who lived here before us, was visiting with his mother and we wanted to have a special meal for her while she visited Concepción for the first time. I made a delicious homemade sauce and can’t wait to come home and garden in Minnesota. I hope I have the energy. I want to have a huge garden so we can freeze things for the winter. The sauce was excellent…green peppers, cilantro, mushrooms, onions, garlic, spices, fresh tomatoes…hmmm! Qúe rico! (“How rich!” is the literal Spanish translation, but actually is used to express “how delicious!”). I shredded two pounds of cheese and browned hamburger.
I made extra sauce to freeze for spaghetti and I tried to make calzones to freeze for a rainy day (or a hot 90 degree day in Concepción…is more accurate!) I am always experimenting with something. I look forward to having cookbooks again! For dessert I made two loaves of homemade banana bread with a new recipe. It was super…includes shredded carrots and oatmeal. Needless to say, I was about to fall over. It scares me to get older. I want all this energy when I have kids.
We made fresh star fruit juice for breakfast this morning. I love all the Latin fruits and the abundance of them. For example, the sweet bananas I used today for my bread. I also made sun tea for lunch. I put tea bags in a container of water and set them in the sun for 4-5 hours. It is served cold with fresh lemon and sugar. I remember my mom making sun tea when we were kids.
After being on my feet all day I was exhausted (that is the ONLY thing I don’t like about cooking.) I am trying to train myself to sit while I dice things to give my legs and back a break. But, it is still tiring. After cooking I had to do all the dishes in the outside wash bin. Not especially fun. Days like today I really miss having a dishwasher! The sun was beating down on me; I was sweating to death, but didn’t want to save the dishes for after our dinner with the neighbors, because that is equally not fun to come home to…a dirty kitchen. I would rather just have them done and let them air-dry. It was a good day for cooking. Even though we are limited with what we can find in our town, there is always room for creativity and making do with what you have.
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