Commitment
is not the fulfillment of what you want…
but
the realization of how much you already have.
–
Unknown
Dear
Family and Friends,
I
am sitting at my kitchen table inspired to write.
Most likely the inspiration is stemming from my excitement to tell
everyone about the earthquake we just experienced.
Being from Minnesota, we are not accustomed to earthquakes.
Shawn and I were sitting at the table working on our website, which by
the way has been updated with a new
design and a few more
pictures, when our little apartment began to shake, followed by the table
and then our lap top. Startled,
Shawn and I looked at each other and ran outside where our neighbor was taking
an afternoon “siesta” in the hammock. He
laughed at the shock on our faces as he questioned, “Did you feel the
tremble?” He proceeded to tell us
not to worry, that the major earthquakes take place in El Salvador or Nicaragua
and here in Honduras we will only feel the mild effects of them.
It was pretty minor, maybe a 1.2 on the Richter scale, but still enough
to wake us up and make sure the blood was pumping.
Maybe it was our welcome to the New Year!
With
the start of the New Year we are eager to begin some of our projects that have
been on hold to celebrate the holidays. My
grandma wrote a letter asking us what we do for work.
I thought I would dedicate this letter to her and try to answer this
question. “Work” definitely has
taken on a different definition for us compared to what we did in the United
States. In addition, our work
schedules have taken on a new pace. But,
before I describe more about our work, I should probably first define the three
goals of Peace Corps:
Goal
#1
To help the peoples of interested countries to meet their needs in the
area of development to better their lives through the assistance of a volunteer.
Goal
#2
To help promote a better understanding of the American people on the part
of the peoples served.
Goal
#3
To help promote a better understanding of other cultures on the part of
the American people.
As
you can see, two of the three goals involve sharing cross-cultural experiences
with the people of Honduras. We are
learning about their culture, language, and traditions, while they are making
discoveries about our customs as North Americans.
In order to meet these goals, we spend time engaging in conversations,
attending community functions and participating in family traditions with our
neighbors. The Peace Corps estimates
that a volunteer will need approximately 3-6 months to make connections with
their community, and these connections are essential to the success of future
projects.
During
the first month in our site, I struggled with this concept of “work”.
It was an adjustment for me not to have a job that I reported to every
day from 8 PM to 5 PM. There would
be days that I looked at Shawn asking, “What are we doing here?
Are we serving any real purpose? Are
we really helping?” I suppose this
is a compliment to our American upbringing (or to our dedicated parents).
The Peace Corps actually reflects the most enduring values and ideals of
the American people: generosity, a
strong work ethic, and a commitment to service.
In order to transfer some of these values, it is vital that Shawn and I
become integral parts of the community. There
is validity is this concept because it allows us time to gain trust with the
people we serve, as well as improve our language skills.
With
all that said…what do we do for work? Well,
there actually are a couple of projects that Shawn and I are involved with and
excited to see expand. In previous
letters, we mentioned working with what the Hondurans call a community
information center or better known to us as a library.
When we arrived to Concepción de Maria, the library was in the process
of being built. Now, three months
later, the building is nearly completed and the community is preparing for its
grand opening at the end of January. Shawn
will be installing the library’s computer system and we will both be teaching
computer courses. In addition, we
are training the librarians how to use a simple card catalog system, how to
maintain an organized facility and how to promote attendance from the elementary
and high school students.
From
this project, Shawn and I are hoping to spend a majority of our time on youth
development. Many young people lack
both the self confidence and encouragement to achieve their life’s
aspirations. We believe every young
person is uniquely made with special talents and is desperately seeking someone
who will believe in them. Due to
neglect, many young people in Honduras find other avenues to survive.
In the last couple of years there has been a severe increase in gang
activity in urban areas. Unfortunately,
in an impoverished nation, gang life often appears as the only way to stay
alive. If left unaddressed, this
gang activity has the potential to spread into rural areas.
Our hope is to work with youth and provide them with other opportunities
to channel their talents and energy.
An
additional project suggestion has also developed from our discussions with the
community. Concepción de Maria is a
town of vast history and yet no where is its story recorded.
One of the town’s city council members suggested documenting the
history in narrative form through interviews with the elders of the community.
With my background in psychology and sociology, he was intrigued with my
ability to interview people and assist writing the town’s historical
manuscript. This account would not
only serve as a historical document within the library, but as a community mark
of distinction and pride. I am
excited to see what becomes of this venture.
I love to write, I just never thought of doing it in Spanish before!
As
far
as community integration goes, we are developing friendships that are making
us feel more connected. We
especially enjoy spending time with our neighbors, the Galindo
family . You may remember from
our last letter that Gloria and her husband Miguel had a
new baby in late November. Exciting
news; they named the baby after me! Her
name will be Jennifer Maria, because Gloria said they want to remember the time
that Jennifer and Shawn Miguel came to live in Concepción de Maria.
I was astonished and honored. I
have never had a precious baby named after me before!
The interesting part of the story is how many names this baby has had
since she entered the world. First,
she was Maria Jose (that was only hours after birth).
The next day she was Maria Alejandra (because the grandpa liked that name
better.) Then she became Gloria
Maria, named after her mother. Gloria
couldn’t decide and everyone had their opinions.
About a week ago, Gloria came to me and told me that she and her husband
had chosen the official name for their daughter (a month after her birth).
They plan on going to the clinic this month to record her name (I guess
since the baby was born at home they weren’t in too much of a hurry).
Shawn teases me that the name may change again.
But, at least for today her name is Jennifer.
And if only for a week or two, I am flattered.
We look forward to writing again at the end of the month. “Prospero Año Nuevo!” Happy New Year!
Jennifer and Shawn