"The world will not change until we do" Jim Wallis
June 11, 2002
Dear Friends and Family,
This month found us facing a place in our service that we did not anticipate. Jennifer is currently in the United States recuperating from knee surgery. About 8 months ago Jennifer and I were crossing the street in the capital when she fell in the street and bruised her knee. In February she went to an orthopedic surgeon in Honduras who removed liquid from her knee. After the procedure, Jennifer did not heal as expected and she continued experiencing knee pain. A decision was made by Peace Corps to send Jennifer to Washington, D.C. where she went through two weeks of physical therapy to try to correct the problem. When improvements weren't made, arthroscopic surgery was recommended to remove torn cartilage that was causing the discomfort. The doctor said she should be able to return within a few weeks. It has been difficult to be apart during this time, but we are happy that she is receiving the best medical care possible, something that is not available here in Honduras.
I have been keeping busy with work not only in my town, but also in the capital and in other sites where computer help is needed. I also took Jennifer's place at a recent conference for her economic development sector. When I got back to the capital I worked on a library training project with Matt, who was the volunteer in our site before we arrived.
As I sit here writing our update letter I have just made a second cup of coffee from the last of my hot water. The power went out and, at the same time, our backup stove ran out of gas. So I’m out of luck for hot water and cooking until the power comes back on. I spilled some wet coffee grounds onto the stove top table while I was making coffee with the “minnow net” that we use for the process; fumbling to get it to strain correctly. Lately I have been having crunchy coffee due to a small hole in the bottom of the net, which I recently discovered was sending many of the grounds into my cup. Since coffee makers are not very common here we don’t have one. We have a little thing that looks like a minnow net that we put enough grounds into for one cup of coffee and then pour hot water over the grounds. It filters out the grounds and produces a cup of coffee. As I was cleaning up the spilled coffee grounds I was reminded of the sleek black beauty of a coffee maker we have sitting in storage at home; with its always hot water, built in gold coffee ground filter, and built in milk steamer. Not to mention its beautiful black plastic case, cool shaped glass urn, and charcoal filter to make sure the water you are using is as clean as possible for the best cup of coffee. I especially miss that coffee maker right now as I realize that trying to make a second cup of coffee with semi-hot water, a used coffee strainer, and no milk just doesn’t work very well (I ran out of powdered milk and haven’t been shopping yet).
Jennifer has been able to email me from Washington DC and I thought you may like to read about some of her observations. We are living in such opposite extremes.
The air in D.C. smells so clean; it is crisp and fresh. I can not get over how beautiful it is here. The spring days are refreshing, and I love the changing seasons. I was starting to forget what they were like since our seasons in Honduras seem to be hot, hotter and hottest. As I walk down the street I am amazed at how everyone seems to know where they are going. They have such drive and purpose. I admire the ambition.
My first day back in the states I bought a deli sandwich from a deli near the Peace Corps office called “Good Thyme”. It reminded me of “Green Earth” in Minneapolis. It was a turkey sandwich with sprouts, lettuce, bacon, tomato, and mayo on sourdough bread. It was fresh and delicious. The food tastes so good here. There are so many flavors and you can eat healthy. Good meat, good veggies, safe food. I am happily overwhelmed with my day. I bought cereal today at the grocery store. It was so fun to look at the shelves and see the grand selection and not just cornflakes. We are very fortunate to live in this country. We have so many options and choices and freedoms.
We will write more when Jen gets back. Please keep us in your prayers.
Shawn-Miguel and Jennifer Silvera Peace Corps Honduras Concepción de Maria, Choluteca
"This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear to waste a moment on the yesterdays." Ralph Waldo Emerson