Celebrating One Year in Honduras Today!
July 24th, 2002
Dear Family and Friends,
It has been a busy month with various projects keeping us active. Yesterday, we had a small graduation ceremony for our 15 senior high computer students. They completed a six month course in Microsoft Word, Excel and email/internet use. We were very proud that each student passed the class with high scores. It definitely makes the teachers feel good when their students can apply what they have learned. This is an encouraging sign of success for us. At the ceremony we handed out diplomas, made a few speeches and watched a slide show presentation that Shawn put together with digital photos of the students. Everyone especially enjoyed the cake and refreshments. The graduation was a highlight to our week knowing that we have made a difference. As one teacher commented, "It must be quite an accomplishment to know you have planted a seed in these kids; a seed of opportunity." At the ceremony the students thoughtfully presented us with a beautiful ceramic picture carving of a typical Honduran village. We have invited the class over to our house in August for a "fiesta" where we will teach them how to make homemade pizza and chocolate chip cookies. They are looking forward to this special event.
Shawn and I have also started working on an inventory project at the local cooperative. This is the general store where farmers sell their crops and basic living items can be purchased. I am not exaggerating when I compare the cooperative to Mr. Olson’s General Store from "Little House on the Prairie." The store has nothing in place regarding inventory control. Every six months the employees hand count each item on stock. They will not have an accurate report until another six months pass and they recount each item. Shawn set up an inventory control database in Access for the cooperative to begin using. We are hoping to train the cashiers to track each item sold so that accurate data can be used and analyzed. In addition to the inventory project, the administration invited me to direct seminars on various management topics. Last week I organized our first training session involving customer service. The employees were very attentive and seemed to appreciate the training. When I described Target and Wal-Mart in various customer service examples, the co-workers of the cooperative gazed at me in awe. They had never heard of a store where one can buy both food and clothing items under the same roof.
A couple side projects include working with a reading club at the library and volunteering at a soup kitchen in town that feeds 50-70 children daily. Last week our reading club made personalized booklets to practice reading skills at home. We colored the copied pages and assembled the book binding with yarn tied through punched holes. Our goal with the soup kitchen is to increase sanitary procedures while cooking in large quantities. This proves to be a challenge with the increase of insects and flies during the rainy season. However, as a health standard it needs to be a priority to prevent illness and the spread of infection.
A few weeks ago Shawn and I were fiercely ill with parasites and amoebas. We hope to never again experience such illness. I, Jennifer, was in bed for two days without moving. It was during this week that Shawn and I sincerely missed the comforts of Minnesota. An outdoor bathroom is not the most desired nor convenient set up for such situations. There were times when I could barely get up because of the nausea and vomiting; sorry to share the morbid details. In addition, the heat amplifies the discomfort. I was constantly hot and constantly chilled with fever. Fortunately, our sickness passed in cycles with Shawn healing first. He was soon appointed "hero" for aiding me in my recovery as he stayed by my side fixing re-hydrating salt liquids mixed with Gatorade to sweeten the taste. One thing we discovered when we bought medication was that people here buy one pill at a time. Generally they can not afford to buy an entire bottle of Advil at once, therefore when a headache occurs they go to the nurse’s small pharmacy and then buy two tablets. For us this was yet another example of something to be thankful for in the states; the resources to buy medicine and have it available when needed. We had many neighbors visit while we were ill who brought fruit juices, lemons for tea or simply came to converse and offer their home remedies. According to our closer friends, we were the talk of the town!
We are feeling much better now so there is no need to worry. Just wanted to share a well-rounded perspective of life as we know it.
Enjoy your week!
Shawn-Miguel and Jennifer
Peace Corps Honduras
Concepción de Maria, Choluteca