New Years...New Times

Greetings again from Honduras. Just hanging out here in a Monday night enjoying some quiet time. Happy New Year to everyone! I didn’t make any resolutions this year because life is too unpredictable down here. But I guess if I had to make one, it’s to continue doing what means something to me and avoid the fluff.

I’m not gonna start with any Honduran news because I talk about it on the new Podcast episode. A new one is up in the iTunes store under Podcasts (search Peace Corps or La Vida Hondureña). Or you can click here and subscribe to it on the audio site by looking in the bottom right hand corner for the iTunes logo. And of course, it’s free. If anyone you know is interested in Peace Corps or wants to learn more about the life we live here, lead them in that direction.

Okay, so, what’s been happening? Well, Elisabeth, some friends, and I rang in the New Year at a place called the Omega Tours Jungle Lodge. It’s a little lodge nestled into the jungle of Honduras near the North Coast. We river rafted one day and did a lagoon tour the next where we saw monkeys and ate lunch on the beach. It started dumping hard rain the last day and a half but we still loved it. It was a great time.





I returned back to work after about 2 weeks of taking it easy and things are picking up again. I am doing some graphic designs for Peace Corps and fellow volunteers who need help getting promotional materials for their various organizations. Also, Volker, my good German friend, and another worker from the office went on an Aldea survey that was really great. We did it all in one day, going around asking people in the small towns of the municipality about their pueblitos and what resources they do and don’t have.

I love projects like this because its getting out there with the people, seeing what their needs are, and getting ideas for new projects. My NGO mostly helps the urban areas of town so its nice to help out in the rural areas where people really need some resources and help with new skills.





Now its 2010, a new year, and the new year has always made me reflect on the last year and think about what’s to come. I landed here in Honduras 11 months ago. It’s been one roller coaster ride with some huge ups and downs. But now, the ride is smoothing out. I think back to why I came here and I can do nothing but smile.

What I have realized is that the present is the best place to focus on, and the present me is what I am coming to love. And in this present time, I continue to be fascinated by this land and culture. I continue to reflect on who I am as a person, and what I can do to be a more peaceful, aware me. And when thinking about the New Year, it is so reassuring to say that I did it; I came down here and lived this experience...the one I wanted to have.

It’s nice to say that I love this experience. I love doing work that means something to me. I love learning more about other people, and where they have come from and what makes them the way they are. The cultural exchange is simply awesome. I love learning more about myself while continuing to grow as a person. I am so grateful and appreciative that I even have the opportunity to do this, and amazing friends and family to support me the whole way. What more do I need? What a life…what times.

It’s a New Year, and I’m feeling new already.

…Until next time

Christmas Times and More...

Greetings again from Honduras. I guess I can say a late Merry Christmas. I did spend it here in Honduras. It was the first time I was away from the family for the Holidays and it felt different. Nonetheless, I had a great time with friends.

Christmas Eve here is really the big day to celebrate. Families go to mass and then come home to a feast and a fiesta. Then, at about 11 o’clock, the madness that is the fireworks starts. No kidding, all kinds and all sizes of fireworks blasted until 1 in the morning…two hours straight. It was pretty impressive.

On actual Christmas day the streets were quiet as most people rest from an eventful night before. Us gringos made it our big day though. My good friends Mo and Rachel visited along with Rachel’s dad and sister. Other volunteers came into town as well. In the morning I took the guys on a walk and mini hike to the back country of my town, then at night we feasted on a fantastic Christmas meal. The night was topped off with some dancing at a local bar with live Honduran music.

For the last week and a half I have taken off work to just relax and enjoy the holiday break. For new years a group of 7 of us are going to the North part of the country to a small Hotel in the Jungle. We will spend New Years Eve there then river raft and hike for 3 days. Another out of the ordinary holiday celebration but I am looking forward to it.

In Honduran news, all is pretty tranquilo (calm) as we say here. Everyone has pretty much accepted that the elections are over, the new president will come into power, and former president Zelaya is all but without options.

I also read a very interesting article on the coup and the effect on business here in Honduras. You can read it (here). It talks about how since the coup nearly 180,000 jobs have been lost (in a country of only 7.5 million) and during the times when nightly curfews were imposed the country lost nearly $50 million a day (with a GDP of only $14 Billion). In a country that is already the second most poor in all of Latin America, the argument of the effectiveness of the coup continues.

I also want to remind people of the Podcast for Peace Corps here in Honduras. You can find it on iTunes by searching Peace Corps, then clicking on “see all” in the podcast section. Its called “La Vida Hondureña.” You can also click here (you will need to open iTunes and be connected to the internet). We explain a little bit of what life is like as Peace Corps volunteers in Honduras. There are 3 episodes up. But for some reason iTunes only shows 2. If you click the subscribe button on the iTunes page however, the latest episode does show up. Subscribing is better because the updates come faster. I am also going to paste the latest podcast below.

So just wanted to say Happy Holidays, even though it’s a little late. I know there will be some crazy New Years parties back home so have a great time. Right now I am just loving things down here…living for the moment and soaking up what I can. Tough times come and I think just accepting that they will is the best thing I can do for those times. Its all a great journey…learning, loving, living.

…Until next time.


LA VIDA HONDUREÑA - EPISODE 3...CLICK HERE