Off To Honduras

10 days left

2009-07-27T13:44:00.004-04:00

10 days left and things have gotten a bit more heated over here. Me and my friends were supposed to head to the Mayan Ruins of Copan and Tela Beach this past weekend. We got together all nice and bright and early to catch our bus, and 20 mins before the bus was to leave, the news told us that trouble was brewing at the Nicaraguan border. It was at this time that the busline decided to stop all travelling. Damn. So this is what I know.

Ex President Mel Zelaya is now in Nicaragua, trying to get back into the country. He has tried unsuccessfully a few times but keeps meeting up with resistance. The International community (The UN, USA, Venezuela and others) have made it clear that they support Mel´s presidency as the only true presidency and they will not accept any other President. Until Mel gets put back into power, the economic sanctions and embargoes continue. The borders have been closed to all export trade and its not going to get better anytime soon. Micheletti´s goverment have said that they will never give in to Mel being president again but have proposed that a new election for a new president be held in October so the new government can wipe the slate clean and continue on. The International Community have said they will not support a new government either because if they accept a newly elected government (even if its all legitamately voted for Democratically) because to do so would be supporting the Coup. It would mean that any Central American country could overthrow their own government in the same way and hold a new election to start anew. This would forever cause violence and political strife.

Common Sense

2009-07-21T14:25:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone! I´m tired of writing about the political crap here and I realized that I haven´t yet told you about some of the cool, creapy and gross things I have seen and experienced here at the clinic. One of the things we were told before we left was to expect the unexpected and accept that things are the way they are and there isnt much to be done about them. I know that I am not here to change the world or to change peoples way of being/thinking, but I did manage to give out some common sense. I can just hear my friend Noel back home saying, "who the hell died and gave you common sense?" It´s hard for me at times to accept how things are done here because my North American brain wants to scream at these people, "Are you freaking kidding me?!?!". But I know that everyone is always doing the best they can with what they have and I definitely learned a lot about patience and acceptance. Might make life a bit less stressful for me back home. I have started to learn to just let things be; I cant control everything and that´s always been hard for me. Here are some examples

I believe I have mentioned before that vaccinations here are mandatory and also free. But still parents arent getting their kids vaccinated. Its only down to ignorance and laziness. I know that back home some people think that vaccines hurt kids or may cause autism or whatever, but here they dont think that deep. Mostly its just that the parents dont want to bring their kids to the clinic, wait for an hour or two and have to deal with their kids screaming up a storm and then being slightly sick for a day or two. Well I dont have kids and you all know how much I love screaming sick children, but isnt it better than having to deal with your kids having polio or typhoid?? Polio is an issue here. I thought it was all but erradicated in the world, but I guess not.

The food here is hard for me to deal with as I am not used to eating so much fat and oil and salt. But people here are brought up on it and wont give it up for anything, their health included. We saw a lady who had a blood pressure enduced stroke at 41 years of age because her cholesterol was over 300. The doctor tells me that 300 is high enough to kill most people. When the doctor told her she needs to cut out the fat and salt she looked at him like he had slapped her. So she risks heart attack and further damage because she cant possibly cook eggs without oil and salt.

This isnt about common sense, this was just cool and gross... a lady came in a couple months ago with half of the top half of her left index finger missing. She was butchering her cow and her hand slipped and she took off part of her finger...ew!! She of course had to go to the hospital in the capital city to get it surgerically fixed, but she came here first and asked if we couldnt just stitch it and bandage it cuz she had to finish her husbands dinner!!!! You could see the bone and everything!!!!! EW ICK!! Loved it!

Ever see the movie Brokedown Palace? It´s about the girls who get thrown into a Thai prison for smuggling drugs? One scene involves one of the characters having a beetle fly into her ear and infecting her, making her sick. That happened here! Poor little girl about 4 years old came in with a bad fever and a terrible ear and headache. Turns out she had a dead beetle in her ear. It must have crawled in while she slept and got stuck. Once it got stuck it couldnt retreat backwards so it burrowed further into ear and scratched into her ear drum before it died. She had to go to the hospital to have it removed safely... and will have received a good dose of penicilin. I sleep with ear plugs...

Im free

2009-07-13T22:51:00.002-04:00

Hey all. The travel ban and curfew have been lifted!! YAY!. I have to be honest I have not been keeping up with the latest gossip here, its been so boring. As far as I know, Zelaya went to the US and Hilary Clinton asked the president of Costa Rica to mediate the negotiations of the Honduran political system. His name is Arias and he won the Nobel Peace Prize once upon a time and so he makes a good mediator. He also doesnt have anything to gain or lose politcally so that helps. Im not sure what the outcome was or is, but as far as I have heard, Zelaya is going to come back to Honduras on the 18th but he could try and come back anytime really. What that will mean for the country I dont know. I think there are still warrents out for his arrest, but I also think that since the country is in negotiation, he might have temporary immunity until things get settled. The general consensus of opinion is that Zelaya wont come back into power, that he will get some sort of settlement and Micheletti will be president until the election in November.

I am really really hoping that things dont change until after I get home. I really cant handle another grounding. I get a week of vacation starting Thursday and I will be travelling the country as much as I can. My friend Max has a car and he has offered to play tourist with me. I think we are going to Tela Beach (since I missed it the last time due to the grounding), San Pedro Sula, Copan (which are the Mayan Ruins) and probably Ceiba which is another beach on the Caribbean coast. Loads to see and do and not much time to do it anymore. I only have about 24 days left!! Wow, its flown.

I sent out postcards last week. I wrote them on the 18th of June but wasnt allowed to leave to mail them so sorry for that. Hopefully they will get home before I do.

Now that the political stuff is sorted, I will try and get back to what I have learned here and what I have seen and done before all this started. Thats the interesting stuff.

Anywho, still enjoying myself and I cant tell you how excited I am to be free again.

Hugs n stuff.

2 dead, 4 Wounded

2009-07-08T16:21:00.003-04:00

So things got a tad more interesting here this past weekend. I don't really know all the details because as I have previously said, there is a media ban here and although it has lightened up quite a bit here, the government still want everyone to think that everything is fine and that all are well and safe. They even put Micheal Jackson´s memorial on CNN Español and didn't talk about anything newsworthy. Makes me laugh and shake my head.
Anywho, the story was that Mel Zelaya was supposed to come back to Honduras on Saturday as per the demands of the UN. The Honduran government said if he came back, they would arrest him (apparently they have 18+ warrants out for him). So the threatened embargoes and sanctions did in fact begin, although I don't really believe that the effects of these will be felt for a month or two. He didn't try to come back on Saturday after all but he did try to sneak in on Sunday. Silly man thought he could avoid being arrested if he came in unexpectedly I guess. Once he landed, the government refused him entry being that he didn't have permission so he took off to El Salvador. Monday he flew to Washington DC where he met with Hilary Clinton. I do not know anything more than that. I don't know if or what anything was talked about, nor about whats happening with Michelettis government. I do know that some of the bigger industrialists of Honduras have told Micheletti and Zelaya that they want the two to play nice, give back the presidency to Zelaya and they can work together until the next election is called in November, at which time the slate will be wiped clean and the new government can start again. Who the hell really thinks that two alpha males can play nicely together? Come on!! One wanted the power to control the country at will, and the other instigated a coup détat. Honestly!! Stupid freaking men!! The industrialists are not at all happy that their business have been diminished because the borders have been closed to some trading due to the embargoes and sanctions.
I also know that 2 people died and 4 people were wounded at the airport Sunday when some jackass decided he was going to open fire on the crowd gathered there to support their favorite president. We have been told that it was an isolated incidence, that he was just some guy and it had nothing to do with attempted assassinations or anything dramatic.
The country´s curfew has been set back to 10pm to 6 am but we still have not been given the go ahead to travel. So here I sit in El Guante and counting down the days till I am back in the land of the Canuck.
Hugs n stuff

Update

2009-06-30T21:53:00.002-04:00

Hey all... nothing major to report, but I figured that if I get time online I might as well keep you all updated.
As of today, there are protests in the streets of the main cities but as far as I know they have been peaceful and no one has died. There is a military presence everywhere in the major cities but so far the villages and surrounding towns still have the same, calm and pretty, but boring, atmosphere. There has been a country wide curfew been put into effect though. 9pm to 6am throughout the entire country, and 6pm to 6am in the cities... which puts a real downer on any activity in the city because the sun sets here at 6pm everyday regardless of season. Oh, its Winter here right now...which is really just rainy season. They have 2 seasons here wet and dry but they do follow the calendar in terms of global seasons.
Anywho, we are not allowed to leave our locations (as a precaution in case anything busts out quickly) so we have all been pretty bored lately. But its for our own safety and I get that. Totally bummed that our trips and vacations have been cancelled though. I don't like the idea of just sitting here for the next 5 weeks.
As for the political side of life... from what I gather its all over the news all over the world so you guys will probably know more than I will because we only can get our info from outside sources. There is a media ban in effect here and we are being fed tonnes of pro micheleti propaganda. I heard this morning that some of the neighbouring countries and allies of president Zelaya have gone to the US to see if Obama will get involved and be a mediator in all this as I suppose he represents everything that a democratic leader should be. He apparently refused to get involved saying that he could not back up an illegal coup d´étas nor could he justify what Zelaya wanted to do by wanting to have control over the constitution. So it sounds like, for once in US history, they are keeping their nose out of other peoples business.
Zelaya has a lot of supporters right now and the majority of the country is pissed at how this was all handled. Majority of the country supports Zelaya as they voted him in in the first place. Here´s where things could get hairy. Zelaya has been sequestered in Costa Rica and he made an address to Honduras today saying that he wants to come back Thursday morning. I didn´t catch his motivation, but people assume he wants to fight for his right to be president and face his government. The new and current government have said that they will by no means allow Zelaya back into the country nor any of his closest advisors and such. Venezuela has said that if Zelaya is not put back into power and restored to his full capacity as president, they will "take action". Of course they won´t define action, but most people believe it will be in the form of embargoes and sanctions and not military. Which is good in terms of us not getting shot at and stuff, but it will make life here way more miserable for the people. This country is poor enough without having economic sanctions put onto them by the one country they do a lot of exporting and importing with and to. Venezuela has the support of Nicaragua and the Castros as well as El Salvador I believe. So Thursday is the day of show and tell.
Like I said, no one really believes that this will turn violent in terms of country vs country. The major threat of violence comes from inside, the citizens of Honduras rioting and thus causing internal conflict. However, since this whole shit show started last week no one has shot a gun yet, so chances are it won´t escalate. Which means that we won´t be in danger, we won´t be sent home and we will finish our remaining 30+ days here. It also means that there is a good chance none of us will be allowed to travel outside of our home villages though until all this is completely settled. If this is the case I know a couple of us are really not interested in staying. But this is just speculation and opinion. We are quite bored here doing nothing and most of us came here wanting to travel and learn about the country and the customs not sit at home. I suppose we are learning a lot about the political system, but I´ll be super pissed if I don't get to see the beaches or the Mayan ruins because the political leaders are measuring the size of their dicks and seeing how far they can piss.... crude I know, sorry Dad... but its how I feel and all you who know me, know I speak my mind....
Hugs n stuff.

Drama Follows Me...

2009-06-29T16:22:00.003-04:00

So I think I'm gonna write a book some day about the drama in my life. LOL.
So while the county was going into peril, my host parents decided to get into a car crash with a bus. Now again, my crappy Spanish didn´t allow me to understand all of the details, but from what I gather, they were on their way back from the capital city when either a bus hit them, or a bus hit someone else and that person hit them. Either way, everyone was taken to hospital and now everyone is fine. All I know is, they went to the hospital and Elva (mom) was released that night with cuts and bruises, but Bayunardo (dad) was kept for observation for possible head and neck trauma. He was released from hospital yesterday and now they are dealing with the police and trying to find a way back home because their car is done. Poor poor people. So I was left on my own for the weekend which was nice, apart from the torrential rainstorm that punched a hole into the living room ceiling. At least it wasn't in my bedroom , but still.... and the rainstorm brought the mosquitos into the house... that was fun... and the storm or the crazy government cut our power. All in all, shit weekend. But hey.... I was also supposed to be getting a weeks vacation time to tour the country but now apparently there is an inspector coming to the clinic so I might not get to go. Sigh.... Ah well...

Its been really interesting watching how things are done here with this whole Coup thing. For saying this is a democratic country, it´s quite un democratic. First of all, they cut any news feed that the current government doesn't want people to see. On Friday there was a media ban in effect in Honduras while everything was happening. Afterwards all we were allowed to see was the new president being sworn in and everyone looking all happy. The news about what was happening to Zelaya was only being told through other countries´media (like Nicaragua and others) and within the hour of them being broadcasted, the channel was disconnected. Today's paper only talks about the new president and nothing about what happened or why. I was also told by my host brother that all the freedoms we are all used to will be, if they haven't been already, taken away. This includes freedom of speech, right to assemble and freedom of the press. I was told that if and when I can go back into the capital city that by no means should I talk about what I think about this situation in public, nor should I be involved in a group of more than 3 in the city streets. Scary stuff. But that´s the way it goes. I'm not gonna be stupid by any means. This is serious shit and people can be shot for less. They have been. Not to worry anyone, its just so crazy how things you hear about on tv or see in movies actually do happen.
I have a few other stories to tell about corruption and other difficult things I have seen and experienced in front of me but Ill get to those at another time.. I hope.

Coup de Etas

2009-06-29T15:14:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone. I think that is how you spell that. I don´t know if any of you have heard what has been happening here, but there is a severe and potentially dangerous situation come about in the last 4 days. I don´t know all the details but I´ll tell you what I know and what I have been told and what I think.

On Thursday night, June 25th, the president of Honduras Mel Zelaya fired the Minister of Defense (I don´t know why exactly). There was a major upheaval over this and Friday June 26th, at about 1 am, he was kidnapped and taken hostage in Costa Rica. There was a coup by his own government that night and a new president was put into power Saturday morning. As far as I know, this is why this happened.
Honduras is set to have their presidential election in November for the new term president to begin Jan 2010. The political system here works the same as in the States except for the complete corruption here is not even hidden. Every 4 years they have a new election and the president can only have 2 terms. So, apparently President Zelaya tried to pass a bill that said he was allowed to change the Honduran constitution without having to seek a referendum or permission from the Cabinet. He was going to put this idea to a democratic vote which was supposed to happen this past Sunday. Pretty much, if the bill was passed, he would instantly become a dictator if he wanted. He could essentially do whatever the hell he wanted, he could dismantle the government and no one could stop him without a war. If that is what he wanted to do. So you would think that the bill wouldn´t go through cuz that's just a plain stupid idea. Here's where the corruption comes in...he bought the vote. I don't know how exactly because I don't understand the voting system here but its definitely not democratic by our definition of the word. I believe that there are representatives of each department of the country and they ask the people what they want and then cast their vote for their department. So if the majority of the reps are bought off, anything can be passed. And no one tries to hide it. SO....
to avoid the inevitable passing of the corrupt bill allowing the president potential absolute power, his own Supreme Court had him removed from office. Now I don't know why they couldn't do it politically but I assume that impeachments and trials and all that jazz would take forever (remember Clinton?) and the vote was to be put Sunday. So I suppose removing him from the country means that another president has to be instated in order for the country to have a leader. I assume its the same if Obama were to be kidnapped, the VP Joe Biden would take over. Here I don't know how it works, but they put a new guy, last name Micheleti, in right away and the vote was stopped. SO now we have a big big big problem. Pretty much because what the Supreme Court did was not only illegal, but paramount to treason. They kidnapped their president and forced a coup. The country has been, or soon will be, split to choose sides, and agreements made with other countries will be in jeopardy. I´ll try and explain this as simply as I can cuz its complicated as hell, (try to understand it in Spanish!! God my head hurts).
Ok so Zelaya has some sort of deal going with Venezuela (no idea what) and apparently this coup has really buggered things up for them so their president is talking about sending his military into Honduras to try to help Zelaya come back into power if he wants to. This means civil and international war. Of course Honduras has allies to in Nicaragua and other surrounding countries, but as far as I understand, no one else wants to get involved and its all talk. Right now, there is military presence in all major cities and the new government has periodically shut off the country´s electricity. The threat of riots and looting is high and there is a threat of danger so everyone has essentially been grounded from travelling. There is also a chance that the government could instill a ban on gasoline and any other means of energy so no one can mobilize themselves and chances are, if things escalate, there will be a country wide curfew. Pretty much, at any time, there could be a civil war. Since the police here are military, the military are pretty preoccupied dealing with potential crises which means a lack of security in the main cities. Thus creating a chance of riots, looting and pillaging and mass murder. Yay me.
So now before my father panics (and yes I have explained all this to him) I am safe. We are all safe. We have been told by our coordinators that we are not to leave our host families and communities until things calm down for fear of being caught in a riot or stuck without a way home. Puts a huge damper on our travel plans (we couldn't go to Tela and I might not get my weeks vacation), plus we are all incredibly bored.
So to sum up a long story, we are all fine. Safe and sound and as of now we are not going to be sent home. We will only do that if things escalate. But holy crap does drama follow me.
Take care of you and I´ll be ok I´m sure. These ICYE people know their shit.

Hugs n stuff.

How It Works

2009-06-24T16:31:00.006-04:00

ceSo I have finally figured out how the whole clinic thing works. It´s only taken me 7 weeks of learning Spanish to understand everything.
Honduras is broken into departments the same way Canada has provinces. Each department has communities like our cities, and within each community is another suburb like Ross Glen in Medicine Hat, or Wildwood in Calgary or Glen Lake in KW. I can´t remember what department I live in, but I live in the village of El Guante in the community of Cedros in the suburb of Arriba (which means "up" in Spanish). Each community, in my case Cedros, has medical clinics (well most of them, not all) which are sponsored by some American NGOs. In our case, a lot of the help and finance is brought to us by Feed The Children and some other church based groups. I really should learn all the names of everything, but whatever...
So, every house in each village has a number, the same way we do on our address. The family that lives in that house gets the same file number as their house number. The head of the family gets #1 and the rest of his family get the sequential #s. So in my case in Alberta, my house number is 61 so Dad would be 61-1 and I would be 61-2. As long as your family lives with you or you are a dependant of the family, you share the number. If you have your own house, you get your own number. Hope that made sense. Its 34C here with 85% humidity and no AC so my brain is a bit fried. Anyway, as long as you are a member of a family and you live in Cedros, you get access to the clinic. Last year the policy was changed, but it used to be that each person paid 100lps (Lempiras) per year and you can see the doctor as many times as you like. The problem was that some people were abusing the system and came to see the doctor every time they sneezed while others only saw the doctor once or twice a year and weren´t really getting their money´s worth. So now, every visit costs 15Lps (which is like 93cents Canadian) and they get all their prescriptions for free, all except for Depo Provera bc shot which is 5Lps or 34 cents or the pill which is 15Lps or 93 cents. God, how we would love for bc to be that cheap in Canada. All procedures are free, stitches and births and tests and all that. Anything that cant be dealt with in the clinic gets done in the hospital in Tegucigalpa. I believe that is free as well.
We have a dentist here and a pharmacist and I was wrong about the nurses and support staff. I thought that the nurses didn´t have formal training or education but they do. The cool thing is, if someone thinks they would like to be a nurse or a doctor, they can come work in a clinic and learn stuff for a month to 6 weeks (paid) to decide if they want to pursue schooling. What a fantastic idea. It would have saved me lots of time and money on wasted school if I could have tried on some jobs first.
I think I mentioned before that vaccinations are mandatory here for all children. They are free as well. If the clinic or the health section of the government find out that the child is not vaccinated, the parents can be fined and/or jailed and the child removed and vaccinated anyway.
So might as well just get them vaccinated since its free.
If you are not a part of the community, you can still come to the clinic, it will just cost you 75lps. So for instance, if you are visiting family and get sick, you can come to the clinic but it will cost you. As opposed to in Canada where health care is provincial but also federal in that I can see my Ontario doctor with my Alberta Health care card.
So that´s basically how it works. I have many stories of things I have seen and experienced here, some that have freaked me out. But I will save those for another time
Hugs n stuff.

Did You Know?

2009-06-23T11:53:00.003-04:00

Some interesting facts and trivia about my host country..
Did you know that...

* Honduras has a population of about 7 million, 800 000+ living in the capital city which is
smaller in size than Calgary.
* Honduras can physically fit into Canada 89 times
* National tree is the pine if you can believe that. Honduras is one of the only countries in the
world that can grow all types of trees. There are pine, deciduous, palm and fruit trees
everywhere. They can grow in the same yard in the same soil. Hmmmm... there are probably
more trees than the ones I have mentioned, but I am not the tree expert, so feel free to look it
up if you are¨:o)
* The national animal of Honduras is the white tailed deer. You would think with all the monkeys
and other interesting tropical animals out here they would pick a more eclectic animal, but no...
I don´t think I have seen one yet. More likely to see one in Canada. But I believe that the
white tailed deer has special significance to Honduras´history (like with the hunters back in the
day).
* The national bird of Honduras is the Red McCaw. That seems appropriate. Very pretty tropical
looking bird.
* The national flower is the Orchid and there are many many of those around. They smell
awesome!!
* There are 4 ethnic groups, or tribes if you will, still alive and thriving today here in Honduras. Before the Spanish came and conquered Honduras back in the 1500s they lived separately in the country and as far as I have learned, they lived peacefully segregated.

Misquitos:
-live in the East coast of Honduras, in the Moskita jungle. We know this area as Mosquito coast and the area was made famous in the movie of the same name starring Harrison Ford, however the movie was filmed in Belize and not Honduras. The area is only accessible by air or by sea and is mostly ignored by the government. The local fishing villages have become havens for drug traffickers.
-Interestingly enough, the area is named for its inhabitants, not because it has a mosquito infestation. Although, being that it is a jungle, I am sure it probably has its fair share of mosquitoes.
- they speak their own language of Misquito and Spanish
- they had their own King until they were conquered by the Spanish
- today they live as the rest of us, in cities and houses but they do maintain their culture and their language. Some choose to live the traditional way (exactly what that means, I´m not sure but I am hoping to learn)

Garifunas:
-these people were African slaves brought to Honduras in 1797 after being banished from the Caribbean by the English, French and Spanish.
-they live in the North of Honduras and still maintain a bit of their culture today.
-they speak mostly Spanish and some native African tongues. There is still quite a considerable Creole,Caribbean-esque lifestyle there.
-one of Honduras´national dance is the Punta. The word Punta literally means "tips" as in dancing on the tips of your toes. I very much would like to learn the dances. They resemble a combination of and belly dancing with the speed of the Hawaiian hula . Quite the workout and the music is awesome!!!

Chorties:
- I don´t know that much about these people except that the Spanish pretty much wiped them out when they came and conquered Honduras.
-Similarly to how the Europeans came and forced assimilation upon the North American aboriginals, the Spanish forced the Chorties into slavery and assimilation and took over their lands. :o(
- the language and culture is all but lost except for the few remaining descendants who like to teach others about their history

Lencas:
- I have to admit I like this culture the most so far. Probably because I know more about them than any of the others.
- they have managed to maintain their culture and still thrive today. They are famous for their handmade pottery with inked patterns on the dishes of various symbols and storytelling. The ink is all natural and handcrafted as well. The patterns are similar in nature to some African patterns which gives some intel as to the Lencas´s background.
- the women wear brightly coloured bandanas to signify their culture.
- one of the more interesting aspects of the Lencas history is the story of Lempira. He was a young Lenca man who was tired of the Spanish coming in and taking over the country. So he became a warrior and with a large number of people, he fought against the Spanish army with spears and machetes against the Spanish guns and swords. He was the Honduran William Wallace if you will. He managed to hold his own against Spain and was invited to peace talks by the King of Spain. That night Lempira was tricked and assassinated. In honour of this man´s bravery and courage and love of his country, the Honduran currency bears his name, the Lempira (which currently sits at about 16.6 Lps per Canadian dollar). His picture is on the 1L bill which can be seen on my power point presentation on here under Honduras Info.

*the oldest working clock in the Americas is located in a cathedral in Comayagua (coh-my-ahg-wa) which was the original capital city of Honduras but now shares that distinction with Tegucigalpa.
* now for the important stuff... booze. They have 4 domestic beers here and they have some microbreweries as well. They do make their own wines here as well although I haven't had the chance to try them. Domestic beer costs roughly $1.50 can, and imports (like Corona and MGD) $ 2.00. Liquor here is quite a bit cheaper too. I found a 750 of Bacardi white for $14 and a shot at the bar (highball) will run you $2.50. Sorry Andrea, but no Captain Morgan´s Spiced here... such a backwards people...lol.

So as you can see, I haven't just been sitting on the beach drinking Cuba Libres (that´s this weekend in Tela), I have actually been learning stuff. I am going to be travelling quite a bit in July and will get to learn much more. I´m excited. Hope you have enjoyed Did You Know, Honduras

Hugs

Time and Transit

2009-06-15T00:49:00.004-04:00

¨The richness of the human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome¨.
Can´t remember who said that or where I saw it, but I like it all the same. It was probably on my Starbucks cup...lol. No they don´t have Starbucks here, but they have their own version called Espresso Americana and it´s pretty much the same.

It´s been so interesting learning how to live in a new culture. It´s been really aggravating at times and really fun and fantastic at others. For example, time means not a hell of a lot here. If you are told to be somewhere at 9, chances are the person you are meeting won´t be there till 930 or later, and it won´t matter. I went to a wedding that was supposed to start at 7 and didnt start till 8:25. The people at work come when they want to (some time around 8) and leave when there aren´t any more patients, or when they just don´t want to take any more on... really bizarre that one! The relaxed ideals of time I really enjoy although it is totally frustrating coming from such a time obsessed culture. If you want to catch the bus at 9 you should be there at 845 in case the 815 bus is late, or else you will have to wait till 915 or later for the 9 o´clock bus. However, there is a chance that it will be on time, in which case you will miss it and have to wait for the 10 o´clock bus which may or may not come at all...depends on how they feel that day. I would love to be able to live that lifestyle back home, but it will never happen.

Speaking of the transit system, it´s really interesting here. Their city buses are the same as their coach buses (ie-greyhound) which are all used schoolbuses from the US. Once the US decide they don´t want them anymore they get sold here to individuals (there is no set transit system, it´s all individually owned, but licenses are issued and general rules followed). So whether you are just going to the mall or heading for a 12 hour trip through the country, you will be in a used school bus. They have their routes/ destinations printed on the front of each bus and because they are individually owned and operated, they are decked out to the owners preference. They all have stereo systems in them and have music blaring- and I mean blaring. Some have paint jobs inside, some have curtains, it´s really interesting... some have really really terrible seats with springs sticking out and holes everywhere. Its a craps shoot when you choose to catch a bus. The price depends on where you are going and even then you can barter. For me to catch the bus from my village to the capital city 55kms away would cost me 30Lps (Lempira) which is roughly $ 1.87 The trip takes about 2 hours since the roads are so bad, most vehicles can´t go more than 40kms/hr. It´s really really bad here. The roads aren´t really paved and you could lose small children in the potholes. The drivers are insane but that might be an entire post in itself.
There aren´t really any assigned bus stops. They drive the same routes and if you want to get on, you wave to them and they just stop. Mostly you figure out where most people congregate to catch the bus and go there. Once you get to where you want to be dropped off, you either make your way to the front and tell the driver, or you can bang on the window to signal him to stop. So weird.
The one thing I do like about the buses here, other than they are so cheap, is that people come onto the buses and sell stuff. Anything!! Mostly food and homemade baked goods, but some people bring on souvenirs, some junk, medicines... you name it. Some come on just to pass out flyers and business cards. I think this is kind of ingenious myself. You can get lunch on the bus if the right people come on. They ride the bus for free for a few kms then get off and get on the next bus. Some come on with coolers filled with homemade food, most come on with baskets of baked goods (sooo good). It´s cheap and a really neat idea. I doubt the idea would fly in Canada only because I don´t think people would trust the food as it is all homemade and not individually wrapped... just made up and packaged and you get it fresh. I haven´t had a problem yet. It´s nice on a 5 hour ride to have someone bring you water and a cookie.

Finally...a computer

2009-06-15T00:26:00.002-04:00

Wow it´s taken forever to find some good time with a computer! So much to say I don´t know where to start. I have been keeping notes along the way so I have things to relay here. Figured that would be better than trying to trust my memory. I´m getting old, so I don´t remember much anymore. I found more gray hair too!! Grrr...

So overall, I am doing well... I have managed to stay healthy, which apparently is really difficult here since my host mom got a bout of pneumonia, the doctor (and my friend, Max) picked up a stomach parasite and the girls I came here with have all been sick or got an infection or something. So knock on wood I will stay healthy. The worst I have endured so far is an attack by the killer ticks!! There were a couple in my bed last night apparently cuz I woke up this morning with 3 massive bites on my legs that are both incredibly itchy and hot to the touch. They are huge welts and if the swelling doesn´t go down by tomorrow, Max is going to put me on antibiotics. Now anyone who knows me well knows how much I dislike chemical drugs so I am not overly pleased with this idea, but I suppose it´s better than itching and burning...

I will be posting all the major things I have been up to in individual posts since it´s just easier and makes all this shorter. Overall, I have been having a blast. I have jumped off a waterfall, gone sightseeing, been to a Honduran wedding, worked tones at the clinic, spent a fortune, saw 4 movies and went without electricity and hot water for 53 hours. Not too bad for a relatively short amount of time. My Spanish is pretty solid and I am very very proud of my progress. So when I get back, I am hoping those of you that can speak Spanish will help me keep it up. I guess it gives me a good excuse to go to Mexico!! Practicing Spanish!! Once their pigs are healthy again... haha.

Hope all is well where you are. I hear there was snow back home at the beginning of June... HAHAHAHAHAHA.... sorry... no Im not, that´s funny...

Hugs n stuff

The clinic

2009-05-23T15:16:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone! I´m back in the big city for the weekend and have found some time to update. The clinic where I work is really really cool. The people are so nice to me and patient that I don´t speak a lot of Spanish. No one there speaks any English so it´s been interesting.

The clinic was started by an American NGO that has sponsored it for a few years. I believe it was opened in 2006 but I am not quite sure. They have one doctor there, his name is Max and they have a dentist (whose name I cannot remember) and several nurses who also act as secretaries. Everyone kind of does everything. They have a mini pharmacy there as well. I believe that the health care and the medicine there is all free, but my language skills have prevented me from asking too many questions.

When I first got there, they had me working in the stock room since I couldn´t communicate very well. Then I told the doctor that I have an interest in medical stuff and I have some EMT training from 2001 and know all the basics of taking blood pressures and vitals and all that. So he told me that from now on I would work with him in the clinic room and he would teach me whatever I wanted to learn. So far I mostly take blood pressures and glucose readings, but he has let me sit in on all the exams. I have gotten to do a pre natal exam (heartbeat and growth and all that stuff). I also got to assist with a pap test and I got to inject a poor kid in the ass with penicilin!! It´s insane what they will let me do without training or certification. They have also asked me to do a presentation on First Aid and CPR (in Spanish) once I get some more language down. I am also going to be doing a presentation on Sexuality for the schoolkids. I can´t believe the amount of teenage moms here. Its insane. But being that this country is hard core Catholic, I suppose the whole no birth control thing is a great excuse. However, don´t Catholics also shun pre marital sex?? Anywho...

I like the clinic and the people and I think I will be happy there.

Food

2009-05-17T14:20:00.003-04:00

For saying this a Third World country, they eat a lot. The only difference is, none of it is healthy. None that I have found anyway. Mostly you get a staple of rice and beans (although my family is quite american in their food choices).

The water is not drinkable although it is treated to use for bathing and brushing teeth etc. They buy drinking water a la Culligan type things. I have one to myself in my room.

There are fruit trees everywhere, mostly mangoes and bananas. There are also pineapples and limes and papyas. And yes, I know pineapples don´t grow on trees.

Mostly everything here is fried. Its quite gross actually. Butter, oil, lard and salt go into pretty much everything. The ground is still healing itself from the effects of Hurricane Mitch in 1998, sao getting good produce is hard. There is a lot of canned veggies brought in from outside countries but not much fresh and nothing frozen. I eat a lot of veggies at home so this has been trying for me. They love fried chicken here and it gets served at least twice a week. With rice and tortillas and bread. You are pretty much guaranteed to get three starches with every meal. A lot of eggs as well. It all tastes fantastic, but none of it is really healthy at all and it is doing a number on my stomach (not to mention my waistline... so much for Third World diet). I suppose you can liken it to a student diet... lots of KD and cup a noodles cuz its cheap... same concept.

Elva makes me pancakes a lot and they have maple syrup here (a lot of American products here) or I get corn flakes or oatmeal for breakfast. Lunch is usually pasta and bread with cream sauce, or chicken and rice, and dinner is usually beef or chicken and rice again. Lately she has been visitng people at night so I have been fending for myself and found some veggies for a stirfry. Oh, and she doesnt like white meat so even the chicken I get isn´t healthy. But damn, it all tastes good

The export heaps of coffee here, so they drinks buckets of it as well. Now Im not a coffee drinker but from what others have told me, its better than Tim Hortons!! They LOVE Coke here!!! They drink full fat coke like water and its hard to find diet pop... they have coke zero but its gross. They also love drink mixes like Tang and Koolaid type stuff. Of course sugar gets added to everything. I try and drink a lot of water.

So that´s all I can really think of to say about the food. Nothing weird has been offered to me nor suggested, so I guess Ive been lucky that way.
:o)

Introduction

2009-05-17T13:31:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I have found myself some time online... yay. So what can I tell you? Well I think that since there is sooo much and this could get sooo long, I will break it down into a few different posts by section. I´ll tag everything by week or date so you know which blogs belong to which times. Cool?

Here we go...
The Spanish speakers cant pronounce t at the end of words so my name is now Katy. Thats how they spell it too. Or Katerina which works as well. I am only going to be able to get to a computer maybe once a week or so, so please don´t be alarmed if I don´t update very often. There isn´t any form of Internet in my village. I am not living in a mud hut on a dirt road either... well, it is on a dirt road, but not what you think.

My family:
I live with an older couple named Elva (mom, 59) and Bayunardo (dad, 69 farmer) in probably the nicest house in the village. It´s huge actually in comparisson to the others and I would be more likely to call it a hacienda than a house. I don´t know how or if I cam allowed to upload pics on this computer, so you may have to wait. There are 5 bedrooms but the bathrooms are outside. There is running water and yes, it is hot but it gets delivered once its treated in the main city so once it runs out, it runs out. then you boil cold water and bucket shower. I have only had to do that once. Sometimes they don´t deliver the water for whatever reason. The strange thing here is that their sewage system does not allow for toilet paper, so you have to throw all that stuff in the bin beside the toilet, which does get smelly, but it gets emptied. They don´t have landfills outside the main cities so people put all their garbage and waste into a fire pit and burn it. You cannot imagine that smell!!! Oh yuck!!
Elva has a house in the city of Tegucigalpa and she comes into the city most weekends to shop and visit her family. I have been coming with her mostly. Yes, there is some money in this family for sure.

The clinic is pretty nice for saying what they have to work with. Its the one place in the entire village that is sanitary. They are very particular about sanitization which I appreciate. The doctor is very nice, his name is Max and he is going to let me help him out in the clinic itself Monday. The staff are nice and fairly patient with me, but they are used to foreigners coming to help out. There is a dentist on site and the doctor travels around sometimes to those who can´t make it to the clinic. He also vaccinates the local dogs against rabies. They are all wild dogs and probably less than 5% of the dog and cat population are pets. Mostly they are strays and wild so we don´t touch them or feed them.

So over all, its a gorgeous country landscape wise. It is INCREDIBLY poor and some people live in what can barely be called shacks. The pollution is insane in the city since the cars are all old and not serviced, they all puff out big clouds of smog. There aren´t many bugs during the day but there are quite a few at night.

Any questions? Just drop a comment on here and Ill answer it when I get back online.
Hope you are all well and happy.
xx

Im here

2009-05-16T19:44:00.003-04:00

hey everyone. I only have a couple mins and i will try and write more on monday if i can. there is no internet in my village so i have to wait till i come into the city which may be like every 10 days. so just a quick note to say I am fine. the country is beautiful but really poor. my mother and father are nice but a bit over protective. The medical clinic is nice and the people are super friendly and I will get to work with the doctor on monday.

so im alive and doing well so far... hope to update more later.

xoxox

See you in August!

2009-05-04T13:02:00.003-04:00

With only two days left before my big adventure this is where I learn, once again, I am Queen Procrastinator! But I come by it honestly and think that by now I have figured out how to deal with it. haha.
I want to thank everyone at home I got to see while I was here, and I'm sorry if I missed anyone (I know there are a couple of you). The next two days I am sequestering myself at home to make sure that all is done and complete as I can't just phone Dad to mail me something. The bbq last night was awesome (thanks Jay) and it has been a blast chatting and catching up with you guys. Thanks also to Jax for lending me the rucksack so I don't have to buy one, and to Amy and Sabrina from BB for chatting with me until all hours of the night and sharing their freak outs and excitements.
Thanks to Derek for making me laugh and supporting this crazy adventure- 100 days!!!
K, that's it...lol.... I'll post as soon as I can once I get my footing down there. Take care of each other and please make sure my father eats more than Tim Horton's and bacon sandwiches while I am gone!! :o)
Love and stuff
~Kate~

Almost there!

2009-04-29T16:34:00.005-04:00

Wow.... 7 days left! Holy cow! Well I made it home back to Medicine Hat. I drove 31 hours or so to get from KW to Medicine Hat from Tuesday April 14 to Thursday April16, oicked my father up and drove another 13 hours to Vancouver on Friday April 17. My cousin Jeff got married on Saturday the 18th and then Dad and I spent Sunday and Monday in Vancouver visiting people and going to our favourite places. We drove back to Medicine Hat on Tuesday April 21. So that puts me at about 5000kms in a week! UGH! Since I have been home I have managed to get quite a bit accomplished and I have seen heaps of friends and got to Calgary for a bit of shopping.

As of Friday May 1 I will no longer have a phone!! Oh my LORD ABOVE! It will be like someone chopping off my left hand I think....haha. No texts (much to Derek's happiness, I cost him $500 in texts and phone calls-oops) no calls.. nothing. So, that being said, if you need to get a hold of me, you can call me at my father's house (message me if you need the number) but he doesn't have an answer phone so could be tricky. Your best bet will be to try and find me online. But even that won't last... last day online will be May 5 then nothing until I can get to a computer once I am there.

I still have quite a bit to do, but I'm starting to warm up to the idea of leaving for the summer. I know it will be a kick ass time and I will be so happy once I am there, but as all the other people going with me, I am saddened by all the things I will be missing out on this summer. My apologies to Steve and Bridget for missing their wedding in July, and to some of my friends whose 30th b-days happen while I am gone...totally sucks.

Right now I am watching Willy Wonka with my neice Rebekkah. We are watching the original cuz I like it better. I now know why people have kids... it's so you can actually indulge yourself in all the things you want to do but think too childish so you blame it on your kids. LOL. I think it's a great idea!!

Loads of things left to do, so I best get onto them. Thanks for reading my blog... didn't think anyone really was.. but it's nice to know that you are.

Hugs n stuff

Seen on a sign

2009-04-24T03:05:00.002-04:00

Thanks Chay!!
"Don't be afraid to ask for help. Being a good friend makes both people better."
:o)

40 Tips for a Better Life

2009-04-24T02:36:00.003-04:00

Big thanks to Wendy Venables for sending me this! Love you Mama Bear!

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to__________ today.'

5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2008.

7. Make time to practice meditation and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of six.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants. Eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, or issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

26. Forgive everyone for everything.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. REMEMBER GOD heals everything.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

33. The best is yet to come.

34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

35. Do the right thing!

36. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!!!)

37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for__________. Today I accomplished _________.

38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

40. Share this with everyone you care about. I just did.

May your troubles be less, May your blessings be more, May nothing but happiness come through your door!

Almost home

2009-04-15T23:23:00.006-04:00

WOW! I am now in Minot, North Dakota. I have a serious hate on for this state... last summer when I was moving to KW I did this drive and there wasn't a single hotel room in the entire state (not even a by-the-hour- kind). I ended up driving for almost 20 hours that day to get myself into Fargo before I could get a hotel. UGH. This time, North Dakota is flooded! I was so pissed when I saw that my road was closed due to flooding and it was raining! I had a mini panic but found a gas station and the lady there told me I could take a different route and still get onto the interstate I needed. YAY! So I started driving and once I saw the destruction that this flood has caused, I felt really really crappy for getting all bent about the extra hour and a half added to my drive. I took some pics but will have to wait till tomorrow when I get home to upload them from my camera. Terrible.

Yesterday's drive was nice although it rained during the entire time. I didn't stop at the pink pretty mall this time (haha- Mall of America). Today was gorgeous until the flood. So here's to getting back into the land of the Canuck tomorrow. Then I will have an overnight at home with Dad and then he and I are off to Vancouver for my cousin Jeff's wedding Saturday. That drive is about 14-15hours so that will make almost 4 full days of driving for me. Dad and I will be back in the Hat on Tuesday night (the 22nd??) then I am home until May 6th. YAY

My flight schedule has changed a bit to incorporate the extension from Calgary to Toronto. So here it is, my itinerary (all local times)

Wednesday, May 6
Leaving Calgary: 1010am
Arriving Toronto: 350pm

Thursday May 7
Leaving Toronto: 615am
Arriving Miami: 925am

Leaving Miami: 1040am
Arriving Tegucigalpa: 1100am

RETURNING:

Thursday August 6

Tegucigalpa to Miami: 1215pm to 435pm
Miami to Toronto: 820pm to 1130pm

Friday August 7
Toronto to Calgary: 700am to 910am

Countdown is on!

Buenos verdanos!

2009-04-09T20:55:00.000-04:00

MAY 7 2009 !!!!!

Wow, this is all starting to feel so real!

2009-04-09T11:48:00.004-04:00

*deep breath*
Things are coming together quite nicely and I can't believe that it is all happening so quickly now; it's like someone pushed the overdrive button and bam- it is now mid April and I am leaving for home in 5 days! Still no flight date yet, but I'm not too worried about that yet. I missed an email sent to us from Joe, the guy buying our tickets, and he said that I was to check all my info and passport number and get back to him and I never did as I didn't receive the email. So I hope that there isn't any issues... it would be so typical if there was an issue now that I am leaving.
I have emailed some alumni and students going with me and I got some lovely responses and advice. Thanks so much to Lihn, Emily, Alex and Kristen (who will be going with me). You have been a fountain of info that really helped make this sound a bit more real.
I'll add more later today. Just wanted to say thanks.

Catching up!

2009-04-08T02:02:00.011-04:00

Well I don't have my exact flight date yet, but I do know that I will be leaving for Honduras sometime in the first week of May. I am hoping against hope that they will let me leave from Calgary instead of Saskatoon but there is a group of kids going from St Thomas University in Saskatoon I believe. Once I know when I fly I will be sure to post it! It's hard trying to make plans with people when I don't know when I leave. I will be leaving KW (Kitchener/Waterloo) Tuesday, April 14th and it should take me roughly 3 days to get back to Medicine Hat. This is my planned route. Once I get home (around the 16th) I pick up Dad and head to Vancouver (another 15hours) for my cousin, Jeff's wedding. :o) Finally some happy in my family's tragic tale of late. Then back to the Hat for the 22nd and hang out there till I fly. 4 days in the car then 2 off then another 15hours back. YUCK! Good thing I like driving.

I am thinking about having a get together at my house to see everyone before I take off, but it is yet to be determined. Should probably ask the Dad before I throw a party- again. Although he should be used to this by now... me coming home usually means booze food and loads of people. HELL YEAH!!

So... it would seem as though all my ducks are in order now. My passport is set, my shots are done (one set left once I get home) and I am working on finding everything on my packing list. If you can help me out with left overs, please let me know. Gonna try and see if I can add a To Do list to this blog thing.

THANK YOU to all the people who donated money to my fundraiser. I managed to get my $2000 in time! You guys ROCK!! CHEERS!

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Honduras Power Point Presentation

2009-04-06T23:31:00.002-04:00

Honduras Power Point

View more presentations from canadiancat.

New Blog

2009-04-06T23:07:00.003-04:00

So it's taken forever, but with Ruby's help I have managed to re do my blog and update everything and now I am a happy bunny again. I haven't imported all my previous entries because I didn't want any negativity on this new one but there are some old ones here. This is going to be a fun and light story detailing my adventures on this exciting trip.
I will most definitely be writing according to how I feel at the time and rest assured that my spunky sense of humor shall remain. This is now about me and not a school project and I am excited to share this with you.
So for all of you who have followed me this far, thanks for staying with me. For all new friends on board, welcome and enjoy.
:o)

Hurricane Mitch

2009-03-25T15:19:00.001-04:00

Some really interesting) and sad info on the devestating disaster that destroyed the economy, the land and killed thousands of people in 1998.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?

Mc Cleans article
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0011795

2009 Index of Economic Freedom

2009-03-25T14:29:00.001-04:00

http://www.heritage.org/Index/Default.aspx

http://www.heritage.org/Index/Country/Honduras

Inspiration

2009-03-18T12:26:00.001-04:00

Isn't it funny how inspiration can come from anywhere at anytime in the most unusual places? Take for example Sunday night for me. I had a pretty disappointing weekend and decided to go to a local Starbucks to drown my sorrows in hot chocolate and whipped cream and do some reading. The following quote happened to be on my cup and it made me smile and take pause.

"People need to see that, far from being an obstacle, the world's diversity of languages, religions and traditions is a great treasure, affording up precious opportunities to recognize ourselves in others." - Youssou N'Dour (musician)

I think this is one of our BB mantras because it helps us to remember that even though we may feel we are alone in all this, at the end of the day, people are people with the same issues, fears, beliefs and basic goodness. Makes it seem a little less scary.

Baking

2009-03-14T23:40:00.001-04:00

I love to bake! I love everything about it. The smells and the getting dirty, the creativity and the warmth. Most of all, I love when I have people to laugh with while I am doing this. This is why I fell head over heels in love with my placement at The Working Center. I have already finished my required 18 hours of volunteer work there as part of my Beyond Borders class but I am sooo going back again...especially when I come back. I was/am baking with Mark and the lovely people of Murietta's kitchen who cook all the food (vegetarian and vegan) for the Queen Street Cafe across the street. If you live in Kitch and you want super great cheap food that is fresh and wonderful, go there!! Amazing! I am in love with this place because I would bake everyday if it wasn't so expensive, and here I can bake whatever I want, all day, and someone else provides me with all my ingredients.

Most of the other BB people have been talking about their placements and how they are meeting all these new people and getting to experience great relationships and self discoveries (I especially recommend Krista's blog for this). I however have had no such experiences, epiphonies or anything of the like. Now while I don't feel cheated in anyway, I'm not sure I can relate my baking experiences to anything of importance to my trip. But I can say that even if I didn't learn any life experiences from baking there, I did learn how to make things I have never gotten to try before and I love the fact that the food is part of the whole Working Center wheel. All the food products are donated, or bought with donated, earned money. Then the food is made and resold in the cafe and it continues so on. I was going to post some of the recipes that I have made (I rocked the biscotti- that was exciting) but I have not been able to fix my blog structure yet so it will have to wait. I can't even say that I have learned team playing or anything like that because Mark just lets me do my own thing. I pick what I want to make, when I make it, how much, and how long I stay. So I really enjoy the freedom of that.

I just wanted to mention the lovely time I have baking there and hanging out with the kitchen people is awesome. Wish I had a big revelation to share like some others have, but at the same time, I can say that not having a revelation was just as nice. Nice and calm. Yummy...baking

:o)

No expectations

2009-03-14T23:24:00.001-04:00

I have finally managed to get through almost everyone's blogs now and comment on most everything.. sorry it took so long. While reading some of them, there was a common theme of "this is what I hope to experience, learn, etc" and I started to realize that I don't think I have any expectations about my trip at all. It's not cuz I'm not interested or excited or anything that I am not thinking about it. I think it's just as I said before; if I don't have any expectations then I won't be disappointed or surprised. I will get a better chance of being present in the moment (as seems to be a popular theme amongst us BB'ers right now). I have no idea what to expect when I get there. I am still trying to stop the pictures of mud huts and no water, because the country of Honduras has millions of people and lots of infrastructure. I don't know what I will be doing while I am there... that reminds me, I want to email some people about that. I think part of the excitement for me is letting go of control. Quite a few of us have discussed how we need lists and plans and a focus to feel comfortable. I used to think I wasn't that way inclined, but I look at my room full of Post It notes reminding me of stuff, and maybe I really am a list and plan person. So not having one while in Honduras will be a cool challenge to me. I am still debating whether or not to do away with technology whist there and come back free from my phone... lol

G8 Summit in Canada

2009-03-13T14:40:00.001-04:00

http://www.canada-g8-summit.com/

I think it would be a brilliant experience to attend a G8 summit speech and I would be willing to put together a field trip for it. I know it's more than a year away, but it's something to keep in mind. Huntsville, Ontario... June 25-27, 2010.

(this web link is the official website for the G8 summit and includes info on the town of Huntsville and the background info on the G8 summit)

Im A Slave 4U

2009-03-13T12:58:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we had a meeting at The Working Center to talk about how people seem to have lost their connection to their roots. We have all (as a world and society) become so focused on consumerism and having, buying, wanting, that we have lost a sense of what matters. At least that what it seems like. We were asked to read a couple of articles that the owner/creator of The Working Center wrote a few years ago and a few points made in the articles really hit home to me. If all of a sudden there was a major disaster or life crisis, would any of us be able to survive? Think about the movie The Stand or any other movie where the end of the world is upon us and we can only use our common sense and skills to survive. Would any of us know how to grow food? Would we be able to make our own clothing? I know I wouldn't. I sure wouldn't be able to raise an animal, and kill it to eat. Even if I could somehow do that, I wouldn't know what to do next. Any time I had an animal die in my life, he or she gets cremated and put into a decorative box to adorn my bookcase... not gonna keep me fed. And I didn't cremate them! So... my point, and there is one, is that our discussions on using tools and being a slave to technology made me think.

I remember when I was a kid in elementary school, our teacher asked us where eggs came from and me (thinking I'm being smart, not smart-ass) put up my hand and said, "Safeway!" (the West's version of Sobey's). I wouldn't know the first thing about raising chickens and harvesting eggs. So if chicken farmers ever went on strike I'd have to be content to do without eggs I suppose. I have a tendency to go off on tangents and I feel one coming on now. Hold on...

I AM A SLAVE TO MY PHONE! I don't really even talk to people anymore since the onset of text messaging... *sigh* text messaging... my last phone bill said that I sent and received over 3000 text messages last month! Last month!!! Holy crap! Thank goodness for unlimited for $10. But I digress...I remember losing my phone for the day and I felt like my hand had been cut off. In contrast, I was so incredibly stressed back in Feb that I turned the phone off (and the computer) and forced myself to live in silence.. and it worked! Apparently some of my stress resulted from the fact that I make myself available to everyone all the time. Our discussions yesterday made me think about my upcoming trip. I will be near and/or in a major city where I am assuming there will be technology and modern amendments such as McDonald's (ha-kidding) being that there is a population of over 6 million on the Island (larger population than both Kitchener, Waterloo put together) and double the size of Calgary. Honduras also relies quite heavily on globalization and trade with the US so in actual fact, the need for technology would be quite prevalent. Thinking about this, I found myself almost disappointed which made me really laugh at myself. I think some of us (or maybe just me) hear Third World country and immediately envision the mud huts and half naked children running around dirt roads like we see on Feed The Children campaign ads on TV. For some reason my brain deduced that since I will be in a Third World country, I won't have access to all things technological out there and maybe I can break my chains of imprisonment that my inanimate objects seem to have me in. Maybe I would be forced into 3 months of technological silence (that kind of made me happy). But no.... the evil cell phone technology is available everywhere!! BAH.

The point of this is, how did I get so attached to my phone? I am old enough to remember the beginning of the cell phone. I remember the days when the cordless phone was something the rich people had and they were the size of bricks. We had a crackly answering machine that you may or may not be able to decipher and if you didn't get someone on the phone, you adapted. You found them later or changed your plan to be without them. We lived... we got along... the world turned... yet I leave my phone behind one day and almost have a melt down!! What if someone texts me to send me an annoying forward about hugs and how much they value my friendship and back luck will befall me if I don't forward it to 10 people? How can I miss that message!?!?!?!?! Geez....

And when the hell did I get so lazy that I need to drive from one side of a parking lot to the other in an outlet shopping complex because it's cold outside? Holy crap! I complained that I had to pay $8 a day to park downtown to volunteer when I could ride the bus for free. My argument is that it would take me an hour and a bit and two buses to get to the same place when it would only take 15 mins by car. So I suppose it's priorities. But still... Hmmm...

I'm hoping that I can take advantage of my lack of money whilst in Honduras to try to get back to my roots. I'm thinking that I might try and do without the phone, the computer and the cars (since we are not allowed to drive anyway) and see if will come out the other side still in tact without my "I'm glad you are my friend" texts. I may even get as far as not needing my phone as much when I get back again..... oooh.. just got a bit dizzy at that thought, need to sit down.... big deep breaths... it will be ok... haha.

So give these articles a browse. What are you a slave to?
http://www.theworkingcentre.org/wscd/ideas/articles/article2.html

http://www.theworkingcentre.org/wscd/ideas/articles/article7.html

(my info on Honduras came from http://www.honduras.com/ which is a tourist website that offers everything you need to know and more about vacationing there)

A switch was flicked

2009-03-11T22:25:00.000-04:00

I had the most interesting thing happen on the weekend (other than my date) and I can only say that I am trul thankful for it. I don't know how or why or really even when, but sometime this weekend I got the fight back in me for this trip and all the things associated with it. I think in some ways it had to do with working with everyone on the pancake breakfast. I really felt like a team that day and I was so proud of our successes and I was so proud to watch everyone overcome some of their self proclaimed weakness and we all worked together to solve the lack of food problem- chocolate chips and whipping cream is a cure all I think. :o)

So I am hoping that I am not out of time with all this because there has been a new fire lit inside me that I am really hoping to flourish regarding this whole thing. I think I needed some help getting excited about going because all the trials and roadblocks that were put in front of me really discouraged and me and brought me down. But today I feel good and although I am not yet excited to go (I have too much to do) I know that I will be and I don't know who or what to thank, but Thanks.

PS

2009-02-28T22:38:00.000-05:00

Just thought I would add one thing...

I was told that one of my issues may be that I don't come across as giving a shit about this program. Well just to set the record straight,

I DO GIVE A SHIT

Or I would have bailed ages ago. This experience will be amazing and Joanne said one thing to me that I think everyone else should really take to heart. She said the things that we fight for are sometimes worth a lot more in the end than those that come more easily to us. So even if the road to Honduras is bumpy and frustrating and completely infuriating at times, getting there might just mean more to me in the end because of the fight I won to get there as opposed to it just being handed to me.

I'll buy that...

Random thoughts

2009-02-28T22:16:00.000-05:00

I feel like writing in green today. I have so many random thoughts running through my head that I felt that putting them all down here might help. So this will probably be random with no particular road map to follow.

I am the world's worst procrastinator and it's my biggest grievance about myself. There are so many things I want to do and accomplish but for some reason, the tv or Facebook or going out or sleeping takes over. Take all this for example.... I have so many things that I am excited to do on this blog yet I can't seem to get anything really accomplished on it, which is probably why I have a crap-tastic grade for it right now. I keep a normal journal daily which seems to be what our prof wants this to be, but I have a hard time putting all my feelings on here because what goes in my journal is private and personal and is usually a bitch fest. Plus I don't think much about the Beyond Borders program unless it's the massive To Do List that I have and haven't been keeping up with.

I managed to get all my thank you cards done tonight for all those people who have helped me by donating to my $2000 target... I can mail them tomorrow. I also emailed or Facebooked everyone that got a letter but hasn't gotten back to me. So that's another couple ticks in the boxes which makes me feel good.

I wanted to write letters to some business people that I know back home but again, I can't seem to get motivated to get off my ass and do it. I am so lazy and it sucks. Probably why I can't seem to keep up in school either. Ugh- I hate that I cannot time manage. I even bought and read a book on it and I can't seem to stick to it. There always seems to be some new roadblock that I have to get around or over. Ooh, blue!! :o) It feels like everytime I get one more tick in one more box for this program, another 2 show up in its place. Damn these hoops we have to jump through is insane. Got my shots done, but now I have to get one more at least and then I have to get some other medications once I get back home. I got my passport renewed so that's good and it was probably the only thing that has not given me trouble at all. Even though I had to leave Post It Notes all around my room to remind myself to take my renewal sheet home for someone to sign. And I almost forgot to get the pics done for it as well which would have sucked. I remembered on the Sunday before I came home which happened to be the same day that I threw my Send Me To Honduras Party so that was a shit show of a day! Holy crap! But it all worked out and the food was BRILLIANT- thanks to Jay and Kenny who helped me cook and serve. I have pics of it all on my camera, but as I am a lazy procarastinator, chances are that it will take me a couple months to up load them, if at all... haha. I could do it now... Maybe I should. But the cord for my camera is like 5 steps across the room and I am nice and cozy in my bed typing this while watching Law and Order. Haha UGH!!

I always really enjoy talking to my prof about all this shit cuz she makes me feel better about everything and Im not sure how she does it. About once a week I get so frustrated about something to do with this program (mostly the money thing) and then I talk to her about stuff and she makes me feel better. So I thank her for that, but I wonder if she has a hypnosis thing in her office hiden somewhere away that calms me down and brain washes me into getting excited again??? haha. I am the type of person who needs to keep lists of things, To Do, questions etc or else I forget things all the time. I took a full page of questions for her, mostly about paperwork-ie who wants my vaccination booklet and such. Glad I brought my list... even though I still forgot to ask her two questions and had to email her anyway- D'oh!

This is getting long so I'll end it here. Dunno if any of this is relevant... but it felt good. I will be putting up some recipes that I used at my Honduras party and ones that Mark from the Working Center let me copy... yum yum... I love that place. I will be finished my hours there next Thursday but I will most definintely keep going as long as they will have me.

Ok, that's good for now. Maybe I'll upload those pictures and recipes now... but then there is a couple good movies on tv too...

Thank You!

2009-02-24T18:21:00.000-05:00

Just a super quick blurb today to thank everyone who came out for my Send Me To Honduras party on Sunday Feb 22nd and to all my family and friends nationally and internationally who helped me fundraise as well.

I am excited to say that I am now at the $1000 mark (wahoo) and only have $1000 left. I have not heard from everyone I have mailed yet, but I am anticipating a good continued response.

I had a fabulous time at home over Reading Week and I look forward to seeing all of you guys again in April.

Hugs N Stuff

New Term New Goals

2009-02-18T21:33:00.000-05:00

Continuing with my story... we all received our letters telling us where we are supposed to be going and now we are on the mission to get sorted. Christmas came and went (and I had a blast back home) and we now find ourselves in a new school term with a new teacher (hello to Joanne) and a new class to take. This class is cool cuz we meet once a month or so to talk about our concerns, excitements and all things pertaining to our trips.

We are required to volunteer 18 hours at this kick ass place called The Working Center. I can never do the place justice at all with my crap explanation of it, so check out the link... the place ROCKS! The energy and karma in there is intoxicating! Pretty much it's a community resource center where people can come to learn new things, new skills, find jobs, places to live, meet people, learn English and generally network. They also have a program for people/youth who have problems finding employment. Some of them get hired on at the center to help build their resume and learn new skills. There are classes that anyone can drop into to learn and teach. There is an art space where the center sews things (whatever they like) to re sell and keep the Working Center going. There is a community cafe called The Queen Street Cafe and all of the food sold there (super cheap and excellent quality and portions!) is made in Murietta's Kitchen by the volunteers and employees of The Working Center (TWC). There is a bicycle recycling program where you can bring in your bike and learn how to fix it, or you can donate your old ones to be recycled and re sold super cheap. There are perfectly good bikes there for $30! There is a computer recycling program which is basically the same as the bicycles. See Ruby's blog for info on this, I believe she is in the computer recycling program.

I myself am over the moon with my placement. I work in Murietta's kitchen where I get to spend as much time as I want baking whatever I want!!! For those of you who know me, know that I LOVE TO BAKE!! Mark is the master baker there and he has let me have some recipes to take home. I will share some of those with you soon! I get to bake whatever I want and the baking gets sold in the Cafe. Any and all monies made through TWC gets put back into the programs, which is awesome! I was saying to some friends that it sucks that when you want to just hang out and chat with someone (like going for coffee) you have to pay money (for coffee) or consume something (the coffee) and it would be nice if there was a space you can just chill and not have to be a consumer, but still gives you a nice feeling and gets you out of the house. The Queen Street Cafe is that place. You can go there and just be. Provide your positive energy and add your personality to the place. It's just fantastic. I am almost done my 18 hours cuz I have stayed almost 2 complete 7hour days but I am most definitely going back after the requirement hours are done! There is nowhere else that I can bake whatever I want for however long I want and not have to pay for the materials to do so! If you are looking for a good cause to donate to (other than my fundraising for my trip-haha) this would be on the top of my list! I have always been an advocate of "cleaning up your own backyard before working on someone else's) and this place is an amazing addition to the city.

The third part of our class is putting together this blog and a power point presentation of our host country and raising $2000. So far the blog is going, my friend Christian taught me how to do a PP and I am hoping that my party will yield some good $$$$. Got my shots, got my passport renewal almost done and I think I am just about ready to go...which is good since it's in like.... gasp.... 10 weeks!!! Holy &*@#$!!!!!

Take care... and make sure to check out the links to everything and leave me a message.

I got shot!

2009-02-18T20:13:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone!

So I am now back in my hometown of Medicine Hat enjoying both Reading Week and 4 birthdays this week- can we say Gong Show?? haha. Happy Birthday to me, Amanda, Andrea, Phil, Jason, and Christine. There are actually 6 of us with the same birthdate (Feb 19th) and once we all went out at the same time; it was amusing. But anywho, I have found myself with some extra time on my hands and thought what better to do with my time than to try and catch up on here.

I just got most of my shots for Honduras today- ouch. I got Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid, Tetanus, MMR (which I believe is for Mumps, Measles and something). So holding my birthday booze tomorrow should be amusing. :o) I still have to get my next Hepatitis (since they come in 3s) and I think there is another one that was recommended. Plus I have to get my malaria tablets and something for travellers diarrehea (hot!) and a treated mosquito net (they don't call it Mosquito Coast for nothing). Apparently there are other diseases out there as well that there aren't vaccines for...joy.

So far I only have $100 raised for my trip but I am having a party Sunday so we shall see what happens. I have good friends so I'm not too worried. I think I am going to go back to my story and catch you up on what happened after I got my envelope and see if I can find more cool stuff on Honduras to tell you about.

Cheers :o)

Getting The Envelope

2009-02-05T20:48:00.000-05:00

Over the course of the year we have all gotten together for weekend seminars hosted by Lisa and Marybee from Intercordia where we got to learn about potential placements. Once we had seen all the possible placements available to us, we had to rank our choices from 1-3 and then we get assigned to our placement based on our preferences and what's available.

Towards the beginning of Christmas, we all received envelopes which contained a card with our placements. Mine said, "Congratulations! You will be spending your summer 2009 in Honduras, working with ICYE on a medical project."

On the right hand side of my blog there is a list of all the other people in my Beyond Borders group and the links to their blogs. Some are going to the Ukraine, some to Africa, Bosnia, Nicaragua and Ecuador. If you are interested in their stories as well as mine, please feel free to take a peek- My Fellow Travellers.

I have to admit I don't know much about ICYE but I should be receiving more information soon and when I do I will be sure to update here. But if you click on the link, you can peruse their website.