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.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
More stories
Two of the hardest things for me to accept here are the sanitation standards and the lack of confidentiality. While they do try to pay attention to sanitation here, sometimes things really make me cringe. For example, the examination beds are covered in cloth sheets and not the paper that we are used to. Not only do they not get changed after every patient, they are not changed daily. I remember the same sheet being on the bed here in the doctors room not being changed for about 10 days. I said something to him about it and it got changed the next day and washed. That was the week that the lady cut her finger, an old man had to have his catheter changed and various kids with infectious coughs were seen on that bed. EWW ICK!! Not to mention to amount of newborns brought in that get laid on that bed. There is a cleaner here who actually does work hard, and the floors are washed twice daily and the instruments are cleaned or thrown out. Needles are properly disposed of and they do have a sterilization machine. So that makes me feel better.
Lack of common sense story- this would happen in Canada too, but still made me laugh. This girl comes in with stomach pain and feeling nauseous and all that. She is clearly pregnant (about 4 months). The doctor opens a new file for pregnancy with her and as he starts asking her all the usual pregnancy questions, she gets really upset and says that she isn't pregnant and how dare he say that as she is not married and is a virgin! Um....yeah. So he made her take a pregnancy test to confirm the obvious and she freaked out! She said that they were lying and making all of it up to shame her and her family! I was there when this was happening and although I didn't understand all of what she was saying, I did catch the gist of it and the rest was explained to me. She insisted she wasn't pregnant and wanted the doctor to give her penicillin and drugs for her "infection" that was making her sick. When he refused, she freaked out again, crying and screaming. Some men finally had to remove her from the clinic. Well about a month ago, Max the doctor told me that she is seeking legal advice because she wants to sue the clinic for defamation of character. Oh Lord how we laughed. Common sense... if you don't want to get preggers and ruin your reputation and chance at marriage, DON'T HAVE SEX!!
This one is the best though, and my favorite!! A girl came in to get her Depo Provera birth control shot which is good for 3 months. The shot costs about a dollar and the patient has the choice of taking the syringe home and doing it herself or have the nurse do it for her here at the clinic, but you should wait till the first day of your period before taking it. She gets her syringe and leaves and comes back two days later for another shot. She gave the last one to her DOG!!! so she wouldn't get pregnant and so she didn't have to keep her inside. There are no words!!!
More to come.
Lack of common sense story- this would happen in Canada too, but still made me laugh. This girl comes in with stomach pain and feeling nauseous and all that. She is clearly pregnant (about 4 months). The doctor opens a new file for pregnancy with her and as he starts asking her all the usual pregnancy questions, she gets really upset and says that she isn't pregnant and how dare he say that as she is not married and is a virgin! Um....yeah. So he made her take a pregnancy test to confirm the obvious and she freaked out! She said that they were lying and making all of it up to shame her and her family! I was there when this was happening and although I didn't understand all of what she was saying, I did catch the gist of it and the rest was explained to me. She insisted she wasn't pregnant and wanted the doctor to give her penicillin and drugs for her "infection" that was making her sick. When he refused, she freaked out again, crying and screaming. Some men finally had to remove her from the clinic. Well about a month ago, Max the doctor told me that she is seeking legal advice because she wants to sue the clinic for defamation of character. Oh Lord how we laughed. Common sense... if you don't want to get preggers and ruin your reputation and chance at marriage, DON'T HAVE SEX!!
This one is the best though, and my favorite!! A girl came in to get her Depo Provera birth control shot which is good for 3 months. The shot costs about a dollar and the patient has the choice of taking the syringe home and doing it herself or have the nurse do it for her here at the clinic, but you should wait till the first day of your period before taking it. She gets her syringe and leaves and comes back two days later for another shot. She gave the last one to her DOG!!! so she wouldn't get pregnant and so she didn't have to keep her inside. There are no words!!!
More to come.
Common Sense
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...
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...
Monday, July 13, 2009
Im free
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
2 dead, 4 Wounded
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
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
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Update
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.
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.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Drama Follows Me...
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.
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
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
How It Works
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Did You Know?
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
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
Monday, June 15, 2009
Time and Transit
¨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.
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
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
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
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The clinic
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.
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.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Food
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)
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
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
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
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Im here
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
so im alive and doing well so far... hope to update more later.
xoxox
Monday, May 4, 2009
See you in August!
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~
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~
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Almost there!
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
Friday, April 24, 2009
Seen on a sign
Thanks Chay!!
"Don't be afraid to ask for help. Being a good friend makes both people better."
:o)
"Don't be afraid to ask for help. Being a good friend makes both people better."
:o)
40 Tips for a Better Life
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!
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