Home Away from Home

As you may or may not have heard I recently moved into my own house! It has been so refreshing to have my own space and a little bit more privacy after nearly eight months of living with host families. And although not all my experiences were negative, I now have to freedom to come and go as I please and not have to worry if I forgot to make my bed or if I’ll make it home to wash those dishes before my host mom does. My new house is huge. I have a small living area, a room which has been converted into my workout room, my bedroom, the storage room, and of course the kitchen, which is where I spend all my time as it has the hammock and all the food.

When my house first opened up and I was given a key, I rustled up one of my neighbors to help my clean. Now the neighbor I chose is a young girl about 14 who really takes care of her own house as her mother died a few years ago. She does most of the cooking and cleaning so I knew I had made a good choice. Hard worker? Check. Lots of experience? Check! When we arrive at the house with all the needed supplies, she immediately takes to the kitchen throwing water into all the cabinets and scrubbing down the countertops. I anxiously watch her technique but decide that she will use her own technique and I won’t interfere. So I take myself off to the storage cabinet which smells of old dust and dank. I immediately start cleaning cobwebs and cleaning out shelves. A few minutes later I pop my head out and my friend is pouring water all over the floor in the kitchen. Buckets of Water. And then she starts sweeping the water with my new broom. At this point I even bother to ask why she didn’t first seep and then use the broom and then it is explained to me that the mop would then get really dirty. I again go off to hide in the storage room telling my self that the floor is indeed really dusty and dirty and I am sure a Honduran knows better how to clean in Honduras than I do. Much like Stephanie’s family know how to clean her backpack than she ever will. So after a few minutes she starts sweeping the water down the stairs into the fall where I am assuming that she will sweep it down more stairs into the living room and out into the front door. But just as I have accepted my present situation, she gets a phone call from her brother and takes off for home promising to return soon, “Ya vengo.” Obviously, as you have guessed, she does not come back. I stand around for like and busying myself with other task when I finally accept that she isn’t coming back. I look at the floor, I have a river of dirty water in my kitchen in my hall, in some of the small rooms, and running into the living area. After a few moments of sheer frustration and even a visit from my neighbor’s muchacha (lady who works in the house and helps with cooking and cleaning, housekeeper) who offers to help, I stubbornly decide “well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” And I start throwing water and floors and take to sweeping it out the front door. It took at least an hour to finally get all the water out of the house and to be honest I am not completely convinced the floors were clean afterwards and not just wet. So, if you are ever in Honduras and someone offers to help you clean expect the unexpected and jump in and get your feet wet (maybe literally).

I have attached some pictures of my house, it’s a work in progress as I have almost no furniture but have recently inherited a host of kitchen supplies.

Love,
B

Feliz Compleanos a Mi!

As today is my 23rd birthday, I am naturally reflecting on my last year and looking back as it really has been quite the year. I spent my last birthday at home with my family, living in Albuquerque and although I loved getting to spend some much needed quality time with my family and get to know better my cousins, I was working a job that I hated and waiting for time to pass more quickly. I received my Peace Corps acceptance letter in the first weeks of May and then walked at my ASU Honors Graduation. I then spent three glorious weeks touring Europe with my sister and Steph and it must be said we got lost only a few times and managed not to kill each other living in so close proximity. I saw London, Paris, Barcelona, and Rome and had the most amazing experience. When I got back to Albuquerque I had said my goodbyes to many of my friends and started preparing to leave. My mom was so great helping me pack. After a fabulous fourth, I boarded a plane to Washington where I had three days of Peace Corps Staging where we shown videos on “Unwanted Attention” and read the Peace Corps goals over and over. Lots of small group discussions and Charla paper. There were fifty of us at staging and I was so overwhelmed by the shear number of people. I was so lucky to have Jessica as my roommate and that we have made it this far still such good friends. And then I arrived in Honduras. I can’t believe so much as happened in the last year alone. My life has completely changed. I live in a small town in the middle of nowhere in my own house after having survived training and three host family experiences. I have made great friends both within the Peace Corps Community and in El Nispero. I can’t imagine what the next year will hold except to say that there will undoubtedly be lots of ups and downs. Hopefully, I will face each new obstacle with the lessons I have learned in the last year and have some amazing adventures! As well as a much needed trip home and maybe some delayed death by chocolate birthday cake!