Leala in Honduras!

So it’s been a few weeks since I have written last. So much has gone on since then, so be prepared for a longer read. I’ve split this up into 2 different posts. Start here, but continue on to the one below.

I started Field Based Training (FBT) and moved out of Santa Lucia to Yarumela which is near the city of La Paz in the Department of La Paz. Yarumela is an aldea of La Paz, and does not actually have a mayor, but it has patrones which help liaison with the city. The health group is training together, but we have been separated into two groups. Eight of us are living in Yarumela, the other eight are living in La Paz. I will be here until the 20^th of April.

Everyday, I get up at 6:30a and go to either language or health training until 11:30/12, then I return for lunch at home, then I leave again at 1p for more training or language until 5p. At times, I do not get back until 6:30p. In general, I am in bed by 9:30p, sometimes I am dead asleep before then and usually I do not stay up beyond 10 or 11.

It’s been pretty interesting since the beginning. Before I even stepped foot into my new host-home, I changed host-families. Apparently, my host-dad had just gotten deported from the States and had been drinking a lot. My host-mom decided that would not be good for me, so she enlisted the help of her neighbor to give me room & board. So instead of living next to the pulpería, I now live in it! A pulpería is like a corner store where you can get most of your basic needs sans vegetables (except in larger pulperías). This means that I never have to worry about there not being enough toilet paper! My new host-family reminds me much of my own family back home. It’s a very loving family with 3 daughters, who are all younger than me. The two younger ones remind me of Ron & Tanya but younger and without the bickering.

The grandmother lives next door with one of her daughters and some of her grandchildren (my cousins). We all share the large back of the houses, so I can talk to my host-aunt, cousins, and grandmother pretty easily. I love the grandmother! She is so sassy and strong, and she is a hoot to talk to!

My host-mom has told me that she wants to fatten me up because who knows where I will be placed in the future. I’ve only been in Honduras for less than 6 weeks, but my jeans already feel a bit tighter. It doesn’t help that the tortillas in Yarumela are so good and thick. My family makes it in the back of the house. Oh, about tortillas! I learned how to make corn tortillas by hand!

I feel fully integrated into this family. They’ve even started using vos with me! (Vos is like Tú and is pretty informal here, where usted is generally used). My little cousin also said that I wasn’t his host-cousin but his real cousin! What made me feel really part of the family was when the dog (named Bonita) only barked at me once the whole day and it was at the end of the day! It even let me pet and scratch it! Don’t worry, though, real family of mine. I have definitely not replaced you. How would I ever be able do so?!

I really like Yarumela. It is very very tranquilo here, and I get to hang out with the other Yarumelons (as we call ourselves) pretty often, so it is not too boring here. I have two things I don’t like about this aldea though. One, there is no internet here. I have to find time when I am in La Paz to do so, and I don’t always have time. Two, I do not walk great distances in Yarumela since I live so close to everyone else, and when we need to go to La Paz, we are driven there. This may seem good, but it means that I do not really exercise. However, I started running a bit to balance it out.