A few short notes.
Last night, at about 9:00 p.m., Edelberto, one of our staff, phoned me and asked for help. He needed to get into the office and use the internet. I left my keys hanging in the lock of my door and kept preparing for bed.
When I arrived at the office this morning, at 7:00 a.m., Edel was still at work. Evidently, the line to apply for University online is only open for three days. Consequently, all applications have to be made during that window. Thousands of people are trying to get into the university at the same time. So, Edel was up all night applying for himself and others. He is on the last friend right now. He will head to my house to sleep for a couple of hours and then come back to work.
Carolina, another worker, delivered her first baby yesterday. Ramon, her husband, phoned us the news. Evidently, he will not see the baby or mother until today. The doctor simply came into the waiting room with a list of names and read them aloud along with information of boy or girl. The fathers were simply relegated to waiting. We will find out later today how heavy the baby was and what its name will be. Yesterday was the day of the patron saint St. Miguel. We discussed what the feminine form of Miguel might be but will wait to find out.
Yesterday, Julia told me that she had been watching the Sunday evening mass on television and had noticed that I had lost weight. So, my TV audience is watching and aware. So refreshing to know. Our Canadian intern, Natasha has made many friends in town and is often waving to one or another as we walk or drive through El Centro. However, I told her she still does not have a TV audience ... so there.
We have two student interns here to work on their computer skills. We have them making some forms for us right now. They are having to learn that it is much harder to make forms than it first appears. Their eyes have not been trained to see small mistakes and differences and so their idea of “same” is not like mine. I warned them at the beginning that it would be hard and that my eyes were different than theirs. But, they really didn’t believe me. Sigh. In our culture, we have so many puzzles that train our eyes to see minute differences. As we went over the third attempt they began to realize what I meant. Thank goodness for computers where you can save, correct, copy and so forth. Changes are so much easier. Hopefully, we will have a completed form ready today.
We dug up some grasses that have been growing in the compound. From a start of about ten small slips planted earlier this year, we have about two hundred or so slips ready for planting in Santa Rita. Today they will be planted to mark the corners of the permanent beds we have made. We can always move them later if we find a more profitable plant to put there. This grass has some medicinal value but not sure if it is enough to exploit on any scale. Still, it is beautiful and grows quickly.
TTYL
BB
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Hurricane Warnings
Friday afternoon was filled with activity as we prepared for the onslaught of Hurricane Matthew. I stocked up on healthy cold food items like Corn Flakes and Sardines and bought several novena candles (these are in glass containers and burn for long periods of time) for long periods without electricity (and, a little prayer might always be in order).
In the evening, the rain started and we were braced for the predicted 10-12 inches. It rained most of the night but, about six the rain stopped and by seven it was sunny. Evidently, the storm got stalled on the tip of Honduras and Nicaragua and did nothing more than spit at us.
The power was out for most of Saturday so I did get to enjoy Corn Flakes and powdered milk for breakfast. Power outages are going to be a part of the next few days it seems. If the people controlling the dam let too much water out, downstream will be a disaster area (rivers are overflowing already). If they let the water build up too much, the head gets too much (going by rumours here) and the generators have to be shut off. So ... know where your matches are at all times.
By ten, we realized that sun was the order of the day so we packed up two students, Natashs, the student intern and two barrels of fresh water and headed for Tela (the beach). Having a vehicle makes for many different options. This was the girls’ second trip to the beach in their lifetime (100 km away).
In Tela we found a beach and headed into the waves. Matthew had made the waves a bit more interesting but, as Tela is part of a large bay, the waves are never truly more than lots of fun. We spent an hour being pushed around by the ocean before heading into town.
On our way home, we stopped at a movie theatre to watch a movie. The movie the girls chose was billed as a 3D movie featuring some sorts of Kung Fu type adventures. Sadly, it didn’t live up to even those meagre expectations. However, for the girls, it was exciting. A movie, pizza and a beach ... all in one day.
This week, I have been made aware, again, of how fear is a part of living here in Honduras. A conversation with a friend (as we waited out a downpour) reminded me of that. This young man told me of the time he was riding a bus and a robber had come on the bus and shot the person sitting beside him. Manuel told me of coming out of his house last week only to see a man with a gun robbing another person on a bicycle. Manuel ducked back in time before the robber noticed him. A third friend told us of her experience being robbed when downtown with her two children. So many of my friends have such experiences and it continually colours their lives ... rather understandably.
One of the rather disappointing features of mission work is that, very often, the people who are first attracted to conversion and leadership positions in new churches are those who are marginalized in their own society. As they gain power in these new positions, they, very often, copy the leadership examples of both missionaries and the society around them. They become accustomed to using their positions to gain benefits for themselves and their families.
Very often, it is children of these first ‘believers’ who get opportunities for education and travel. They become accustomed to a life of benefits and, in fact, feel that they are entitled to these benefits. Often, as well, they are not committed to the principles of the religious community to which they belong and to which their fathers lead.
I have run across such families in Africa and here in Honduras. This past week we have had the misfortune of encountering one such family. For two generations, they have made a very good living from “enabling” Christian aid projects and programs. In the process, they have acquired land, houses and private education. They have not acquired the status in their society that they would like but they do control the church in which they continue to be part of.
In the process of completing one of our projects, we have had to confront several members of this family because their holdings and businesses were neighbouring or affecting our work. The fact that we sought to be transparent in our dealings and expected the same from them was very threatening to them. Now we get to deal with their threats and animosity.
It is a new experience for me to live with that type of threat. Although minor in comparison to that of my friends (at least I hope so) it nevertheless, makes me appreciate how much it makes you look at things in a different light. Hopefully, we can distance ourselves from these folks and assure them that we are not a threat to their way of life. Time will tell. It is frustrating to have people seeking to destroy something that only seeks to benefit their country and the poor people around them.
Time to run. We are meeting with a group of women who are trying to do some agriculture work to earn some more money for their families. It is exciting to see their enthusiasm. I hope we can direct that enthusiasm to something profitable and useful in the long term.
TTYL
BB
In the evening, the rain started and we were braced for the predicted 10-12 inches. It rained most of the night but, about six the rain stopped and by seven it was sunny. Evidently, the storm got stalled on the tip of Honduras and Nicaragua and did nothing more than spit at us.
The power was out for most of Saturday so I did get to enjoy Corn Flakes and powdered milk for breakfast. Power outages are going to be a part of the next few days it seems. If the people controlling the dam let too much water out, downstream will be a disaster area (rivers are overflowing already). If they let the water build up too much, the head gets too much (going by rumours here) and the generators have to be shut off. So ... know where your matches are at all times.
By ten, we realized that sun was the order of the day so we packed up two students, Natashs, the student intern and two barrels of fresh water and headed for Tela (the beach). Having a vehicle makes for many different options. This was the girls’ second trip to the beach in their lifetime (100 km away).
In Tela we found a beach and headed into the waves. Matthew had made the waves a bit more interesting but, as Tela is part of a large bay, the waves are never truly more than lots of fun. We spent an hour being pushed around by the ocean before heading into town.
On our way home, we stopped at a movie theatre to watch a movie. The movie the girls chose was billed as a 3D movie featuring some sorts of Kung Fu type adventures. Sadly, it didn’t live up to even those meagre expectations. However, for the girls, it was exciting. A movie, pizza and a beach ... all in one day.
This week, I have been made aware, again, of how fear is a part of living here in Honduras. A conversation with a friend (as we waited out a downpour) reminded me of that. This young man told me of the time he was riding a bus and a robber had come on the bus and shot the person sitting beside him. Manuel told me of coming out of his house last week only to see a man with a gun robbing another person on a bicycle. Manuel ducked back in time before the robber noticed him. A third friend told us of her experience being robbed when downtown with her two children. So many of my friends have such experiences and it continually colours their lives ... rather understandably.
One of the rather disappointing features of mission work is that, very often, the people who are first attracted to conversion and leadership positions in new churches are those who are marginalized in their own society. As they gain power in these new positions, they, very often, copy the leadership examples of both missionaries and the society around them. They become accustomed to using their positions to gain benefits for themselves and their families.
Very often, it is children of these first ‘believers’ who get opportunities for education and travel. They become accustomed to a life of benefits and, in fact, feel that they are entitled to these benefits. Often, as well, they are not committed to the principles of the religious community to which they belong and to which their fathers lead.
I have run across such families in Africa and here in Honduras. This past week we have had the misfortune of encountering one such family. For two generations, they have made a very good living from “enabling” Christian aid projects and programs. In the process, they have acquired land, houses and private education. They have not acquired the status in their society that they would like but they do control the church in which they continue to be part of.
In the process of completing one of our projects, we have had to confront several members of this family because their holdings and businesses were neighbouring or affecting our work. The fact that we sought to be transparent in our dealings and expected the same from them was very threatening to them. Now we get to deal with their threats and animosity.
It is a new experience for me to live with that type of threat. Although minor in comparison to that of my friends (at least I hope so) it nevertheless, makes me appreciate how much it makes you look at things in a different light. Hopefully, we can distance ourselves from these folks and assure them that we are not a threat to their way of life. Time will tell. It is frustrating to have people seeking to destroy something that only seeks to benefit their country and the poor people around them.
Time to run. We are meeting with a group of women who are trying to do some agriculture work to earn some more money for their families. It is exciting to see their enthusiasm. I hope we can direct that enthusiasm to something profitable and useful in the long term.
TTYL
BB
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Keeping It Together
The last weeks have been busy and full of activity. I think that some things are being accomplished but sometimes it is hard to tell.
The most exciting thing for us has been the arrival of Natasha, a student intern from British Columbia. She is here for three months and we are so grateful to have someone willing to settle in and give a hand. She is going to provide three day English seminars in various villages and satellite centres. This will give the students their English component, give the school some needed advertisement and give Natasha a chance to see village life in Honduras.
We have given Santiago the responsibility of making sure that Natasha arrives at the villages safely and that classes go in an orderly fashion. His status is going to shoot off the charts. There was certainly no hesitation in his accepting that job.
We have had a number of students coming in for registration the last week and that is lifting spirits. Today, possibly, we have some people coming from La Ceiba to pick up the course material and start some students on the program there. That is truly a satellite centre. We may never even see the students.
We are looking at a graduation in six weeks so need to get everyone started on projects. It has been an uphill battle (which I am currently still losing) to advance the idea that projects could be started while students are studying the course work rather than waiting until everything else is finished. Two things at once seem too overwhelming at this point. Sigh.
A women’s group is working hard on a piece of property we have. I am eager to work with them but, so far, they are simply getting organized and cleaning out the fish pond.
At the agriculture project in Santa Rita we have planted the fruit trees, the passion fruit plants, lots of ground cover and cuttings of chaya and so forth. Last week, Muncho, my manager remembered me talking about a living fence in May. He also remembered us talking about the idea of using small cuttings of trees rather than the traditional Honduran cuttings which are two to three metres long. The electrical company had come along and lopped off the tops of trees in our area under their lines. Consequently, there were tonnes of smaller cutting sized branches available. Muncho put everyone to work and they planted over 600 cuttings along several fence lines. I was so pleased to see the initiative and I am very excited to see how they will grow and fill in. I had never thought to use that particular species of tree and so this is extremely pleasing.
Today we are going to find, I hope, some arrowroot seedlings to plant in beds that we have laid out. Again, beyond my expectation, we have 36 beds laid out and all with square corners and straight edges. That is truly incredible. I will post some pictures when they get passed on to me.
All of this takes time and so the days have flown by.
TTYL
bb
The most exciting thing for us has been the arrival of Natasha, a student intern from British Columbia. She is here for three months and we are so grateful to have someone willing to settle in and give a hand. She is going to provide three day English seminars in various villages and satellite centres. This will give the students their English component, give the school some needed advertisement and give Natasha a chance to see village life in Honduras.
We have given Santiago the responsibility of making sure that Natasha arrives at the villages safely and that classes go in an orderly fashion. His status is going to shoot off the charts. There was certainly no hesitation in his accepting that job.
We have had a number of students coming in for registration the last week and that is lifting spirits. Today, possibly, we have some people coming from La Ceiba to pick up the course material and start some students on the program there. That is truly a satellite centre. We may never even see the students.
We are looking at a graduation in six weeks so need to get everyone started on projects. It has been an uphill battle (which I am currently still losing) to advance the idea that projects could be started while students are studying the course work rather than waiting until everything else is finished. Two things at once seem too overwhelming at this point. Sigh.
A women’s group is working hard on a piece of property we have. I am eager to work with them but, so far, they are simply getting organized and cleaning out the fish pond.
At the agriculture project in Santa Rita we have planted the fruit trees, the passion fruit plants, lots of ground cover and cuttings of chaya and so forth. Last week, Muncho, my manager remembered me talking about a living fence in May. He also remembered us talking about the idea of using small cuttings of trees rather than the traditional Honduran cuttings which are two to three metres long. The electrical company had come along and lopped off the tops of trees in our area under their lines. Consequently, there were tonnes of smaller cutting sized branches available. Muncho put everyone to work and they planted over 600 cuttings along several fence lines. I was so pleased to see the initiative and I am very excited to see how they will grow and fill in. I had never thought to use that particular species of tree and so this is extremely pleasing.
Today we are going to find, I hope, some arrowroot seedlings to plant in beds that we have laid out. Again, beyond my expectation, we have 36 beds laid out and all with square corners and straight edges. That is truly incredible. I will post some pictures when they get passed on to me.
All of this takes time and so the days have flown by.
TTYL
bb
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
