July 29, 2007

Each morning, as the sun rises over the sleepy town of Santa Lucia, I awake to the sound of Roosters cawing near my bedroom window. Their cries are long, piercing, and unrelenting at 5:30am in the morning. I twist and turn beneath the covers of my bed, do my best to avoid the unnecessary awakening, and return to dreams of a former life in my not-so-distant past… Thus far I have been unable to win the battle of the Rooster. After ten minutes of lying in bed, listening to the ear-splitting cries of the colorful bird, I rise from my slumber to begin another day in Honduras.
Training begins at 7:30am each morning of the weekday. The schedule consists of Spanish language development, project-specific technical training, and information regarding safety and security in Honduras. Spanish classes consume the majority of each morning. In order to increase the efficiency of Spanish instruction, the large group of trainees is separated into small learning groups based on Spanish levels. For nearly four hours each morning groups practice reading, writing, and speaking the unfamiliar language.

Learning Spanish requires patience, commitment, and hours of practice. Stumbling over simple words and phrases in awkward social settings is truly frustrating. At the same time, I realize frustration is one element involved in the long process of language acquisition. In order to swear-in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer, trainees must first pass an oral language interview at an intermediate Spanish level. From what I understand, achieving intermediate status means speaking at least three tenses (present, imperfect, and preterit) with little to no trouble. Needless to say, I have a lot of work to do before the next interview.

The afternoon training schedule varies depending on individual projects. Trainees convene each afternoon to discuss information related to health, safety, and security in Honduras. In addition to the standard safety and security information, current volunteers return to share individual experiences, challenges, and successes throughout their Peace Corps service. Afternoon sessions often seem long and tiring. Unfortunately, as a result of increased afternoon fatigue, I’ve picked up the bad habit of drinking coffee around 3:30pm each afternoon. The tasty little treat is everything I need to complete the afternoon sessions with ease… After five long days of Spanish, lectures, and various other activities, most volunteers welcome the opportunity to relax during the weekend.

Last weekend I embraced the opportunity to escape Santa Lucia and traveled to La Tigra National Park. La Tigra is located directly above the little mountain village of San Juancito, about an hour away from Santa Lucia by bus. Using public transportation in Honduras is never an easy venture. The busses are crowded, loud, and stop frequently to pick up local Hondurans scattered between mountain towns. After watching three consecutive busses pass by, we boarded a yellow bus marked for San Juancito.

The journey to San Juancito was beautiful. The crowded bus twisted and turned through curvy mountain streets for nearly an hour before dropping us off in the small town. Observing the mountains, people, and villages from inside the bus was truly entertaining. The roads seemed littered with pulperias, homes with outside wood burning stoves, outside latrines, colorful laundry dripping from clotheslines, children playing barefoot in dirt yards, stray dogs, horses, and men yielding machetes. Occasionally we passed Honduran military men carrying M-16 rifles as well.
Once we arrived in San Juancito we paid a local storeowner to drive us to the entry point of the Park. We spent the day hiking, discussing our Peace Corps experience, and taking in the beauty of Honduras (I’ll include a picture of La Tigra along with this entry. However, I didn’t feel as if I were able to capture the beauty of the Park with my camera). After a long day of trekking through steep green mountains, the small group of Peace Corps trainees departed San Juancito. We boarded the same crowded bus headed for Santa Lucia and eventually arrived back at our starting point.

The walk home from the bus stop was long and tiring. I climbed the steep hill to my house, changed my clothes, and prepared for bed. I slept well that night. However, around 5:30am the next morning I lost the battle of the Rooster once again. I rolled out of bed, rubbed the crust from the corners of my eyes, and prepared for another day as a Peace Corps trainee in Honduras…