The First 24 Hours

I thought I would take the time today to share with everyone my favorite and most memorable experience while serving in the Peace Corps. This story is about my first day spent with my NGO counterpart and our adventure to El Cajon which is a large water reserve created by a dam to channel water to the country capital of Tegucigalpa and serve as a source of electricity generation.

This day was memorable in a number of ways, least of which being my first day in site and the wild excitement of embarking on my service as a volunteer. I felt like I had been baptized by fire and that all of the stuff that we endured, a year long application process followed by 3 months of training, to become volunteers was worth what I would experience and carry away from that first 24 hours. The events of that night has made a lasting impression that I will never forget and brings home the dream of what the volunteer experience in a foreign land has been to me. It is a gem that is rare in a majority of volunteer experiences and one that I feel blessed to have.

Thursday April 26th was the day after we met our counterparts. Peace Corps in any volunteer assignment tries to team a volunteer with an individual or a group who will act as a conduit to your community. They are also responsible to help a volunteer to find projects and work. This is initially very critical for a volunteer when entering a community where no one is sure who this American is who plans to live with them the next two years. The counterpart sort of greases the wheels and creates that initial synergy that a volunteer depends on in creating beneficial first impressions and relationships that will be lasting but also will be there in times of need or emergency for this new visitor.
You can imagine what I felt, anxiety, frustration, and second guessing, when all 48 other volunteers had their counterparts there sitting next to them learning about their new communities while I waited an additional 6 hours for mine to show up. So I sat around passing the time making small talk with the PC country director and, to myself, reflecting on how tired I was of everything and never wanting to do another training day.

When Alajandro showed up I was relieved. He was the coordinator of the local office of a Spanish NGO called Ayuda en Accion. Ayuda en Accion raises funds for their projects through child sponsorships around town and the surrounding villages. It is sort of like what we are used to seeing on TV in the States asking us to sponsor a child. These sponsors come from Spain and they help to fund Ayuda en Accion’s projects in several Latin American countries and a couple more in Africa. There are 5 area offices in Honduras and there are two other volunteers working with AeA in two of their other locations. They specialize in 5 different areas with a person known as a ‘technical’ who carries out the responsibilities of that given project area. They include: Youth Development, Local School Development, Heath, Community Networking, Food and Nutrition, and Economic Development.
My particular office is responsible for 3 municipalities and their aldeas: Ojos de Agua, La Trinidad, and Meambar. With all their communities included, there are 48 unique places that AeA effects here with a half a million dollar annual budget for just my office.

The following morning after our Volunteer/Counterpart orientation ended in Siguatepeque, we left the site with all my belongings and headed to my new community, Ojos de Agua. On the way we stopped at a pottery taller. Taller is a word used to indicate sort of like a class. For example, I could talk about a mechanics taller or a construction taller where mechanics or a construction crew learn their trade and perform their work. It is also pronounced tye-yer. So we went to this pottery taller where there was a group of women who were learning how to make pottery and other artisan crafts from an aldea of Ojos de Agua called Agua Blanca. AeA had paid the expenses for these women to attend this training in the hopes that they would later start a women’s group that sold these goods to raise small funds. I was attentive, asking questions and taking notes, since this was my first interaction with Alejandro.

After an hour or so we left and headed through Comayagua, La Libertad, and finally arrived in my community of Ojos de Agua. Ojos de Agua is a mountainous community surrounded by several peaks which overlook the town. There are about 2,000 inhabitants in town with another thousand or so in the near-by villages.

We reached the entrance of Ojos de Agua which is a wooden bridge held together with suspension cables. There is a sign that says it is prohibited for more than one vehicle to pass at a time on the bridge. I must confess that the bridge in my opinion is only suitable for pedestrian traffic. So as Alajandro made a joke and started to cross the bridge I started to pray and my heart sank as the bridge swayed with the weight of our vehicle.

We pulled up to AeA’s office in the center of town facing the Central Park. I was introduced to all of my new team members. Afterwards, with my mind filled with new names and faces, we went to meet my new family who would serve as my residence for the PC mandatory period of 2 months. Living with a host family, after having lived with 2 previous host families in two other communities during training, was supposed to help a new volunteer integrate into the town. During these first two months it was emphasized to us by our PC trainers the importance of making the most of this time to get to know the leaders in town, know as many people possible, and to create that great first impression through my work with my counterpart and in the local schools where I would get involved. This was to build the blocks to successful community integration and to demonstrate that people could trust me and that my intentions were pure.

We pulled up to my new residence and family. They were in the middle of building my new room. They had actually built a wall made of a type of laminate wood which would separate the room the kids slept in and my room. It is PC policy that when a volunteer lives with a family that they have their own separate room with locks and key, whom no one else is able to gain access to for security reasons. Every once and awhile I will have a visit from someone from the central PC office in Tegus who will check out my living situation and evaluate if it is up to current PC standards. This check was also supposed to have occurred during what is called site development. That is when after a site is nominated as a possible place to put a volunteer, a PC staff member will talk with potential counterparts and host families’ months before a volunteer may arrive in site to see if it is suitable.

With my room still in construction mode and with my two bags of stuff, that had made it all the way from Denver, Colorado, sitting in the family room with the TV, when Alejandro said we had an important meeting. So Alejandro, the Economic Development technical, named Edwin, and I set out in the NGO’s truck. This truck was a diesel powered Toyota Hilux. They don’t sell them in the States but they are the toughest thing I have ever seen. It’s perfect for all of the off-roading that is required to get to other towns on unpaved roads, thru rivers and streams, and over boulders, trees, near vertical climbs up mountain passes, and anything else that stood in our way. These vehicles are so popular and in demand that it is not uncommon for someone to be shot and killed in the capital for one of these trucks.

It was already getting to be pretty late in the afternoon when we set out for Agua Blanca, the community from where the ladies we visited at the artisan taller live. I knew something was up when we stopped at a shop in La Libertad before reaching Ojos de Agua to buy flashlights, batteries, cans of tuna, and other provisions. I wasn’t told exactly what was planned and I was still having some problems with my Spanish understanding everything being said. Before leaving the house I only had enough time to grab a half filled nalgene bottle with water.

We reached Agua Blanca around 4:30pm. This is a community made up of about 400 people. They have running water outside of their houses from hose like outlets but are without water even though they have one of the largest power generating dams and a man made reservoir to generate this power in their back yard. The primary purpose for this water and power generation is for Tegus, the capital, and not for the poor communities surrounding the project.

The community was unreal to me. Agua Blanca is also a mountainous town like Ojos but the town seems to be on top of the mountains and you feel like the sun is closer to you and the earth has a gray-white color and a chalky texture. Children ran into the dirt path and heads and faces appeared in windows to see our truck pass by. It was probably the only one which came through in days. There were also small paper signs on people’s doorways saying they were selling honey. Honey production is one of he small things that women do or men when they are not in the fields. They fill up used 2 liter Coke bottles and sell them for about L. 60 or $3 in the states. We were there to pick up a researcher who was from Massachusetts and doing a study on generational land distribution effects in the area and gathering other such information. She told me that there are many communities that are not officially documented and therefore do not officially exist. She was there to document these types of communities before they went out of existence due to migration to other towns or die out because sometimes these communities are made up of only a few families trying to work on the land.

So we picked her up along with her 3 year old son who was with her and headed to one of the fishing communities along the shores of El Cajon. We also picked up a couple of guides who hung off the back of the truck to help us on the path. We were blazing through forested area where the trees reached high above us. Every once and a while we would have to stop to let one of the guides open a gate to a fenced area where people would allow their cattle to feed. It had been about an hour of jaw-racheting travel when I turned to Alajandro and asked him where we were. He laughed and told me he had no idea. I had to laugh too. It was too crazy. Finally we reached an area where the there was no more path to follow. It was already late and the sun was going down. The sun sets here everyday year-round around 6 o’clock. The guides told us that we needed to walk down the mountain we were on to reach one of the fishing communities. The researcher, her child, and I got out of the truck but Alajandro persisted in trying to drive all the way down the mountain. He finally gave up and tried to turn the truck around when he managed to turn the truck on its side in a ditch. Hmmm, not a good sign. It was becoming clear to me that we were stuck out here in the middle of wilderness with night closing in on us. No one else seemed to be very concerned so I tried not to think much of it. I said to my self this sort of thing must happen all the time and there is nothing for me to be worried about. I had figured out by now that we would be spending the night out here and all I had was that half filled nalgene bottle.

So we descended the mountain and reached several tents made out of tarps. Several families were living here off of the fish and were more than content. The picture that I have included with this entry is the sight of El Cajon from one of the tents. We immediately made our way down the muddy slope to the boats where our guides were. The researcher stayed with here kid at the camp while Alajandro, Edwin, and I each got into separate boats with separate guides. We were rowed down the river which seemed forever. I still couldn’t believe I wasn’t going to be at my new host family’s house tonight because Alajandro had over turned the truck. I wondered if we were ever going to get back but I held it as some consolation that I was hanging out with the local fishermen tonight.

When we reached our destination down the river I was greeted with the faces of 20 odd fishermen, who had set up a fire for all of us to sit around, wondering who this white skinned guy is with hiking boots, kakis, and a light blue oxford dress shirt carrying a nalgene bottle was. Alajandro started up by saying how he was glad to be meeting with them and offered an idea to organize in a group to jointly work together to fish and to use their talents to possibly offer some type of eco-tourism to see the lake. As everyone was listening I looked around at the group of scruffy guys surrounding us. You could tell that they had been out here for a while. There were young guys and older guys. I think it would be safe to say that they didn’t have many years of schooling and that there was a strong group mentality and comradary. They kept deferring to one of the younger guys who must have been in his early 20’s and commanded the group’s respect. They held several votes for the proposals that Alajandro gave them. They wanted assurances that AeA was not going to abandon them and that Alajandro could be depended on. I sensed that we were in their territory and that if they wanted to they could dispose of us. All of them had machetes at their side and the glow of the fire on all of our faces and the smoke added to my feeling of suspense.

After Alajandro finished talking he asked me to say a few words to the group. I looked at him with a look of disbelief and let out a little chuckle thinking about everything that had just transpired today and I had no idea what to say to this group or what I would be able to offer it. So I just went with it. I told the group that I was a PC business volunteer here to work with AeA in the formation of groups to help themselves develop. None of them knew of Peace Corps so I also described how it is a government program from the U.S. and I immediately noticed a tensing up from a few of the members in the group, probably thinking I was some type of spy which was a very common belief of volunteers during the 80’s when the U.S. was involved in the conflicts of El Salvador and Nicaragua using Honduras as a buffer and a staging grounds for some of their activities. So I quickly tried to hand the floor off to Edwin who, in my opinion, leans to the more radical side of economic issues. He sited God several times, Hugo Chavez a couple, and general flimsy populist ideas which I would not have chosen to say and which may have promised more than what were possible.

We left after a tour of the camp site and a look at the large freezer which was used just as a place to keep their day’s catch before being taken to town to be sold. We climbed back into the boats and left to go back up the river which we were to sleep for the night. It was about 10pm at this time and I was getting tired. The moon was full this night and the stars were out. It was an amazing sight to be rowed up the river in the back of a tiny row boat with my guide under this blanket of lights. I could only think of how it would be to live like these fishermen doing this exact thing night and day over and over. Every once and awhile I would here something thud up against the boat and one time I actually felt something touch my hand along the boat. I was told that they were water bugs and I just took their word for it. I later learned after that night that El Cajon is famous for the large amount of crocodiles they have. That would explain the tough scalely like feeling I felt when that ‘water bug’ brushed up against my hand and how I was being looked out for from above when I actually had to cross from one boat to another in mid river. I was told that it wasn’t unusual to hear a dog bark and bark and later hear it yelp and never see the dog again.

We all finally reached the first site we were at when we set off for the larger reunion. The researcher and her child had already gone to sleep with a few others in a mosquito netted plastic tent while Alajandro and I opened one of the cans of tuna to eat with crackers for dinner. We sat with one of the couples there in the camp. The wife cooked up a fish for Alajandro. I wasn’t quite all that hungry and I was suspicious of the fish. I didn’t want to get sick the next day when I knew I needed to be up to par getting back to Ojos. I sat against a wood support listening to Duran Duran on the radio as Alajandro and the others ate. By that time I need to go to bed. My choice, and only choice, was a hammock which overlooked El Cajon and was open to the stars. I took it and tried to fall asleep as fast as possible. I was startled by Alajandro trying to tuck me in with a blanket and spraying me with bug spray to protect against ‘sancudos’. I thanked Alajadro for protecting his new gringo as I coughed due to him spraying me with the entire bottle.

The next morning we woke up and set off for the truck, our only hope out of the area unless we wanted to boat it all the way down the river to another community which may have had a vehicle or other type of transportation. After we climbed back to where we left the truck the previous evening we found a group of the fishermen from the night before with their children cutting down small sized trees with their machetes and gathering small boulders to try to leverage the truck back upright. It was a heck of a haul back up to the truck. I was dripping sweat in my blue oxford long sleeved shirt. The sun comes up early and can quickly create a hot and steamy morning. After feeling useless while everyone else moved with a purpose we finally were able to free the truck with most of the work being done by the fishermen. We all piled into the truck along with a lot of others who needed rides into town because of the rarity of transportation to these small isolated groups of people. It is not uncommon for a pregnant woman to walk the 2 to 4 hour walk in each direction, depending one which aldea you are talking about, to reach the small clinic here in town called the ‘centro de salud’. We finally made it back to Ojos de Agua told my new host family all about it. I took a long nap that afternoon and packed so I could go back to the PC training center the next day to take final language tests and to be recommended for official service. Later that week all the new volunteers were to be sworn-in at the U.S. Embassy before returning to begin my 2 years.

Several other photos can be seen on my picture blog at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/barkerbj07/WildPescadores

Some photos of Agua Blanca can also be seen at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/barkerbj07/AguaBlanca

Photos of the women's group in Agua Blanca creating artisans baskets:
http://picasaweb.google.com/barkerbj07/Microempresas

The High and The Low

Hey Everyone-
I wanted to share my experiences from this weekend with you. I had the opportunity to stay with the family of Rafael in Tegucigulpa, the country capital. Rafael works with youth development within my NGO here in Ojos de Agua. We had a great time. Friday we went to a mall and I could have sworn that I was back in the States. I ran into one of my Peace Corps language trainers there in the mall and she told me that two volunteers from the new September class were also there. She said that they were absolutely stunned at the difference between the poor communities that we volunteers live in and the what is known as the "zona de ricos," or rich peoples places. It did feel like sort of an enclave where there was a TGI Friday's and a Costco or Sam's Club by a different name. There were Volvo's, BMW's, and I also saw one of those $150K Mercedes Jeeps. One of those new volunteers lives in a community without electricity or running water. I didn't have the luxury of being chauffeured around in a Mercedes Jeep but I was thankful that Rafael was driving us in his old blue Datsun. Which only has seatbelts in front, which don't recoil, and has a nasty tumbling noise from the front wheels when turning. We fit 6 people in this car in what is said to be a 5 person car.

I must confess that I had a lot of questions for Rafael when we went to the mall. There was a hint of suspicion in my questions. With all I know about Honduras, the first questions I asked my friend was who are these people, what do they do, and how did they get there? Rafael told me that they worked for government, communications companies, and for other services and finance companies including banks. The government is popularly known for corrupt and one hears how many of those in power have family connections including legislators, heads of business, and those whom we can say are in the executive branch of the government who have ties back to 12 powerful families. Also, just as an example, the American government has declared the national communications company as corrupt and advised American businesses in recent months not to do business with them until things straighten up. These guys have ties to heads of government, which I can't say in this blog, but you get the idea. So my natural hesitation and apprehension was warranted but I knew it had to be tempered by the fact that many of these people are making an honest living and have succeeded, however few they may be relative the the nation's size. But the question remains, if I, as an American, who is considered a walking wallet and is used to this type of lifestyle, and I am hesitant about the Honduran "ricos" which are developing the country by creating demand and later jobs due to excess income, then how do the people who live in the campo, without water or electricity, see these people and there personal reality in attaining these material goods? There is suspicion, and hopefully what I saw was not just a product of the elites but the beginning of some greater movement occurring such as what we associate as a functioning middle class. I do believe that this idea of a greater movement is happening but it is interesting that because of this inequality contrast and a real lack of doing anything creates my apprehension and, I believe, slows down this greater transition.

Rafael also told me how people dress up and just go to the mall to walk around or to buy a Burger King ice cream cone, which are all the rage here. I told him that is what we do in the states too. He replied that about 37% of people there are actually there shopping or buying something while the rest pass through.

To make my point clearer, crystal clear, I want to share my experience from Saturday. Saturday Rafael and I went to witness the basureros, otherwise known as the capital's trash dumps. I really don't know how to explain how I feel about this experience. I can't make any wide proclamations or pronouncements about what I think. All I can do is convey the pictures that are included in this post and in my picture blog. What I can say is that the smell was wretched and I only had on sandals. People have huts where they stay during the day to escape the heat which climbs well over a hundred degrees during the summer. That is now, after there where laws passed prohibiting people actually living, sleeping, and eating here. There is a sign in front of the entrance of the dump which says that children, young women, adolescents, and those who are pregnant are not allowed to enter. I can say from what I saw that this is not entirely enforced, as my pictures show. One thing I can say is that the people shown have found it in there interest, there economic interest, to be there going through the trash in order to collect what can be recycled and sold. In one of the pictures there are huge bags of collected plastic bottles. When sold to the recyclers, a person can expect to receive L. 150, or, about $7.50 per giant bag. One of these collectors and fill two to three of these a day. While a coffee picker during prime season can look forward to receiving L. 100 ( $5) per day of long back breaking work. (Which I plan on doing myself for 3 days in December during the harvest, without being paid.) So, this is why I don't know what to say. There are not enough preferable options in this case to picking trash while it brings in a higher than normal income.

Is this humane? Look at the pictures and tell me yourself.

http://picasaweb.google.com/barkerbj07/TegusBasurerosNov172007

There is a book in the works

Hi everyone-
I wanted to let you all know that I have started to compose a book about my experiences here in Honduras. When in 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps to promote world peace and friendship he outlined the organization's mission as having three simple goals:

1. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
2. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
3. Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

It is that third goal which I'm working on by writing this book. I reach my 6th month mark after swear-in this Saturday ( 9 months in country). I have had a bunch of experiences and insights that I need to put into type because I don't want to be selfish with this. I want to share these experiences. They have changed my perspective and the way I view life and hopefully I can convey some of these feelings to you the reader. By doing helping to create some sense of what life is here I am an advocate for those I have created great friendships and other lasting relationships. In that way I am fulfilling the 3rd goal by promoting the understanding of others back home. Also, remember, that Peace Corps is funded by your tax dollars. If not a novel it will be like a really long essay.

You may be wondering, "Jeez, this guy cant even keep a blog updated." Well, trust me. I have learned how important is to write and to convey these ideas. The most important thing I can come away with from here is an experience I can expose and get others to understand the human condition of life down here. My work here in the long run doesn't mean much. What matters is that though an understanding there can also be a change of heart. That means the way we talk about people and groups. We begin by not using words like Mexicans as a pejorative, wetbacks, invasion, job stealer', and law breakers. We should see people as they really are and once you begin to really know them then we treat others as ourselves. When one speaks of our current situation with immigration having a more loving attitude may create an environment where healthy and humane solutions begin to come forward.

So, this book is a cursory introduction to some of these people who have families and houses and put all they can into making a living. That perspective hopefully will be well portrayed here from the campo (farm/ rural area) and I want to bring it to you. It's also just a great way to show how I lived day to day along with some of the more adventuresome and cool things I have come across.

Also, The blog is also beginning to be updated regularly and parts of it may become passages in the book. I will also try to put parts of the book I already have and post them on the blog. The brownie story was one of those from the book.

I want your input! Please please please send me questions about life here or other general things that you think would be important to add to this writing. Thanks!

I have a picture blog too

For those who didnt know already, I have a picture blog which I have often been updating. Sometimes it is easier to convey my ideas and thoughts through pictures. Often it's harder to put or to begin to put those experiences in words.
The link is:
http://picasaweb.google.com/barkerbj07

Feel free to comment on the pictures or to send me questions about them. Not all of them have explanations or my comments yet.

Also, remember that my e-mail is:
barkerbj07@gmail.com

And my cell phone down here is:
011-504-9810-3339
Dial exactly that. Cheap phone cards can be found for around 10 cents a minute. I agree with most that I'm not worth that much. Or feel free to send me a text, which you do not need a phone card.

Free texts can be sent by using the message box on the following web address. Make sure once you type in my phone number (put your name in the box after "de"), click "Invitar Adicionar", type your message, hit "enviar" (which means to send) and nothing else.:
www.tigo.com.hn

But I am on Skype which is free, plus you can see me because I have a web-cam too. You can skype me at:
brian.barker07

New and Permanant Mail Box

Hi Everyone-
Here is my permanent mail box address:
Brian Barker
Apartado #209
Comayagua
Honduras, C.A.

This is located in Comayagua and is much closer to my site than at the Peace Corps office in the capital. Feel free to send me anything. Just mark on the outside of the box something like "school supplies" or "learning materials". The mail is more reliable than I imagined it would be. Most times volunteers dont have problems. With that in mind though, make sure if you are sending a package that you tell me that it is on its way so that I can lobby the mail clerks. Keep in mind that letters, postcards, and packages take around 3 weeks to get here.

*Note: "School supplies" = "Materiales para escuela"

Isabel Opens the First Restaurant in Ojos

My neighbor Isabel opened her new store this last Saturday. She has always been known for her great cakes and other sweets so she decided that she would like a place to make and sell them outside of the house. It's a small restaurant built on property her mother gave her next to her house farther in town. It has 4 tables and serves great fried chicken with fried platanos and baleadas. She has done such a great job. She and her husband have been saving up for a long time in order to create this business. They bought all the materials and equipment outright with cash which is unheard of without any need for a loan. The restaurant has been worked on since I arrived here a little under 6 months ago and I would always stop by to see how she was doing and look at the progress that was made.
When I first got here I was surprised that there was no place to eat out. It was kind of a downer because I knew I had to cook everything myself or rely on Norma, my host mom. I couldn't believe that no one thought it would be a good idea to have a restaurant in town. Now, Isabel is the only restaurant with a captive population of 2,000 plus another 4,000 in the smaller towns around ours.
One thing that I think was important was how she and her husband did it together and wanted to keep it their own. I asked her several times, since I am a business volunteer, if she wanted any help with a business plan, advertising or anything. She consistently turned me down for advice. The invisible hand of the market is working. She knew there was a niche here in town and that the demand was great enough to invest the family's savings into this business. Her business has been so successful that she is not able to keep her cakes in stock. She told me the other day that it has been a great surprise.
Sometimes there is a feeling of helplessness among the people in Honduras. There is good reason for this feeling. For example, the majority of people in rural areas are subsistence farmers. These guys live poor but reasonable. Unlike other regions of the world, many of these farmers have access to fertilizers and high yield seeds, markets to sell their produce when there is extra, and basic state programs (when there are funds) which extend grants or credit to these individuals to get basic farm items, fertilizer, etc.. That is how it has been a long time, much of the time without the states help. What is going on now is that the kids of some of these farmers are going to college and getting degrees, which hopefully and usually, gets them a more middle-class existence. This middle class is not the type I would be familiar with back in St. Louis or Denver but you can tell the difference because they are not on the brink. They are able to afford a motorcycle and sometimes a car. They eat better, they're healthier, they dress better, and have electricity and cable tv.
That general feeling of helplessness has turned into actionable progress for Isabel. It also is no surprise that the opertunites to go to school and better health services have allowed Isabel to live this type of middle-class lifestyle that her parents and many other older individuals never had when growing up. Her father was a farmer. Now, her husband works in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, which is two and a half hours from here. He leaves every Sunday for work and comes back to be with the family every Friday. The money he makes and the little Isabel makes from selling cakes out of her house have allowed them to start this new business. They also are making sure their kids go to school and later to college.
It is this generational progress which is amazing. The generation now which is just coming out of the grade schools and the high schools has had a fuller set of opportunities which their parents did not enjoy when they grew up. Fifteen years ago Ojos de Agua did not of electricity. It has that and also cable TV. My little sister, a part of the generation that parents like Isabel are raising, has grown up on MTV like programing and wants more things her parents could never have had. If you go into the larger towns with markets or grocery stores you will find many imported products from places like China or America. The town also got a sewer system within the last 3 years. Before every house had their own latrine. Many of these kids in school now see themselves going to college instead of becoming farmers. That's great news. Hopefully in a generation or two this trend will help lead many more out of their poverty.
But breaking that cycle of poverty begins with people like Isabel who have received an education and kept themselves healthy and are now investing in the town by opening their store. Like I said before, I'm very excited for them and I wish them the best.

Brownies

I made a big commotion the other day by baking brownies.

So, I bought regular brownie mix which cost the equivalent to $2. I added 3 eggs and 1.5 sticks of butter and that's it. As I was cooking the brownies my host mom, Norma, kept telling me that they were never going to be cooked all the way and that I needed to crank-up the heat and keep them in longer than the directions. I got nervous and called my real mom in Denver. She reassured me through my self doubt that I was making them correctly. Afterwards, I deemed them ready I let them sit and cool.
After cutting them everyone in the family I'm living with tried a piece and thought that they were great. I decided that I was going to hit the road around town and walk the dirt streets until there were no more brownies left. I went with my 8 year old little sister here,Ana, and I walked over to my neighbors house, Isabel, and let them try the brownies.
Next, I ran into Edgar. Edgar is the new, and fresh out of school, science, math, and English teacher at the grade school here in Ojos. Every once and awhile I'll help him with his English class curriculum and it's his class that I teach on "values". He was outside of his house talking with a friend. I gave them both a piece of brownie to try and they loved it.
Later, I went to Nati's house. I think of them as my second family here in town. After work I usually walk past their house and if they are sitting on the porch I'll stop to talk and kid-around with them. One of their older son's owns a coffee plantation in the hills. He told me that once picking season begins in November that he will take me with him to pick coffee. Their neighbors saw that I was handing out goodies and they tried the brownies too and loved them.
I ended up afterwards in the central park. In the park was a group of grade schoolers who I have in class. In town, and every town in Honduras, there are a group of kids who if they are together they will laugh and call out your name when your back is turned. But if you catch them alone or with only a couple of others they love to talk with you or will at least say hello. They called out my name and started giggling so I took that as my queue for me and my little sister to say "hi" back and visit them. They all tried a piece and I went on my way after telling them goodnight.
I walked passed and saw a couple of the guys from my counterpart NGO in front of one of the pulperias (random stores you'll find anywhere here) eating and drinking. I let them finish off the rest of the brownies and they were surprised when I told them that I had made them.
Usually men are never found in the kitchen to cook. First, the usual feeling by the men is that it's women's work and they expect to be waited on and served. Secondly, on the women's side they bolster these sex roles by saying that men are not able, or incappable, to cook or to even take care of themselves.
I feel like being taken cared of too; if that means having someone make dinner for me or me eating out while in the States. Here though, I find myself going an hour and a half by minibus (a sardine cramped death trap) to buy my groceries in the department capital. Side note: Comayagua is the department capital (sort of like a state; Honduras has 18 while the country is only the size of Tennessee). I end up cooking and cleaning everything for myself to the initial astonishment of everyone else. Norma likes it though.
Anyways, the point of the story is that everybody was amazed by the brownies which they have never had before and that I had actually made them. It has been about a week or two after that night and I still have people asking me when I will make the brownies again.

Currently Reading:
Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Going on 6 months in-site

Hey everyone, I am about to complete my first 6 months in service (9 months including training) after swearing-in. I received an e-mail the other day, which I actually responded to, and I wanted to share it along with my reply. I think it will add a little insight into what I'm doing. This e-mail was from a girl who is currently going through the process to get into Peace Corps and asked me what I thought. I'm calling her Jane because I don't want to possibly embarrass her.
From Jane:

Hi there!
I met you once or twice long long ago. Not sure if you remember me. Anyhow, Rebecca just told me you are serving in PC as a business advising volunteer! I've recently been nominated for business advising as well, in francophone Africa for June '08. Now just going through the medical stuff.

Really glad to know someone who has taken on the challenge. Hope you are embracing every moment of the experience. And, if you don't mind, could you share what you've done and maybe some tips for me as I go through the process? Thanks!

best wishes,
Jane

My Reply:

Yes, I do remember you Jane. I'm glad you are interested in the Peace Corps and that you want to be a part of the business project. I have just a few things off the top of my head, so here they are:

Medical exams are tough and require a lot of time. Mine was practically flawless but I still kept getting snagged by Peace Corps.

Peace Corps will generally "forget" about you when it comes to nominating you for a specific country. So once you turn in your med forms and all other paperwork make sure that you are repeatedly calling the Africa Regional Office for an actual country nomination. Also, PC says francophone Africa now but they will change that whenever on their discretion. So now is a good time to read or look up the area to see if it is really a place you want to be. You have taken the first big step and gotten through the application and the majority of the med papers etc. so you are desired by PC. Therefore, if you decide Africa is not for you, you have leverage to say you want to go to a different region. You can also negotiate within the region when you want to leave and based on that they can assign a country.

One other thing about Africa. Africa is a hard assignment. You generally have to learn two or maybe even 3 languages. French, then possibly the regional language, or more likely the villages specific language. A lot of people drop out of these programs, and there is absolutely no shame in that, but also a lot of people love these too.

For me I would have a tough problem without access to communications. Honduras is surprisingly more developed than I thought. I have bought a cellphone here and call Rebecca everyday. I also have broadband internet access because I was lucky with the NGO counterpart I have. I probably would have come home by now if I couldn't be in constant contact with Rebecca.

What I have found to be true is that Peace Corps is an amazing experience and I have learned a ton. It has shaped me into a better person and has made me more focused and realize the importance of community and hands on, ground level, work. It's a great way to put your SLU Jesuit ideals to the test and to practice. I went in wanting to go off to grad school for international economics and do development work for life. But now actually being exposed to all of that and seeing how all the different pieces work together- government, private enterprise, and not for profits- I believe I can make the biggest and, I think the best, impact back in my community in the states. I want to get involved with my neighbors and local government and be an advocate for our own who are in need, who maybe is the person sitting next to you on the city bus. That means me wanting to find a job possibly in financial banking while using my free time to do local advocacy work or even something as simple as being a Red Cross Volunteer.

You cannot "save" anyone. Though, you can be their best friend or their advocate back at home when you return. Being able to test yourself during this time is critical and will change you. It has for me, even though I said it wouldn't. You take these peoples stories and insights and you become a spokesperson for them back in the States. That can be as simple as telling someone about the love you saw in a person when she told you about her daughter dying from poor prenatal care or turning down the temperature of your shower in the morning so that you are producing less greenhouse gases which create drought like conditions in Africa. You will in a sense be "saved", not really them.

One thing that has gotten me the farthest here in my village is simply asking about how are a person's kids and family. People love to share this and they will invite you into their house over a cup of coffee.

One last thing, I work with women's micro-business development and small micro-finance groups too. I'm in my 6th month post swear-in and I am still having trouble with work. People don't want to meet or realize that you have information that is in their best interest. That is their problem and not mine. What I have been doing though when things are slow is teaching in the local schools about values and I also have helped one of the teachers with his English course. Another thing that I do is I make a point to get out of my house and to meet as many people as I can. I stop by anyone outside and I will start a conversation and thus make a new friend and connection. I call this my Relationship Building project. It's very important and I thing the most lasting and most successful project I could have.

And lastly, I applaud female volunteers. They really have it rougher than the guys. Not only is it tougher for females to get passed their medical examinations and dealing with the constant health issues they have in country is amazing. They also have to deal with the constant deluge of whistling and very overt gestures and comments along with a lack of respect that goes along with macho cultures.

Alright, I hope this helps and I wish you the best. Have a great day Jane. If you have anything else let me know!

-Brian Barker

barkerbj07@gmail.com

Week 4 Pre FBT

Well, today I am packing for Field Base Training (FBT). We have completed four weeks here in Santa Lucia and we will spend the next 6 in Cantarranas. I will be there with the rest of the business team while the health team goes to La Paz and water and sanitation goes...I’m forgetting at the moment. I will also be staying with a new host family. After those 6 weeks at FBT everyone comes back to Santa Lucia for our last half week of training and swearing-in at the US Embassy. This week has been one of the less eventful weeks. I think that has been a good thing though. The business team this week met with several NGO’s such as CARE International. We were told about how different NGO’s are organized and what types of work they have been doing in communities around the world and specifically in Honduras. We also talked about counterpart relationships. When a volunteer goes to his/her site they are paired up with a counterpart who helps direct their work within their community. They may be the head of a co-op or an NGO or a liaison from the local municipality. They are integral to a volunteers success and to their projects. They are also usually Hondurans. So, we talked about them and what to do if things go bad. We had several volunteers come in and talk about their experiences and we were given case scenarios and advice. We also talked about work environment relationships along with gender and development topics. I will write up an issues entry a little later dealing with what I have witnessed about gender and education in Honduras so far.

As an aside and just hitting on the whole gender thing, I met the volunteer who stayed with my host mom before me. We talked and we discussed instances such as how my host mom will key into my room in order to get my dirty clothes so she can wash them before I can because it’s considered women’s work. People wash their clothes in the pilla which is like a level concrete washboard next to a water basin where all the clothe washing occurs. She will not let me anywhere near it. That is just one instance, but I will talk more about it later.

Other good news, I am finally getting better digestively, but I have contracted a bit of a head cold. Also, I just bought a cell phone down here. I have been saving up and I got one today. The thing is I don’t have any international minutes on it at the moment. But, if you call me it’s free on my end. So please find those phone cards.

Also, I have even better news. All the trainees had there second language interview. These interviews determine if your language skills qualify you for service. When I came in that first week I was a novice medium and during this week (week 4) I graduated to novice high plus. I have to get to intermediate medium to qualify and I have every confidence that I will make that. In fact I am shooting for intermediate high.

Cantarranas does not have an internet café in town. So, for now, this is my last entry unless I find one in the neighboring town during the next 6 weeks. I will be making phone calls though. I’ll talk to everyone soon!

Cuerpo de Paz

Alright, I apologize for such the long delay on updating the blog. Training has been nonstop so far. So, here I will try to get everyone up to speed. This weekend I went to a small village in Choluteca called Oricuina. I went there to stay with Kris for our volunteer visit. He has been in his site for the past 18 months and is set to leave in June. I was able to see how a real volunteer lives and works. He has been working to build onto a radio station that was started by the previous business volunteer there in town. The trip to Oricuina was definitely an adventure. Thursday morning we caught the bus out of Santa Lucia to Tegucigalpa at around 7am. Once at the drop off point in Tegus we haggled with a taxi driver to take our group of three people to the Mi Esperanza bus station in front of a backdrop that said “Die Gringos”. Once at the bus station we waited for an hour and a half for our bus which is supposed to leave every hour. People do not have a concept for lines. Even though everyone had assigned seats there was a mad dash to get onto the bus. After that, we picked up anyone who waved at the bus while leaving town and all the way to Choluteca and on our connecting bus to Oricuina. Leaving for Oricuina we stopped in the market and had what was the equivalent to a 20 minute info infomercial. We had one person after another come onto the bus selling everything from choros, to coke and other refrescos, and pills and lotions which promise to cure every illness including the ability to stop your child from grinding his teeth. Oricuina is in the southern part of Honduras, about an hour north of Choluteca. It is close to the boarder with Nicaragua and is very very hot. It is still considered a part of the cool season and the temperature reached 96 degrees in the shade and without factoring in the humidity.

At my volunteers sight UNICEF was there to give a two day presentation to the children. The kids were given special permission to leave class from the town and the surrounding areas to see the presentation. UNICEF spoke about children’s rights and health, along with ways that children can, and are, exploited in countries such as Honduras. It was amazing to me to see the guy who put on the presentation. He was a native Honduran from Tegucigalpa. I was greatly impressed with the way he dealt with the children and the passion for what he was doing. I think it will only be because of people such as him that take responsibility to effect there own country that real strides in development will take place.

I was also able to see another NGO called “Ayuda en Accion” that Kris was working with. Ayuda en Accion is a Spanish organization which sponsors children from donations from Spain. It is sort of an Adopt a Child program. This NGO only works in areas where there is a child being sponsored. It was because of the planning and organization of Kris’s NGO that UNICEF was able to be invited. I heard an interesting thing, the guy from UNICEF said that because they work with the government that they have money to do work and projects but that they lack the ability to utilize their resources without conduits such as Peace Corps to guide their work for individual projects.

The capstone project for the children was that they went through the town asking for interviews which they would later present on the radio station that Kris is working with during a weekly, hour long children’s program. The program tells relevant news, issues, and jokes directed to a young audience by young people. We followed the children around town as they interviewed people in the town square, the police station, the central clinic and anyone else they could find to talk to.

Kris seems to have a real talent for working with children. He also is the head of the baseball team in his town for the children. That first day I was able to help with practice by being the umpire for the game. The team is getting ready for competition against the other Peace Corps volunteer teams. Kris’s kids are the reigning champions who were able to go to Tegus last year to win the title.

Friday night me and my volunteer went to Choluteca and met some of the other volunteers from the area who were also hosting trainees. We went out to eat and had a lot of fun seeing the town. We made it to a nice little place called “Tio Rico” (Rich uncle) where the locals came to dance to Latin music. It was real nice to see. We stayed in town for the night and in the morning got ready to back to a cooler climate.

I did make it back safe to Santa Lucia Saturday afternoon but not without catching the bus late and having to stand during most of the way back to Tegus on the bus with another one of the trainees in our class. I think I also caught some sort of illness too. Overall this last weekend was great and I am glad I was able to see what Kris was doing in the field. I am beginning to hone in on what I would like to accomplish while here in Honduras. During my interview this week with the head of our business project I am going to tell him that I want to work with medical brigades and clinics as my secondary project while working with coffee growers and markets as my primary. (I also have heard that melon growers have a great market and need help too.) What ever I do though I think I also want to work with the local women’s group in town.

Now for the last couple of weeks. Last weekend the business group went to La Tigra which is the first national park here in Honduras. It began in the 70’s but was instituted in 1980 as a national park. We went there for team building and to learn about environmental issues here in Honduras. A big problem here is illegal forestation. 80% of the lumber coming out of Honduras is illegal. Next time you buy Mahogany double check to see if it was made in Honduras. Also, burning is seen as the answer to all problems. People burn their crops, which last year caused the airports in Tegus and San Pedro Sula to close for several days because of the smoke, and they also burn their trash. There is also a lot of burning to create new plots of farmland.

On Wednesday, I went into Tegus to learn how to use the transportation system before going on my volunteer visit to see Kris the next day. We took a taxi into the largest market in Honduras, Mercado Belen. It was crazy busy. There are really no street signs in Tegus apparently because they get pulled down anyway. So we really had no idea where we were besides just the general area. Without the taxis we would definitely be lost. We had people approaching us trying to sell what ever they had. Part of the assignment was that we were given a list of items that our host families wanted us to purchase for them.

The business project is great. We have been able to go around here in Santa Lucia and in Valle de Angeles to talk to investigate the different types of businesses that Honduras has. In Santa Lucia we visited a campo (a farm) and talked about the issues he has to deal with. One of the amazing things about this visit was that his farm is on the side of a mountain. One of the major obstacles that farmers face is that no one has a flat piece of land to cultivate a crop. Also, the farmers are almost always price takers. They will produce the food but they have no control over how much their crop will go for in the market. The middle man usually gets a large cut from them moving the crop from the farm to the actual market. An interesting fact about this particular farmer is that he was actually trained in sustainable farming by Peace Corps volunteers’ years ago. He said it was the best trip he has ever taken in his life.

We also talked to a bread maker in town. He sells the most amazing bread. He bakes 5 days a week. But he has hit a wall. He can only make so many loafs of bread in his house with so many ovens. To get to the next level he needs a loan for $2500.00. That is all he needs but the banks are hesitant even though he has been successful for years and is established. He has collateral but it is painful to risk their car, if they have one, or their house which they have worked their entire life to attain. It is culturally not excepted and I think in their eyes it is considered reckless.

Another business we visited was someone from the municipal government here in Santa Lucia. He told of the town’s plans to increase the amount of tourism. He talked about plans to renovate the lagoon and to put in a beach and a fountain. He also talked about how they plan to pass ordinances to clean up the trash. Trash pick up is private. So a person may make arrangements but they don’t have to. If the city makes plans to pick up the trash it may be in the form of a favor and it may not get done correctly if done at all.

In Valle de Angeles, we visited a very successful leather worker. He started from nothing and now has two stores and a distribution system. He is definitely an outlier in the system. He also has been blessed recently by signing an exclusivity contract with a German who happened to stop into the store and believed in his product. What holds him back is that a lot of tourists, who speak English, come in and are interested but because of the language barrier they end up only walking out.

One last thing, I met a representative of the economics division of the US Embassy. He came in to talk to us business people and he was very informative of the current economic and political situation in Honduras. The talk included some of the current reforms that the current administration has done and he also talked about the effects of CAFTA on the region; what has worked and what needs to be inproved upon. It was a great insight.

Other random news, we have been getting pricked by a plethora of different vaccines. Sometimes I feel like a pin cushion. Also, Spongebob Squarepants isn’t half bad in Spanish.

And, my spanish is coming along but I still have a long way to go.

My first day in Santa Lucia

Hi everyone, I made it here safe in Honduras. This is a beautiful and tranquil place. My group flew into San Pedro Sula yesterday and I immediately had to start taking off layers of cloths. It is humid but there is a little breeze. The 5 hour bus ride was an adventure. I dont recall seeing a single speed limit sign. People were passing on blind corners with a yellow line. The country side was beautiful. I got to see a lot of little towns along the side of the road. I was able to take some pictures and I'll post them soon.
My host family is wonderful. They seem like a great crew. I am in a nice room in the front of the house. There are two boys and a girl. I dont think there is a father because I havent seen him and senora mentioned something about tourismos. So if he is active in the family I think he might be afar. Well, my four years of high school spanish was not in vein. I would not have survived with any dignity intact last night if I were without it. I am quite blessed with the family I have been placed with. I was given tortillas con queso -sort of like a cheesy tortilla- and I loved it.
My training classes went fine too. Everyone seems open and willing to help. We were given the general introduction. During lunch I was able to steal a language trainer who helped me with my speaking. Learning the language is my number one goal and I'm trying my best.
It's time for dinner so I need to go. I am at an internet cafe right across the road from my house. So I will definitely be able to keep in touch. I'll talk to all of you soon!

Mailing Addresses

There are two different addresses for sending us mail and packages:

For postal service (USPS) mail/packages:
Brian Barker, PCT
Voluntario del Cuerpo de Paz
Apartado Postal 3158
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, America Central

For FedEx, UPS, or DHL mail/packages:
Brian Barker, PCT
Voluntario del Cuerpo de Paz
Avenida Republica de Chile #401
Colonia Palmira
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, America Central


Other mailing tips:
Do not send any electrical device or appliances via FedEx, UPS, or DHL, as a customs clearence process is required which will cost around $90. Try to use padded envelopes if possible and Peace Corps recommends asking for shipment tracking numbers so you can track packages through the carriers' websites. As an additional preventative measure, write "Articulos Religiosos" (Religious articles) or "Materiales de la educacion" (Education material) on the outer packaging so prospective thieves have less desire to open packages to begin with.
(Thank you Annie and Luke Gingerich for helping me with this information.)

The Send Off

Alright, this is the kickoff for my blog while I'm in Honduras. I have arrived safely to Washington DC. I left Denver Wednesday the 7th to visit Rebecca in St. Louis. We had a wonderful time going out and meeting with friends. I really appreciate the Jesuits at the Bellermine House. They have really made me feel welcome over these past couple of years. Also, I will remember the cocktail party and the whole crew sending me off in such a wonderful fashion. You guys mean so much to me.

Currently I am in a holding pattern here at Washington DC. The initial plan was to take an early morning flight to Tegucigalpa on Wednesday the 14th but unfortunately due to weather the groups' flight was canceled.

I have had an entire week here in DC and the tension to get to staging is palpable. There are 51 volunteers divided into three groups: Business Advising/IT Advising (including me), Water and Sanitation, and Aids/HIV education. We are all ready to get down there and really embrace the people and absorb the culture.

I am impressed by the caliber of volunteers taking part in pre-staging with me here in DC. We are 51 strong and from all walks of life and from all over the country; from California, Kentucky to New York. They are a great group of guys and I hope to learn a lot from them and hopefully accomplish some great projects together. We will be doing a lot together during the next 11 weeks of training. I am positive there will be some life long contacts that will be made during this period.

In case you were wondering, the groups' staging(training) is held in Santa Lucia. This is 15 km, or 30 minutes by bus north of Tegucigalpa, the nation's capital. Our entire training consists of 11 weeks. We will be in Santa Lucia for the first 4 weeks for intensive language and culture training. Then, the business volunteers will spend the next 4 weeks at a small town called Cantorranas for technical training. The last couple of weeks will be spent back at Santa Lucia and then swearing in at the US Embassy in the capital where we will pledge to uphold the Constitution. It is safe to say that I am looking forward to it.

I AM leaving Sunday morning for Honduras. Because of the cancellation earlier this week, half the group flew out of DC early this morning. Everyone else will be leaving for the airport around 4am tomorrow to catch a plane from DC to Atlanta which will then take us to San Pedro Sula. San Pedro Sula is the second largest city in Honduras and is said to be called 'The City that Works' by the locals because of the heavy industry and commercial activities of the city. Our directors are telling us that flying into San Pedro Sula is a bit of a blessing because volunteers normally do not go to or see this part of the country. From the city, we will take a 4 hour bus ride directly to Santa Lucia. We will be greeted by Peace Corps staff and later introduced to our host families. 24 hours from now I will be sleeping under a mosquito net. Pretty cool. By the way, when we arrive at San Pedro Sula it will be in the 70's. What a change from what I have been used to lately. Winter of 06-07 has been the season for the most snow I have ever seen in my life. In fact, I left Denver with 2 feet of snow still in the front yard. How can I explain to my host family that it was ice and snow that canceled my flight from DC to Honduras and caused us to be a half week late?

On a final note, the first time I visited DC was when I was here with a missions group. We worked and stayed in Anacostia which is right across the river from the worlds most powerful people and institutions. My group of about 30 people stayed in a building which was tagged by the local gangs. When we were outside we had to watch out for syringes and there was a strip bar right next door. We were going out into the community to develop after school programs for the youth. My time now in DC is at Georgetown where a house goes for about $4 million. What a contrast. Money is neutral, and not the cause of the evils in our society. But the inequality we all see in the world is due to policies or the lack there of which allow/hinder every human being to reach their full potential. On a global stage the Peace Corps is a policy that has gone on for 46 years. It was initiated in 1961 by John F. Kennedy as a component of the global initiative to empower people to seize sustainable opportunities. That time in Anacostia, a month before 9/11, really began to lay the path to where I am now. Now in DC and looking south to Honduras, I begin to really contemplate what I really have as an American and how blessed I am to be a citizen, even with its many faults. I hope and I pray that the skills and the experiences that I acquire in Honduras allow me to be not only a better human being but also a better citizen.