Peace Corps Envy

Had a great adventure again this weekend. Went to karaoke in town on Friday, and we treated the locals to a ridiculous rendition of "Let it Be." They actually take their karaoke pretty seriously here, crooning sad love songs to each other over many beers, but it was a good time. We (Jonno, Kelly and I) left early with a plan to catch the midnight bus to Lago Yojoa, the largest lake in Honduras. There was a bus waiting there, but there was no driver, only a woman asleep on the bus who told us it´d leave at 3am. We didn´t see any option really but to sleep on the bus for a few hours, which wasn´t really as sketchy as it sounds. The bus left right on time, and we took it straight through San Pedro Sula (one of the major cities that we avoid b-c it actually has a higher murder rate than Bogota, Columbia) and then of course several more smaller buses and a jalon to the town of Las Naranjos. We had heard about a brewery located near the lake and wanted to check it out, and maybe see the nearby waterfalls or some boating on the lake. We were absolutely shocked to see our friend Sim from Ocotepeque sitting by the pool with some other Peace Corps volunteers!! What a small country! He had decided to go at the last minute with his friends, and it was just crazy to end up at the same place. So we spent the day with them hiking up to a spectacular waterfall, getting caught in the pouring rain, and eating a REAL hamburger poolside while listening to the Grateful Dead with a few fresh beers. It was such a nice day! In all, 2 breakfasts, a dinner, beers, a room with hot water, and a t-shirt cost only 450lemps, or about $25!! On Sunday we left fairly early in order to catch a glimpse of the lake. We ate a snack at a fancy hotel on the lake (rooms there would cost $40 a night!!), and I think Kelly and I will try to go back some weekend to stay at the brewery and spend a day boating or jet skiing on the lake. Getting back was an easy direct 6 hour bus ride, and that´s another weekend adventure in Honduras!!

But for me what was really so great was spending time with the Peace Corps volunteers. There were, I think, 5 women and 1 guy, all in their early 20s. They were such cool, interesting people, and I just wanted to be one of them. I loved hearing about the projects that they´re working on: building a latrine in a town where people just go to the bathroom in the woods without toilet paper or sinks or anything, helping hotels build websites so they can attract more tourists, clearing trails through national parks so that visitors will want to go there, educating mothers about diarrhea, which is the biggest killer of children under 5 here, working with local dentists to give presentations about dental hygiene, helping women write loan applications so they can start a little business selling bread. It just seems like the Peace Corps people do such cool, important, simple work that really makes a difference in the community. It makes me feel a bit trapped within the classroom walls. I know there´s nothing I can do but wait for that appeal, and that if I´m still rejected I can find some community groups to work with here and do some similar things (though I´ve heard tell of people with PEANUT allergies being accepted, so you´d think I´d be ok). But some days I just feel sick of waiting it out - I want my new life to start right now. It´s ridiculous for me to be describing this awesome adventurous weekend and then complain about it, I know, but it´s just such a weird time that my mind is racing constantly one way or another.