Community Inauguration in Joyas

Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.
- Albert Einstein

One of the first things I noticed when I moved to this country was the overwhelming need of simple necessities. In the U.S., we don't think about how luxurious it is to have plumbing and running water and refrigerators to store food in... but imagine for a minute that we didn't have all of these things. We sometimes joke here about how we can't throw toilet paper in the toilet when we use the bathroom but I have come to view any plumbing at all as a luxury. It is something that many of the communities we visit don't have until start working with them.

the state with the beautiful handmade decorations

Last Friday, all of us staff were invited to an inauguration in one of our communities because GB had successfully finished all of the Water, Public Health, and Micro-finance projects in this community. Over the last year, GB staff and U.S. students have been working with the community members to bring running water from the mountains to their homes, to construct latrines throughout the community, and to establish a micro-financial system so that members can manage their money and practice loans.
Today in Joyas, water is pumped from the source, filtered and chlorinated, and is available to the people via a simple faucet in their home. This water is clean and drinkable and the community members are more grateful to have this single faucet than we are to have an entire running sink in every kitchen and bathroom in our homes... unbelievable isn't it?

one of the teenagers' performances

This community is also now equipped with a latrine outside every home so the people no longer have to hike to the mountains to go to the bathroom. These latrines are quite simple, typically a cinder-block stall with a toilet basin in the middle connected to septic hole. In order to flush the toilet, a bucket of water is poured in after use (nope, no handle or anything!).

We brought simple things to this community but the way the people spoke and expressed their gratitude was so heartwarming. You could feel the gratitude and thanks beaming from these people as they spoke. One woman made me cry when she read a poem that she wrote. She was thanking God for everyone who had helped her and her community and expressing how wonderful it is to be able to clean in her home with running water. She compared the GB workers and students to God's angels who brought these great gifts to her community. It was unbelievable to hear first hand how much we have helped to better these people's lives.

drinking from the freshly-installed water faucet

Also during the ceremony, women sang songs, filled with lyrics of gratitude, and children performed skits and plays centered around what they have learned from GB. They sang about washing their hands before eating, brushing their teeth, and picking up their trash around the community.
The ceremony was beautiful and it definitely struck home with reiterating what we are all doing here.


Like most of the communities we work with, Joyas is located over 2 hours away form the city and it is mainly dirt roads that lead to this community. It is no easy task to reach these areas and flat tires are not uncommon during the journey! The dirt roads are often obstructed by huge ditches and rivers. It was an adventure for sure, and I have to say I was a bit uneasy as we crossed some rivers that had fairly strong currents. Here are some pictures of our journey to Joyas...

Amapala... otra vez!

Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.  

~Mohammed Ali

pulling up to the island

If I could to become a fisherman, walk around barefoot all day, play beach soccer on a daily basis, and drive a boat for a living, then I would so move to Amapala...
After taking a day trip to this beautiful peaceful island with Mom, I knew I had to return. So last weekend, 13 of us headed down for the weekend. 

fishing canoes and beach-side huts

women preparing our yummy fish

It is the most secluded and tranquil island I have ever seen. It is so quiet and remote that you feel like you are worlds away from civilization... which is not inaccurate to say. The beaches are quiet and undeveloped, populated with a few simple huts and cabanas. Hammocks are an abundance. Boys play soccer on the dark sand. Men wheel in their fishing canoes on round blocks. Kids play in the water all day long, while their parents clean the in-coming fish in their beach-side mom-and-pop restaurants. We were treated like family when we stepped up to one of these restaurants- I wanted to show everyone the same place Mom and I had gone. After wading in the water and taking massive amounts of pictures, we all feasted on incredible fish, shrimp, and fried plantain chips. It was once again, the best seafood I have ever had- not an exaggeration!

freshest fish ever!

 

clothes drying on people's fence

After we ate, we walked along the beach, went swimming and explored some caves. We had enjoyed a trip around the island, standing in the bed of a truck... it was an experience. The island is so beautiful. The streets are all cobblestone. The houses that line the roads are not as poor-looking as those in the mainland but instead just simpler and the colors on the island are strikingly bright.

a shot from the back of the truck

I truly want to move here. Everything is so simple and everyone is so friendly- the children on the beach befriended us with no hesitation and they just loved our digital cameras! Emily and Christina met these two beautiful girls last time, Angie and Margery, and they remembered them and loved playing with all of us. They had a kitten, newborn puppies, and chicks at their home! I went swimming with the younger one who couldn't swim so I held her in the water and she was so brave!

Christina's great shot of Margery

It was really interesting to observe these girls' childhood. They entertain themselves each day on the beach all day long, playing with rocks and shells, swimming in the water with their friends, jumping off the anchored boats along the shore, all along with no adult supervision. In the States, we treat children as fragile little dolls that shouldn't be left alone-- especially around water-- and these girls got along just fine, never complaining about being bored or bothering their parents for something to do. When they were served lunch, they took their plates with gratitude and found their own place to sit within the little cabana restaurant. They ate in silence and though they were young, they fed themselves without any help and cleared their plates, without being picky about what they were given to eat.

These two little girls aren't needy like so many kids I have babysat for in the states. They didn't throw tantrums for not having enough Legos or beg to have one more piece of candy or complain that it was too hot to be outside... they make due with what they have and they enjoy the simplicity of their lives, and they taught us a thing or two about simple appreciation for the beautiful place in which they live and spend everyday of their lives. Of course they don't think about how they are playing on a beautiful secluded beach, surrounded by the mountainous islands of El Salvador and Nicaragua; this is their life and only us tourists are fascinated by the peaceful tranquility of the mountain island. For these little girls, this is everyday life...

The strolls around the island were so amazing, but the stroll home was not so enjoyable...

my first flat tire experience in Honduras

Our 3 hour trip back home turned into 9 after we endured three, yes THREE flat tires on the bus ride back! You see smooth roads in this country are about as common as hot water-- which is not at all! The first time we hit two pot holes in a row- and by pot holes I mean man holes (about 3 feet wide and 4 inches deep! Yes, we went back to look...) and this blew out that back two tires. Like most vehicles, we only had one spare on the bus so we had to wait for a friend to come meet us, pick up the tire, drive into town to get it repaired, and then bring it back to us... this took about 3 1/2 hours... oh and it was raining, obviously. In the midst of our waiting around on the side of a random road that looked like it was out of the movie Jeepers Creepers, we entertained ourselves by chasing down frogs, playing cards, and climbing trees to pick random fruit. A sweet Honduran family actually stopped to pass the time with us- they told it was a dangerous area for a bunch of white people to be hanging out alone. They stayed with us for over an hour while we waited and they had young children with them too! It was so sweet of them.

We thought all was fine and good once we finally got on the road again but within about another hour everyone woke back up to that all too familiar sound of driving on a rim... the repaired tire had blown out. This time we were stuck just after a nice bend in the road so we decided to stay in the bus. We passed another 2 hours telling each other brain teasers and riddles... it was great bonding actually!

We finally arrived back home at around 2am, starving, still wet, and beyond tired. I'd say the seafood was well worth it though!

To all the parents and loved ones of Global Brigades...

Mom put together this letter the family members and friends of all of us here in Honduras after one of my housemates, Hollie, asked her to jot down her experiences. It summarizes how we all live together, as housemates, co-workers, friends, family... we watch out for each other and enjoy Honduras in the safest way possible. I thought some of you might appreciate it.


"To all of the parents and loved ones of Global Brigades:

I wanted to reach out to all of you and give you my impressions of the Global Brigades in Honduras.

As a parent I was tremendously concerned about my daughter going to and living in Honduras. I wanted to encourage her to follow her heart, but at the same time was worried sick about her. Would she be mugged, kidnapped, raped? Where will she live, what will she eat, what kind of illnesses will she get? All parents can relate to these concerns.

So, what did I do? I decided to go there and see for myself.

What did I find?

The most amazing, courageous, caring group of young adults that I have ever met in my entire life. They share the same passion and values with each other. They talk of their experiences and how they have impacted their individual lives. Every time the conversation in the ‘house’ strays from the Global Brigades, invariably it turns back to the group and how they can improve it. Each one of these young adults brings to the Global Brigades individual experiences that they each thrive and build on.

For all of the parents and loved ones who have not or maybe can not have the experience of coming here I want to let you know that each and every one of these young adults cares for and looks out for each other. They know that there have been gun point robberies, and murders right around the corner from them. So (1) they do not go out alone, (2) they do not carry anything with them, except some cash in their pockets, so that if they do get mugged the robbers are happy with some money. The rest of their money goes into their personal areas on their bodies, (3) they never walk anywhere at night, they always take a cab; they each have various cab driver’s telephone numbers (just in case).

In other words they have come together to protect each other, to live in a very poor city, and make a difference in this world. They have become a family here. You parents and loved ones should not worry about them.

I am very comfortable now with where my daughter works and lives. I am so very proud of what she is doing and the rest of this group. I wish that more of us had the courage that these very special young adults have. They truly feel that they are making a difference in this world, and I think that they are, one little village at a time."

-Michelle Grasso

Mom came to visit!!

Never reach out your hand unless you're willing to extend an arm.
- Elizabeth Fuller

on a little boat to Amapala

A couple of weeks ago, I finally got my much-needed Mommy time! Things were off to a rough start, beginning with the airline losing Mom's bags, but us Grassos made the best of our week together and we ended up having an awesome time!

The next morning after Mom arrived, we woke up at the crack of dawn to catch our flight to Roatan (an island off the north coast of Honduras). We had everything booked, including the canopy tour and scuba diving lessons and were scheduled to stay at a beautiful resort in a beach side cabana. Well... all of this changed when we "missed" our flight. I put that in quotes because if you have ever heard of TACA airlines, you know that things run depending on their mood that day. Our flight was at 8:30am so naturally, for any 2 hour domestic flight, we arrived at 7:30, which is also what the airline recommended. Well nothing was open yet and the information desk told us that the TACA desk opens at 8. Well I wasn't surprised considering a few weeks prior my friend couldn't check in for his TACA flight until about 10 minutes before his departure so I sort of expected this nonsense. What I didn't expect was being told that our plane was already out on the runway at 8:10 when the desk finally opened! They nonchalantly told us we missed our flight and I just looked at them in disbelief.

just under the Picacho statue

Well we came to find that our missing the flight was actually an omen and we were never meant to go to Roatan in the first place! While in the airport we heard about Hurricane Matthew from a friend of mine and suddenly we weren't so upset about missing our little 19-seater plane to the island. Needless to say, the weather was pretty dreary for the next week but the rain did not hold us back from visiting Picacho, the national park at the top of a mountain in Tecgus, on Friday. Saturday we made the trek to Valle de Angeles, a cute little town about 40 minutes away, where we did some shopping and had a true Honduran lunch- catrachas and baleadas! Mom was most amazed by the electrical set up this country has- the power lines seem far from safe, hanging down into the streets in some parts!

this is nothing- electrical wires will actually hang down resting on people's fences... real safe

street-side "vendors"

Mom trying some Honduran beer

It was a beautiful ride to Valle and it was so great to be able to show Mom the countryside of Honduras.

The next day we hung out at the hotel and had a total spa day together. We hung out in the sauna and the steam room and we each had a full body massage... yes, it was heavenly. Mom laughed as she told me afterward that she couldn't even understand the woman when she told her to roll over- the masseuse had to resort to hand motions for my non-Spanish speaking mother!

Later that week we took a trip down to the southern shore of Honduras to go across to Amapala on La Isla El Tigre. We woke up bright and early to begin our 4-hour trek down there and the trip was far from boring! First of all, the way people drive here is absolutely insane. You can count on one hand how many traffic lights there are in Tegus and no one listens to them anyway- they are simply recommendations. So beginning with the taxi ride in morning traffic was quite entertaining, but not as entertaining as when we pulled up to the bus stop and men surrounded our car, pressing up against the windows and yelling "A dónde van? A dónde van?" Where are you going? and they practically pulled us out of the cab to get us to go one one their buses. We were carried by the crowd toward the bus that we hoped was headed to Coyolito. Mom just kept saying "You should check with that man. You should just ask again to make sure!"

We finally made it down to Coyolito, but of course not without hurdling through a few obstacles on the way. First of all, keep in mind that it was POURING out this entire day since Hurricane Matthew was hitting the north end of the country. And the buses are far from tranquil. You are constantly thrown around due to the potholes and there are people always yelling and babies crying, no one wearing seat belts. Mom's favorite part was that at each stop, more people would board the bus and walk through the isle holding their merchandise- bags of beans, plantains, ears of corn... she loved being in the middle of all the commotion. I think it really made her felt like she was experiencing the real Honduras.

The rain continued and when we got off the bus in Coyolito we were soaked through in a matter of seconds and we could not find a place to go to the bathroom! We finally found some women in their quaint little restaurant and we practically begged them to use their bathroom. They kept using this one word to describe their bathroom that I could not understand and eventually they explained that the toilet was for "solo pee pee, no poo poo". We understood right away when we saw the pot in the floor. Mom had a good laugh. If she hadn't realized before, she knew in that moment that she was not in Connecticut anymore!!

soaked and sad that we can't see the top of the mountain

five star bathroom in Coyolito

Since we were already soaked we decided to keep going and take the "ferry" out to the island. This ferry turned out to be the size of a little row boat with a motor on the back. Luckily the water was fairly calm. The sweet driver took us to the opposite side of the island where we docked on Playa Grande. During the ride, he pointed out the islands of Nicaragua and El Salvador that we could see. It was such an incredible self-affirming feeling to be sitting in that little boat at sea level and to be surrounded by these immense mountains and volcanic islands. You really realize how small you are and how beautiful the earth is in a moment like that.

We docked in Amapala, this small fishing community, and as when we pulled up to the beach, fisherman were cutting up fish and stingrays right on the surf. We watched in awe as these men and boys hacked away at these fish with machetes and no gloves. We went into a little hut restaurant right on the beach. The woman brought us right inside to her quaint kitchen and opened the freezer and told us to pick what we wanted. She cooked up some amazing jumbo shrimp, lobster tails, and fish fillets, all bathed in a delicious butter sauce. As we ate, we observed the boat loads of fish coming in and the boys playing soccer on the beach, with sticks planted in the ground to mark the goals.

On our way back to the mainland, our boatman pointed out his home to us and told us how he doesn't know how to drive a car- he makes his living fishing around the island and driving his boat. I got his number and my friends and I are going to go back and stay on this island for a weekend. It is truly an escape- from everything.

freshly-caught stingrays

too bad we couldn't see the peak but still unbelievably gorgeous

The rest of the week was great with Mom. She spent a lot of time with me at the apartment so she really got a feel for my daily living and work space. Everyone I live with loved her and called her Mom, just like all my friends back home. They were shocked by how alike we were! We took her out at night to one of our favorite spots- Sabor Cubano and there Mom learned how to salsa dance! She was laughing at herself the entire time- we all had a ball.

hanging out at Sabor Cubano- Mom fit right in!

Danny teaching Mom some salsa technique

It was a bittersweet goodbye when Mom had to leave- we had many great dinners together, bar nights in the hotel lobby, and late nights watching Grey's Anatomy in our comfy king size bed at the Marriot (yes they have nice hotels here!). I'll miss her dearly but I think we can get by talking to each other 3 times a day like usual (thank God for Skype!) and she will surely be back again. She is hoping to meet up with me Panama at some point when I have to renew my Visa.

It was so great to teach Mom about another culture. She sparked in my interest in foreign communities when she started bringing the family across seas for her business trips and now I am teaching her about another world.

xoxo

Staff Trip to El Salvador

"A life isn’t significant except for its impact on other lives."

-Jackie Robinson

On September 16th, I set out for my first ever staff trip! And how many people get to say their first staff trip was to El Salvador? Eh eh?

 

 It was pretty interesting to cross a Central American border for my first time too- or any border via car for that matter. Sure, I've been out of the country plenty of times but let me tell you, the El Salvador-Honduran border is quite unique! (Oh wait, I've driven to Canada before but... well you get the point- it's nothing like that!)

As we pulled up to the border, we were flagged toward customs (la aduana) and there we parked the bus and waited for a big burly El Salvadoran official to approach our bus. As we waited with our passports in our hands, men circled the bus, holding up hammocks, servings of peanuts, bags of coconut juice to our open windows... windows that we came to find out are not too sturdy! As Ben reached out to exchange some cash with one of these caballeros, an entire panel of the glass window fell and shattered on the pavement! It was pretty amusing and caused quite a scene... but it certainly was not funny later on in our journey when the rain came and the boys in the back of the bus had to stand and hold a towel up against the gaping opening so the rest of us didn't freeze from the stabbing rain and wind!

 

After about a 10 hour commute (we spent a night at San Lorenzo and continued driving the next morning), we finally arrived in Salanitas and we all cheered as we pulled into our ALL INCLUSIVE resort... which was HUGE! We truly forgot we were in El Salvador for those two days- this resort was beautiful... at least 4 in-group pools with cute little brigdes, gorgeous huts and cabanas, beach front lounging, an ocean pool... oh and did I mention it was all inclusive?!... yes, alcohol too!

 

 

Basically, we all had a blast and even though the bus ride was rough, we all agree that it was worth the journey. We basked in the sun all day, swam in the ocean, drank piña coladas poolside, and danced in the discoteca by night... it was a great vacation but I think I speak for many of us when I say that we were ready to get back to Honduras. It is not easy to forget about the rest of the world once you have seen it and relaxing inside a little bubble in Central America doesn't erase the thought of poverty and the suffering people we work to help from our minds.

 

It's good to be back.

Hiking in the forest...

 When you dig another out of their troubles, you find a place to bury your own. 
~Author Unknown

 A couple of weeks ago, a bunch of us in the house went hiking in La Tigra cloud forest. It was a beautiful and physically demanding adventure... and getting there was no cinch either! The public transportation in Tegus does not have schedules nor are there even set bus stops. The buses are old American school buses- don't ask me how they make it up the mountains on these dirt roads but they do! And yes, I was fearing for my life on those sharp turns as I peered out over the cliff that hung just a foot away from our tires.

We drove on a single dirt road for about an hour and a half and then to our surprise, had to get off the bus early due to "road construction". There were gaping potholes covering the road and it seemed to be the result of some kind of landslide (it rains like crazy here). And apparently the Honduran solution to potholes is shoveling rocks into them- even in the city I've seen men with wheelbarrows of rocks and stone literally just tossing shovel-fulls of rocks... (and us White Hillians thought East Village was bad!)

Once we finally made our way up the rest of the road and to the base of the actual mountain, we set off for the hike with our backpacks full of PB & J and snack packs. We didn't realize that we would be hiking for 7 hours... nor did we anticipate that we would have a guide dog for most of our journey! A little dog had befriended us at the visitors center and ended up leading us through the forest! He came with us all the way

until we found the waterfall. There he just plopped himself down on a rock and watch as all of us crazy gringos went swimming in the freezing cold waterfall. He perked up when we all started eating. I shared my snack pack with him and he enjoyed it- but I think he was a little annoyed when someone put peanut butter on his nose! I miss torturing Molly like that!...
We saw some very cool plants on our journey- no animals but I think that had something to do with the fact that we were about 13 loud gringos stomping and tripping through the forest. What we did see were giant trees- the biggest I've ever seen! Granted I've never been to the Red Wood forest but they seemed to be pretty comparable! They were covered in beautiful luscious green mosses and the sun could barely shine through all the intricate masses of draping vines far above us. And we saw these pretty amazing plants that would retract and fold into themselves when you touched them! We are going to go back in a couple of weeks to do it all over again but this time spend the night on the mountain. I'll keep you posted!

My arrival.

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, 

under whose shade you do not expect to sit"

- Nelson Henderson

This blog is way over due...

There is just no easy way to describe how wonderful this country is, how different it is, how interesting it is... I am hoping to share some things with you through my blog to give you some perspective on how much my life has changed since I have moved here.

As I lay swaying side to side in the hammock on our balcony writing this, I peer out toward the mountain tops that frame the city of Tegucigalpa. The city is essentially in a valley, surrounded by luscious green mountainous terrain. Small huts, with aluminum paneling as roofs and drapes serving as doors, decorate these hill sides and men on horseback trot

down the dirt roads alongside the on-foot travelers. Women walk with baskets of fruit or fabric balanced on their heads; men carry barrels of chopped wood under their arms as they balance on bicycles; mothers and children wash their clothes against the rocks in nearby streams; and the skinniest dogs I've ever seen roam the streets in search of a bite to eat.

My first week here, I was on a medical brigade. All of the NYU students and I stayed in a compound in a town called Flor Azul. From the compound, you could look out over over a beautiful valley of farmland, with divided dark and light green patches that creating a patchwork out of the terrain before another mountain rose up out of the earth. It was a such an open view that we could see the rainstorms coming in from miles away, like walls that closed in over the valley below. It was beautiful; a truly inspiring location to journal.

Our first day we visited an orphanage in Nuevo Paraiso where we played with the children all day. There I met Fanny. She was a beautiful 9 year old girl who I now write to- she asked me to be her godmother, which melted my heart. She said she loved my hair color and we drew pictures together and played on the swings. She was so sweet and her innocense is something that I admire in the children here. They have such a different out look on life than American children do, with their video games and material things. She taught me a lot in just the few hours we spent together.

The next day was our first brigade. The night before, and every night thereafter,

we spent hours packing up medications and organizing supplies so that our busy days would run as smoothly as possible. We woke up every morning at about 5:30am, got the trucks packed up, and then hit the (dirt) road for the village, avoiding the cattle crossings and the roaming dogs along the way. By the time we would arrive, hundreds and hundreds of people would already be waiting for us. As we pulled up in our bus full of eager students, followed by trucks full of doctors and medications, it was an incredible rush to feel how needed we were. These people waited all day long for us, in their finest clothes, never pushing or getting impatient, always thanking us profusely and shaking our hands in gratitude.

During the four days of brigading, I worked in the gynecology station assisting in pap-smears, in the dental station, assisting with tooth extractions, and in the in-take and triage station, taking vitals and interviewing patients. It was such a wonderful experience to be able to speak with the people. It was incredible to hear the common hardships that these people encounter on a daily basis and the things they deal with all the time, simply 

because they have no choice. I've never seen children with parasites or skin infections before but it was so common in these communities. In the States, we have the luxury of running to the doctor when something bothers us- imagine having a UTI or strep throat, and all you have is home remedies to resort to. 
The dental station was probably the most impacting for me. It was truly heartbreaking to see how many children had to get their teeth extracted because of decay and infection. At one point I teared up as I was holding a child's hands as he screamed while the dentist extracted one of his molars. It is so sad how these children have never even been given a toothbrush before. So much infection could be avoided just by brushing their teeth but they simply do not have access to common hygienic supplies.

This is something that we are trying to change with the "charla". After the patients are treated, we teach them in groups about general hygiene and sanitation. We hand out toothbrushes to the children and demonstrate how to brush their teeth. We give out bars of soap and teach them to wash their hands before they eat and after going to the bathroom... things that we don't even think about in the States.  
I feel like the kids grow up very fast here. Even on the brigade the women are not nearly as protective of their children as women in the States are. Children wandered a lot on their own, finding very innovative ways to  

entertain themselves- playing soccer with empty soda liters, clattering sticks against a fence. There are always kids on the side of the roads, selling beans or corn to passer-byers, or wandering around the gas stations selling plantain chips or eagerly washing car windows for a few lempiras. 

It is an understatement to say that it is different here. I am living in the capital city now but the poverty is still apparent. What is even more apparent is the disparity in this country. There are such economical extremes within the same city. In Tegucigalpa, you can see children twirling batons in the street for cash and a mall with stores like United Colors of Benetton, all withing the same block. It is a dangerous city- the middle class homes are lined with 12ft gates and our own apartment has twisted barbed wire outside our balcony. But looking past the danger, this place is absolutely beautiful and I admire the unadorned and simple living of the people. I learn something new about life everyday here. And I love it.