And the Peace Corps experience begins...
Staging in Washington D.C., meeting new friends for two years!
...then on February 13, 2008...our training class flew to Honduras to begin training in Santa Lucia...
...we began to learn about Honduran cultures...
...became close to new friends (this is Jason and Emelina)...
...lived with host families...this is my family and my host dad playing the guitar with a fellow trainee...
...Emelina cooked up a little taste of home for us at her house in Santa Lucia...
...plato tipico, the typical plate in Honduras...mmmm...
...then I moved to Ojojona for Feild Based Training...my room was really nice!...
...my kitchen in Ojojona...
...the streets of Ojojona on Palm Sunday!...
...the business group took a trip to Amapala...the southern beach in Honduras...
...My family in Ojojona!...
...I love my bags of water!....
...my niece!, host family, Ojojona...
...more of my host fam in Ojojona...sisters and cousins...
...hanging out with fellow trainees...
...my sisters from Ojojona....
...working with a group of highschoolers on a business simulation...they made a L.840 profit on their product!...
...another picture from Palm Sunday in Ojojona...
...back in Santa Lucia...we are now volunteers!...
...swearing in as volunteers at the US Embassy...our business group...
...a politician in the making...
...all of the business volunteers got Honduran cigars...
...our business group finding out our sites!...
...and in Mercedes, Ocotepeque....my new home for two years...(a few new friends)
...the main street, my house is the last house on the left...
..my new office...
...so we had someone tell us that there are caves behind the waterfalls, but you need a guide. We all looked at each other like...pssshhh, we'll find them on our own. When we got to the waterfall, we were like okay, let's pay a guide. it'll save time, and it was 5 dollars each. As we were walking down, he told me I couldn't take my camera so I got a little grumpy. He told me it would get wet and I softly protested, thinking I could save it from 'mist.' So we go down futher and the mist is like rainfall. I start thinking the guide must know what he's doing. I am a little pumped up as we get closer and we are hiking along large boulders when all the sudden the guide just jumps off a big rock into a pool. I look behind at other volunteers (five of us went), took a big breath and followed. As we climbed out, we all had the look on our face like we had no idea what we had gotten ourselves into. We continued and...(please look back up at the picture)... we had to hold hands to literally not drown, the waterfall (big one) was pounding on our heads...nobody could see, Dave lost a contact to the water, Adam slipped and hurt his foot (it was purple)...and we were all completely amazed as to what we were doing. I was seriously imagining a trail behind the waterfall about 20 minutes earlier...a nice stroll. Anyways, we made it though the water and sat in some caves for a minute, looking up at the water pounding down over us. As we went back, there was about a 25 foot cliff and we all went cliff jumping. Then to top it off, we back to the top of the waterfall and into the water. We stood in the water about 5 feet from the edge while the water was streaming past our shins and gushing down. Other toursists were canopying by us at the same level. Needless to say, this was one of the most exciting, adrenaline-rush filled days I've had in Honduras, and in my life. I couldn{t have asked for a better birthday in the Peace Corps.
...do you need another reason to come visit me?
A group of about 15 volunteers got together at an old brewery owned by an ex-pat and we stayed in little cabins.
...this plant is used to make shampoo...the owner says herbal essence and other brands use it!
...this plant was by the pool...it catches flies!
the pool, our cabins surrounded it...
...another pic by the most beautiful waterfall ever...
