Today feels like a Michigan fall day. When the clouds roll away the sun is strong and warm and welcomed. And when the clouds come back, it is chilly. Yesterday was downright cold, which I welcomed. I love putting on pants and sleeves, wrapping up in a blanket to read a book. But the Hondurans [...]
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When I’m having a hard time, I work on two things: getting out of the house as much as possible, and focusing on the positive things that happen each day. For some reason earlier this week I was having a hard time, thinking about how long another year seemed and becoming easily irritated and frustrated [...]
I went to a Patronato (town council) meeting last night have been since reflecting on them as a whole–how unstructured they are and how frustrating I find them–and thinking that they should really adopt the outline format for structuring and facilitating the typically two-hour long meetings. I actually started writing a post on these meetings, [...]
(Written September 20, 2010)
It’s pouring down rain right now. I’m alone in the house, well, with Cricket, making coffee to drink with my afternoon bread/muffin. I was thinking about how when blogs first started a lot of people said, “who would want to read what I do each day?” and it really did seem kind of [...]
The volunteers who came in exactly a year before me and my group are starting to head out of the country. So I just have one year left! I´m both excited as well as baffled by that–I feel like I´ve hardly accomplished anything here, and, HOW could that much time have gone by so quickly? [...]
Well my blog is finally back in action after a virus attack and a long spell of waiting for blog revival (thank you Tom!). Unfortunately it seems my older posts have been lost. I have many of them saved on my computer, however, so maybe someday I can put them back up for posterity’s sake.
I [...]
(Originally written June 17, 2010)
Did you know how many types of ants there are in this world, let alone the number that exist just in one mid-sized house in the Honduran countryside? Never before had I known such a variety of ants until I came to Honduras. Here in one house (mine) there are ants [...]
Hello Fans of Lexi Wilson. This is her brother, Tom.
I set this blog up for Lexi before she went off to the peace corps and assured her that everything would be fine regarding this blog. Well, I was wrong. A nice person from Russia decided to hack Lexi’s blog and install malicious code on the [...]
So I´m back from my trip to California for my cousin Bart´s wedding. It was an amazing wedding. I´m not sure I can do it justice with my writing… Simply, it was beautiful and symbolic (I weeped), it was so much fun with all my family and meeting new family, and there was [...]
It’s 10:30 pm here and I’m still awake, unlike most nights. All is quiet except for the occasional rooster crow–I explained to my mom just a few hours earlier that roosters actually crow at all hours of the day, they are just most concentrated in the early AM hours which gives them that reputation. [...]
Well I had a hard time leaving Nicaragua and admitedly felt quite depressed about coming back to Honduras and La Zona. However a week has passed and I’m feeling much better, I think largely because I have started teaching in the school and have been kept busy with that. I currently have seven [...]
I am here in San Juan del Sur, on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. I will be starting my trip back home tomorrow so I figured while I have free internet I might as well write a little update.
Quick summary of where I´ve been: went immediately from Managua to Granada, the oldest [...]
Just a quick update because it’s far past due but I’m tired and want to go to bed (it’s 8:40 by the way).
Things have been going alright here. School started back up so I’ve been going everyday to get accustomed to the kids and help out while I make lesson plans to [...]
I’m going to give you an overview of my visit with Lexi in some detail, but first I want you to know that Lexi is in great shape and doing wonderfully. She is not a “gordita” – at least not yet. I couldn’t be more pleased with the way she’s adapted and interacting [...]
It’s been quite a while since my last post, so here goes.
January has gone by quickly with a visit from my dad, a couple days of translating for a medical team from the US, and then just trying to get comfortable again. The visit with dad was great (hi Dad!), we went [...]
I will add a blog post soon, have been busy with a medical brigade and Dad visiting!
Christmas was less eventful than I had expected. Meaning, to me it seemed there was a disporpotionate amount of build-up for what came to pass. I enjoyed it nonetheless. Christmas Eve is the day and night they celebrate most here, and I had visions of an all-night party, dancing, drinking, etc. until [...]
Many times here, especially in the early mornings, I am reminded of camp–waking up to soft, unobtrusive light, sensing the still cool air and appreciating my light blanket, hearing birds chirping, an owl hoot, roosters crowing, and the occasional donkey bleat. (Well, the last two I never heard at camp, but you get the [...]
I can’t really believe that it’s already December! That means that all of you at home are getting ready for finals, and/or starting to get stressed out about Christmas, and/or at least wearing jackets and hats. I think the time seemed to slip by more easily because of the lack of season changing–or [...]
I can’t really believe that it’s already December! That means that all of you at home are getting ready for finals, and/or starting to get stressed out about Christmas, and/or at least wearing jackets and hats. I think the time seemed to slip by me more easily because of the lack of season [...]
Except for the occasional moment, I usually go about my business thinking all is normal and nothing really sticks out in my mind much. Sometimes, however, I have moments when I stop and think, “wow, this is really different. Sixth months ago I couldn’t have imagined what I’m seeing and feeling right now,” [...]
I had two meetings with some of the prominent members of the comunity to discuss what environmental problems they have percieved and what their priorities are in terms of where my work will focus. It turned out differently than how I thought it would, but I’m happy with the result nontheless. Their priorities [...]
Well I still feel like I don’t have much substantial to write about but I’ll give you what I’ve got. I continue to spend probably too much time inside the house, but I am at least interacting with my family. I make myself do something or visit someone outside the house, at least [...]
Hey all,
Things continue to go well and I don´t feel like I have that much to update. I spend a lot of time with my family here, especially my host mom and her 16 year-old daughter. Sometimes I help make tortillas with them but I´m very slow at it. I also have [...]
They are all over and I really dislike them. The cockroaches are just disgusting and I don´t have the nerve to kill them, so I just let them crawl around my room and all my stuff. The ants bite. I never had a problem with ants in the US and just thought [...]
Here´s a log of this last week:
Monday–Today my host mother and her brother took me to see the place where one of the rivers here is “born.” I was thinking beforehand that it would probably look something like several small creeks converging to form a bigger river. So we went, I wore my [...]
So I´m finally here in my new community, the place I´ll be living for the next two years. It´s hot, which I wasn´t entirely expecting or hoping for, but other than that, things are great. The people are very nice, it´s beautiful as we are right at the foothills of a mountain and [...]
This is from one week ago, Saturday Sept 26:
Today is the day I should be moving to my site in Santa Barbara. Instead I’m in Valle de Angeles (near Tegucigalpa) for the day, biding my time until we’re sworn in as volunteers. This last Monday, exiled president Manuel Zelaya snuck back into the [...]
Today is the day I should be moving to my site in Santa Barbara. Instead I’m in Valle de Angeles (near Tegucigalpa) for the day, biding my time until we’re sworn in as volunteers. This last Monday, exiled president Manuel Zelaya snuck back into the country and has since been holed up in Brazilian Embassy. [...]
Sept. 19, 2009
After MUCH anticipation, we were given our site assignments this last Thursday. Almost everyone was happy with what they’ve been given. I will be living in a town of 750-1000 called Santa Rita de Oriente. It’s near the city of Santa Barbara and near the only lake in Honduras, [...]
Only a couple more weeks left until we swear in as volunteers (September 25th)!
Very excited but I know I`ll miss all the friends I´ve made. I definitely don´t speak spanish super well yet so I´ll continue to work on that in my new site.
I know this is brief but just wanted to [...]
Only a full week and two days left of Field-based training here in La Cuesta, Comayagua. Then only about a week and a half more until our swearing-in date! I will find out pretty soon where will be my site for the next two years. I’m very excited. We have been [...]
So it’s been almost two months now. The first month was, absolutely, easy. I had a ton of people around me, a good amount of free time and lots to do with it, and I was still bursting with excitement for the whole Peace Corps experience. Since I’ve been in field-based training [...]
So I had written up a nice long blog post last week that I had been hoping to upload at some point but I can´t figure out how to get my usb key to work at this internet cafe and i don´t think I have the patience (or spanish skills) to ask about it. [...]
In a little internet cafe about 15 minutes from my current location–San Antonia de la Cuesta. Things are going pretty well, much busier now than I had been the first month. Wake up very early for spanish classes then have technical classes in the afternoon. Also have side group projects to work [...]
All is well, very well in fact. Love HOnduras so far. Moving again tomorrow for the beginning of our field based training with my project group. Staying with another new family. Hopefully I can write more later!
I got a cell phone, if you want to call or text me [...]
…in less than 24 hours. Let’s hope everything goes according to plan! Anywho, here is my address again, now that I should actually be there:
PCT: Alexandra Wilson
Cuerpo de Paz
Apartado Postal 3158
Tegucigalpa, D.C. 1110
Honduras, Central America
I will be in Zarabanda until Sunday and then moving in with another new host family for 7 weeks [...]
So! To re-cap this last week quickly, we were supposed to fly to Honduras last Wednesday (Santo Domingo to Miami then Miami to Teguc). Our first flight was delayed due to weather, so we missed our connecting flight. We were then supposed to leave the following morning (Thursday) but as we were [...]
Things continue to go pretty well here, no complaints except for the wicked heat. The homemade mango juice continues to be amazing. My spanish doesn’t seem to be improving, and it seems I’ve just accepted the fact that when someone speaks to me I am probably not going to understand. I am [...]
Today each of our project groups went to visit sites of current volunteers working on similar projects. My group is Protected Areas Management and we went to a small town way up in the mountains, called Francisco Mateo, where a volunteer has been working to put in wood-burning stoves. Traditionally, the women just [...]
There is a lot of noise here. Right now I can hear: my Dona’s tv, which is out on the porch and really static-y, cars and motorcycles, a group of guys down below, someone’s music, and the evangelical church loudspeaker. Sometimes, usually before noon, I’ll also be hearing the plantain trucks come by [...]
By that I mean my painting of Georgie May! I don’t exactly know how it happened, but some wonderful person here took the time to go back AGAIN and look for my painting that I’d left at the Nun’s retreat center. Now mi gato sits on top of a big TV in my [...]
Yesterday I got my nails done (both hands and feet!) and then got dance lessons from the niece of my host mom’s friend (or sister or cousin in law… it all gets very confusing). It was such a great time and so fun to be busy all the way from 8am to 7pm. [...]
I wrote the following last night. Couldn’t upload it today at the training center because the internet was out. To reassure you, today was maybe my BEST day–I will write about it later.
Monday:
Today was pretty rough.
I found out that a painting of my cat, Georgie May, painted so beautifully [...]
Hi everybody! Thank you for all your comments I LOVE getting them! (And yes, I am getting them, I just have to “approve” them before they appear on the site I think.)
I am feeling much better about my language capabilities now (though it’s still not great…). It was really only [...]
I am writing now a la casa de Dona Maura (mi madre adoptiva), but I will upload this tomorrow when I get back to the training center. Some of the following is a journal entry I wrote earlier:
It feels here a little like what I saw in Sao Paulo–crowded and chaotic streets, lots [...]
Really quickly: I’m here outside of Santo Domingo at a spanish language training center. It’s HOT, sweating constantly. Will meet my host family tonight, for which I’m very excited. The people here are great, everything is great! We have wifi here at the training center so I will be able to [...]
Today is my 25th birthday, and my dear dear friend Mari, master Haiku author, wrote this poem to honor the day:
“Things Lexi taught me
Buddha and technology
No meat and buy used!”
Thanks Mari!
Update: Mari just whipped up another one!
“Taking on the world
Jungles, Bananas, Coffee
They will be my life”
I got my invitation yesterday, April 13, 2009. I had been feeling pretty confident that my country would be Peru, for some reason, right up until about 2 hours before I came home when I honestly got this feeling that it would be Honduras. Funny how our minds work.
Anyway, I opened up that envelope and [...]
A woman from Peace Corps in Washington DC called me today. I was excited to hear from someone but didn’t think too much of it. She asked me questions about my level of committment and what my family thought about the idea - kind of like it was another interview. Then, amazingly, she said something [...]
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