A Couple Small Things...

I’ve been in the country for over a week now, so I’m going to give up even trying to narrate each day. As things are settling into a rhythm, my plan is to do my best to write about various topics to describe my daily life.

On the Road

I’ve learned that driving in Honduras is a different experience from driving in the States. At first I was a little disappointed that as Peace Corps volunteers we are not allowed to drive cars or dirt bikes (which are an extremely popular form of transportation here), but the more I see of the roads the more I don’t mind.

There is a test everyone needs to pass in order to get a license, but apparently it is common practice to simply give a small bribe to the test administer instead of actually proving you are a safe driver. I have seen almost no traffic lights in the city or my neighborhood, and of course I haven’t seen a single traffic cop.

Despite the chaos of the roads, there seems to be some sort of unspoken and agreed upon rule system. If you are about to do something strange (such as pass 9 cars at one time) or if you see someone pulling out and not looking, just give a few friendly beeps of the horn first. I have no idea how and when people decide it is safe to pull into a new street to make a turn, but again this seems to happen consistently without incident.

One time while sitting in the front seat I was asked to tell the driver when it was safe to pull out. I looked out the passenger window, only to see a never-ending stream of oncoming traffic. In the States there would eventually be a traffic light to stop them, but no such luck here. I instantly gave up and did my best to not block the driver’s view. I’m not sure how he decided that it was finally safe to pull out, but nevertheless we were able to merge without incident.

Other things you might notice:

-      -  Old school buses everywhere for public transportation (I’m keeping an eye out for one from Enfield)

-      -  Dirt bike riders weaving in and out of traffic

-      -  Groups of people sitting or standing on the back of pickup trucks

-      -  Driving at high speeds on narrow roads at high altitudes, with no guard rail between the road and a fall of certain death

Again, I think I don’t mind waiting a couple of years until I am personally behind a wheel again.

Peace Corps Classes and Staff

I had little to no concrete expectations about what volunteer training and the Peace Corps staff would be like, and simply came to the country with an open mind. So far I have been quite impressed with their organization, attitudes, and services.

First of all, we have Spanish classes. Coming from my education background, I am impressed at how they run everything. They began by pretesting our individual Spanish ability levels and grouping us based on how we scored initially. There are three levels of ability (Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced), and within each of these three levels are three more sub-levels (i.e. Novice-Low, Novice-Mid, and Novice-High). I was hoping for Intermediate-Low, but tested as Novice-High. At the end of our three-month training, we only have to be at Intermediate-Mid in order to be accepted as volunteers.  Also, even if there are multiple people in an ability level, we are again split up into multiple classes in order to keep class sizes to 2 or 3 students per teacher (allowing for more individual attention). The classes involve no English at all, and most of the teachers don’t even speak any English.

Next comes the actual teaching methods. Much of it involves discussion about words and phrases between the students and teachers, with the teacher writing things on the white board and the students writing in their notebooks. Once phrases are introduced, we then practice using them in role-play conversations. At times things are kicked up a notch and we are asked to leave the classroom to complete a task in the neighborhood. For instance, one time we had to go out and talk with strangers working in and around the shops nearby to ask them some basic questions. We then returned to class and shared what we found. Finally, when learning some basic vocabulary we often venture to places within the house where our classes are to identify basic items such as kitchen utensils. After four hours straight of language training (with breaks, thankfully), we have a lunch break and move on to other classes.

Our other classes talk more about the practical aspects of being a volunteer. We discuss health and safety issues, the philosophy behind the mission of our work, and ways that Honduran culture will impact the work we are trying to do. Some of these sessions are actually pretty cool, as we have had opportunities to visit and interview a local mayor, visit schools and talk with teachers, and other such trips to get to know the culture and area. Thrown into the mix are debriefing discussion sessions, team-building exercises, and other slightly less formal activities.

As I mentioned earlier, I am very impressed thus far with how things are run. As a teacher I know how much work and planning goes into organizing lessons and activities, and it helps me to appreciate how they are able to have session after session well-prepared and ready to go. Everything is well organized and every session is very thought-provoking and informative. Our days are full and productive.

Finally, the staff has been amazing. They are all unique characters with great personalities, and it is clear that they are all very qualified to do their jobs. My fellow volunteers and I are in good hands.