It is undeniable that in the UK we are rather detached from where our food comes from. When you walk into a supermarket you are confronted by an endless variety of products sourced from all over the world: grapes from Spain, tomatoes from Italy, lamb from New Zealand, and indeed Honduras provides a portion of the fruit and vegetables sold in UK supermarkets.
You are in a new country, you are fully aware that you will be here for the next three months, you’ve even absorbed all the vital information from orientation, but when does it truly register that you are here in Honduras? For me, it was the weekend after the first week in my host community.
This week was largely spent bringing together all our preparations for Friday’s Mother’s Day celebrations. Here in Honduras and a number of other countries across the globe, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May (not in the UK though, so don’t worry if you’re reading this thinking that you forgot to buy a card!).
Living in La Villa is undeniably proving to be a learning curve. From attempting to communicate in a new language to discovering that Primark flip-flops WILL NOT withstand uneven terrain, each day brings with it new tasks and difficulties. Armed with Spanish dictionaries and open minds (plus a handy tube of nail glue for sandal related catastrophes), we march through the school gates every morning ready to conquer the challenges we are faced with.
Honduras week two and certain sights, faces and routines are becoming more familiar to us UK volunteers. Time rolls on and we’re beginning to become more accustomed to the abundance of front-room-come-convenience-stores, which populate every street and the warmly welcomed four o'clock breeze.
La semana del 10 al 15 de abril realizamos la bienvenida de nuestros compañeros británicos. Nosotros, los nicaragüenses, hicimos diversas actividades con los niños y las personas adultas. Pusimos la cola del burro, hicimos la dinámica de competencia de baile de la silla, la chimbomba caliente y también compartimos nacatamales y café a las socias de nuestra organización contraparte - ASOMUPRO y a los niños confites.
The first few hours in my new country consisted of commenting about the humid heat, being relieved to have wifi at the airport and being picked up by the Progressio staff to be told we will be involved in some exciting ice-breakers.
This week I spoke to a very interesting resident of El Carrizal, Julio. It was exciting news to us that we (InLe Cafe) were not the only new business in the village. His family are in the process of creating a nature-retreat, which hopes to conserve endangered species of Intibuca, while offering guests the chance to see the wonders this area has to offer. It was great to speak to him to discover more about the history and nature of El Carrizal.
You're probably thinking what on earth have you got yourself in for? Three whole months of your gap year living in the 'murder capital' of the world.
What you will come to experience in the coming 12 weeks will be more than the stereotypical and clichéd "life changing" and "memorable" experience where you "really find yourself" on your "gap year". Although these may be true, you will more importantly be working on a project for a community that deserves your attention and hard work.
Women in Latin America face an uphill battle to obtain even the most basic human rights. This struggle is augmented for Indigenous women, who embody the familiar double-edged sword of many conflicts in Latin America, which battle over the ownership of territory - both land and women’s bodies.
