The gang on Christmas eve at Isabel´s!
The kiddos´performance.. they did a great job!
Practicing with Luis!
The kids of the women in our Domestic Violence Support group, practicing for their big performance!
Our Christmas tree
Friday, December 26, 2008
Just some Pictures
Hello all! I will post again shortly, but I just wanted to get some pics up for all to see. Hope everyone had a great Christmas!
The gang on Christmas eve at Isabel´s!
The kiddos´performance.. they did a great job!
Practicing with Luis!
The kids of the women in our Domestic Violence Support group, practicing for their big performance!
Our Christmas tree
The gang on Christmas eve at Isabel´s!
The kiddos´performance.. they did a great job!
Practicing with Luis!
The kids of the women in our Domestic Violence Support group, practicing for their big performance!
Our Christmas tree
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Baseball!
So this past week we were finally able to have our baseball scrimmage! The kids loved it, and we played a very long (about two hours long) three inning scrimmage. The kids did a great job, and we were really proud of them. We didn´t keep score, and I dont think it really mattered to anyone anyways. Below are some pics of the scrimmage! Enjoy!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Convivios
Hello all!
Things here have been wonderfully hectic. We have been going to a lot of convivios, and each one has been really special. The first ones we attended we really didn’t know what to expect. Although you are told what will happen, you are generally told in terms that you have never heard of before, or words just don’t translate. We were told that the first one was a mass and a convivio, so needless to say we weren’t really sure what was going to occur. We showed up to a place we had never been before, and were greeted by faces both familiar and new. The proceedings were a mass, then about an hour or so of eating, visiting, and listening to music. Each night after that proceeded about the same way. Although the routine has gotten a bit monotonous, we have really enjoyed all of them as of yet. They are a great way to meet people, and we have been trying to take advantage of the groups we encounter. They always welcome us into their homes (where the masses are held) and include us in their celebrations. Later they give us food and chat with us. It really feels nice to be so included in their holiday traditions, and it goes to show a lot about the culture. They are just happy to have people to share their time with, and I think this is an important lesson to take away from all of this. More than anything, its important to learn to be happy just enjoying someone’s company. No need for tv, radios, or anything you have to spend money on, just the art of conversation, about something important, or about nothing at all.
Padre Daniel, one of the priests at the church, always does the masses, and I think his presence there makes the people happy as well. He takes about three hours each night to do these masses, and the people absolutely love it. It’s above and beyond, but time very well spent. Although I didn’t like it at first, Padre also mentions us during each of the masses. I think its pretty unnecessary, because people could probably spot the 5 white people in the crowd from a mile away, but its just funny to me that out presence alone is noteworthy, in his and the people of Talanga’s eyes. I don’t think of my time as anything special. I do what I need to do, and hope to help someone somehow in the meantime. At home I could pass a whole winter day curled up in blankets watching movies and vegging out. It really didn’t dawn on me the significance of my time, either to me or to the people we work with here. They are very happy and grateful for us to pass our time with them. They always graciously and genuinely thank us for our time and celebrating with them, and welcome us back whenever we would like. I guess in some ways it’s a bit of an ego boost, but more than that it’s just a lesson about how valuable time is in general.
We also have a scrimmage today for our baseball teams, and Melissa is going to come along to take pics for us. This is the scrimmage I have been talking about for about a month or so now, but we are finally going to have it! I’m really excited, and so are the kiddos. Rare is the chance they get to get out of their aldea and come to town, so I’m just happy to be able to give them that chance, never mind to actually play a baseball game. We are also working on scheduling a tournament in Juticalapa, another town about an hour and a half away for the end of January. Although planning isn’t a strong suit here, we are hoping to make this work!
Other than that we are just prepping for our Christmas celebrations and our post Christmas vacation. We are going to have the internos of the AIDS hospice come over for a meal, we have a drama we are working on with the children of the women in our Domestic Violence group, we have our food drive, and lots of action on Noche Buena, Christmas Eve. I will keep you all posted about how things turn out!
Thanks again to everyone for all the support, and to everyone that has sent packages as well! Hope everyone is doing well and keeping warm this holiday season!
Things here have been wonderfully hectic. We have been going to a lot of convivios, and each one has been really special. The first ones we attended we really didn’t know what to expect. Although you are told what will happen, you are generally told in terms that you have never heard of before, or words just don’t translate. We were told that the first one was a mass and a convivio, so needless to say we weren’t really sure what was going to occur. We showed up to a place we had never been before, and were greeted by faces both familiar and new. The proceedings were a mass, then about an hour or so of eating, visiting, and listening to music. Each night after that proceeded about the same way. Although the routine has gotten a bit monotonous, we have really enjoyed all of them as of yet. They are a great way to meet people, and we have been trying to take advantage of the groups we encounter. They always welcome us into their homes (where the masses are held) and include us in their celebrations. Later they give us food and chat with us. It really feels nice to be so included in their holiday traditions, and it goes to show a lot about the culture. They are just happy to have people to share their time with, and I think this is an important lesson to take away from all of this. More than anything, its important to learn to be happy just enjoying someone’s company. No need for tv, radios, or anything you have to spend money on, just the art of conversation, about something important, or about nothing at all.
Padre Daniel, one of the priests at the church, always does the masses, and I think his presence there makes the people happy as well. He takes about three hours each night to do these masses, and the people absolutely love it. It’s above and beyond, but time very well spent. Although I didn’t like it at first, Padre also mentions us during each of the masses. I think its pretty unnecessary, because people could probably spot the 5 white people in the crowd from a mile away, but its just funny to me that out presence alone is noteworthy, in his and the people of Talanga’s eyes. I don’t think of my time as anything special. I do what I need to do, and hope to help someone somehow in the meantime. At home I could pass a whole winter day curled up in blankets watching movies and vegging out. It really didn’t dawn on me the significance of my time, either to me or to the people we work with here. They are very happy and grateful for us to pass our time with them. They always graciously and genuinely thank us for our time and celebrating with them, and welcome us back whenever we would like. I guess in some ways it’s a bit of an ego boost, but more than that it’s just a lesson about how valuable time is in general.
We also have a scrimmage today for our baseball teams, and Melissa is going to come along to take pics for us. This is the scrimmage I have been talking about for about a month or so now, but we are finally going to have it! I’m really excited, and so are the kiddos. Rare is the chance they get to get out of their aldea and come to town, so I’m just happy to be able to give them that chance, never mind to actually play a baseball game. We are also working on scheduling a tournament in Juticalapa, another town about an hour and a half away for the end of January. Although planning isn’t a strong suit here, we are hoping to make this work!
Other than that we are just prepping for our Christmas celebrations and our post Christmas vacation. We are going to have the internos of the AIDS hospice come over for a meal, we have a drama we are working on with the children of the women in our Domestic Violence group, we have our food drive, and lots of action on Noche Buena, Christmas Eve. I will keep you all posted about how things turn out!
Thanks again to everyone for all the support, and to everyone that has sent packages as well! Hope everyone is doing well and keeping warm this holiday season!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Hello all!
Sorry its been a while, but we have been a bit busy here. We had a great thanksgiving celebration. Amy, our boss, and Wilson, her husband, came over to join the volunteers and a couple of local peace corps volunteers for a modified feast. I made my first turkey, and luckily, no one got sick! Success! There were also an abundance of deserts (we kept the Mahler family tradition alive) and also enjoyed lots of veggies, home made gravy, and some nice rolls. Nothing like the thanksgiving of the past, but certainly something to be thankful for none the less. I think it definitely put a lot of things into perspective here, and I was happy to celebrate with other gringos that happened to also be very thankful for their time here. I also enjoyed bringing leftovers to some of the people we work with, giving them their first tastes of pumpkin pie, turkey, and the veggie casserole. Although people did not have the same sentiments attached, everyone agreed that the day was a worthwhile one, and shared with us some of the things they were thankful for as well.
I guess it just made me realize, more than ever, just how much we have. We were able to buy food and put together a great meal for everyone, we were able to share in our celebration. Although we weren’t at home with the people we would have all loved to have been with, we had each other, which is more than many people can say during the holiday season.
Saturday night we passed the time in Tegucigalpa, in preparation for our early departure to Nicaragua. Melissa, Joe, Sean and I then spent about five days around Nicaragua, and had a beautiful experience there. The first day we got into Managua, then promptly headed to Leon, a great colonial town that actually used to be the capital, and is now the second largest city. We walked around, found a hostel to stay at, and got some great grub. The next morning we toured the city’s parks, churches and some ruins, then caught a bus to Poneloya and Las Penitas, two beautiful beaches about an hour away. We found another hostel right on the beach, and remained there for two nights, soaking in the sun and sand, not to mention the peace and quiet we had all been in search of. A couple days later we took a bus to Grenada, another great colonial town a bit further south, and situated on a huge lake that takes up a large part of Nicaragua. We enjoyed the town, the food and the pool our hostel had to offer. The next day we stayed in Managua, so we could catch the 3:30 bus back to Tegucigalpa. It was a bit of a whirlwind experience, but it was lovely and refreshing. We all had a great time, and everyone came back refreshed for our busy Christmas season.
Upon our return we slept and unpacked, and found out about the events over the next couple weeks. There are eight different communities here within the City of Talanga, each one having a group for prayer and masses. For the weeks leading up to Christmas, they will each have a mass and a celebration, and our job is to help them. I think it will be a good chance to meet more people, and share in celebration with them, in the ways they choose to celebrate.
Also, as a group we will be doing a food drive at the church so we can bring what we receive to the poorer sections of town and into the aldeas. I think that there is enough financial diversity here that a lot of people, at least within town, will be able to give something, be it a pound of rice (about 50 cents) or a pound of beans (about 70 cents). It will definitely be interesting to see the fruits of our labors.
That’s all for now, but there are some pics attached I hope you enjoy. It was great to talk to a lot of my family on Thanksgiving, and it made the holiday that much richer to be able to hear the voices and the warm wishes of the people I care about. Thanks again for all the support!
Sunset at the beach!
The beach we stayed at two nights (polenoya and las pinitas)
The welcome to Nicaragua sign, cheesy, but I like it!
A cross in Grenada, near the big church and the town square
The main street in Grenada
Melissa and I one night in Grenada
Another church in Grenada at sunset
The church at the center of Grenada, next to the park
A picture Melissa took, while we were at Penelyoa (?sp) at sunset
In Leon, in the center park there were some rides that people were conviently drying their clothes on!
Another big beautiful church in Leon
A Huge church in the center of Leon
Sorry its been a while, but we have been a bit busy here. We had a great thanksgiving celebration. Amy, our boss, and Wilson, her husband, came over to join the volunteers and a couple of local peace corps volunteers for a modified feast. I made my first turkey, and luckily, no one got sick! Success! There were also an abundance of deserts (we kept the Mahler family tradition alive) and also enjoyed lots of veggies, home made gravy, and some nice rolls. Nothing like the thanksgiving of the past, but certainly something to be thankful for none the less. I think it definitely put a lot of things into perspective here, and I was happy to celebrate with other gringos that happened to also be very thankful for their time here. I also enjoyed bringing leftovers to some of the people we work with, giving them their first tastes of pumpkin pie, turkey, and the veggie casserole. Although people did not have the same sentiments attached, everyone agreed that the day was a worthwhile one, and shared with us some of the things they were thankful for as well.
I guess it just made me realize, more than ever, just how much we have. We were able to buy food and put together a great meal for everyone, we were able to share in our celebration. Although we weren’t at home with the people we would have all loved to have been with, we had each other, which is more than many people can say during the holiday season.
Saturday night we passed the time in Tegucigalpa, in preparation for our early departure to Nicaragua. Melissa, Joe, Sean and I then spent about five days around Nicaragua, and had a beautiful experience there. The first day we got into Managua, then promptly headed to Leon, a great colonial town that actually used to be the capital, and is now the second largest city. We walked around, found a hostel to stay at, and got some great grub. The next morning we toured the city’s parks, churches and some ruins, then caught a bus to Poneloya and Las Penitas, two beautiful beaches about an hour away. We found another hostel right on the beach, and remained there for two nights, soaking in the sun and sand, not to mention the peace and quiet we had all been in search of. A couple days later we took a bus to Grenada, another great colonial town a bit further south, and situated on a huge lake that takes up a large part of Nicaragua. We enjoyed the town, the food and the pool our hostel had to offer. The next day we stayed in Managua, so we could catch the 3:30 bus back to Tegucigalpa. It was a bit of a whirlwind experience, but it was lovely and refreshing. We all had a great time, and everyone came back refreshed for our busy Christmas season.
Upon our return we slept and unpacked, and found out about the events over the next couple weeks. There are eight different communities here within the City of Talanga, each one having a group for prayer and masses. For the weeks leading up to Christmas, they will each have a mass and a celebration, and our job is to help them. I think it will be a good chance to meet more people, and share in celebration with them, in the ways they choose to celebrate.
Also, as a group we will be doing a food drive at the church so we can bring what we receive to the poorer sections of town and into the aldeas. I think that there is enough financial diversity here that a lot of people, at least within town, will be able to give something, be it a pound of rice (about 50 cents) or a pound of beans (about 70 cents). It will definitely be interesting to see the fruits of our labors.
That’s all for now, but there are some pics attached I hope you enjoy. It was great to talk to a lot of my family on Thanksgiving, and it made the holiday that much richer to be able to hear the voices and the warm wishes of the people I care about. Thanks again for all the support!
Sunset at the beach!
The beach we stayed at two nights (polenoya and las pinitas)
The welcome to Nicaragua sign, cheesy, but I like it!
A cross in Grenada, near the big church and the town square
The main street in Grenada
Melissa and I one night in Grenada
Another church in Grenada at sunset
The church at the center of Grenada, next to the park
A picture Melissa took, while we were at Penelyoa (?sp) at sunset
In Leon, in the center park there were some rides that people were conviently drying their clothes on!
Another big beautiful church in Leon
A Huge church in the center of Leon
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