Though this past Thanksgiving was not my first holiday away from home, I was not completely comfortable with idea of missing this one. I really look forward and enjoy holidays at home. With all the delicious food and quality time spent with family and friends, who wouldn’t want to go home to give thanks for all of God’s blessings?
I had heard from all the experienced volunteers that Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays to spend at the Finca. Traditionally, Thanksgiving has become our day to share a piece of our culture with our Honduran community members and neighbors. We all pitch in as a volunteer community to make a huge Thanksgiving meal with all the fixings, then invite nearly fifty people over to our house to share in food and conversation. I must say the day certainly lived up to its reputation.
My day started at 5:15 am! I headed in to Trujillo on our weekly food buying trip in the hopes of calling home. Lucky for me, I was able to get a fairly good connection home and talk to Mom, Dad, and Derek! It was so wonderful to hear their voices and got my holiday off to a solid start. Then, Annie, Theresa, Nate, (some of my fellow volunteers) and myself did a four-mile “Turkey Trot” back to the Finca. This was my first-ever Turkey Trot and one of the longer runs I’ve had since being here, so this was exciting for me. We arrived back to the Finca just in time to play in the annual Finca Futbol Americano game. Now for those of you who know my athletic skills well, know that playing football is not my forte. However, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. We turned our soccer field into a football field, all the kids and house parents surrounded around to watch, we all got in on the action, and there was a friendly level of competition. My team lost 21 to 14, but we all agreed it was a good game. After the game, it was time to get serious in putting the finishing touches on our feast. My contribution to the meal was helping make the gravy, one of my favorite parts of the meal! I was amazed at how well the meal came together. Everyone really put forth their best effort and it showed come meal time. I think the most touching part of the day was when we said grace befor the meal. We all gathered in the Sala (our shared community space). This room is rather big for 15-20 people. However, when you add 30-40 more people, things get a little crowded. Yet, we all joined hands and people shared what they were thankful for. I am not sure our Honduran friends really understand the significance of Thanksgiving, but it was beautiful to see some of them joining in and giving thanks for blessings in their lives.
After the blessing, we got serious about eating our delightful meal! It was so good. And it tasted just as it would have if we were back at home, not in 75 degree weather, looking out on the Caribbean Sea! Before Thanksgiving, we had taken a volunteer poll to see what our favorite Thanksgiving dish was. Hands down, stuffing won. So, it was very ironic that if you were to poll our Hounduran guests, you would have found that stuffing is their least favorite dish. It was funny to see all the food on their plates gone, except for a mound of stuffing on nearly every plate! I guess our taste buds are just another cultural differece among us.
The whole day was simply beautiful. Perhaps somewhat selfishly, I really tried to make Thanksgiving feel like a holiday by just really taking in all that was familiar to me about the day. Of course the surroundings and people were all different from what I am familiar with, but it was apparent beyond the delicious tradtional meal that we do have so many blessings here. We have an amazing community, very giving neighbors and community members, and a shared mission that is doing its very best to bring love and peace to the lives of our children. At the end of the day, I couldn’t help but notice I felt very contented. My transtion here at the Finca has not been an easy one, and I know there are many more challenges to come. But, the “full” feeling I had at the end of the day on Thanksgiving, and I am not just referring to my physical fullness of turkey, stuffing, and pie, was an encouragement that the Finca is where I am suppose to be right now. I am not sure if that feeling was just me taking one more step in feeling more at home here or maybe a little piece of grace from up above or maybe both, but it is a feeling I am very grateful for this holiday season.
I hope Thanksgiving was just as beautiful for you all. I hope your day was blessed with yummy food, football games, good conversation, and a time to reflect on all the good you have in your lives. Not to get to sappy here, but also know that this Thanksgiving, in a speacial way, I was thankful for all of you and your generous love and support that you have shown me and our children here at the Finca. It has been a beautiful blessing in my life this year. Thank you. And...Happy Holidays!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
A Little Patience, Time, and Effort
Last week, Jennie Maria (one of my fellow newbie volunteers), and I had the pleasure of covering house 4 at the Finca. Most of our houses have houseparents and tias (“aunts”) to care for the children living in them. However, our oldest girls’ house only has a tia. So, when she goes on vacation, we need someone to take care of the girls. Jennie Maria and I, not knowing what we were getting into, volunteered to attempt taking care of 5 teenage girls!
Keep in mind, Jennie Maria and I are both new volunteers. We still are learning the ways of the Finca and how things happen here. Jennie’s Spanish is stronger than mine is, but neither of us are completely comfortable in expressing ourselves. So, I think we both realized quickly we were in for a challenge.
Overall, the week went well. The girls were a great help to us. We pretty much relied on them to tell us what the routine was in the house, and I don’t think they took advantage of us too much. In fact, I was impressed at the part they take in running the house. They each have their daily chores, do their own laundry, and help out with some of the meals. These girls are only 12 to 14 years old! I can pretty much say for certain that they have more domestic skills than I do! I was impressed by their maturity and responsibility. They really stick to their routine, despite the fact two brand new volunteers who really had no idea what was going on claimed to be in charge.
Despite being pulled away from some of my social work duties, I really enjoyed my times with the girls. This is not a big secret, but forming relationships with these children takes time and effort. It wasn’t the easiest thing to juggle my normal job with being a house mom. Yet, I gained a lot in the couple of days I was with them. I got a first hand look at how they interact with each other. It was so fascinating to see how despite the fact that none of the 5 girls are related, they learn to function as a family and take care of each other. I also got little glimpses into their personalities. I learned that Nelly loves to write poetry and is always up for a good chat, Julissa loves to dance, Nolvia is a great cook and very observant, Erica is super responsible and always does her chores to the best of her ability, and Sigri loves back rubs and to be read to. These are such precious things about their personalities.
So, maybe it was a little inconvenient to be pulled away from my normal job that I still do not have a grasp on, but I am so glad I volunteered to watch their house. The whole week made me very excited to get to know these girls and all of our kids better. Of course, this is only going to happen with patience, time, and effort. So, I guess the best thing to do, as cliché as it may sound, is to just take it one day at a time.
Keep in mind, Jennie Maria and I are both new volunteers. We still are learning the ways of the Finca and how things happen here. Jennie’s Spanish is stronger than mine is, but neither of us are completely comfortable in expressing ourselves. So, I think we both realized quickly we were in for a challenge.
Overall, the week went well. The girls were a great help to us. We pretty much relied on them to tell us what the routine was in the house, and I don’t think they took advantage of us too much. In fact, I was impressed at the part they take in running the house. They each have their daily chores, do their own laundry, and help out with some of the meals. These girls are only 12 to 14 years old! I can pretty much say for certain that they have more domestic skills than I do! I was impressed by their maturity and responsibility. They really stick to their routine, despite the fact two brand new volunteers who really had no idea what was going on claimed to be in charge.
Despite being pulled away from some of my social work duties, I really enjoyed my times with the girls. This is not a big secret, but forming relationships with these children takes time and effort. It wasn’t the easiest thing to juggle my normal job with being a house mom. Yet, I gained a lot in the couple of days I was with them. I got a first hand look at how they interact with each other. It was so fascinating to see how despite the fact that none of the 5 girls are related, they learn to function as a family and take care of each other. I also got little glimpses into their personalities. I learned that Nelly loves to write poetry and is always up for a good chat, Julissa loves to dance, Nolvia is a great cook and very observant, Erica is super responsible and always does her chores to the best of her ability, and Sigri loves back rubs and to be read to. These are such precious things about their personalities.
So, maybe it was a little inconvenient to be pulled away from my normal job that I still do not have a grasp on, but I am so glad I volunteered to watch their house. The whole week made me very excited to get to know these girls and all of our kids better. Of course, this is only going to happen with patience, time, and effort. So, I guess the best thing to do, as cliché as it may sound, is to just take it one day at a time.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
It´s time to get real.
Well, I think it is safe to say my group and I are, if not already, soon to depart the honeymoon stage here at the Finca. Our schedules and expereinces are becoming very real, challenging, and clear. Though, they are accompanied by many joys as well.
We’ve been told my many of the “expereinced” Vols that this past month has presented more than the usual amount of challenges...both physically and emotionally. In the “conviences-that-are-clearly-conviences-in-the-campo” department (campo meaning rural Honduras), we have faced some battles with running water the past month. We are well into the rainy season here. Rainy season means that the weather cools off to the low 70’s, which is great. It also means that we get large amounts of rain. I have never experinecd so much rain with such force before living here. On Halloween, it down poured for the whole day and nearly continued for 36 hours. This of course created a lot of problems for us, including some minor flooding of surrounding areas, no running water due to complications with our water pipes, and limited travel to town due to bad road conditions. These are all inconviences, but they also turn into adventures. When we don’t have water, we find ways to exist. We start to collect run-off rain water from our roof, bathe and wash laundry in the nearby river, and conserve every little bit of water we do have. It is exciting, really. And, in all of this I have learned how easily people can adapt to pretty challenging conditions. In the States, I would go crazy if we were without water for 4 days, as I think we all would. But here, it just seems to be normal and things go on.
Emotionally...life here can certainly be challenging. I expected that I would encounter some rough situations working in an orphanage. Yet, expecting and experiencing are two different things entirely. Through these struggles, though, it becomes very clear that the Finca is needed greatly in Honduras for both our children and those who will come in the future. Please continue to pray for our children and our community as we continue to grow and struggle together.
Despite these struggles, there is so much love and joy here. I have begun spending more time with the beautiful girls I work with and it is such a gift. Their smiles, laughter, and desire to be loved is so warming. It is amazing how much all of our children thrive when given love and having their basic needs met. They find happiness in such simple expereinces. It is really amazing how full life can be when it is so simple.
We’ve been told my many of the “expereinced” Vols that this past month has presented more than the usual amount of challenges...both physically and emotionally. In the “conviences-that-are-clearly-conviences-in-the-campo” department (campo meaning rural Honduras), we have faced some battles with running water the past month. We are well into the rainy season here. Rainy season means that the weather cools off to the low 70’s, which is great. It also means that we get large amounts of rain. I have never experinecd so much rain with such force before living here. On Halloween, it down poured for the whole day and nearly continued for 36 hours. This of course created a lot of problems for us, including some minor flooding of surrounding areas, no running water due to complications with our water pipes, and limited travel to town due to bad road conditions. These are all inconviences, but they also turn into adventures. When we don’t have water, we find ways to exist. We start to collect run-off rain water from our roof, bathe and wash laundry in the nearby river, and conserve every little bit of water we do have. It is exciting, really. And, in all of this I have learned how easily people can adapt to pretty challenging conditions. In the States, I would go crazy if we were without water for 4 days, as I think we all would. But here, it just seems to be normal and things go on.
Emotionally...life here can certainly be challenging. I expected that I would encounter some rough situations working in an orphanage. Yet, expecting and experiencing are two different things entirely. Through these struggles, though, it becomes very clear that the Finca is needed greatly in Honduras for both our children and those who will come in the future. Please continue to pray for our children and our community as we continue to grow and struggle together.
Despite these struggles, there is so much love and joy here. I have begun spending more time with the beautiful girls I work with and it is such a gift. Their smiles, laughter, and desire to be loved is so warming. It is amazing how much all of our children thrive when given love and having their basic needs met. They find happiness in such simple expereinces. It is really amazing how full life can be when it is so simple.
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