I feel like that's all I've been doing. The only reason I've interacted with society these past few days is because I make myself get up and go do something else or because I have somewhere I have to be.
So what am I reading? Not books, or magazines or newspapers but blogs. Blogs from Americans living in Honduras. There are 2 in particular that update their blogs often and have been blogging for awhile and therefore have tons of information. When I first started contemplating going back to Honduras, I really thought I would be the only crazy American with such desires and would embark on this by myself. But I was so wrong, it was such a silly thought anyway. There's a complete network of Americans living in Honduras!
There is so much I've learned in these past few days and I've only grazed the tip of the iceberg! Here's some summaries on what I've picked up:
- Before moving to a new country, it's important to do plenty of research. As much as possible to fully prepare yourself for what to expect. Life is going to be completely different and you need to be ready.
- You really need to have a good grasp on the language, especially in a place like Honduras. There are people who will easily take advantage of a tourist or a foreigner who doesn't have a clue how to communicate.
- I'm going to need a lot of patience. Power outages and lack of water being top of the list of 'I need patience for...'
- I need to figure out how to be safe. Crime rates are higher than US. Not sure how to do this yet, still reading.
- It seems you need to be very independent and not rely on people much.
- Education is a big problem. Kids aren't going, teachers aren't teaching. For all kinds of reasons, especially in the public schools. This makes me sad considering how great our public school system and how incredible my teachers were. I would love to teach in Honduras so I can be a teacher who cares and encourages students to continue their education beyond the requirements.
- Oh, have I mentioned poverty yet? Yep, it's bad. One person mentions seeing children year to year who aren't growing. Malnurished children don't grow and their brains don't develop to their full potential. And several dont have access to clean drinking water. They should come to America and drink the water that comes out of our sprinklers, as we keep the grass in our yards better hydrated than people in other parts of the world.
So what am I reading? Not books, or magazines or newspapers but blogs. Blogs from Americans living in Honduras. There are 2 in particular that update their blogs often and have been blogging for awhile and therefore have tons of information. When I first started contemplating going back to Honduras, I really thought I would be the only crazy American with such desires and would embark on this by myself. But I was so wrong, it was such a silly thought anyway. There's a complete network of Americans living in Honduras!
There is so much I've learned in these past few days and I've only grazed the tip of the iceberg! Here's some summaries on what I've picked up:
- Before moving to a new country, it's important to do plenty of research. As much as possible to fully prepare yourself for what to expect. Life is going to be completely different and you need to be ready.
- You really need to have a good grasp on the language, especially in a place like Honduras. There are people who will easily take advantage of a tourist or a foreigner who doesn't have a clue how to communicate.
- I'm going to need a lot of patience. Power outages and lack of water being top of the list of 'I need patience for...'
- I need to figure out how to be safe. Crime rates are higher than US. Not sure how to do this yet, still reading.
- It seems you need to be very independent and not rely on people much.
- Education is a big problem. Kids aren't going, teachers aren't teaching. For all kinds of reasons, especially in the public schools. This makes me sad considering how great our public school system and how incredible my teachers were. I would love to teach in Honduras so I can be a teacher who cares and encourages students to continue their education beyond the requirements.
- Oh, have I mentioned poverty yet? Yep, it's bad. One person mentions seeing children year to year who aren't growing. Malnurished children don't grow and their brains don't develop to their full potential. And several dont have access to clean drinking water. They should come to America and drink the water that comes out of our sprinklers, as we keep the grass in our yards better hydrated than people in other parts of the world.
There is so much for me to learn. Including Spanish... still working on that. :)
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