Sunday, November 25, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
50 days
Hello my beautiful friends and family!
Whew! Is it November already? It is impossible to believe that I have already been here for over a month!
So let me tell you a little about the farm as I have experienced it in the last 50 days…
Clinica: mi otra casa…
The official clinic hours are Mondays and Wednesdays from 8-12:30. The clinic is open to our neighbors and surrounding villages for basic health care. We treat acute illness, have few chronic-illness services for patients with diabetes and hypertension, as well as offer well child and pre-natal checkups. We get a wide array of issues, and I am learning new things every day.
Thankfully, town is only about a 30 minute ride down the road, so anything serious is referred to the hospital.
Grupo de mujeres:
This is definitely one of the highlights of my week. Every Thursday afternoon, I get to visit our neighbors with a few other volunteers and participate in a women’s bible study. This is a great time to build relationships with our neighbors, as well as realize how far I have to go with my Spanish! I often feel lost in the conversation, but I am grateful just to get to spend time with them. Their faith and wisdom are inspiring.
La finca
So I don’t think I have really mentioned anything about how the farm is structured. For those inquiring minds…There are three phases to the farm. Phase 1 is life on the farm. The kids live and go to school on the farm. After graduation from 9th grade, they move into phase 2 which is located in a town (la ceiba) about three hours from the farm. These kids are continuing their education in school and learning to live more independently. There are two houses, one for boys and one for girls with one volunteer in each house. Phase three is comprised of those kids living completely independently of the farm.
Despedida
This last week has been bitter sweet. It began with the arrival of the kids from phase two visiting the farm. It is so much fun to have older kids on the farm! There are several families of children who live here, so it is has been fun to get to see the families together again. It feels like older siblings coming home from college. Several of our kids have recently graduated from phase one, and will be leaving for ceiba this week. I am sad to see them go, but so excited to see them grow and mature into adulthood. I had not expected how quickly I would come to love these kids. Just after knowing them for a month, I feel a great sense of loss with their departure. It is really incredible to see their willingness and desire to let us be a part of their lives.
cartas
I have recently taken to writing letters. It is so much more enjoyable than spending hours on these frustrating computers! I was so spoiled with cable internet in the states! So if you could please email me your mailing addresses (jennymontague@gmail.com) so I can send you the letters I have written for you!
Oh, as some of you have been asking. My address here is:
Finca del nino, Apartado 110
Trujillo, Colon, Honduras,
Central America.
I think postage to Honduras is about 90 cents. DON’T send cardboard box packages! It can take anywhere from several months to eternity to get here. If you want to send a package, it is safer to put them in those yellow or white padded envelopes (I like chocolate).
So that is a oh-so-brief overview of what I have been doing this past month. It really doesn’t do this place justice. I am so grateful to get to be here, and I am learning so much. Please keep me updates on your lives! I miss you all and can’t wait to hear from you! Oh, and if any of you find yourself in the area, you are always more than welcome to visit. Just let me know ahead of time so I can take some time off!
Until next time...
Whew! Is it November already? It is impossible to believe that I have already been here for over a month!
So let me tell you a little about the farm as I have experienced it in the last 50 days…
Clinica: mi otra casa…
The official clinic hours are Mondays and Wednesdays from 8-12:30. The clinic is open to our neighbors and surrounding villages for basic health care. We treat acute illness, have few chronic-illness services for patients with diabetes and hypertension, as well as offer well child and pre-natal checkups. We get a wide array of issues, and I am learning new things every day.
Thankfully, town is only about a 30 minute ride down the road, so anything serious is referred to the hospital.
Grupo de mujeres:
This is definitely one of the highlights of my week. Every Thursday afternoon, I get to visit our neighbors with a few other volunteers and participate in a women’s bible study. This is a great time to build relationships with our neighbors, as well as realize how far I have to go with my Spanish! I often feel lost in the conversation, but I am grateful just to get to spend time with them. Their faith and wisdom are inspiring.
La finca
So I don’t think I have really mentioned anything about how the farm is structured. For those inquiring minds…There are three phases to the farm. Phase 1 is life on the farm. The kids live and go to school on the farm. After graduation from 9th grade, they move into phase 2 which is located in a town (la ceiba) about three hours from the farm. These kids are continuing their education in school and learning to live more independently. There are two houses, one for boys and one for girls with one volunteer in each house. Phase three is comprised of those kids living completely independently of the farm.
Despedida
This last week has been bitter sweet. It began with the arrival of the kids from phase two visiting the farm. It is so much fun to have older kids on the farm! There are several families of children who live here, so it is has been fun to get to see the families together again. It feels like older siblings coming home from college. Several of our kids have recently graduated from phase one, and will be leaving for ceiba this week. I am sad to see them go, but so excited to see them grow and mature into adulthood. I had not expected how quickly I would come to love these kids. Just after knowing them for a month, I feel a great sense of loss with their departure. It is really incredible to see their willingness and desire to let us be a part of their lives.
cartas
I have recently taken to writing letters. It is so much more enjoyable than spending hours on these frustrating computers! I was so spoiled with cable internet in the states! So if you could please email me your mailing addresses (jennymontague@gmail.com) so I can send you the letters I have written for you!
Oh, as some of you have been asking. My address here is:
Finca del nino, Apartado 110
Trujillo, Colon, Honduras,
Central America.
I think postage to Honduras is about 90 cents. DON’T send cardboard box packages! It can take anywhere from several months to eternity to get here. If you want to send a package, it is safer to put them in those yellow or white padded envelopes (I like chocolate).
So that is a oh-so-brief overview of what I have been doing this past month. It really doesn’t do this place justice. I am so grateful to get to be here, and I am learning so much. Please keep me updates on your lives! I miss you all and can’t wait to hear from you! Oh, and if any of you find yourself in the area, you are always more than welcome to visit. Just let me know ahead of time so I can take some time off!
Until next time...
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