a whole lot of agua

Our beloved Honduras has been hit pretty brutally by tropical depression 16. I'm not sure if 16 is the name of the storm or if it's some kind of rating system (my knowledge of tropical depressions is limited) but from what i've seen just here in El Progreso I can tell you that it is ferocious. Yesterday Josue and I took the truck to help his friends transport furniture from their casas inundadas to drier homes further from the river. The barrios by the river are totally wrecked. The houses are flooded, the parked cars are just sitting there, filling with water, the streets are now little more then muddy rivers running through the neighborhoods. We saw people piling into big trucks to be taken to schools and churches where they can sleep on the hard- though drier- cement floors. Even on the way to Copprome from el centro I looked to the left and saw three kids paddling a life raft down one of the side roads. Impresionante.

Our apartment is in a lucky location, on high ground and a safe distance from the river. Unfortunately it's mainly those families that are not so well off, whose homes were already shantily made, that are dañificadas. Sor Tere has been going daily to the local schools that have become makeshift homeless shelters with food and supplies for the families. A number of the older Copprome kids have been going with her, as well as a few of the medical brigade members (which, by the way, there is a medical brigade here this week as well). I talked to Sor Teresita a little today and she was saying that some 13,ooo people have been displaced by all the flooding and that just today in Progreso a three year-old got swept away in the strong waters and drowned. On the grassy medians on the larger roads there are mass numbers of temporary homes set up using rope and tarps. You can just drive by and see where these people are surviving under little more than a thin layer of cheap plastic fabric. Cosmo said that on her trip today to San Pedro the damage was even worse than here in Progreso, with an astounding number of tarp-houses on the sides of the road.

Between responsibilities at Copprome and our obligations to helping translate for the medical brigade, I hope that there is time to help out because this country needs it right now. This storm just came out of nowhere and people are suffering all over.

I imagine it's easier to digest that a country has been wrecked by some natural disaster when you are far removed. But imagine being in your hometown, in your house with your family as day by day the rain that doesn't stop just keeps adding up in the streets outside. First big puddles that are making the dirt roads worse and worse, then it's almost a foot deep. Then after five days you and your family are trudging through knee- to waist-deep brown water for three or more blocks, carrying your sofa, your refridgerator, every possible piece of furniture in your house to the closest driveable street. Hopefully some family member is waiting there with a truck to take your belongings to a drier house in another barrio. Hopefully you've got family around who can take in your furniture and give you a place to sleep. But maybe it all will just be ruined, these belongings that you know won't be able to afford to replace once the water finally dries away, whenever that might be. And maybe the only place for you to go is a tiny public school where you and 30 or so other families will share the damp cement floors as a site of respite.

And here I am, typing away on my laptop with my fast-speed wireless with a fan blowing on me sipping on some tea.

-Eva Jane

News from the House of the Holy

So this morning I have experienced a miracle. I slept through the previously mentioned over-zealous pump-up jesus music and managed to finally complete the 8 hours of my REM cycle. I feel so refreshed and rejuevenated. Today is a day to dream big.

Today is also Tuesday, approximately 2 days and 16 hours after the much anticipated Copan Conference had finally adjourned its many meetings. The conference lasted 3 splendid days, starting on Thursday. We got there on thursday as well. only at 2:30 in the morning. Don't ask me how Marcio managed to drive so fast for so long, so late. But we all arrived in one piece, granted a little puffy-eyed and tousle-haired, to stumble into our cute* little moldy hotel for a nap before the festivities.

*disclaimer: the usage of the word cute here signifies the griminess of a mildewy hotel at the top of a cliff-like hill. We loved it so much that 3 out of 4 of us came home sick.

So, the festivities. About 18o people braved the potholes and winding roads to gather in a freezing banquet hall in Copan's municipal building like some sort of Honduras volunteers pilgrimage. We each came to worship the conference leader, Marco Caceros and his unbelievably sweet wife's, coordinating skills. And, to admire, to critique, and to learn from the different projects going on throughout the country. That freezing cold banquet hall in the Copan Ruinas Municipal building drew quite a varied crowd. First off, there was the US Embassador, Hugo Llorens, (whose business card I now have!), some other SHH prospective volunteers, like Claire from G Mason, some with interesting names (Mr. Turnipseed), and of course the most large and in charge group of awesome people, the SHH team. I think we surprised everyone by bringing 9 of our meanest, Copprome-hardened volunteers to the event. Indeed, we ended up taking over two tables in the very front of the room. And if thats not intimidating enough, Cosmo's presentation blew everyone out of the water, prompting a personalized mini-speech out of Marco at the end. For full details visit the 21 minute long YouTube vid.

The conference was all about networking and network we did. We found hundreds of useful contacts for our various projects. And some more, just of the people that we admired or got along well with. We also made friends outside of the conference, such as the chilean-italian street-vendor couple who sold the craziest things. And of course, Eva, being such a sweetie, made friends wherever she went; the rest of us were too busy holed up in our hoodies with our noni tea, coffee, and Sudagrip cough medicine.

At the end of the weekend, we put so much into the conference that we visited Copan without ever seeing the ruins there. But alas, it was worth it.

On a short note- On Sunday, we took the Copprome kids to the Tela beach to celebrate Kate' as it was her last day here. I must say, I have never seen as many half-naked, sandy Honduran children at one time in my life. for good reason. Yet they splashed their little hearts out in the surf, catching sand dollars, rolling in the sand, and annoying Pantera. And to those of us here in the SHH house, it was the perfectly tiring ending to a long weekend. With its fun bits as well of course.
Well it looks as if my stomach might start digesting itself so I'm off to go make some delicious breakers. Peace out, or as the germans say, Tschusse!