An update after the first week

Bueno, para ponerles al dia...

This week we've had a load of meetings. We found out that the town council and the mayor and vice mayor of El Progreso have signed a "Punto de Acto" and it's on the books that the terreno for Siete de Abril will be provided to SHH in order to start construction on the new houses SHH will build for 72 families. Yesterday Shin and Cosmo went to Tegucigalpa with Super Marcio and a lawyer to meet with national legislators - Marcio as always was amazing and charmed everyone into helping us right away.

I've been setting up the Education Center in Copprome for the past few days. There is a LOT to do here, so we're going to do it paso tras paso...I'm getting what in the States would be called IEPs for all the kids with special needs so I can get them translated and filed... etc. Also I found out at the beginning of the week that most of the high schoolers hadn't even read Cien Anios de Soledad or anything by Isabel Allende, or Honduran poetry, so I've been finding them some novels when I can - they devour books. They are all wicked smart.

Anyone who wants to volunteer as a math tutor, computer lab instructor, special ed teacher, english tutor, etc. contact me. We'll soon have a program description up for the different positions. Copprome is getting the internet in a few weeks. The cable guys came and put in a tower for wireless access there. We should be getting more computers installed soon too. Shin knows a guy. Hopefully we can network them within the next week or two and install Rosetta Stone and other educational software on them asap.

Tomorrow is independence today, so today and tomorrow in El Progreso (actually a few blocks from our SHH office here) there are marching bands and desfiles (parades) going by with kids in their school uniforms. Tomorrow the streets will be packed and we'll just hang out Progreso-style.

Yesterday I found the one actual book store in town, an awesome izquierdista place that's also an internet cafe - they sell all the great latin american novels and loads of books by Honduran authors. They show independent movies for free every Thursday night. Also, I found the Palacio de Fajas (the Belt palace), an awesome store that looks like it sounds - they're special ordering me a big ole Honduran flag belt buckle.

I'm loving El Progreso - everybody here treats me like the BFG (Big Friendly Gringo) and just walking to the office I meet like 5 new people each day - i'm always meeting people's cousins, moms, friends, etc. I love what a close-knit community it is here. I also like the Honduran sense of time - there's a sort of generally accepted flexibility of about a half hour in most situations, which goes well with me.

oh, and I have a cell phone here now, so if you need it send me an email y te lo mando.

Hasta la victoria siempre,
C.