Better Late Than Never...

Hey friends and family!

I know it's late, but I never posted photos from Halloween here. I'm trying to catch up on my holiday photos for all of you. :)

They don't really celebrate Halloween here, but we all wanted to dress up. However, a friend of a friend hosted a party in a town called Danli, about 30 minutes out of our city. Costumes were required. The great thing was that everyone spent less than $5 on their outfits. Living on a budget, you just make it happen. :) We had a great time!

.group shot.

.the wizard of oz.

.rocker, peter pan.

.enrique iglesias, tin man.

.benny lava.

click here if you don't know benny lava

.

.Danny looking WAY too much like Enrique Iglesias.

.cowardly lion, Ke$ha.

Click here if you don't know Ke$ha

.pizza!.

.tourist "Mary Lou from Texas".

.left: our "agua man" who yells down our street every morning

selling "AAaaGGUuuuUAAAA!!!!!!

.ghandi.

.left: .Honduran farmer.

.agua man, farmers.

El Dia De Accion De Gratis

Here's a look at my Honduran Thanksgiving! A lot of our Honduran staff came which was wonderful. We had somewhere around 40 people over. We're still sorting thought leftovers. haha.

During the dinner we explained the meaning of Thanksgiving to everyone and went around the table stating what we were thankful for (in español, of course). :) It was a great night.

We just got a Denny's!!!

Tegucigalpa just got a Denny's, and man is it classy! Open 24 hours, free WiFi, and bottomless coffee??!.. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new office.. :)

A preview of my wonderful weekend in the community

Update to come soon!




~ Hollie

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND THANK YOU!!

Hello friends and family,

Although far away, I hope you all have a beautiful Thanksgiving. Living here has really made me realize what I'm thankful for. You guys have shown so much support even though I am nearly 2,000 miles away. For that, thank you.. I am thankful for all of you. I have never been happier or felt more fulfilled in my life.

Growing up, I was never sure if I'd find a job that made me really happy, one that I was proud of and excited about.. I am so fortunate and blessed because I am doing work that is above and beyond my hopes and dreams. The staff here are a second family to me and we share the same passions. Seeing the poverty and lifestyle of some Hondurans will change you thoughts on what happiness and wealth is. I've seen families with nothing feel content. I've seen clean running water change a life. What makes you whole? What makes you content?

Today is a day of appreciating the simple things and appreciating family. I appreciate mine.

On a special note, in less than 20 hours we've raised more than enough money for Emerita, the woman from my last blog post!! We hope to post about her follow-up so you all can see how her life has changed. :)

Again, thank you. Now, go eat some turkey!!!

LOVE and THANKS,
Hollie

URGENT: Meet Emerita de Jesus Zambrano

Hello friends and family,

I am not one to ask for charity, but this woman we met in Honduras needs serious help. If you're looking to give back this Thanksgiving PLEASE read this article and consider donating even $5...

Meet Emeritia (seen on the right):



64 year old Emerita has been pregnant 12 times, however after many pregnancy issues, she has only 7 surviving children. She has delivered all but one of her children alone in her community. The other time she had a midwife. The image of bravery and strength, Emerita has lived a loving life with her family by her side.

Several months ago, one of our Global Brigade doctors met Emerita and heard about her current health condition...

For the past 10 years, Emerita has suffered from a total uterine prolapse. This means that her uterus is currently hanging outside of her body. She has trouble controlling her bladder, and these issues causes severe rashes, smells, and itching.. The embarassment and health issues this has caused her are unimaginable.

We at Global Brigades cannot provide for every heart wrenching story we hear. However, we can publicize to those who are interested in helping out. We have recently started a Patient Referral Program, where we can display specific patients under extreme need. Global Brigades is confident that our community of brigaders, friends, and supporters can help raise the $700 necessary to give Emerita the surgical procedure she desperately needs. You can help by spreading the word about this important fundraising campaign: forward and post this appeal to Facebook and email it to your personal networks.

After hearing her story, my colleagues and I have decided to publicize her story like crazy, fundraising for her. A local doctor has offered to perform the simple surgery she needs without pay. The other hospital bills only add up to $700.

If you are interested, or if you have been thinking about what you are thankful for this weekend, PLEASE consider donating. Again, I don't like to ask for charity... We all have our lives and I know money is tight. However, if this interests you, please donate at the link below. $5, $10, $50, the price of the latte you planned on buying this afternoon.. Whatever you'd like. $700 is a small amount, but it will change the rest of her life..

If you're a friend or family member of mine, please consider a donation to Emerita my christmas/channukah present. :) :)


Click HERE to donate.


THANK YOU!!!

El video del partido de futbol

Here's a video of the action I was talking about in my last blog.

They jump like this the entire time. We also play "where's the drum?" Nobody has won yet.. We just can't seem to find the drum in the crowd, but we can always here it.

This was a tame game... No, but seriously. This is nothing.

Enjoy.

Olimpia vs. Necaxa

This past Sunday some of my housemates went to a football... or excuse me.. "soccer" game. Although uneventful on the scoreboard, we had a wonderful time. The fans are CRAZY, screaming, jumping, chanting, and lighting off fire crackers for the entire game. I've never seen anything like it.

Apparently the stadium is very dangerous. We were careful, however I was able to get a few photos without worrying about my camera being stolen.. again.. Hahah.

Welcome to my culture. Please notice how much we stand out in the crowd.

I think we gathered more attention than the game...






Just a quick update... Have a great week everyone!

-Hollie

Global Brigades Travel Team

Meet my team!!



We recently had an all staff retreat. Members flew in from the states and Panama to meet up in Honduras. Although I know my team well and love them all, this is the first time we have ever all been together in the same country at one time. Momentous occasion!

This picture was taken at one of our compounds, Rapaco. In picture (Left to Right): Danielle Starry (my boss), Kimberly Hanson, Hollie Roberts, Danny De Valdenebro, Emily Kenney, Jennifer Grasso, and Jackie Hyland.

Gotta love 'em. ♥

I like this :)

"Sarah Palin Doesn't Speak For Me"

Just a reminder....

Although you folks just experienced Daylight Saving's Time, we in Honduras did not. So in relation to the U.S., I'm am now on Central Time, two hours ahead of the West Coast.

Just thought you should know. :)

-Hollie

Meet my Honduran family!

We're all nerds, and I love it. :)

This video was made to show to be shown at the Student Leadership Conference that took place this past weekend in San Francisco. We were pretty proud of it. :)

Enjoy.

Meet Carlos...

On Friday, my team and I went to the inauguration of our Water Brigades and Public Health Brigades programs in the city of Joyas Del Carballo. On our way there we stopped at our usual gas station "Esso." This is usually where we all jump off the bus and grab some snacks and use the restrooms. As usual, there was a kid there trying to sell plantain chips. This time, however, we started up conversation. Meet Carlos:



Carlos is 10 years old and works 7 days a week selling plantain chips to gas station customers. He wakes up very early to work at 6am and finally ends his day around 10pm. He was a sweet and shy boy. Jen bought him a pepsi while we talked. The little things that might make his day. Who knows? We befriended him. So, why not do as friends do and share a soda?

It's amazing to think about how where you are born will determine nearly everything in your life. Back home, he'd be in school. Back home, he probably wouldn't be a main source of income for his family. Oh yes, back home.. Where we take everything for granted..

To all of the parents and loved ones of Global Brigades

This past week, my housemate's mother visited. Like most parents, she was worried about the living environment she would find her daughter in. I am happy to say, she was more than pleased. After sharing over dinner how impressed she was to see that we did not just live as coworkers, but as family, looking out for one another, I asked if she would jot down her thoughts. I wanted to share her experience with you all. Below is her letter. :)

Thanks, Michelle!


To all of the parents and loved ones of Global Brigades

I wanted to reach out to all of you and give you my impressions of the Global Brigades in Honduras.

As a parent I was tremendously concerned about my daughter going to and living in Honduras. I wanted to encourage her to follow her heart, but at the same time was worried sick about her. Would she be mugged, kidnapped, raped? Where will she live, what will she eat, what kind of illnesses will she get? All parents can relate to these concerns.

So, what did I do? I decided to go there and see for myself.

What did I find?

The most amazing, courageous, caring group of young adults that I have ever met in my entire life. They share the same passion and values with each other. They talk of their experiences and how they have impacted their individual lives. Every time the conversation in the ‘house’ strays from the Global Brigades, invariably it turns back to the group and how they can improve it. Each one of these young adults brings to the Global Brigades individual experiences that they each thrive and build on.

For all of the parents and loved ones who have not or maybe can not have the experience of coming here I want to let you know that each and every one of these young adults cares for and looks out for each other. They know that there have been gun point robberies, and murders right around the corner from them. So (1) they do not go out alone, (2) they do not carry anything with them, except some cash in their pockets, so that if they do get mugged the robbers are happy with some money. The rest of their money goes into their personal areas on their bodies, (3) they never walk anywhere at night, they always take a cab; they each have various cab driver’s telephone numbers (just in case).

In other words they have come together to protect each other, to live in a very poor city, and make a difference in this world. They have become a family here. You parents and loved ones should not worry about them.

I am very comfortable now with where my daughter works and lives. I am so very proud of what she is doing and the rest of this group. I wish that more of us had the courage that these very special young adults have. They truly feel that they are making a difference in this world, and I think that they are, one little village at a time.

Hurricane Matthew leaves Teguc alone, but unfortunately leave its mark in other parts of Latin America

Hurricane Matthew left Tegucigalpa alone. In fact, I believe that if anything, it sucked in the moisture from our air and left us with less rain than normal. Everything is fine and well here, however, I cannot say that for all of Honduras. Some Northern areas have been left flooded. You'll see, the article below discusses La Ceiba, which is a city on the Northern Coast.




"Tropical Storm Matthew is dumping torrential rains over Central America, after killing seven people in Venezuela.

U.S. forecasters say Matthew lashed the northern coast of Honduras Saturday morning. It is expected to cross Belize and Guatemala Sunday and Monday.

Thousands of people have been evacuated in some parts of the region, where officials fear the storm will cause severe flooding and mudslides. It is expected to produce up to 25 centimeters of rain across the region and even more in isolated areas.

Matthew's winds diminished to 65 kilometers per hour Saturday, and the storm was expected to continue to weaken.

On Friday, Matthew drenched parts of Venezuela, sparking flood waters that swept over a slum in Caracas, killing seven people."


To see full article click HERE.

Tropical Storm/Hurricane Matthew

Maybe you've seen on the news, there's a tropical storm heading in my direction. HAVE NO FEAR! It's hitting the North East coast line (of which I live in the South West). We'll probably get heavy rain, which still isn't great. People live in really unstable homes here, and sometimes there are landslides. That aspect is scary to me. It's a terrible reality here. The infrastructure can simply not take the weather this country has. However, you do not have to worry about me. We're on stable ground in a structurally sound building.

I will add that we MAY lose internet for a little while, so if you don't hear from me over the weekend, do not worry. I will check up whenever I can. Again.. No worries.

You can check up on the storm if you'd like HERE.

Where the storm is looking to effect:

Where I live:

Boast, Build and Sell

This stuff makes me excited about the possabilites of humanitarian work :)

By: Nicholas Kristof, New York Times
9/22/2010

"The U.N. set eight landmark antipoverty objectives in 2000, so this year’s General Assembly is reviewing how we’re doing after a decade. We’re off-track on most of these Millennium Development Goals, so let me offer three suggestions for how the humanitarian world might do better in framing the fight against poverty:

First, boast more.

Humanitarians have tended to guilt-trip people and governments into generosity by peddling emaciated children with flies on their eyes. But relentless negativity leaves the inaccurate impression that Africa is an abyss of failure and hopelessness. And who wants to invest in a failure?

In fact, here’s the record: antipoverty work saves around 32,000 children’s lives each day. That’s my calculation based on the number of children who died in 1960 (about 20 million) and the number dying now (about 8 million a year).

Twelve million lives saved annually — roughly one every three seconds — is a reminder that global poverty needn’t be a depressing topic but can be a hopeful one. Ancient scourges like Guinea worm, river blindness and polio are on their way out. Modern contraception is more common than a generation ago. The average Indian woman has 2.6 children now, compared with 5.5 in 1970.

That doesn’t mean overselling how easy it is to defeat poverty. In their zeal to raise money, activists sometimes elide the challenges of corruption and dependency — and mind-boggling complexity. Helping people in truth is far harder than it looks.

For example, it’s easy to build a school, but it can be tough to make sure that teachers actually show up afterward; they may live 100 miles away in the capital, receiving their pay for doing nothing. Or kids may be “enrolled” but miss months of school during the harvest. Or they may attend school but lack pencils, paper or books. Or they may be too malnourished or anemic from intestinal worms to learn anything. And Western aid to education sometimes just displaces domestic resources, which are then diverted to buy weapons instead.

In short, building an educational system in which students actually learn is difficult, and it takes more than money poured into broken systems. But it’s also true that literacy rates and school attendance are rising sharply. More than three-quarters of African youngsters are now enrolled in primary school, up from 58 percent in 1999.

My second suggestion is to focus not just on poverty relief but also on wealth creation. The best way to overcome poverty isn’t charity but economic growth, trade rather than aid. That’s why East Asia has raised its living standards so much.

There, too, there’s progress. We’re seeing economic engines revving up from Africa to India. For the last decade, per capita G.D.P. growth in Africa has averaged more than 3 percent per year — faster than in America or Europe.

Wealthy countries could encourage prosperity creation by opening their markets wider to exports from poor countries. The United States has a program, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, that is an important step in that direction and should be expanded.

My third suggestion: punchier marketing. Humanitarians tend to flinch at the idea of marketing, thinking that’s what you do with toothpaste. But it’s all the more important when lives are at stake.

This United Nations summit meeting is marked by the publication of tedious reports on poverty that almost no one will read, when it might gain more support with, say, a music video. After all, one of the most powerful tools to spread the word about educating girls was a “Girl Effect” video designed by the marketing geniuses at Nike. The first Girl Effect video went viral and has been watched by about 10 million people; its successor was released this week.

My hunch is that the most effective way to market antipoverty work in coming years will be by rebranding it, in part, as a security issue. Rich country budgets are so strained that it’s unrealistic to think that governments will approve much new money — or endorse the excellent suggestion of a financial transactions tax to pay for global health programs — just to ease suffering.

But hundreds of billions of dollars will be spent fighting terrorism and bolstering fragile countries like Afghanistan, Yemen and Pakistan. We should note that schools have a better record of fighting terrorism than missiles do and that wobbly governments can be buttressed not just with helicopter gunships but also with school lunch programs (at 25 cents per kid per day).

International security is where the money is, but fighting poverty is where the success is."

View article HERE.

10 things to know about life in Honduras

One of my housemates, Jennifer, has a family member flying in tomorrow. In preparation of their culture shock, Jennifer sent her this hilarious and DEAD ON look into our daily lives. I hope you enjoy. :)

"As you prepare to embark on your first ever voyage to Central America,
I would like to inform you of a few things that you should keep in
mind. I hope this sarcastic, yet serious list will accurately inform
you of the experiences yet to come...

1) You will be welcomed into this country with open arms!!
...Not really- in fact, people will harshly stare at you, and will not
break eye contact even if you stare back. Blonds are like alien and if
you proceed to speak in English, they will stare even longer. You may
experience men yelling to you "Oye linda, lava mi ropa" which means
"Hey pretty lady, wash my clothes"... I don't know why they say this-
apparently it is some kind of horrible pick up line.

2) Plumbing is exquisite here!
...That is a dirty lie. The plumbing is so bad that you can't even
flush toilet paper down the toilet. And if you make this mistake, you
will be reprimanded immediately as the water flows up over the toilet
bowl and you are standing there thinking about how you are going to
explain this predicament to someone who doesn't speak your language.
KEY POINT: Don't throw toilet paper in the toilet, no matter how
smelly it may be after you wipe your ass- it will smell worse when it
comes back up...

3) Geckos, tarantulas, and scorpions are your friends.
...Don't mess with them and they won't mess with you... the geckos I
mean. As for the scorpions and tarantulas- kills those @#$% #$%^&s!

4) There is plenty of healthy food options here!
...As a matter of fact, EVERYTHING is either deep fried, soaked in
lard, or contains so many starches that you will be stocked up on
carbohydrates for the next month after you leave here.

5) There are no bugs here.
...Actually those bastards will even find you in your sleep and you
will wake up scratching in the middle of the night. Sorry there's no
AC option so this is the trade off for the open windows.

6) Rain? What rain?
...You will most likely experience your first official flood while
you're here- don't be alarmed... only PART of the stadium fell apart
this week due to the high winds and serious saturation. Most of it is
still standing.

7) Hot water is abundant here.
...Actually, say goodbye to hot water coming out of faucets. It's
unheard of here.

8) You will always feel clean on the streets.
...In reality, you will probably discover that sweating problem that
you never knew you had. And whenever you walk on the streets or ride
in a taxi, those lovely puffs of exhaust smoke that you see billowing
from the cars will surely make your clothes reek for hours after.
There's something to be said about emissions in the States.

9) Nothing is more refreshing than a nice glass of tap water!
...This is only true if you want parasites. If so, then drink away!
Otherwise, it's bottles and bottles of water. And oh yeah- surprise!
They don't recycle here...

10) And lastly (this one is actually serious) you are about to
experience a part of my life that I hold so dear and I am so proud of.
You will see poverty, malnutrition, and very sick starving dogs on the
street. We will be in the city mostly but it is not easy to forget
that less than an hour away there are people without running water in
their homes and children who run around with no shoes. In the short
amount of time I've been here I have come to love this country and the
people. I am so excited for you to come see my new life here. After
all, you have been my biggest influence in helping me get here and
become the person I am."


Hope everyone's having a great week!

LOOoooOOoVVEEeeEEe,
Hollie

We're back!

And it was AMAZING. gahhh. Can we go back now??

We're leaving for El Salvador TODAY!!!

I've been counting down the days for nearly a MONTH now. I can't believe it. We're having a staff vacation in El Salvador; both American and Honduran Staff are coming. :) Today, Carter, my housemate, sent out this message, and it made me realize how real this trip IS!!

Hey guys,

I'm sure you all already know this, but Ben asked me to make sure that you all bring your passports on our trip. Otherwise, we'll leave you at the border.

I'm excited! (For the trip, not leaving people at the border.)

Besos,
Mom

I'M SOOOO EXCITED!!!!!

This is where we're staying:




DO YOU SEE NOW WHY I'M EXCITED??!!!!
It's all inclusive too.... AHhhhHHhhHhhhHHHHhhhHH!!!

Get back to you later!

LOVE,
Hollie

Staff Brigade in Danli

On September 4th, the day before my birthday, my coworkers and I went to a small community by the name of Danli, which was recently affected by some heavy seasonal rains. In this community several hundred people were left homeless after landslides swept away their houses. Once there, we set up a small clinic for the day, offering free doctor and dentist consultations, as well as medicine. I was left speahcless and in awe of the experience. The people of this community were so kind, patient, thankful, and all around beautiful people. I played with the children on and off throughout the day, playing school yard hand clapping games, dancing (Shakira's Waka Waka choreo of course), and singing songs like Mi Niña Bonita (mentioned in my salsa blog post). I especially bonded with a brother and sister; they actually were twins. While we worked, the kids begged for our attention, so whenever I got a moment we played. We were all more than happy to offer them a fun afternoon to easy their minds.


Families have been offered shelter by the mayor, however up to 6 families live in a large brick storage facility with a leaky roof. Thin mattresses with no sheets were propped against dirty walls, and every day a local organization brought everyone plates of rice, tortillas, and some sort of meat. I was told by my coworker that they should have homes in a few months. How life changing. Three weeeks ago they had homes, and everything seemed so normal...


I talked with the little boy I bonded with and asked him where he lived (at the time I didn't realize his home was gone). He said he lived where we were, in the large room shared by 6 other families. He looked at the wall at our banner and read, "Global Brigades," the name of the organization I work for. I looked at him and asked if he could read. Obviously, he could, but it caught me off guard even though he was 8. I said I worked with Global Brigades in Tegucigalpa, and we were here because we wanted to help his family. He looked at me with wide surprised eyes and said "Mi familia??" I said, "Sí." He smiled at me with the most excited and humble smile and said, "Qué bueno..." I can't imagine feeling that kind of pressure and worry for your family at that age. I am so thankful we were able to help, even in the smallest way.

When we left the kids told us they would remember us always.

I love my job. :)