Despedida/Going Away Party for the “old volunteers”

Okay, need to back up to mid-February. The so-called “old volunteers” who arrived in January 2006 had completed their 13-month commitment, we welcomed in the “new volunteers”, and our group became the new old volunteers. This was a hard time for me to go through because I had become very close with some of the volunteers in this group and it was really hard for me to see them go. On top of that, my roommate, Monica, decided that she was going to leave the ranch early. She was unhappy in her job, had gained a lot of weight, and missed her fiance (who proposed to her while he was here) back in the states. She was not only a roommate to me here, she had become a really good friend, so it was especially sad for her to leave. Also, Vanessa, another one of my good friends, was leaving. I was unsure how I was going to make it the rest of my time here without them. In addition to these girls leaving Casa Personal and the ranch, here is a list of the other “old volunteers”.

Franca – Germany

Vanessa – San Francisco

Kathi – Austria

Julia – Austria

Laura – Mexico
Monica – Seattle
Daniela – Switzerland
Aline – France

To celebrate their despedida/going away party, we first had a special misa/mass for them on the ranch where they each received their NPH plaque (handmade in talleres/workshop). We then headed to Tegucigalpa, settled into the Nan Kin hotel, had dinner at Paseo Universitario, and then went dancing at Bambu. It was a fun, emotional, and exhausting night.

I now have a new roommate, Eva. She is a physical therapist from Austria. Things are going well living with her, but I miss the friendship I had with Monica. Here is a list of the “new volunteers”.

Miguel – Austria
Julia – Germany
Tess – Boston
Max – Germany
Matthias – Austria
Eva – Austria
Florian – Austria
Rob – Ohio
Foerche family – Germany

I am over half way done with my Honduras experience. It’s been great with the “old volunteers”. We’ll see how it goes with the newbies. I have to say, first impressions are that there are too many Europeans (i.e., too much German being spoken), too many boys, and too many young (i.e., immature) people. For these reasons, I happily welcome my new job responsibilities and plan to spend as much time as I can with my girls.