28. February 2009 by Fortunato Velasquez.

Hola a todos quienes estan leyendo este mensaje.  As you can see my life is transforming into one that will be lived exclusively in Spanish.  My host family is a couple about my age and they gently correct my Spanish when I screw up.  They, of course, speak only Spanish.  The food they prepare for me is great!  I fear I´m gaining weight!! Our training compound is located in the mountains outside of Tegucigalpa (Tegus) in a beautiful area surrounded by pine-covered forest.  I have taken lots of pictures and will post some when I locate a wireless internet facility.  I´m sitting in a tiny 5-person internet spot in a small town called Valle de Angeles that is about 20 minutes from Santa Lucia where my host family lives.  We have this afternoon (Saturday) off as well as tomorrow, Sunday.  I´m going to return tomorrow and see if I can locate a wireless cafe.  I will be in this area for 3 weeks and then our Health Project team moves to a place called La Paz a couple of hours away for 7 weeks, then it´s back here for 1 week before we graduate and receive our permanent assignments.

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24. February 2009 by Fortunato Velasquez.

The young lady walked up to the check-in counter pulling two large heifer-patterned suitcases, big black splotchy spots on white, a black backpack with large black Mickey Mouse ears framing the back of her head.  “You must be with the Peace Corps,” the attendant said.  “How can you tell?” she replied.  I had just finished dinner and proceeded up to my room.  As my taxi drove to the Georgetown Holiday Inn from the airport we had passed by the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial and The Kennnedy Center.  I can see the Washington Monument from my room window (click on the picture).  I settled into my room and went to bed about 10 p.m. and was just dropping off to sleep when my previously unkown roommate arrived, took one look at me and said he must have the wrong room.  I left the door standing open and went back to bed.  The young man promptly went to the bathroom where he remained for the next hour or so.  I dropped off to sleep.  This is going to be an interesting sojourn.  After ’staging’ we leave for Honduras early Wednesday morning.  I may not be able to post or email for the first few weeks, so please dear readers, be patient.  We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.  Or maybe we are.

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22. February 2009 by Fortunato Velasquez.

I’m packed.  All my belongings safely stored: lunches and dinners and going-away parties properly acknowledged and enjoyed.  Commiserating and bonding, laughter and past happy events duly re-experienced; promises made to reconnect in the not too distant future.  For what is life but a continuum of interconnecting experiences and interactions.  The purpose of life is to nurture a love for life, to treasure family connections, maintain friendships … and to pursue personal growth.  Tomorrow I leave for Washington D.C. and ’staging.’  Staging being a two-day experience designed to propel us greenbean PCVTs (Peace Corps Volunteer Trainees) into another culture.  Stifling a choking lump in my throat I stand poised to leap into a different world.

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