Shitty Week

As if the boob incident wasn’t enough for a week, I also confirmed my suspicions that our host family had been lying to us about some stuff. Nothing really important, but enough to make me distrust them. Ever tried living with people you don’t trust and pretended to be nice to them in order to make the stay a little more bearable? If you have, then you know how hard it is.

Anyway, I woke up excited that it was Friday and we were getting ready for the weekend. Max was going with me in the morning to my mini-project, and then we were going to Morocelì, our volunteer visit town, to show the rest of the trainees a computer center there. We had a good time when we were there, and were looking forward to seeing some of the places and people we’ve seen. After the visit to the computer center, we all decided to take a walk to a waterfall in town. It is really pretty and the locals think it is blessed, because it has been flowing water constantly as long as they can remember. While we were enjoying the waterfall someone (we assume local kids) started throwing rocks at us trough the bushes. We couldn’t see who it was because they were hiding behind trees so I suggested we head out of there. As we are getting ready to leave, I got hit by a pretty big rock on the elbow. The rock made a small bruise in my skin and it hurt for the rest of the evening, but what that rock meant hurt me a lot inside. As soon as it hit me, I couldn’t control the emotions I had been holding all week and cried. In front of all our friends and Honduran teachers. I cried like a little girl, with gasps of emotion impeding my breath. When I could speak again, I asked my Honduran teachers if this were the people we were here to help. People that disrespect women, that lie to us, that throw rocks as us.

This has been a shitty week that has made me change in many ways. I came here with an open heart, with every emotional shield down, ready to embrace the experience and get in touch with people. I am starting to learn that in order to keep my sanity that might not be possible.