Finally!

First of all, I apologize for not posting sooner, but internet access during FBT has not been that frequent. However, we are almost done with training and yesterday we were finally told where we will be during our two years of service! As you can imagine, yesterday was a very emotional and extremely exciting, yet nerve-wracking, day. I found out that I will be going to Erandique, Lempira, a community of about 11,500 people (2,000 in the urban center) in the western highlands of Honduras. From what I have read so far Erandique is an exceptionally beautiful colonial town in the mountains. The climate is cool and the majority of the people in Erandique practice subsistence farming and cattle ranching. The community is predominately of Lenca origin.

I will be working primarily with a mancomunidad, which is an association of municipalities, and a local cooperative. The mancomunidad consists of 7 local municipalities and I imagine that I wil be working with all of them at some point. My main responsibilities will be to provide training in the areas of accounting, marketing, commercialization and business plan creation to campesinos (farmers) and women´s groups. I will also be working secondarily with a local high school to strengthen their curricula so that the students receive more management, personal finance and business training.

Another very exciting thing about my site is that I will be staying with a family that has a large home and I will not only have my own room but my own bathroom, living room and small kitchen equipped with a small fridge and stove! The mini-apartment has its own entrance and has been home to two past volunteers, so I am hoping to inherit some useful things from them. I have no idea how I got so lucky, but I am beyond excited for next Saturday (the 15th) when we finally head to our sites!

That´s all for now, but I promise I will try to write more once I get settled into my site.