Explodar

“[you need to have] extreme confidence rooted in real world experience and extreme humility.”

I believe this quote was also taken from a speaker I was listening to at the AshokaU conference this past semester, but I currently can’t recall who said it. With that said, credit goes to an anonymous extraordinary.

Where the Spanish happens (mostly).

Extreme confidence rooted in real world experience. This concept can apply to each and every one of us in so many contexts. As I continue on in my life I think I will be able to apply much deeper reflections to this idea, but right now I am experiencing this challenge in regards to language and adaptation to a new culture.

What does it take to learn a new language in an unfamiliar place? I was helping Kurt come up with examples of what learning a new language is like so here’s a start. Those of you who have experienced this can add your own comparisons. Learning a language is like:

A bad pun- It’s frustratingly awesome

and

A headlamp- It’s extremely useful…if you remember it

Note: I am not a cowboy's fan but I can work as hard as a cowboy studying Spanish.

Learning a new language also takes a lot of confidence and a lot of humility. I cannot learn if I do not listen and I cannot learn if I refuse to speak. Every day it takes a lot of confidence for me to open up my mouth and know that my teacher, my host mom, and my friends are all going to correct me multiple times. Frustrating? YES. Loving and also very important? YES. So it has its benefits but there is a delicate balance between learning and assuaging my own frustrations. I absolutely love learning a new language, but there have been times when it became necessary for me to ask my teacher the word for explode because at that point in time I needed to explain to her that “Despues de estudiar los verbos irregulares, mi cabeza va a explodar.” Even now I don’t know if I said that correctly, but I basically told her that “After studying irregular verbs my head is going to explode.” Fun! Now on to humility!

Humility (adjectival form: humble) is the quality of being modest and respectful.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humility (I know wikipedia is the most reliable source on the internet so I figured I should use it)

Humility is a good trait to practice and have no matter what the situation. We could all benefit from cultivating a bit of humility. I have found it especially relevant as I am learning Spanish because for one, I couldn’t be arrogant in the language if I wanted to. I also have to openly express where I am lacking in knowledge, what I need to learn, what I didn’t practice but should have, and so on. It’s a bit crazy feeling like the person who really just doesn’t know anything but I also kind of love it because it means I have so much to learn! I’ve had to practice this as well in regards to culture. I’m always wondering “Is this question appropriate to ask?” “Is it rude that I’m too full to finish all of my chicken?” “Oh crap, should I have said usted instead of tu?” These questions seem a little ridiculous, but it can be hard to navigate everyday situations in a completely new culture without feeling like you may have done something you shouldn’t have. Even so, I’m having a glorious time (a fellow student Andrew is rubbing off on me “It was glorious!”).  And with the glorious time I’ve been having comes photos. 

Playing cribbage in beautiful places: Take one.

Sorry grandma, I had to jump off of something high into the water. It was safe though, I swear.

Baking is hard in a different country. Brown sugar? Chocolate chips? Nope.  Time to get creative.

Everything is going wonderfully!

Love from Honduras,

Alissa

Perspective

The other night I decided to take some time and compile all of the quotes I have written in my journal over the past few years. They are quotes from individuals I have encountered on trips with the University of Portland (Rural Plunge, Urban Plunge, Border Plunge, Ashoka U Social Entrepreneurship Conference/TEDx talks) as well as from some reading I have done. These were all powerful experiences. As I was perusing my old journal I was once again taken aback by the wisdom I have received from others. Just listening to others provides such great insight, but what is insight if you do nothing with it? Many of the things I’ve been told have played a part in shaping me: my beliefs, the way I view the world and others, and my actions.  I have decided that I will start each of these posts about my current life and thoughts with a quote from someone who has inspired me with their own life and thoughts.

This first one is very applicable for me right now. It was from someone giving a TED talk (if you haven’t heard of them, now is the time. Go to ted.com and be prepared for some cerebral expansion) and in all honesty I can’t pinpoint which one exactly right now but it really resonates with me currently.

“Pretend you don’t know everything, go in hungry and wide-eyed.” –Ronnie Booth

YES. I don’t know everything. Yo tengo hambre. I’m hungry for this new adventure, for stories, for extreme challenges, everything. Even the hard times are going to be completely worth it. I feel like at the moment I’m more wide-eyed than ever. Language school 4 hours a day, for 4 weeks, living with a host family, and always having to listen closely has made me even more wide-eyed that I anticipated (in many senses- literally sometimes I can’t hide the fact that I really have no idea what is going on, leaving my expression similar to this o_o)

Photo credit: Mark Schaller. A pretty typical day in Copan. 

Photo credit: Mark Schaller. Near the central park in Copan Ruinas. I spy Kurt and I...

I suppose it’s also time for an update on what I’ve been doing. Kurt (my boyfriend of 2+ years) and I left for Honduras on May 30^th. We arrived in San Pedro Sula, the commercial capital of Honduras in the evening and stayed the night in Tamarindo Hostel. We met a German guy named Mark who had been traveling the world since February and will continue until at least October and all traveled together to Copán Ruinas. In Copán we have had time to explore the Mayan ruins, a few museums, and on Monday started language school.

At a residential site in the Mayan ruins in Copan Ruinas.

Heading back for a second day was completely worth it. 

What I gathered from a second day back at the ruins was how much perspective makes a difference. We were at the same ruins, but looking at them from different areas and I was continually amazed at how beautiful everything looked from a different perspective.

 We will be staying the next few weeks with a host family and some of my fellow volunteers from NPH will arrive on Monday! My host family consists of my parents Sara and Ernesto and their two daughters Dulce and Sonja. I'll let you all know about language school, my family, and some of my new found loves of Honduras soon!

Love from Honduras,

Alissa

The Krista Foundation

This past weekend before leaving for Honduras I attended a conference sponsored by the Krista Foundation for Global Citizenship. I was nominated to be a 2012 Krista Colleague by Vicky Medley, the volunteer coordinator for NPH. I was accepted to be a colleague this year, but still only had a vague idea about what that meant. While at the conference in Spokane, it all became very clear to me and I have a newly found respect for the work that the Krista Foundation has done, what they are doing, and their future work supporting those in service around the world. I will try to do justice to the purpose and spirit of the Krista Foundation in this quick summary.

In Memory
The Krista Foundation was founded by Jim and Linda Hunt, the parents of Krista Hunt Ausland in 1999, to honor the memory of their daughter Krista. While doing service with her husband Aaron in rural Bolivia, Krista was killed in a tragic accident. Rather than surrender to their grief, the Hunts turned it into something beautiful that will continue to honor the memory of their daughter. The goal of the foundation is stated very well by them:

¨The Krista Foundation provides mentoring and support and Service and Leadership Development Grants for young adults in their twenties who are engaged in a sustained period of voluntary or vocational service...¨

The foundation provides support and training to volunteers to assist in creating global citizens. Global citizens? What does this mean, how does this happen? Well, it´s a process. A process that I started to think about and delve into during the weekend. I came out of the experience with these thoughts:

Oh myyyy. Thinking is a good thing.

I allowed myself to freak out a little. It's about time I started the process, right? Leaving for 14 months is quite a while, especially with no prior experience. So I allowed myself to actually think about the reality of what was to come and what my fears are.

- Language: My Spanish ability is nowhere near where it needs to be in order to do my job as a nurse, it will    be hard, frustrating, and my brain just might melt here and there. 

- Distance: Not only will I be separated from my family and friends, but also Kurt for the next year. It's a necessary part of this new growth but I worry about the challenges ahead. 

- Change: This one is crucial. Necessary, wonderful, yet kind of scary. I know this experience will change me, but how? It's part of the excitement and the unknown. 

-Culture: None of us can completely understand another culture. Anthropologists do their best, but outside perspectives will always play a role in how each new place is viewed. I'll adjust as best I can.

...and much more but that's a good taste.

The BIG thoughts.

A few thoughts/concepts really stuck with me during the weekend.

• Staying for tea: the practice of opening yourself up to a community and taking the time to stay for tea. Bear witness and accompany the community you're in. 
• It's about the process. If I have no physical object or concrete outcome to show for my work this next year, that's ok. It's ok, as long as I honor the process and the people. Change isn't my job. My job is to accompany, to empower, to listen. My role is to assist and be present in each moment. If something comes out of that, amazing. If not, I can still continue knowing that in one way or another I made an impact and that my work in the world is not yet done. I still have to share and to act. How? We'll see.
• Community is important: I became a part of a new community of individuals that all have very valuable and knowledge and experience to share. Knowing there are others out there I can share my experience with and know that they get it is comforting. 
• Check yo'self! By this, I mean think about your roots, your culture, and how they might influence the way you view the world. It's hard to learn when you haven't even began to analyze yourself. 

That's a start. There are more thoughts to come. With this blog, I have decided for it to be mostly musings from my time in Honduras with a sprinkle here and there of experiences. Up next: the real deal. HONDURAS! Until next time-

Much love,

Alissa