carrizal

Ok so after like 2 weeks I know you all are dying to know how my week in the “country” went. (MOM!) Hehe. We went to a little pueblito called Carrizal to spend five days there researching a certain theme and learning how life is in a poor community. I choose to research about health with two other girls. We have been learning about different methods of investigation like surveys and observations. This community just got running water about four years and they were planning on getting electricity in a few months. We decided to research how the utilities have and will affect health. We spent a few days around the community talking to people about food and diseases. We also spend two days in the local clinic which was about a 45 min walk down the hill, observing (and helping) the nurse. To spare you all the details we found that there were no cases of malaria or any other major problem. The most common things were the cold and also cuts from machetes. I will attach my power point I made for the presentation so you can look at more details.
One thing that was cool was to be able to be in the clinic. The nurse was very nice (see the pic below) and we got to help out. One man came in with a really bad cut on his leg from working in the fields and I got to help clean the wound and the nurse stitched it up. She showed me how to give shots; mainly women came in for the birth control shot (which was free). I had a great time and learned that I love helping people get healthy (I got to give out multi-vitamins and prenatal vitamins) but I realized that I do not want to be a nurse.
Other than our investigation, we got to live with a family and learn about life in campo. It was intense but so good. I was really nervous at first- not going to lie. I was going to live without showing, without lights, in a dirt house with lots of animals. We lived in pairs and I got to stay with Jessica which was amazing. She was so rad. We had baby chickens in our room at night, cows outside mooing and pigs wondering around. I was so thankful I didn’t get sick. We ate a lot of beans and tortillas. I learned how to make tortillas, so cool! Other cool things were 1. one of chickens like to lay eggs and I so we would collect them and eat them for breakfast. 2. I got to watch a cow being milked 3. I lost weight that week! 3. It was a group bonding experience 4. I was able to hike around the hills and see the beauty in God’s creation 5. They grow coffee and so I got to roast coffee, grind it and drink it. SOO good! (way better than starbucks. Hehe)
Overall, it was a good week. Hard but good. I was glad to come back home to Tegus and to take a shower. I gave my presentation and my teachers loved it. It was great! I was very proud of myself after all.

water project

There is a small town called Nueva Suyapa, where water only comes through the faucet about once every 7 to 10 days. We each have a buddy who lives there and we spend Weds up there with them hanging out, playing soccer or just chatting. If you're very poor, you don't usually have anywhere to store that water, so on the day the water comes you fill up every container you have--barrels, buckets and in what is usually the only option for the very poorest--scores of 2 liter Coke bottles you've stored up. Most poor women dream of having a real pila--a cement water tank with a washing board attached that lets you store water to do your wash, take a bath, do the dishes and clean your home. But pilas cost about $200 to build, and when you're making less than $100 a month, it might as well be $2,000. Pilas improve women's lives in so many ways. They make storing water feasible so they don't have to drag their clothes down to the dirty river to wash them, it allows them to bathe their children and themselves regularly and to keep their homes and dishes cleaner which improves health. Pilas are a great investment in the lives of these hard-working women who have so few luxuries in their lives.

One thing I have learned being here is how important water is. (Something happen to our water tank last week and we didn’t have water from the faucet for 4 days). I had to take bucket showers, we couldn’t wash clothes or our dishes- it was just stressful. I am really excited to have this tangible opportunity to help some women out.

There are 14 women on a list waiting to receive a pila. In a couple weeks we are hoping to raise about $1,400. (Each pila costs about $200 and there are 14 women waiting to receive one).

So, I am posting this and asking if anything you can give will be fabulous and put to immediate good use!! They can send a check earmarked PILA PROJECT to:

Stewardship of Christian Ministries
10310 E. Jewell Ave #54
Denver, CO 80247


If you guys do send a check (so we can keep track of our goal) or want more information about this project we are doing shoot me and email. caramissesyou@yahoo.com



love, Cara

hi friends

This past week has been crazy and busy. We have a 15 page development paper due on Friday which I finished and was very proud of myself. We had to choose a topic to research and I learned all about gangs and violence in Honduras and Central America. Very interesting! If anyone wants to learn more I have lots of info but the bottom line is that there are two main gangs. 18th Street and MS-13 who dominate everything. Both of these originated in LA too….

There is a cute little coffee shop that on Tuesdays shows foreign films and on Thursdays local poets come and read their poetry. Lauren and I have been going and it is so nice to meet locals and I have totally learned to appreciate art more- which leads me to this weekend. Saturday, Katie, Karen, Jill and I went to a local museum and it was really cool to see local artists and their different styles. On Sunday Lauren and Kenya and I went to another museum where there was a Frida Kahlo exhibit. It was really interesting.

This week we are going to Olcancho for the week to do research. I and two other girls are going to be researching health. I’m very excited!

The weather here has been so weird! Really hot during the day and then kinda raining at night.

Less than a month left! Ahhhhhhhhhhh

more pics

one of my fav pics from my trip. me and the parrot- he was right next to me.



the maquilas try to do good in taking all the dirty water from the machines and purify it and then recycle it.



we stopped by a radio station and then we were off to the maquila factory -take note of the amazing masks which did absolutly nothing expect make for a great pic of jill, matt and katie.




we got a tour of cofradia in motor taxi. we were quite a site driving around the town.





photos from the bananan farms.


now spring break. SB08!!!!


guatemala... and street art.






here lauren and i went on a canopy tour. amazing!




and to end with a cute pic....