Lauren's Peace Corps Experience in Honduras

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed and experiences described in this travelogue are mine personally. Nothing written here should be interpreted as official or unofficial Peace Corps literature or as sanctioned by the Peace Corps or the U.S. government. I have chosen to write about my experience online in order to update family and friends; I am earning no money whatsoever from this endeavor. Please do not copy or forward any of these contents without my permission.

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Hunting and gathering...

Though I still have a little more than 3 months before departure, I have been collecting appropriate clothes over the past few weeks. I figured that it may be hard to find summer clothes in January so I'd better take advantage of end-of-summer sales. Well that was only the beginning. Since then, I've been online shopping every week and spending mucho moolah.

The Peace Corps says not to spend a lot of money on clothes and supplies, etc. But the problem is I'm moving to a conservative Latin American country where I can expect uncomfortable stares from Honduran men, so I feel like it's a good idea to cover up a bit more. And over the last few years, I've only bought clothes for work that would never stand up to the washing they will get in Honduras. Or clothes that are not decent for Honduran society. Most of my current wardrobe is pretty useless.

Thus, I've needed to collect high neckline tank tops, comfortable wrinkle-resistant pants, various clothes good for travel, a rain jacket for the rainy season, Tevas (not my style at all but hey, they work), short sleeve button up shirts and long skirts (they expect us to dress business casual the first three months of training!), bras without underwire, long shorts, and that's only the beginning!

I still need hiking boots, new running shoes, waterproof pants, a camera, and more.

Exciting finds include a solar powered batter recharger! So I can bring a portable CD player and recharge AA batteries even if I don't have electricity (which I should have, as well as running water - I hope).

I've given my mom a hefty Christmas list this year, which includes a tiny scrunchy sleeping bag, sleeping pad, a short-wave radio, and a Swiss army knife.

I know whatever I can't afford or fit into my allotted 80 lbs. of luggage I can probably find in Honduras. But when a girl has months to get ready, it's inevitable she will start collecting a ton of stuff to bring. *sigh*

Sorry people, no Christmas presents from me this year ;) Just kidding!

Love always,
Moi

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