Hola Bonneritos!

I hope you all are getting ready for Halloween and eating as much pumpkin flavoring as you can! For those that know me, pumpkin is my favorite, and I'm barely getting by without it. : )

Some of you may find it creepy, but I've fallen in love with the picture above, "Catrina," by one of my favorite artists, Posada. It's been a constant reminder of that recurring theme here, of making the most of every moment in life, so I thought I'd share it with you all as well. Not to mention, it carries a bit of that Day of the Dead-spirit with it. 

I've continued tutoring at the Convent along with Sarah and Meghan, but just wish I could build closer relationships with some of students. It's really difficult to build the trust between them when the girls aren't always present, there is always a surplus of volunteers, and of course the restraints of the language barrier. However, their sincere hugs and desire to learn keep me coming back. Like Meghan, I want these girls to have the opportunity to go to college and pursue their own passions. 

Speaking of passions, I have really delved into mine recently. This past June I was in Guatemala with Dr. Hallum's NGO, AIR, and after witnessing their success, I felt the need to help them expand to other needy parts of Latin America. So, I've begun the grant writing process for AIR to receive more funds to begin a new branch in the Honduran community of Mico Quemado (burnt monkey). At first I was so overwhelmed and intimidated by the amount of paper work required, but after finishing my first grant proposal I know this is what I want and need to be doing with my service. 

There is an essay, called "To Hell with Good Intentions," by Ivan Illich, that was a major factor in my decision to help AIR or not.  Who knows if it was meant to be a satire or not, but it sure does provoke some controversial questions concerning Americans' "voluntary" involvement in Latin America. He claims American volunteers hurt most of these places more than help, because our attempts to do good are corrupted by our values of democracy, equal opportunity, and free enterprise. With different values than us, Latin Americans are incapable of profiting from our 'help,' and we ultimately just cause them  more problems. AIR's unique approach to conservation is that their staff is all native; therefore, before larger American organizations cause more disruption, I think it's important to promote AIR and other native run, American funded programs.

I'll step off the soapbox now. But, if you all want to read the essay I mentioned, you can here at http://www.swaraj.org/illich_hell.htm

Miss you and I send my B-love!

Heather

P.S. Here's the first couple lines from a Pablo Naruda poem that I hope is a bit of motivation for us all...

Muere lentamente quien no viaja,

Quien no lee,

Quien no oye música,

Quien no encuentra gracia en sí mismo.

Muere lentamente quien destruye su vida propia,

Quien no se deja ayudar.