It hasn't been a week, and it seems we are all starting to settle comfortaly into our homes in Copan. Copan is a small town in Honduras that gets much of its business from toursits seeking the Mayan ruins, but beneath that there is a freindly neighborhood culture. I've felt nothing but weclome from my host-mother, Ana Gladis. While her husband works in the ruins during the day, Ana runs a small evening restaurant. Needless to say, the food has not been difficult to adjust to. Most of the fruit, sugar, and coffee we eat and drink, are grown right here in Copan, providing a balanced and mostly organic diet.

My most difficult adjustment thus far has been speaking another language. With only four years of highschool spanish under my belt, I am humbled becuase I am often in a situation where I can not communicate. The first night in Copan, I felt like my mouth was taped shut, struggling restlessly to convey just one or two simple ideas to a woman who was patiently attempting to understand. I felt a wave of futility completley over power me. It was horrifying, but I do not regret experiencing it. Each day has gotten easier, and I am learning through expereince how to communicate in genereal with someone who speaks a different language. Sometimes it requires simplifying your ideas to make them more accessable. Other times, it might require a small dramatic presentation while your partner shouts words like a game of charades.

It makes me feel like the first step in self-sustainabilty is self-stability. Once you can accept a challenge that forces you to completely adjust a part or several aspects of your life, you are ready to adopt a more open and creative mindset with confidence. Self-stustainabilty requires that confidence.

-Jonathan

Hello Friends and Family!

We are writing to you from a small internet cafe in Copan, Honduras. Each of us have settled into our homestay families here in the city, and are healthy and happy. Each day we attend spanish class at a school in town called Ixbalanque, where we recieve one-on-one instruction for four hours at a time. For some of us, it is a chance to converse solely in spanish and for others an opportunity to build on the basics. Tapping into the resources around us, we have been taking advantage of our location, visiting local villages, farms, and Mayan ruins. Earlier this week we all rode horses up into the hillside to observe the ancient art of Mayan weaving. We found ourselves amongst the locals, with a guide who didn't speak english, which was our first true test of our language skills. Overall, we are enjoying our time strolling the cobble stone streets, passing throught the market, and filling up on locally grown beans, rice and tortillas. Throughout our trip we will be posting more updates as often as we can; electiricty is a luxury and not always reliable here. We are thinking of you all, and carry you with us on our travels.

Warmly,

Meg and Steve

CELL Central America Semester Program in "Sustainability through Community"

On January 25, 2009, a group of eight students and two teachers are traveling to Central America as part of a three month study abroad program with the Center for Ecological Living and Learning (CELL). The program focuses on a theme of "Sustainability through Community," and the CELL group will spend time in three different countries: Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Students will receive 15 college credits while:

• Working with some of the world's most respected community sustainability organizations, including Heifer International and others.
• Immersing themselves in the rich, diverse cultures of Central America.
• Learning through service to others.
• Taking a leadership role in promoting local and global sustainability.

Please stay tuned to this blog for periodic entries on the group's adventures...