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