changes.

one month later, i am here in america. i looooooove america. and i'm not talking about north america, central america, or south america because si, todos somos americanos. i'm talking about mcdonald's, freedom of press, impeccable infrastructure, the land of the free. and as wonderful as it is to be here, the past month has been a whirlwind of departures and arrivals. i've said more goodbyes in the past month than i ever wanted to. it was inevitable, i was always going to leave copán, honduras, and my life i had built there, but for some reason this was a bit harder. technically, i am still a peace corps volunteer -- the united states government is paying us $32 a day. the reality is that i will not be returning to honduras as a peace corps volunteer and i will be starting a life here. here being america.

the hardest part of this transition is explaining to people that yes, i left honduras for heightened security issues, and yes, i would do it all over again. i loved it. and when i didn't feel safe i figured out how to change my situation and feel safe. there is a way to do it right. but still people look at me as if i was living in a war zone. my defense spills out of my mouth before i am able to phrase it correctly.  for this, i loved the message i recently received from a fellow volunteer in cambodia. a friend of my sister, she has been through an amazing experience herself. she said, "Despite the headlines and the reports of violence, I know that a small community in Honduras has forever been positively changed by your warmth, charisma, hard work, and determination. Don't ever lose sight of that." these are the words i want everyone to know. not the change i made, but that no matter what is going on, human connection is inevitable and the only thing that matters. violence, sure it becomes a scary monster you'd rather run from, but friendship is what keeps your feet planted.

so this is to all my friends, catrachos and gringos, i met along the way. as insufficient as words can be, thank you for everything. in you and your friendship i will always return to honduras.