Friday, August 6, 2010

The Women of El Porvenir


As of today, we have been in El Porvenir, Honduras for exactly two weeks (although some days it feels like we have been here about two months!). I have learned so much from my time in El Porvenir-much more than I could ever gain from a densely written textbook, a lengthy homework assignment, or a lecture packed with fancy words. The most important (and perhaps most simple) lesson I have learned is that people are people no matter what country you are in. I have found more similarities between Americans and Hondurans than I would have believed was possible. Teenage girls here also like to paint each other’s creamy, sun browned faces with makeup and gossip about their boyfriends in excited, hushed tones. Scraggly little boys with dirt streaks on their faces and holes in their jeans also love to tackle each other and wrestle in the knee high grass. Men in colorful, sweat soaked jerseys also love to compete in adrenaline filled soccer matches. Families also love to sit on their porches in the evenings when the air finally cools and fireflies drift up to the trees to greet the moon with their twinkling lights.

The people here like to be talked to, listened to, and cared for. Don’t we all? About a week ago, my friend Nicole and I were discussing one particular group of people in the community that we wanted to reach-women. The women of El Porvenir are often brushed aside, merely used as a tool to help life run a little bit smoother. The women work so hard, but are rarely acknowledged for their integral role in society. Nicole and I decided it would be awesome to start an exercise class for women in the community. Only minutes after we expressed our idea to Jessica, the Peace Corps volunteer, we had an interest meeting set up for the next day. This is an example of just how quickly opportunities spring up in El Porvenir. I expected a grand total of about five women to show up for the meeting. So when about fifteen women sauntered into the meeting room Nicole and I were floored. Not only were the women willing to have an exercise class, buy they were actually excited and wanted an hour-long class five days a week. I left the meeting feeling more inspired than I had the entire trip.

Monday evening Nicole and I walked to the soccer field for the first exercise class with butterflies in our stomachs and hope in our hearts. Would anyone even want to come run and jump around with a couple of crazy gringas? That question was answered when a pack of Honduran women rounded the corner and waved at us with friendly smiles on their faces.

To say the class was a success would be an understatement. The level of comfort that was established so early in the class shocked me. The women laughed, joked, and hammed it up. The activities that were challenging did not deter them from trying. It was so encouraging to see the women’s different personalities whine through. One especially petite, feisty woman was always the first one running down the field during every exercise, screaming and laughing the whole way. She was usually doing the exercise wrong, but her energy and enthusiasm was contagious and lifted up the class. A fairly large woman wearing a shirt that said in English, “Where is the f***ing ziti?” tried her very hardest at every activity despite the challenges that her extra weight posed. Each day we have the class, more and more women come. Last night we had close to thirty women attend the class.

This exercise class is the highlight of the trip for me. I have grown to love and admire these women. Their positive attitudes, perseverance, and hard work have inspired me in many aspects of my life. This class is not great FOR the women; it is great BECAUSE of the women. Nicole and I simply opened up the road for the class, but the women are flying down the road at alarming speeds because of their attitudes and commitment. Tonight marks the end of week one of exercise classes. I look forward to tonight knowing that I will be sharing one more hour this week surrounded by friends in a healthy environment filled with laughter, love, and acceptance. In this class language barriers disappear and skin color makes no difference because we are united by the fact that we are all accepted, we are all passionate, we are all lovely, we are all women.

No comments:

Post a Comment