Vandalism and Journalism

I went to work today!!! After days (and days and days) of not being able to work because of the political situation here in Honduras, especially with all the marches here in Tegucigalpa, I was able to go to the Diaconia office today. It was a long day, but I made it!

I woke up earlier than usual to get ready for my first day of work. My aunt drove me out to the street to meet up with Dilia, the head of Diaconia Nacional. Then from there Dilia, her daughter and made our way down to the Diaconia office. On our way there we spotted graffiti all over restaurants and walls, criticizing the new government. Broken windows accompanied the graffiti in many restaurants along the road to the airport such as Popeyes, Pollo Campero, Burger King, and many more. Strangely, KFC didn't get touched (hmm...).  But these acts of vandalism were committed on Sunday by those marching to the airport on Sunday to support Zelaya. It's so sad and depressing to see the streets so tagged up and the restaurants all boarded up. Here we are trying to prove that this little country can fight against leftist giants like Chavez and the OSA, and then people pull out the dumb card and mess up the streets. You'd think that people who are trying to prove a point would do it in an intelligent way, but I guess not. Hopefully the rest of the world opens their  eyes and sways to the side holding peace marches and turns away from those who just make noise for the heck of it. (Sorry for the venting, I'm just really mad.)

We arrived to the office, where I met some new people and warmly greeted those whom I already knew. In the car, Dilia had mentioned wanting to start a magazine, which is something I was super excited to hear. I was thinking something along the lines of a pamphlet, but this is more fun. Right away she introduced me to everyone and what my purpose was for being there, which was to make a magazine. Others suggested a documentary also, which I was even more excited to do, because that's what I love doing the most. So I quickly got to work and interviewed those who were there. Fortunately for me, all of the coordinators of the different programs that Diaconia runs were there to turn in their paperwork for the year and to attend staff meetings. Therefore, I was able to interview everyone and get to know the different "arms" of Diaconia. But with my amazing skills (totally being sarcastic), I was able to interview everyone quickly and finished my task for the day early. Then, Arturo (one of the coordinators in Olancho whom I've known for years) and I, went to the mall (Las Cascadas) to look for a video camera to start filming for the documentary. We got some prices and brought them back to the offices. The rest of the day I talked with a girl from Canada, Lisa, and read Pride and Prejudice for a while. We ate soup for lunch and bread for a snack later on. Because I didn't bring my computer with me, I was a bit bored, but I had time to plan out several things. I didn't bring my laptop or camera for security reasons, but now that it's all figured out, I'll bring it tomorrow and start my job as a journalist in the real world. Yay me!!!

Oh, and I'm bummed out because La Seleccion lost today, 2-0, against the U.S.. Boo!