Anthems of Noll

I was hoping to write a blog post on a more positive note than my last one this time but, as luck would have it, last night I was the victim of another robbery at gun-point. This is my second in 1.5 weeks (and counting?). I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry about the situation, or both, I just know that I have so many mixed emotions right now it's hard not to be pessimistic about my time so far in La Ceiba. When my boss from FBC first took me aside and asked me whether I was really sure I wanted to go to Honduras, because it is a dangerous place and very different from Mexico or Costa Rica, considering that I am "a softie" (a direct quote that I refuse to agree with as I stand by my argument that my reaction to e-coli poisoning in the water I was informed was safe to drink being more violent than others' is NOT a reflection of my personal strength), I was offended. Did she think I wasn't capable of living under difficult conditions? I've lived abroad for

I'm starting this post on a bit of a sour note because, as of two hours ago, I am phoneless and $40 poorer. Yes, it finally happened. I was with A and M, who are visiting from out of town, and we were on our way to the Expatriados bar when a man on a bicycle approached us, flashing the gun he had tucked into his belt, told us not to scream and to give him everything we had. My first thought was: "Awww, shit." Ever since arriving in Honduras, I feel like I've been living a game of 'Gotcha!' every day, where I'm constantly looking over my shoulder, paranoid that someone is out there to get me. If you don't know this game, I should tell you it's very fun to play with friends but not in real-life as a daily threat. The rules are as follows: someone has your name as their "victim" and this person cannot "get" you unless it is just the two of you, with no witnesses. In general, I try to make sure that when I am walking, there is more

This is my fourth week in Honduras and my placement here in La Ceiba is taking me a while to adjust. I have a small room, which is fine because I survived the woods in New Brunswick! I think I would sleep fine if it weren't for all the noise all. the. time: the crying baby and barking chow-chows next door, along with the loud traffic. I would close my windows but it gets so hot and stuffy in my room. Lately it's been cooler because it's the rainy season which is nice, except the streets are flooded. Someone on their bike the other day was riding in water halfway up to their tire! I am so glad I brought my boots with me (best $30 I ever spent at Canadian Tire). One thing I might complain about is that my work could be a bit more laid back...I live with my supervisor Juan Diego who's from Spain and away from his wife and son so works all the time to keep himself distracted I think. I wish I could be as excited as he is for me to go through 3 of the Honduras education cur

It's official. I've entered into the "culture shock" phase of my experience here in La Ceiba. I'm able to recognize this change because I am aware of the 4 different stages of one's experience abroad in a culture  with which they are unfamiliar, including: - the "honeymoon" stage: where everything is new, exciting and overall great - the "culture shock" stage: where everything isn't as great as it first seemed, you start to notice little (or big) things that are not "normal" in your own culture, or that you're not used to having to deal with back home - the "negotiation" stage: where you start to accept the differences in your new culture and try to embrace them as contributing to your unique experience, while starting to create a new niche for yourself - the "mastery" stage: where you've finally gotten into your "groove," you feel like you know your new home quite well and are confid

My first week  at CREDIA, el Centro Regional de Documentación e Interpretación Ambiental, has been a very full one. So far, I've helped my boss JD with the revision of a chapter in the informe, or report, that will be sent to the EU to prove that their funds have, in fact, been used to develop beneficial environmental projects. The office space that I share with my coworkers is gorgeous, surrounded by a lush garden with avocado, mango and mangosteen trees, along with many other tropical plants. We've already taken advantage of the papaya tree in our garden to make smoothies and juices. I love having such easy access to fresh fruit and knowing exactly where they came from. It reminds me of FBC's community shared agriculture (CSA) garden, where we could gather all the ingredients we needed for the meal we were about to prepare. It's too bad they don't have any kale here, as I was starting get used to the idea of having the leafy super-vegetable infiltrate every singl

October is one of my favourite months of the year. I love the cool air, the changing red, yellow, orange and green colours of the leaves and the pixelated blend they create in the distant landscape. This year was special. Once again, I got to celebrate my dad and sister's birthdays at the same time. While last year we were in France having rabbit, foie gras, cheese and wine, this year's sushi and pizza in Montreal was just as memorable, if not more, because this time we were at "home," not on the go in a far away country. Apple-picking and baby goat-catching are also fond memories. I loved wearing my fall jacket, newly-crochet'd hat and llama wool gloves, especially because I knew that I could trade them off for T-shirts, a fedora and sandals within the next 48 hours. Now that I am in my new bungalow home in La Ceiba, I am wishing I could go back to a place where I didn't have to sit half-naked in my room with no fan while peeling my limbs from my bedsheet

OK, blog, it's you, me and the world. Not to be down on myself but 6 posts in 2 years is less than impressive! The real truth behind my lacking updates is that I genuinely forget that I have a blog, which is quite sad because it has such great potential for me to share my travel experiences, my thoughts in general, and hopefully be of some inspiration to a reader somewhere out there in cyberspace. Ever since my 5-month-long Euro trip ended in March, I have kept busy holding administrative jobs in a field completely unrelated to my degree. Don't get me wrong. I learned lots about things like file sorting and processing, the procedure for medical retirement and pension buyback applications, which was all very interesting in its own way, but I have not had the chance to directly apply what I have studied in school (neoliberalism, environmental change, exploitation of natural resources, etc.) until right now. Since late July, I have been living and working at a demonstration an

So it seems that I have a looooot of trouble taking the time to write about my travel experiences. I feel like there's so much I want to say, in so much detail, that I have no idea where to start. I feel overwhelmed and, in turn, I don't write anything at all, which is the both the easiest and the worst thing you can do as a traveller who intends to document her adventures. Oh well, better late than never, right? I've been in Europe for almost 4 months now and looking back, I have done and seen a lot of things. I have been to Edinburgh for the first time, where the architecture and landscape was beautiful. While I was visiting in late November, there was a Christmas market set up, filled with German holiday specialties including marzipan, gingerbread cookies, a vegetarian pasta called Spaetzle with the consistency of dumplings and a heavenly cheesiness...You could also get waffles, mulled wine, chocolate pastries filled with whipped cream that I later learned were call