reality

i've been receiving a number of group emails from workers at and associated to the orphanage where i'm headed. all the emails are discussing issues of sexual abuse. apparently sexual abuse of children is a huge problem in honduras, and is the norm rather than the exception. they are currently looking for ways to educate the children at the orphanage about appropriate sexual behaviour and boundaries, which i will likely be a large part of once i arrive because of my background in theatre and puppetry (both are methods to safely address difficult topics).

as i sit in the computer lab at the spanish school in guadalajara, and i read the letters upon letters discussing the problem and potential ways to help, i feel a heaviness that i didn't expect to be feeling my first week away. this task that i've chosen to take on now seems like a mountain that i don't know how to climb. i know once i'm there i will figure things out, and find out what my role is, but right now it seems like this daunting thing (that i'm hardly qualified to deal with) looming ahead of me.

and this organization is only working with a small, small percentage of the population... it's overwhelming to think of 50% of an entire population of children being subject to abuse that goes unnoticed and unpunished.

for now, i'll try not to preoccupy myself with all of this, and just try to learn the language.
one step at a time.
challenges ahead:
today - buy aaa batteries in spanish
july - get in over my head at an orphanage full of children who need far more help than i'll be able to give them.

no problem.
if any of you are pray-ers, i could probably use some - and so could those kids.