The Blerg Blog

Katie D.

July 1, 2011 - 12:25 PM

After three individual attempts to write a blog, I am going to allow myself to write a short and sweet summary of things, and hopefully leave more details alone until next week. I don't know why I can't seem to put anything meaningful on paper, but it probably has to do with the contrasts of my new life here in Tegucigalpa: the simplicity of my life with my host family; the excitement and challenge of learning a new place and meeting new people; the emotional drain and intellectual challenge of my work; and the combination of travel excitement and (maybe?) homesickness. Anyway, if this blog turns out to be a dud, I'll just have to promise to do better next week.

I'm writing from my office at FONAMIH, the National Forum for Migration in Honduras. They are an umbrella organization, whose stated mission is to be "a space of coordination, analysis, and direct projects related to issues of migration to promote structural change in the national and international arena." As part of their work, they coordinate efforts at migration education and reform on all levels: government entities, international organizations, local social movements, aid agencies, religious groups, and research efforts. Last night, my boss was interviewed for over half an hour on the six o'clock news. Next week, we'll host a regional conference on political action on migration issues.

I'm going to wait for a future blog to talk in detail about migration and Honduras. The subject is enormous, and I am only beginning to understand the complexities and interconnectedness of things here. So check back: I've been learning a ton in my time here at the office, and one of my main goals for the summer is to report back what I'm learning.

For now, let me describe what I do here in the office (when I'm not writing blogs).

My first job each morning is to scan through the national and Central American regional newspapers, looking for events regarding migration, including news about laws, migrants en route to the US, deportations, human trafficking, and the lives of the families of migrants. The news articles I find are sent out to the folks in the office, and to the larger group of collaborators on the subject of migration issues.

Once that job is done, I've been searching for a way to maximize the usefulness of my time. I've done a good amount of data entry (which is a boring job, but the specific data is documenting work FONAMIH has done to find missing persons, document the deaths of migrants, and assist families in communicating with migrants held in detention centers), and I've also done a small amount of research in ways to get better information from US law enforcement groups about the apprehension of Honduran migrants. I have also started to translate their website, which I look forward to sharing with all of you once that work is done.

What's really exciting is the work that will begin soon. This organization is partially funded by American foundations, and I will be working with folks here to prepare and annual report in English. I hope to write several articles for various US organizations and (hopefully) publications to discuss Honduran migration. I've been asked to write a Spanish article about my time here for distribution during the Week of the Migrant, which is in September. I've also been designated Webmaster, which is a hilarious misinterpretation of my skills with technology. But I'm hoping to learn, and help through uploading new information and cleaning up the website.

In other really exciting news, on Monday I am going to El Salvador as the official representative of FONAMIH for a regional conference on temporary workers. Everyone at the office is busy preparing for a conference here at the end of next week, so I have been selected to go in lieu of someone who is actually qualified. Despite being nervous and need to prepare, I am really excited. No one will expect me to be an expert, and hopefully I'll meet some interesting people in influential organizations, and have a chance to learn from their work.

It's almost time for lunch here at the office. We all sit together and eat, which I love. Then I'll spend more time getting ready for my trip, translating, and banging my head against web content management tutorials.

I'm also happy to report that writing this blog has left me in a much better mood than when I started, and I look forward to filling you in on my Salvadorian adventure when I return next week.

Wish me luck!