Coffee talk

I realize Starbucks is lame, but I'm really gonna miss coffee talk. There's nothing better than arguing over a latte in the morning (or at night for that matter).

La Musica

I bought an ipod and a solio solar charger today. I justify this by telling myself that music is extremely important to my happiness, and even if the damn machine lasts for a mere three months, it'll have been worth it. Besides it is pretty cool to have a solar charger.

On a related note, I've decided to buy a guitar while in Honduras rather than lugging my precious Yamaha overseas. This way I have less to carry and less to worry about. I hope to purchase a classical guitar (the kind with wider necks and nylon strings), which I've never played before. Music is a great way to relate across cultures, and I look forward to exploring different styles of play.

GIS in the third world?

I've purchased a temporary version of ArcGIS suite that I may or may not use while abroad. I'm not exactly sure how I am going to use it (if at all) but I figure it couldn't hurt to have the option. One idea is to document the locations of primary care facilities and to a basic assesment of accessibility to health services. Of course the assesment would be confined to a single department or province, unless there was some opportunity for data-sharing and collaboration with the MOH (unlikely).

I'm not really sure that this is a useful tool, or even if my archaic laptop will last longer than a few weeks. But who knows? It's the New Peace Corps.

Mailing address

Here is my mailing address for the next few months:

Sarah Guagliardo
Peace Corps HIV Prevention & Child Survival Project
Apartado Postal 3158
Tegucigalpa, Honduras