As the end of the semester draws to a close, looking back on this course I tend to feel a little overwhelmed.  Before we left on our trip to Honduras I was anxious to visit another country and learn how they managed their natural resources.  Even with all of our class discussions of the different Honduran customs and the basic Honduran lifestyle, I was not prepared for the eye opening experience ahead of me. 

    While in Honduras, we were exposed to a whole new type of lifestyle.  It helped me realize that most countries are not as well off as the United States.   People in Honduras live life on a much more day to day basis.  Since Honduras is still a developing country, many of the common luxuries that we are used to are rare to be found.  This trip made me feel very fortunate for what I have.   My small two-bedroom apartment is much nicer than many of the homes in Honduras. Poverty doesn't seem to have as negative of an implication in Honduras as in the United States.  Most Hondurans are okay with their poverty and have the attitude that it must be the way that God has planned for them. 

   It was also strange to encounter such a different outlook on natural resources than in the United States.  Honduras was once covered in beautiful forestland.  This has changed quite drastically, due to immense deforestation.  At first I thought that it was so wrong to cut down valuable rainforest land.  As I learned more about their situation I began to sympathize with the people and realized what a difficult issue this really is.  Since Honduras does not have the advanced agricultural techniques we have in the United States, farmers are forced to move their cropland after only a few years of production in one site once the soil has lost its nutrients.  As the population increases more and more demands are put on the land to provide food for its people.  As a result more and more forestland must be cut down to make room for cropland.  To Hondurans, cutting rainforests down is not a choice it is a means to not starve to death. 

   Overall, this trip has changed my life in many ways.  One way is that I have learned the importance of learning another language to become part of the global community.  I now have plans of learning to speak Spanish.  Also this trip has helped confirm my plans and goals to join the Peace Corps.  It helped me realize that there are so many people out there who can benefit from the help of others.  Poverty is a serious issue and after seeing its effects in real life I can't help but want to do my part to put a stop to it.  I will definitely take with me the experiences and the things I learned in Honduras throughout the rest of my life.