Kids’ visits home make for a special Christmas Siblings take a few days off from Peace Corps, Army to be with family BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Kathy Eggers enjoys a moment with daughter Tara and son Andrew shortly after they arrived home to Monroe on Saturday. Tara is working with poor people in Honduras as part of the Peace Corps, while Andrew is with the Army and formerly served in Afghanistan. MONROE — Though their remarkable lives have taken them far from their parents and younger sister, Andrew and Tara Grillos agree that there is no place like home for the holidays. The siblings were able to take a little time off to come back to Monroe and spend Christmas with their family. “We had a wonderful time,” their mother, Kathy Eggers, said. “It made my little one’s Christmas. We’re all so proud of them.” Andrew and Tara’s 10-year-old sister, Casey, idolizes her older siblings — Andrew, who chose to serve his country, and Tara, who joined the Peace Corps. “They’re a very good inspiration for my other daughter,” Eggers said. “She’s going to follow in their footsteps because she is so proud of them. I must have done something right. They’re very unselfish. They just want to give back.” Ever since their childhood in New York City, Eggers said, she and their stepfather, Michael, knew they were special. “The teachers would actually tell me, ‘Do not show up for the parent/teacher conference, you’ll be wasting your time,’ ” Eggers said. Andrew, 26, attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, then was stationed in Germany after graduating in 2002. From there, he served for three months in Afghanistan in 2004. As a captain in the Army, Andrew went on convoys, bringing supplies to where they were needed. “It was terrifying,” his mother said. “I was nervous, of course, like any mother would be.” Since his return, Andrew has lived in Mission Viejo, Calif., where he is a supervisor for recruiters. In three months, he will have completed his five-year commitment to the Army. Aside from his military service, Andrew volunteers as a Big Brother. He has been a mentor for a teenage boy with a single mother for two years. “It turned out to be a pretty rewarding experience,” Andrew said. “It’s a chance to help a young boy out and lead him in the right direction.” Andrew said he will probably stay in California and go for a career in medical sales. One thing he plans for certain is to visit Tara in April. Although the two have not been in proximity for quite some time, their relationship has remained close. “She has that volunteer spirit,” Andrew said. “Coming out of college, she had a lot of great job opportunities, but she felt like she wanted to help some less-fortunate people, so she chose to join the Peace Corps.” Tara’s potential showed in her high school years, when she was accepted to Stuyvesant, an exclusive and competitive school in Manhattan’s Battery Park City. She commuted two hours to and from school each day, by ferry and train. As a Peace Corps member, Tara, now 23, committed to spending two years in Honduras, using her education in international business development from the University of Pennsylvania to help the local people. In February, she will have been there for a year. Before leaving the states, Tara underwent 10 weeks of training in Washington, D.C., to prepare her for the work. Where Tara lives, in an apartment in the city of Danli El Paraiso, she has had to give up many of the privileges most Americans do not think twice about. “I like to tell people I live in paradise,” Tara said. Her showers, when there is running water, are often cold. Her electricity goes out somewhat regularly. Rice and beans are the staples of her limited diet. She has little furniture, and she sleeps on a 3-inch-thick mattress. “Being home is interesting; it makes you appreciate all of the little luxuries that you would normally take for granted,” she said. Tara is working on two projects during her time in Honduras. She works in a school for street children, where she teaches classes on accounting, marketing and finance. Their ages range from 7 to 15, but their education level is between that of a first- and fifth-grader. “These are kids who were begging on the street,” Tara said. Part of the project is to do a small-business simulation, which consists of creating a business for the students to run. One possibility for this, Tara said, is to use recycled materials to create the products to be sold, like making purses out of potato chip bags. Sponsors are needed to help pay fees for the children’s schooling. Many of them suffer from malnutrition. “Looking at some of them, they look no older than 9,” Tara said. Tara’s other project involves helping to develop community-based rural banks. Community leaders formed the banks, but they often lack organization, Tara said. Despite the various frustrations Tara faces there, she said she is comfortable for the most part. “Sometimes ... I just need to talk to somebody from home,” Tara said. “There is just a sense of comfort from being around people who understand you, and people who know you really well.” The family was only able to reunite for a few days for Christmas, but it was a much-needed recharge for Tara. Sleeping in her comfortable bed and having access to the variety of foods she grew used to while growing up in New York City were just a couple of the things she missed, she said. “We’ve been doing nothing but eating since they both got home,” Eggers said. “When she goes back, we are going to load her up with a lot of food.”