I am a Volunteer!

I want to start off by thanking everyone for the sweet comments I have received about this blog. Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to read through my often very long and sometimes too long (like this post) blog posts! It is what has truly kept me going in continuing this project. Not only has blogging been a way to keep loved ones in the loop, but it has also been very cathartic to reflect and document this experience. Additionally, this project also meets the 3rd goal of the Peace Corps, to educate Americans about our country of service...whoo, it's a very multi-functional endeavor. 

So, I know I start off every blog talking about how so much has happened, but this time it’s by far the truest! Since my last post, my training class lead a health fair, taught in the school,  hosted a host family appreciation party, finished Pre-Service training, Sworn-in as new volunteers, celebrated independence day, and moved to our new homes and communities for the next two years! Whew, just typing that out is exhausting! 

Health Fair in Valley of Peace!

Host Family Appreciation Party

The week of the September 13^th was quite the whirlwind. Sunday- I said extremely tough goodbyes to the best host family I could have imagined, Monday-Tuesday morning= last minute training days in the office. On Tuesday afternoon-Wednesday Peace Corps hosted a ‘Counterpart Workshop.’ This was (part 2) to a wonderful workshop which bring together PCV’s (Peace Corps Volunteers/Trainees) along with our counterparts/workpartners who we will work day in and day out with for the next two years. These includes Community Health Workers (through the Ministry of Health) and principals of schools in our villages. This conference focused on group building exercises, effective communications, and methodology for establishing work plans. It was extremely beneficial and helped lay a foundation for which we will enhance our relationship and effectiveness for the next two years.

The following day was a day that we have all been waiting for. In many ways, the swearing-in ceremony is a pinnacle moment of the Peace Corps Experience. It is a monumental moment of every Peace Corps Volunteers service. It marks our elevation from the status of ‘trainee’ to ‘volunteer’, and with that elevation it not means that we aren't constantly referred to as trainees anymore!  It also celebrates that we successfully survived three months of Pre-Service training…a time full of blood, sweat, and tears (ok, maybe just constant sweat and the occasional tears). It also marked the time where we said many goodbyes- to our wonderful training host families and to each other- the amazing friendships and support system that was established the past 3 months. 

Having said our goodbyes on Sunday to Valley of Peace, the village and families we came to love, we spent the week in a hotel near the Peace Corps office. The morning of our Swearing-in ceremony began as we scrambled around the hotel to shower (in a real shower!), shave our legs, put on makeup, and dress in something fancy….basically all things that we would very likely not do again for the next two years! The ceremony was beautiful. There were over 150 people in attendance. From our host families of the past 3 months, our work partners (some who traveled 10+ hours to be with us), Embassy officials, Peace Corps staff, and of course Mr. Ambassador to Belize- Carlos Mareno. The ceremony included singing each country’s national anthem, speeches from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, our Peace Corps Country Director, fellow cohort members, and from the Ambassador himself. I was especially touched by a speech from the Deputy Chief Education Officer, Dr. Carol Babb, who recounted her personal story as a young girl in a rural village of Belize who was greatly influenced by a peace corps volunteer who recognized her potential and inspired her to finish her education and accomplish her goals. 

Following the many speeches, the moment came to stand, raise our right hand, and take the oath administered by the Ambassador. It was without a doubt one of the 'biggest' days of my life thus far. I am so proud to join the ranks of over 220,000 Peace Corps Volunteers before me and to serve my country in a spirit of peace and friendship. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity and to be on this journey with an awesome group of people! Thank you to everyone who has supported and inspired me to get here today (especially to Mom, Dad, and Allie!).

Our Super Professional Picture

Far left- Country Director, Melanie Emerson.

 Far Right- Greg McDonald, Director of Programming and Training

This one definitely feels like a more accurate depiction of our group!

The day after our ceremony, all 17 of us said our goodbyes and embarked to our new homes for the next 2 years. Getting to San Roman in Orange Walk, was a 3 bus, and 4 hour journey….not so bad (especially considering people going south to Ketchi land had a whole day + night in a hotel of travel). However, what makes our travel stories worth noting is something that every Peace Corps Volunteer all over the world experiences- an experience that in many ways is a Peace Corps right of passage, and one that I am glad I experienced but one that I NEVER want to do again....This is carrying an inordinate seemingly impossible amount of belongings. I am very grateful that I traveled up north with my very good friends Kelsey and Matt. We got to share the joy of lugging our multiple suitcases, hiking bags on our back, and backpacks on our front... Additionally, Peace Corps was nice enough to give us multiple pounds of additional supplies. ugh. So adding to our load to transport were fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, gigantic first-aid kits, peace corps books and binders, and language materials. Thankfully, the experience was made much better by helping each other and laughing at ourselves along the way! 

Since arriving to my site 2 weeks ago life has certainly been interesting. Two days after arriving, Belize celebrated its 34^th independence (nice timing peace corps). Belizian celebrations for Independence Day is like nothing I have ever experienced, and it was absolutely wild. Many belizians go to the nearby town of Orange Walk for multi-day parties, carnivals, and parades that last all hours into the night and draw thousands of people. For a country of only 350,000 people, I am pretty sure at least 1/5^th of them were in orange walk over the weekend *maybe exaggerating*.  This was certainly quite the cultural experience but one I am glad occurs only once a year.  One of the best parts of the festivities was getting to see all the volunteers who live in the Orange Walk district…so much for those teary goodbyes just a few days before!

The grandchildren of my wonderful Community Health Worker (basically my family). So happy I get to see these kids everyday!

The sign is a bit hard to read...If one wins the game, you can get a "six-pack of ice cold beers or any rabbi"....welcome to Belize!

Now that the September celebrations have come and gone, I have enjoyed getting immersed into village life. The past few weeks have been spent meeting people, building connections, observing classes at the primary school, and developing work plans. I have recently started PACA (Participatory Analysis for Community Action). This is the Peace Corp’s approach for step 1 of conducting sustainable development work. It provides gender sensitive tools and a philosophies for assessing community needs, priorities, and perceptions in order to guide the work I will be doing for the next two years. I really enjoy PACA and the Peace Corp’s approach to development- to take a step back, observe, gather information, analyze, and thoughtfully and collectively work towards action. Really PACA is a set of tools that can be utilized in any type of organizational (community or otherwise) work in order to encourage capacity building, participation, and sustainable democratic initiatives. This is one of many aspects of development work which have distinguished the Peace Corps from other development organizations (i.e. those who practice the ‘white savor effect’). I have clearly drunken the Peace Corps Cool aide…but I am absolutely fine with that! 

In meeting so many community members, it is very interesting to see the way of life here. The vast majority of men are cane farmers. This past summer, many did not have work (out of cane season), so the men would ride bicycles into the bush every day to collect a specific kind of seed (one that builds thatch houses). In collecting these seeds (for very little money), they are sent back to America for their use in a prostate cancer drug….who would have known! Considering that the rain forest is responsible for providing ingredients in 25% of modern pharmaceuticals (and 70% of anti-cancer drugs...thank you google!), it shouldn’t have been too surprising, but it was certainly a full-circle, humbling moment.  One man who continues to do this laborious work is the Village Elder, who I was extremely privileged to meet. Mr. Vasqez is 86 years old and continues to ride his bike 2 miles into the bush every day to chop Sugar Cain or in the off-season, collect seeds for pharmaceutical companies. He speaks Spanish, Mopan (Mayan), English, and Kriol. In addition to being the Village Elder, he is also a self-proclaimed historian who has meticulously chronicled his life and the history and happenings in San Roman. It was fascinating speaking with him...learning about his life, the history of the village, and of course- his many words of wisdom. 

Another interesting interaction was with an older Mennonite (similar to Amish) couple who live on the outskirts of San Roman and are originally from Ohio. There are thousands of Mennonites here in Belize (both traditional and modern). This couple has been living in the village for 4 years and running the Mennonite church. Considering my mission for the next three months in San Roman for the next three months is to observe, build relationships, and integrate into my community, I went to go meet with her this past week. Upon arriving at their beautiful American style ranch home (aka polar opposite of homes in the village) I was greeted by a cheerful older woman dressed in very much traditional Mennonite clothing. After making introductions, she invited me to her bible study that was being held ten minutes after my arrival. For those of you who know me, you know that bible study, and I do not typically interact together. Of the many pieces of advice that have been handed down by veteran volunteers, two have stood out in particular and that is to "never turn down and invitation" and to "Embrace the Awkward." Whether it's maneuvering around awkward and embarrassing language mistakes (like when I told a stranger I loved her on accident), figuring out how to politely decline pig's tail which had been sitting out unrefrigerated for 4 days, or in a bible study session in my brand new community, what my personal feeling are on adultery vs fornication, sometimes you just gotta smile and role with the punches. Despite the topic of conversation, it was a wonderful afternoon spent meeting genuinely wonderful women in the village.

 

I have gotten to spend a lot of time with my host family, which has been nice! My mom is a hard-working and quiet woman who has raised 13 children! Currently, only one granddaughter- Daisy lives in the house and she is 15 years old. We have been spending a lot of time together exercising at the football (soccer) field here. There is also a wonderful new addition in my life (no, not a man!). I have adopted a 2 month old puppy who my family lovingly named Brownie (they already have a dog named Blackey, so I guess it makes sense). Brownie or Paz (Peace) has been a wonderful joy, despite the constant biting of everything in his sight. And yes, for those wondering…I am definitely planning to bring him home in two years! Peace Corps life can get pretty lonely and isolating at time, so I am very happy to have a canine pal by my side!

*I am sorry for the novel, if you have gotten to the bottom of this you deserve an award!*

Paz with my neighbor, Chelsea

And the Journey continues...

Written 8/24

My New Home!

I have recently returned from a very exciting week. An integral part of pre-service training is the site visit, which is when trainees visit our soon to be homes for the duration of our service. We spent four days at our site, which included about 12 different task that we were to complete in that time frame. It is hard to describe the mixture of emotions in finding our permanent sites last week. There was a level of excitement, anxiety, and eagerness that I have rarely experienced. What would be the size of my community? Which region of the country would I be placed? Would my counter-parts be good to work with? Which friends would I be near (if any)? Would I get the opportunity to work on my passion of maternal health? Learning our placements for the next two years is an extremely significant moment. The process of matching volunteers with communities is quite detailed and complex. Staff must take into consideration- community need, volunteer skills, desired remoteness, comfort with lack of amenities and isolation, language ability, etc. It is a selection process that has been a work in progress since before we arrived in country as trainees.  It is an exciting moment which marks the first of many significant moments of our Peace Corps service. It is a culmination of PST- a roller-coaster of emotions, tedious, and lengthy process of which we have been through up until this point. As significant as this moment was, I know the true pinnacle moment of my service is when we are finally sworn in as volunteers (in 3 weeks!)

There were soooo many questions that have been eating at all of us since before applying to the peace corps, but I am extremely happy that most of the big ‘unknowns’ are now out of the way!  I am proud and excited to announce that my home for the next two years is the beautiful village of San Roman in the district of Orange Walk in Belize. In visiting my new community last week, I discovered that my village is about an hour and half from the town of Orange Walk (down unpathed roads, passing a multitude of Cane Farms). It is a small village of 453 people which is about 5 miles from the border of Mexico. As far as Peace Corps sites in the north go, I am rather remote, being about 1.5-2 hours to the nearest town. Upon entering the village, I was immediately struck by its astounding beauty. The village is aptly placed on the banks of the Rio Hondo River (The deep river), which provides a prime opportunity for cooling off in hot days and trying the plentiful ‘river fish’. In fact, sitting on the couch of my new room I have a great view of the beautiful river and the many coconut and avocado trees surrounding the village. I had a great chance to meet with my Community Health Worker and teachers of the school (my counterparts for the next 2 years). There is a lot of need in the community, and I am excited to start brainstorming areas to start. As far as maternal health is concerned, there are many areas of opportunities in the village, including potentially working with the district health educator in the nearby hospital to increase awareness and implementation of safe birthing practices. One key area that I would like to address in maternal health is the frequent usage of non-breast milk during the first 6 months of life. It is not uncommon for people to give babies coke, coffee, or even tortillas before 6 months old. I am very excited to have great work partners who are motivated and excited to begin working in the community.

Additionally, my community health worker, whom I will work most closely with during my next two years, is an amazing and strong woman, health worker, and mother of 6. She goes above and beyond her required duties, and I am in awe of her desire to better her community. However, during my initial assessment of community resources and my many conversations with the community, I was saddened to realize how few resources the community really has. Community health workers are tasked with many responsibilities (defacto triage nurses), most of which she is unable to do, due to our severe lack of resources. The community does not have access to the most basic necessities (scale, blood pressure cuff, glucometer, and essential medications). The ministry of health seldom restocks community supplies, so CHW’s (community health workers) are left to ration their supplies. Every project that we do as volunteers should be in a sustainable and collaborative manner, thus if anyone has ideas or suggestions of partnerships that could provide a sustainable resources to my community, please let me know! I already witnessed a very sad moment. While at my CHW’s house, a 1.5 year old was badly burned by hot water. By the time he arrived at the CHW’s house, the child was in obvious pain (screaming and crying), and the 4 inch burn site was badly infected. My CHW was only able to provide a poorly bandaged protection and tell the mother to take him to the hospital in the morning (only transportation is once a day). It is hard to fathom that there were not even supplies to clean or provide comfort to this baby or to provide immediate and necessary transport. In addition to meeting with CHW’s, the school, and members of my community, I got to spend a lot of time with my ‘new’ family. They are wonderful people. However, It will certainly be quite the adjustment from my current family, which I have gotten sooooo close with and am dreading leaving! I am excited that my family has massive avocado and coconut trees right in the back yard! 

My goal for keeping this blog is to provide as much insight and honesty as possible into my life as a Peace Corps volunteer in Belize. Additionally by doing so, it fulfills 1 of the 3 goals of the Peace Corps, to provide insight to Americans about country of service. However, for obvious reasons, there are many things that I can’t include here, due to the public nature of this blog and my position as a Peace Corps Volunteer (or soon-to-be volunteer). However, I do feel a responsibility to portray an honest picture of life here....There are some incredible challenges that many PCV's face during our service...whether it's feelings of isolation, miscommunications, troubles integrating, ethical differences, sexual harassment,  religious challenges, etc. Having experienced all of these to varying levels, I firmly believe that these challenges will both make me a better person and volunteer. Additionally, the challenges that I face here are nothing in comparison to the warmth, hospitality, and support by my family, community, and Peace Corps staff. With all this being said, I am beyond thankful for my time here in Belize. I am falling in love with the beauty of this country, its natural beauty, cultural complexities, and rich diversity. I am constantly humbled and reminded that I am a guest in Belize, and I am incredibly fortunate to be given this amazing opportunity- both by Peace Corps and by my community which I will serve. It is incredibly rewarding to serve in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration with local communities and participate in development work which focuses on models of sustainability, partnerships, and empowerment.

update!

I am sorry for my long departure from the blogging world! The 
more time has passed, the harder to keep up with all the new and exciting things going on! So much has happened and it has certainly been a roller coaster ride of up’s and downs, but I will try and touch on the high points. There is about 3 weeks left of PST (Pre-service Training), and it’s hard to believe that I will soon be a Peace Corps Volunteer living and working in my new village.

The past few weeks have been like the rest of PST (pre-service 

training), exhausting, exciting, and a roller coaster of emotions and 

experiences. I continue to get closer and closer to my family. I 

can’t imagine leaving them in a few weeks, and I am beyond 

thankful for the relationship that we have built together. My two 

sisters, Irma (23) and Ara (17) have become two of my closest friends during my time here, and I am so thankful for our constant 

laughs, dance parties, and goofiness. Mixed in with the endless fun, they have also taught me the richness of Belizean culture, life in El Salvador (family of refugees), how to make tortillas (though poorly), and helped immensely with my Spanish (while we all laugh at my horrible Spanglish, of course!). Thankfully, this village is nearby the office, so I know I will see my family throughout the next two years when I go into the Peace Corps office. A few days ago, I even made them Shakshuka, my favorite Israeli/middle Eastern cuisine that is loaded with veggies, tomato sauce, and fried eggs cooked into the mixture (not main staple in Hispanic diet).  Though they were certainly skeptical, I think they enjoyed it! My favorite part of all of it, was how they ate it with a tortilla (eaten at every meal)! It truly felt like a blending of my two worlds!

                                                              My sister, Ara!

The past few weeks, I have had the fortune of being able to play tourist a few times and getting to see the beauty of Belize. A few weeks ago, I went with my family to xunantunich, one of the best Myan Ruins in Belize. It is truly a spectacular site surrounded by the lush dense jungle of Belize.

My sister, Irma!! 

                                                                                                                                                         The whole family (almost!).

My amazing Mama! Love her dearly! She is one of the most 

amazing women I have ever met!

 

Riding in the back of a pickup is the main means of transport in 

this country, and it has definitely taken some getting used to 

(don’t worry, mom and dad!). Additionally, twice a month, Peace Corps takes Trainees on a field trip/ Culture Day. There are about 7 different ethnic groups here in Belize (in a population of 350,000)! These ‘field trips’ provide great insight into the complex cultural and ethnic makeup within the country. Last week, we had the opportunity to visit a Kriol village where we learned how to cook their version of rice and beans (with lots of coconut milk), roasted cashews (for cashew wine), learned some traditional dances, etc. I really love the West-African Influence that has shaped the Kriol culture and remains in small ways throughout the country. Other tourist excursions have been wonderful also. From visiting the majestically beautiful Blue Hole National Park with my good friend, Jade’s family to enjoying the nearby river with my brother, sisters, and 3 good friends, I am definitely enjoying the natural beauty of my new home. These small get-aways are much needed and unbelievably enjoyable after 60+ hours a week of training and the stress of Pre-Service Training.

 My good friend, Grace- Love her dearly!!      

 Bird nest!

                        The Beautiful Blue Hole National Park!!

As looks might be a bit deceiving, I promise my life here isn’t all 

play! Training continues to be rigorous, long, and tiring. A typical day tends to be 10-12 hours, full of language learning, technical training, community development, language learning, etc. Someone described PST as trying to drink from a fire hydrant…I would absolutely agree! Thankfully, I really enjoy the training, and it has been a great balance of information learning and practical application of the material and theories. For example, following our extensive training on community development and sustainable initiatives, we were placed in groups and were tasked with conducting analysis of community needs, community mapping, community assessment, and plans for action. This involved speaking with community leaders/members to gather information and present. The peace corps has had 54 years to learn from their mistakes and refine the process of community development work. They learned the utmost importance of process, planning, observation, relationship building and how to implement sustainable projects, and I am thankful for their progressive approach to development! 

Our time living in Valley of Peace (our training community) has given us a lot of time to implement other initiatives as well. We have weekly literacy night for the community where the children come out to practice their English and reading skills. We also use this time to discuss health (as we are health volunteers!). The first session we had a great handwashing activity that the kids greatly enjoyed. After explaining germs and how to properly wash/when to wash hands, we lathered the kid’s hand with glitter ‘germs’ and they practiced their newly acquired handwashing skills- with soap for 20 seconds (length of ‘happy birthday’ song, which we sang to each child)! It was lots of fun, and I think the message really got across! Our next activity was a nutrition lesson. Starting at 1-2 years, children eat multiple bags of chips, cokes, and popsicles a day (ideals). Our nutrition lesson went well and including a healthy snack at the end. It will take a long time for behavioral change to occur, but getting the kids excited and motivated has been really great to watch.

It is so hard to believe that I only have a few weeks left in Valley of Peace and of Peace Corps training. This also means, I only have a few weeks left with my group of fellow volunteers and good friends. We have formed a support team like none other I have ever been a part of. We are there for each other through sickness, cultural challenges/culture shock, problems back home, etc. No more time to update....but stay tuned to find out my new site placement!

One Month In

Well, as you can already tell, these weekly blog posts are going to be harder than I thought. Between 50+ hours a week of instruction, chores at the house, integrating with the family, studying, and planning community events, my life is just a 'little' packed. I can't believe I have already been in country for one month. It has both felt like the quickest and longest month of my life. It has been a month of many first! To name a few:

- learning to make tortillas

- watching chickens hatch

- watching chickens get killed for lunch (que- 'Cirrrrcle of life....")

- Attempting to learn Spanish

- Presenting maternal health topics...in Spanish to women in the village

- Taking a Machete to coconuts and drinking fresh Coco water

- taking 3.5 hours to do one load of laundry by hand

- making papusas

- visiting a Mayan village

- becoming close with 17 folks who without them not sure what I would do!

- contracting Giardia! (I will expand on this below)

- And being constantly humbled and in awe of my wonderful family that has accepted me as one of their own

.........and much more

Needless to say, it has been a busy and wonderful month, a roller-coaster ride of emotions, exhaustion, and joy. 

As some of you might have heard, I was hospitalized last week for 3 nights due to a rough case of dehydration and fever resulting from contracting Giardia (parasite from food/water contamination- common in the developing world). I get the award 'or lack there of' of being the first in the group to get pretty ill, but I surely won't be the last. The past week has been one of the most trying, and I have a seriously new appreciation for our healthcare system (despite its many flaws), ease of transportation, luxuries of being sick in the developed world, and my wonderful family back home and in Belize. After four days of being on a medication, I had a pretty rough reaction and had to be taken back into Belize city for medical attention. Thankfully, I am on a new medication and am not having any bad side effects today!

 As amazing as my family is in Belize, to be sick in another family's home, in another country, not speaking the language, and attempting to run back and forth to the outdoor latrine and recover in 90 degree weather without a fan or ac, is not the ideal. At the same time, I am so incredibly fortunate because this is the reality for so many people in the world. The Peace Corps response has been great, providing me fairly quick transportation (relatively speaking), adjusting my meds, and checking up on me regularly. I know the majority of PCV's (Peace Corps Volunteers) will get sick at some point, so I'm hoping this is something I can check off the list and not relive during the next two years. 

In other news, the last two weeks have been pretty good! My life here is starting to seem rather 'normal,' and I'm starting to establish some sort of routine. Since I last posted, we have officially delved into the technical aspects of training. The beginning portion focused a lot on maternal health, and I was even asked to help lead the breastfeeding sessions and to contribute to the sessions on ante-natal care, labor/delivery, and post-partum care! It felt great to be consulted on this portion, and I can’t wait to start working in this area. Unlike America, nearly all women breast-feed here, in public, and without any need or pressure to cover-up! However, the problem is women sticking to exclusively breastfeeding during the first 6 months….In addition to breast milk, it’s not unusual for women to give their 1 month old coke, coffee, or even a tortilla. Needless, to say, there is a lot of room for education in this subject. It’s amazing how in some aspects of maternal health, Belize is so much further than America and in other ways so far off….

We had our first home visit last week with the Community Health Worker in the village, and it was extremely eye-opening. We met with an elderly woman who was bed-bound from an accident one year ago. Let’s just say….I know it will be quite an adjustment to seeing the quality of health care and conditions in which so many people live here. On the positive side, there is so much room for growth and work to be done! Over 25% of the village is diabetic, many children are undernourished, and in general NCD’s (non-communicable diseases) are a major need to be addressed here.

Other non-technical training sessions have been long and intense about topics such as sexual assault prevention, food and water prep (would have been useful the first week), peace corps approach to development, and the logistics of working with the Ministry of Health and our Community Health Partners. I will soon write a post dedicated solely to the Peace Corps approach to development, but their philosophy is the main reason why I am proud to be a part of this organization. Rather than tradition development approaches- sending in the ‘educated white man’ to save the ‘poor folk’, their approach is entirely different. The Peace Corps focuses on building relationships, empowering communities, and partnering with locals to build sustainable projects in a spirit of ‘peace and cooperation.’ This is not some kumbiya, ‘peace and love’ type of approach, it is the only way to establish positive, effective, and sustainable change. I could go on and on about this approach all day….but I will spare you! As much as I am loving the theory, training in the practical application of the material is equally fascinating. We have been going into depth on conducting community assessments, facilitating group events, MRE (Monitoring, Reporting, and Evaluation), and the list goes on…

My host family continues to be amazing. My mama and I continue to attempt to speak to each other, and I am noticing that each day I can understand a bit more. It’s easy to default to asking my sister’s to help translate, but I have been trying to limit the easy way out and make myself really immerse into the language (definitely not the case while I was sick). My Mama is amazing in so many ways, but I am constantly humbled by her selflessness, hard-work, and unbelievably giving nature. Today she even surprised me with a new shirt she bought at the market! Tomorrow, my sister is playing soccer (football) against another university team in Belize. I will go with the family to watch the game in the nearby city of San Ignacio. There are some nearby Mayan Ruins and from what I hear, a great market, so I’m hoping to explore a bit! Most of all, I am looking forward to spending a day out of the village in a place that is not the Peace Corps office or the hospital!

Love to all :)



My adorable little cousin, Kelsey!

My Mama!

2 Week Mark!

The past week has certainly been interesting (I feel like I could/will start every post along these lines!) I have been with my host family for a bit over 1 week at this point, and it has certainly been an experience I’ll never forget….Where to start?

PC training has been extremely long, exciting, interesting and more exhausting than I could ever imagine. We have language training about 3 days a week, and the other days we go into Belmopan for training at PC headquarters. I typically wake up at 6am, take a bucket bath, help mom with breakfast, and leave to walk 45 minutes to the school or hop on the bus at 6:45 to head to the capital. I am glad that my house is one of the furthest from the school…it gives more time for exercise and some much needed and cherished alone time. The days at the office are long but so nice as we have the luxuries of wifi and air conditioning at the office! I know pretty soon, I won’t have either so I’m trying to enjoy it the few days a week I have it!

Me Familia: My host family is absolutely amazing. I continue to be overwhelmed by their warmth and hospitality. Me Padres (parents) along with most others in this village, are refugees from the civil war in El Salvador in the 80’s. The Valley of Peace was founded as a UN refugee camp in the 80’s for those escaping the brutality of El Salvador’s civil war. I recently learned my father's story- that during the civil war, my father’s village was raided and his father was murdered. His mother died from a heart attack the same moment. At 15 years old, my father was responsible for taking care of his 7 siblings. He managed to provide them shelter, food, and safety and snuck most of them to Belize. Their stories are all very powerful, and it’s amazing to think how far the family has come! My Padre, Antonio, is a quiet and friendly man who is around 65 years old. He works in Agriculture (really good profession here) and the family owns a little shop in the house that sells basic goods. Him and Mama have managed to raise a beautiful family of 8 children of which half went to college!

Only two girls (me hermanas) are living at home (17 and 22) and they are truly wonderful. Irma, my 22 year old sister’s English is perfect, and she has been helping me greatly with my Spanish. She has finished her degree and is currently interviewing for jobs in the accounting field! My younger hermana, Ara, is a super competitive soccer player and travels around Belize playing against other districts. It’s not super common in this very religious and conservative country for young girls to be allowed to play soccer, much less travel alone to soccer tournaments around the country. One of my favorite (and sometimes least favorite) parts about my family is that most of the siblings all have homes next to each other so there are constantly children (3-14) here and the house is very lively. I think they have gotten used to my schedule, because the kids are typically waiting for me right when I get off the bus!

Religion: Like most of the developing world, Belize has been extensively molded by the presence of missionaries (not a subject you want to get me started on). Catholicism, Baptist, Adventists, and Pentecostal are very prominent sect here in the villages. Like I mentioned, my host family is very religious (Catholic), and prayer, church, and ritual is an essential aspect of daily life, so for those who know me, that will certainly be one of my biggest adjustments. Every night of the week they go to church or to some religious function in someone’s house. I participated in one on Wednesday night that eh, let’s just say was extremely culturally eye opening.  In fact, one of the first questions I got was “are you Christian?” I prepared myself for this question and decided that in order to better integrate into my community, I would say I was Christian. Well, that didn’t happen. For some reason, I said I was Jewish and got the blankest stares of my life. To avoid the awkward conversation, I shook my head and said “Ah, yes, I am Christian!” to which they proudly smiled haha! I am going to church with the family tomorrow which will certainly be interesting.

I’ve been blown away with the PC Belize’s level of organization, thoroughness, and professionalism thus far, though the multitude of policies, rules, and regulations can often seem a bit tedious. The reminder that I am working for the government!  We are constantly being evaluated and have periodic assessments in 8 different areas! Aside from language training, our PC trainings have actually been really interesting. The past few days we have had sessions on a variety of topics- visits from the Ministry of health, Ministry of Education, Security briefings, Intro to technical training, training on data collection and reporting measures, public health, global health, project framework, and the list goes on. We even had a 2 hour session on diarrhea from our PCMO (peace corps medical officer) including the way to collect a stool sample (which we will all likely have to do at some point in our service and inevitable sickness). We have all surrendered to the fact that the next two years will without a doubt bring the greatest sickness we’ve ever experienced. This could be everything from severe diarrhea (very dangerous), malaria (even with the meds), Chickengunia, dengue, allergic reactions, and adjustments to food and water. I have already experienced a little sickness after eating fish that was sitting unrefrigerated in a bucket of salted water for two days. It’s been very difficult to balance being not being offensive and thankful of hospitality and learning to say ‘no thank you.’ In the mestizo culture, accepting, offering, and enjoying one’s food is seen as a sign of respect, and saying no is not always an appropriate cultural response (hence my eating of spam last night).

One of my hardest adjustments has been how many Belizians treat animals. Me familia has MANY animals, none of which are actually viewed as pets, rather they are purely for utility. Cats are used to keep away rats, dogs are used for security, chickens used for eggs and meat. They are NOT pets and to see any kind treatment is pretty rare (they aren’t exactly abused, just neglected and often kicked away if they come too close). This isn’t true in all cases, and I would guess to say that my family treats their animals nicer than a lot of families (they even get the occasional head scratches!). One of my favorite dog’s name is Toby. He is a little mutt and is super sweet and playful. My family says that they gave up a long time ago on Toby ever becoming a guard dog because he is too sweet and playful! The other dog’s name is Guardian and he is super bad ass. He is sweet also, but has a much more serious demeanor and definitely understands his responsibilities around de casa. Today Mama said something to Guardian in espanol and he immediately chased down the biggest chicken in the yard, wrestles to catch him in the mouth, and brings him to Mama. Observing this, I knew what was coming! I told myself before starting this process, that of all the new things I will try, I need to become comfortable with where my food comes from. Mustering up the courage, I followed Mama through the caching, killing, plucking, preparing, and eating chicken process. Needless to say, it was quite the learning experience, and the last thing I wanted to do was eat lunch after watching this process, but I did! I will say, that these chickens have a hell of a better life here than in industrial agriculture, and I will make a goal that before I leave here I will help with this process. I believe it’s my responsibility to be conscious, appreciative, and knowledgeable about how my food gets on my plate.

This week has been a week of many first! I have tried new foods I never imagined eating (spam), saw a baby chicken hatching from its shell (so cool!) and have learned more Spanish in 1 week than I ever thought possible! Necessity really is the biggest motivator! Though there are of course ups and downs, I am beyond thankful for this opportunity and am appreciative of all those who continue to support me! Heading to the nearby Mennonite community for the day. Hope all is well…Love to all!

Surviving Week 1

6/28/2016 (posted later)

Today has been without a doubt one of the most interesting days of my life! Today has been one of the most overwhelming days ever, and I have experienced such a range of emotions! Today we travelled from the capital city of Belize- Belmopan, about 30 miles into the very rural Valley of Peace. This village has around 2,000 people and was formed in the 1980’s as a community for refugees of the El Salvador Civil war. Today there is a mixture of Kekchi and Spanish families (Kriol volunteers are sent to another village). Less than 5 minutes outside of Belmopan the contrast is day and night. Houses turned to shacks, developed landscape turned to lush dense jungle, and paved roads soon became entirely gravel. About 30 minutes after driving down the empty jungle roads, we finally saw the sign for Valley of peace. After pulling in the entrance, the first volunteer was immediately dropped off to a Kekchi family (Mayan). Most Kekchi families (hers included) live in a thatched house, no electricity, running water, etc. Dropping off our first volunteer and knowing I was minutes from meeting my host family was SO overwhelming. I couldn’t help to be in tears (I wasn’t the only one!) and feeling nervous, excited, and knowing I was embarking on an experience that would without a doubt change my life. One by one, our name was called, luggage yanked off the bus and walked into our house by PC staff to introduce us to our hosts families.

My family happens to live rather close to the entrance, and sure enough I was the third name to be called off the bus! As we pulled up on the mudded dirt roads, I see my families home and two men staring at me. The wooden house was certainly modest but looked very warm and inviting. I immediately meet my hosts cousin (I think) and my host dad with an extremely awkward handshake. My mom and other siblings happened to still be at church. My dad and brother were very friendly but spoke absolutely no English, and I speak absolutely no Spanish…oh boy. This was without a doubt the most awkward hour of my life as the three of us sat in the living room hopelessly trying to communicate! I did manage to learn where the bathroom (outhouse) was, eat some watermelon, and thank them for their hospitality. This encounter made me realize just how essential it is to learn the language.  Additionally, I also learned that my family runs a store out of their house. They sell eggs, avocados, tomatoes, bread, and many general goods. I hope this store will be a good way to interact with community members.

After what seemed like an eternity, my host mom along with some extended family members arrived home! She is an amazing woman and her warm embrace was such a comfort! My mom also speaks absolutely no English, but it will definitely mean that I will learn the language so much better! Thankfully, my siblings/cousins could translate a bit as all children know English (language taught in schools). After meeting my host mom, I met her 2 sons, their wives, and children (3-13). They all live in the next two houses and this certainly seems to be the main hangout place. I LOVE having the kids around and getting to interact with so many people, but it's definitely exhausting. The kids were all super confused/scared/unsure of me at first, but they eventually warmed up! We were soon playing hide and go seek, coloring with the crayons and coloring book I brought, and playing the universal kid game that my father taught me- sticking hand out for the high five and quickly pulling it away game….I have used this in SO many countries that I’ve been too where children don’t know ANY English and it is seriously the best ice breaker and leads to the instant best buddy…..so thanks, dad! My favorite little kid is Louis, 3 and a half and he was sad when his parents finally made him go home for dinner! The children are great to talk to because their English is perfect and they have already taught me so much Spanish.

While settling in and unpacking a bit, all the kids hung out in my room and LOVED when I finally pulled out my pictures of friends and family. I showed them a picture of my mom and dad (the biological ones), and my host mom was SOOO excited to see them! She said dad was super tall and mom is so beautiful…I would have to agree with her statements.

After some more unpacking it was time for dinner. I was actually amazed with how delicious and nutritious the meal was. We had beans, eggs, avocado, cheese, and corn tortillas! After dinner, I convinced mom to let me help with dishes. Though we can’t understand each other’s language, it’s amazing how much you can communicate through context, body language, and good energy. She is so warm and always wants to make sure I have everything I need! Of their 5 children, two daughters (19 and 22) still live in the house, which is customary until marriage. Even after marriage, many children stay with their families until they can afford to build a house for their families.

Since I was dripping in sweat and covered in mud throughout the day, I was super excited to shower. I have officially taken my first bucket bath! It sounds pretty much exactly how it is- filled up a bucket, tied the curtain to the door of the bath shack, and did my thing! I’m still trying to get used to the outside latrine….I'll bring myself to talk about that next time :). 

And now time for bed! Tomorrow starts our intensive language training, bright and early!

Love to all and enjoy the moment!

Not even a week yet!

It is so crazy to think that today is only Saturday- only 5 days since I left Birmingham and 3 days since getting to Belize!! These past few days have certainly been a whirlwind of an adventure- exciting, overwhelming, confusing, beautiful and sweaty...yes, sweaty.

I can definitely see how keeping up with this blog will be a challenge! Between the spotty internet, crammed pack days, and more training than I ever thought possible, it's hard to know how to even begin describing this experience. But, I will try...

After getting to Miami, I checked into the hotel where I'd be staying for 2 nights at what PC calls staging. This involves ice-breakers, paperwork, and learning PC goals, expectations, etc. I was the first one at the hotel, and had a lot of fun finding other volunteers by playing the 'I think they are in PC but not sure if I want to play the awkward guessing game.' Slowly but surely, the mass of hiking bags, nervous-excited faces, and too much luggage to handle came all together. I was and continue to be amazed by how well our group of 19 (11 girls, 8 guys) have come together. We are truly family for the next 27 months, and it's amazing how quickly folks can bond when in such a crazy situation. We have a good mix of recent college grads, mid-late twenties, and 3 men in their late 60's! The three older men (retired military, social worker, and physical therapist) bring a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and life-experience and they all say they've been dreaming of this for almost 50 years! Anyways, I am so thankful for the close friendships that have already been formed, and I know we will all rely on each other for support during the hard times, help celebrating the good times, and the only people we can vent too about the insanity of Peace Corps. In the PC experience, there is such rarity that we can actually be our self. In the PC office, training, etc we have to remain extremely professional and 'business casual.' With our host families and in our villages, we have to adhere to cultural norms, follow strict rules, and be consciously and continuously assessing our actions and behavior. It is nice to know that with this group of 19, I can truly be myself.  

Following staging, we arrived to the airport and after emotional goodbyes, flew to Belize for our unbelievably quick 2 hour flight! Upon landing in Belize City, several members of PC staff were waiting for us hugs, cheers, and a huge banner welcoming us to Belize. No PC volunteers are allowed in Belize City other than airport travel due to security reasons). From Belize city, we ventured west towards the capital (but much smaller), Belmopan- where the PC and embassy are located.  As soon as we arrived to the office, we went through security and one by one entered the office. Here, I was so shocked to walk through the door and see the 19 staff members lined up cheering, smiling, and waiting to shake my hand! This has been one of my absolute favorite moments thus far. The sweet hello's were short-lived as training pretty much started immediately....and hasn't stopped! The highlight of training has been meeting the US ambassador to Belize, Sir Carlos Moreno. Before he entered, we were instructed on proper ways to address him, body language, etc. He is extremely supportive of the Peace Corps, and we will be seeing him again in 3 months when he signs us in as official Peace Corps Volunteers.

One of the most staggering things about Belize so far is the incredible lush and green landscape. Belize is in a sub-tropical climate, meaning that there is a rainy (May-Sep) and dry (sep-apr). So, being that it's June, the rain has been torrential downpours and the humidity has been torrential sweat for all! Being wet, muddy, and sweaty all day long is going to be a given for the next 27 months.

 The past 3 days of training (about 9 hours a day) have flown by. Topics have included everything from safety/security, cultural, language, medical, host family training, and the list goes on. Belize is really fascinating country because for such a small population of 350,000 it is incredibly diverse. The 3 main ethnic groups of Belize are the Mestizo (Spanish speaking, but ethnic blend of Mayan and Spanish), Kriol (blend of West African and English~British colonist/slaves), and the Kekchi (Mayan group mostly in Belize and Guatemala). Each group has a very distinct culture and language, and for the most part live in different regions of Belize.

Volunteers will also be placed in one of these communities and be trained in their language and culture. This placement was determined after a lengthy interview, which included reviewing our technical experience and comfort level of being remote, not having electricity/running water, or even cell phone reception. Of utmost importance in determining placements, is matching community need with volunteer skills and experience. Though this program is a community rural health program, each village has their own needs- clean water, proper sanitation disposal, diarrhea prevention, non-communicable diseases, and maternal health, and each volunteer has a unique set of experience and knowledge.  With my background in maternal health, I communicated my desire was to be placed in a village and with a community-health worker who specialized in this area. Everyone was beyond nervous about our language placements, because it doesn't just determine our life for the next few months or language we will be learning, but it also determines the culture, geographical location, and general way of living during our service. So after an incredible amount of nerves, anticipation, and excitement, I found out yesterday that I will be learning......SPANISH!!!

Since arriving to Belize, we have been in a hotel with access to internet, water, and electricity. It has been a wonderful opportunity to grow closer with other volunteers and ease the transition. However, tomorrow is a HUGE day. Tomorrow we move into a our training village with our hosts families for the next 3 months of Community based training. Everyone learning Spanish and Kekchi will be in the Valley of Peace village and those learning Kriol will be in a village near by. Once we move in with our host families, our intensive training begins!  Once or twice a week, we will all meetup at the office in Belmopan for the non-language components of our training.

Now that I've officially written a book, I hope it gives everyone a bit better of insight into my short time here in Belize. My next post will hopefully be soon, and I am excited to let everyone know about my host family and community!

Love you all :)